Darkness Calls Again - Scorpion FX? Greenspeed? Hase?

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Peter Clinch wrote:
>Alan Braggins wrote:
>
>> ICE are in Cornwall (so no more affected by the US dollar than Greenspeed),
>> and have dealers elsewhere in the UK.
>> http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/contact/dealers.htm
>
>One of their dealers is Kinetics, in Glasgow, and they can put a Rohloff
>and/or a Schlumpf on one for you too. There is a Scorpion FX demo
>machine available as well (or a Kettweisel, for something a bit different).

And an ex-demo Scorpion on eBay at the moment, which is very tempting,
ignoring the fact that I've not test ridden one and I'm off on holiday
next weekend.
(I've very nearly persuaded both myself and my wife that I really could
get rid of our second car and this would justify buying a new bike
or trike.)

Not the "somewhere in the South" Artemisia mentioned though.

 

[Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman]

Dart70ca aka Keith who? wrote:
> ...
> I've read good things about Greenspeed so you might want to
> contact them directly. Seem to recall them jumping through a few hoops
> to unite a trike with it's new owner on several occasions. Pretty high
> weight limits on the tourers, too.

Greenspeed will custom build touring trikes sturdy enough for Chalo
Colina to use for self supported touring - some have weight limits in
excess of 200 kgf.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

 

[Peter Clinch]

Alan Braggins wrote:

> And an ex-demo Scorpion on eBay at the moment, which is very tempting,
> ignoring the fact that I've not test ridden one and I'm off on holiday
> next weekend.

Rode it (or a predecessor) and it was nice but... I just couldn't see
what I'd do with it that I don't do on the bike. This continues to be
my sticking point to developing any sort of trike-lust.

> Not the "somewhere in the South" Artemisia mentioned though.

Quite so, but these days I suspect it isn't actually that much harder to
get from Paris to Glasgow than some random spot in the S. of England if
you're willing to entertain air travel, or an extra half day on the train.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Artemisia]

On 16 juil, 09:52, Andy Leighton <[email protected]> wrote:

> I think Carol is in Derbyshire. Their website is
> <URL:http://www.wrhpv.com/>.

Here's a very lame question, which I can presumably answer myself with
some research, but does anyone know how hard or easy it is to get to
Derby from London or Cambridge by public transport? What kind of trip
are we talking about? A multi-phase train expedition taking all
morning out and getting back late at night? Or just a commuter sort of
jaunt out of London on a regular train? My UK geography is sorely
lacking, and your privatized railway web-sites are harder to read and
more decentralized than our cleanly totalitarian SNCF.

I'm thinking a visit to check out these machines when I'm in the UK.
Carol Hague says they have both a GTO and a GT3 for test riding.

EFR
Ile de France

 

[Ace]

On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:31:39 -0700, Artemisia <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 16 juil, 09:52, Andy Leighton <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I think Carol is in Derbyshire. Their website is
>> <URL:http://www.wrhpv.com/>.
>
>Here's a very lame question, which I can presumably answer myself with
>some research, but does anyone know how hard or easy it is to get to
>Derby from London or Cambridge by public transport? What kind of trip
>are we talking about? A multi-phase train expedition taking all
>morning out and getting back late at night? Or just a commuter sort of
>jaunt out of London on a regular train?

Yes, they're both very simple, single-leg journeys.

>My UK geography is sorely
>lacking, and your privatized railway web-sites are harder to read and
>more decentralized than our cleanly totalitarian SNCF.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ has the entire network's timetable
online. London King's Cross to Cambridge is about 45 minutes, and runs
about every half hour, or much more frequently for slower trains.
Derby trains run from St. Pancras about every half an hour but is much
further away and takes from 1:40 upwards.

>
>I'm thinking a visit to check out these machines when I'm in the UK.
>Carol Hague says they have both a GTO and a GT3 for test riding.
>
>EFR
>Ile de France

 

[[email protected]]

On 17 Jul, 08:43, Ace <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:31:39 -0700, Artemisia <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >On 16 juil, 09:52, Andy Leighton <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >> I think Carol is in Derbyshire. Their website is
> >> <URL:http://www.wrhpv.com/>.
>
> >Here's a very lame question, which I can presumably answer myself with
> >some research, but does anyone know how hard or easy it is to get to
> >Derby from London or Cambridge by public transport? What kind of trip
> >are we talking about? A multi-phase train expedition taking all
> >morning out and getting back late at night? Or just a commuter sort of
> >jaunt out of London on a regular train?
>
> Yes, they're both very simple, single-leg journeys.
>
> >My UK geography is sorely
> >lacking, and your privatized railway web-sites are harder to read and
> >more decentralized than our cleanly totalitarian SNCF.
>
> http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/has the entire network's timetable
> online. London King's Cross to Cambridge is about 45 minutes, and runs
> about every half hour, or much more frequently for slower trains.
> Derby trains run from St. Pancras about every half an hour but is much
> further away and takes from 1:40 upwards.

I think the OP was asking about Cambridge to Derby, which is 3 hours
and 1 or 2 changes - London to Derby is much simpler and quicker.

Rob

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Peter Clinch wrote:
>Alan Braggins wrote:
>
>> And an ex-demo Scorpion on eBay at the moment, which is very tempting,
>> ignoring the fact that I've not test ridden one and I'm off on holiday
>> next weekend.
>
>Rode it (or a predecessor) and it was nice but... I just couldn't see
>what I'd do with it that I don't do on the bike. This continues to be
>my sticking point to developing any sort of trike-lust.

Ride in stop-start traffic that doesn't always have enough room to
filter past safely and has lots of traffic lights without having to
put a foot down when stopped was the appeal for the 3 mile town bit of
my commute. (For the 12 miles outside town, be able to fit a fairing
without being leant over by sidewinds, possibly, but then a bike would
have a smaller frontal area for headwinds.)

"Get more experienced at stopping and starting on a recumbent bike"
might be a more efficient answer, but I know at least one experienced
local recumbent rider still generally prefers his Moulton when going
into town. But a lower bottom bracket style bike might be different -
a friend who used to have a Windcheetah now has a Tour Easy which he
finds just as good in traffic, and easier to get onto when his back
is dodgy.

Of course the cheapest answer would be to just keep riding an upright
and get faster into headwinds by getting fitter. I don't arrive at work
thinking "I'd do that more often if I could do it in a comfy seat", so,
while a recumbent appeals, it isn't necessary.

An electric assist also appeals.

So does a KV4 velomobile, for bad weather, but a lot of work to assemble
(there are nicer velomobiles, but the "it would save a lot of money"
argument looks less plausible when the velomobile costs several times
the value of the car being hypothetically replaced).
http://www.dutchbikes.nl/bodies_uk/frame_kv4.htm

 

[Artemisia]

On 17 juil, 10:51, [email protected] wrote:

> I think the OP was asking about Cambridge to Derby, which is 3 hours
> and 1 or 2 changes - London to Derby is much simpler and quicker.

Thanks - that was indeed what I was asking. I'm already familiar with
the Cambridge train and Platform 9 3/4. ;°>

I have a vague notion that if this Derby shop is "West Country" then
it should be west somewhere, while Cambridge being in East Anglia is
east somewhere, at least relative to something else.

So I'll try to arrange a day-trip out of London. Thanks!

EFR
Ile de France

 

[Dave Larrington]

In news:[email protected],
Artemisia <[email protected]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:

> I have a vague notion that if this Derby shop is "West Country" then
> it should be west somewhere, while Cambridge being in East Anglia is
> east somewhere, at least relative to something else.

They /were/ in the west, but moved to E. Yorkshire and then Derbyshire.
Something to do with Rob Hague's day job, I believe.

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
It would appear apparent, to me at least, that dinosaurs were
largely burrowing creatures.

 

[Peter Clinch]

Alan Braggins wrote:

> Ride in stop-start traffic that doesn't always have enough room to
> filter past safely and has lots of traffic lights without having to
> put a foot down when stopped was the appeal for the 3 mile town bit of
> my commute. (For the 12 miles outside town, be able to fit a fairing
> without being leant over by sidewinds, possibly, but then a bike would
> have a smaller frontal area for headwinds.)
>
> "Get more experienced at stopping and starting on a recumbent bike"
> might be a more efficient answer, but I know at least one experienced
> local recumbent rider still generally prefers his Moulton when going
> into town.

Similarly, that's what I use my Brom for.

> But a lower bottom bracket style bike might be different -
> a friend who used to have a Windcheetah now has a Tour Easy which he
> finds just as good in traffic, and easier to get onto when his back
> is dodgy.

For urban use where serious hurrying isn't high on the agenda I think an
HPVel Spirit would take a lot of beating as an urban 'bent.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[David Damerell]

Quoting Artemisia <[email protected]>:
>Are there any other hard-line Car-frees on this list?

Yes, but I don't have your other difficulties so I just have a Brompton.

Mind you, I took it over to the parental unit yesterday so they could
borrow it and have 2 folders, and it is noticeably larger and heavier than
my father's Bickerton. Mind you, it doesn't ride like a strand of wet
spaghetti either.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Kill the tomato!
Today is Gorgonzoladay, Presuary - a weekend.

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Peter Clinch wrote:
>Alan Braggins wrote:
>
>> Ride in stop-start traffic that doesn't always have enough room to
>> filter past safely and has lots of traffic lights without having to
>> put a foot down when stopped was the appeal for the 3 mile town bit of
>> my commute. (For the 12 miles outside town, be able to fit a fairing
>> without being leant over by sidewinds, possibly, but then a bike would
>> have a smaller frontal area for headwinds.)
>>
>> "Get more experienced at stopping and starting on a recumbent bike"
>> might be a more efficient answer, but I know at least one experienced
>> local recumbent rider still generally prefers his Moulton when going
>> into town.
>
>Similarly, that's what I use my Brom for.
>
>> But a lower bottom bracket style bike might be different -
>> a friend who used to have a Windcheetah now has a Tour Easy which he
>> finds just as good in traffic, and easier to get onto when his back
>> is dodgy.
>
>For urban use where serious hurrying isn't high on the agenda I think an
>HPVel Spirit would take a lot of beating as an urban 'bent.

But I can't seeing it having enough of an advantage over an upright for
the longer not-urban bit of my commute to be worthwhile. I'm happy using
my upright folder when I do just the urban bit (drive to Park and Ride),
but the compromises are different for the overall journey. Unless I
rented a locker at the Park and Ride and swapped bikes at the edge of
town, but that seems excessive.

 

[Adrian Godwin]

Artemisia <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Thanks - that was indeed what I was asking. I'm already familiar with
> the Cambridge train and Platform 9 3/4. ;?>
>

If you can easily get to Cambridge, why not try D-Tek ? He's only
about 12 miles from Cambridge or 3 miles from Ely (which is itself
a short train ride from Cambridge).

As far as I know he's not a Greenspeed agent, but might have one
anyway as he seems to have one of everything,

-adrian

 

[Tim Hall]

On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:41:42 +0100, "Dave Larrington"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>In news:[email protected],
>Artemisia <[email protected]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:
>
>> I have a vague notion that if this Derby shop is "West Country" then
>> it should be west somewhere, while Cambridge being in East Anglia is
>> east somewhere, at least relative to something else.
>
>They /were/ in the west, but moved to E. Yorkshire and then Derbyshire.
>Something to do with Rob Hague's day job, I believe.


Not dodging the rozzers to avoid being locked up under false pretenses
then? (urc passim)



Tim

 

[Artemisia]

David Damerell wrote:
> Mind you, it doesn't ride like a strand of wet
> spaghetti either.

I've never ridden wet spaghetti - how does it ride?

EFR
Ile de France

 

[Peter Clinch]

Artemisia wrote:

> I've never ridden wet spaghetti - how does it ride?

Like a Bickerton... Actually, David exaggerated: wet spaghetti,
even when overcooked, is probably more rigid than a Bickerton ;-/

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/