This blog is the story of my dynamic crew having a brilliant weekend – starting with a trip to the wonderful JD Tandems in Gargrave, North Yorkshire on Easter Saturday to collect and test ride their new e-Matilda; followed by Team Matilda’s first pedal from home on a blustery Easter Monday trip to Bridge of Earn.
The “old gal” and “old git” left home at silly early o’clock to drive to Gargrave where a brand spanking new e-tandem was waiting for them – built to their own specification.
There was massive excitement when my dynamic crew saw their new “baby” for the first time – a Gepida Bikes Thoris Voyage, (full details by clicking link) with not one, but two 500Wh batteries and the Bosch eBike Systems Performance CX 250w motor.
My crew had visited JD Tandems – whose customer service can’t be praised enough – three weeks before and had full test rides on three battery assist e-tandems, before choosing the Gepida.
You can read my blog about the test ride weekend by clicking here – and if you are thinking about taking the big plunge towards a battery assist tandem, then hopefully the blog will give you a definitive guide from fellow tandemers as to what to expect from your visit to JD Tandems.
So why the decision for Team Matilda to go for a battery assist e-tandem? Well whisper it but this “old lady” classic Jack Taylor tandem is actually on side with the decision as I know that old age brings its own mechanical problems – just as my dynamic crew are discovering that the passing years always seems to throw up some more new health and fitness issues. Being older than both my Stoker and Captain, I am also well aware that (like them!) I am not getting any lighter!
After a run down of all the equipment from the highly patient Jamie – despite fairly constant interruptions and questions from my Captain! – it was time to take e-Matilda out for an inaugural short test ride to make sure everything was working OK … but only after the ceremonial handing over the keys (for the batteries).
You can check out the details of our exciting inaugural sunny short test ride route by clicking on the Strava map below.
My crew headed up hill on a suitably lumpy loop which took in a tasty lunch at the incredibly scenic and busy Town End Farm Shop & Tearoom.
My dynamic crew were glad they had booked to secure a table, and it was good to see the venue attracting so many bikes – all solos. It clearly has a good reputation with cyclists out on their Saturday pedals. The location – at the top of a hill – gave an ideal spot for some photos of Team Matilda in their new Team Bahrain Victorious cycling tops!
Back to Gargrave for some very minor fine tuning to see our car had been fitted with the amazing new e-tandem carrier which JD Tandems sell. Time for an in-depth lesson from the equally patient John, going thru how to put e-Matilda on and off the roof.
I am sure my crew will get the hang of it with a bit of practice – as initially it is quite daunting – but it is a great piece of kit!
Looks like the “old git” is going to have to invest in a set of small steps as his legs are pretty short and Matilda Transport is quite a high car! In fact the height from ground to handlebars when the tandem is on the roof is no less than 9 feet!
Thanks again to Ruth, John and Jamie for their patience at the highly recommended JD Tandems. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Their service has to be experienced to be believed. Quite simply, think of any superlative then take a step up.
My crew then drove back to Matildas Rest full of excitement about their new purchase.
Unfortunately the trip to Gargrave meant my crew were unable to join the Tandem Club AGM happening at the Easter Rally – but I think collecting a new e-tandem is a good enough excuse!
As a faithful Captain, the “old git” checked Strava which officially recorded the ride as an e-bike ride. The detailed figures showing my dynamic crew tandemed a modest 10.5 miles with a moving time of 51 minutes. The average speed was 12.1 mph over the lumpy terrain. Elevation was 841 feet. The maximum speed was 34.4 mph and Team Matilda managed to burn up 797 calories and produce an average power output of 230 W.
As always the route is brought to life in our Relive 3D mapping video – so click here to view or on the image below.
Easter Sunday dawned and my dynamic crew’s first job was to remove e-Matilda from the bike rack – then fit all the panniers and gadgets like Captain’s Elemnt Roam on board computer. He even found a spot for my La Bouclée prosecco carrier for future picnics!
No ride on Sunday as my Stoker had a rather important event to attend – her daughter’s baby shower.
Heavy rain fell on Monday morning meaning my crew thought a ride on Easter Monday wasn’t going to happen with the forecast for a wet day. But mid morning the rain surprisingly stopped and my crew decided they would head out in the afternoon for their first pedal from home on e-Matilda.
The destination was Bridge of Earn as it is a hilly route and my dynamic crew wanted to test the battery assist. As it turned out, it was very windy so it really was a good test!
You can check out the details of our first pedal on new e-Matilda from home by clicking on the Strava map below.
My crew literally flew along on the outward leg, helped by a tail wind. It is a scenic country roads route thru Forteviot where there was a fab picture opportunity at the Cradle of Scotland- A Stone for Forteviot in the centre of the small village of Forteviot, which is an ancient Pictish capital of Scotland.
In no time we were at our destination of Bridge of Earn and dropped into a busy The Earn Coffee Shop for some welcome coffee and cake.
The return leg was obviously a bit tougher – given my crew’s lack of tandeming fitness – but the battery-assist was brilliant in helping to battle a ferocious 18mph headwind.
On return to Matildas Rest, The “old git” checked Strava which officially recorded the ride as an e-bike ride. The detailed figures showing my dynamic crew tandemed 27.7 miles with a moving time of 2 hours and 6 minutes. The average speed was a healthy 13.2 mph given the hilly, testing route. Elevation was 1,467 feet. The maximum speed was 31.1 mph and Team Matilda managed to burn up 1,649 calories and produce an average power output of 195 W.
As always the route is brought to life in our Relive 3D mapping video – so click here to view or on the image below.
The verdict of my dynamic crew – e-Matilda is just fantastic and is going to transform Team e-Matilda’s tandem experiences! So it is a huge thumbs up and both the “old git,” and especially the “old gal,” had huge smiles on their faces during the rides!
Team e-Matilda can’t wait to be back out in #tandem very soon. Here’s to the next blog!