dry, drier, driest

Theo said:

The last serious rain (3 whole millimetres!) we've seen in the centre of
Holland was 5 (!) weeks ago.

It was certainly very pleasant to cycle around a short while ago
(http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ddbb1.htm)

Quoted message said:

Today temperatures are getting close to 30 C again.

Actually quite cool out of the sun when we were there, which was much
more fun to ride in than the 30+C we had in Norfolk last year. Gad,
that was hot!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

It was certainly very pleasant to cycle around a short while ago
(http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ddbb1.htm)

Interesting bike Peter - I've not seen one like that before.

First thought was - it could be handy for chopping your way through
heather :-)
--
Bill Grey

Bill Grey said:

Interesting bike Peter - I've not seen one like that before.

Like a normal bike, but more more comfortable! ;-) Lots of
advantages but doomed to be a niche: no economy of scale so
expensive, and the baseline assumption is different is problematical.

Quoted message said:

First thought was - it could be handy for chopping your way through
heather :-)

Hmmmm, don't think that's a particular recumbent advantage though!
Perhaps a combine harvester attachment on a tadpole trike might
work though ;-)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Bill Grey said:

Interesting bike Peter - I've not seen one like that before.

Like a normal bike, but more more comfortable! ;-) Lots of advantages
but doomed to be a niche: no economy of scale so expensive, and the
baseline assumption is different is problematical.

A user told me that they weren't so good on hills - you can't use your
body weight on the pedals.

Jim Ford

Jim Ford said:

A user told me that they weren't so good on hills - you can't use your
body weight on the pedals.

You can't stand up, but you /can/ brace against the seat which you
can't do an upright. And if you've got 4 panniers full on an
upright it's not always a good idea to stand up in any case...
Since learning to spin up hills on a recumbent I've stopped
standing up on my uprights for anything other than suspension
effect, ibn fact.

It's not too helpful referring to recumbents as "they": there are
just as many functionally different types as uprights, so mine is a
recumbent tourer and has more in common with an upright tourer like
a Galaxy than it does with, say, a recumbent racer. Mine has got
up some pretty big hills with 4 panniers full of touring gear. The
biggest continuous climb I've done is around 1000' with gradients
up to 1 in 6, the southernmost of the cross-island roads on Arran.
As usual with hills it's about the gears and the engine, not
where you sit. As with upright bikes, some flavours would really
suck at hills, but it's not a general case.

Main thing about recumebnts up hills is they tend to be heavier,
with more frame and more seat. But with the right gears and engine
they'll get there, and thanks to lower air drag be quicker down the
other side.

The thing I like most about mine compared to a trad tourer like the
Galaxy is the default view is the surrounding landscape, rather
than a small patch of road a few meters in front. And by getting
my aerodynamics from leaning back rather than forwards, there's no
weight on my upper body. Doesn't bother some folk, but about 100km
is my limit on drops with aching wrists and elbows and a sore neck.

It's not all good though. One like either of ours would set you
back around £1,800, more than twice the price of a Galaxy.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Bill Grey <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

In message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

It was certainly very pleasant to cycle around a short while ago
(http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ddbb1.htm)

Interesting bike Peter - I've not seen one like that before.

First thought was - it could be handy for chopping your way through
heather :-)

It's a recumbent, innit?
--
Gordon H
(Remove invalid to email)

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:57:03 +0200, "Theo" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

The last serious rain (3 whole millimetres!) we've seen in the centre of
Holland was 5 (!) weeks ago. Today temperatures are getting close to 30 C
again. It feels more like juli/august and I'm getting thirsty. (I sincerely
hope the TGO Challenge isn't going to compensate the lack of rainfall :-)

Oh, don't worry, Theo. I'm sure the weather will be pleasantly cool
and dry for the Challenge but with a few days of light mist to keep
the dust down.

Or it might pour down for a fortnight!

Judith

"Judith" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Or it might pour down for a fortnight!

Thanks for the moral support ;-)

--
"Beannachd leibh"

Theo
www.theosphotos.fotopic.net

Judith said:

Or it might pour down for a fortnight!

Should get drier as you go, at least... (I have a series of old LNER
posters up our stairs pointing out that this is the drier side of
Britain... sometimes they seem a little ironic!)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Jim Ford said:

Peter Clinch said:

Bill Grey said:

Interesting bike Peter - I've not seen one like that before.

Like a normal bike, but more more comfortable! ;-) Lots of advantages
but doomed to be a niche: no economy of scale so expensive, and the
baseline assumption is different is problematical.

A user told me that they weren't so good on hills - you can't use your
body weight on the pedals.

I rode a Thorax trike at York Rally. On the grass track used by the camper
vans etc., I would have been limited to about 15mph on my bike, due the
bumps, but on the trike, putting in power from the shoulders down, it was
OK at 23mph. Might be a bit tiring up a long hil - honking on a repugnant
is an aquired art (also gravity can be useful against gravity).
I acted as 'engineer' for a Greenspeed tandem (and a conventional TT) on
the rides to/from 3 PBPs; the Baron was slow on uphill and the Greenspeed,
er, slower :-) .
Downhill, the GS was v. fast and didn't have the wheel problems of the
Baron.
As for height: I'm used to seeing over cars (one of my Longstaffs had a 27"
frame), not under them!
On a Donny 600 there was a local cloudburst and the GS TT had to go through
about 10" of water...!

Peter.

--
Peter.
If you can do it today, you didn't put off enough yesterday.

"Theo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The last serious rain (3 whole millimetres!) we've seen in the centre of
Holland was 5 (!) weeks ago.

I know. Czech Republic over Easter hadnt had rain in some places for nearly
three weeks then which was unheard of.

Today temperatures are getting close to 30 C

Quoted message said:

again. It feels more like juli/august and I'm getting thirsty. (I
sincerely hope the TGO Challenge isn't going to compensate the lack of
rainfall :-)

It often does that. On the other hand, my first Challenge was baking hot
for the first 3 days with temperatures in 80s. It did cool off after that
and become more rainy but all I have done havent been rain all the way. I
think the weather upto the challenge can be importnat too e.g. if they have
snow before hand the streams are higher and the land more waterlogged so
rain is worse.

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bill Grey said:

Interesting bike Peter - I've not seen one like that before.

Like a normal bike, but more more comfortable! ;-) Lots of advantages but
doomed to be a niche: no economy of scale so expensive, and the baseline
assumption is different is problematical.

Quoted message said:

First thought was - it could be handy for chopping your way through
heather :-)

Hmmmm, don't think that's a particular recumbent advantage though! Perhaps
a combine harvester attachment on a tadpole trike might work though ;-)

I remember a guy cycling a recumbent around oxford. It always worried me
that buses might not see him. havent seen him for some time actually....

Rob Devereux said:

I remember a guy cycling a recumbent around oxford. It always worried me
that buses might not see him. havent seen him for some time actually....

Another common reaction, but not one that holds too much water. My
riding head-height is the same as my head height when driving: I don't
think that many people roll over Fiestas having not noticed them. Roos'
bike is a bit lower, but it's still easily high enough to see. People
manage to see potholes, after all... to not see a recumbent takes the
same tactic as not seeing any other road user: not looking!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Rob Devereux said:

I remember a guy cycling a recumbent around oxford. It always
worried me that buses might not see him. havent seen him for some
time actually....

Another common reaction, but not one that holds too much water. My
riding head-height is the same as my head height when driving: I don't
think that many people roll over Fiestas having not noticed them.
Roos' bike is a bit lower, but it's still easily high enough to see.
People manage to see potholes, after all... to not see a recumbent
takes the same tactic as not seeing any other road user: not looking!

Pete.

Didn't the C5 have similar doubters ?
--
Bill Grey

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Theo said:

The last serious rain (3 whole millimetres!) we've seen in the centre of
Holland was 5 (!) weeks ago.

It was certainly very pleasant to cycle around a short while ago
(http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ddbb1.htm)

Quoted message said:

Today temperatures are getting close to 30 C again.

Actually quite cool out of the sun when we were there, which was much more
fun to ride in than the 30+C we had in Norfolk last year. Gad, that was
hot!

Nice story pj. Which other parts of Holland have you been ?

--
"Beannachd leibh"

Theo
www.theosphotos.fotopic.net

Bill Grey <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

In message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Rob Devereux said:

I remember a guy cycling a recumbent around oxford. It always
worried me that buses might not see him. havent seen him for some
time actually....

Another common reaction, but not one that holds too much water. My
riding head-height is the same as my head height when driving: I don't
think that many people roll over Fiestas having not noticed them.
Roos' bike is a bit lower, but it's still easily high enough to see.
People manage to see potholes, after all... to not see a recumbent
takes the same tactic as not seeing any other road user: not looking!

Pete.

Didn't the C5 have similar doubters ?

ROTFL!
--
Gordon H
(Remove invalid to email)

The message <[email hidden]>
from "Theo" <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Actually quite cool out of the sun when we were there, which was
much more
fun to ride in than the 30+C we had in Norfolk last year. Gad, that was
hot!

Quoted message said:

Nice story pj. Which other parts of Holland have you been ?

Holland? I thought Holland was next door in Lincolnshire, not in Norfolk.

--
Roger Chapman
Nearest Marilyn still to be visited - Great Orme.
89 miles as the crow flies,
considerably more as the walker drives.

Bill Grey said:

Didn't the C5 have similar doubters ?

;-)

Actually, the C5's doubters were having doubts based on real world
experience of it being Not Any Good, where the recumbent's problems for
acceptability can be placed back in the 30s when the UCI banned them
from competition after Faure took the prestigious Hour Record riding
one. Faure wasn't considered a top rank cyclist, so to prevent him
holding the Blue Riband of cycling's title, they banned his superior bike!

http://www.cyclegenius.com/history.php

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Bill Grey said:

Didn't the C5 have similar doubters ?

;-)

Actually, the C5's doubters were having doubts based on real world
experience of it being Not Any Good, where the recumbent's problems for
acceptability can be placed back in the 30s when the UCI banned them
from competition after Faure took the prestigious Hour Record riding
one. Faure wasn't considered a top rank cyclist, so to prevent him
holding the Blue Riband of cycling's title, they banned his superior bike!

http://www.cyclegenius.com/history.php

Pete.

Your knowledge of cycle history leaves me way behind :-)

However my comment was that (IIRC) folk thought the C5 as being
dangerous from being so low and difficult for other road users to see.

I really can't remember whether or not the C5 was good ,bad or
indifferent.
--
Bill Grey