EHEU FUGACES!

What Horace says is,

Eheu fugaces

Anni labuntur, Postume, Postume!

Years glide away, and are lost to me, lost to me!

Now, when the folks in the dance sport their merry toes,

Taglionis and Ellslers, Duvernays and Ceritos,

Sighing I murmur, ‘O mihi præteritos!’

I presume that others have experienced this:  What we have relied on our bodies to accomplish automatically, changes to thinking consciously about what we want to do. Later this transforms, invidiously to the completely impossible.

With age, following a stroke I eased my cycling by buying an electric-assisted model. It was a powerful "gents" machine which I enjoyed for a couple of years.

 How does one dismount from a "cross-barred" bicycle? Something I have never needed to consider since I first learnt to ride about 70 years ago. One stopped, both feet on the ground, astride the bike, and simply tossed the right leg backwards over the saddle. About a year ago I found that I could no longer do this - the hip joints just would not allow it. However I managed to continue with the bike by thinking about where and when I wanted to stop. With the bike in motion, left foot at the bottom of the pedal revolution I could still fling the right leg backwards and come to an elegant halt, both feet on the ground to the left of the bike.

Which is fine until one comes to an unplanned halt as I did one day in Ashford High Street, thinking to go into a newsagents. I stopped, still astride the bike and could not get off! I had to restart, then perform the manoeuvre  described in the last sentence of the last paragraph before I could divest myself of the thing.

Weeks later I was gliding happily down a woodland track through Orlestone Forest - a short cut to a village cafe at Hamstreet. Some soft mud had become rutted, my front wheel slid into the groove and I stopped suddenly to preserve balance. Picture me, sat astride the bike in verdant surroundings, birds giggling merrily, unable to move forward, back or sideways. I had to just drop the bike under me and step over it. This could not go on if I was to continue cycling as I decidedly want to.

About 18 months ago I published a post about e-bikes the very last sentence of which came to mind. Reluctantly I sold the lovely gents' machine and have invested in, what was once referred to as a "ladies' bicycle" or "dropped frame".

A transformation (no, I do not wear a skirt), the bike is nearly as responsive as its predecessor , I no longer have to think about stopping and woodland tracks are so much easier and relaxing. I probably should have done it some time ago.

GREYHOUND TENDER FOOT

At the Cosy Kettle Cafe all human (and dog) life is there

On Sunday mornings I usually get a phone call from my cycling mate, Peter to see if we are meeting up for toast and coffee somewhere. In the past, when we were both less decrepit we would extend the day to take in a sandwich lunch at a pub somewhere, both on normal bicycles, and cover about 40 miles.

These days we are both on ebikes and the 20 mile ride is usually for a morning only. Health problems have meant that our "proper" club cycling days are over but the addition of an electric genie has meant that we can still enjoy a jaunt around the countryside. We vary our cafe stops among about three over Romney Marsh. This morning it was the Cosy Kettle (again).

It is a small cafe, part of its charm, and tends to attract the cycling and walking fraternity as well as locals. There is a small area outside where tables are set up on fine days and as these were already taken by the members of the Hythe Cycle Club  Peter and I sat just inside at a table by the open patio doors, a position where we could people watch as customers came and went.

A couple walking a greyhound arrived and sat adjacent. The dog was wearing a set of rather nifty bootees - which is not a usual sight. Dog people are always chatty about their animals so in a quiet moment I asked the lady owner, "Why does he need them?"

Turned out he suffered from corns and the only way he could still enjoy a walk was with protected feet. "He was never good enough to race, so we got him 10 years ago as a rescue dog, but we take them off when we get indoors. He will have to wear them outside for the rest of his life, but at least he can still enjoy a full life because of them".

As Peter and I rose (stiffly) and collected our e-bikes to ride off over The Marsh I felt an affinity with that old dog.......

MAY DAY LUNCH

What has a 4 feet 4 inches (133cms), 83 year old female got to do with e-biking?

The last day of April dumped a month's rain on this corner of England. We have recently experienced "The Beast from the East". Now we had "The Souse from the South".

But by May Day the sun and seemingly ever present wind had dried the roads. My wife was off to her lunch club so I decided to cycle down to the small village of Hamstreet to get a mid-day bite at The Cosy Kettle cafe. Cycling down the road through the woods was pleasant. Frothy green trees and carpets of bluebells.

I joined the short queue at the counter and got into conversation with a tiny little lady, neatly dressed in a tartan skirt and large red beret. She came up, nearly, to my shoulder and her manner was chatty and birdlike. As the small cafe was quite full we shared a table. I had quiche and salad and she did justice to a large panini with salad, which would have been ample for me.

Apparently she lived in the local old folks' bungalows and took her walking stick for a toddle daily to get her midday bite at the cafe. Bright and cheerful, she regaled me about her busy little life. With plenty of outings and meetings, she wasn't lonely and appeared to know everyone around us.

She was a tonic and when she went, saying goodbye to all the tables, I asked the staff about her. Pauline had been coming in regularly for a couple of years. They looked forward to her visits and noted she had recently taken to using the walking stick and she was getting slower, but still cheerful. What a tonic to see and talk to.

Then off to continue the 16 mile ride across the open fields of Romney Marsh with a very stiff south westerly wind in my face. The electric genie in the rear wheel was very useful.

"I SHOT AN ARROW IN THE AIR..........."

Over a year now since I signed off on this blog. But recently I have been missing the involvement of composing posts. There now seems to be a backlash against the "slick social media" of Facebook and Twitter so perhaps more leisured, thinking people will turn to blogs once more.

An encouraging sign was that one blogger has returned (welcome back, Kay) and this has inspired me to open the book and write on a new page.

I shall wait to see if anyone out there takes the bait and answers me. If this works I shall start publishing once more.

Hope to see some comments.........(Please)

GOODBYE

I started this blog in 2006. It's been a happy ride with many new and interesting friends along the way. But time has moved on. Much of the joy was in the comments from other bloggers, who have also moved on.

All I have to say really. Thank you for your company, folks (those of you left). I may pop by from time to time.

Mike Knowles (Avus)

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

It has been a weird and upsetting year for many. On the local and international front unexpected political changes have caused dismay and mistrust. Also the terrible situation in the Middle East, that supposed genesis of civilisation and the original home of someone who preached, "Love thy neighbour as thyself", shows no sign of abating.

So it is hard to wish everyone a "Happy Christmas", a phrase which trips lightly off the tongue. Let me just hope that yours will be peaceful and that as we enter yet another year, somehow, things will, gradually, resolve. That very Middle East was the originator of this phrase:

"This, too, shall pass" 
(Persian: این نیز بگذرد‎‎, īn nīz bogzarad; Arabic: لا شيء يدوم‎‎, lit. "nothing endures"; Hebrew: גם זה יעבור‎‎, gam zeh ya'avor)
it is an adage indicating that all material conditions, positive or negative, are temporary.

In this year, too, Leonard Cohen entered "The Tower of Song". I published this clip some years ago, but make no apologies for sharing it with you again. After all, shepherds are supposed to have heard angels singing "Hallelujah" on that first Christmas Day.

                         

ELECTRIC BIKES INFORMATION

I would normally answer comments to my posts in the section relating to that post, but R.R 's comments on my last post need some answers that might be of general use to others contemplating getting an e-bike.

Firstly I would put his mind at rest. Modern e-bikes will be perfectly capable of easily tackling the type of rides he contemplates. (Although I cannot comment on the traffic conditions since I don't know the area) The latest batteries are lithium-ion, like those used in hybrid cars and are much lighter than of yore, mine (the larger long range version) weighs in at 3.5 kgs. My bike weighs 24 kgs including the battery. For comparison a classic modern touring bike (not electric) such as the Pashley Roadster Classic weighs 19 kgs. Actually its weight is only apparent when moving it around when off the machine. Once under way it feels like a normal bike, indeed I often ride with the electrics off when the going is level.

The pedal assist will augment power up to the speed you dial in. It will increase its assistance according to gradients/headwinds . The separate, power only, twist grip provides exclusive e-power without pedalling, but I only use this for start-offs if stopped on a gradient, for instance. As soon as I am under way pedal assist takes over. Unfortunately recent EU regs are outlawing this facility and all future e-bikes will be "pedalecs" only, although most dealers seem to be able to get round this legislation in the UK.

Batteries: come in two sizes 10 amp hour and about 16 amp hour. Always go for the larger one (in output) , they are very similar in weight, but their range increases by about 30%. The larger is about 30% more costly too (you get what you pay for). It really depends on how far on a ride you intend to go, RR's rides will be OK with the smaller battery. Batteries are often located on a carrier, high up over the back wheel (like my first conversion at blog-head) and this compromises handling, I had experienced the "tail wagging the dog" on occasion. A much better position is low down, in the centre of the bike, behind the seat tube (like my current one) or on the down tube from bars to bottom bracket.

Motors: Located in front wheel, back wheel or bottom bracket. Front wheel compromises handling, back wheel is fine. The latest, and most expensive, are in specially constucted ebikes and built into the bottom bracket,(see image at the top of this post) supplying power direct to the pedals rather than the wheels. I have not experienced them but others say that they are better on really steep hills, so if contemplating the Col du Tourmalet I would go for one of them! I think the worst option would be a rear carrier battery driving a front wheel motor (as was my first one).

In RR's locality I have found Hereford Electric Bikes, which looks a good dealer and if really interested I should go along and see what's on offer and discuss things with the staff. They stock, and I can recommend, the "Freego" brand as my wife has one, also my regular cycling companion, Peter, who was instrumental in getting me on e-bikes. If difficulty is experienced in "getting your leg over" (the bike!) most makes do a dropped frame version, popular with ladies and older folk. (My future purchase, no doubt).