Another month nearer retirement, a month which began with a muddy but relatively dry Moors And Shores event before turning wet for the next few rides, then, suddenly spring was bypassed like a Scottish salad bar and we were into shirt-sleeve summer. Unfortunately this was brief, usurped by some cosmic joker who plunged us back to winter for a few days. Things improved (marginally) for the Stockton Cycling and Running demo day at Hamsterley Forest, where The Pensioner decided a little electrical assistance was just the ticket. A selection of Haibikes was available for test ride, ranging from a 180mm full suspension model, to lesser travel full sussers, hardtails and a fat bike.
Not wishing to be left behind by mono-lunged sexagenerian, Rod and I opted for a test ride too. A quick scoot round the car park was a revelation, a push on the pedals and the hand of God pushing you along, taking pity on our weak earthling bodies. The Pensioner, in true Pensioner style, opted to pour scorn on every aspect of the sales pitch before even trying the bike. Eventually disclaimers were signed and we were let loose the trails of Hamsterley. The zig zag climb up to the start of the skills loop was despatched, albeit cautiously, negotiating the hairpin bends requires judicious use of our new-found power to prevent excursions onto the grass verge. At Cough Up A Lung Lane - leading to Section 13, we simply span our way up, overtaking young whippersnappers riding uphill the twentieth century way, making it to the top barely breathing heavily but giggling like schoolboys, The Pensioner’s face warped by some strange unaccustomed disfigurement - could it have been a smile?
The motors are designed to cut out above 15 mph, to keep things legal, so coming down the trails is mainly unassisted on what is essentially a somewhat weighty full suspension bike. The extra kilos are most noticeable on the drop offs, which even old gadgies like us generally manage a bit of air on, a lot more speed than usual is required to prevent drop-off becoming roll-off. The bikes have four settings from eco to turbo, or some similar designation depending on the motor fitted, which are utilised to extend the life of the battery. The Pensioner being both ethical and deeply mistrustful of the claimed battery life, stayed mainly in eco mode while us who were not giving serious consideration to purchase went straight to turbo mode and stayed there, just enjoying the free ride, consequently I went through about a quarter of my battery power while The Pensioner used less than a tenth, over six and a half miles and a big climb. Still grinning we returned the bikes, somewhat reluctantly, they are great fun and ideal for anyone not in the first flush of youth, or suffering from less than perfect health.
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