Recumbent Rides

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I used to live round the corner from his original shop, it was either where Pizza Emporio or Bearsden Physio is now. I think the former, as I see to recall the door being on the right side


https://maps.app.goo.gl/WfumP3sd2phwpmeJ6?g_st=ic

I now stay way up in the north or I’d have popped around to take a photo. Used to run hill repeats on one of the nearby roads, many years ago.

 

[deejayen]

Yes, I think the door was on the right hand side, so it was probably where the pizza shop is.

VeloVision magazine visited him, and there's a photo of the outside of the shop in one of the magazines (I should have it somewhere...)

Some of the nearby roads were steep, with massive potholes!

 

[a.twiddler]

Recumbent Ride
(Illicit ride No 3)
6/10/24
There had been some earlier rain, then drizzle. As it seemed to have stopped I thought I’d just take a twiddle round the local estate paths on the Spirit. So, left out of the gate, down on to the road and a good freewheel past a road junction then left into an estate road.

On to a path under some trees. It was noticeable that there were a lot more fallen leaves about than when I last took a ride only a few days ago. Turned right,

then left at the next crossing. Up a slight slope then rode on hemmed in by garden fences on either side.

Blurring not due to immense speed, but shaky hands!
I came to a road. With fattish tyres I had no concerns about going across the non lowered but not particularly high kerbs to where the path continued on the other side. With the Grasshopper having narrow slick tyres I’d had to be a bit more careful on my previous ride here. Some horse droppings suggested that there’d been a horse here recently. I continued up a very gradual slope with trees and shrubs on the left, garden fences on the right, a sort of roofless tunnel. This seemed to be prime time for dog walkers too, as I slowed or stopped several times to let them pass.

I came to another road, no traffic and lowish kerbs, so rode straight across. Another tunnel of fencing and shrubbery, then the view opened out on the right. Through some trees where there was a carpet of leaves and moss under wheel, up a short slope, and to the road. I was tempted to just turn left and freewheel the few hundred yards downhill to my back gate, but as there was a much longer gradual downhill in the direction I’d just come from, I decided to go back that way. I stopped by the open space for a photo, then carried on.

Across the road, passing some of the dog walkers I’d passed earlier on the narrow path, across the next road, through another canyon between fencing panels, across the point where paths crossed and then to an estate road. Bizarrely, there seemed to be a pot with the reddish stems of a dried plant sticking upwards here but as I rode by I saw that it was a telephone cable access point with plastic coated fibre optic cables protruding from it.

I followed the estate road to its junction with the main road, turned right and was soon at my back gate. I certainly felt better after this ride, still trying not to overdo things. After I’d put the bike away it began to rain quite heavily, so I’d got the timing right on that.

Distance 2.07 miles. Max speed 12.9 mph. Average speed 4.9 mph. According to Garmin.
Ascent 63 ft. According to Bikehike.

 

[oldwheels]

Since this is Recumbent Rides I thought I should put up a ride I did last week on the mainland as I have not bern out much locally for a variety of reasons.

Started from the minor road towards Bonawe and then turned up the Moss Road to meet the main A828 northwards to the cycle path at Benderloch. This is a busy road with fast traffic so sprint the half mile to the cycle path after a burst of traffic from the lights at Connel Bridge have passed. After a look around Benderloch environs back down the path through the caravan park and past the airport then right to a picnic spot at N. Connel to see if any aircraft movements.
Nothing happening so back over the A828 at Connel Bridge and up the Bonawe road to base.
This was on my Kettwiessel trike and stopped off road to get a photo of Loch Etive with Ben Cruachan behind.

 

[a.twiddler]

Recumbent Ride
(Illicit Ride No 7)
19/10/24

I’d ordered a couple of Marathon Greenguard tyres, 40-406, from two different sources due to a good price offer on each. One had arrived, which I’d fitted to the front wheel of the Grasshopper recumbent bike. There was still a Kojak 35-406 slick on the back. On each of my LWB bikes, fitting a wider tyre to the front had improved the feel of the steering, particularly on less than perfect surfaces. While waiting for the other one to arrive I thought I’d give it a test ride.

I turned right out of the gate and immediately felt that the steering didn’t feel as predictable as it had with two identical tyres – the slightest movement had me correcting and over correcting to keep going in a straight line. I thought I’d adapt to it, and recalled that despite the theoretical small difference between the 35-406 and the 40-406 the Marathon Greenguard looked much taller on the rim than the Kojak. This had the effect of raising the front end slightly, having an effect on the rake and trail. I would have expected the steering to be more self centreing with this set up, but it actually felt less stable. The seat certainly felt more reclined, even though it was probably no more than a couple of degrees.

I persevered up a small hill, past a school, then mounted a pavement on the right with the intention of turning right again into a leaf strewn path. On my right, a tall wooden fence panel. Beneath it, a good layer of fallen leaves. In the mirror, a distant pedestrian. I wanted to get off the pavement before he arrived. I felt a bit apprehensive starting off in this narrow space with little wobble room but thinking, what’s the worst that can happen, went for it.

I pushed off with the right pedal, got the other foot up, failed to make progress, put the right foot down. My foot slid on the leaves, I put my right hand out to the fence panel, which flexed, my hand slid down it in slow motion and I keeled over slowly to end up alongside the bike on a pile of fallen leaves.

Powered by embarrassment I struggled to my feet and picked up the bike just as the pedestrian came by and asked, “you all right mate? Need any help?” Rather ungraciously I said,”I’m fine thanks” and turned the bike round to go back downhill. My first thought was to head for home but as I got rolling I thought, “I’m not going to let this thing get the better of me”. The steering wasn’t any better but I just dealt with it. I turned left up a gradual hill then turned on to the other end of the path I’d originally intended to follow. I rode uphill to where the path cleared and stopped for some photos.

I carried on up a damp leaf strewn slope where the rear slick slipped and wriggled until I reached the road, turned left, then freewheeled downhill to my back gate. I am curious to see if fitting the other Marathon Greenguard to the rear when it arrives, restores the balance.

Distance 1.44 miles. Max speed 13.1 mph. Average 5.3 mph. According to Garmin.
Ascent 53 ft. According to Bikehike.

 

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I had Kojaks on my old Pashley PDQ to try to have as low a seat height as possible. They felt really sketchy on anything but the driest tarmac. Ditto on my Fuego, which now has standard Marathons.