annedonnelly
Girl from the North Country
- Location
- Blyth, Northumberland
What a shame. Round here I find the bus drivers to be very good. In general I'd rather have a bus behind me than most cars.
Tiny rides of 2023
- Thread starter Hebe
- Start date
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What a shame. Round here I find the bus drivers to be very good. In general I'd rather have a bus behind me than most cars.
DCBassman
Guru
- Location
- The lumpy far South West
Well, that's it for now. Both bikes shut away for...who knows how long? I feel a bit...lost, knowing they're not locked up outside the door.
All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
You off for your surgery @DCBassman ?
I'm sure your bikes will wait for you.
Best wishes and please let us know how you get on.
I expect your bikes will miss you too @DCBassman. The weather and temperatures can only improve in the meantime but that's probably not much consolation. All the very best to you for the surgery and recovery.
sevenfourate
Devotee of OCD
- Location
- Lowestoft, Suffolk
All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
Tiny ride today to see what treasures I can find in the charity shops and sales. I ended up with a bright orange top which will be added to the other four layers when I go out on a longer ride tomorrow.
3 miles in cold sunshine; mood transformed
3 miles in cold sunshine; mood transformed
DCBassman
Guru
- Location
- The lumpy far South West
That's the plan. Just hope the bike still fits afterwards!
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
My usual tiny ride is to Aldi and back. Under two miles, round trip.
My shortest one is home from the Dun Cow
at a few hundred yards.
I have usually been on a 20+ mile ride to get there, often via another pub.
My shortest one is home from the Dun Cow
at a few hundred yards.I have usually been on a 20+ mile ride to get there, often via another pub.
lazybloke
Considering a new username
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
Arranged to meet a friend, and catch up over a coffee.
According to plotaroute it's a journey of 1,415 feet!
I'll come back a scenic route.
According to plotaroute it's a journey of 1,415 feet!
I'll come back a scenic route.
All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
I decided to postpone my bigger ride because of ice; instead I took a tiny ride to see the earliest daffodils I know of.
On the ride I dished out lots of cheery greetings - I am determined not to become a grumpy old man.
On the ride I dished out lots of cheery greetings - I am determined not to become a grumpy old man.
annedonnelly
Girl from the North Country
- Location
- Blyth, Northumberland
Wow they are early! I was just checking my snowdrops earlier. They are just coming into bud. The daffodils are just tiny green spikes at the minute.
a.twiddler
Veteran
19/1/23 Another even tinier ride.
We’ve had quite a bit of snow here (for Cheshire) and I’d been itching to get out on the trike and see how it handled. However a combination of not needing to go out for anything and it being bleedin’ freezin’ innit meant that I didn’t get to go out until today. I needed to collect a prescription, do some shopping and pick up a parcel. I couldn’t go out until I had notification that the parcel was ready to collect so I had to get on with other stuff in the meantime. The sun came out and I could hear the drip, drip of the thaw. After something to eat mid day I was all set. Leaving 3 wheel tracks on the drive I set out into the gleaming white close in the lower gear range and onto the estate roads, all gratifyingly white and ungritted. I expected to be sliding about with the skinny tyres but despite encouraging it with swerves and random brake applications it just went where I pointed it. I could probably have managed on 2 wheels without too much trouble. Still, I enjoyed crunching along with no fear of unexpectedly falling off.
A temporary traffic light gloomed red ahead so I dived left into a cul de sac then right onto a footpath between the houses. There was a fat concrete bollard right in the middle of the narrow access but I’d learned from experience that if the bars would fit through, the slightly narrower track of the rear wheels would follow easily. Even so, there was only a cm or so each side of the bar ends. Annoyingly, the stretch of road I was hoping to shortcut to, had the dreaded purple barriers but then I realised that a narrow strip of road had been left for pedestrians. I gingerly bumped down off the highish pavement then just managed to turn left without having to do a 300 point turn, just a smooth turn with no reversing at all. I impressed myself, actually (though maybe I’m easily impressed). Disappointingly the snow had dispersed on this well used road.
A stream of traffic came by on my right then the lights must have changed so I launched into the traffic -free space, climbed a slight incline then got up speed so that I could get through the uphill traffic lights ahead and turn right. Alas, the lights changed and I rolled to a stop at the cyclists’ advanced stop line. The lights changed, a car came the other way then just as I got going to turn right a middle aged woman in a prestige car drove steadily through the red light from the right apparently without a care in the world. She didn’t come near enough to worry me but if something else had come through the junction at the same time it would have been messy. I gave her a glare. That’ll teach her! Unless she was registered blind it’s impossible that she didn’t see me on this tomato red weirdmobile. Probably just didn’t care.
I puffed a bit to get up the slope beyond the lights then after turning left it was downhill all the way. That is a bit of a drawback because it’s running empty downhill to the shops then climbing loaded to get home.
Chained up trike, collected parcel, went to pharmacy, did some shopping. Unchained the trike and got under way. Whichever way you go, home means climbing some kind of hill. For the first bit, there is a painted cycle way but once you start to climb it’s part of a shared path. The first 2/3rds wasn’t bad, although I was already in bottom gear. The last third felt steep, although I was managing it OK I felt that a couple of lower gears would be reassuring, even if I didn’t use them. It was hardly Hardknott but the low sun combined with the exertion made my face feel as if it was burning. I had to detour on to the road, as someone had parked a car in front of their drive blocking the path, so I stayed on it to the junction. One thing that I found uncomfortable was the steepness of the camber which caused some back discomfort as I felt I had to pull against the lean to the left.
I reached the junction with Townfields Road and from this low viewpoint the road slopes steeply up from left to right. A 2 wheeled cyclist put me to shame by making good progress uphill, giving me a cheery nod as he went past. I turned right to follow him but he soon disappeared. The road soon levelled then sloped down to the lights which turned red. Now that my back was twinging, the camber on Townfields road, though less steep, was still noticeable. I pondered which route to take and decided to turn left, sweeping downhill, then turning off with enough momentum to get up most of the next short sharp hill. After a bit of pedalling I had a long leisurely freewheel before I turned off through various closes and estate paths.
I came up behind a young male walker who on hearing me stopped and stood back to watch me go by. He said, "That looks comfortable" (How many times have I heard that?) and I replied, "Doesn't like hills much though." Soon I arrived on my drive. Looking back I’d followed my own wheeltracks through the snow on the drive exactly so it looked as if I’d only gone one way. I unpacked my stuff, put the trike away then flopped with a cold drink. I have a plan for the next trip which involves a bit more mileage but concentrates all the uphill into a short sharp climb. I’m not much of a super climber on any of my bikes, but compared to the trike the Linear 2 wheel recumbent is a rocketship.
Distance 2.89 miles. Max speed 20.6mph. Average 5.4mph according to Garmin.
According to Bikehike:-
73.6 ft per mile approx
We’ve had quite a bit of snow here (for Cheshire) and I’d been itching to get out on the trike and see how it handled. However a combination of not needing to go out for anything and it being bleedin’ freezin’ innit meant that I didn’t get to go out until today. I needed to collect a prescription, do some shopping and pick up a parcel. I couldn’t go out until I had notification that the parcel was ready to collect so I had to get on with other stuff in the meantime. The sun came out and I could hear the drip, drip of the thaw. After something to eat mid day I was all set. Leaving 3 wheel tracks on the drive I set out into the gleaming white close in the lower gear range and onto the estate roads, all gratifyingly white and ungritted. I expected to be sliding about with the skinny tyres but despite encouraging it with swerves and random brake applications it just went where I pointed it. I could probably have managed on 2 wheels without too much trouble. Still, I enjoyed crunching along with no fear of unexpectedly falling off.
A temporary traffic light gloomed red ahead so I dived left into a cul de sac then right onto a footpath between the houses. There was a fat concrete bollard right in the middle of the narrow access but I’d learned from experience that if the bars would fit through, the slightly narrower track of the rear wheels would follow easily. Even so, there was only a cm or so each side of the bar ends. Annoyingly, the stretch of road I was hoping to shortcut to, had the dreaded purple barriers but then I realised that a narrow strip of road had been left for pedestrians. I gingerly bumped down off the highish pavement then just managed to turn left without having to do a 300 point turn, just a smooth turn with no reversing at all. I impressed myself, actually (though maybe I’m easily impressed). Disappointingly the snow had dispersed on this well used road.
A stream of traffic came by on my right then the lights must have changed so I launched into the traffic -free space, climbed a slight incline then got up speed so that I could get through the uphill traffic lights ahead and turn right. Alas, the lights changed and I rolled to a stop at the cyclists’ advanced stop line. The lights changed, a car came the other way then just as I got going to turn right a middle aged woman in a prestige car drove steadily through the red light from the right apparently without a care in the world. She didn’t come near enough to worry me but if something else had come through the junction at the same time it would have been messy. I gave her a glare. That’ll teach her! Unless she was registered blind it’s impossible that she didn’t see me on this tomato red weirdmobile. Probably just didn’t care.
I puffed a bit to get up the slope beyond the lights then after turning left it was downhill all the way. That is a bit of a drawback because it’s running empty downhill to the shops then climbing loaded to get home.
Chained up trike, collected parcel, went to pharmacy, did some shopping. Unchained the trike and got under way. Whichever way you go, home means climbing some kind of hill. For the first bit, there is a painted cycle way but once you start to climb it’s part of a shared path. The first 2/3rds wasn’t bad, although I was already in bottom gear. The last third felt steep, although I was managing it OK I felt that a couple of lower gears would be reassuring, even if I didn’t use them. It was hardly Hardknott but the low sun combined with the exertion made my face feel as if it was burning. I had to detour on to the road, as someone had parked a car in front of their drive blocking the path, so I stayed on it to the junction. One thing that I found uncomfortable was the steepness of the camber which caused some back discomfort as I felt I had to pull against the lean to the left.
I reached the junction with Townfields Road and from this low viewpoint the road slopes steeply up from left to right. A 2 wheeled cyclist put me to shame by making good progress uphill, giving me a cheery nod as he went past. I turned right to follow him but he soon disappeared. The road soon levelled then sloped down to the lights which turned red. Now that my back was twinging, the camber on Townfields road, though less steep, was still noticeable. I pondered which route to take and decided to turn left, sweeping downhill, then turning off with enough momentum to get up most of the next short sharp hill. After a bit of pedalling I had a long leisurely freewheel before I turned off through various closes and estate paths.
I came up behind a young male walker who on hearing me stopped and stood back to watch me go by. He said, "That looks comfortable" (How many times have I heard that?) and I replied, "Doesn't like hills much though." Soon I arrived on my drive. Looking back I’d followed my own wheeltracks through the snow on the drive exactly so it looked as if I’d only gone one way. I unpacked my stuff, put the trike away then flopped with a cold drink. I have a plan for the next trip which involves a bit more mileage but concentrates all the uphill into a short sharp climb. I’m not much of a super climber on any of my bikes, but compared to the trike the Linear 2 wheel recumbent is a rocketship.
Distance 2.89 miles. Max speed 20.6mph. Average 5.4mph according to Garmin.
According to Bikehike:-
Total Ascent: | 103 | ft | |
| Total Descent: | 103 | ft | |
| Start Elevation: | 192 | ft | |
| End Elevation: | 192 | ft | |
| Min Elevation: | 131 | ft | |
| Max Elevation: | 215 | ft |
