On tour with my Enigma

[Cowsham]

"Help! My husband has been radicalised"

I hate to be a pedant when it comes to captioning, but they were brother and sister. Here they are again, their eyes inexplicably drawn to the bottom bracket.

In that case - she has a very nice bottom bracket although there's more craic in the enigma.

[sussex cyclist]

Tbh I probably shouldn’t have offered them up for possible recaptioning, and apologise unreservedly to Rachel and Greg, wherever they roam. Thank you for expanding my Irish vocabulary though.

The tour continues anon.





* link provided for those who, like me, are pretty sure this is a word but want some backup

[djb]

First thought was Citizen Kane, but that was b+w , so realized it must be the first "golf course crash landing and landing on the runway side road, whip and blaster toting old dudes" second big gig.

Gotta applaud your persistence with this, although you seem to have developed quite the _ _ _ _ _ personality over it.

[sussex cyclist]

First thought was Citizen Kane, but that was b+w , so realized it must be the first "golf course crash landing and landing on the runway side road, whip and blaster toting old dudes" second big gig.

Gotta applaud your persistence with this, although you seem to have developed quite the _ _ _ _ _ personality over it.

A fascinating post which requires decoding, so the applause is mutual. As for persistance, well… at the risk of turning this into that thread, it has been foretold.

Moving right along, I present to you Jack Fuller's Needle.



It's about midpoint along the top tube. 'Mad' Jack, if you haven't already been introduced, was a very rich squire who owned the top of the big hill I've been repeatedly climbing for the last 20 years or so. Unfortunately this particular folly is on private land. It's 65' tall:



Nobody knows for sure why he had it built, but that fits in nicely with the job description of a folly.

[Cowsham]

Actually I was honking. Unfortunately the frame hasn't yet been introduced to a goose. A horse, on the other hand...

No but do you know anything about bicycles?

[djb]

A fascinating post which requires decoding, so the applause is mutual. As for persistance, well… at the risk of turning this into that thread, it has been foretold.

Your wilkommen. Just goofing around for fun, just like you.
Btw, is been a long time since I've seen a good bunker clip, but yours really made me chuckle. Heck it even had a Jones reference in there for good measure.
You really are having fun with this aren't you?

Didn't I read that you're an expat over across the pond now for 20 years?

The only person I know who has had frame failures is my traveling partner with whom I rode in central America with. Big strapping fellow, twice of me, plus a crapload of a load. I once tried to lift his bike and could juuuust barely do it. His alu MTB finally cracked when he got down to the bottom of South America, but got it well repaired by a Chilean welder who obviously knew his alu work well.

[sussex cyclist]

Yesterday afternoon I got closer to The Needle.



Closer.



A lot closer.



Unfortunately I can’t always have the Enigma on hand when opportunity presents. The Litespeed that carried me up the hill may be stealth but my visit wasn’t: I got permission from the landowner. She apologised for not meeting me at the front but said her husband had Covid. (By her cough through the intercom I wondered if he wasn't the only one.) She then gave me directions on how to get to Jack's skyscratcher, which involved climbing a couple of gates and shouldering my bike for a tramp across the field. You'd better believe it was coming with me!



We shall of course be visiting the rest of the follies.

is been a long time since I've seen a good bunker clip, but yours really made me chuckle. Heck it even had a Jones reference in there for good measure.

Spread the word, there are peeps who haven’t yet seen that. Here’s another, if you're still in the mood.

I can never go too long without an Indiana Jones reference.

You really are having fun with this aren't you?

Didn't I read that you're an expat over across the pond now for 20 years?

Yes, I’m having a blast. And indeed, my wife and I moved to the UK in the 90’s. This is long enough to have put in some decent miles since my first tour, a jolly from London to Fort William @ a hundred miles a day, which may be nothing to a grizzled audaxer but was a revelation to me at the time – I could ride century after century and not keel over!

No but do you know anything about bicycles?

I know an irrepressible urge when I see one. Thus the launching of a new occasional feature of this thread: pictures in dire need of a caption. First off, what am I writing in the End-to-Ender’s book?

[Cowsham]

I could have started from here and just signed this book cos I'm better at kicking a ball Kevin

[sussex cyclist]

Whatever I actually wrote was evidently forgettable, but that tour would have its memorable moments. For example, shouldering my bike up Glastonbury Tor. It seemed like a bad idea at the time.



It's a lot easier to just carry a frame around.

[djb]

Far too many spokes on that front wheel.
Have to ask, why didn't you just roll it along on the grass?

[djb]

Ps, just saw the downfall part deux

Poor Essex girls
Teatottling totalitarians are top
Undt more.....
Danke for the morning chuckle

[sussex cyclist]

Translation is always a challenge.

Far too many spokes on that front wheel.
Have to ask, why didn't you just roll it along on the grass?

I miss those wheels – it always felt a bit magical to be supported by so few spokes. Plus it was so easy to clean the rims!

As for not rolling that bike (a Ridgeback Genesis Day 02) up the tor, I must have found it easier to carry.


Remember the transporter accident when a cow was beamed up with a bicycle?

Also from that tour, rolling with the stones of Avebury



Just the thing for disputes with your neighbour



The road through Wigan Pier



Disco never died in Blackpool



A bike is always a handy measure of scale



Urgent appeal from New Zealand for help

[Cowsham]

a cow was beamed up with a bicycle?

https://i.imgur.com/0lV0MhT.jpg

"But something must have went wrong captain there's an extra wheel"

[djb]

Just the thing for disputes with your neighbour

A bike is always a handy measure of scale

Without googling, the backyard weapon of mass destruction makes me think of those bomarck (sp?) missiles that caused a ruckus here in Canada in the 50s 60s ? about the Yanks wanting to station here in the Great White North.

And yes, using ye ol bike is always good for scale. Here's mine:

[Jdsk]

Just the thing for disputes with your neighbour

A bike is always a handy measure of scale

Without googling, the backyard weapon of mass destruction makes me think of those bomarck (sp?) missiles that caused a ruckus here in Canada in the 50s 60s ? about the Yanks wanting to station here in the Great White North.

I think that it's a Bloodhound... much smaller fry.

Jonathan