Monday 15 March 2010

I've been shopping! I hitched Trailer up and rode off down to Lidl Saltash.

Thirteen miles each way. I flew along with Trailer empty - and much of the ride is down hill, but I crawled back up the hills. Chopper is heavy enough, and with a load of shopping it takes a great effort to keep the pedals turning. I took it slowly, and took my time.

Chopper weighs 44lbs and Trailer 21lbs. (I know these facts).

As soon as I got back, I detached Trailer, picked the whole thing up and climbed on the scales. By subtracting my weight and that of Trailer, my shopping weighed in at 26lbs.

That made the whole rig a massive 91lbs!
(Or for anyone that is metric - 41.3Kg)



It was a good trial. It was the first time that I'd pulled a heavy trailer with Chopper, and I'll have to repeat the shopping idea with a bit more weight. Maybe next time I should buy more bottles of wine and a sack of potatoes!

Chopper performed faultlessly.

Great stuff!
Speak soon,
Mick.

7 comments:

  1. Mad dogs and Englishmen...! Great trial of the whole outfit, really pleased nothing broke/fell off. I still can't imagine the sheer pain of the distance you're going to haul that lot, literally up hill and down dale. I'm on the edge of my seat already!

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  2. Thanks Graham,

    You are inspiring me with confidence (not!)

    The distance won't be the problem, it'll be the time in the saddle that'll hurt. I can ride a "real" bike all day any distance, but Chopper is slow, so the longer days - Inverness to Pitlochry for instance - could take twelve hours. I'm not relishing the longer legs. That's why I have booked days off for recovery. One day in Edinburgh, another with my sister in Wrexham, and one here at home before the final push to LE.

    I must put another post on the blog to lay out my route and itinerary.

    Regards,
    Mick.

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  3. Oops, sorry, didn't mean to be a confidence-basher! I'm in awe of the whole project. Riding a Chopper with trailer the full JOGLE is something to separate the men from the boys. I'm knackered after riding to the next town on a comparatively light (35lb) roadster :-/

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  4. I'm confident, but to be honest, this is going to be a challenge. A real challenge.

    TTFN,
    Mick.

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  5. Hi there, awesome ride, much respect to you for doing it. I'm restoring a '71 MK1 chopper in brilliant orange same as yours but I need some gearshift components to finish it. Would you be interested in selling the gearshift console complete ?
    Thanks
    Dave

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  6. Hi Dave,
    So sorry, but nowt is for sale as yet.

    After my ride, I want to sell the whole lot. I reckon it will be the first Chopper ever to go from End to End, and therefore someone wants it. I'd like to sell the Chopper as it is, or as original, or both. Whatever, it will be complete and raise some more dosh for Gunnislake School.

    Regards,
    Thanks for checking in,
    Mick.

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  7. Let me know when Mick. I'd definitely be interested.
    Thanks

    Dave

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