We need a bottle of milk and its an excuse to take the Cruzbike for a spin. The local shop is about a mile and a half away along damp English country lanes and its a mild and overcast day.
I bump down the farm track in an undignified manner till I get to the road through mud at the end of the drive. Some mud gets caught under the tight-fitting mudguard at the front but this clears itself after a few yards. I run Schwalbe Marathon Racers which are a true 37mm wide and this does not give quite enough clearance under the front mudguard despite some judicious filing of the fork crown.
Within a few yards I am down to 2nd gear and pushing up a short narrow hill that doesn't have enough width for a car and bike to pass. I relax at the top as the road levels and move to 4th, 6th and then 7th gear. I run an eight speed 36x11-34 setup and am happy with the simplicity. Through a large standing puddle in the road and then the road starts to climb so I pull back gradually through the gears till I am in 4th. I note with displeasure that rubbish in the verges is more visible in wintertime - bits of plastic and empty tins of cheap lager - Fosters is common, but who would want to drink it?.
I turn right at the crossroads and go to top gear as I enjoy the shallow downhill before I stop pedaling, take my hands from the bars and fold them across my chest to coast in a zenlike manner.
Letting the arms just hang makes one look like a ragdoll and putting them behind ones head looks too flash and seems a bit unstable. I wouldn't have believed this a year ago when newer to the Quest - wrestling with the bars and feeling hinged (unhinged?) in the middle. I think it takes quite a while to relax with the steering which seems to involve the whole body. I notice that my shoulderblades move when coasting like this. As far as I remember the getting comfortable with the balancing of a conventional bike was much quicker. I catch a whiff of fox from the hedge. The road now flattens out so I start pedaling and the bike takes on a sinuous motion that threatens to get out of control at times.
The next junction can have fast traffic coming round a blind bend and it is tricky enough on a standard bike. The Quest puts me in a bad position to see and my getaway on it is slower, so I get off and push. I remount and then start a longer pull up past a farm entrance and past a few houses. Down the steep hill to the shop I use the brakes and am pleased to hear no squeal. Filing the edges of the disc (see another post) kept things quiet for six months but it was happening again so I have tried yet another solution, tying two disc-side spokes together with a zip tie. This seems to stop the vibration from building up in the wheel.
I park the bike and pop into the shop for the milk.
Back out again I push the bike up the short hill, remount and drift, handless, down to the crossroads. From this side I don't have to dismount so I cross and then enjoy a faster stretch, then gradually climb, turn left and stop for a photo with the bike propped against a roadsign.
Then, as I meander homewards, I pass the only car I saw today. Most people are still on vacation. After bumping up the farm track I park the bike against the barn wall and take a photo with the milk on show. The excuse for the ride.
I bump down the farm track in an undignified manner till I get to the road through mud at the end of the drive. Some mud gets caught under the tight-fitting mudguard at the front but this clears itself after a few yards. I run Schwalbe Marathon Racers which are a true 37mm wide and this does not give quite enough clearance under the front mudguard despite some judicious filing of the fork crown.
Within a few yards I am down to 2nd gear and pushing up a short narrow hill that doesn't have enough width for a car and bike to pass. I relax at the top as the road levels and move to 4th, 6th and then 7th gear. I run an eight speed 36x11-34 setup and am happy with the simplicity. Through a large standing puddle in the road and then the road starts to climb so I pull back gradually through the gears till I am in 4th. I note with displeasure that rubbish in the verges is more visible in wintertime - bits of plastic and empty tins of cheap lager - Fosters is common, but who would want to drink it?.
I turn right at the crossroads and go to top gear as I enjoy the shallow downhill before I stop pedaling, take my hands from the bars and fold them across my chest to coast in a zenlike manner.
Letting the arms just hang makes one look like a ragdoll and putting them behind ones head looks too flash and seems a bit unstable. I wouldn't have believed this a year ago when newer to the Quest - wrestling with the bars and feeling hinged (unhinged?) in the middle. I think it takes quite a while to relax with the steering which seems to involve the whole body. I notice that my shoulderblades move when coasting like this. As far as I remember the getting comfortable with the balancing of a conventional bike was much quicker. I catch a whiff of fox from the hedge. The road now flattens out so I start pedaling and the bike takes on a sinuous motion that threatens to get out of control at times.
The next junction can have fast traffic coming round a blind bend and it is tricky enough on a standard bike. The Quest puts me in a bad position to see and my getaway on it is slower, so I get off and push. I remount and then start a longer pull up past a farm entrance and past a few houses. Down the steep hill to the shop I use the brakes and am pleased to hear no squeal. Filing the edges of the disc (see another post) kept things quiet for six months but it was happening again so I have tried yet another solution, tying two disc-side spokes together with a zip tie. This seems to stop the vibration from building up in the wheel.
I park the bike and pop into the shop for the milk.
Back out again I push the bike up the short hill, remount and drift, handless, down to the crossroads. From this side I don't have to dismount so I cross and then enjoy a faster stretch, then gradually climb, turn left and stop for a photo with the bike propped against a roadsign.
Then, as I meander homewards, I pass the only car I saw today. Most people are still on vacation. After bumping up the farm track I park the bike against the barn wall and take a photo with the milk on show. The excuse for the ride.
