11 Aug 2018
Now with electric assist!
Back on the road just in time! We’d decided that we were going to depart for the Tandem Club’s Swedish rally (starting next Saturday) about three weeks ago, giving us enough time to catch up with friends and relatives in the Netherlands and Germany on the way.
We thought we’d have just enough time to fit one of the excellent Cytronex C1 electric assist kits - justified now that we’re in our eighth decade and sometimes struggling to easily complete the longer tandem rally rides.
We didn’t plan on the Cytronex guys noticing a small crack in the frame of our beloved 15 year old Bike Friday Twin Air "Q" tandem, though. However, with the amazing turnaround for which Bike Friday is legendary, they repaired it in their Eugene Oregon factory in four days and with the help of Fedex and Silke and Ian at Spokes Chelmsford it all came together today (two days before our ferry booking to the Netherlands) and passed its road test at Bobbingworth.
All up, with pedals, seats, pannier rack, motor and battery fitted, the Twin Air now weighs 25.5 kg, comparable with solo electric bikes. Or, to put it another way, less than 13kg each for a world class touring bike with electric assist! The C1 kit is a great transition to electric assist for those who need it but who also want to keep their own machine with the same feel and handling. It’s also feasible to quickly swap back the original wheel and remove the battery for those who like that option.
4 Aug 2018
Oscar bemused by a bunch of grownups singing "Happy Birthday" to Grandpa.
...and here, trying to wrest Grandpa's glasses from him.
4 Aug 2018
Yes, there are almost seven months missing - still to be uploaded once we get the downunder trip photos organised, and recount what we’ve been doing since arriving back in the UK in April. Hopefully before too long...
Oscar’s great smile, captured during my birthday "do" with the family, was enough to motivate me to try to get the blog moving again.
Very briefly, after Mitch and Kendra’s Wellington wedding we pretty well circumnavigated both big islands. We were travelling in the converted 30 year old Nissan Caravan that we bought from a young chap in Auckland and sold about
eight weeks later to a young couple. Most people our age were travelling in rented motorhomes, but we reckon we had much more fun mingling with the young cheap-vehicle campers, and, given the age and mechanical condition of our van, meeting
a number of very good NZ mechanics during our travels. We also rode the Otago Rail Trail and then spent a great few days with our niece Sarah and her partner Bevan.
The van took longer to sell than we’d anticipated, so we had no chance to spend any more time in Sydney on our return from NZ and instead went straight to Bendigo for the annual Australian Bike Friday Club get-together. A couple of days in Melbourne with
my evergreen aunt and uncle, Judith and Brian, and then our friends Andrew and Alison, and we took the Melbourne to London A380 back to the UK.
15 Jan 2018
We stayed at Te Horo Beach with Tim, Liv and Oscar, Amy and Bjon, Louisa and Joe from January 11 to 15. Again, more photos to follow.
12 Jan 2018
What a great wedding! All of us in Wellington NZ to celebrate with Kendra and Mitch their marriage. More photos to follow...
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