The rain has stopped...

Moving house and two weeks of rain have kept me off the Yuba alot, only done about 30km since my last post and been completely off the net... But yesterday I took the Yuba out to find last minute BBQ supplies when we realised that the sun was out and here to stay. This bike is utilitarian. Shopping, trips to the recycling bins, trips to the Post office etc


I have also fitted a Hebie 605 stand which is great and found that the bike can be stored vertically quite easily if you attach the front wheel to a hook in the wall at head height with a rubber rope. Takes up a lot less space in the shed like this... but bare in mind that I am a big chap and I dont find standing this thing on its end a problem.


Road presence is good with this bike, people in cars tend to notice you which is good, and pedestrians gape and comment quite a bit. Slopes are intresting and I find that the Yuba will pick up a turn of speed quickly and you can be surprised by just how fast you can go.

Night rider

Took the Yuba to the supermarket to get wine and bread, with two kids on the back. Number two kid discovered that if she kicked the moneybox on the playground ride car thingy at the entrance of the supermarket it would start for free. Hmmm, free rides....
Then as we had Gran baby sitting we took the bikes as a couple to town to see a film at the cinema. I think somebody must have tried sitting on the Yuba whilst we were watching the film because my cheap cheesemetal kickstand had snapped when we got back to the bikes which were still standing hung by the bike chain on the bike post.

Riding back at midnight on the cyclepath in the dark by the river was fantastic. My phone is on the blink so no photos sorry...

Don't drink the water...

Visited a fort (too far for a Yuba ride unfortunatley) with the family this morning. Took the tour with a bunch of OAPs who were surprised by the kid's antics and NOISE as we were shown around the place.
I was more marked by the comment on the extensive works being carried out about the place. We we told " At the moment we are in works because we are not connected to the public water supply. For hundreds of years the fort has relied on the natural spring that runs through the foundations of the fort. Last year the health authorities informed us that because of the levels of pesticides present in our water we are no longer allowed to use it or supply in to the general public."
I listened to that and looked out across the nearby fields and beautifull rolling countryside and wondered why they didn't just tell the farmers to stop spraying rather than spend millions putting in pipes to a historical building if it was such a health hasard. How has this become acceptable... nobody said anything, or even looked bothered.
Took the kids to the park on the Yuba this afternoon and then for a spin in the countryside near home. Could feel yesterday's ride a little in the legs, but nothing too heavy. Everything on the bike is still shiney new. Gears crisp, brakes firm, new tire hum. Mmmmmm.

Thanks Ben, great product !

We set out today to town on a 20 km circuit under a nice spring sun. Three kids on the back and no headwind. Great set up, very vertical and pleasant to ride. My most confortable bike yet despite being "low spec" on the component side of things. Not noticably slower, but you need to put some effort to get up to speed. After that you just seem to roll along. Hills or rather steep slopes, because we don't have hills around here were murder, but the bike was hauling about 180 kg...



We had found a bit of plywood and two cushions, that with two elastic ropes and we headed off along the local cycle paths to town.

Its very very big, and green.

A couple of hours later and here we are. It is huge. The putting together part was pretty agricultural compared with the other bikes I have put together as the rack and bottom bars were not quite the right shape and had to be errr "adjusted" quite stronglly to get it to go together.
The hardest bit was getting the back wheel into the frame which is about 2mm too narrow for the axel, about 15 mins of faffing about got it in.
Everything looks great and despite being utilitarian it still manages to look pretty cool.

UPS or not to UPS

During my wait for UPS, I thought I would start a blog.. Their website said that they would come yesterday. They didn't. I am staying in today to try and be there when they come.

Ring ring at the door ( no really)...