Sheffield_Tiger
Guru
I've almost felt like royalty today...
Had a full day of errands with the mule clamped to the back of the bike, delivering a big old swivel chair to the top of Myrtle Road* (one of inner Sheffield's bigger hills), picking up a huge crate of cat food, 2 supermarket runs etc and though my legs have burned at times...I've been treated SO much differently!
Only comments were positive ones from people...coming to pinch points or parked cars on narrow roads I've slowed to let oncoming traffic through (only polite since I'm slower fully laden) and every time been flashed or waved through...even one WVM who I could tell wasn't too keen on letting me out on the approach to parked cars on the main road did yield and follow behind without revving or cutting up. Only one taxi had a "must pass" moment of swerving out, screaming past and slamming on brakes at lights 20 yards ahead but it was much more satisfying just to surprise him by keeping pace (okay this was in traffic and before I was fully laden!) and wave cheerfully as I passed when he got stuck in the outside lane a mile further up behind a right-turner.
It really really has been a noticeable difference in tolerance and patience - in return I have made myself breathless by going as fast as safety and legs would allow so as not to get in people's way wobbling around with a wider load (and passed quite a few unladen bikes too!!)
*(Being as the virtuoso is the only bike that the mule will fit to, I'm thinking replacing the chainset with a very much non-compact '90s Biopace set was not the best idea for uphill load-lugging!)
Had a full day of errands with the mule clamped to the back of the bike, delivering a big old swivel chair to the top of Myrtle Road* (one of inner Sheffield's bigger hills), picking up a huge crate of cat food, 2 supermarket runs etc and though my legs have burned at times...I've been treated SO much differently!
Only comments were positive ones from people...coming to pinch points or parked cars on narrow roads I've slowed to let oncoming traffic through (only polite since I'm slower fully laden) and every time been flashed or waved through...even one WVM who I could tell wasn't too keen on letting me out on the approach to parked cars on the main road did yield and follow behind without revving or cutting up. Only one taxi had a "must pass" moment of swerving out, screaming past and slamming on brakes at lights 20 yards ahead but it was much more satisfying just to surprise him by keeping pace (okay this was in traffic and before I was fully laden!) and wave cheerfully as I passed when he got stuck in the outside lane a mile further up behind a right-turner.
It really really has been a noticeable difference in tolerance and patience - in return I have made myself breathless by going as fast as safety and legs would allow so as not to get in people's way wobbling around with a wider load (and passed quite a few unladen bikes too!!)
*(Being as the virtuoso is the only bike that the mule will fit to, I'm thinking replacing the chainset with a very much non-compact '90s Biopace set was not the best idea for uphill load-lugging!)