Posts – BendingTheRules

Apr 29

The Tweed Run

By Bob in Events, Uncategorized

The Tweed Run is a metropolitan bicycle ride with a bit of style. We take to the streets in our well-pressed best, and cycle through the city’s iconic landmarks. Along the way, we stop for a tea break and a picnic stop, and we usually end with a bit of a jolly knees-up.

October 2012, Jane, a Pino owning friend phoned up… were we free with our hase Pino to go to London to take part in an Alan Titchmarsh Show for an item on different forms of cycling? They couln’t make it because her hubby and Pino pilot was unable to ride. We were in the same boat, as Karon was also unable to ride, so we agreed Jane and I would fulfil the requirement – Jane would drive up from the New Forest, with their Pino in the back, collect me and we would head for Thames House on the South Bank.

After cycling across the stage – Jane and her Pino with me onboard and Alan Titchmarsh with Ned Boulting on the slot about cycling.

We parked up between a couple of reserved bays… one for Alan and the other for Terry Wogan. As it was, we spent most of the day in the ‘Green Room’ with a couple of other cycling guests. Joff Summerfield, who had ridden a penny farthing around the world, as you do, and a lady by the name of Jacqui Shannon who had organised the first Tweed Run in 2009. Theyt were recording three shows that day and so it was a long wait, but at one point ex PM John Major swanned past with an entourage in tow. Anyway, those hours waiting for our short slot gave us plenty of time to discuss and through Jacqui I learned all about the Tweed Run.

Back home I told Karon about the day, and the Tweed Run, and we detirmined to try for tickets for the 2013 run in April. There are a limited number of tickets and they usually go pretty quickly but we bagged a couple.

2013

Stayed overnight on the Friday in the Royal National Hotel in Bloomsbury and the next morning set off for the start area at University College.

We arrived early, before the place got really packed.

The start is usually kept secret and only participants are told to discourage ‘outsiders’ joining in. The route usually sticks fairly close to the city centre, sometimes crossing the Thames. A late morning tea stop acts a s a regroup then a lunch stop for a collective picnic. That first year we took part, the run finished at a pub and there were gin & tonics covering the bar – free for all! Since then the finish has been in a small park but there are always refreshments and a prize ceremony for the best dressed, best bike etc. That first year we were awarded the most eccentric couple! Probably on account of the Pino.

Tweed is the order of the day and if one has a vintage cycle, all the better.

Adding to the Saturday London traffic chaos. In those early days outriders would escort us across junctions while they held back the traffic, but on the more recent rides we have all been required to obey traffic signals, so the group ends up subdivided into smaller packets.

Readying for a group photo at The Duke of York Column just off the Mall.

It started to rain about 20 minutes before the end of the ride and wet tweed inside a small pub does not produce a pleasant atmosphere! On arrival at the pub, we were greeted with the sight of a bar completely covered in gin & tonics, courtesy the organisers.

2014

Stayed overnight at the Danubius by Regent’s Park. We parked under the hotel and paid by credit card which was swiped on one of those old hand-held machines. A few days later the bank phoned me to say someone had tried using my card details to make a purchase and they were checking. Needless to say they replaced the card with a new one.

The Pino was still white back then, and had bar-end shifters for the 3×9 gears. It’s a different beast entirely now.

The meeting up area was just off the Strand but we all marched over the road to the courtyard of Somerset House for a group photo while some Marshalls kept a watchful eye over the bikes.

Somerset House courtyard for the group photo.

A nice touch was the car that led us out. Note the white-walled tyre of a bike leaning up against the shutters. Later, when the shutter was opened, the bike was lifted up too! The bike was eventually rescued once the owner persuaded the operator to lower the shutter again.

The run finished at St James’ Church Garden where we were treated to a glass of bubbly.

As the afternoon wore on, many of the Tweeders retreated to the Three Kings pub behind the church, us included.

2017

Jane & John joined us the this Tweed Run so we had a pair of Pinos on the course. Our’s had been resprayed by Bob jackson since the 2013 run.

Penny farthings are a regular feature of the Tweed Run.

Lunch and group photo outside the Imperial War Museum.

Us Pinonaughts later appeared in a couple of stock photo libraries…

2018

The following year we were back at the Imperial War Museum, but this time to gather for the ride. Karon and I stayed around Canary Wharf and cycled in, mostly along or near the north bank of the Thames.

These chaps were perfect for the start outside the Imperial War Museum.

This was different! Running along the Regent’s Canal Towpath towards Camden.

Lunch and the group photo was in the Gasholder Park, next to the St. Pancras Basin of the Regent’s Canal. Later we finished at Spa Fields in Clerkenwell.

2019

Morning refreshments at the Imperial War Museum park.

The route planners managed to take us up Birdcage Walk and down the Mall, with a glimpse of Buckingham Palace.

The Tweed Run rides are often more stop and wait that get up and go.

Lunch and the Group photo in St. Pancras Gardens.

Later, back at Spa Fields, a brief cloudburst had us all sheltering inside whatever cover we could squeeze under.

2023

Once again we stayed at the East End, beyond Canary Wharf with a ride of around seven miles to get to the start at Spa Fields and the Bourne & Hollingsworth building.

These Germans came over especially for the Tweed Run!

Of course, everyone’s headgear is quite modest.

Up and down Birdcage Walk alongside some pony traps.

The ride always takes in a few landmarks.

Lunch and the group photo was, once again, in St Pancras Gardens.

Back near our hotel by the Excel Centre, we managed to find a Chinese Restaurant to finish off the day with a meal.

2025

Finding reasonably priced hotels or B&Bs within striking distance of the Tweed Run has proved difficult over the years but this time I looked north and found a great place to stay at Archway, just 3 and a bit miles from Spa Fields and this year’s start.

By the time we arrived there was already a long queue to collect rider numbers but somehow Karon managed to get ours pretty quickly. The start is always aimed for 10.00am and always is later!

Though our Pino and many bikes are relatively modern, there are plenty of older steeds too.

The marshalls do a great job of shepherding the riders into cycle lanes and controlling us at lights and junctions.

Morning refreshments at the Imperial War Museum once again.

Back at Spa Fields Karon and I skipped the complimentary cocktail in favour of finishing our wine and more picnic.

Apr 22

Recent watercolours

By Bob in Bob's Artwork

Some of my most recent watercolours. I belong to a facebbok group that posts challenges which result in some efforts from me. With others, it could be just an image I like and want to have a go at.

Boats. A challenge from the ‘Purely Watercolour’ group on facebook. Some pen & ink in this, which is allowed despite the group title.

The harbour at Tenby, from one of my own photos.

Street scene in narbonne, France, from one of my own photos.

Old houses. Evidently, Bristol in the late 1800s.

Shed. Another challenge from Purely Watercolour.

Feb 23

Tweaking the Bafang

By Bob in Technical

In February I decided to try and legalise the Pino as best I could while retaining the throttle to get the bike moving at junctions etc.

See my previous post about reprogramming the Bafang motor

Having seen several posts on Facebook where the police had seized e-bikes for having throttles that power the bike without pedaling, even if only up to 15.5mph, I thought I should try to get the Pino as close to being legal by curtailing the throttle top speed even more. Legally the throttle can only power the bike up to 6kph (3.7mph).

Now I’m in a bit of a pickle… With a throttle, I can apply power, get the bike moving and then we can start pedalling. This is possible even on a good gradient. It’s so handy that I consider the ability to accelerate the bike fairly briskly at busy junctions a safety feature. But with the throttle powering the bike up to 15.5mph we could fall victim to a zealous member of our police force.

Without any electric assist, getting the Pino moving, even on the flat, is not easy. It takes a couple of ‘scoots’ from me to get the bike moving enough for me to get my feet up onto the pedals, then we can both start pedalling and once moving, we’re ok. On any rise it becomes extremely difficult.

Whatever arrangement we have is going to be a compromise but I thought we could experiment a little so I disconnected the throttle completely but reduced the number of pedal revolutions it takes before pedal assist kicks in and increased the amount of power initially applied. We went for a 25-mile test ride to see if we could do without the throttle but a more aggressive uptake from the motor. At a junction on a slight incline, getting going proved tricky and at another junction on a blind bend we didn’t accelerate fast enough to get across the road comfortably.

So, I want to retain the throttle, limiting it’s speed to something which will still be useful when we need to pull away uphill or at a busy junction. I connected up the programming cable again, but found there’s no straightforward way to set the throttle maximum speed to 6kph – the system won’t accept it. After some searching and reading blogs and discussion groups I found a reasonable work around.

This is now the set-up for the Pedal Assist. I reduced the Slow-Start Mode to 4 (for a faster application of assist power) and the Start Degree (Signal No.) to 2 (for less of a pedal revolution before the assist kicks in).

On the PAS settings I changed ‘0’ to 100% current and a speed of 40% (of25kph). The throttle setting below will refer to Assist Level ‘0’….

The Designated Assist was set to 0 (from ‘Display’)

The result is that in power level ‘0’ the throttle will still have no effect, but in all other levels it will achieve 40% of that power level’s maximum speed. As the Bafang provides assistance at the chainwheel, not the hub, any assistance is amplified by higher gears on the Rohloff. In level ‘1’ the throttle will move the bike without any pedaling to only a couple of mph and in level ‘9’ it will power the bike up to about 8-9mph.

We normally pull away in gear 8 on the Rohloff and in power level ‘9’ that will power the bike up to about 6mph which should be fast enough even on a hill start.

Another test ride will see how we get on.

Jun 24

Cannondale E-assist retro-fit

By Bob in Technical

Karon commented that we rarely ride the Cannondale anymore and I had to agree. While it’s fine on the flat, we now struggle on anything over a gentle gradient and it’s been putting us off taking it out. I had a ‘spare’ Bafang BBS01 250W motor in the shed and an old 36V battery that still has a bit of life in it, so I decided to see if I could fit it on to the ‘Dale.

Useful videos

Bottom Bracket (BB) types

Park Tools videos on BBs

Some good points on this one and it talks about alternative chainrings.

Points to note fitting a BBS01/2 – Note that the supplied brake levers with sensors are only suitable for hybrids and MTBs with cable brakes, not road bikes with drop bars. Sensors to fit non-standard or hydraulic levers can be bought separately. Personally, I am ok with not using brake sensors and fitting them neatly to road levers would be a challenge. The motor will still operate without brake sensors/levers fitted. It’s quite easy to ride without the sensors… if you want to stop the motor, just stop pedalling.

Third party brake sensors. They are glued to the brake lever housing and a magnet is glued to the lever. When the brake is activated, the sensor cuts power to the motor.

It was actually pretty straightforward on our Cannondale but this is the fourth fitting of a BBS01 I have done. I first needed to remove the original stoker’s chainset and front derailleur – as shown in the videos. Once this was done the Bafang motor and integrated bottom bracket slides in from the drive-side. The cable guide under the BB made it tight but I used a rubber mallet to drift the motor into place and the rear gear cable was still free to move.

The original Cannondale BB was an ISIS drive and the Bafang is a square taper (diamond) as can be seen above and in the picture of the cranks below. The drive side uses the right hand crank that comes with the motor. On a solo the left hand crank would also be used, but on a tandem with left side timing chain, the stoker’s left crank may need replacing with a square taper crank and spider for the timing chain unless the original BB is also a square taper. I ordered a left hand tandem crank from Spa Cycles, square taper, black, 5 arm, similar to the unchanged pilot’s timing chain crank/spider, but the replacement spider was 110 bcd and the old spider was 104 bcd, so I also had to buy a 42T 5 hole 110 bcd chainring to fit the new crank/spider.

The Bafang cranks – note the square taper axle pattern.

While I had the motor and a spare throttle, I didn’t have the wiring harness or display so those were ordered from Amazon. I like the DPC18 display – I have one on my MTB – as it carries more information and has a USB outlet. The Bafang BBS01 and 02 motors are very common, so there are lots of spares available on Amazon and eBay.

The Bafang DPC18 display with control buttons. This is fixed to the handlebar but can straddle the stem. It has a USB outlet to the rear which is handy if you use a navigation device or phone on long rides.

I originally utilised the bottle cage mounts and a heavy duty zip tie to mount the battery on the downtube under Karon, but she lost her bottle cage. After putting the timing chain on, I realised there was enough space on the lower spar, so moved the battery and reinstated Karon’s bottle cages. I used rivnuts to attach the battery mounting bracket to the lower spar on the frame – see later in this article.

The stock 44T Bafang chainring. I have not fitted the chainring cover. Fitting the motor meant losing the triple chainset. I do have an adapter in the shed for a smaller (down to 38T), though if we need to reduce the gearing a little, I replaced the 11-32 cassette with an
11-36. That enables us to keep the top end the same while extending the bottom end of the gear range. Having the motor means there’s less need for very low gearing.

Chain alignment isn’t really an issue when swapping out a triple chain-ring for a single Bafang one.

The replacement left hand crank for the stoker with 5 arm 110 bcd spider. 42T chainring on order. The insulated ‘lump’ on the wire anchored to the seat tube is the power cable that connects the battery to the motor. While one can wire the power cable directly into the battery bracket housing, I chose to add a connector between them. This makes removing the motor for maintenance or part replacements a lot easier.

Typical rear part of the battery mounting bracket with cable arrangement. The pin type will vary depending on battery housing. It may come with a fuse as shown here, or the fuse may be housed within the battery. Without the additional connector described in the previous photo, it would be necessary to dismantle the mounting bracket and disconnect the battery lead for motor removal.

I already had a spoke magnet for the trip computer for Karon (she likes to see speed and mileage), so I aligned the Bafang speed sensor to that. The single magnet will activate both. The speed sensor is an essential part of the system and if it does not align with the magnet and ceases to function, the motor will cut out after a couple of minutes.

I kept the bars relatively clean by utilising a couple of unused plastic bar accessory clamps that I cut down and then mounted the controls and throttle alongside the stem. The wiring harness includes connectors for the brake levers/sensors which I have not fitted, so I covered the connectors with weatherproof tape and tucked them out of the way under the cross-bar bag.

I decided not to try adding brake sensors. I had them on an MTB but removed them after a while and found I hadn’t needed them. Generally, when you brake, you stop pedalling, and if you stop pedalling, the motor stops powering, so the sensors to cut power are almost redundant anyway and the extra cables etc. are just clutter.

The cheap plastic accessory clamp I used to hold the control buttons and throttle, bought from Amazon. The ‘T’ section pulls out, leaving the clamp and tube, which I cut down to the length needed for the controls.

The clamp, complete. The T section pulls out and the remaining tube can be cut to size.

After a test ride, I moved the controls next to the hoods and put the cables under the bar tape. With the throttle next to the stem I didn’t feel I had enough leverage when using it pulling away at a junction. Having the controls next to the hoods should allow me to keep a good grip and control over the bike and still make power level changes/throttle use.

Our first ride was short and all felt ok, but I wasn’t completely happy with the controls and throttle next to the stem. A second, longer ride confirmed that it was a little shaky trying to use the throttle to pull away at a junction, so on returning, I moved them next to the hoods.

The final piece of the retrofit e-assist: I swapped out the 10 speed 11-32 cassette for an 11-36. 36 is as big as you can go with the standard 105 rear mech without a hanger extension.

Here’s a video showing how to fit the rivnuts into place. The guy’s voice is a little annoying but the method is good.

While the zip-ties to hold the battery mount in place worked ok, I didn’t like the look of the ties wrapped around the frame, so I removed the mount and put three rivnuts into the frame.

The rivets make for a much tidier and stable finish.

No zip-ties! I also got rid of the others on the down tube which heldthe cable that runs from the motor to the bar-mounted display and controls, replacing the zip-ties with guides made from black ‘Sugru’ mouldable glue. I also used Sugru to form a seal on the battery mounting bracket where the power cables pass through the end of the bracket. It will help keep water out of the internals of the bracket in heavy rain.

Mar 04

Pino Update

By Bob in Technical

Below are the current (March 2024) rules for UK EAPCs (electrically assisted pedal cycles).

What counts as an EAPC (Government site)

An EAPC must have pedals that can be used to propel it.

It must show either:
The power output – Bafang motors come with visible labels stating the output.
The manufacturer of the motor – ‘Bafang’ is embossed into the motor casing.

It must also show either:
The battery’s maximum voltage – both batteries are labelled by the manufacturer.
The maximum speed of the bike – not marked anywhere.

Its electric motor:
Must have a maximum power output of 250 watts.
Should not be able to propel the bike when it’s travelling at more than 15.5mph.

EAPCs may have more than two wheels (eg. a tricycle).

This penultimate point troubled me a little. More recently, on social media, I have seen that the Police have targeted e-bikes to check the maximum speed. OK, their focus may have been on Deliveroo and Uber Eats riders but there’s still a slim chance of the bike being checked, especially if we were involved in an incident/accident. The last thing I want is to have the bike confiscated due to a (in my opinion) minor but illegal feature.

While it’s handy being able to apply the throttle and boost the speed a little (up to about 20mph in favourable conditions), it’s not essential, so I decided to see if I could reduce the top speed of the throttle to the legal 15.5mph limit.

A little searching on the web and I found a pretty good video showing all I needed to know…

There are several videos on the subject but this is one of the better ones.

I ordered the necessary cable from eBay.

The Communications Cable for altering some of the settings and parameters in the Bafang BBS01/2

Online version of programming software for Macs (use Google Chrome browser).

The first section deals with the amount of power delivered in each of the assist levels (in this case 9). Note readings will vary between each configuration.

The second section deals how quickly and powerfully the assist kicks in.

This is the bit I was interested in – the throttle parameters. I changed the ‘Speed Limit’ from 40kph to 25kph (15.5mph). Again, figures and settings in this image may be different from what is shown.

Download Windows version of programming software here.

Borrowing Karon’s MacBook Air, I loaded the URL for the software, put the battery into the bike and turned it on then connected the cable, as per the video. I ignored the upper sections of the settings as I was only interested in the throttle section and there I changed the maximum speed from 40kph to 25kph (15.5mph). The ‘write’ was instant. After disconnecting the programming cable then reconnecting the cables on the bike I lifted the back wheel, set the power level to 9 (maximum) and pressed the throttle. The rear wheel initially went above 15.5mph as it was rotating freely without any load, but crucially, the power cut once above that speed and then settled to around a constant 15mph. Job done 🙂

There’s Government talk of increasing the legal limit of power of motors and possibly the top speed, but now I have all the necessary bits and links, I can make changes should the rules be relaxed in any way.

Jan 06

Knee update

By Bob in Blog

Following my escapade on the stairs and the resulting torn quadriceps tendon, I had the surgery to fix it on the 21st November. I was called in at around 11:00am and went down to the operating theatre at about 4:30pm. Following the op, they woke me in recovery at about 7:30pm and I was back up to the ward by around 8:30.

If you’re not squeamish, there’s a video of surgery for a quadriceps repair here. Be warned!

Back on the ward after surgery to repair my torn tendon.

Throughout the night they woke me every hour (not that I slept much) to check my vitals. The painkillers helped so I wasn’t too uncomfortable considering. The surgeon popped in early the next morning and said everything had gone well – he said my legs were in good condition because of all the cycling and that had made his job a lot easier. I now had a more solid leg brace and had to have the leg locked so stayed in bed for much of the day. The consultant, on his rounds said I could go home later that day. Before that I had to show I was mobile enough to go home, so went to the physio section on the ward to practice walking with crutches and getting up/down stairs. I coped ok, so they said there was no problem with me going home. I texted Karon and we decided that Cas’s car would be better suited so she picked up Karon first then headed for the hospital. In the meantime, once I had all the meds I needed, which took a while to get together, they wheeled me down to the main entrance and out to the car.

The journey home was a bit painful, especially getting in and out but it went without any problems. The leg brace has to stay on for 2 months. It has locks both sides that must be engaged – initially at all times, but after a few weeks I could unlock the leg when sitting, to allow me to bend the knee a little and start to work the rejoined tendon.

A return visit to the fracture clinic followed a couple of weeks after the op and a nurse removed the bandages and cleaned up the wound before applying a new dressing. A week later I removed the dressing. Another week passed and I went for my first physio appointment. Christmas came and went and early in January I went back to physio.

Around Christmas time I stopped wearing the brace at night, which made sleeping so much better. I am pretty sure it helped too, as my leg had time to recover from the constant pressure of the brace bindings. I saw an improvement in discomfort and mobility as a result.

Progress was good, the wound was healing nicely and I had almost 90° movement in the knee, though it felt very tight. I went for a few walks, initially with the leg still locked, but then I released the lock to the 30° limit. It allowed me to walk almost normally (as much as one can with a leg brace), bending my knee a little and removing the need to rotate my hips. The 30° lock ensured my leg would not fold completely if my knee did give out.

On 23rd of January, after 9 weeks of wearing the brace I was signed off by the surgeon and was told I could ditch the brace. The following day I had physio and tried a static bike – I could not quite get to the top of a pedal rotation, but I felt it wouldn’t be long before I could. Once home I set up my road bike on a supported roller and sat on. Top of the rotation was possible with the flat of my foot.

The next day it gave it a tentative first go…

Within a few days I was comfortably spending 15 minutes on the bike. Interestingly, my knee felt much better after a session on the bike – more supple and less uncomfortable.

Late in February Karon and I took the Pino out on a Tandem Club ride and lunch. I didn’t use the SPD clips, staying on the flat side of the double-sided flat/SPD pedals but had no issues. We had to work the motor a bit harder on the climbs to take pressure off my knee but by the end of the day we had cycled 30 miles with no ill effects.

A couple of days later, back in physio, my exercises were changed to help improve and strengthen the hamstring behind the knee. I have another physio late in March but think this may well be the last visit I need as the knee feels pretty much back to normal – apart from using the stairs where I still need a little support.

Nov 19

Won’t be riding for a while

By Bob in Blog

Torn Quadriceps Tendon

Friday 10th September started like most days by taking Karon a cup of tea at 08:30. I put the tea on her bedside table without waking her, then went into the bathroom. The dog next-door barked… usually a sign the postman is outside. Looked out the window and sure enough, he was there walking away from the house. Assuming we had post, I ran downstairs. The stairwell was dark and I misjudged the last step onto the landing, thinking there was another step.

No. The result was I slammed my right foot onto the landing expecting it to travel another 6-8 inches. There was an audible (even without my hearing aids) ‘snap’ or crack and the pain just above my right knee hit. I have never experienced pain like it. I was shouting out and writhing around half-way down the stairs. It seemed to go on for minutes. The noise woke Karon. I must have passed out briefly as I was unaware of her passing me. After things settled a little, I dragged myself back upstairs and onto the bed. Passing the mirror I was as white as a sheet and dripping with sweat.

Spot the difference. My right knee is no longer symmetrical with the left.

Once prone the pain eased somewhat though it was still enough to make for the odd gasp and I was still shaking. I knew there was damage to the knee and I knew I wouldn’t get into a car, so I called an ambulance. Being non-life threatening, it took a while – about two and half hours – before a team from Reading turned up. Luckily the male member was a strapping lad who, after all the usual checks and some pain killers, propped me (virtually carried) down the stairs and then out into the ambulance.

In A&E Basingstoke I was handed over pretty quickly and about a half hour later passed into the ACU area. A couple of hours later the x-ray showed no broken bones but they couldn’t ascertain the damage to the knee tendons, partly because I couldn’t bend it enough for a thorough assessment. It being a Friday and now mid-afternoon, it was too late for a non-urgent trip to the fracture clinic, so the nurse said I could go home and the fracture clinic would get in touch early the following week.

In A&E the knee had swelled up a bit, but at least the pain wasn’t too bad now.

Eventually I was fitted with a leg brace then wheeled out to the main entrance for Karon and Cas to pick me up. Cas’s car is more accessible than Karon’s little MX-5!

At home with the leg brace. So glad we have a sofa with extendable leg props.

True to their word, I was contacted and told to turn up at the fracture clinic Thursday. This meant another long wait – about two and a half hours past my appointment time – but eventually I was seen and quickly assessed by one of the Registrars who confirmed what I had initially thought. A torn or partly torn quadricep tendon. Surgery is needed, so swabs for MRSA were handed over and the trauma team will be in touch for the knee to be repaired, hopefully sometime this coming week.

Then I can take my first trip along the long road to recovery.

Nov 19

Frogs

By Bob in Bob's Artwork

More frogs.

I liked the blue poison dart frog in the centre, so decided to add a few more in various colours.

Green poison dart frog. I adapted the pose from one source and the colour markings from another

Nov 19

Tandemtreffen 2023

By Bob in Events

Meeting up with our (mostly) German tandem friends and spending a festive weekend riding out from Bad Salzuflen into the surrounding countryside and to the nearby towns of Herford, Bielefeld, Detmold and Bad Oeyenhausen.

Tandemtreffen attendance is usually by way of invitation, as previous participants, or through introduction by regular participants. The meetings take place over the weekend of the Ascension (and ‘Father’s Day, or Vatertag’) in Germany which falls in May. I dare say some folk go to church on Ascension Day but most seem to celebrate Vatertag by loading up a small trolly with beer and a music system and wandering off into the countryside to dance to the tunes and empty the trolly – which can then be employed to transport the most inebriated back home.

The Tandemtreffen organisers (volunteers from within the group) start planning early and once a location for ‘base’ is decided will arrange with a hotel to host the group. The majority will take a room and half-board while one of two may use camper vans and join the group at breakfast in the hotel. Routes are divided into short, medium and long to cater for the varying abilities of the tandem teams but the rides usually meet up at lunchtime or at a coffee-stop during the day.

After the day’s ride, in the evening the group will meet in the bar or usually, an area set aside, to socialise ahead of dinner. After dinner we transfer to a meeting room or community area where the following day’s rides are discussed and then one or two presentations from individual teams about a previous tour they may have undertaken.

The rides always take in local places of interest and by the end of the weekend you’ll come away with a very good impression of what the area has to offer. On the final day – Sunday – those that have further to travel may set off for home but there’s usually a ride organised to a local attraction for those who want to tag along.

These weekend aren’t cheap by any means, as we travel from home in the UK. Ferry fares and intermediate overnight stays plus the cost of the weekend stay at the hotel and bar bills etc. all add up, but the enjoyment factor is huge and its great to meet up with teams that we have got to know over the years.

Sep 21

September 2023 catchup

By Bob in Blog

We left 2022 with me writing off my car. It took a few months to sort out the insurance to the point where I could replace it with one similar but by March I was back on the road.

Riding in the early months is a lot less frequent but we still managed the odd ride out on the Pino and when Karon’s car needed a service, I dropped it off in Newbury and used my Brompton to get back home.

An early ride in the year as we leave Chineham. Karon checks her blood sugar levels after a ride into Basingstoke.

I also helped out at a couple of Trailbreak events, pre riding and checking much of the course. this one was out of Woodcote, near Reading and I’m about to drop into the Thames Valley.

Early in March we went to spend a few days in Tenby, taking the Pino so, weather permitting, we could ride.

Tenby. So much nicer out of season without the crowds.

At the start of the Phil Hampton Memorial ride – Karon is well wrapped up against the elements.

Helping out at another Trailbreak event. This was on the Ridgeway.

At Easter we drove up to Rutland for the Tandem Club Easter Rally and AGM there. The weather was ok for most of the weekend and we got a few rides in, staying in a lovely pub in Exton.

Boutique room with a bath. No I didn’t sleep in it, we just off loaded the excess bedding into it.

April and the weather is improving (getting warmer). Out with the Tandem Club in Oxfordshire.

At the end of April we headed for London with the Pino and checked in to a Premier Inn in the Docklands area. Next day we set off early on the bike to attend the Tweed Run. It’s an expensive ‘Day’ out with tickets now £50 and a couple of nights in a hotel, but we think it’s worth it.

Tweedsters getting ready for the Tweed Run.

Tea Stop in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The group nearest came from Germany… just for the Tweed Run.

Me and the Pino dressed up for the Tweed Run.

In May we headed for Germany, near Bielefeld for TandemTreffen ’23 which takes place over a long weekend. We all stayed in the same hotel and ate together at breakfast and in the evenings after which there were presentations and socialising. It’s a very enjoyable weekend.

All the Pinos that took part in TT23 together in Bielefeld.

Socialising after dinner in the Hotel at TT23.

After TandemTreffen finished, there was only a week before the International Tandem Rally (ITR) in Scaër, Brittany so we drove there, stopping for two nights each at Eijsden on the Dutch/Belgique border, Amiens and Mont St. Michel.

The River Muese at Eijsden. This side is The Netherlands, the other, Belgium. We spent our ‘spare’ day taking a morning ferry – the little boat on the right – across to Belgium then we cycled in to Maastricht, coming back down the Dutch side.

The Cathedral at Amiens. We stayed in a lovely B&B in the wetlands formed by the river Somme to the east of the city. Rode the Pino in, first visiting the Jules Verne house then the Cathedral. We left it too late to find lunch and needed up at a KFC of all places – never again.

Mont St. Michel. Our hotel was about 11 miles away, along the coast to the east, near Pontaubault but there was a great cycle route right to the visitor’s centre where we left the bike and took one of the free shuttle buses. We had tickets for the Abbey too. It was very crowded which detracted somewhat. Great views over the bay from the top and we even managed a drink in one of the busy bar/restaurants off the main street (staircase).

The first two days in Scaër were carnival, so we walked the town and took in all the sights and sounds.

Passing through the town was a Velo Verde, which we made good use of. Away from this the terrain was tougher with dumpy hills to the south and big long ridges to the north.

On the rest day we drove with friends to Concarneau on the coast, only about 40 minutes away. We wandered the old walled harbour area and had a nice lunch there.

Chapelle Sainte-Barbe du Faouët – the pre-planned rides took us in all directions out from Scaër and we could always find a café or bar for a break, though we also carried picnic lunches so we could stop where we chose.

Karon among some of the other participants at ITR 23. The week finished with a group evening meal in a nearby village.

At the end of the ITR we had five days before our return ferry, so we drove to the North Brittany Coast – the pink granite coast – and spent a couple of days exploring along the coast on the Pino. This was so much better than relying on the car, as many of the little coastline lanes were one-way and car parks were limited or charged, but with the bike we could go wherever we wanted.

Inland from Guirac Peros on the pink granite coast, our first destination was this prehistoric barrow.

Back at the coast. The coastline was rugged with rocky headlands and some lovely flat beaches.

Where we turned back on the bike the first day, we drove to on the second, parked up in a free car park a little inland from the beaches then continued our cycle ride west along the coast. Here the granite blocks were bigger and more commonplace.

*The second day started off a bit overcast and gloomy but it brightened up in the afternoon.*

After a few days at Peros Guirac we headed for the town of Granville on the Cherbourg Peninsular. Our Hotel was right next to the beach but with no car park as such, we dropped off our bags then I parked up in a free area by the old port/harbour – a 10 minute walk away.

Room with a sea-view. The beach at Granville. We decided to leave the bike in the car and wander the town on our free day. Even though it was early in the season, there were enough places open for us to enjoy a drink and food. There was a restaurant under the hotel but breakfast was extortionate and they were supposedly fully booked for the evenings. It was our gain, as we found a lovely little place doing authentic French dishes at a very reasonable price. Down by the port there were a few seafood restaurants open too, serving huge bowls of mussels and fresh fish dishes.

After a couple of nights in Granville we took a midday ferry back to Portsmouth. The next few days were spent sorting out all our washing etc. from being away for almost a month.