Off and into the Norfolk Plains once more

It’s still winter down here. This week has been full of days dawning cold – bird bath freezing cold – at 7.00am. By 10.00am the sun has thawed the ice and frost making it warm enough to start cycling

The Oaks, Sycamores, Maples and other deciduous trees look like the ones at the head of the post. Skeletal structures from which all leaves have been blasted away by the winter winds. BUT:

This one, found on the way to the Tip, is the common Silver Wattle (Acacia Dealbata). They vary in size from this roadside scrubby one to trees 30 metres or more. The smaller ones generally have the high density flowering as above.

I reported in cycle365 about Colin’s Yellow Throated Honeyeater. It has been hanging around his backyard for a couple of weeks, sitting high in a tree, calling. Well, it calls no more because another YTH has found him (?) and they sit peacefully together when not raiding the scarce flowers for nectar. Spring has it’s feelers out. This was confirmed by my first sighting of a Hare bounding across a paddock this week. It must be the sunny days gently drawing out winning over the frosty nights.

Cycling this week has knocked up a goodly kilometreage (what an ugly word (is it a word?) – mileage was much better but meaningless here) of 136 k cycled over the Norfolk Plains.

During this time I have learnt a bit about cycling with electric power. No matter which level of power assist being used, once the cadence gets above a certain point the amount of power delivered is reduced. By how much and why remain unknowns. In addition, power is cut completely off when the road speed reaches 25-26kph. Of course you can pedal faster, it’s just no further assistance is given.

This said, going uphill is still on a learning curve. Pedal with faster cadence and you get little assistance. Slow the cadence and the power comes in – but the motor doesn’t like slogging. In fact many forums say it is a good way to shorten the life of the nylon gears in the motor. Also, slogging is a good way to chew through battery power.

Blue Magnum is geared with a 52 tooth front chainring for speedy running around flat Melbourne. As a result, bottom gear is quite high. I have ordered a smaller chainring as there are plenty of hills around here that need climbing and, once the loaded panniers are on, I will need to beware of the slogging.

I have enjoyed riding the XL this week. The larger seat certainly absorbs more of the bumps than the smaller version on Red Magnum. I think it’s the extra width allows more “give” that does it.

There will be more of the same next week.

BTW. Shoulder scans done. Problem identified. Injection to (hopefully) fix next Friday. Fingers crossed.