JennyB
1 kW
My sister Avis came to look after Mum for a week, giving me the chance to get away and clear my head. I intended to cycle up to see my brother in Limavady, then on round the coast, dropping in on a cousin in Larne on the way. I'd been planning it for a long time, but I still almost managed to sabotage it in several interesting ways.
View attachment 4
The bag on the back holds the Ping 36v 15 ah and the two chargers; a 5amp, and the 2.5amp original for overnight charging and to add its input through the output connections for a 7.5amp charge at lunch breaks. Total weight about 8 kg. The stuff sack held a change of clothes for evenings, and everything else went into the bar bag. On the first night I would be staying with my brother.
DAY ONE
To Limavady - 78 miles, 25ah
Since I thought I might need a wider range of gears I took of the single chainring I had on and replaced the original triple. That was the first mistake.
On the middle ring the slightly lower ratio meant that I was not using the motor quite as much as normally, but in the right conditions I could still spin the pedals at 22 mph, which seemed quite fast enough for a holiday. Everything was going well until 10 miles into the ride, when a pedal began to unscrew.
I made the two miles into Fintona on one leg and the motor to look for a bike shop because I hadn't brought a pedal spanner. There was no bike shop, but the owner of a hardware shop helped me out. He had no spanner exactly the right size but he took one slightly too big, jammed a screwdriver into the gap, and tightened the pedal that way. And so it remained until the end of the trip.
I was following Sustrans' Ballyshannon to Ballycastle route (mainly on minor roads)which passes within a few hundred yards of my front door, but planning to bypass Strabane and Londonderry by one of several possible routes through the Sperrins.
At 36 miles, less than half the battery was gone. I had been intending to perhaps visit the Ulster-American Folk Park two miles further on but since I had started late, and had most of the climbing still to come I knew I would have to take another charging break before journey's end. Besides, the day was getting brighter and the hills looked inviting.
So I started to climb for Gortin.
Second mistake: I should have brought something to eat, or stopped to buy something in Omagh, but one disadvantage of a trail that avoids traffic is that it also avoids handy shops. :? The next four miles drained 2.5 amp hours.
I stopped at the Pedlar's Rest in Gortin, almost too hungry to eat - thinking perhaps I'd recharge for an hour, and ordered a small all-day breakfast and a large pot of tea. While i was there the rain started, so I had another pot of tea and waited. At 1 hour40 minutes, the rain stooped and the lights on my bms began to flash, so I was ready for the road again.
Third mistake: dodgy Anderson connectors left in the rain. I was plagued with intermittent power for the next two miles, and finally couldn't get away at all. The main culprit was the connection between the the CycleAnalyst shunt and and the controller, because the CA display showed zero watts, not the two watts normally consumed by the controller at rest. I cut off the offending Anderson and rewired using a bit of connection strip. The Anderson at the other end of the shunt still gave problems from time to time, but that could not be so easily replaced because I had to remove the battery for charging. I put up with it for the rest of the trip.
Gortin is the centre fora lot of outdoor activities, and I followed the signs for a local cycle trail up an unsurfaced road into the hills, heading for the Barnes Gap. There I met some sheep, who began to trot down the road in front of me. I followed as slowly as I could and managed to get by most of them when they stopped at the next gate, but two yearlings panicked and ran on down the road. Despite their mothers bleating for them there was no way they were going to come past me, unless they found a field to turn into. The track was now between steep banks, with no gateway in sight. As I went on the two running before me met more sheep - and yet more - until I found myself driving a flock of perhaps thirty. This went on for nearly two miles, until we at last came to a strange car and a tempting patch of nettles. The driver managed to get the sheep back past me as I edged very slowly down the farthest side of the track, looking the other way.
By the time I had passed the Barnes Gap it was already past six o'clock, so I phoned my brother not to expect me soon. The rain was lashing down in Limavady but with me it was bright and warm, if humid, and I had the entire Glenelly Valley to enjoy (if you want scenery, don't look for the road that goes over the hill - look for the road that goes along it).
The track I was taking from Cranagh to Park was classified as a Category 3 climb. I'd been over it in my mad fit days, and had to walk part of it then. Even with the help of the motor, I still had to walk now. Ah, well - its a lot easier when a little touch on the throttle means you don't actually have to push. At the top a sheep grid marked the border between Counties Tyrone and Londonderry, and then there was the long freewheel down the other side. Because the road was unfamiliar I kept my speed below 30 mph - most of the time.
As I got closer to Limavady the weather got worse and I began to meet headwinds, but I got there with less than an amp hour to spare. Then came my last mistake of the day:
As I was explaining the charging system to my brother, I noticed that the red light was on on the 5 amp, but it wasn't charging. I picked it up. It rattled. "Well," I thought "I probably can't fix it, but perhaps I should open it up and their may be something obvious that I can take a picture of for the experts on ES."
The experts on ES will know - as I didn't then - that to take the top of a Kingpower changer you only have to undo four screws and press the sides together. I found a loose nut inside, but I'm not sure if it was there when I started. The experts will also know that the first red light shows on the charger when it's connected to the battery, even if its not connected to the mains!
To be continued...
View attachment 4
The bag on the back holds the Ping 36v 15 ah and the two chargers; a 5amp, and the 2.5amp original for overnight charging and to add its input through the output connections for a 7.5amp charge at lunch breaks. Total weight about 8 kg. The stuff sack held a change of clothes for evenings, and everything else went into the bar bag. On the first night I would be staying with my brother.
DAY ONE
To Limavady - 78 miles, 25ah
Since I thought I might need a wider range of gears I took of the single chainring I had on and replaced the original triple. That was the first mistake.
On the middle ring the slightly lower ratio meant that I was not using the motor quite as much as normally, but in the right conditions I could still spin the pedals at 22 mph, which seemed quite fast enough for a holiday. Everything was going well until 10 miles into the ride, when a pedal began to unscrew.
I made the two miles into Fintona on one leg and the motor to look for a bike shop because I hadn't brought a pedal spanner. There was no bike shop, but the owner of a hardware shop helped me out. He had no spanner exactly the right size but he took one slightly too big, jammed a screwdriver into the gap, and tightened the pedal that way. And so it remained until the end of the trip.
I was following Sustrans' Ballyshannon to Ballycastle route (mainly on minor roads)which passes within a few hundred yards of my front door, but planning to bypass Strabane and Londonderry by one of several possible routes through the Sperrins.
At 36 miles, less than half the battery was gone. I had been intending to perhaps visit the Ulster-American Folk Park two miles further on but since I had started late, and had most of the climbing still to come I knew I would have to take another charging break before journey's end. Besides, the day was getting brighter and the hills looked inviting.
So I started to climb for Gortin.
Second mistake: I should have brought something to eat, or stopped to buy something in Omagh, but one disadvantage of a trail that avoids traffic is that it also avoids handy shops. :? The next four miles drained 2.5 amp hours.
I stopped at the Pedlar's Rest in Gortin, almost too hungry to eat - thinking perhaps I'd recharge for an hour, and ordered a small all-day breakfast and a large pot of tea. While i was there the rain started, so I had another pot of tea and waited. At 1 hour40 minutes, the rain stooped and the lights on my bms began to flash, so I was ready for the road again.
Third mistake: dodgy Anderson connectors left in the rain. I was plagued with intermittent power for the next two miles, and finally couldn't get away at all. The main culprit was the connection between the the CycleAnalyst shunt and and the controller, because the CA display showed zero watts, not the two watts normally consumed by the controller at rest. I cut off the offending Anderson and rewired using a bit of connection strip. The Anderson at the other end of the shunt still gave problems from time to time, but that could not be so easily replaced because I had to remove the battery for charging. I put up with it for the rest of the trip.
Gortin is the centre fora lot of outdoor activities, and I followed the signs for a local cycle trail up an unsurfaced road into the hills, heading for the Barnes Gap. There I met some sheep, who began to trot down the road in front of me. I followed as slowly as I could and managed to get by most of them when they stopped at the next gate, but two yearlings panicked and ran on down the road. Despite their mothers bleating for them there was no way they were going to come past me, unless they found a field to turn into. The track was now between steep banks, with no gateway in sight. As I went on the two running before me met more sheep - and yet more - until I found myself driving a flock of perhaps thirty. This went on for nearly two miles, until we at last came to a strange car and a tempting patch of nettles. The driver managed to get the sheep back past me as I edged very slowly down the farthest side of the track, looking the other way.
By the time I had passed the Barnes Gap it was already past six o'clock, so I phoned my brother not to expect me soon. The rain was lashing down in Limavady but with me it was bright and warm, if humid, and I had the entire Glenelly Valley to enjoy (if you want scenery, don't look for the road that goes over the hill - look for the road that goes along it).
The track I was taking from Cranagh to Park was classified as a Category 3 climb. I'd been over it in my mad fit days, and had to walk part of it then. Even with the help of the motor, I still had to walk now. Ah, well - its a lot easier when a little touch on the throttle means you don't actually have to push. At the top a sheep grid marked the border between Counties Tyrone and Londonderry, and then there was the long freewheel down the other side. Because the road was unfamiliar I kept my speed below 30 mph - most of the time.
As I got closer to Limavady the weather got worse and I began to meet headwinds, but I got there with less than an amp hour to spare. Then came my last mistake of the day:
As I was explaining the charging system to my brother, I noticed that the red light was on on the 5 amp, but it wasn't charging. I picked it up. It rattled. "Well," I thought "I probably can't fix it, but perhaps I should open it up and their may be something obvious that I can take a picture of for the experts on ES."
The experts on ES will know - as I didn't then - that to take the top of a Kingpower changer you only have to undo four screws and press the sides together. I found a loose nut inside, but I'm not sure if it was there when I started. The experts will also know that the first red light shows on the charger when it's connected to the battery, even if its not connected to the mains!
To be continued...