My birthplace revisited....
- Thread starter Blew it
- Start date
Part four reposted
Another place where great care needs to be taken, are the many "green Tunnels". These usually occur where the trackbed runs through a cut. Over the years, the trees lining the route have met at the top, forming a shady green tube. There is a bonus, on a hot summers day, it is very cool in the dappled shade. My apologies for the poor quality of the next two photos, It was the first time I'd used this camera, The dappled shade seemed to give it a problem focusing.
Following windy weather, the floor can be littered with branches, eagerly waiting to wrench your chain off. Needless to say, part of the tool kit is a twenty link length of chain and several joiners. On one occasion, I spotted a half inch thick branch too late to avoid. The front tyre flicked it into the air, it then landing neatly between spokes and chainstays. There was a sickening CRACK!! as the branch snapped. Fortunately, ChinaBlue's 12 gauge spokes proved to be a good match and no real damage was done.
Now!, Steam loco's can't normally go up hills, so I was a little surprised to find myself at the foot of this earthen mountain!. Apparently, some time after the line closed, the soil from levelling the ground for two new housing estates, was simply bulldozed into the deep cut that once existed here. As I said before, ChinaBlue has only three gears, and two thirds of the way up, both myself and the motor stalled. Releasing the front brake to dismount, ChinaBlue promptly started rolling back down the slope, even though I still had the rear brake applied...PANIC!!. Glancing down at the back wheel, I was alarmed to see the disc rotor firmly locked by the brake but the hub turning freely. I just couldn't believe I'd sheared the 6 retaining bolts. Not wanting to continue with only one brake working, I turned and rode back down the hill, only to find the rear brake working perfectly!!. The disc rotor flange had simply started unscrewing itself from the hub...just another of ChinaBlue's little foibles. Turning once again, I walked back up the hill with the bike scrabbling up beside me on a whiff of throttle......it was a good opportunity to "spark one up" and enjoy the scenery.
At the top of this slope I was only five hundred yards from the site of the old Marlborough Railway Station, the house in which I lived as man and boy for twenty years, another one hundred yards beyond that. Sadly, I was unable to go that far before reaching the end of the rural route. The photo I took here was so badly out of focus I daren't post it. The little Route 45 arrow points down a very steep stoney "chute" into a large post war housing estate. I'm enjoying the peace and tranquility of the route so much, I don't really fancy going down there, so, after a sandwich, I turned around and started back on the sixteen mile journey home.
To be continued.....
Another place where great care needs to be taken, are the many "green Tunnels". These usually occur where the trackbed runs through a cut. Over the years, the trees lining the route have met at the top, forming a shady green tube. There is a bonus, on a hot summers day, it is very cool in the dappled shade. My apologies for the poor quality of the next two photos, It was the first time I'd used this camera, The dappled shade seemed to give it a problem focusing.
Following windy weather, the floor can be littered with branches, eagerly waiting to wrench your chain off. Needless to say, part of the tool kit is a twenty link length of chain and several joiners. On one occasion, I spotted a half inch thick branch too late to avoid. The front tyre flicked it into the air, it then landing neatly between spokes and chainstays. There was a sickening CRACK!! as the branch snapped. Fortunately, ChinaBlue's 12 gauge spokes proved to be a good match and no real damage was done.
Now!, Steam loco's can't normally go up hills, so I was a little surprised to find myself at the foot of this earthen mountain!. Apparently, some time after the line closed, the soil from levelling the ground for two new housing estates, was simply bulldozed into the deep cut that once existed here. As I said before, ChinaBlue has only three gears, and two thirds of the way up, both myself and the motor stalled. Releasing the front brake to dismount, ChinaBlue promptly started rolling back down the slope, even though I still had the rear brake applied...PANIC!!. Glancing down at the back wheel, I was alarmed to see the disc rotor firmly locked by the brake but the hub turning freely. I just couldn't believe I'd sheared the 6 retaining bolts. Not wanting to continue with only one brake working, I turned and rode back down the hill, only to find the rear brake working perfectly!!. The disc rotor flange had simply started unscrewing itself from the hub...just another of ChinaBlue's little foibles. Turning once again, I walked back up the hill with the bike scrabbling up beside me on a whiff of throttle......it was a good opportunity to "spark one up" and enjoy the scenery.
At the top of this slope I was only five hundred yards from the site of the old Marlborough Railway Station, the house in which I lived as man and boy for twenty years, another one hundred yards beyond that. Sadly, I was unable to go that far before reaching the end of the rural route. The photo I took here was so badly out of focus I daren't post it. The little Route 45 arrow points down a very steep stoney "chute" into a large post war housing estate. I'm enjoying the peace and tranquility of the route so much, I don't really fancy going down there, so, after a sandwich, I turned around and started back on the sixteen mile journey home.
To be continued.....
Hi Daz,
Part five tonight. The conclusion, in which all will be revealed, on Friday.
All the best
Bob
Part five tonight. The conclusion, in which all will be revealed, on Friday.
All the best
Bob
Part five
This is one of my favourite spots on this route. The one thing about this rural ride that makes it so attractive is the peace and quiet. We might be excused for holding back a sneeze, so as not to shatter the silence.
On a sad day in 1961, this trackbed would have trembled under the weight of the 4-6-0 "Cookham Manor" loco. Reportedly with a wreath tied to it's smokebox door pulling the ceremonial closing train, signifying the end of the Swindon to Marlborough railway line. Today, It's just myself and old ChinaBlue, and a few camera shy rabbits. It's also the place, at 21 miles, with 11 more miles to reach home, this battery ran out.
It is of course the now famous LiFePO4 Duct tape battery built by Li Ping in China. This 6 x 6 x 5 inch mini powerhouse weighing only 3.5 Kgs was constructed earlier this year when Ping had access to high density 5 ah cells. Current packs are using 3.5 ah and 4 ah cells, and are larger and heavier. The array is constructed of layers of thin pouches filled with magic Lithium putty. The solder tabs are very close together, relying only on non-conductive leaves to prevent shorting. "Soft" batteries such as these have to be given adequate protection against accidental puncture, abrasion and distortion of the pack. Any distortion, such as that which may result from heavy duty heatshrinking, could easily negate the tiny clearance between the solder tags, resulting in a catastrophic failure. Member JEREMY's battery was fully exposed to public view on his very elegant recumbent, a very neat casing being constructed for his battery using the "Lost foam" proccess.
The solution, In the case of my own battery, which is never seen once the trunk bag is closed up, was to cobble up a "tank" made from polycarbonate sheet offcuts and some 25 mm plastic angle all held together with superglue. The pack sits on a layer of dense foam, and held central by strips of draught excluder, staggered to allow convection currents to pass out of the lid. Even after several miles of full throttle running, the temperature inside the trunk bag rarely exceeds 3 degrees C above ambient. Localised heat from the BMS during the balancing phase of the charge sequence also easily escapes through the loose fitting lid. I should mention, the trunk bag has a 6 mm MDF sole plate in the bottom. Four screws pass through the plate and attach to the carrier rails with P clips. No matter how bumpy it gets..... It aint going nowhere!! (unless it takes the carrier with it!!)
Note: It appears Li Ping now has 5 ah cells in stock.
The final eleven miles are completed on the 15 ah VRLA's, with plenty of capacity left over when finally reaching home......It was a good day!.
Some typical data:
Distance run: 32.5 miles
Average speed: 10.8 mph
Time in the saddle (and out of it ): Around 3 hours.
To be concluded.....
This is one of my favourite spots on this route. The one thing about this rural ride that makes it so attractive is the peace and quiet. We might be excused for holding back a sneeze, so as not to shatter the silence.
On a sad day in 1961, this trackbed would have trembled under the weight of the 4-6-0 "Cookham Manor" loco. Reportedly with a wreath tied to it's smokebox door pulling the ceremonial closing train, signifying the end of the Swindon to Marlborough railway line. Today, It's just myself and old ChinaBlue, and a few camera shy rabbits. It's also the place, at 21 miles, with 11 more miles to reach home, this battery ran out.
It is of course the now famous LiFePO4 Duct tape battery built by Li Ping in China. This 6 x 6 x 5 inch mini powerhouse weighing only 3.5 Kgs was constructed earlier this year when Ping had access to high density 5 ah cells. Current packs are using 3.5 ah and 4 ah cells, and are larger and heavier. The array is constructed of layers of thin pouches filled with magic Lithium putty. The solder tabs are very close together, relying only on non-conductive leaves to prevent shorting. "Soft" batteries such as these have to be given adequate protection against accidental puncture, abrasion and distortion of the pack. Any distortion, such as that which may result from heavy duty heatshrinking, could easily negate the tiny clearance between the solder tags, resulting in a catastrophic failure. Member JEREMY's battery was fully exposed to public view on his very elegant recumbent, a very neat casing being constructed for his battery using the "Lost foam" proccess.
The solution, In the case of my own battery, which is never seen once the trunk bag is closed up, was to cobble up a "tank" made from polycarbonate sheet offcuts and some 25 mm plastic angle all held together with superglue. The pack sits on a layer of dense foam, and held central by strips of draught excluder, staggered to allow convection currents to pass out of the lid. Even after several miles of full throttle running, the temperature inside the trunk bag rarely exceeds 3 degrees C above ambient. Localised heat from the BMS during the balancing phase of the charge sequence also easily escapes through the loose fitting lid. I should mention, the trunk bag has a 6 mm MDF sole plate in the bottom. Four screws pass through the plate and attach to the carrier rails with P clips. No matter how bumpy it gets..... It aint going nowhere!! (unless it takes the carrier with it!!)
Note: It appears Li Ping now has 5 ah cells in stock.
The final eleven miles are completed on the 15 ah VRLA's, with plenty of capacity left over when finally reaching home......It was a good day!.
Some typical data:
Distance run: 32.5 miles
Average speed: 10.8 mph
Time in the saddle (and out of it ): Around 3 hours.
To be concluded.....
The conclusion
Since that first exploratory ride, ChinaBlue has carried me safely and dependably on four more occasions along that rural route, but is now in retirement. There are several reasons for taking this machine out of service. The huge weight is one, by far the greatest though, is the rear suspension....it just doesn't work!!.
If you look at this type of machine, it's not difficult to realise the rear swinging arm assembly weighs more than the rest of the bike put together. When encountering the short pitch undulations of rural tracks, the un-damped spring simply cannot control the rapid changes of direction of that huge mass. In short, for each ONE bump, you get TWO kicks up the butt!!. Eventually, the whole thing gets completely out of kilter, leaving no choice but to slow to a fast walking pace.
The very first time I rode the Wisper 905 GTS, the first hardtail I had ridden since returning to cycling, I was amazed how comfortable it was, albeit with a sprung seatpost. This set in motion a fresh train of thought on which type of machine would be more suitable for rural riding. The answer, after considerable research, was the Synergie Mistral. The preliminary tests on this machines suitability have been successfully concluded, this can be viewed HERE.
If you would like to read a far more eloquent appraisal of bicycle suspension, I would strongly recommend you read Flecc's article in the technical section HERE
My thanks to all of you who have posted replies, your kind words are very much appreciated
All the best
Bob (The high plains drifter)
Since that first exploratory ride, ChinaBlue has carried me safely and dependably on four more occasions along that rural route, but is now in retirement. There are several reasons for taking this machine out of service. The huge weight is one, by far the greatest though, is the rear suspension....it just doesn't work!!.
If you look at this type of machine, it's not difficult to realise the rear swinging arm assembly weighs more than the rest of the bike put together. When encountering the short pitch undulations of rural tracks, the un-damped spring simply cannot control the rapid changes of direction of that huge mass. In short, for each ONE bump, you get TWO kicks up the butt!!. Eventually, the whole thing gets completely out of kilter, leaving no choice but to slow to a fast walking pace.
The very first time I rode the Wisper 905 GTS, the first hardtail I had ridden since returning to cycling, I was amazed how comfortable it was, albeit with a sprung seatpost. This set in motion a fresh train of thought on which type of machine would be more suitable for rural riding. The answer, after considerable research, was the Synergie Mistral. The preliminary tests on this machines suitability have been successfully concluded, this can be viewed HERE.
If you would like to read a far more eloquent appraisal of bicycle suspension, I would strongly recommend you read Flecc's article in the technical section HERE
My thanks to all of you who have posted replies, your kind words are very much appreciated
All the best
Bob (The high plains drifter)
Dazzie
Hi Daz,
Short answer to your first question, not until the first warm days of Spring next year.
The Mistral will be far better, having a better range of road gears available for the steep bits, and of course it's much lighter. ChinaBlue will still have the occasional run out, unlike the other two steel bikes which have now been dismantled. Naturally the good bits have been retained as spares or perhaps projects. It was a question of either rationalize or buy a bigger shed!!. The three SLA packs have each been rewired for 12 volts 24 ah and are powering the auxilary lighting system in the house.
One strange thing about my Mistral, is the 7 speed thumb shifter it's fitted with. I'm not sure if it's a replacement or due to the fact that 6 speed shifters are rarer than hens teeth. In use, at some point I have to give it two clicks to change down and likewise when changing back up. During the winter months I'm going to fit a Sunrace 7 speed cluster to go with the shifter, it's 13 tooth high gear will suit my area better than the 14 tooth currently fitted. This will also allow me to continue pedalling in sport mode at a sensible cadence.
Anyway Daz, enough about MY machines, when do we get to hear about your experiences with YOUR first E-Bike?.
All the best Daz
Bob
Hi Daz,
Short answer to your first question, not until the first warm days of Spring next year.
The Mistral will be far better, having a better range of road gears available for the steep bits, and of course it's much lighter. ChinaBlue will still have the occasional run out, unlike the other two steel bikes which have now been dismantled. Naturally the good bits have been retained as spares or perhaps projects. It was a question of either rationalize or buy a bigger shed!!. The three SLA packs have each been rewired for 12 volts 24 ah and are powering the auxilary lighting system in the house.
One strange thing about my Mistral, is the 7 speed thumb shifter it's fitted with. I'm not sure if it's a replacement or due to the fact that 6 speed shifters are rarer than hens teeth. In use, at some point I have to give it two clicks to change down and likewise when changing back up. During the winter months I'm going to fit a Sunrace 7 speed cluster to go with the shifter, it's 13 tooth high gear will suit my area better than the 14 tooth currently fitted. This will also allow me to continue pedalling in sport mode at a sensible cadence.
Anyway Daz, enough about MY machines, when do we get to hear about your experiences with YOUR first E-Bike?.
All the best Daz
Bob
7 speed thumb shifter? Mine's a six speed (and too far from the throttle if I'm honest - long stretch). Want me to take a pic to show you?
I've only done 30 or so miles so far on her (poor thing) so far - I'm starting a 25-30ish mile a day commute from 12th Jan so after the first week I'll report back.
Thanks as always Bob,
Daz
I've only done 30 or so miles so far on her (poor thing) so far - I'm starting a 25-30ish mile a day commute from 12th Jan so after the first week I'll report back.
Thanks as always Bob,
Daz
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