LETTERS

Summer holiday gallery

Thanks to all of the readers who responded to my request last issue for pictures of summer cycling to tide us through the cold of winter. I certainly enjoyed reading the accounts and seeing the pictures – I hope other readers do too!

AUGUST IN ZEELAND From Sue Holden, Lancaster, UK These are from Zeeland, the Netherlands, where we pootled about for three weeks in August, with both kids on Islabikes trailer bikes. Our bikes liked all the company they had with other bikes! We noticed that you get a good view from the top of a dyke, though the slope down can be a bit alarming. We also saw a rather elegant signpostcum-weather vane. And, after a riding on a trailer bike all day, what would the kids want to do as soon as we got to a campsite? Oh yes, play on ‘skelters’ as the Dutch call them – great fun in car-free campsites!

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VELOVISION ISSUE 32 DECEMBER 2008 LETTERS

NAROW ESCAPE From Josep Reig of Plegabike, Barcelona, Spain These pictures are from our summer holidays around Aachen, Germany, with our 9 month old daughter in a bike trailer, usually fast asleep! We did around 200 km in six days. There’s a story behind the picture with the trailer wedged into the narrow path. It was near Valkenburg, Netherlands, and we were cycling along a nice wide track (maybe 4 m wide), when it started to narrow. On one side was a river and on the other was forest. After a while the path narrowed even further and started climbing away from the river, but a fence appeared on the left. I got stuck with the trailer, and had to unhitch it, and lift the trailer up a bit to get it loose. What made it funny is that our daughter was inside all the time and fast asleep!

RECUMBENT MISCELLANY From Robert Crichton, Perth, UK Here’s a few pictures of my various bikes and one holiday snap too! The fi rst shows my Challenge Hurricane and home-made trailer. I also have a Linear recumbent and somehow ended up transporting a Christmas tree on it! No excuse for motorists not to see me… Just for fun here’s me having a go on a Spincycle…I built it myself to the plans on the Xntrick Cycles website (www.xntrick.co.uk).

BROMPTON TO MAHWAH From Dudley Arnold, Nottingham, UK This is my laden Brompton outside the Old Station Building, Mahwah, New Jersey, USA, in August 2006. As you may be able to read from the sign, it was built in 1871, was used as a station until 1902 and renovated as a museum in 1968. Just after the picture was taken I wheeled the Brompton up onto the platform and folded it into the travelling bag strapped on to the rear carrier. A Moulton ‘tailpiece bag’ strapped to the seat pillar contains a water bottle and tool kit. All my other belongings (including a rain cape!) are wedged into the front pannier bag. The machine is fitted with an adapted SA drumbraked front hub obtained from Greenspeed Australia.

ISSUE 32 DECEMBER 2008 VELOVISION

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