MaryinScotland

I get on well with a helmet mirror, like this: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/blackburn/helmet-mirror-ec006158#reviews Had to do a bit of modification at the fixing end to get it to sit properly on my helmet, but it works for me. Only useful if you wear a helmet, of course...

ta11guy, I'm glad you're happy with the bike. I hope it doesn't fail you at an inconvenient moment! RobF, Croxden, Stephen Gray - this is the second time I've given away a bike with dodgy electrics. The last time being in 2008 with an Urban Mover bike. It wouldn't go at all for me, but the taker worked on it for a while and got it going again, while I got it out of my way and made space for its replacement. It's called recycling... Mary

Hi Bauxite, With your regular train commute, a Brompton is probably a good choice. And, depending on where you work, you can probably fold it and take it indoors with you, which saves worrying about what might be happening to a bike left on an outside rack. Happy zooming Mary

Hi Stephen, I'm expecting ta11guy to collect the bike tomorrow. If that falls through for any reason, I'll get back to you. On the whole, I prefer not to try to sell something that's not perfect. I've had 7 years use from that bike, so now, if somebody else can get a bit more work from it, and is willing to deal with its quirks, that's fine with me. I've bought a BlueLabel Wave pedelec. It's made by Riese & Muller, with a Bosch crank drive. Mine is an ex-demo bike from Kinetics in Glasgow, so the price was discounted, and I have also just sold my non-electric Brompton to help finance it. I opted for Kinetics because I know they (or rather "he," Ben) have been doing electric bikes for a long time, and because Glasgow is an easy train-ride away, so I can get back there in case of problems. I wasn't keen on buying over the internet, with support maybe a full day's journey away. I've only made a few short trips on the Wave so far. I'll post a more detailed report when I've had time to get to know it. But first impressions are good. The crank drive is quieter than the Heinzmann hub drive, and I think it's easier to pedal when not using power. Now I need to test it on some hills, or with a loaded trailer. Mary

Hi Kleo, Yes, it's still available, and you're the first to ask, so you're welcome to have it. I can be at home any time on Saturday. On Sunday, I may be out morning/ early afternoon, but late afternoon or evening would be okay. I'll send you a PM with my address. Mary PS I can't find a "personal message" option on the forum, but I've created a "conversation" which you should be able to read, with my contact details. If you can't find it, you can reply via this thread.

Wander, thank you for posting that link! I've just bought a BlueWave bike with a Bosch motor, and the manual simply does not explain how to set the clock. I've got it now, from Martin's explanation. Mary

My 2008 Heinzmann Estelle e-bike is no longer reliable. Over the last few months it has developed an intermittent fault; about 10% of the time, it won't switch on. When I try, the indicator lights flash and then go out. If I fiddle with the electrical cables at various points on the bike, usually I can eventually persuade it to switch on, and once it does, it runs perfectly normally. There must be a loose connection somewhere, but I can't find it on any of the places accessible to me, and I don't have the skill to completely dismantle the electrics. Anybody willing to pick it up from Dumfries is welcome to it. I've now bought a new bike, and I need the space in my shed. Mary

Thanks, Kuorider, I'll make a note of that number. Any future travel is likely to be with a pedelec, not a folder, so I'll make sure to reserve space. Anotherkiwi, that's quite exotic information! I hope it's useful to our European travellers, but I won't be going so far afield. Mary

Hi James and Rob, The Scotrail trains don't have the "guard's van" arrangement, just a cycle space which you walk through to get into the carriage. If it's not too crowded, it's possible to park bikes leaning against the supports. But there are hanging hooks, and if bikes are hung up, there is space beneath them where other luggage can go. I have done suburban trips on trains with no cycle space, and you just have to keep the bike in the vestibule by the doors. I've had to stay by the bike and move it around, as the platform isn't always on the same side. Rob, I've heard of the separate space which you describe, but haven't used one. It's better security, when bikes can only be accessed with the help of staff. When my bike is in a "public" space like the Scotrail type, I sit where I can see it, in case somebody walks off with it. (More likely, I admit, with a 10kg Brompton than a 25kg e-bike.) Mary

Thanks, Jonathan. I certainly wouldn't ask permission - it's too easy to get the answer "no." I just wanted to know if there was anything in the published regs that I haven't seen, or what people's experiences have been. Mary

Thanks, James. I had realised the bus limitation. That's one thing to be said for the Brompton; I remember one occasion being out for a country ride (west coast of Lewis) when the rain came on. I carried on to the first bus shelter, folded the bike and waited for the bus back to Stornoway. Some people riding past on full-sized bikes looked a bit envious My recent Scotrail trip with the Brompton went Dumfries -> Glasgow, Glasgow -> Oban (and return). The trains had in theory space for 6 bikes, but that space also gets shared with prams, heavy luggage etc. The Oban leg of the trip was a bit crowded. I hung the Brompton up as indicated on the instructions, and told the train manager that if they needed to free up a bike space I'd fold it. But it wasn't necessary. Given a 25kg e-bike (or a little less if the battery is removed) do you hang it up by the rear wheel as instructed? Is it easy to do, and do you think it might damage the wheel? Mary

Thanks, Flecc and Wicky. Good to know it can work.

Thanks, Flecc.

Is anybody in the habit of taking an electric bike by train? Or has anyone had difficulty doing so? For a long time, my "travel" bike has been an unpowered Brompton. But a recent holiday facing hills and wind on a Hebridean island has convinced me that I'm getting too old for that. (And for various reasons I don't plan to electrify the Brompton.) I seem to remember that, some years ago, British Rail specifically said that they did not carry electric bikes. I've recently taken another look at their website, and I don't see any mention of that now. (But there are still exclusions about tandems, tricycles etc.) So is it now acceptable to take an e-bike on a train (given space)? I imagine you'd want to remove the battery, on the principle that the train companies want you to remove all luggage. And if you've got to hang the bike up by the back wheel, the less weight on it the better. Any train journeys I make will probably be within Scotland, and the AtoB site says, "From February 2009, Scotrail became the first UK railway company to officially sanction the carriage of electric bicycles on its trains." I'll have to check if the new people who have taken over the franchise will honour that. So if I can take my electric bike on trains, I could give up the Brompton and have my full-sized powered bike to use at the other end of the journey. (Okay, I can't take the big bike on a bus, which I can with the Brompton, but there's always a compromise.) Any comments? Mary

I see I'm still on the map under my old username, maryinoxford, and at my old location. That one could be deleted now, and replaced with MaryinScotland at DG2.