It was an xmas present for me & the Mrs. A "Redletterday" voucher for a bike ride round Hampton Court.
I was dreading it. The write up said it was an 8 mile tour and would take 3 hours. I thought, how could I ride that slow without falling off.
It turned out that my fears were unfounded. The bikes were step thru "sit up & beg" style bikes. It's almost impossible to describe how uncomfortable they were to ride, kick off and stop. They had wide gel saddles and handlebars that were almost at chest height, with the handlebars ends swept back to a point vertically above the BB. Every time they stopped for a talk, I feared that the brakes would not work and when starting again, I was wobbling like a complete beginner. Took the "lantern rouge" position for most of the ride.
The Mrs, who hadn't ridden a bike for a couple of years had no problems!
The tour itself, round Hampton Court was quite interesting and learned a lot about Henry VIII from the tour guide. And the pub stop was a relaxing interval.
I was dreading it. The write up said it was an 8 mile tour and would take 3 hours. I thought, how could I ride that slow without falling off.
It turned out that my fears were unfounded. The bikes were step thru "sit up & beg" style bikes. It's almost impossible to describe how uncomfortable they were to ride, kick off and stop. They had wide gel saddles and handlebars that were almost at chest height, with the handlebars ends swept back to a point vertically above the BB. Every time they stopped for a talk, I feared that the brakes would not work and when starting again, I was wobbling like a complete beginner. Took the "lantern rouge" position for most of the ride.
The Mrs, who hadn't ridden a bike for a couple of years had no problems!
The tour itself, round Hampton Court was quite interesting and learned a lot about Henry VIII from the tour guide. And the pub stop was a relaxing interval.