Back on 2 wheels - first impressions

 Well after a 4 month wait due to international supply chain problems, I'm back on 2 wheels of the powered variety (sort of!).  I picked up my Giant Talon e+1 mountain bike a couple of days ago and have spent a few hours getting used to it.  Already, there have been various learnings, some unexpected; so I thought it would be worthwhile documenting some of them from the viewpoint of a complete newbie.

The 2022 Giant Talon e+1 mountain bike

Why an e-bike and why a mountain bike?

I already have a 30 year old Diamondback mountain bike which was purchased for road riding before retirement and way before moving to the Coromandel Peninsula.  In our area, there's very little flat terrain which makes it hard on a 74 year old body with pedal power alone.  Also, there are some fantastic mountain biking trails on the Peninsula, both of the family scenic flattish gravel type and and proper graded MTB trails of varying skill level requirements.  After lots of reading and watching YouTube videos, it appeared that an e-MTB offered the best "fit for purpose" option.  The Talon e+1 offered a good specification against what I was happy to pay (~NZD 4400/USD 2700/AUD 3970/GBP 2280).  I bought the bike from a family business in a nearby town (The Bike Man, Whitianga) because they have a well-deserved reputation for great service.  Sure enough, they threw in a brand new helmet and a quality adjustable stand as part of the deal.  Unexpected and very generous. 

Some of the features

I'm not about to get all nerdy and trot out all the specifications, just the things which caught my interest as a complete beginner.  It's easy to find full details on the internet.  Firstly, it's an alloy frame and even with the lump of a battery, the weight isn't too bad at all.  It has a 500Wh battery, ensuring a decent range.  Giant claim that in the eco mode, it could deliver around 150 km on a single charge.  A balls-out challenging MTB course will drop it down to 50-60km.  The powerplant is made by Yamaha with a 10 speed rear cluster - that's good enough for me!

Yamaha hub drive

The controller has a colour TFT display, new on the 2022 model.  As well as the normal speed and distance data, battery state etc, there are various power modes which can be selected on the move.  The default is Smart Assist which basically measures the effort a rider is putting in at any given time and uses an algorithm to supply the ideal power delivery.  It also has walk assist, presumably to help if you need to dismount and push the bike any distance.  You can also link it to a phone app for monitoring other data such as heart rate etc.  Something for another time, methinks. 

Controller with colour TFT display

The bike has a solid rear end but fully adjustable 100mm travel front forks in terms of preload and rebound rate.

Fork adjusters for preload and damping

There are heaps of other features but they currently mean little or nothing to me as a newbie and possibly nothing later in ownership either.  I chose to go for conventional pedals as with stuffed knees, I have no desire to be cleated onto the bike during a mishap!

First impressions

In terms of frame size, I chose a Medium.  At 170cm (5'7"), I was on the crossover between small and medium.  Like off-road motorcycles, MTB's are quite tall and with the correct seat height, I can't touch the ground whilst the bike is vertical. This lead to a certain amount of embarrassment on the first ride when I rode round to show a mate.  My technique for coming to a stop was found wanting and I ended up sitting in his driveway with the bike on top of me.  No damage apart from ego.  Like mates everywhere, he laughed long and loud - bastard!  I've since developed a better dismount technique which works just fine.

So far, I've tried Eco Mode and it works fine by providing a minimal level of assistance.  Probably ideal for longer flat riding.  I haven't tried Tour, Active or Sport Modes yet.  The default Smart Assist is great, providing as much or as little power as required.  We have a steep concrete drive around 50 metres long. In bottom gear with Smart Assist, climbing it is fine.  I did have one anxious moment riding over a green patch which the sun doesn't reach in winter where wheelspin actually set in.  Fortunately, it quickly gripped again so there were no ungainly dismounts.  First time out, I walked the bike downhill to the bottom of our drive as I wasn't sure how the disc brakes would perform in those conditions.  I remember an incident on my old MTB with caliper brakes where I applied a bit too much front brake and had the rear end come a long way off the ground.  Not to be repeated.  Just like motorcycle disc brakes, they improve with use and towards the end of the first day, they were noticeably more powerful and progressive.  No problem riding down the drive now!

In terms of ergonomics, the bike feels pretty good.  My wrists ache a bit after about an hour of continuous riding, as does my butt but neither are show stoppers.  I've still got to fully adjust seat height and position but it may simply be a case of putting in the hours and getting used to it.  Easing the fork preload might help too.

The manuals which come with the bike are surprisingly light on the level of detail I was expecting both as a professional engineer and motorcyclist.  I'll be spending a bit more time researching on the internet and building practical experience.  Maybe it's just me.  Jennie would say it's definitely just me, sigh.....

Outside a 100 year old working gold ore stamper battery in Coromandel Town

The large wooden overshot water wheel at the gold stamper

A big climb from sea level

In summary, I'm delighted with the purchase and it ticks all the boxes in terms of both road riding and modest off-road trails, which is all I want.  Perfect for staying fit as long as there aren't too many face plants and cycling will definitely be kind to my damaged knees.

Recent early winter weather in NZ has been mild in our area but the rainfall has been biblical, accompanied by very high winds.  This has meant that our classic MGB GT has stayed in the shed.  On its last outing, the rear SU HIF carburettor was overflowing slightly and a cursory inspection didn't reveal the problem .  Because of the weather and as the carbs hadn't been serviced at the time the previous owner restored the car in 2018, I decided to have them inspected by an Auckland MG specialist.  He reported back that there was considerable wear so I asked for a full restoration for peace of mind, particularly as we live out in the countryside.  The cost was NZD 1044/AUD 941/USD 650/GBP 541.  Didn't think that this was too bad for a full restoration.  All that remains is to put the carbs back on and tune them in anticipation of better weather.  Plenty to keep this retiree busy!

MGB GT and mussel harvesting boat at the town wharf

Not quite a waste of two weeks!

Spring has sprung in NZ, lots of sunshine, temperatures in the mid-20's C and as the saying goes, a young man's thoughts turn to love. For ummm... more "mature" gentlemen such as me, such thoughts are not entirely consigned to history but the beautiful weather also promotes thoughts about motorcycle riding and taking the boat out with Jennie to go fishing.  The last outing 3 weeks ago ended up with her having bragging rights (again) for catching more than me but at least I get to share in the bounty, even though less than subtle mickey-taking has to be endured.  

Thankfully keeping the smug grin off her face

After fishing, the plan was to get in plenty of riding but that turned to custard big time. There's an area of our garden that's a bit of a jungle.  It's on a slope and the clay soil can be extremely slippery .  We got stuck in and cut back masses of foliage.  The next stage was to get one of the many local tradespeople in to build about 10 metres of steps in the sloping area to make it safer and more accessible, and then replant it with all sorts of sub-tropical shrubbery.

Now I don't know how the rest of the world goes about getting hold of a tradesperson but in our area, it's bloody nigh-on impossible, despite their numerous advertisements in the local newspaper and community website.  This is how it goes on the phone.  Me:  Hi, are you interested in building me a 10 metre run of steps in our garden?  Tradie:  Yep, a bit busy right now but how about I pop round in a couple of days to see what's involved?  Me:  Fantastic, see you then.   You probably know what's coming next, don't you?  A complete no-show, repeated multiple times.  Lots of rude words said.

In fairness, the tradies round this way have excellent trade skills but their customer relationship building is shit (a technical term).  Their liaison skills are sadly lacking, probably because they have so much work that they've never had to get their act together.  We desperately wanted to get the job done to tidy up the place before Christmas so the only alternative was to forego all the fun stuff and do it myself.  I've never built steps before and terrain angle changes were an additional complication.  However, I'm good at maths and some calculations aided by building guides on an NZ website (Thanks, Mitre 10) saw me make a start on the project.

Area cleared of shrubbery and string lines laid out

I should add at this point that humping heavy lengths of timber around in hot conditions isn't kind to a 73 year old body.  Every evening saw me sprawled on the couch watching TV or more accurately, drifting in and out of conciousness and completely missing what was being shown on the goggle-box.  The other problem was mosquitoes.  It's not normally an issue but in that area, they were really keen to make life a misery.  I swear that the first repellent found in the bathroom cupboard was an attractant and it did no good at all.  Another brand was discovered after several days and I must say that it worked well.  Lord knows what it does to the human body though as it smelt like effluent from a chemical plant.

Lots of careful measuring and the use of string lines and a builder's level saw the steps starting to take shape and the result was rather pleasing.

Emerging from the undergrowth

Not bad if I do say so!

Fatigue put a dent in my organisational skills on a daily basis.  Lost count of the number of times that a critical tool or even a humble pencil was at the top of the steps when it was needed at the bottom or vice versa.  The percentage of time traversing the steps as opposed to doing something productive wouldn't have looked good if it had been charted, especially as productivity improvement is how I earned a crust for many years, sigh....  After getting into the swing of things and fixing the bearers in place, I could reckon on about an hour per step, what with all the measuring, cutting and nailing in place.  There were LOTS of steps - paid not to think about them.

I did have a supervisor for much of the time though - Sam, our rescue cat.  Every day, he was there squeaking encouragement or more likely telling me to pull finger.  He also enjoyed chasing the local lizard population when I disturbed them from under fallen leaves.

Sam, the civil engineering supervisor.  Not looking happy with the lack of progress

Every time there was a change in the slope or slight change in direction to miss treasured tree ferns, it meant more geometry to ensure that the steps remained horizontal.  I'm sure that tradies don't do it this way but it seemed to work ok for me.

Steps, steps and even more steps, plus the beginnings of a path

Starting to look quite professional

Finished the job two days ago and was agreeably surprised at how good the steps look.  There's still a path among the greenery to put in but we haven't yet decided whether it's going to be pre-cast slabs, natural stone or gravel.  No great urgency to make a decision on that.  Next step is to fill the cleared areas with exotic plants before the heat and drier weather really sets in.  We've already planted two bright pink hybridised versions of the NZ Cabbage Tree, Cordyline Australis; as per the photo below.  They should look great as they grow.

Cordyline Australis  Pink Passion

Part of the "jungle" now reclaimed as a shade garden and planted with bromeliads, hosta and other stuff, plus a good layer of bark mulch.  Should look good in a couple of years.

Looking a lot better than it previously did!

As the title of the post says, not quite a waste of two weeks but there are things which would have given a lot more pleasure.  However, the end result was satisfying and it did save on labour costs.  Not sure that I'd be keen to repeat the exercise though.

A final bit about motorcycling....

I took a half day break just before project completion to have a haircut.  The cut doesn't take that long you understand but I get it cut in a neighbouring town with 50 km of dream twisty motorcycling coast road in between.  Having not ridden for over 3 weeks, it was a traffic-free relaxed, chilled ride in both directions, or so I thought until noticing the back tyre.

Oops!  Michelin Road 5 put to good use

I'm sure that everyone who's ridden a motorcycle has set out to have a brisk ride and has ended up riding like a completely uncoordinated muppet.  Then there are the occasions when the rider is relaxed and has an absolute blinder without putting in any apparent effort.  This ride was in the latter category.  It's all in the top 3 inches!

 

Tyres and other stuff

It's been a busy few days for this old fella!  Last Sunday saw an IAM ride in wet and often torrential conditions.  Not the most enjoyable environment but it's good practice riding in adverse conditions whilst making progress to keep us sharp.  Tony, one of our Trainee Observers (mentors) is getting to the pointy end of his training so getting him and a new Associate out in challenging conditions keeps everyone honest.

Yours truly from Tony's Go Pro - rain, rain go away......

The ride went surprisingly well with no anxious moments and all our rain gear did its job with no leaks.  I gave my Cordura gear a wash recently with Nikwax Tech Wash and TX.Direct Wash-in and those two products do a great job of rejuvenating riding gear.  I've used Tech Wash previously on hiking jackets etc but never previously used the two products in combination.  Don't know how long it will last but extremely impressed.

Great for Cordura/Gore-Tex-type riding gear

Tony (Yamaha Tracer) and Jim (Honda ST 1300) at the coffee stop

On Tuesday, it was an early start to the city of Hamilton 160 km away for a routine service and new tyres.  The last 2 sets of tyres on the Suzuki have been Metzler Roadtec 01's.  On both occasions, useful life has been about 11,000 km.  Whilst there is still some reasonable tread left on both tyres, the front 01 goes out of shape and the bike tends to drop in rather than roll into tight corners.  False economy to wring every last km out of such critical bits of equipment so both always get changed at the same time.

Metzler Roadtec 01 front tyre at ~11000 km

Metzler Roadtec 01 rear tyre at ~11000 km - kept its shape quite well

Even with the front tyre going out of shape, they're a superb tyre and grip well in all conditions from torrential rain to a trackday in hot conditions.  I would have happily replaced them with an identical set but more on that in a minute.

Arriving at Boyd Motorcycles, they were waiting for me and the bike was whisked off into the service bay pretty much as soon as I got off it.  Great staff who try and get me back on the road as soon as possible as they know it's just over 2 hours to get home.  Only had time for a quick peek in their showroom as a friend was picking me up rather than hanging about at the dealer,  However, I liked the BMW R9T cafe racer in the photo below.  Not sure how comfortable it would be on a long haul though.

BMW R9 Cafe Racer in the foreground

The service and new tyres took about 4 hours which was pretty good.  The replacements are the new Michelin Road 5's, the successor to the PR3's and 4's which I've previously used on various bikes and liked; especially wet weather performance.  The switch away from the Metzlers is pure curiosity.

Having been been released relatively recently, the pricing is still pretty sharp, presumably to gain market share.  There's a host of technical differences compared with both their predecessors as well as the Roadtec 01.  The most obvious visual difference is that the design more resembles their pure sport tyres than the PR3's and 4's with a high crown and a tread pattern which stops a long way short of the tyre edge - see below.

Michelin Road 5 front tyre

Michelin Road 5 rear tyre

Preliminary magazine road tests suggest that it's a superb all round sport touring tyre and outstanding in the wet.  This is somewhat comforting because that lack of tread out towards the edge is a slight worry.  I just hope that the design brief to the French engineers wasn't " Nobody leans a bike zat far in ze wet, so no tread is needed.  If anyone does, well, merde......".  Well I do, given half a chance so "merde" indeed!  I'm sure that the compound  takes care of that problem (he says hopefully).

Although the Suzuki came with 50 profile tyres, I've gone for 55 profile again for quicker turn-in and a bigger contact patch when leaned over.  Michelin's marketing department are a bit vague on expected tyre life compared with its predecessors but from experience, they speak with forked tongue anyway.  The claim was that PR4's lasted 20% longer than PR3's but from personal experience, there was absolutely no difference.

It's far too early to make any objective comments about performance, not wanting to skate along on my arse on the delivery trip home.  That will have to wait until they are properly scrubbed in.  If they are as good as the Metzler 01's, last for a minimum of 10,000 km and are trustworthy at pace in the wet, I'll be a happy camper!

The ride home was one of those which are truly good for the soul.  No time constraints, beautifully warm and because it was late afternoon, very little traffic on the road.  New tyres meant not treating the road like a personal race track whch meant that I could chill and enjoy the spectacular views along 50 km of coast road.  Arriving in Coromandel at sunset, I pulled up at the wharf which is just a few hundred metres from our home on the ridge in the following photo.

 Sunset on Coromandel town wharf

Aren't days like this what we live for?  Good for the soul indeed and out fishing in the boat tomorrow.  This retirement business isn't too bad at all!

Not about bikes, but way cool - Ford Model A's

Just got back from drooling in our village centre.  The Model A Ford Club of NZ are holding their annual rally on the Coromandel Peninsula where I live and today, they all descended on Coromandel Town (pop 1600!) for a photo shoot.  It's one of those events where you can't keep the smile off your face as not only did the participants dress up in period clothing, many of the locals did too!  Coromandel town came to prominence in the 1800's gold boom and has retained a lot of its character so the venue was particularly fitting.

Here are some photos hot off the press!

The rally plate

Swap your MX5 honey?

Great atmosphere!

Our local butcher Shane entering into the spirit of things

- he's a keen motorcyclist too!

Bakery truck

 A morning snack off the back of the pickup!

No, this isn't Coromandel's main fire truck!!!

A modern pop-top caravan mounted on the deck

Period gear and refreshments - wonderful!

The only non-pristine A and it looks fantastic

Here 'tis again

A very small percentage of the total!

They're just everywhere

Awww.....

 

That's craftmanship!

Beautiful woody

The iconic Star and Garter with Moonshine truck

Star and Garter pickup of slightly later vintage

The owners are keen motorcyclists too

I'm constantly amazed at the sheer number of vintage cars, bikes and planes in NZ considering that there are only 4 million of us.  Must try and uphold the tradition with a bit of expenditure on something vintage (subject to Executive Permission of course)!

Hope that you've enjoyed this unplanned post....