2 – Hook of Holland to Düsseldorf I slept reasonably but the wake-up call always seems way too early, what with the hour time change as well. I redistributed some of the weight in my panniers (the port side pannier is just clothing and lightweight, the starboard side pannier is the one with valuables (gadgets,… Continue reading B2L – Hoek van Holland to Düsseldorf by train (Day 2)
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B2L – Home to Harwich (Day 1)
Day 1: Home to Harwich So everything was finally ready! Alfie had been cleaned, serviced, had a new chain and was generally looking shiny. I had my last German lesson of my University course (I’m missing one of the final exams, the oral, as I’ll be somewhere near Münster on that day). I finished off… Continue reading B2L – Home to Harwich (Day 1)
B2L – preparations for the trip
Preparations… My Berlin to London trip is now just eight days away! So what has been done in preparation? Alfie the Trike The trike has had new tyres, the hub gear has been serviced, a new chain has been fitted and everything generally cleaned/oiled/polished as appropriate. Helen the cyclist Since the beginning of this year… Continue reading B2L – preparations for the trip
Alfie’s hub gear gets its second (and more successful!) service
Today was to be Alfine 11 Hub Gear service day, in preparation for my Berlin to London cycle ride for Help For Heroes next week. I wasn’t sure if it was due a service yet (it had done 2,653 since the last service) as I have variously been told 5,000 miles between services or 5,000km.… Continue reading Alfie’s hub gear gets its second (and more successful!) service
Berlin to London
Berlin to London by recumbent trike To sponsor me click here Click here to see a track of my full route as I rode it: Auntie Helen’s Berlin to London track Report from Day 1: Home to Harwich (27 April 2012) Report from Day 2: Hoek van Holland to Düsseldorf by train (28 April 2012)… Continue reading Berlin to London
Alfie’s Alfine 11 hub gear gets its first service
So, I’ve finally done it! The Alfine 11 hub gear service. According to Shimano this should be done after the first 1000km and then every 5000km thereafter. Alfie my recumbent trike has done a shade over 2,000 miles already and this is my first hub gear service. This is because the original hub started misbehaving… Continue reading Alfie’s Alfine 11 hub gear gets its first service
Alfie going in for repair… well, his back wheel
I have now had Alfie just over two months and absolutely love riding him! I am really, really impressed by the dynamo in the front right hand side wheel – it makes life so easy to be able to have lights whenever I want without worrying about batteries. Also the Busch & Müller IQ Cyo… Continue reading Alfie going in for repair… well, his back wheel
Kreuzberger Kiez-Welten – The Hidden Side of Kreuzberg – cycling in Berlin
Kreuzberger Kiez-Welten (The hidden side of Kreuzberg) This tour leaves Potsdamer Platz and goes through Kreuzberg via Tempelhof airport, then along to the East Side Gallery at the Ostbahnhof – this is a gallery of paintings on the former Wall. It’s about 12 miles. The GPS file shown above is in reverse for some unknown… Continue reading Kreuzberger Kiez-Welten – The Hidden Side of Kreuzberg – cycling in Berlin
Die Berliner Mauer (The Berlin Wall) Cycle Ride – Part 2
Die Berliner Mauer (the Berlin Wall) Today was my opportunity to finish the Berlin Wall route that I started on Saturday. As a recap, this is a map of the location of where the Berlin Wall used to be: As I discovered when doing Part 1, it is NOT the route of the Berliner Mauerweg… Continue reading Die Berliner Mauer (The Berlin Wall) Cycle Ride – Part 2
Osten Ungeschminkt – The Naked East, Berlin, Cycle Ride
Osten Ungeschminkt (my translation of this is something like “The Unvarnished East”, however Olaf Storbeck who knows rather more German than me suggests “the naked East”. This is another of the routes in my “Berlin Erfahren” book, 22.4km and the book suggests you need 4 hours for it. At under 6km per hour average speed… Continue reading Osten Ungeschminkt – The Naked East, Berlin, Cycle Ride
Grunewaldrunde – Around the Berlin Grunewald Cycle Ride
Today was Sunday. As I had travelled to Berlin with a minister in the United Reformed Church, I suggested he might like to come along to a church service. He’d never been to one in Germany before so was interested, but wasn’t daring enough to go on his own. I said I’d keep him company,… Continue reading Grunewaldrunde – Around the Berlin Grunewald Cycle Ride
Die Berliner Mauer (The Berlin Wall) Cycle Ride – Part 1
Today was the day I was going to start my Berlin Wall circumnavigation. The Wall is a shade over 100 miles and, knowing how slow city cycling can be, I decided to split it into two. I had wondered about making it a three day tour but I felt that would take up rather a… Continue reading Die Berliner Mauer (The Berlin Wall) Cycle Ride – Part 1
Ein Überblick von West nach Ost – Berlin from West to East cycle ride
An Overview from West to East This is a route from the “Berlin Erfahren (auf dem Rad durch die Hauptstadt)” book and the map above is the GPS track which I decided to follow this afternoon. Firstly, however, I decided not to go to the very start (Zoo station) as I had been there this… Continue reading Ein Überblick von West nach Ost – Berlin from West to East cycle ride
Tea and Scones in Schöneberg, Berlin, cycle ride
This morning was my chance to catch up with a good friend, Ines, who lives in Berlin. She is going on holiday tomorrow but suggested we meet for a cup of tea at a nice tea room she knew about in Schöneberg, so I put the address in my Garmin and set off. After less… Continue reading Tea and Scones in Schöneberg, Berlin, cycle ride
Spandau and the Olympiastadion – cycling in Berlin
Plan for this afternoon was to visit Spandau. The main reason was to go to the Deutsche Bank there (where I have an account) to pay in some money and to try to get them to stop posting me statements (and charging me for them!), but I also fancied a visit out to the west… Continue reading Spandau and the Olympiastadion – cycling in Berlin
Tempelhof Airport by trike – cycling in Berlin
This morning I decided to do something recommended to me on Facebook last night – to cycle round Tempelhof airport. I wasn’t actually aware this is something you could do, but it certainly sounded interesting. My father visited Tempelhof by light plane a couple of years ago and clearly found it fascinating. The planes are… Continue reading Tempelhof Airport by trike – cycling in Berlin
From Great Bromley to the Brandenburg Gate (by car and trike)
The tour begins… It was time to fold Alfie up as small as possible so that I could actually fit some luggage in the car as well. I removed the mirrors, bottle cage, slid the boom in as far as possible and twisted it on its side so that the chainrings were protected. You’d have… Continue reading From Great Bromley to the Brandenburg Gate (by car and trike)
Preparations for Berlin 2011…
Preparations are beginning for the trip. I’ve borrowed my Dad’s company car as it’s nice and big. I tested putting the trike in… Oh dear, there’s not much room for luggage for three people… Fortunately we have some space on the back seats as well… So we’ll be off Tuesday late afternoon, thr beginning of… Continue reading Preparations for Berlin 2011…
I’m off to Berlin!
Berlin is my favourite city and I love visiting it. However, it’s a long old drive so I usually fly (without bike). When driving home from Koblenz after my Main River tour in June I decided it would be great to have the chance to cycle in Berlin and that I’d organise something. A friend… Continue reading I’m off to Berlin!
A new home for Alfie!
I now have two recumbent tricycles. These are big machines and our current arrangement of sheds was not satisfactory – we have various boat articles laying around the garden and the dining room is full of sails and bikes. A new shed was needed. We realised we might as well get a huge shed and… Continue reading A new home for Alfie!