Fuji Track bike October 2009 - 2014
Each winter for a few years, I’d been riding track at Calshot Velodrome. When the bike hire charges went up quite a bit, I decided to get a cheap track bike from Evans rather than keep hiring a track bike every time I went. This is it in its summer guise, with brakes, aero-bars and a free-wheel. Every September I changed it back to track spec for the coming season on track. Sold on eBay when the club I rode track with stopped organising sessions.
Surly Cross-Check October 2010 - May 2015
Much as I liked the Giant CRS for commuting I found the ride a bit harsh and a lack of fittings for a rack (I used a QR beam rack) was a short-coming for commuting. In October 2010 I decided to sell it on e-bay and bought a Surly Cross-Check frame which I built up with V-brakes. Being steel, the ride was more forgiving and the lightweight rack I fitted allowed me to use a pannier or bag. In the summer I ran it with drops and 25mm tyres, in the winter MTB bars and 32mm tyres.
Change of forks on the Qubic
The travel adjustable Manitou Minute forks weren’t as useful as I thought they’d be so after a service I put them on eBay and put some Fox Float RL 140mm forks onto it.
Thorn Explorer Tandem 2009 - 2011
Karon and I had been eyeing up tandems for a while so when one came up for sale from one of the local CTC members, we decided to delve into the art of riding on a bicycle made for two. We kept the Thorn for a couple of years before the Hase Pino caught my eye.
Hase Pino Allround semi-recumbent Tandem May 2011 - present
Though heavier than a ‘traditional’ tandem, the Pino has a few advantages that made it a very attractive replacement to the Thorn. Karon sits on the front and can spend all day out without any backside discomfort. She can see where we’re going (shuts her eyes sometimes) and the connecting drive has a free-wheel, so she can stop pedaling when she wants to, leaving me to spin. It’s a bit weighty for the Hampshire hills but perfect for the flat lands just across the channel. It’s certainly a head turner and often sparks interest – even in Germany where they are made.
HPV Scorpion FS Recumbent trike September 2014 - present
Something I always fancied owning for a while – a recumbent trike. I was toying with the idea but was put off by the price of full spec new ones. I wanted one with suspension as our local roads and lanes are so neglected. I spotted this second hand one on the web so contacted the owner and the following weekend took a drive up to Lancashire to have a look. We came back with it.
The ride is good and the position very comfy though it’s not as quick as a solo. I’ve ridden (gently) up and down kerbs. It’s great fun on cycle paths but on the road you need to ride even more defensively.
By 2015 the rims and running gear were worn so rather than spend a lot on it I replaced it with a Lynskey Vialé.
I like being able to just jump on and ride – no clips or lycra etc. and I don’t mind not wearing a helmet as it’s unlikely to dump me on the road. I think it would make a great long-distance tourer. The Arkel bags from our Hase Pino fit very well and have a huge capacity so it’s good for loading with shopping.
Lynskey Vialé June 2015 - present
When the running gear on my Surly wore out, rather than spend on that, I sold it and put the money towards a Lynskey Vialé light tourer titanium frame and carbon fork. I wanted discs too. I bought the frame and fork online along with the bars, stem and post. Pedal On built the wheels and put it together for me and this way I ended up paying just over half what it would have cost at a Lynskey dealer, off the shelf. It’s light and fast on 28mm tyres with Shimano 105; 50,34 x 11-32. It’s also tough enough for my commute.
Canondale T2 October 2017 -present
After touring Germany with the Pino we came back feeling strong and wanted a light tandem for some sportives and faster rides. The ‘Dale was on sale so after a few test rides on different machines, settled on this T2. At around 18kg it’s considerably lighter than the Pino and a lot faster. So we now have a touring tandem and a fast day-ride tandem too.
In 2012 we rode the Pino from Land’s End to John O’Groats via the Lizard and Dunnet Head.
Read about our exploits here.
