# London Freewheel



## Riding in Circles (17 Sep 2008)

OK, how many bent folk will be on the Freewheel, there will be two from here on Catrikes.


----------



## Auntie Helen (17 Sep 2008)

Me! On my Trice Q. I'll be wearing black but with a fluorescent yellow top and probably no flags (don't want to put peoples' eyes out!). Assuming I manage to get there on the train of course 

I'm also tall with long blonde hair and blue eyes (and I'm from Essex, eek!) but that all sounds better than the reality (apart from the Essex bit).


----------



## arallsopp (17 Sep 2008)

Me too! I'll be coming up on the led ride from Bromley South. I'll be on an orange SMGTe, and wearing a foska top. 
If its hot, it'll be a marmite or dennis the menace T. 
If its cold, it'll be a bones jacket.


----------



## BentMikey (17 Sep 2008)

Providing the baby isn't born before/after, I should be there on skates, with miniMikey on his Islabike (upwrong).


----------



## arallsopp (18 Sep 2008)

BentMikey said:


> Providing the baby isn't born before/after, I should be there on skates, with miniMikey on his Islabike (upwrong).



Interesting... So, the only way you'll be there is if the baby is born during the Freewheel? Seems a little callous, but I guess once Mrs Mikey is on the gas and air, you may as well pop out for a quick spin


----------



## arallsopp (22 Sep 2008)

Darn. Had to bail out half way through the led ride from Bromley. Looks like I missed a great one too...


View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1DO_SUUvPLI


Darn.


----------



## Riding in Circles (22 Sep 2008)

I came down with some sort of bug on Friday, still a bit off now.


----------



## Auntie Helen (22 Sep 2008)

I saw a good selection of Trices (a QNT, a T with a dodgy weld at the back supsension!!!, a Q, as well as Ben Lovejoy going the other way on his black Q), what I think was a KMX adult size, and at Hyde Park a pair of fast-looking carbon-fibre looking recumbents with hard shell seats. I talked to the owner of the pair of carbon-fibre recumbents (if that was what they were) and he said he had tried various recumbents and they were all rather disappointing so he made his own. I wasn't entirely convinced by his ones, it has to be said, but they were certainly getting a lot of attention.

I stopped to chat with the three Trice owners including a very nice lady with a QNT who said that there were a bunch of people on 'trike tours' who did lots of touring together on trikes. She told me to google it and I could find out about them but I couldn't find anything at all! Does anyone have any ideas about this?

I saw a couple of 8 Freights carting around stuff, I saw one normal-looking recumbent bicycle (going the other way fast) and I also saw this rather novel recumbent:






As usual I got plenty of comments whilst cycling - people asking if my bike was fast, if I was lazy (!!!), how much it cost. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the day, had a pretty easy train journey (although my trike only just goes through the disabled/luggage barrier at Colchester Station) and was helped with lifting my trice onto and off both trains by other cyclists. Although I normally feel really safe on my trike I did have a couple of moments when making my way from Liverpool Street to Tower Hill when I felt a bit unsafe - each time it was with buses that I knew had seen me (they pulled out round me) but who then proceeded to pull in front of me to stop. It hasn't encouraged me particularly to cycle in London, not that I expect to do that anyway with the cost of train fares. Oh, and Liverpool Street Station has a ramp all the way out but it's hard to find and I couldn't find it when I returned; I decided to try to use the lift to go down to the platform level and the lift was out of order. I wouldn't have been able to manhandle my trice down the stairs (being disabled) so eventually I went out searching for the slopy route (and found it). It would have been quite a problem for a person in a wheelchair though!

Sorry you missed it Catrike, it was good fun and it was pretty easy to spot other recumbent cyclists. I wouldn't have wanted to try to recognise any DF cyclists though; I looked out for CycleChat jerseys but most people had the fluorey jackets on and everyone looked the same!


----------



## arallsopp (22 Sep 2008)

Glad someone was there to represent the laid back community, Auntie Helen. As ever, a great write up.

Sorry to hear you're not well Catrike. Nothing serious I hope, but if you do get round to will writing, my buddy (on a wedgie in my vid) is seriously eyeing up a trike. Was hoping to use the freewheel to convince him.


----------



## BentMikey (22 Sep 2008)

Mucho thanks to an Leftpondian chap, Bill, on a streetmachine. When miniMikey went tarmac surfing at 15-20mph, he stopped behind him to cover him from all the other traffic.


----------



## Sig SilverPrinter (22 Sep 2008)

minimikey o.k?


----------



## BentMikey (22 Sep 2008)

Yeah he's fine thanks, just got roadrash on his elbow, hand, and hip. He got up, sobbed his heart out, and then went on to do another 1.5 laps. LOL!


----------



## Hilldodger (22 Sep 2008)

The guy on the decorated recumbent is my mate Des Kay - one of the main people behind forming London's Critical Mass.


----------



## Sig SilverPrinter (22 Sep 2008)

BentMikey said:


> Yeah he's fine thanks, just got roadrash on his elbow, hand, and hip. He got up, sobbed his heart out, and then went on to do another 1.5 laps. LOL!



Thats good.Did see one kid down who didn't seem to be moving had stretcher there so hope they were ok


----------



## ChrisKH (22 Sep 2008)

Auntie Helen said:


> Me! On my Trice Q. I'll be wearing black but with a fluorescent yellow top and probably no flags (don't want to put peoples' eyes out!). Assuming I manage to get there on the train of course
> 
> I'm also tall with long blonde hair and blue eyes (and I'm from Essex, eek!) but that all sounds better than the reality (apart from the Essex bit).



I kept my eye out for trikes and recumbents as I wanted to show my son, but only came up close to one red trike being ridden by a striking tall lady with hair grey in places going towards Tower Hill stopped on the RHS. Not you then?


----------



## Auntie Helen (22 Sep 2008)

That sounds a bit like my bike but I don't think I'm particularly striking-looking and I don't have grey hair, just blonde. I did see another lady on a red Trice but she was quite short (but did have some grey hair).


----------



## ChrisKH (22 Sep 2008)

Auntie Helen said:


> That sounds a bit like my bike but I don't think I'm particularly striking-looking and I don't have grey hair, just blonde. I did see another lady on a red Trice but she was quite short (but did have some grey hair).



Well if it was you, you would have noticed as I had a short sleeved CycleChat shirt on and stood in front of you. I presume not then.


----------



## Riding in Circles (22 Sep 2008)

arallsopp said:


> Glad someone was there to represent the laid back community, Auntie Helen. As ever, a great write up.
> 
> Sorry to hear you're not well Catrike. Nothing serious I hope, but if you do get round to will writing, my buddy (on a wedgie in my vid) is seriously eyeing up a trike. Was hoping to use the freewheel to convince him.



He is welcome to a test ride, I have a few different ones for test.


----------



## Auntie Helen (22 Sep 2008)

Well I found a pic of myself finally - I went through the blue tower at 11:13 but was almost at the end of the series of 11am-12pm ones. Here it is, hardly flattering!


----------



## Gary D (22 Sep 2008)

Auntie Helen said:


> Well I found a pic of myself finally - I went through the blue tower at 11:13 but was almost at the end of the series of 11am-12pm ones. Here it is, hardly flattering!
> 
> http://www.smileforskysports.com/album/BLUE_11am/slides/_J6S9243.html



Auntie Helen,

Are you sure that isn't a trailer bike being pulled by that lady with the ample bosom   

Sorry - couldn't resist  

Gary.


----------



## Auntie Helen (22 Sep 2008)

...with my foot attached to her cycling helmet, I know.

How about this guy - I bet it was a bit uncomfortable after that pic was taken!


----------



## Auntie Helen (22 Sep 2008)

Just flipping through the pics and I've seen this one which is the chappie with the home-build carbon-fibre-esque his 'n hers recumbents


----------



## Auntie Helen (22 Sep 2008)

Ben Lovejoy, is this you???






A woman in a trike with the single wheel at the front





And a recumbent bicycle


----------



## Auntie Helen (22 Sep 2008)

And one from earlier in the day (10am slot). What kind of trike is this?





From 2pm





From 3pm an Anthrotech





Is this Hilldodger?


----------



## Auntie Helen (23 Sep 2008)

..and while I'm waiting for the kettle to boil I'll keep looking through.

I think this is Ben Lovejoy again (apologies, Ben, if it's not you at all!)





A mystery woman on a hard-to-see recumbent





I met this chap later - he'd just discovered the weld at the back of his Trice has failed (on the rear arms that come back from the suspension)





Another recumbent but mostly out of shot


----------



## Hilldodger (23 Sep 2008)

Auntie Helen said:


> Is this Hilldodger?
> http://www.smileforskysports.com/album/WHITE_3pm/slides/_MG_1405.html
> http://www.smileforskysports.com/album/RED_3pm/slides/RED_3-5_0379.html



No that's Dave from cyclemagic on my 1899 machine. The one Victoria Pendleton and Chris Hoy fondled.

Offer for the machine on a postcard please


----------



## Auntie Helen (23 Sep 2008)

Hilldodger said:


> No that's Dave from cyclemagic on my 1899 machine. The one Victoria Pendleton and Chris Hoy fondled.
> 
> Offer for the machine on a postcard please


The second link doesn't seem to be working properly.

It should have been:


----------



## ChrisKH (23 Sep 2008)

Auntie Helen said:


> *A woman in a trike with the single wheel at the front*
> http://www.smileforskysports.com/album/RED_2pm/slides/RED_1-3_2056.html



That's the lady I saw!


----------



## squeaker (23 Sep 2008)

*Triketours*



Auntie Helen said:


> I stopped to chat with the three Trice owners including a very nice lady with a QNT who said that there were a bunch of people on 'trike tours' who did lots of touring together on trikes. She told me to google it and I could find out about them but I couldn't find anything at all! Does anyone have any ideas about this?


That would be our Marion: very nice indeed


----------



## Auntie Helen (23 Sep 2008)

squeaker said:


> That would be our Marion: very nice indeed


Aha, the link to Trike Tours too, thank you very much!

I had found a photo of her but I mucked up the linking on my post and can't find it now. Sorry


----------



## Auntie Helen (23 Sep 2008)

And here are some more.












Cool bikes (not recumbents though)





Ben again!





The chap with the Trice T which had a dodgy back suspension bit


----------



## Hilldodger (23 Sep 2008)

Auntie Helen said:


> Cool bikes (not recumbents though)



Of course they're cool bikes, they're Cyclemagic bikes!


----------



## Auntie Helen (23 Sep 2008)

I got a fantastic mini video of the Quadbike having a crash - a friend of mine was on it at the time.


----------



## Hilldodger (23 Sep 2008)

Oh boy, do I need a copy of that!

Any chance of emailing it via our web site of posting in somewhere for us to see


----------



## Auntie Helen (23 Sep 2008)

Yep, I'll PM you with a link. The friend that I filmed said she didn't want it on YouTube and I can't contact her for a week as she's now on holiday but I'll check if she's happy for you to put it on your site, if you like it.


----------



## CopperBrompton (23 Sep 2008)

Thanks, Helen - you have indeed correctly identified the pics of me. :-) Will add them to my write-up.


----------

