I also used to run but cannot now as I have to manage a chronic full thickness tear to the medial meniscus in my right knee.

 

While not encouraging you to get surgery for your knee: I don't know much about this stuff, but isn't that sort of repair done using keyhole surgery these days? It'd take ages to recover though, tendons take ages to heal. An injury somewhere inside my right knee I got at the end of the 80s still bugs me (it had a violent disagreement with a BMW bonnet while the rest of me flew over the car, upon which my bike left dents). The knee swelled up, but they they couldn't find a tear using scans. Years later, a physio told me while administering ultrasonic shocks to my knee that at some point, having failed healing, the body gives up and the injury becomes chronic (hence the ultrasonic shocks). Cycling became less painful after regular slow jogging (slower than fast walking and higher impact, but not the higher impact of normal jogging)... so for me at least, slow jogging has improved matters, my theory is slow jogging delivering shocks prompted the immune system to attempt repair again - but that's my experience and non-medical theory about my knee. After about two years of slow jogging, I don't experience knee pain cycling.

While not encouraging you to get surgery for your knee: I don't know much about this stuff, but isn't that sort of repair done using keyhole surgery these days?

 

My recent patella tendon repair (including strengthening by stealing a bit of hamstring) most certainly wasn't keyhole surgery (unless one of those medieval keys).

How long have they said recovery will take? When can you resume cycling?

 

 

My recent patella tendon repair (including strengthening by stealing a bit of hamstring) most certainly wasn't keyhole surgery (unless one of those medieval keys).

 

If the scar looks like this, must have been a sharp one.

 

 

Mine looks a bit like that, except that it starts a little above the knee and doesn't extend so far down.

 

I forgot to ask about cycling explicitly when I saw the doctor just over a week ago; about 2 months after the op, which was just over a week after the injury. I expect to start (electric) cycling once I have sufficient flexion. I'm hoping another month or even a bit less if I'm lucky. I missed out on the early physio due to an admin error at the hospital.

 

We've got a portable bike exerciser, which I'm using for flexibility, but it only has 100mm cranks. We got it when my wife broke her knee cap just over a couple of years ago. One good feature was that with the flexibility of our Roomster we could put the back seat right back and the front seat right forward and she could sit in the back and pedal away, which was really helpful on long journeys. We didn't manage to harness the power to drive the car.

I'm hoping another month or even a bit less if I'm lucky.

My knee felt if good shape today so I gave it a go. A teeter round the block then a slow flattish 3 mile trip on very quiet roads/cycle path. I did take off the left (bad knee side) half toe clip. It looks as if my excuse for not doing the local shopping has gone away.

We didn't manage to harness the power to drive the car.

 

Was the exerciser's pedal assist system powered by the car?

 

 

My knee felt if good shape today so I gave it a go. A teeter round the block then a slow flattish 3 mile trip on very quiet roads/cycle path. I did take off the left (bad knee side) half toe clip. It looks as if my excuse for not doing the local shopping has gone away.

 

Do you have a Bosched Motus? I can't recall. Is there a cadence sensor option on your motor? This might be a good time to convert a bike using a BBS01B kit, to reduce knee pain and further strain while healing, and it'll take ages to heal. I can suggest firmware parameter tweaks for zero effort and minimal pedalling. The Bafang BBS01B can be programmed to be very easy on the knees, in my experience.

Edited October 30, 20232 yr by guerney

Was the exerciser's pedal assist system powered by the car?

Very basic exerciser, no power needed. We used it just to give a chance to keep the knee moving/flexing. It does have an option for friction resistance, but we never tried that. Reviews indicate it doesn't work well.

 

Do you have a Bosched Motus? I can't recall. Is there a cadence sensor option on your motor? This might be a good time to convert a bike using a BBS01B kit, to reduce knee pain and further strain while healing, and it'll take ages to heal. I can suggest firmware parameter tweaks for zero effort and minimal pedalling. The Bafang BBS01B can be programmed to be extremely easy on the knees, in my experience.

Yes, Bosched Motus. I used it on quite high assist level as soon as I hit a hill. A small amount of knee effort is good for healing for me at the moment; that obviously depends very much on the exact injury.

 

When the battery dies I might consider conversion, though I suspect it would be very difficult as the whole bottom bracket arrangement on the frame is very much designed around the Bosch motor. I've been surprised that the Chinese haven't produced a fitting kit to help with something like that.

 

No cadence sensor option. I've always thought it odd that torque sensor bikes don't have a top level of assist that relies on pedal motion (for ghost pedalling) or minimal torque (for easy hill starts) and gives full power, rather than just having higher torque multiplication.

If your Motus causes problems for your recovery, you could convert an old bike? My BBS01B is pretty much a moped without a throttle: Pedal a bit on lowest gear if necessary (hill starts) and it shoots off to 25km/h (18A controller limit, can be 20A, [20" wheels]). I've set mine for fast decrease of power when pedalling stops, but you could do the opposite for most minimal pedalling, and stop motor power using the ebrakes; let the motor do the work. [mention=6303]Woosh[/mention] has said the law doesn't apply to throttles on conversions:

 

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/build-spec-by-committee-might-that-include-you.45773/page-3#post-688195

 

[mention=6303]Woosh[/mention] Kerching my commission!

Edited October 30, 20232 yr by guerney

Sunny Cold Day Cross Country Leisure Ride

 

 

Just about managed to fit in a bike ride around my chores. I set off in the afternoon very aware that the sun was due to set at 16:03 and I wanted to get back in time to bring in the bed sheets that I hoped might dry on a rare sunny winter day.

 

 

It was nice to get out in the fresh cold air and enjoy the lovely almost completely off road ride to Haslemere railway station to get the train back to Godalming.

 

 

Probably the last outing for my Schwalbe Hans Dampf gravity 2.35 tyre, run tubeless that was fitted on the 14th of October 2021. I plan to put another one on next week. Its been a very good tyre. Works really well off road and surprisingly well on road and tough as tough can be with no punctures I was aware of.

 

 

I used 40% of my battery riding the 11.4 mile route, which has a lot of climbing.

By the time I reached home I had ridden 12.9 miles. I used 9% of my battery getting the 1.5 miles home from the Station requiring me to climb out of the valley and up a steep hill. I used higher assist to power up the hill home.

When the battery dies I might consider conversion, though I suspect it would be very difficult as the whole bottom bracket arrangement on the frame is very much designed around the Bosch motor. I've been surprised that the Chinese haven't produced a fitting kit to help with something like that.

Conversion to another mid-motor (because of part linking)? Bosch may use just 1 or 2 mounting styles and maybe they're common to multiple brands to keep frame cost down. [mention=6303]Woosh[/mention] toyed with the idea of producing a BB adapter (outcome?). If a Bafang wouldn't fit I'd switch to a rear hub. The Agattu is similar to a Motus and too comfortable to scrap.

https://endless-sphere.com/sphere/threads/cube-hybrid-with-bafang-ultra-g510.109111/

 

peter was thinking about making some up but doubt he has had time but it really depends on the frame geometry and esp the chain line.

 

plus it might look crap.

 

https://www.emtbforums.com/forums/

 

there was a guy on there that made one for my bike but was around 100 euro from Italy

Pub Sunday Lunch Ride

 

I had been for a Christmas lunch with some mates at a pub that had been very good. Before we left we were all given an envelope with a hidden discount inside for a meal in January.

 

A weekend arrived where I fancied a good pub Sunday roast, so a plan was made.

 

Google maps had three cycle routes varying between 17.4 and 22.1 miles. Due to being very busy on Saturday I had no time to plan my route and ended up using a route to Farnham I knew very well, a train from Farnham to Alton, and a road ride to the pub.

 

As I left my house my son was returning from The Station and told me there were severe problems with the railway after a land slide, very Railway Children. As the train line I wanted to use was essentially a shuttle route I took a chance it would still be running and kept going. The pub lunch was an early booking for 12:00 and the train I wanted to catch got me into Alton at two minutes to 12:00. It was a 2.2 mile road ride from Alton Station to the pub so I planned to ring the pub to let them know I would be a few minutes late.

 

 

The ride from Godalming to Farnham is mostly off road. Its a great route with some demanding sections. There was quite a lot of mud after a lot of rain in the proceeding days which added to the fun. I had just fitted a new Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35 rear tyre which is great in mud and proved itself again on the slippery muddy technical rooty climbs. I had also set of a bit late but still wanted to do all of my off road route. I kept an eye on the clock on my display and used some higher assist to be sure to get to the Station in time to catch the train. They were only running one train an hour so being late was not an option. I also did not know if the disruption on the network might effect the train I wanted to Catch. The first thing I checked when I got on the platform was the digital display and was relieved my train was on time.

 

 

By using higher assist I had burned through more battery than usual. I can use as little as 25% of my battery on this 12 mile route but had used closer to half. I had brought my charger and plugged in on the 15 minute train journey to Alton, the first time I had tried this, and the charger light stayed on showing it was charging. I let the pub know I would be a bit late, and had added a useful 8%.

 

 

I burned through this riding the 2.2 miles from Alton Station to the pub, using middle assist to climb quickly and travel faster. There was nowhere to lock up the bike but I pushed it into the pub garden at the back and attached it to a wrought iron chair with the agreement of a staff member.

 

 

Its a great pub with great beer and food. As a bonus they allowed me to plug my battery in to charge while I was there. My secret discount envelope got me 25% off, and although their calculation of 25% was not quite right, I did not query it as everything had been very good and the staff had been great.

 

A quick road ride back to the station with time to pop into the adjacent waitrose to buy something to give my son when he got back from work. I caught a train from Alton back to Guildford, charging my battery back to almost full on the journey. The mainline had recovered and my connection to Godalming from Guildford was easy and quick, followed by a quick ride home up the steep hill I need to use.

 

A total of 16.8 miles.

The bike is up to 19,412 miles.

Edited January 12, 20242 yr by georgehenry

Hi [mention=12457]georgehenry[/mention] I wondered if you could help. My wife has the Hardseven sDuro SL 2016 and we are struggling to find a rear rack to carry our daughter. You know this bike inside and out and wondered if you could help at all with recommendations? All the best.

Hi StuJo3, rather frustratingly from your point of view is the fact that after a few unsatisfactory racks that broke I transferred a rack from an old analogue mountain bike I had that had proved rock solid. I had bought it from a local bike shop and do not know the brand. When I fitted it to my Haibike it fitted very snugly and just felt really good, and has proved superb. It is still on the bike and showing no signs of failure. I just don't know the make. Towards the beginning of my thread, page two, I put a new rack on that was not that good, but a member RobF recommended Tubus, as they are made of steel, so they could be a good rack to check out.

Hi StuJo3, rather frustratingly from your point of view is the fact that after a few unsatisfactory racks that broke I transferred a rack from an old analogue mountain bike I had that had proved rock solid. I had bought it from a local bike shop and do not know the brand. When I fitted it to my Haibike it fitted very snugly and just felt really good, and has proved superb. It is still on the bike and showing no signs of failure. I just don't know the make. Towards the beginning of my thread, page two, I put a new rack on that was not that good, but a member RobF recommended Tubus, as they are made of steel, so they could be a good rack to check out.

 

appreciate the reply. Thank you. Will keep hunting

9 Year Update

 

After popping out to the bike to check the mileage, the reading makes no sense and may have reset at some point at some time. Now that I am not using the bike to commute on I have not been keeping an eye on the accumulated miles as frequently. Looking back in a dairy I use to note it down in I found a note from back on the 7th of January of this year 2024 where the bike had reached 19,412 miles. So that was 2,068 miles ridden since my 8 year update, and I have ridden it regularly since then so in its 8th year I have probably ridden it a few more miles than the 2,046 miles I did last year . Anyway at this point its all a bit academic . More importantly it still works brilliantly well and I continue to have lots of fun on it. I wonder how I and the bike will fare as I start my 10th year of ownership.

 

 

Transmission

 

I fitted a new transmission on the 17th of March 2023, with new Cassette, chain ring, chain, and jockey wheels, as well as a thorough clean of the rear Mech. I put a new chain on at some point during 2023 when the first on reached .5 and then have run through the Winter on that second chain. It is now stretched beyond the point that I can put a new chain on, and i will just run this until I judge it time to change everything. It is still working well, with no skipping under load, but I will need to change everything probably quite soon.This transmission is over a year old now and has around 1,450 miles on it, which includes a high proportion of off road miles, which from my perspective as a heavy rider is a respectable mileage to reach.

 

 

Battery

 

Still the original 400Wh battery that came with the bike. On a recent 12 mostly off road mile ride to the next town I used 26% of my battery getting there. This was using eco and off. Obviously with the riding experience I now have I know how to extend the range of my battery by the way I ride.

 

However the battery does still perform very well and from my perspective remarkably well as it is now over 9 years old.

 

 

Motor

 

I had my motor refurbished by Peter at Performance line bearings around the 18th of November 2022 and it had completed 2216 miles up to the 7th of January 2024. So with my odometer as of today not working it will have covered a few more miles since then. As I said when I got the motor back it felt as good as new and has continued to work brilliantly since.

 

 

Wear and Tear

 

I fitted a new back tyre on the on the 7th of December 2023. Another Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35, run tubeless. Its a great off road tyre that wears really well.

 

I found a part worn Schwalbe Smart Sam plus tyre in the garage and put that on the front.

 

I changed the front brake pads at some point and will change the back ones soon.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Another great year with a lot of great fitness/ leisure rides, but also a regular cross country ride to shop at The Lidl in Guildford as my town does not have one. Once laden up with shopping I ride to Guildford Railway station and get the train back to my home town Godalming and ride back to my house from the Station. So the bike is proving to be a tough, capable and very durable machine. It had good entry level components when I bought it which have stood up very well to a lot of use. The brakes and front forks are still functioning well. I think a nine speed transmission is a sweet spot choice for a crank drive you intend to ride a lot as it has a reasonable range of gears and is very economical when you need to replace parts. The biggest change I made to the bike was to fit a much better and much stronger hand built rear wheel. last year I pondered the question of whether I will I wear out before the bike and as I am now suffering with degenerative arthritis to both knees and also have meniscal injuries to both knees, the bike is looking a stronger bet than me! At least I now need an electric bike!

Edited March 29, 20242 yr by georgehenry

ODO OK

My odo meter on my motor has indeed reset, Yamaha obviously do not expect people to ride their motors as far as I have, but although it is starting from zero again, It is increasing as it should after each ride.

Sunday Ride

 

I cycled to a friends house on Sunday for Lunch. A thirty mile round trip in windy conditions. Lots of climbing in both directions. We live either side of Hindhead which is a high point in our area, so lots of climbing from where I live up to Hindhead before descending to my friends house and then the climb back to Hindhead from my friends house before the descent back to where I live.

 

 

I managed to set off too late to do the best mostly off road route, but as the photographs show there were still some nice off road tracks to enjoy.

 

 

My old battery only just managed the 15 ride to make it to my friends house without dipping below the 50% point. My friend allows me to charge at his house and I used 48% getting back to my house.

 

 

The windy conditions were a factor in my battery consumption and always make maintaining momentum harder. This maybe the year I have to decide whether to buy a new expensive Yamaha battery, a pattern one or find a way to re cell mine. A 500Wh Yamaha battery costs £850.

Edited April 8, 20242 yr by georgehenry

https://avdweb.nl/popular/maxun-e-kit/battery-hack

 

Torque-E-Cycles battery repair can bus specialists uk 01803 325945

 

https://www.e-bike-vision.de/e-bike-vision/en

 

wont fkn post it tho

Surrey Snow, Very Rare

 

Godalming to Haslemere yesterday, mostly off road, via Milford, Thursley and the Devils Punchbowl

 

On...my canbus hardtail Yamaha Haibike now approaching (March 2025) ten years old and 20,000 miles plus.

 

Though to be fair that has little to do with canbus, and this is my second motor, that has been refurbished once by Peter, and I managed to fix my battery/charger connections myself after they broke and I was told they could not be fixed and that the only option was buy a new battery. But that is a story I have already told earlier in this small thread.

 

I bit the bullet recently and bought a new battery and charger. A fault arose with my old charger, but as I had changed the connectors my new charger cannot be attached. I am considering buying a generic charger and trying to put the non standard connecter from my broken charger on it, but if I get any of the four wires wrong it would brick the battery and I would have wasted my money on the generic charger as I would have cut the connecter off it to fit mine. Also my original battery is almost 10 years old, so maybe it is best to have a new one. The new one works as it should and is a bit larger than the old one. Both the new charger and new battery have the same connectors that broke on my original battery. I am being very careful when I connect/disconnect them.

 

 

Challenging conditions in the punch bowl. At one point trying to go around a large puddle I came to an undignified halt and managed to ping my detachable handlebar mounted display into the puddle. Fortunately it floated and after I retrieved it, worked.

 

 

 

The punch bowl is a National Trust area and they introduced the ponies.

 

 

 

 

This view point is reached via a single track . The view had started to be obscured by growing vegetation, but this was being cut back while I was there yesterday and already enough to once more reveal the spectacular view. Three other mountain bikers turned up while I was there on a mix of very nice full suspension electric bikes. With no vegetation to lean my bike against I borrowed one their arms to hold my bike while I took the picture. they departed before me down a quite a tricky but short steep single track exit decent with roots and steps to overcome. Fun though on my old bike as I followed them down with no dropper post to assist me.

 

I great ride, with a train ride back to Godalming, and a stop of at Sainsbury's on the way back home. Living the retirement dream.

Edited January 10, 20251 yr by georgehenry

Haibike sDuro HardSeven SL 2015 Yamaha 10 year Update.

 

 

Taken today with the new transmission and front wheel in evidence.

 

 

View from the other side

 

Transmission

 

I said in my 9 year update which I posted on March the 29th 2024 that," I fitted a new transmission on the 17th of March 2023, with new Cassette, chain ring, chain, and jockey wheels, as well as a thorough clean of the rear Mech. I put a new chain on at some point during 2023 when the first on reached .5 and then have run through the Winter on that second chain. It is now stretched beyond the point that I can put a new chain on, and i will just run this until I judge it time to change everything. It is still working well, with no skipping under load, but I will need to change everything probably quite soon. This transmission is over a year old now and has around 1,450 miles on it, which includes a high proportion of off road miles, which from my perspective as a heavy rider is a respectable mileage to reach".

 

Well quite remarkably that well worn transmission lasted another year and two years in total. I have just changed it and noted that even by my own wear it till it drops off standards it was very knackered. As previously when I change the transmission it entails a new chain ring, chain, rear cassette, and new jockey wheels. It all looks lovely with nice crisp changes. It will get as hard a life as all my previous transmissions, so this newness will not last long.

 

 

Out in the snow

 

Battery

 

Well the startling news is that on the 9th of September 2024, I bought a new battery and charger for the bike. The old battery did not fail, but the old charger did.

 

As I had needed to replace the old battery and charger connections myself when they had failed around the 26th of April 2018, and the new charger came with the Yamaha proprietary connectors. I could not therefore attach the new charger to the old battery.

 

I thought I could buy the correct Yamaha connectors for my old battery from ebay, but had to return the connectors I bought after two attempted purchases when they proved not to be able to connect to my new charger. I contemplated buying a generic Yamaha charger to swap the non standard connecter I had used from my old charger over to, so as to allow me to charge the old battery, but would have had to spend a hundred pounds on that new generic charger with every possibility of not connecting it correctly and wasting my money. So the old battery came out of service after 9 and a half years. A slightly ignominious end as the old battery shows a 70% charge and was working perfectly up until my old charger died.

 

I bought the new charger and battery from the bike shop I bought my bike from (Ebike shop Farnham) ,and which were in stock and able to be bought straight away. So no waiting around or lack of availability for a battery/charger combination that is no longer used by Yamaha for a bike that is ten years old.

 

I may have another go at finding a charging solution for my old battery, but for now am just enjoying riding my bike using my new battery and charger.

 

 

Motor

 

I said last year that I had my motor refurbished by Peter at Performance line bearings around the 18th of November 2022 . It continues to work brilliantly. As all experienced crank drive riders know, keeping water out of the motor is key to its longevity. I had one ride on the tow path of the River Wey where I live where to river had in places flooded the tow path. Turning around where you could not see the junction between the river and the tow path was problematic so I carried on to the next place I could exit the tow path. In places my feet were well into the water at the bottom of the pedal stroke. It seems I have got away with that escapade, but time will tell.

 

Wear and Tear

 

I am still running the Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35, run tubeless on the rear that I fitted on the on the 7th of December 2023. I do a lot of off road riding and find it reassuringly tough with good grip.

 

I had been keeping an eye on the wheel bearings of my front wheel as they were showing signs of getting to the end of their life. I had paired this front wheel with a part worn Schwalbe Smart Sam plus tyre I found in the garage. The wheel bearing eventually failed a week or so ago. They are not ones you can replace. Again from my garage I found an Alexrims wheel that I had put on my KTM650B analogue hard tail bike, when I had used its front wheel on my Haibike. So I have put the Alexrims wheel on my Haibike and the worn out bearing wheel on The KTM until I get a replacement. I can easily swap the front wheels over if I fancy a non electric ride on The KTM.

 

One embarrassing part of this saga was that the tyre on the Alexrims wheel was flat and the valve of the presta valve tube seized solid. I tried freeing it up with some WD40 but the following tap from a hammer did not go well. Easy enough at that point to put a new tube in you would have thought. Anyway I just could not get the tyre of the rim. I was getting to the point of potentially using a flat head screwdriver. Not a good idea. Anyway I took the wheel over to a bike shop I really like, and to my embarrassment, the guy just squeezed the tyre off the rim with his thumbs. I must be a wimp. They put some new rim tape on as they said that was not helping and a tube and I drove back and put it on the bike.

 

I changed both the front and rear brake pads in mid January.

 

Conclusion

 

At the age the bike has reached now I almost did not post an update as these updates are now more for me than much use to anyone else. But I thought I would anyway as the anniversary of my purchase comes around again.

 

Very much the same as last year with a lot of great fitness/ leisure rides, but also a regular cross country ride to shop at The Lidl in Guildford as my town does not have one. Once laden up with shopping I ride to Guildford Railway station and get the train back to my home town Godalming and ride back to my house from the Station. So as I said last year the bike is proving to be a tough, capable and very durable machine. It had good entry level components when I bought it which have stood up very well to a lot of use. The brakes and front forks are still functioning well. I think a nine speed transmission is a sweet spot choice for a crank drive you intend to ride a lot as it has a reasonable range of gears and is very economical when you need to replace parts. The biggest change I made to the bike was to fit a much better and much stronger hand built rear wheel. As I age I keep pondering the question of whether I will I wear out before the bike and noted the degenerative arthritis to both knees and also have meniscal injuries to both knees, and that the bike is looking a stronger bet than me! At least I now need an electric bike!

 

Well so far so good and my knees are holding up fine. I even went skiing in January with my young son and had a great time. Just reds and blues but I had a fabulous time and will definitely go again if I get the chance.

 

However this year unlike the previous ones I have had to spend a bit of money on the bike replacing my battery and charger.

Edited March 23, 20251 yr by georgehenry

Haibike sDuro HardSeven SL 2015 Yamaha 11 year Update.

 

 

The photographs are from a new route that continues along The River Wey Tow path to The New Inn pub at Send where I continue the ride to Woking on occasion for my mostly monthly get together of retired rail workers at The Railway club there.

 

Transmission

 

 

Well the new transmission I put on around the 23rd of March last year 2025 is knackered but working, though it will need to be replaced very soon . So that transmission with new Cassette, chain ring, chain, and jockey wheels, has lasted a more normal year of regular and constant use including a lot of off road miles. Like the previous transmission I put a new chain on so I have used up two chains. I will keep using it until it starts skipping in the top gear cog but cannot see that lasting too much longer.

 

Battery

 

 

The new battery and charger that I bought on the 9th of September 2024 are working as they should.

 

Motor

 

 

Nothing to report and all working as it should since my motor was refurbished by Peter at Performance line bearings around the 18th of November 2022 .

 

Wear and tear

 

 

The usual replacement of brake pads as needed and swapping over/cleaning degreasing chains. The rear tyre may need to be replaced quite soon. The front also may need to be replaced as well. However no punctures.

 

Replacements

 

 

The control unit and centre holder to which my removable display slots into became faulty. I contacted Ebike shop Farnham who recommended fitting a new one, got hold of one within a few days and replaced it, after which everything worked properly again. Very prompt service for a bespoke part for a bike over 10 years old was very impressive.

 

My Tektro rear brake handlebar oil reservoir developed a slight leak. A local bike mechanic I had come across and been impressed by had a look, bled it. topped it up. and fitted a small o ring seal with my slight assistance that cured the leak. Charged nothing.

 

The same bike mechanic changed my headset bearings. I dropped the bike off and he rang me before I got home to say it was done and ready to collect. So I turned the car around and went back and got the bike. Again very impressive.

 

He is so good and reasonable that he is making me lazy and I got him to change my gear cable.

 

Conclusion

 

 

Like last year I am aware that this update fulfils little purpose other than for my own benefit.

 

One thing about last years and this years updates is how they highlight the benefit of buying from a good local dealer that has allowed me to obtain bespoke replacement parts very easily to keep my now eleven year old bike on the road. The bike is still as it always has been great fun and very capable. Lots of off road fun, and lots of shopping trips, quite often the two combined. My young son and I had a great three day trip away together to the seaside. Staying in a B&B in the glorious Torquay. My son works for The railway as I did and this allowed us to travel free with our bikes to Exeter. The plan then had been to ride out of Exeter on the river To Dawlish Warren enjoying the relatively mostly flat cycle path route and then catch a Train to Torquay to avoid lots of climbing and a quite busy and narrow A road. Unfortunately a suicide led to the line being closed for a few hours and we had to ride the whole way a distance of just over 25 miles with a lot of climbing after Dawlish Warren. We made it and it all added to the adventure. I also took my Bike on the train to Petersfield to climb Butser Hill via a track called Limekiln a spectacular climb with amazing views.

Edited March 15Mar 15 by georgehenry