Cargobikes on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
January 11th, 2012
You can listen to Jeremy Sallis interview Hugh Salt from Dutchbike.co.uk (the UK Bakfiets.NL importer) on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire via iPlayer. Skip to 2h24m to hear Hugh. I suspect it I could have used the word “lifechanging” once or twice.
New from DeFietsfabriek – kids cargotrike
August 18th, 2011
How awesome does that look? So much wanting in our house. Looking at their recent bikes on their flickr stream, they’re doing some interesting stuff. Like the look of their 8 seater cargotrike.
E-trike!
July 24th, 2011
Sorry, no details at all. Looks like it’s got an integrated roller brake. No idea whether if it’s one wheel drive. If it is, they are going to have to spec a hell of a damper to avoid torque steer. It’s a 1375 euro option, so >3000 euros for a complete trike.
I should add, the bakfiets.nl is so much better than the other trikes I’ve tried, if anyone can make it work, they can. I’m just a bit surprised they didn’t take the easy option of fitting a Heinzmann rear hub.
bakfiets sun tent
July 24th, 2011
People have been asking for these for ever. Well, 3 or 4 years at least. They finally made them. Price expected to be >70 euros.
Need more seats in your bakfiets?
July 24th, 2011
Another picture I’ve come by – no price as yet. Bug your importer / shop for more info.
Bakfiets.nl flatbed – Long John style
July 24th, 2011
Just got emailed this. No price, as yet. Bug your importer if you want more info.
Bakfiets tryout session 2/7/2011
July 1st, 2011Cambridge Buskers Festival 2011 Hope Street Yard, off Mill Rd. CB1 3NA Free music Festival Saturday 2nd July
Free Dutch & Electric bike try-out show
Other attractions include Thai Food- refreshments-craft stalls-Bric a Brac
Music
11.00 – 12.00 The Highworth Saxaphone Quartet
12.00 – 13.00 P.L.C
13.00 – 14.00 Tami Lock
14.00 – 15.00 Cambridge Ukulele Co-op
15.00 – 16.00 Freds House
16.00 – 17.00 Tony Jenkins and Chris
See www.dutchbike.co.uk for more details.
Toddlebike review
June 22nd, 2011
I was recently offered a sale or return trial of a Toddlebike. It promises to bridge the gap between walking and balance bikes, or at least that;s what Cyclorama think. You only have to look at the picture of my 20month old to see that is true. Clearly, it helps very small children develop skills that they can later use on balance bikes. It is significantly smaller and lighter than either an Islabike Rothan or the Likeabike Jumper we have. It’s also around 1/7th of the price (currently £19.95).
Given that’s the case, I shouldn’t be sniffy about the construction. However, I do find very lightweight plastic wheels hard to forgive. My view is that they’ll limit both the function and the lifespan of the bike, and feel a bit christmas cracker. Even though it’s cheap compared to something similar, it feels even cheaper. Rubber treaded tyres would be more in keeping with the light but rigid construction of the rest of the bike. That said, it’s much, much lighter than the old wooden ride-ons of the ilk. Our 20 month old is able to pull it around one handed, and has even tried to carry it up the stairs. It’s lightness means that when they can’t pilot it around the living room, they can just walk it around easily. The marked absence of frustration our child has when playing with it means it retains his attention for extended periods, and he’s ridden to our local shops and back on it happily (to the frustration of my wife, as it took 40 minutes instead of less than 10!)
All in all, the response it’s got from my son, and the skills he’s developed playing with it has meant it’s nearly overcome my disappointment with some aspects of the build quality. I’d suggest that if you are a cycling parent used to Islabike quality of construction, you should be prepared for something different – this is a plastic ride on, closer in weight and construction to a toy. A quick google suggests that the toddlebike is in fact a Czech Lena Roll Fitzer, and goes for around 13 Euros in Germany (and as low as 10 euros). I suspect I would be more forgiving of the construction at that price point, but the fact that Lena are a plastic toy company does explain the design. However, if you can get past that (we have), I suspect you’ll be amazed what your toddler can do with it. We’ll be buying ours.
Seething 600km ride report
June 21st, 2011
Breakfast
Done my just done my 1st 600 – The Seething 600. Just a 400 to do for my 1st SR. Either going to turn the Dunwich Dynamo into a 400, or do the West & Midland 400. Here’s my write up…
First off – massive thanks to Keith & Sue of NorfolknGood and all the helpers, especially boab, bottlemasher and chris s, whose friendly banter helped my sanity no end. Apologies for subjecting you to my blabbering. It was the best organised fun I’ve had in ages. I had a cracking time, despite pretty poor prep on my part – the organisation of the ride more than compensated – thank you all so much!
I drove over with only 2h50m of sleep in the bank (up until gone midnight faffing), and nursing the remnants of a chest infection. However, I had 6 weeks of caffeine abstinence banked, a packet of pro plus, a packet of ibuprofen, tubes of ibuprofen gel and bumpanthen, and 1.2kg of flapjack (not the 6kg I told boab I had when tired at the end).
I got to the start at 5am, and recognised Chris S and Marcusjb from YACF. Chris had offered to set up my luxury camp bed. I settled in with a hearty breakfast. As soon as I saw movement, I put my plan into action.
After some really helpful advice from teethgrinder of YACF via PM, I’d decided to try to keep my moving average around 25kph and my total average before the sleep stop around 22kph; ie no hanging about at controls. To make that work, I carried enough flapjack in my tri-bag to eat 200g (~1000kcal) every 100km. At the start, I shot off in the light drizzle (no need for waterproofs all ride for me), only to be rapidly overhauled by the VC167 guys. Was keeping to the plan, so didn’t make any attempt to wheelsuck. At 20km, I got the first puncture of the ride, and was informed that I was lanterne rouge as I was patching it (9 minutes stopped). The plan then became “hurry up”. I tried to spot YACFers on my way back up the field, but only spotted Feline. To the rest of you – you miserable buggers – I was wearing a veritable YACF team strip of buff, top (ok, obscured by my gilet, but visible), and a pin badge on my bag. I reckon I got maybe a 25% return on my hellos. I counted 9 punctures including my by the time I got to the Crowfield control, just as marcusjb was leaving. I did my business and set off after him.
Was really nice to have some company, and we made short work of the leg to Dunwich. Caught up with the back wheel of Halloween on his yellow Roberts, but other than a quick call at some traffic lights, he was pulling away from us most of the time. At Dunwich (10:08), I ordered what was deemed to be “the gayest audax breakfast ever” – a double chocolate ice cream sunday with a tinsel streamer. I wolfed it down whilst everyone else was eating fryups and the like (17 minutes stopped), and was first to leave the control – I was back on schedule.
The leg to Thornham walks was slow and steady, and I think about 5 people passed me on the way. Boab was there with boablet and a pal, and I was promised cake at Swaffham. By this point, I’d consumed 600g of flapjack, so wasn’t in need of sustenance (arrived 12.20pm, stopped for 8 minutes). I was first to leave the control again, but rapidly joined by the younger of the VC167 riders. We chatted for a bit, but he was always half a wheel ahead of me, and eventually he took off. A few more people passed me on the way to Red Lodge, and by the 180k mark, I started to feel a bit shabby; <3hrs sleep isn’t good prep. I started thinking about having a sleep in a field, and my moving pace dropped to ~22kph, then I remembered – caffeine tablets. Wow! Within 10 minutes I was ripping along at 27kph. I was 4th or 5th to red lodge, and was fortunate to have a biker who wanted to chat at the cafe to whom I could blab to. I had a plate of mushroom and chips and apple pie and ice cream here, and was 3rd or 4th away (arrived 14.42, stopped 29 minutes).
The leg to Swaffham was some of the dull roads that the Mildenhall 300 was on, but was much enhanced by an epic tailwind. I didn’t see anyone other than briefly chatting to a guy who was suffering with Achilles problems, which then lead to a 5km detour as I got confused what colour track I should be following on the GPS and started following the route out before I got to the control. Chris & helper were great at the control, and dispensed boab’s delicious cafe. I made use of the track pump, whose gauge revealed 70 strokes of my mini pump had my back tyre at 40psi. Topping it up to 85 made the bike feel considerably more spritely (arrived 17.13, stopped 6 minutes).
I can’t remember anything much about the section back to HQ, other than briefly not being able to figure out a way through the park and ride and getting a second puncture (tube swapped). I arrived back at just after 8pm, where bottlemasher went above and beyond looking after me – much appreciated. Had the superb soup with delicious bread and a bowl of rice pud. I also patched the tube that I punctured. I stopped for 33 minutes, before heading off to Garboldisham.
The night stage was awesome – no wind, nice temperature. I was running a new Cyo and 2x Ixon IQs, so I went at a decent pace and arrived at 10.36. It took me a few minutes to work out how to get to the pavillion. Grabbed some malt loaf and crisps and a cup of tea and was back out the door 9 minutes later. Back at HQ in Seething by 00.40. I grabbed some more food and the info question from Keith, and was asleep by 01.00 with my alarm set for 4am. That banked me 3hrs sleep – chris had done a top job setting up the bed, which was unbelievably comfy.
I was back on the bike by 04.18, and promptly set off on the wrong route. I passed through Castle acre some time after 07.00, and pressed on towards Wells. At some point, a guy who I’d ridden with on the Cambridge 300 pass me, shortly followed by the VC167 guys going hammer and tongs. They shouted “breakfast at wells” as they went by. The section from HQ was really pretty – loved the fords and the hills. I know the area around Wells reasonably well from a holiday in Blakeney, so it was a treat to be back there. I arrived at 09.03, where I grabbed and espresso and a chocolate milk, and was away 15 minutes later. The VC167 guys were embarking on a substantial culinary endeavor, but the other chap had pressed on towards Wayford Bridge.
I can’t say I remember too much about this section. For some reason, I’d got it in my head that I wanted to be back at HQ before 2pm so I could call my son before he started his fun run, but my brain couldn’t do the maths, and kept saying I’d be back at 2.30pm. Arrived at the family control at Wayford Bridge at 11.45, where Harvey was sporting a VC167 cap – very cool, where I caught the guy I’d ridden with before. I grabbed some food, complimented the hosts, and was out on the road again 5 minutes later with that chap close behind.
I didn’t much enjoy being on the front, as I kept waiting to be passed. Fortunately, I got myself in a complete pickle with the GPS at a junction by Billockby, and rode a couple of km out to Fleggburg. After gathering myself, I figured out where I’d gone wrong, and head back in the right direction. I arrived at the Reedham Ferry at 13.16 to see it chugging over with the other chap on board. I was back on the bike 6 minutes later. The final schlep over to HQ was under gathering dark clouds, and I had started to get paranoid that I would get another puncture from the flint shrapnel littering the middle of the lane. Fortunately, I escaped both unscathed, and it had just started to spit when I arrived second back at 13.52, 6 minutes after the first chap (John on a Kinesis that I rode with on my 300).
More than made up for my lack of faffing at the controls at the end, and didn’t manage to get away for ages – packing up felt impossible, and it was fun chatting. The drive home was the hardest part for me. My eyes felt ruined (bottlemasher commented that they looked rough), but I was too wired to sleep. Pulled over several times, and topped up on a couple of cans of red bull.
What worked
1. sticking to a slow, steady pace & not getting sucked into a pack
2. eating flapjack on the go – no faffing about at controls
3. gilet, ss jersey, thick arm warmers
4. uber-comfy camp bed
5. carrying 2 litres of electrolyte drink on the bike
What sucked
1. tri-berry flavour Nuun tablets (had two packs, citrus was nice)
2. leg warmers, which caused by shorts to ride up and make me sore for a bit
3. Blackburn mini-pump
4. My clever dick automagic location triggered tweeting of my location – oops forgot to check that I’d registered my new phone with twitter (I hadn’t), so tweets didn’t come through, and virtually no 3g signal to let the emails come through. My wife was not reassured when the auto-respond to sms with a google maps link packed up at 1am and didn’t work again until after lunch on Sunday.
Another one?
May 15th, 2011
Another person at my workplace has bought a bakfiets. Including me, that makes 2 cargotrikes and a cargo bike among less than 100 staff, of which way less than half have kids. That´s a pretty good level of cargobike density, I reckon.
In other news, I´ve added padding to the roll bars/hood supports. The different types are temporary, as I´ve been trying different thicknesses. They´ll all be like the wrap around one at the front when I get a moment. It´s not really an issue at the mo´, as both my kids are too small to come into contact with the hoops, but it means that if I carry bigger people, there is no danger of them bumping their head .
While I am at it, the middle hoop is something I added. I´ve bolted my hoops in, as they are handy for helping kids get in and out and it´s convenient. I don´t think they add anything much in the way of protection, but the box feels stiffer with them bolted in.