Anyone else out riding today?

[georgehenry]

My Haibike is usually confined to taking me to work, cross country on the way to work, and on the road back home. However I am using up holiday days rather than lose them and sitting at home when I thought put the battery on charge and go for a cross country blast to blow my cobwebs away.Half a mile to the start of the trail and then all off road almost all the way in a circular route from Godalming in Surrey.


Crooksbury Common in Surrey



Amongst the Pines

More Crooksbury

Of the track

Woodland trail leaving Cutmill Pond

22 miles. 55% of the 400Wh used. Original battery now 6 years and 1 month old. Total range at this consumption 40 miles. Total bike mileage since new 13,214.

Second motor replaced under warranty at the end of the two year warranty now is just over four years old with 7,214 miles on it.

Had tiny flurries of spring snow falling at one point, but not for long.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

I would, but it's too cold - I got chillblains on my fingers and toes the other month and the skin is still peeling off... so I've been targeting the warmer days and nights, wherever possible. I need to get some windproof socks, more windproof than the ones I have...

 

[georgehenry]

It was cold yesterday.

I started off with a wind proof jacket over a long sleeved thermal top and relatively newly acquired Ronhill Trackster leggings, cheap ebay woolen blend gloves just £2.49 off ebay, bargain, old acrylic Mr Happy hat that I originally bought for skiing, old knackered trainers that are very comfortable on the bike with two pairs of socks, one thin pair one thick pair, and usual tools and water proof trousers, water bottle and camera in my panniers.

I live in a town with hills either side of a river valley. So after a swift descent from where I live into the valley I have to climb back out again up a steep hill. I wanted exercise and used lowest assist on the hill and maintained 12 to 13 mph up it. That warmed me up!

So at the start of the first track I took my hat and jacket off and stayed like that all the way round.

There was a point when the sky darkened and the very slight flurries of very light snow started that I nearly stopped to put my jacket on.

I was also putting plenty of effort in, using low assist and off with only a brief dab of middle assist to get up one difficult climb. I hardly ever go up that climb as it is my most fun steep descent with a couple of rooty steps that you can get all wheels off the ground when descending but was where I needed middle assist to weave around them when climbing up. I tend not to look at my speed when descending as I need to keep my eyes on the trail but I have flicked my eyes down on occasion and am well over 20 mph. At the bottom you cross a sandy wash out bit as it flattens out and you need to keep the bike straight and off the brakes. All good fun.

I ride all year round as a commuter to work and must be hardened to the weather.

 

[BillyBoy88]

It was cold yesterday.

I started off with a wind proof jacket over a long sleeved thermal top and relatively newly acquired Ronhill Trackster leggings, cheap ebay woolen blend gloves just £2.49 off ebay, bargain, old acrylic Mr Happy hat that I originally bought for skiing, old knackered trainers that are very comfortable on the bike with two pairs of socks, one thin pair one thick pair, and usual tools and water proof trousers, water bottle and camera in my panniers.

I live in a town with hills either side of a river valley. So after a swift descent from where I live into the valley I have to climb back out again up a steep hill. I wanted exercise and used lowest assist on the hill and maintained 12 to 13 mph up it. That warmed me up!

So at the start of the first track I took my hat and jacket off and stayed like that all the way round.

There was a point when the sky darkened and the very slight flurries of very light snow started that I nearly stopped to put my jacket on.

I was also putting plenty of effort in, using low assist and off with only a brief dab of middle assist to get up one difficult climb. I hardly ever go up that climb as it is my most fun steep descent with a couple of rooty steps that you can get all wheels off the ground when descending but was where I needed middle assist to weave around them when climbing up. I tend not to look at my speed when descending as I need to keep my eyes on the trail but I have flicked my eyes down on occasion and am well over 20 mph. At the bottom you cross a sandy wash out bit as it flattens out and you need to keep the bike straight and off the brakes. All good fun.

I ride all year round as a commuter to work and must be hardened to the weather.

Had a good ride out this afternoon, nice and warm about 23c, with a gentle breeze along the coast by the Mediterranean Sea to Coral Bay.

 

[georgehenry]

That is an envious temperature compared with my not much above freezing one.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

nice and warm about 23c, with a gentle breeze along the coast by the Mediterranean Sea to Coral Bay.

(...aaaaAAAARRRGGGHHH!)

 

[BillyBoy88]

(...aaaaAAAARRRGGGHHH!)

Sorry about this, don't mean to make you jealous

 

[Deleted member 33385]

Sorry about this, don't mean to make you jealous

That's quite alright - those letters were a rare and momentary lapse in keyboard control. It's completely fine that you're cylcing in 23 degrees and a gentle breeze while the skin on my toes and fingers freeze off - I'm not jealous at all, not at all! At all! Skin peeling off oneself is exciting to watch. I very much prefer it to beautiful cyling weather. It would have all come off in one piece, if I was careful, and I could have had it stuffed and given it a name. But the good news is, there is yet time - plenty more April left...

 

[Nealh]

Two rides one Sunday and Monday on trails with the Arkose equipped with friction drive.

 

[overlander]

I was out yesterday it was freezing, think it was about 3 degrees if i was lucky. Tooth filling started to hurt breathing in lol. I was out on my Voodoo bantu with swytch kit, the bag on the back is my lunch not a battery

 

[GSV3MiaC]

Up here we woke up to actual lying snow.. Only 5mm or do, but not what you want for April cycling weather. Oh yes, it was -x degrees too.

 

[sjpt]

I chose just the wrong time in Winchester yesterday, minor blizzard and strong cold north wind. Quite exhilarating (we usually get such boring weather here), but I cut the ride off pretty short all the same. Sun came out soon after I got home; I didn't head out again.

 

[BillyBoy88]

That's quite alright - those letters were a rare and momentary lapse in keyboard control. It's completely fine that you're cylcing in 23 degrees and a gentle breeze while the skin on my toes and fingers freeze off - I'm not jealous at all, not at all! At all! Skin peeling off oneself is exciting to watch. I very much prefer it to beautiful cyling weather. It would have all come off in one piece, if I was careful, and I could have had it stuffed and given it a name. But the good news is, there is yet time - plenty more April left...

Also the first time for a while wearing shorts, and a light cycling top ,

 

[georgehenry]

What rides have the rest of you been doing?

Back to what my Haibike has done for over six years now, taking me cross country to work, for these late shifts setting of at around 2:00Pm, on a route of between 12 and 16 miles, and then a 10 mile road ride home late at night.



I have really enjoyed these Spring rides in mostly bright clear sunshine. There have been some big temperature changes between the ride to work in the afternoon and the ride home after midnight.

I have been in danger of being too warm on the ride to work on occasion in a long sleeved thermal top, cheap wool style gloves, and leggings, but was kept from overheating by a little nip in the wind.

Going home I have needed proper protection from sub zero temperatures. So wind proof jacket and over trousers, thermal top, leggings,balaclava, winter gloves, and hat.



The shifts have been broken up with two consecutive rides to work and back on Monday and Tuesday, two days off, another ride on Friday, a short ride to my local station and back yesterday (Saturday) ,to use the train to get to work, off today and my last late shift of this set tomorrow which should mean a lovely cross country ride to work.

I can vary my route to work a bit, so 12 miles on Monday, 14 miles on Tuesday, and 16 miles on Friday, so 72 miles in total with the 10 mile ride home added.

So the total mileage of my 2015 Yamaha crank drive Haibike continues to rise with 13,286 miles now ridden, 7,286 on the second motor and still using the original 400Wh battery.




Spot the fleeing Deer.

Getting more miles out of my cassette.....

My Haibike does around 14 miles to work cross country getting my transmission dirty, and then I ride 10 miles home on the road.

My faster ride home using higher assist levels with a dirty chain and cassette a lot of the time in my highest gear 9 that has 12 teeth can mean that I wear this gear out quite quickly.

Previously this has meant changing the whole cassette.

I had in the past looked on ebay to try and buy just this top gear cog but not found any individual cogs.

I had a look again in February this year and bingo, someone is now selling them, so I ordered one.

It took a week or two to come and almost as soon as it had arrived my chain reached its wear limit and my top gear 12 tooth cog started to show the first signs of jumping, after a winter of dirty transmission commuting.

So at the beginning of March, rather than changing the chain and the cassette I changed the chain, cleaned the cassette and replaced just the 12 tooth top gear cog.

The replacement top gear 12 tooth cost £3.43 delivered. Now knowing that I can change it means that I do not need to nurse it quite so much and can push more power through it if I want to.

So far, so good, just replacing the top gear cog rather than the whole cassette is working well with now 175 miles ridden extending the life of the cassette.

 

[Charliefox]

It was cold yesterday.

I started off with a wind proof jacket over a long sleeved thermal top and relatively newly acquired Ronhill Trackster leggings, cheap ebay woolen blend gloves just £2.49 off ebay, bargain, old acrylic Mr Happy hat that I originally bought for skiing, old knackered trainers that are very comfortable on the bike with two pairs of socks, one thin pair one thick pair, and usual tools and water proof trousers, water bottle and camera in my panniers.

I live in a town with hills either side of a river valley. So after a swift descent from where I live into the valley I have to climb back out again up a steep hill. I wanted exercise and used lowest assist on the hill and maintained 12 to 13 mph up it. That warmed me up!

So at the start of the first track I took my hat and jacket off and stayed like that all the way round.

There was a point when the sky darkened and the very slight flurries of very light snow started that I nearly stopped to put my jacket on.

I was also putting plenty of effort in, using low assist and off with only a brief dab of middle assist to get up one difficult climb. I hardly ever go up that climb as it is my most fun steep descent with a couple of rooty steps that you can get all wheels off the ground when descending but was where I needed middle assist to weave around them when climbing up. I tend not to look at my speed when descending as I need to keep my eyes on the trail but I have flicked my eyes down on occasion and am well over 20 mph. At the bottom you cross a sandy wash out bit as it flattens out and you need to keep the bike straight and off the brakes. All good fun.

I ride all year round as a commuter to work and must be hardened to the weather.

As for hands I have tried leather motorcycle gloves but the gloves that work best for me are a pair of old leather mitts which keep all my fingers warm together. With a pair of sealskin socks, that covers my extremities. All the bits in between can be layered as required!

 

[georgehenry]

I agree about the mittens. Until they literally fell apart my warmest and also most waterproof gloves were an old pair of motorcycle Belstaff waxed cotton over mitts. They were a large size so I could fit any type of glove I liked underneath and they kept my hands warm as toast and dry. I tried to get another pair on ebay but they son't make them anymore.

 

[georgehenry]

I ended up riding 94 miles in total to work and back over four days of commuting on my 2015 Haibike Yamaha.

These rides where I have ridden in the hottest part of the afternoon and then ridden home around one in the morning have seen some spectacular temperature variations.

In some parts of my ride to work where I am in the open with the sun beating down on my display it has shown 27 degrees, and then around minus 2 on the way home.

My sequence of late shifts has come to an end and after three days off I have 6 consecutive early shifts.

So The Haibike gets a rest, and my £100 second hand 2011 simple rear hub cadence Oxygen Emate will be on duty for a potential 120 miles of electric bike commuting.