Mr Fitz
Regular
- Location
- Aix en Provence, France
Hello to all. I'm a Brit living just outside Aix en Provence in the south of France for the last 11 years. I do a mix of MTB, road, and - more recently- recumbent riding. Like many bent riders I've been bitten by the home building bug and seem to spend more time building than riding these days. But all that will change as I've been foolish enough to enter for this year's LEL, my first Audax, so I shall have to get into some serious training pretty quick! Any advice from experienced Audaxers or past LEL-ers welcome!
Neil Earley has just started a conversation with me asking me for some photos of my bents, but there doesn't seem to be an upload button on the conversation edit bar, so I'll put a few here instead.
My first RWD Mid Racer effort.
After much prototyping of various options, my FWD Low Racer...
...which I took on a 1450km camping tour across the SW of France as her maiden voyage...
and then around the Gorge du Verdon in the SE of France (well worth doing, magnificent scenery).
In the search for more speed I also dressed her up in a sexy stretched lycra aero tail fairing!
Then I shamefully went and bought a "real" bent frame kit - a Metaphysic 700C - to do a tour de France last August, mainly because I found that none of my home built models were in a fit state to ride as I was continuously cutting them up and borrowing bits!
I'm now working on a new FWD project which I hope to ride in the LEL this summer. We'll see...!
Oh, almost forgot. I also built a tandem last year for putting the smaller rider (wife, girlfriend, or child) at the front. This way they don't have to stare at the back of their partner, and they get to feel the wind in their hair for the full rider experience. Steering and all controls performed by the captain from the rear. Sadly it's had very little use to date, as it's the first target when I go searching for bits to steal for my other bike projects!
Neil Earley has just started a conversation with me asking me for some photos of my bents, but there doesn't seem to be an upload button on the conversation edit bar, so I'll put a few here instead.
My first RWD Mid Racer effort.
After much prototyping of various options, my FWD Low Racer...
...which I took on a 1450km camping tour across the SW of France as her maiden voyage...
and then around the Gorge du Verdon in the SE of France (well worth doing, magnificent scenery).
In the search for more speed I also dressed her up in a sexy stretched lycra aero tail fairing!
Then I shamefully went and bought a "real" bent frame kit - a Metaphysic 700C - to do a tour de France last August, mainly because I found that none of my home built models were in a fit state to ride as I was continuously cutting them up and borrowing bits!
I'm now working on a new FWD project which I hope to ride in the LEL this summer. We'll see...!
Oh, almost forgot. I also built a tandem last year for putting the smaller rider (wife, girlfriend, or child) at the front. This way they don't have to stare at the back of their partner, and they get to feel the wind in their hair for the full rider experience. Steering and all controls performed by the captain from the rear. Sadly it's had very little use to date, as it's the first target when I go searching for bits to steal for my other bike projects!
Mr Fitz, great collection you have there, great weather too 
