tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241305212024-03-03T07:13:36.652+00:00Cycling in EuropeComments about cycling, and cycle and bicycle touring in Europe - routes, carriage of bicycles by public transport, hotels, hostels, camp sites, bicycle rental, bicycle hire, life in Viernheim, Germany and living in the time of peak oil.The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.comBlogger592125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-90131545345576326402020-08-29T05:53:00.002+00:002020-08-30T19:44:49.152+00:00Bicycles, Tandems and Recumbent Trikes on Trains in Germany and Neighbouring Countries Part 3: Long Distance Daytime Services<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Accompanied Bicycle, Tandem and Trike Transport on Long Distance Daytime German Trains</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b> </b></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Rail services in Germany are divided into two groups: Long distance (<i>Fernverkehr</i>) - non subsidized and regional trains (<i>Nahverkehr</i>)
- local services provided by an operator and subsidized by a regional
transport authority but ultimately by the provincial government. The
long distance services are there to make a profit. Both types of service
cooperate. Your journey might involve travelling on both long distance
and regional services. Both types of service have in some cases the
capacity to carry bicycles and even tandems and trikes.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><i><b>Deutsche Bahn (DB) </b></i></span></span>Long Distance Services </b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><i><b> </b></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><i>Deutsche Bahn </i>operates
by far the majority of long distance passenger trains in Germany
(<i>https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml</i>). It is a state-owned operator that makes a profit on its long distance routes. Only a small proportion of
these services offer bicycle transport. It appears to us that the ideal
passenger is seen as someone who carries one credit card (rather than
two) and MacBook Air. DB long distance services use two types of train:
the high speed Inter City Express (ICE) and the slightly slower and
cheaper InterCity/EuroCity trains (IC/EC). One of the five ICE
classes will take a limited number of "normal" bicycles (in a cubby
hole) as do many of the IC/EC trains. In the German
conditions of carriage we discovered a surprising sentence (translated
into English):<span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: courier;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">"Special
types of bicycles (e.g. tandem, recumbent) are not permitted on all
long-distance trains that carry bicycles for reasons of capacity.</span> <span title="">You can obtain further information from all DB sales outlets." </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Next time we are in Mannheim and the ticket hall on the <i>Hauptbahnhof</i>
(Central Station) is not over full, we will chat to the staff to see
what this sentence actually means. We will report back here when we have
more information. I have checked with the ADFC, the German cycling club, the partner of DB in matters cycle transport, but I have yet to have a reply and I am not holding my breath. </span></span></span>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Basically tandems and special designs (trikes, quads, trailers) are not normally transported by DB, but
there is at least one deceitful exception. In the days when I used to commute by
train to Frankfurt, I met a family who had a Hase Pino, a tandem which is
a cross between a recumbent and an upright. I asked the mother about
putting the tandem on an Inter City train and was assured that the wheelbase was
short enough to fit the bike in a single bike slot. Railway
employees had never noticed it was a tandem. The latest models are
demountable and can be divided before transport. A number of other
tandem models are sold with couplings allowing dismounting. Whether the
divided bike then counts as luggage in the same way as a folding bike? We don't know.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Flix Train</b></span> <span face=""><i>(https://www.flixtrain.de/</i>)<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> offers a limited number of daytime connections in both directions between: </span></span></span><br />
<b><span face="">Köln (</span></b><span face=""><b><span face="">Cologne)</span></b> - Düsseldorf - Duisburg - Essen - Dortmund - Bielefeld* - Hannover - Berlin Spandau - Berlin Hbf - <b>Berlin Südkreuz</b></span><br />
<span face="">*At present trains only stop in Bielefeld when travelling towards Berlin. </span><br />
<b><span face="">Köln (</span></b><span face=""><span face=""><b>Cologne)</b> </span>- Düsseldorf - Duisburg - Essen - Gelsenkirchen - Münster – Osnabrück - <b>Hamburg</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face="">These trains are cheaper than the DB trains, but are slower than </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">the high speed ICEs</span></span>.<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> With their tandem or trike the happy trike or tandem rider is not welcome on these
trains. "Normal" bicycles are carried, but to quote the company's
conditions of carriage: </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>"Bicycles must be of a standard size, without
additional attachments, and may not exceed <b>20 kg</b> (45 lbs). We
recommend that you book your bicycle slot early due to limited
capacity." </span></span>
</span></span></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-80284037415566233162020-08-22T09:50:00.001+00:002020-09-06T17:14:45.706+00:00Bicycles, Tandems and Recumbent Trikes on Trains in Germany and Neighbouring Countries Part 2: Joining and Changing Trains<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""><span face="">If you wish to travel by train within Germany with your bicycles and/or tricycles and you have a choice of stations you can start from or need to change at, then either check out the station/s beforehand, if you can, and/or download the <span face=""><span face=""><i>Bahnhof live</i> app. In <i>Bahnhof live</i> fill out the name of the station/s and the relevant page/s should appear. Click on <i>Austattung</i> and you will be shown a list of facilities. Look for the green barrier free wheelchair logo (<i>Stufenfreier Zugang</i>) and <i>Aufzüge</i> (lifts/elevators) to be sure you don't have to carry your steed up or down flights of steps. There can be a lot of stairs, as this photograph of a station in Ludwigshafen shows. Just to explain the lift/elevator was temporarily out of order:</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Uc6qyo56JY/X0DmiVNRoJI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/UqHyCIHQPtY5Uameul847OrsMqFpsTOzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/France%2BHire%2BE%2Bbikes%2B2016%2B-%2B218.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Uc6qyo56JY/X0DmiVNRoJI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/UqHyCIHQPtY5Uameul847OrsMqFpsTOzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/France%2BHire%2BE%2Bbikes%2B2016%2B-%2B218.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">To further illustrate this approach: If you compare Augsburg and Munich (<i>München</i>)
HbF - main stations with the app. Augsburg does not have barrier free access, but
Munich does. It is much easier to change platforms in Munich.</span></span></span></span> Things should improve in Augsburg in 2024!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span face="">It is recommended you should remove the bags before you load the bikes on the train. Don't do it until shortly before your train arrives. </span><span face=""><span face="">Some of the lifts/elevators are very narrow and your bikes with panniers are quite wide, </span>so pop the bikes in these one forward one backward, so each pannier faces a front wheel.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""><span face="">Once on the platform check where the bike carriage (car) will stop. On bigger stations there will be diagrams showing the order of the carriages on a </span></span><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">train</span></span>. More often than not on local and regional trains the bike space is at one end of the train marked by</span></span><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""> bicycle logos on the side of the carriages. A WORD TO THE WISE (and the UNWISE) </span></span>DON'T RIDE YOUR BIKE ON THE STATION, ON THE PLATFORM OR THE CONCOURSE. YOU CAN BE FINED 50€ ON THE SPOT. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span face=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit920TthGX0LDfNQeKm1b4RjpyaAZKfl3Zh-S0_a6CN4p0XyGX5IU8GMkcIsoC87ZG-ZcObBnq6I3ODUxglD9-yaOWhxopVwPnKrf0WgwOcdoZPjjB2UFVvqCPZDAeZvH7Fn2Niw/s1600/2005+-+1082.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit920TthGX0LDfNQeKm1b4RjpyaAZKfl3Zh-S0_a6CN4p0XyGX5IU8GMkcIsoC87ZG-ZcObBnq6I3ODUxglD9-yaOWhxopVwPnKrf0WgwOcdoZPjjB2UFVvqCPZDAeZvH7Fn2Niw/s640/2005+-+1082.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span face=""></span></div>
<span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">Take the bags off the bikes/tandems/trikes shortly before the arrival of the train. Depending on how easy it is to move and fold your trike do it before you pop on the train. </span></span>Unless the train is starting at your station, you may only </span></span><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">have </span></span>between two and four minutes to load the </span></span><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">bikes/tandems/trikes</span>. When the train arrives there may be a tsunami of people getting off the train. Let them off. If there is also another tsunami of travellers trying to get on the train, then politely but firmly make sure you can get on. Make sure you can get the other bikes in your party on the train and make sure you have got all your bags from the platform. Leaving the bar bag behind with your camera, passports and tickets could quite spoil your day. </span></span><br />
<span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">Once you are all on the train: If you have booked a slot or slots look for yours and pop the bike in it. If you are on a local or regional train look for the conductor and check that it's OK for you to load your bikes/tandems/trikes. </span></span></span></span><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">Obviously
if you can do this before the train leaves it is better to do so, but
if the train is coming from elsewhere you have two or four minutes to
get your gear on the train, so after the motto it is easier to get
forgiven than get permission, load your bikes. </span></span></span></span>In any case do not block the entrances and exits. A bungee or a strap to keep bicycles from falling over is a good wheeze. </span></span></span></span><span face=""><span face="">It
is usual for cyclists to help other cyclists, so muck in and don't let
the side down. You may well be asked where you intend to depart the
train so that bikes that will be first off are at the outside of the
heap. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span face=""><span face=""></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K5v6lZIpBl8/X0DnHKIdmII/AAAAAAAAEDk/BFya1l6BShAHn-zFs8TKUKiwNEBM-6_YACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2006%2B-%2B89.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K5v6lZIpBl8/X0DnHKIdmII/AAAAAAAAEDk/BFya1l6BShAHn-zFs8TKUKiwNEBM-6_YACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/2006%2B-%2B89.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">You should always try to travel outside the weekday rush hours, after nine am and before three in the afternoon. Unfortunately regional trains can also be busy on summer weekends. There are limits to the number of bikes that can be carried. It is the conductor's decision to let you stay on the train, so be polite. You have no rights, no say in the matter. Good Luck! </span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">We must stress that conductor/guards have the final say. We once chatted to a German conductor/guard in Wissembourg just south of French-German border. He told us that </span></span></span></span><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">at Wissembourg Station </span></span></span></span>he once had over 50 bicycles in his </span></span></span></span><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face=""><span face="">Diesel </span></span></span></span>two car set with a maximum capacity of 2 x 12 bicycles. It was a Wednesday, a popular day for pensioners from the Ludwigshafen-Mannheim conurbation to cross over into the wine growing areas of the Rhineland-Palatinate and Alsace to cycle or hike. (Why Wednesday? The word is that Dr.'s surgeries are closed in the afternoon and so there is little to do.😎😎) The passengers refused to take their bikes off the train. The service to Neustadt an der Weinstraße is an hourly service and they all wanted to get home for their tea in time. He instructed the driver to leave; rang the railway police in Germany; the train crossed the border; stopped at the first halt and waited until the railway police who are also border guards arrived to reduce the number of bicycles on the train to safe levels.</span></span></span></span></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-26255204936410048442020-08-10T20:35:00.001+00:002020-08-27T09:09:49.238+00:00Bicycles, Tandems and Recumbent Trikes on Trains in Germany and Neighbouring Countries Part 1. Overnight sleeper trains<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Rail services in Germany are divided into two groups: Long distance (<i>Fernverkehr</i>) - non subsidized provided by an operator and regional trains (<i>Nahverkehr</i>)
- local services provided by an operator and subsidized by a regional
transport authority but ultimately by the provincial government. The
long distance services are there to make a profit. If these services don't pay their way they will sooner or later no longer appear in the timetables. All of these services
co-operate to some extent. Deutsche Bahn (DB) long distance trains mesh </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">together </span></span>with the various regional services as if they were only one operator. Journeys involving travel on both long distance
DB services and regional services can be booked on the DB website </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">(<a href="https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml"><i>https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml</i></a>)</span></span></span>. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Both long distance and regional services can have
capacity to carry bicycles and even tandems and trikes. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">However although the DB website shows other companies' </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">night train </span></span>operations, it is necessary in the case of </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Alpen-Sylt-Nachtexpress,<i> </i></span></span></span></span>BTE and Urlaubs-Express to book using the company websites shown. After a period of decline overnight trains offering sleeping accommodation are returning to the rails in Germany. </span></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Sleeper Services </b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><i><b> </b></i></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Services at present (Summer 2020) are restricted. <i> <b><br /></b></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Deutsche Bahn (DB) </b></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Deutsche Bahn<i> </i>operates the majority of long distance passenger trains in Germany
(<i>https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml</i>), but although the operator does run some overnight trains in Germany, it no longer offers sleeper train services. Its rolling stock was sold off to among others </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Austrian Railways</span></span> (ÖBB). The DB daytime services will be covered in another chapter. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Austrian Railways (<i>ÖBB</i>)</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">operates long distance sleeper trains in Europe
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/(https://www.nightjet.com/en/">(</a><a href="https://www.nightjet.com/en/"><i>https://www.nightjet.com/en/</i></a>) under the name "nightjet". The site offers a download showing the
routes taken (<a href="http://shorturl.at/clETU">shorturl.at/clETU</a>). ÖBB took over some of the DB rolling stock when DB stopped operating sleeper trains. One can travel with a bicycle, tandem or trike on the </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">following </span></span>ÖBB overnight
trains. The slots need to be reserved:</span></span>
</span><br />
<ul style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">NJ 466 Vienna - Linz - Zurich<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">NJ 467 Zurich - Linz - Vienna<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">NJ 490 Vienna - Linz - Hanover - Hamburg</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">NJ 491 Hamburg - Hanover - Linz - Vienna</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">NJ 40420 Innsbruck - Munich - Hamburg</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">NJ 40491 Hamburg - Munich - Innsbruck</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"For
recumbents, tandems or bicycle trailers, two spaces must be booked.
These can only transported in special luggage compartments." </span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">(My
translation of an email from ÖBB in German.) </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">It's
not many train pairs but it is a start. It strikes me to charge for two
slots is a more sensible solution than a blanket "NO!". I suspect many
train operating companies have issues with bicycles.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">In addition the nightjet trains running between Hamburg and Zurich in both directions (NJ 401 and NJ 40470) will take a limited number of "normal" bicycles but nothing larger. These slots need to be reserved.</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFSSeXPVSQ0/XygoO4YVZmI/AAAAAAAAEAw/4x5YnkjRS60gj23WeR7HRQxAUW2FLuMEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/_R0A9006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFSSeXPVSQ0/XygoO4YVZmI/AAAAAAAAEAw/4x5YnkjRS60gj23WeR7HRQxAUW2FLuMEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/_R0A9006.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="text content-subitem">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Unfortunately this photograph (© ÖBB, reproduced with permission) does not show the luxurious accommodation for bicycles and the like, but bicycles travell in carpeted comfort under the Deutsche Bahn flag.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vNhOFJiBaCs/Xy214s-X72I/AAAAAAAAEBY/DEyuTpV3C5Q1DnbzImnWEGSTCr9k1IsawCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/2009%2B-%2B465.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Interior of the bicycle storage space on a DB sleeper train</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vNhOFJiBaCs/Xy214s-X72I/AAAAAAAAEBY/DEyuTpV3C5Q1DnbzImnWEGSTCr9k1IsawCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2009%2B-%2B465.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Although
the </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-weight: normal;">ÖBB </span></span></span>Nightjet trains can be booked using the DB website, my feeling is
that it is better to book using the ÖBB website. It is also advisable to book as early as possible as these trains are popular and the number of cut price tickets is capped.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Alpen-Sylt-Nachtexpress</b></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">The private <i>Alpen-Sylt-Nachtexpress</i>
runs overnight twice weekly in each direction in summer from and to
Westerland, Sylt via Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich to Salzburg.
(<i>https://www.nachtexpress.de</i> in German. Use a translator program.)<span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""> The Alpen-Sylt-Night Express<i> </i>is
made up of 10 couchette carriages (including a special carriage for
people with disabilities or reduced mobility) with
sufficient room for baggage.</span> A<span title=""> train team is present </span></span><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">on board</span></span> for information and service.</span><span title=""> The list of baggage carried is long and comprehensive: </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span style="font-size: small;"><span title="">Prams, Strollers // yes and free of charge</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span style="font-size: small;"><span title="">Wheelchair // yes and free of charge</span><br /><span title="">Rollator (wheeled walking frame)// yes and free of charge</span><br /><span title="">Kiteboard // yes and for a fee</span><br /><span title="">Surfboard // yes and for a fee</span><br /><span title="">Stand Up Paddle Boards// yes, if it is in a bag and for a fee</span><br /><span title="">Foldable canoes // yes and for a fee</span></span><br /><span title="">Sunshades / beach umbrellas of normal size // yes and for a fee</span><br /><span title="">Bicycle // yes, as long as space is available and for a fee</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="text content-subitem">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At present only bicycles can be transported, because of problems of </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">limited space and</span> access through narrow doors. The operator intends to offer a bigger baggage car allowing transport of tandems from September. It still doesn't look good for trike transport, although it might be possible to transport folding trikes. If you are interested in travelling on this train write to the operator in English enclosing details of your folded trike/trikes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Urlaubs-Express (</span></span></span></span></b><a href="https://urlaubs-express.de/"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">https://urlaubs-express.de/</span></span></span></span></i></a><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""> </span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">in English and German)</span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""> </span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">is </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">r</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">un by Trains4you a private charter train group. The car carrying trains run once a week in each direction. Bicycles and tandems can be transported at present in lockers or lashed to supports on the vehicle carriers. Trikes could be secured in the same way and carried on the vehicle carrying rolling stock. This means that bicycles etc can only be transported between the start and end of the journey. However, the company is considering putting bicycles in compartments in one or more passenger carriages which would mean that cyclists with bicycles could join and leave the train at intermediate stations. The company's trains are listed on the DB website, but one needs to book using the Urlaubs-Express website. Beware if using the DB website when travelling von Munich, for example the DB website suggests taking a DB train from Munich Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) and changing in Augsburg whereas as can be seen below the train starts in Munich East station. This year the company is running services </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">between<b>:</b></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Düsseldorf - Innsbruck (- Verona) - </span></span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Düsseldorf</span></span></span></span></b>. </span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">The service to Verona has been cancelled this year, but it is planned to run it again in 2021.</span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><br /></span></span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Düsseldorf </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">(Vehicle loading/unloading) – Köln (Cologne) – Koblenz – Frankfurt/M – München (Munich) – Kufstein – Wörgl – Innsbruck (</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">(Vehicle </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>)</span></span></span></span> (– Bozen (Bolzano) – Verona) until 17 September 2020. Outward Journey: Friday Night/Saturday, Return Saturday Night /Sunday</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><b>Düsseldorf - Villach - </b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><b><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Düsseldorf</span></span></span></span></b> </b></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Düsseldorf Hbf (Vehicle </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>) - Cologne - Koblenz - Frankfurt/M - Munich East - Salzburg - Bischofshofen - Bad Gastein - Mallnitz-Obervellach - Villach (Vehicle </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>).<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""> Outward Journey: Sunday Night/Monday, Return Journey: Monday Night/Tuesday</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Hamburg - Innsbruck - (Verona) - </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Innsbruck - </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Hamburg</span></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Hamburg-Altona (Vehicle </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>) - Hamburg Hbf - Lüneburg - Hanover Hbf - Göttingen - Fulda - Munich East - Kufstein - Innsbruck Hbf (Vehicle </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>). </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">The service to Verona has been cancelled this year, but it is hoped to run it again in 2021</span></span></span></span>: <span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Bolzano/Bozen - Verona P.N. (Vehicle </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>) </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Hamburg - Villach - Hamburg</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Hamburg-Altona (Vehicle </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>) - Hamburg Hbf - Lüneburg - Hanover Hbf - Göttingen - Fulda - Munich East </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">- Salzburg - Bischofshofen - Bad Gastein - Mallnitz-Obervellach - Villach (Vehicle </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>) </span></span></span></span>on various dates. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Hamburg – Munich – Hamburg</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hamburg</span></span>-Altona (vehicle </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>) - Hamburg Hbf - Lüneburg - Hannover Hbf - Göttingen - Würzburg Hbf - Augsburg Hbf - Munich East (vehicle </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">loading/unloading</span></span></span></span>) </span></span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<header><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></header><header><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bahntouristikexpress BTE </span></b><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(<a href="https://bahntouristikexpress.de/autoreisezug-en.html">https://bahntouristikexpress.de/autoreisezug-en.html</a> </span></i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">in Danish, English and Ger</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">man</span><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">) </span></i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">runs a car sleeper train service directly from Hamburg Altona to Lörrach on the German-Swiss border near Basel in </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">summer </span>most nights of the week. It is not clear whether the company will transport accompanying bicycles, tandems or trikes. We have written to the company, but have yet to receive a reply.</span></header><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-75713150129033657012020-07-29T20:25:00.000+00:002020-07-29T20:25:24.310+00:00A new couchette train from Sylt and Hamburg to Munich and Salzburg<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">OeBB Austrian Railways have reinvigorated the overnight sleeper train train market in Europe and other operators are putting a toe in the water. </span></div>
<div class="text content-subitem" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Alpen-Sylt-Nachtexpress</b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">The private <i>Alpen-Sylt-Nachtexpress</i>
runs overnight twice weekly in each direction in summer from and to
Westerland, Sylt via Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich to Salzburg.
(<a href="https://www.nachtexpress.de/">https://www.nachtexpress.de</a> in German. Use a translator app.)<span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""> The Alpen-Sylt-Night Express<i> </i>is
made up of 10 couchette carriages (including a special carriage for
people with disabilities or reduced mobility) and the locomotive with
sufficient room for baggage.</span> <span title="">The train team is present </span></span><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">on board</span></span> for information and service.</span> <span title="">I suspect the trains may well take tandems and trikes. The list of baggage carried is long and comprehensive: </span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
</div>
<div class="text content-subitem" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span style="font-size: small;"><span title="">Prams, Strollers // yes and free of charge</span><br /><span title="">Wheelchair // yes and free of charge</span><br /><span title="">Rollator (wheeled walking frame)// yes and free of charge</span><br /><span title="">Kiteboard // yes and for a fee</span><br /><span title="">Surfboard // yes and for a fee</span><br /><span title="">Stand Up Paddle Boards// yes, if it is in a bag and for a fee</span><br /><span title="">Foldable canoes // yes and for a fee</span></span><br /><span title="">Sunshades / beach umbrellas of normal size // yes and for a fee</span><br /><span title="">Bicycle // yes, as long as space is available and for a fee</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="text content-subitem" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">Just to make sure I will drop the operator a line to enquire and report back. </span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-43437049867110933692020-07-20T21:34:00.000+00:002020-07-23T20:38:49.606+00:00A word we need in English<div style="text-align: justify;">
We bought two recumbent trikes recently. I now realise there is no word in English to describe a human-powered vehicle. We do talk about "bikes" but this is inexact. A bicycle by definition is a two wheeled vehicle. "Bike" is an informal way of saying "bicycle". Other European languages have words for human-powered vehicles. The French use "vélo"; the Dutch and people in the Rhineland use "fiets"; the Swiss Germans use "Velo", probably to show they are not Germans and the Danes use "cykel". Quite why there is no general english word is hard to decide. The Brits did invent the modern diamond framed bicycle, but it wasn't only bicycles. There were three and four wheeled human-powered vehicles being built in the 1880's.</div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-42510097175112372272020-07-19T10:57:00.001+00:002020-08-31T16:51:31.964+00:00Reserving tandem and recumbent trike slots on trains in Europe.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""><span style="font-size: small;">I have spent some time recently investigating accompanied recumbent trike transport by train in Germany. <i>Deutsche Bahn</i> (DB) the main long-distance train operator in Germany does not carry these vehicles on their long-distance trains (<i>Fernverkehr</i>). It is possible though I suspect difficult to transport these on some regional and local trains ((<i>Nahverkehr</i>), but reservations are not possible. If one is unlucky and the train is full, that's it you wait for the next one, or the next but one, or…</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""><span style="font-size: small;">I contacted all of the companies running long-distance trains in Germany and was overjoyed to receive a positive answer from ÖBB Austrian Railways. The company runs <i>Nightjet</i> sleeper and couchette trains across Europe. One can travel with tandem or trike on the following trains:</span></span></div>
<ul style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span face=""><span style="font-size: small;">NJ 466 Vienna - Linz - Zurich<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span style="font-size: small;">NJ 467 Zurich<span class="Apple-converted-space"></span> - Linz - Vienna<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span style="font-size: small;">NJ 490 Vienna - Linz - Hanover - Hamburg</span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span style="font-size: small;">NJ 491 Hamburg - Hanover - Linz - Vienna</span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span style="font-size: small;">NJ 40420 Innsbruck - Munich - Hamburg</span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span style="font-size: small;">NJ 40491 Hamburg - Munich - Innsbruck</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">"For recumbents, tandems or bicycle trailers, two spaces must be booked. These can only transported in special luggage compartments." </span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">(My translation of an email from ÖBB in German.) </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title=""><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span face=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span title="">It's not many train pairs but it is a start. It strikes me to charge for two slots is a more sensible solution than a blanket "NO!". I suspect many train operating companies have issues with bicycles.</span></span></span></span></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-2654677731423449352020-06-28T13:39:00.003+00:002020-08-10T20:38:27.326+00:00In Germany Car Parking Slots are for Cars only<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was amused yesterday to read in the <i>Südhessen Morgen</i>, our local daily paper, that the body representing owners of rented properties in Germany had issued a statement stating that if one rents a property with a designated marked car slot, this slot should only be used to park a motor car that is roadworthy and licenced. I take it that the slots mentioned are in covered parking areas which are often found adjacent to apartment blocks. It should not be used to store bicycles or drink crates. This would break the terms of the rental contract. Quite what one does if does not own a motor vehicle, but does own the (n+1) ideal number of bicycles has not been explained. Presumably one fills the bicycle room in the cellar. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One cannot also use a car parking slot in a city centre to house one or more bicycles even if one feeds the parking meter. These slots too are for cars alone. You may however stand your bike parallel to the direction of traffic on the road adjacent to the pavement in a manner similar to motor cars, as long as it is not <i>verboten</i> under the road traffic regulations. I doubt however whether this is to be recommended as car parking and space on the road is a major source of irritation in Germany. You are likely at best on your return to find your steed has been picked up and thrown in a hedge or down an alleyway.</span></span></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-57646083762349033032020-06-27T21:13:00.000+00:002020-08-22T20:56:21.321+00:00Third Party Liability Insurance when Touring by Bicycle in Germany<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now that the lockdown in the UK is being loosened, holidays abroad have become feasible. Germany is an excellent place to cycle with 1000s of kilometre cycle routes, reasonably priced accommodation and dining. Something to bear in mind while planning a German tour is that the majority of Germans have taken out a <i>Haftpflichtversicherung</i> - a third party liability insurance that covers claims against the holder for damage to person or property and the legal costs arising. An accident to third parties can be eye-wateringly expensive in Germany. It's an excellent wheeze to have a third party liability insurance yourself. If you don't and you damage somebody else's property or person in Germany, the injured party's insurance will be talking to my learned friend quicker than you can say knife. We have a liability insurance policy from our (German) bank. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This type of insurance does not seem to be usual as such in the UK, but cover is often provided under other insurance policies, for example, travel insurance policies may cover you for accidents that may happen while you are abroad, but it's better to check before you leave home. Members of Cycling UK have third party insurance that will guard against claims made by others for
any accidental damage or injury caused by you or your bike. With third party liability insurance, you are covered for any claims
made against you for damage or injury. Cycling UK members are
automatically covered up to £10 million by this policy. Electric pedal
bikes are also included. </div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-40866873129537863552020-06-22T19:36:00.001+00:002020-06-23T15:32:06.831+00:00E-bike battery transport by air<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It may well be some time before long distance travel by air becomes affordable again. When that day arrives, there will still be a problem with battery transport for accompanied e-bikes or e-trikes. E-bike/trike batteries count as dangerous goods for transport by air. It is impossible for normal souls to forward their bike or trike batteries in passenger aircraft. This means if you wish to cycle on faraway foreign shores, you will have to leave the comfort of electrical support against headwinds or hills on your own bicycle or tricycle behind. If you usually ride a bicycle it is easy to hire e-bikes in Europe, but e-trikes? It's difficult to hire a trike in Europe let alone an e-trike. Maybe one can hire batteries, but this too seems very difficult. One cure for the problem of transport by air is to pack the battery in a B&W Outdoor Case Model 6040 and send it by courier, for example DHL or FedEx to an address at your destination. These cases are certified for transport by land, sea and air. (<a href="http://www.b-w-international.com/">www.b-w-international.com</a>) The website has lists of dealers worldwide.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The usual disclaimer. I have not used this case. I have just read a description and corresponded with B&W International. The company has not paid me in any shape or form to publish this note. </span></div>
<br />The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-16519006610467571672020-06-12T10:08:00.000+00:002020-06-24T10:55:57.231+00:00Breakdown services for cyclists<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Motorists often join motor clubs to ensure breakdown assistance or they take out breakdown insurance. Only recently did I find out that similar insurance policies are available for cyclists. It’s a good idea. A moments daydreaming and a pothole can lead to a bent or broken frame or wheel. When commuting this is probably not a serious problem as you can lug your bike to the next bike shop and have it repaired but if you are half way up an Alp and you need to be at the airport at six o’clock the next morning it is a completely different kettle of fish. If you are considering a European tour when the present excitement dies down it’s definitely worth buying one of these policies. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br />In general the insurance companies offer the following services, but as ever it pays to read the small print of the policy: </span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">A hotline emergency number open 24/7.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">In the event of a bicycle failure: onward and return journey service, rental bicycle service, breakdown and accident assistance, salvage, removal, bicycle transport service, bicycle storage, bicycle customs clearance and scrapping (abroad) and help with bicycle repair.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">In the event of illness or accident: overnight service, visit to the sick, return of children, bicycle return transport, patient return transport</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">In the event of an unforeseen interruption of travel abroad: return travel service, help in the event of bankruptcy of the tour operator</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">In case of emergencies: Immediate help in the event of loss of means of payment, document service, workshop service, key service</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">The following clubs and a company offer breakdown insurance. This list is probably not comprehensive. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span></div>
<table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px; height: 128px; width: 596px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Country - organisation</span></span></span></td><td style="min-width: 60px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Breakdown Service</span></span></td><td style="min-width: 60px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: medium;">Cost</span></span></span></td><td style="min-width: 60px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: medium;">Comment</span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">UK - Environmental Transport Association <br /><a href="https://www.eta.co.uk/">https://www.eta.co.uk/</a></span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cycle Rescue Cover </span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> £24 annually</span></span>
</td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Europe wide</span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Germany - Allgeminer Deutscher Fahrrad Club (ADFC) <br /><a href="https://www.adfc.de/">https://www.adfc.de</a> (in German)<br /></span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">ADFC-Pannenhilfe
<br /><br /> </span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Free to members</span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Limited to Germany.</span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Germany - Allgeminer Deutscher Fahrrad Club (ADFC) </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.adfc.de/">https://www.adfc.de</a></span></span> (in German)</span></span></td><td style="min-width: 60px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">ADFC Pannenhilfe PLUS</span></span></td><td style="min-width: 60px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11.90€ for a single person annually<br />19.90€ for each member of family </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">annually</span>. Only members can join the scheme.</span></span></td><td style="min-width: 60px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Europe wide</span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="color: black; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: x-small; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: common-ligatures; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Germany - Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD) <a href="https://www.vcd.org/startseite/">https://www.vcd.org/startseite/</a> (in German)</span></span></div>
</td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Plus Fahrrad-Schutzbrief </span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">9€ annually for members. </span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Europe wide</span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Germany - ROLAND<br />Schutzbrief-Versicherung-AG<br />50664 Köln<br /><a href="https://www.roland-schutzbrief.de/privatkunden_1/fahrrad_schutzbrief/fahrradschutzbrief.html">https://www.roland-schutzbrief.de/privatkunden_1/fahrrad_schutzbrief/fahrradschutzbrief.html</a> (in German)</span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fahrrad-Schutzbrief </span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">19.90€ for a single person annually<br />29.90€ for each member of family </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">annually</span>. <br />Open to all.</span></span> </span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Europe wide. It is the same policy as the one offeredby the VCD</span></span> </span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Luxembourg - Automobile Club Luxembourg <a href="https://www.acl.lu/en-us/assistance-avantages/assistances-membres/nos-assistances-assurances/nos-assistances/acl-bike-assistance">https://www.acl.lu/en-us/assistance-avantages/assistances-membres/nos-assistances-assurances/nos-assistances/acl-bike-assistance</a></span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Bike Assistance</span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 25€ annually</span></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Assistance within the Duchy of Luxembourg up to a distance of 50km outside the border</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span>The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-57337408050738018402020-06-08T09:19:00.001+00:002020-06-08T16:40:26.612+00:00Why don't cyclists stick together?<div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> In the past w</span></font>e spent a fair amount of time cycling around the Alps. We noticed that if a motorcyclist sees a fellow candidate for the emergency room on a motor bike on a quiet road up high in the Alps, she or they give the other a cheery wave, without checking whether the other is riding an inferior motorbike or a moped. If cyclists meet the first thing many of them will do is to check what kind of bike the other/s are riding. There appears to be a division into:<br /></span></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">road bikes, <br /></span></font></li><li><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">touring bikes, <br /></span></font></li><li><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">MTBs, <br /></span></font></li><li><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">commuters including folding bikes and e-bikes</span></font></li><li><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">day trippers<br /></span></font></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Cyclists then basically greet people on the same type of bike. We in the past have had enjoyed seeing the looks on the faces of road men as we panted our way over the odd Swiss Pass on our Brompton folding bikes. There was no sign of recognition that we were fellow cyclists. This kind of snobbishness is typical for cyclists. Fine, the last thing you need on a busy city street in Amsterdam, Cambridge, Copenhagen or London is a greeting, but on a lonely road it is a friendly act. <br /></span></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">There may well be an inverse snobbery as well. If I understood the history of the <i>Kalmit Klappradklub </i>in Maikammer, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany correctly, this came into being when various local citizens were choked off by the basically wealthier ones among them boasting about their 27 and more geared super lightweight carbon fibre titanium mountain bikes. They planned and organised a race up the road to Kalmit the highest peak in the Palatinate Forest </span></font><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">from Maikammer, Rhineland Palatinate </span></font>on <i>Klappräder</i> the cheap single geared mass produced bicycle with 20" wheels. The race up Kalmit is an annual event where variously costumed riders set off up the </span></font><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">400m climb over 6km to the summit. It's great fun and I can recommend a visit on the first weekend in September. There are some keeny beanies who make it up the hill in respectable times, but the costumed majority take their time. A whole sport has now developed racing single gear <i>Klappräder</i> on various circuits. <br /></span></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1P8tyO2WIRE/Xte8d32chmI/AAAAAAAAD8U/r87RcPAdlTsHbrXOM8S20lcE-HhZBZutQCK4BGAsYHg/DSCN4813.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1P8tyO2WIRE/Xte8d32chmI/AAAAAAAAD8U/r87RcPAdlTsHbrXOM8S20lcE-HhZBZutQCK4BGAsYHg/s320/DSCN4813.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8G29raGC-fA/Xte84l3gxfI/AAAAAAAAD8o/ULU000OcmvEowwgg3w0fxCexMzzKFijVQCK4BGAsYHg/DSCN4853.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8G29raGC-fA/Xte84l3gxfI/AAAAAAAAD8o/ULU000OcmvEowwgg3w0fxCexMzzKFijVQCK4BGAsYHg/s320/DSCN4853.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Then there are at least three topics that divide cyclists: <br /></span></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Helmet wearing.</b> Some of our fellow cyclists count the number of photographs showing helmet wearing or bare headed cyclists in club magazines and complain about propaganda for or against helmet wearing. Personally if I want to wear a helmet fine! If I don't, it is to quote the Germans "my beer", my decision. However I suspect if you want to found a new cycling club section then put forward a motion at a British cycling club's AGM that in future helmets must be worn on club runs. This only applies to the UK and Australia. In the USA helmets are worn without question. Odd actually, in the time of Covid-19 many groups in the USA feel that wearing face masks is somehow unmanly but every American cyclist I know wears a helmet when cycling without question. I suspect one is more likely to pick up a Corona virus when unmasked in a group than suffering serious head injuries when cycling helmetless. <br /></span></font></li><li><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>Trailers</b> It would appear that some of the cycling community feel that towing a trailer is letting the side down. I don't know why. I have yet to come across it.<br /></span></font></li><li><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><b>E-bicycles.</b> According to some of our cycling brethren if you ride a pedelec you are a traitor to the cause of zero energy transport along the lines of "e-bikers are not real cyclists!". This does conveniently overlook the energy needed to produce bicycles from ores or scrap metal. Then there is the </span></font><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><font size="2">suspicion that e-bikers are actually riding mopeds and are not exerting themselves sufficiently, or should that be suffering enough. We have joined the group of assisted cyclists. In my case after major heart surgery I suspect it would not be good for me to slog my way up hills. However normally we cycle on minimal assistance and I do not notice any difference when I turn the motor on at the lowest setting. When we hit a steep bit I push up the power.</font></span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Obviously although mud spattered mountain bikers with or without e-power, road racing types on a club run, commuters, families with children on cargo bikes, tourists, etc. etc. have different interests and aims, most of us are interested in safe cycling, adequate facilities, clean air and good investment by governments in cycling. If we speak with a joint voice we might have chance of being heard over the motor lobby and can convince politicians in spite of their longing to be photographed in hiviz waistcoats and a hard hat next to an incredibly expensive highway moving a traffic jam </span></font><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">a few kilometres from one side of a town to the other.</span></font><br /><font size="2"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span></font></div><br />The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-50758153598250815552020-06-08T08:34:00.000+00:002020-06-08T08:35:55.740+00:00You can still visit SPEZI online<div style="text-align: justify;">Although the organisers of SPEZI the Special Bike Show in Germersheim suggested that their online presentation - a partial replacement for the show - would shut down at the end of May. This has yet to happen. If it does happen as promised you can still check the catalogue of the show at <a href="www.specialbikesshow.com">www.specialbikesshow.com</a> and link to the exhibitors' websites.<br /></div>The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0Germersheim, Germany49.2140244 8.366814620.903790563821154 -26.789435400000002 77.524258236178838 43.5230646tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-75928896916387085132020-05-19T10:20:00.001+00:002020-07-23T10:18:49.718+00:00Using a bike pannier as a shopping trolley: the B&W International B3 Bike Bag.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Normal pannier bags are great on a bike or trike, but they do have one major disadvantage. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once they leave
the bike you will need to carry up to two panniers using a thin strap that cuts off the
circulation in your fingers. Cyclists' rooms in the five star hotel de luxe or
youth hostel are always a long way away from the entrance up two or
three flights of stairs in another time zone and by the time you get to
the room you have numb hands and claw-like fingers. I realise that one can attach a carrying strap and sling them over the shoulder, but</span> the panniers get mucky and wet. Carrying them then can lead to domestic strife. </span>We once went by bicycle to the <i>Mannheimer Maimarkt</i> (a regional Ideal Home/travel/DIY/agricultural show). I carried a pannier bag over my shoulder in the halls to transport pamphlets and anything else we could scrounge. When we returned to the bikes I realised that the inner, wheel-side of the bag was very dirty. The panniers were used several times a week and had picked up greasy road dirt. This had transferred to my shirt. I was not a happy camper. I was not popular with her indoors either. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am impressed with the B&W International B3 Bag. This is a pannier bag equipped with two wheels and a telescopic handle. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It would solve the hotel/hostel baggage problem when touring.</span> We would probably use it primarily as a shopping trolley. It can be filled in the supermarket and then attached directly to the bike/trike. It weighs about 4lb for a closed volume of 35L. This is about 1lb heavier than two Ortlieb Backroller Bags (40L volume). However this extra weight will not make much difference to the total weight of you, your bike/trike and the contents of the bag. </span><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul></ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A </span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>disclaimer</b> I have not used this bag. I have just read a
description and looked at specifications. The company has not paid me in any shape or form to
publish this note. The photographs are reproduced by permission of B&W International.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3t0f0Ac1zA0/XrGId2oxauI/AAAAAAAAD1s/sLZ74f4oZww3qqI8BIj3axJR7WkdS3SgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/B3%2Bbike.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="514" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3t0f0Ac1zA0/XrGId2oxauI/AAAAAAAAD1s/sLZ74f4oZww3qqI8BIj3axJR7WkdS3SgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/B3%2Bbike.jpeg" width="273" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RbbBLQfKK74/XrGId2bVvNI/AAAAAAAAD1o/k9XtkP3ZluoaJHYKjPaiemiXCai0-s8OgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/b3%2Bcolour%2Bup.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="521" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RbbBLQfKK74/XrGId2bVvNI/AAAAAAAAD1o/k9XtkP3ZluoaJHYKjPaiemiXCai0-s8OgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/b3%2Bcolour%2Bup.jpeg" width="272" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-77266537092407553792020-05-11T20:08:00.000+00:002020-05-14T07:41:13.748+00:00Pop up Cycle Tracks <div style="text-align: justify;">
It has been suggested that air pollution is a multiplier for Covid-19 (1) . The internal combustion engine is a major contributor to air pollution in built up areas. Now obviously at the moment mass public transport is not a favoured method of getting about, so the British government has suggested private cars, cycles and feet as a means of getting to work in the present instructions for a loosened lockdown. Cycling and walking have the advantage that participants take exercise and improve their health. There are thus a number of initiatives to improve cycling safety and allow social distancing by widening cycling and walking lanes in cities all the world using pop-up lanes: Berlin and 133 cities in Germany, Milan, Oakland CA, Paris and Bogotá, just as examples (2). These will be open at least for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic. This could obviously go for some time. Epidemologists have suggested up to two years, but predictions are very difficult, especially about the future. Maybe we will have a world where cycling numbers resemble those of Copenhagen after the pandemic is over, but don't hold your breath. The forces against cycling are many and powerful. In 2016 in London the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association attempted to block the construction of the Embankment cycleway on planning grounds (3). The opposition to cycleways in Berlin is described in (4).<br />
<br />
1) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/20/air-pollution-may-be-key-contributor-to-covid-19-deaths-study">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/20/air-pollution-may-be-key-contributor-to-covid-19-deaths-study</a><br />
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/emanuelabarbiroglio/2020/03/20/people-living-in-polluted-cities-are-at-higher-risk-from-covid-19/#7f3fe04c4b99">https://www.forbes.com/sites/emanuelabarbiroglio/2020/03/20/people-living-in-polluted-cities-are-at-higher-risk-from-covid-19/#7f3fe04c4b99</a><br />
2)<a href="https://www.rtl.de/cms/pop-up-spuren-fuer-radfahrer-in-berlin-weniger-platz-fuer-autofahrer-4537989.html">https://www.rtl.de/cms/pop-up-spuren-fuer-radfahrer-in-berlin-weniger-platz-fuer-autofahrer-4537989.html</a> - use a Translator App<br />
<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/covid-19-parisians-turn-to-cycling-as-end-of-lockdown-nears/ar-BB13NYeL">https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/covid-19-parisians-turn-to-cycling-as-end-of-lockdown-nears/ar-BB13NYeL</a><br />
3) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/10/london-taxi-drivers-lose-high-court-challenge-to-cycle-superhighway">https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/10/london-taxi-drivers-lose-high-court-challenge-to-cycle-superhighway</a><br />
4) <a href="https://www.tip-berlin.de/bike-friendly-city-the-reality-of-cycling-in-berlin/">https://www.tip-berlin.de/bike-friendly-city-the-reality-of-cycling-in-berlin/</a> </div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-76193568481028386382020-04-30T21:02:00.001+00:002020-06-01T07:52:56.809+00:00The digital SPEZI Germersheim 2020 on your PC<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were very disappointed that the real actual SPEZI has been cancelled. We have been going since before 2005. I was looking forward to talking to HP Velotechnik and having serious discussions about the Gekko trikes we have bought recently. I am not alone in missing SPEZI. We took the trikes for a run over the border in Baden-Württemberg on Sunday afternoon and a passing Hase Pino captain shouted, "We'd rather be at SPEZI." He left with a traditional Mannheim cyclists' farewell, "Next year in Germersheim!"</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1aa_lKW4YcoiwWdbKtoIvO1en9sv4pxPECh_nrdaKJ94OLm6V04Tc4THZ6MCMjyb6nK5jY33XarQOXmNqPK9qTRJt2rwO1whCyO0vQZ3l_F5GGIvzCJkpSGKZn5L9U8QwzTRsQ/s1600/B0003541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1aa_lKW4YcoiwWdbKtoIvO1en9sv4pxPECh_nrdaKJ94OLm6V04Tc4THZ6MCMjyb6nK5jY33XarQOXmNqPK9qTRJt2rwO1whCyO0vQZ3l_F5GGIvzCJkpSGKZn5L9U8QwzTRsQ/s400/B0003541.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A popular event even ten years ago</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH39sHfk2NLG3TEWWJ1pn-4CQ1Ewe2ekPPKjTWLNF9oagaHukTMSOH-PO2Yd7bmXkfp81-oPCRrZWq6mBtpBtWMj_3eH463nphNWziIK_aKzieds-UMjfeeAoLMg2wbkV_ke6FtQ/s1600/DSCN2162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH39sHfk2NLG3TEWWJ1pn-4CQ1Ewe2ekPPKjTWLNF9oagaHukTMSOH-PO2Yd7bmXkfp81-oPCRrZWq6mBtpBtWMj_3eH463nphNWziIK_aKzieds-UMjfeeAoLMg2wbkV_ke6FtQ/s400/DSCN2162.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Social distancing was never going to be easy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jtiDF6Zr2qc/Xqs0xpfLWmI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/S9eXW1cxwQUSfaX4OerxPy2UNrIxzO1lgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/B0003600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jtiDF6Zr2qc/Xqs0xpfLWmI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/S9eXW1cxwQUSfaX4OerxPy2UNrIxzO1lgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/B0003600.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serious discussions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's a digital SPEZI exhibition with a link from <a href="https://www.specialbikesshow.com/welcome-to-the-spezi.html">https://www.specialbikesshow.com/welcome-to-the-spezi.html</a> under a big green button until the end of May. When you click on this you are transferred to the German website: <a href="https://virtual.spezialradmesse.de/virtual-spezi-2020.html#top">https://virtual.spezialradmesse.de/virtual-spezi-2020.html#top</a>. If your German is not up to much it's a bit awkward, but… The first thing you will notice is a overhead photograph of the bus station in Germersheim which is used as a trike/bike demonstration arena during SPEZI. The German instructions tell you to "<i>NACH UNTEN SCROLLEN</i>", i.e. Scroll down. Do that! You can watch a short film of the Hase-Bike team singing "Happy Birthday" to SPEZI. This was to be the 25th SPEZI. I don't suppose the video will make the charts, but it sums up the friendliness and informality of the event. At the bottom of the page there is a blue banner with a number of boxes. Clicking on these leads to the "<i>AUSSTELLERN</i>" - the exhibitors, the "<i>VORTRAGEN</i>" - the lectures, the <i>FANSHOP </i>and a galler of photgraphs from the first ten years of the exhibition. Click on <i>AUSSTELLERN</i> to find a page showing the exhibition hall with box entitled "<i>NACH UNTEN SCROLLEN</i>". Do that and scroll down the page to see a list of all of the exhibitors who were taking part, at least up to the date when SPEZI was cancelled. Some of the exhibitors have contributions in English. They are well worth looking at. Each exhibitor has a box with name upon it and if you click on these they turn blue. The box then displays a lower box entitled "<i>MEHR</i>". Click on this and you are transferred to the exhibitor's contribution. (Much of this information is actually published in the lower part of the english language page.) </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSSTELLERN (Exhibitors) </b>with english language videos</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AZUB</b> has an image film showing a AZUB Ti FLY X full suspension trike with all 26" wheels racing round a forest. This has no commentary. For me it looks like an interesting trike to scare oneself half to death. I must admit AZUB would be on my list of folk to contact if I came up on the lottery. Course, I would need to buy a lottery ticket first and I suspect I'm too mean.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Bernds </b>the German folding bike company shows a film about cycling around the Bodensee (Lake Constance) which perfectly understandable without German and very jolly to boot. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>HP Velotechnik </b>has a film by the Laidback Bike Report discussing the new range of Gekko trikes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>ICE (ICLETTA)</b> distributors of ICE trikes, TerraCycle recumbent accessories has a gallery of ICE trikes underway. The company sells lots of weird trike gear and clothing for trikes that is probably the answer to many of those problems that seem unsolvable.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Podbike</b> has a short film about this unusual velocar, narrated by the owner of the company. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>RadicalDesign</b> is showing a film about a Brompton folding bike carrier bag that you can use as a rucksack to schlepp the bike. The rucksack can be folded and used as a daypack when it's not carrying the bike. The film also shows covers for velomobiles, special covers for use on cargo bikes and a tadpole trike garage. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Santana</b>'s film shows how to disassemble a Santana tandem to pack into the company's flight case. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Utopia</b> a manufacturer of ergonomically designed bicycles, pedelecs and recumbent bikes, cross frames, trailer, and accessories has a film in English about the company showing how the bikes are manufactured. It looks at the beginning like it might be in Spanish. It is in English with Spanish subtitles.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Velo:RE</b> has a film about making belts from cast off bike tyres.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Ventisit</b> makes padded seats for recumbent seats and also lots of other non-cycle seats. Once I have uploaded this blog I am going to write to the company and buy a new seat for my Gekko.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VORTRÄGE (Lectures) </b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are two lectures in English. „<b>Cycling without age</b>“ is about an organisation that takes older folks out on Rickshaws. The other is a lecture about the <b>Sun Trip 2018</b> – 12.000 km through 10 countries in 100 days using muscle power and Solarenergy<b>. </b>Initially it's a film of a lecture but they then show a film about their trip. Great stuff. These characters are to be admired. They built a back to back tandem trike where the captain steers and pedals and the stoker uses a rowing rig. We, my wife and I, had a reputation for mild eccentricity in the company I worked for, because once we cycled over the Alps to Lago Maggiore. In comparison to these two we were just making an adventure out of going the baker's round the corner. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The FANSHOP</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The shop shows a number of souvenir articles. You can browse through these and if you want a description in English, then cut out the descriptions and paste them in Google Translator. If you want to buy something and I must admit, the Swiss cowbell strikes me as a good solution to the problem of cycling on mixed cycling/walkers' paths. The walkers will notice you are there. However the pries shown include postage and packing within Germany, but not abroad, Drop the organizers a line in simple English and tell them what you want. They will then inform you of the increased costs for postage abroad.<br /><b></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-72681372835010910912020-04-21T20:25:00.002+00:002020-04-30T21:14:04.697+00:00A digital SPEZI online<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Next weekend 25-26 April should see the SPEZI Special Bike Show in Germersheim, Rhineland Palatinate open its doors, but like the rest of Europe, Germany is in lockdown due to the Corona virus and large gatherings of people are </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-style: italic;">verboten</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">. It was hoped to hold this year's show in August, but this is not possible. The organisers are offering a virus-free exhibition online as a website with information from the exhibitors and filmed lectures. The lectures will only be shown online on 25 and 26 April, but the „exhibition“ will be online until 31 May.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
</span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The website is offered in three versions: German (<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://spezialradmesse.de/">spezialradmesse.de/</a>)</span>, English (<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.specialbikesshow.com/">www.specialbikesshow.com/</a>) </span>and French (<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.salonduvelospecial.com/">www.salonduvelospecial.com/</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">). <span style="font-size: small;">There is a slight difference between the websites in that the pre-publication information about the German site mentions <i>ein Shop,</i> but there is no information about a shop or a boutique on the English and French language versions. (Just to explain modern high German uses a lot of English words even when there is an adequate German word.) I suspect the organisers are offering souvenir mugs, pencils, cloth shopping bags and the like. In addition however there is mention of a new</span> </span><i>Liegerad-Trikot </i>(recumbent cycling shirt with a front pocket). I have written to the organisers about the nonappearance of the shop on the English and French websites. The problem arises because of the difference in shipping costs. The shirts can be sent abroad but not at the price shown in the website. The shipping costs will be higher, but if you wish to purchase a shirt you may do so. The organisers will write to you to enquire if you are prepared to pay slightly more for shipping. You may as well need to pay customs duties if the shirt is sent to a country outside of the EU. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-41644662755455226172020-03-16T19:22:00.000+00:002020-03-17T21:19:58.373+00:00Corona Virus COVID-19 and SPEZI - the Special Bike Exhibition<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The German authorities have reacted well to the threat of the COVID-19 virus and have recognised the need to slow the spread of the disease. One emphasis is on "social distancing", i.e. you keep well away from others just in case they are suffering from the disease. This has led to nonessential meetings by clubs, etc. being cancelled. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just as examples: </span></span></span></div>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">All of the Heidelberg University Hospital public lectures, coloquia, symposia and the like have been cancelled for the present or at least postponed. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The <i>Mannheim Maimarkt</i>, an Ideal Home and Agricultural Show that should
have started at the same time has been forbidden by the Mannheim City
authorities for the first since WWII. It is a large show with up
to 340 000 visitors and 1400 exhibitors. It goes on for eleven days.
The <i>Maimarkt</i> is however of little interest to cyclists, though of
considerable importance for the regional economy. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ADFC (German Cycling Club) has cancelled its programme of regular meetings and all local cycle tours. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">However SPEZI should have taken place in six weeks time. SPEZI is a major cycling exhibition held in Germersheim, Rhineland Palatinate. Actually for us SPEZI is <u>the</u> major cycling show. It is the world's largest show for recumbents, recumbent tricycles, quadracycles,
folding cycles, tandems, family cycles, <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">velomobiles</span>, transporters,
electrical bikes, special needs bikes, adult kick scooters, child and
load trailers, customised designs and accessories. SPEZI has been postponed until August. The SPEZI organisers hope that by that time the illness will have passed its peak and we can all attend the show. Keep an eye on the SPEZI website: <a href="https://www.specialbikesshow.com/welcome-to-the-spezi.html">https://www.specialbikesshow.com/welcome-to-the-spezi.html</a>. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoC4Ob_ioWmrTZHpE8sT1Yd0j_oJXSlos-OpRfbk9KEssT_BuTPqM24H4qxDkZ0-eRpFLZ6Y6ujQw9pFTWSaxXVY3K5OULrklm-laVjClD50578jyfJq3pmK8kUpkSaP_cqx-gQ/s1600/P1120042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoC4Ob_ioWmrTZHpE8sT1Yd0j_oJXSlos-OpRfbk9KEssT_BuTPqM24H4qxDkZ0-eRpFLZ6Y6ujQw9pFTWSaxXVY3K5OULrklm-laVjClD50578jyfJq3pmK8kUpkSaP_cqx-gQ/s640/P1120042.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A view of the main SPEZI hall in Germersheim in 2015</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-84030266287177070962020-03-11T22:11:00.001+00:002020-05-07T19:30:49.408+00:00Is the Netherlands a paradise for cyclists?<div style="text-align: justify;">
From time to time I spend a modest amount of time watching "Tim's Trike Trips" on YouTube. Tim cycled the Ronde van Nederland - Tour of the Netherlands in 2018. The 1400km route follows the Dutch border all the way round the country and follows the North Sea in the west. It crosses the <i>Afsluitdijk</i>, the 19-mile (31km) dam that encloses the IJsselmeer. The cycle route on the dam is closed at present because of maintenance work on the dam and will remain closed until April 2022. In the Netherlands cyclists are considered to be important members of society and so the Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch Water Authority) has laid on a free bus that will take 15 bikes and 25 people across the dam in both directions. There is a slight fly in the ointment. The maximum size of bike allowed on the bus is 0.8m wide and 1.90m long. However the Dutch authorities recognise that others ride larger vehicles - trikes for example and offer an additional service to carry wider or longer cycles. One needs to contact the Rijkswaterstaat at least two days before the service is required to book a special vehicle. This is amazing, in my opinion.</div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-81121131840171082812019-10-29T15:05:00.000+00:002020-05-22T17:02:46.067+00:00Climate. Are we scuppered? Part I<div style="text-align: justify;">
I suspect we, i.e. the human race, are scuppered unless we can initiate some drastic changes in our life style and chances are not looking good. If we look at possible changes in motorised traffic, i.e. the motor car that we will have to make to reduce carbon dioxide production seriously it is going to be the equivalent of pushing a pea up Mount Everest with one's nose while blindfolded.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Can we give up the car or at least cut down on its use? I have my doubts. We live in a small German town that is flat. There are two or three hills in the town: bridges over the autobahn. You'd think an ideal spot to cycle or even walk. There are adequate pavements/footpaths as long there is room to get past, but it is a local habit to park with two wheels on the pavement/sidewalk to keep the road clear, but of course blocking the walker or the pram pusher. A goodly proportion of our neighbours drive round to the supermarket and bakers around the corner which is less than five minutes walk away. When we walk across town I count the number of pedestrians and cyclists and the number of cars, most of which have one person riding in them. I deliberately do not count the cars on the road connecting the two sections of bypass which we cross. In spite of this I normally see 50% more cars than walkers or cyclists. It is going to be difficult weaning people off the car.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-92090904832506663372019-08-25T11:25:00.000+00:002019-08-27T14:33:53.968+00:00KalmitOn 7 September it is Kalmit Cup time again. This is the Klapprad race up Kalmit Hill from Maikammer on the western edge of the Rhine Valley not far south of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. About 5% of the participants will be using tweaked Klapprads with a standard frame but a better drivetrain and wheels. They all will be wearing road bike gear. The rest will be dressed in costume with a lot of cross dressing and riding less souped up Klapprads but some will be tandems or two basic bikes or tandems welded together so they can be fitted with a float to resemble a London bus or an elephant. The race starts at 15:00, but it's a good idea to be there an hour or two earlier to watch the fun (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1gQyWeqLwg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1gQyWeqLwg</a>) and enjoy a glass of riesling.The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-54907154599398267482019-08-23T15:52:00.000+00:002019-08-27T14:44:33.571+00:00Electric scooters: A good idea?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In “The Salmon of Doubt” Douglas Adams </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">wrote </span></span></span></span>"</span></span>I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:<br />1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.<br />2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.<br />3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I suspect I am just about to illustrate the great man's statement, as I am pushing my 9th decade and so I should be suspicious anything invented since 1975. (This not exactly true as we accepted the home computer, the Internet, eMail and desktop publishing, but do not get us started on mobile phones.)</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tier, an electric scooter company (https://www.tier.app/), is now offering its scooters in the centre of Heidelberg, Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. The three city governments hope this will encourage more people to leave their cars at home. It’s a fairly simple idea. You download the app and when you are one of the many European cities where Tier is active you find the location of the next scooter; once on board you start your trip using the app and away you go. Costs: 1€ to book and 15 cents a minute for your journey. Payment is via credit card or PayPal. </span></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFi3a-7wKQk/XUwB3crzusI/AAAAAAAADhU/1LUiONSFpJgMJRcG3o_t4aL8MSotfkiQgCLcBGAs/s1600/190525-TIER-Oslo-101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFi3a-7wKQk/XUwB3crzusI/AAAAAAAADhU/1LUiONSFpJgMJRcG3o_t4aL8MSotfkiQgCLcBGAs/s400/190525-TIER-Oslo-101.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tier electric scooters underway in Oslo ©Tier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am not taken with electric scooters. Don't get me wrong I can see the attraction. One can nip across town like a downhill mountain biker flowing downhill, swinging round obstacles with no effort and arriving perhaps windblown but sweat free even in the 35°Celcius or more heat we've had in Mannheim this summer. It is a cool concept in every sense of the word. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">However cost, safety, carbon dioxide production and other street users are factors that need to be taken into account. To start with cost: buses and trams in Mannheim are frequent during the day and a trip from the main railway station to the heart of the shopping streets costs 1.40€. Next Bike also offers hire bicycles that cost 1€ per half hour. You could, of course, walk that costs nothing at all. These have a rack to carry shopping or a baggage unlike the electric scooters where one needs a rucksack to carry luggage. Where do you leave the scooter at the end of trip, so that passersby do not fall over it?</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> The Next Bikes can only be left at one of the many stands in the metropolitan area.<br />The safety aspects give me the willies. Taking Mannheim station as an example if one wants to go into the city centre, one needs to know where the cycle paths are and it is not that obvious. Traffic in the Mannheim city centre is busy and I would not be happy mixing with cars, motor bikes, buses and delivery lorries on what I suspect I would find is an unstable vehicle, especially when the recommended way to indicate you are going to change lane is to stick your left or right leg out. To a certain extent cycling in heavy traffic is also difficult, but I would feel safer on a bike than balancing on a metre long narrow board especially as I need to wave my legs about. How are the scooters crossing tram lines? There are a lot of tramlines in Mannheim.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There
is the suggestion that the scooters use less energy and generate less
CO2 than petrol or diesel engined cars both in their manufacture and
daily use.This is true for manufacture, but electric scooters are not as
environmentally friendly as they seem. The scooters are picked up
daily, taken a central workshop, charged, maintained and returned to
those places where it is thought they will see the most custom. I
suspect the van or pickup moving the scooters is a petrol- or
diesel-powered vehicle.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As a pedestrian I am not over happy about the prospect of a silent fast 70 or so Kg packet (rider plus vehicle) sneaking up on me on the footpath. Now I know that riding on footpaths is <i>verboten</i> - forbidden, but so is using a mobile phone while driving. As a occasional (very occasional) motorist I am also not too happy about the thought of a speed king or queen zooming up the footpath in front of our house as I am backing the car out across the footpath onto the road. </span></span></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-66792637854678724442019-08-19T11:34:00.002+00:002020-06-12T18:00:39.656+00:00Travelling in Germany - Allergies, Water<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">A friend is coming to Germany next year and has requested information on various topics. The information we have put together may well be of interest for others</span></span><br />
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Allergies</b></span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">The following ingredients must be specified by law on restaurant menus when they are present in the meal offered:</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="tlid-copy-target text-wrap">
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">1. Colouring (s) </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">2. Preservative (s) </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">3. Antioxidant (s) </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">4. Flavour enhancer (s) </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">5. Sulfur dioxide </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">6. Blackening agent </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">7. Phosphate </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">8. Milk protein</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span title=""> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">9. Caffeine </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">10. Quinine </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">11. Waxed (if the surface of fresh fruits has been so treated) </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">12. Taurine </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">13. Containing a source of phenylalanine (eg aspartame must be indicated as sweetener) </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">14. Sweetening agent</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
</div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">A restaurant must have must this or a similar list available for inspection. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">Packaged food bought in a grocers will have a list of ingredients printed on the packing. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title=""><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><b>Dairy</b></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title=""><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">It is assumed that milk is from cows, sheep or goats. In most German </span></span><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title=""><span class="translation tlid-translation" lang="en"><span title="">cafes and restaurants</span></span> you will not find synthetic milks - almond, oat, soya, etc those milks produced by animals. Vegetarian restaurants often serve some synthetic milk. Maybe Starbucks do as well, but we are very suspicious of Starbucks tax model in Germany. There are enough good traditional cafes in Germany. We also have little experience of non-dairy milks because my wife has a nut allergy</span></span> and reacts badly to unfermented soya. If cows’ milk gives you problems then either buy lactase tablets here from a pharmacist or learn to drink your coffee black. On the other hand beef here is not pumped full of hormones and chickens are not washed in bleach before consumption.</span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">As for gluten: You can buy low gluten bread and Brötchen e.g. from dinkel or spelt flour. With a request the day before most B&Bs and small hotels can provide gluten free bread. It is virtually mainstream these days. </span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">You need to talk to serving staff about allergies. My wife has a range of allergies to various raw fruits and vegetables. One of which is carrots. Unless we stress every time we order that she cannot eat raw carrots, we find her food comes sprinkled with the damned things.</span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">However you won’t get a free glass of water with your meal, you will have to pay for expensive mineral water.</span></span></b></div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
</div>
<div class="tlid-copy-target result-shield-container" tabindex="0">
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Unfortunately the economics of the German restaurant trade mean that restaurants use mineral water as source of income. If he or she gave you a glass of water this would mean additional costs, for example glass washing and serving with a good chance that some of us would just drink tap water and not order anything else to drink. Your meal cost would probably rise, in case you were given a free glass of tap water. The owner is unlikely to change his or her charging politics unless he or she is forced to do so by law. </span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">If you are going to carry drinking water with you, it is worthwhile buying a stainless steel or plastic water bottle for walkers and filling it in the hotel before you leave for the day. A plastic half litre bottle of mineral water will cost you 50 cents or more in a supermarket or even more in filling stations or kiosks plus the additional 25 cent returnable deposit. Over a three week holiday you can pay for a reasonable drinking water bottle with your savings. Many charitably minded folks drop these plastic half litre bottles off in street bins where they are picked up by people living on Hartz IV the basic German social support, which gives you enough money to survive but not enough to enjoy life. You can take these bottles to supermarkets, etc and pop them in an automated device that prints you out a chit to redeem at the cash out desk. Many Germans buy mineral water believing that it is superior to tap water, but the latter is perfectly safe and contains less plasticiser than prepacked bottled water. In fact if you hit the supermarket at a time when Harz IV recipients have been paid you will see members of this group buying 6 x 1L packs of cheap mineral water, spending most of their day’s allowance on plastic packed water. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /> </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-48005449226961394222019-08-15T20:55:00.001+00:002020-08-02T12:29:28.618+00:00Clothing for triking Part II<div style="text-align: justify;">
By chance I came across another triking clothing manufacturer who does offer triking gear with long sleeves: Reverse Gear (<a href="https://www.reversegearinc.com/">https://www.reversegearinc.com/</a>). The company has an interesting website and comes with a recommendation from a blogger I trust. However the company has recently decided to not produce any new lines of clothing and is selling off their stock. It it is worthwhile taking a look and getting an order in pronto if you would like to buy this type of specialist gear. </div>
<br />The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-51935119333618460432019-08-10T19:53:00.000+00:002020-06-22T19:37:32.042+00:00Ruftaxis (Call Taxis)If you are travelling in Germany by public transport you may come across <i>Ruftaxis</i>. These are taxis that travel on a fixed route and follow a timetable. The idea is to replace a little used bus. A trip costs 1€ or so in addition to a zone ticket,You need to ring a number given on the timetable to book a journey and if you don't do this the vehicle will not stop at your bus stop or even run at all. Our walking group intended to go walking North of Kaiserslautern today and ended up walking South of the city, because our leader did not warn the bus company we were coming. However in the sad case your bicycle bites the dust and you are out in the sticks, beyond the black stump or in the boonies you will need to ring for a normal taxi and they charge more than 1€ for a journey. Bikes on buses is probably a no no, but bikes on trams and trains is possible. The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24130521.post-28999078873760481832019-08-07T20:45:00.001+00:002019-08-07T20:45:48.457+00:00Packet deliveries in cities: the last mileDiesel powered courier service vans are a familiar sight on the streets of European cities and towns. Unfortunately these vehicles cause air pollution and add more congestion to already crowded streets. Many German cities are compact. City and town centre streets are narrow and follow older patterns from the pre-motor car ages. They are not laid out to take high volumes of motor traffic. The photograph below shows a typical inner city street in Mannheim. If the tram tracks were still in use navigation by car or lorry would even more difficult.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KF-qzmDuDyo/XUljjoYwj_I/AAAAAAAADe4/jfLPMKRIJoksZN4Dj8TWyqs8NWq9vqkGgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Schimperstr_Su%25CC%2588d.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KF-qzmDuDyo/XUljjoYwj_I/AAAAAAAADe4/jfLPMKRIJoksZN4Dj8TWyqs8NWq9vqkGgCEwYBhgL/s640/Schimperstr_Su%25CC%2588d.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By User:nenntmichruhigip on Wikimedia Commons - Own work, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54876530</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Delivery companies have real problems in the last mile caused ironically by their own and other motor vehicles. There is nowhere to park. If the driver leaves the van on the street while he nips off to deliver a packet to a customer. If as often happens in our observation the driver leaves the engine running so that he can move off more quickly on his return, the air quality suffers. There are ways round this. Set up central packet storage and use bikes or e-bikes or e-trikes to deliver packets to the customers. It has started already. Courier companies have been running pilot projects using these more flexible smaller delivery vehicles.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m4CxX9AYfGA/XUs1iPW9LgI/AAAAAAAADg4/CxJ-oJZ7LAQRzlPyYOTTEr7dPvViBYgGwCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN1162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m4CxX9AYfGA/XUs1iPW9LgI/AAAAAAAADg4/CxJ-oJZ7LAQRzlPyYOTTEr7dPvViBYgGwCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN1162.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grocery deliveries in Vienna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span id="goog_9162984"></span><span id="goog_9162985"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54ona4qn_dA/XUs1kfd9EoI/AAAAAAAADhA/4M4BRwkWOUkskrrHGMork_3Inv4mtf5qwCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN3804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54ona4qn_dA/XUs1kfd9EoI/AAAAAAAADhA/4M4BRwkWOUkskrrHGMork_3Inv4mtf5qwCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN3804.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weekly shopping transport solved</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vq4Qstte9Vg/XUs1lAXlKtI/AAAAAAAADhA/oR3nGvyXtKwAr8tG0Oohku8qhOGpBDImACEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN4595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vq4Qstte9Vg/XUs1lAXlKtI/AAAAAAAADhA/oR3nGvyXtKwAr8tG0Oohku8qhOGpBDImACEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN4595.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excellent load carrying capacity seen at SPEZI 2019</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YS1s8RbQ_P8/XUs1j-jiiwI/AAAAAAAADg8/4ix2frHQl5M94zsQUC-ygIdi3kDuABSrwCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN3803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YS1s8RbQ_P8/XUs1j-jiiwI/AAAAAAAADg8/4ix2frHQl5M94zsQUC-ygIdi3kDuABSrwCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN3803.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A neat mobile bicycle workshop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeqwt1MHxV6U7E2WsRgo8JQSZDKoK-gPzZ9P_RqBCxXXKhyphenhyphen9sFoTDkYXl6WYjvkx5sn9gvdZExdd5KNDTyqTIHX9k1ncMCbTpTHwBXJVDxt-hDkIUKvQNgd8RTsB8rZjvzlIIBg/s1600/B0003668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeqwt1MHxV6U7E2WsRgo8JQSZDKoK-gPzZ9P_RqBCxXXKhyphenhyphen9sFoTDkYXl6WYjvkx5sn9gvdZExdd5KNDTyqTIHX9k1ncMCbTpTHwBXJVDxt-hDkIUKvQNgd8RTsB8rZjvzlIIBg/s640/B0003668.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A secure cargo bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_1261021092"></span><span id="goog_1261021093"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wDRD9RD467c/XUs1ij8MftI/AAAAAAAADhE/L6OLtyOkpIMQsJcHQNX27HdvcKI-ZXE8QCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN2535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wDRD9RD467c/XUs1ij8MftI/AAAAAAAADhE/L6OLtyOkpIMQsJcHQNX27HdvcKI-ZXE8QCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN2535.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A German Post Office electrically assisted quad with container.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The Bergstrasse Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13352262259433053448noreply@blogger.com0