http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI9t6REO1ZA

I shall post photos soon but here is a video of my little ride across the Williamsburg bridge on the Curve SL 09.

Oh and a big shout out to Neil Fein! Thanks for meeting up and having dinner with me. Too bad the rain got in the way of our riding plans but it was great to meet up and just chat too!

Thanks! It was great meeting you also. They need to move Singapore next to New Jersey, or the other way 'round.

I pootled around Manhattan and a bit of Brooklyn. I test rode a Brompton for a few hours and ran into Russell Simmons along the Hudson River Greenway. He was going really slow riding along with some blond chick. We kept frog-hopping each other due to the massive crowds. He called out something to me but I couldn't hear him with my earphones on, LOL. It was cool seeing a celebrity riding around town like a normal person on a big Dutch-style bike. :lol:

I see you've removed the rack and fenders from your Tokyo.

It's Hanami (Cherry Blossom viewing) season in Japan - and a perfect day for a pootle around the hills near my Yokohama home.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/...386abf.jpg?v=0

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Magnificent photos! Thanks for sharing it with us....

Yes, just for yesterday because there was no wet conditions and I didn't need to carry anything more than what was in my half empty seat bag.

I put the fenders and rack back on for my commute today in the rain today.

I had a nice little pootle today, 16 miles or so, 90% on a MUP, the old Deeside railway line. Started at my friend's house, maybe 200 yards to the start of the path, and then a little ride to Duthie park. Took a detour to buy some gloves for Tony, and then home again on the same path. It was a beautiful day, with no sign of the light rain the BBC weather website promised.

Anyway, onto the pictures:

There are signs like this at each of the old stations - you can see the platforms at some of them, but of course I didn't think to take a picture:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../IMAGE_083.jpg

Near the beginning of the ride, the old railway line goes under some bridges:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../IMAGE_076.jpg

A little further on, it goes over some bridges:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../IMAGE_077.jpg

Believe it or not, there is a superb view over the Dee valley here:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../IMAGE_078.jpg

A few miles of this:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../IMAGE_079.jpg

An amusing sign, banning motor vehicles over 7.5 tonnes. Motor vehicles are banned on this path anyway, and I'd like to see something that big fit through the narrow barriers - Tony struggled with his mountain bike!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../IMAGE_082.jpg

Crossing the river:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../IMAGE_081.jpg

The view from the other side:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../IMAGE_080.jpg

I wonder why the bike is folded in pictures 2, 4.

Is is because it has no kickstand? Is it a common Brompton practice?

Kam

A Brompton doesn't need a kickstand - the first step in the fold is the parking position! And since it's just a quick flick to get into that position, it's little more effort than a kickstand.

Yes. That's a feature of Bromptons. It's just a quick flip of the rear wheel and it stands on its own.

Speedo

Very nice!

I have a kickstand on my NWT and I use it all the time but often it is in the way. For example, when turning the pedals after unfold to put the chain back on the chain ring.

I wonder if there are kickstand solutions for the NWT that don't interfere with the pedals.

Kam

Nice pics guys.

I thought I'd share just a few shots from a leisurely pootle in Madrid's Parque del Retiro. Most were taken with a cellphone, so quality is not great:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/...08c459cb84.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3345/...186aebfc5c.jpg

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/...1062248acd.jpg

That looks like a lovely park - does Parque del Retiro mean retirement park?

Oh, don't worry about the quality of the pictures - they're better than my cellphone pictures.

[QUOTE=locke_fc;8703332]Nice pics guys.

I thought I'd share just a few shots from a leisurely pootle in Madrid's Parque del Retiro. Most were taken with a cellphone, so quality is not great:

[QUOTE]

Yes, but the compostion is excellent. However there appears to be a folding bike obsuring your last landscape photo!

I agree, your photography is wonderful. And I can't believe the quality of cell phone cameras now!

"El Retiro", as we call it, is probably the nicest park in Madrid, although there are quite a few to choose from. "Retiro" actually means "retreat", as it was originally built for king Philip IV to retreat from the Court. Here's another nice spot in the park:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/...b7eb2687dc.jpg

Thanks. This is by far the best camera phone I've had. It's only 3 mpx, but it takes really sharp pictures. Colours are sometimes a bit off, but I rarely try to fiddle with the settings. Nothing Photoshop can't fix, I suppose.

Just last Tuesday I went to see Electric Bikes West in El Segundo (the only brommie dealer in SoCal) to get some accessories. Andrea was really nice, cutting into her lunch break to talk to me about the accessories and the SoCal folder ride, plus she was really good about taking suggestions on what accessories to order and stock. I highly recommend them, folks. I did buy a carrier block and s-bag from them.

After the business with the shop, I went to the beach bike path to try out a little part of the next socal folder ride. We are going up from the shop to Santa Monica via the beach bike path, around 15mi one-way. Beach bike path was almost deserted because of the weekday, overcast skies, and strong winds, but it was fun to pootle along. I gave up after around 6mi because the headwinds were strong and I wimped out, and I found it easy to find a bus stop near where I gave up.

Vendetta showing off her new s-bag, stuffed with all the stuff from my old bag AND my old bag.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_SdF0uuk3iUc/Se...0/100_0254.JPG

The sea! The sea!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_SdF0uuk3iUc/Se...0/100_0256.JPG

Vendetta gets to watch my stuff...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_SdF0uuk3iUc/Se...0/100_0259.JPG

...as I go dig my feet into the sand and watch the waves

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_SdF0uuk3iUc/Se...0/100_0257.JPG

The sand dunes make for very interesting lines

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_SdF0uuk3iUc/Se...0/100_0265.JPG

Vendetta gets to play on the sand while her mommy cavorts in the waves. Yes, she got a thorough drivetrain cleaning afterwards!!!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_SdF0uuk3iUc/Se...0/100_0267.JPG

The sea! The sea! I found it hard to wrench myself from this spot.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_SdF0uuk3iUc/Se...0/100_0258.JPG

You and Vendetta had fun! It's raining here in Dallas so I wimped out. I do plan to ride tomorrow so I hope to have some good pics of my pootle.
Ernest

Best spring day yet, so I went for a morning pootle. Wish I had pictures, but I don't have a good camera. Took the bus to the Pentagon - my first try at using the bike racks on the bus. The Tokyo fits but the securing bar works best on the downtube, not the wheel as with full size bikes. Took the trail that goes up to the Memorial Bridge and Arlington Cemetery. Wow - I passed a full size bike for the first time. Went past the Netherlands Carillion and Marine Corps memorial to Rosslyn - this was a test of a possible commuting route - I work in Rosslyn. Then I tried the Rt. 50 trail - this is mostly service roads and parallel streets until after 10th St. - very unsatisfactory. Went down Fillmore to Walter Reed to the Four Mile Run trail to Shirlington. I wouldn't want to ride up the hill on Walter Reed, but down was FUN. Had a rest and a smoothy at Robeks, then rode home. All in all about 12 miles in perfect weather.

jcflack,

how are you liking your tokyo ? i just acquired a dahon boardwalk D6 recently and had a fun ride this morning for about an hour. i will post my pics here later today. since i got this dahon i am riding it more and more than my tokyo. but i still haven't ridden it yet to work. i am still tweaking some stuffs. that's a nice ride you got. i remember when we first went to washingron dc and to all these museums. place is so awesome so you really are set as far as commuting with your tokyo is concerned. happy riding....

thanks,
vic

I'm liking the Tokyo more the more I ride it. For instance, I felt that the gearing was too low, but as I re-learn my riding skills, I'm using lower gears and increasing my cadence - more revs for the same speed. Then when I shift to higher gears, I'm going faster. I passed a radar speed indicator on a downhill today - 17MPH - not bad. And I've pretty much solved my problem with the seatpost slipping, so I'm riding at the proper height - sure makes it easier.

Riding in the DC area is great. The new memorial to the Pentagon victims of 9/11/2001 was at the beginning of my trip from Pentagon to Rosslyn, As I was passing the carillion, it was playing. I could see the Potomac and the monuments from several spots along the way. The return trip wasn't as picturesque, but Shirlington is a nice town center type development, lots of people out for a pleasent Saturday, sidewalk cafes, and lots of bikes. Shirlington is the start of the W&OD trail and the connection to the Four Mile Run trail which leads to the Mt. Vernon trail. I didn't see any folders but mine, though.

had my hour bike ride this pm. weather was so nice and a little bit windy though but it worked ok for me as it was really so warm in sf bay area. i would say about 80degrees. anyway here are some pics. sorry as i only had my cell phone at that time. my wife was walking and she took the pic. first picture was my dahon boardwalk right around the heighborhood. second one was sight from the neighbors alley and that's the san pablo bay right ahead........

thanks,
vic

Vic, the bay area is one of my favorite places, and your photos just gave my another example why. Hey... that's how to get a camera - I'll get a new cell phone with one. My cell phone is about three years old - time to upgrade, right?

Some new phones also have GPS. They can track your bike rides, show it on a map with statistics (speed, gain elevation, etc). You can also upload the tracks to your computer, mail them to friends or publish them on the internet (and post links the pootle thread). I use one to collect my tracks on my computer.

Kam