It’s taken months, with, admittedly, some time out for winter weather, but Raffi is on the road again after his November disaster.
New configuration: The battery’s under the seat, reversed,
with the horrible mount facing backwards. A small bungee
spider web is wrapped around the battery case handle,
and allows the battery to be easily clipped on and off.
After troubleshooting with a good riding friend (thank you, Mike!), and interested input from Ian, a fellow blogger (Aussie on a Brompton, highly recommended!), I set to work and did my best to resolve Raffi’s dilemma — and failed. Repeatedly. However, I did verify that his battery could be moved from its original placement below the rear rack to under his seat, at the inner end of his rear rack, and that was key to the ultimate resolution.
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Posted late, due to various Raffi distractions.
Mileage for November, 2021: 55.7 miles (89.6 km)
Total mileage, year-to-date: 120.8 miles (194.4 km)
The year started very late, Hurricane Ida didn’t help, and, for that and other reasons, we hardly rode in September and October. And riding in November, for reasons chronicled here (and linked above, under “distractions”), was truncated, too. Aaaargh.
Raffi’s situation is still being sorted, so it’s on with a non-riding post, again.
My winter cycling coat is black, and when I start wearing it, I move a safety triangle from my fall coat to it.
This is the first year I’ve worn this particular coat; I bought it at Costco in Montreal before Covid hit, and then didn’t have much opportunity. It was really inexpensive, and like a lot of things Costco, is a clever riff on a much more expensive style.
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While Raffi’s issues get sorted (and they are getting sorted, I’m happy to say, if not necessarily rapidly), I’ll publish a post or two which have nothing to so with actual excursions. Forthwith:
I have a long-standing policy of trying to make life tough for any one attempting to run me down. I ride predictably, signal like mad, and try to be as considerate as possible.
So I’m a big fan of florescence. Screaming yellow and green are my friends.
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When Raffi first arrived, I rode only three times before the casing holding his battery in place broke. That debacle is chronicled here. I received a replacement part, and then hedged my [future] bets by strapping Raffi’s battery in place to protect the terribly-designed slots meant to hold it in place from breaking again.
This worked brilliantly — for four months. Then the replacement casing broke — this time on the opposite side from where it had broken previously.
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It was errand day yesterday, but didn’t turn out as expected in any way. First stop was a fabric store, to pick up some interfacing. Somehow I missed the implications of having ridden Raffi to the store, and asked for a bolt board. I use these at home to store fabric neatly. It was (ahem) a whole lot longer than Raffi’s cargo shelf.
I tied it in a large plastic bag, stuffed it under the knapsack I’d brought for our second errand, and wrapped the cargo net through the knot and around it all. Cargo nets rule!
Then it was on to the hardware store. Based on the information supplied by the store’s website, my target purchase on this errand excursion was in stock — 38 cans worth. I only needed two.
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If there such a thing as a perfect autumn day, this was it. Cold and crisp, but not too cold or crisp, and not particularly windy.
One of the local creeks was filled with madly rushing water. Is there a better sound than that of tumbling water over rocks? (At least when there’s no imminent chance of flooding!)
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Well, autumn lasted for about two rides, and then it was 40F/4.4C, and time to get a little more serious about warmth while riding.
Out came the lobster claws!
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For our last Coffeeneuring run, Raffi and I headed to a small park I have often driven past, but never entered.
Except for the temperature — cold! — it seemed much more like a March day than one in November; the wind was high and we fought it a little bit at times. But the ride was crisp and refreshing, and a fine end to this autumn’s Coffeeneuring.
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No coffee today; we’ve already done our two permitted Coffeeneuring excursions for this week, so this trip was just for fun.
Autumn has just barely arrived, and is already almost gone. I lived for years where there were no seasons, and hated it, so I don’t really mind the changes, but I admit to wishing that fall lasted, oh, say, twice as long as it does.
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