Bob Bending
Author's posts
Jun 24
Cannondale E-assist retro-fit
Karon commented that we rarely ride the Cannondale anymore and I had to agree. While it’s fine on the flat, we now struggle on anything over a gentle gradient and it’s been putting us off taking it out. I had a ‘spare’ Bafang BBS01 250W motor in the shed and an old 36V battery that …
Mar 04
Pino Update
Below are the current (March 2024) rules for UK EAPCs (electrically assisted pedal cycles). What counts as an EAPC (Government site) This last point troubled me a little. More recently, on social media, I have seen that the Police have targeted e-bikes to check the maximum speed. OK, their focus may have been on Deliveroo and …
Jan 06
Knee update
Following my escapade on the stairs and the resulting torn quadriceps tendon, I had the surgery to fix it on the 21st November. I was called in at around 11:00am and went down to the operating theatre at about 4:30pm. Following the op, they woke me in recovery at about 7:30pm and I was back …
Nov 19
Won’t be riding for a while
Torn Quadriceps Tendon Friday 10th September started like most days by taking Karon a cup of tea at 08:30. I put the tea on her bedside table without waking her, then went into the bathroom. The dog next-door barked… usually a sign the postman is outside. Looked out the window and sure enough, he was …
Nov 19
Tandemtreffen 2023
Meeting up with our (mostly) German tandem friends and spending a festive weekend riding out from Bad Salzuflen into the surrounding countryside and to the nearby towns of Herford, Bielefeld, Detmold and Bad Oeyenhausen. Tandemtreffen attendance is usually by way of invitation, as previous participants, or through introduction by regular participants. The meetings take place …
Sep 21
September 2023 catchup
We left 2022 with me writing off my car. It took a few months to sort out the insurance to the point where I could replace it with one similar but by March I was back on the road. Riding in the early months is a lot less frequent but we still managed the odd …
Sep 18
Pino Freewheel
The Pino stoker’s freewheel removal Our Pino is a 2011 model with square taper cranks. The freewheel is on the left side of the ‘Captains’ crankset. Ignore the motor slung under our Pino, removal of the cranks and freewheel is still the same. Before removing the crank, take off the pedal. Removal of the cranks …
Jan 17
Catchup –2021/2
Spring 2021 Like many, covid restrictions really put a bit of a damper on all our plans for the year and we spent the early part of spring riding locally when we could, just taking a flask and some biscuits out so we didn’t need to stop at any cafés etc. In April we managed …
Oct 21
Our 2022 Summer tour to Germany
Video clips from our ride from home to the International Tandem Rally at Tecklenburg, near Osnabrück, Germany, a week there cycling with The Tandem Club, then our return trip. In all we covered just over 1,000 miles and were away from home for 28 days. To avoid cycling through London, the most direct route to …