Our bikes, complete with their latest conversions, have had a good run out around the New Forest and have performed remarkably well. The only issue we had is that Moe had a puncture after the first day, despite having only recently swapped our tyres for the latest Continental anti-puncture versions.
Repeated new inner tubes all failed very quickly despite being unable to find any evidence of any objects damaging them. We *think* that because the inner tubes (and our spares) are all in excess of 15 years old that the rubber had become weakened with age and having bought a new one, this has remained inflated without issue…
The weather has been predominantly dry over the last few days but the temperatures remain un-seasonably cold. Our first ride out was a circular route from the campsite to Minstead, via Rhinefield Ornamental drive and returning through Emery Down.
The Fitbit didn’t record the entire journey, running out of battery whilst we “enjoyed” lunch at The Oak Inn, Bank, Lyndhurst.
Circular route to Minstead (part)
They seem to have taken the cost of living crisis to a new level, with no evidence of any ham in their ham sandwich. This was rectified but it was an expensive and not great experience.
“Vegetarian” ham sandwich at the Oak Inn
Sunday we cycled around the Eastern side of Brockenhurst, enjoying a picnic at the side of a railway bridge. Normally, such bridges have very tall sides as a deterrent for “jumpers”. This bridge seemed to have a wooden rail to more easily lean over the bridge and spot the trains. Remarkably, there were trains running!
Lunch on a Railway Bridge
And proof that we do run trains, occasionally…
New Forest Ponies, 2023
New Forest Ponies, New Forest 2023
Someone has a sense of humour in respect of this “carving” of Rudolph!
Rudolph in the Forest, 2023
Our route around the New Forest on Sunday.
Cycle ride East of Brockenhurst
Tuesday we cycled to the Sir Walter Tyrell, near to Rufus Stone where we met our friends for lunch. Great company, the food was good and the Abbott Ale nicely kept..
Our original bike conversions were a DIY project, back in 2018. Whilst they have served us well, the front hub drives have their limitations. They lack the power / torque, balance and grip offered by the mid-drive eBikes. They are also very heavy to lift on top of the Sorento and we hoped the new conversions would be a little easier to handle.
Regarding torque, the modern mid-drive motors have around twice the torque of the front wheel hub drives.
We wanted to upgrade both of our bikes to mid-drive motors and essentially I’d decided to go street legal again, this time with the Bafang BBS01b 250w mid-drive motor.
We wanted to preserve the battery system as my Dillenger battery pack is still in first rate condition and came with high quality Samsung cells. Moe’s battery pack had only just been replaced a year ago.
I’ll come on to the kit’s we ordered but for my bike, I needed to buy a new bottle battery holder. That’s because on the hub conversion, the controller electronics are part of the battery holder and the mid-drive motors require simply a battery with all the electronics encased in the main motor unit. I was able to source a new battery holder relatively easy at a cost of around £30 or £40.
For Moe, we wanted to replace the rear rack (which houses the battery unit) with a lightweight aluminium version. The original steel version makes her bike incredibly heavy and cumbersome – her bike was an absolute monster to lift on top of the car. This was more of a challenge but eventually I found something on eBay which looked compatible, of very light aluminium construction but with a price tag just shy of £60.
The kits were ordered from an Internet company called Custom Built eBikes. I was originally planning on fitting these myself but I noticed a special offer on their website of £129 for installation of their kit. I though that was good value and whilst researching a bit more, realised the company is a short distance from us near to Exeter airport.
Their normal business model is to collect your bike, convert and then re-deliver but not surprisingly, this incurs some fairly heft delivery charges.
In this instance we were able to deliver and collect the bikes ourselves. No special tools to buy, plus they had some difficulties removing the bottom bracket which would have presented me with a challenge. On one of the installs the motor was dead so they had replaced that before we collected.
Here are some after pictures of our two bikes.
Specialized Cross Trail elite with Bafang mid-drive
Specialized Cross Trail elite with Bafang mid-drive
Marin Kentfield (vintage 2009) with Bafang conversion
Marin Kentfield (vintage 2009) with Bafang conversion
Display unit for the Bafang
The Conversion – Custom Built E-Bikes, Exeter
What about the conversion company? They were excellent. We wanted a quick turnaround which was a little beyond what they would normally commit to but they delivered both bikes on a tight timeframe. Despite one of the motors failing during installation.
One of our chains was stretched so they replaced this, again at a reasonable cost.
Communication was brilliant and all-in-all great value.
Weight
Moe’s bike is so much lighter and better balanced. It’s now the easy-one to lift on top of the car. The weight of mine is similar but much better balanced.
Power / Torque
Just a different world. Because the motor is driving the front chain cog, the speed and torque is reflected through the rear gears. It takes a bit of getting used to compared to the basic hub drive but the results are superb.
Other
What you do lose with a mid-drive motor is the high range of gearing. This is particularly noticeable on my 2009 Cross Trail because as an older bike, it only has 9 gears at the rear. The front chain reels previously had 28 – 38 – 48 teeth on each cog. The Bafang chain reel we chose has 44 teeth. This is fine when cycling normal hills with electricity but without electric, the really low gears just aren’t available any more and this is less than ideal.
There is a special Leckie ring which will take the front cog down to 40 teeth but this is expensive and requires a modified Bafang motor case cover.
There is also the option of fitting a 10 or 11 cog cassette to the rear but this will also require a new derailleur and shifter. I might just push the button on this change…
Our original bikes, purchased in 2009 (one Marin Kentfield and a Specialized Crosstrail elite), were converted to electric some years ago. We decided this year, on our return from Spain, that we would have the electric hub wheels replaced with Bafang mid-drive motors. I’ll post a blog entry over the next few days with more details but this trip to the New Forest is the first trial of the new setup.
I’d already cycled around Brockenhurst yesterday and today Moe and I headed into the town for provisions. The mid-drive motors performed extremely well. They have a lot more torque than the front hub drive wheels and the entire setup feels a lot more balanced.
First stop was the butchers in Brockenhurst.
Village Butchers, Brockenhurst, May 2023
Village Butchers, Brockenhurst, May 2023
The butcher made up some chicken kebabs, Chinese style and we left with a selection of artisan sausages and some venison burgers. We can highly recommend the establishment.
Meanwhile, the Forest is teaming with livestock and the fruits of spring.
We arrived at Black Knowl following a 3.5 hour drive from East Devon. We managed to avoid the massive East Devon and wider South West floods which arrived in the late afternoon, turning streets into rivers and causing many main roads to be impassable.
The weather in the New Forest is looking typically English over the next week or so. Temperatures below average and rather unsettled.
Despite the forecast of rain post arrival, the day remained predominantly dry and we had set everything up on our serviced pitch after just over two hours.
In the evening we ate at the Snakecatcher in Brockenhurst and spotted this herd of deer close to the caravan site.
We are on-board the Brittany Ferries flagship ro-ro ferry ship “Santona”. Powered by Liquid Natural Gas. We were first to board which is great but our location on Deck 5 is such that we will need to travel a full circle of the boat before disembarkation, so it looks like we may be one of the last off tomorrow evening.
We did though, manage to bag ourselves a couple of Commodore Club lounge tickets which I think means free food and drink for the duration of the journey. Expensive at 49 Euros each but very comfortable. Passes for this lounge are also included with a certain class of ticket but there were none available when we booked our crossings. We were also first into the lounge and have just the best window seats.
Prior to our arrival at Santander, we spent two nights at Camping El Astral in Tordesillas before a 4 hour drive to Camping Virgen del Mar, close to Santander.
We also ate at the restaurant at El Astral which we would highly recommend.
Some pictures from El Astral and Tordesillas.
And a few pictures from our overnight stop at Santander.
Day 85 and soon our enforced allocation of 90 days in the EU will have expired. Just as the weather is starting to get very warm with the last few daytime highs around the mid 20s and very pleasant to sit outside during the evening.
We had an early start today and were on the road at precisely 08:00. We had a number of options for a stopover site – Camping Arco Iris or Aranjeuz or Riaza in the Madrid area but in the end we drove all the way to Camping El Astral in Tordesillas, a distance of 405 miles and an elapsed time of 8.5 hours which included a pause for lunch and one other stop. Traffic was light until we arrived at the metropolis of Madrid.
We will stay two nights here and then find a site in Santander for Tuesday night, in preparation for our ferry crossing on Wednesday.
Our journey so far…
Eurotrip 10, 2023 – Trip Summary as of 12th March 2023
La Manga is close to Murcia and after its urbanization in the second half of the twentieth century, is now a large and significant tourist centre. It has more than 3000 hours of sunshine per year with an average temperature of 18C.
It belongs to the municipalities of Cartagena in its southern part and San Javier in its northern part.
The coastal cord of La Manga forms a tongue of land that is 21 km long and extends from Cabo de Palos to the Salinas and Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar. With a width between 100 and 1200m it partially separates the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor.
To the west of this tongue of land is the Mar Menor, a salt water lagoon connected by channels, through which the water is exchanged with the Mediterranean Sea that is to the east. The central connection (El Estacio) is an artificial extension and provides access to the marina.
Today we set off on the bikes to Cabo de Palos which is at the nearest end to Cartagena of the La Manga spit. The entire journey was mainly on cycle tracks and gravel roads. We visited the lighthouse there which was first lit in January 1865. The lighthouse features a large pedestal and can be seen from a distance of 24 miles away.
Cycle ride to Cabo de Palos, Spain, 2023
Thursday and we decided to cycle to the far end of the La Manga spit of land. This was disappointing. Tower block upon tower block and the entire strip was close to deserted. We did manage to find somewhere to have a spot of lunch and a three course menu of the day for 12 Euros each. I’m sure that some of the dishes which arrived were not what we ordered but who knows. This is Spain.
Cycle ride to the end of La Manga, Spain 2023
I can only imagine what this place must be like in the summer months and frankly, we wouldn’t want to experience it! It was a nice cycle ride, despite the architecture…
Today we headed West to Mazarron. Our first stop was the mines of Mazarron.
Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
The special deposits formed in this area were created by the eruption of two volcanoes, creating deposits that were mined first by the Romans, then a succession of cultures right up to present day. Mining created the vast wealth that lead to the explosion of housing in Cartagena and the up market villas of the wealthy in Alhama de Murcia, as well as providing employment for centuries in this area.
Many of the abandoned buildings have now fallen into disrepair.
Abandoned Buildings at the Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
Abandoned Buildings at the Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
Abandoned Buildings at the Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
The Romans mined this area extensively, creating more than 200 mines for iron, 100 for lead and silver, 5 for copper and 2 for alum. This last one was the most popular, and was much appreciated for fixing colours in the tanning process and in glass making. Most of the mines are situated in the Sierra de San Cristobal, at 186 meters. Around the mines are the remains of chimneys, the mine buildings, the mini castellated turrets, which were used up until the 1950s.
Mine workings of Mazarron, Spain 2023
Deep well at the Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
Liftshaft at the Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
Abandoned Buildings at the Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
The countryside all around glows with a multitude of colours, due to the sulphurs of the extracted minerals and the waste generated in the extraction process. Also there is an extensive vein of red ochre, in the centre of which is the old factory which made alums and ochres, of its time, the only one in Spain.
Landscape at the Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
Mines of Mazarron, Spain 2023
* * * * * *
We ate lunch by the sea and in the afternoon visited the Bateria de Casillitos at Cabo Tiñoso. These two battery emplacements are well worth the visit along the hair-raising mountain-hugging roads. It takes a long time to travel the last 5 to 10 kms. They are a great place to take visitors, offering stunning views, interesting architecture and fabulous great guns.
View from the mountains near Bateria de Castillitos, Spain 2023
Bateria de Castillitos, Spain 2023
Bateria de Jorel in the distance, Spain 2023
They were constructed between 1926 and 1933 as part of a sophisticated defence network which aimed to protect Cartagena and its important military arsenal.
Forty-four elements covered every angle of attack and batteries were constructed in a ring which encircled Cartagena and cut along the coast as part of the Plan de Defensa of 1926.
The location of Cabo Tiñoso was chosen because of its strategic location, 218 metres above the sea on a rocky cliff with easily defendable access. The Vickers guns were made in the UK and at the time were the best in the world for anti-shipping defence.
There were two different batteries at Cabo Tiñoso. La Bateria de Jorel, which houses three 1923 model Vickers 152.4mm, 45 calibre anti-shipping guns, and the Bateria de Castillitos which has the enormous Vickers 381mm guns still in place, measuring 17m in length, capable of firing a projectile weighing a ton over a distance of 35km.
Vickers 381mm guns at Bateria de Castillitos, Spain 2023
Vickers 381mm guns at Bateria de Castillitos, Spain 2023
Part of the excitement of visiting the batteries is that these guns are still in-situ. The buildings have been tidied-up to some extent over recent years although the site wouldn’t pass muster with English Health and Safety! If you have kids, keep a close eye on them as there are many un-guarded drops and many of the buildings and maze of passageways are open to the public.
The big guns of Castillitos were only ever fired once in action against Nationalist forces in April 1937, but the knowledge of the havoc they could wreak was enough of a deterrent to ensure they were not required in further combat.
Tomorrow we had planned to visit Camping Pueblo Blanco in Olvera and explore the via verde which snakes past the largest griffin vulture colony in Europe – but the weather forecast is for a week of rain.
In the other direction, (towards Murcia / Alicante), the forecast is showing no signs of precipitation and the daytime highs should figure in the mid-20s.
We chatted with a few people about options and booked a pitch at Camping Capfun at La Manga. This is refuted to be one of the largest campsites in Europe and everyone says we won’t like it…
We booked online and it took an age for the confirmation to appear, despite repeated phone calls to the site. When we arrived earlier today we were assigned a pitch which was already in use. Groan. In the end we chose one on the edge of the site, just 5 minutes walk from the beach and the bar / restaurant. It’s a big plot, fully serviced with some great views so things definitely turning positive at the moment.
Question is, how will we feel in a weeks time!
Pitch 130, Sector PQ, Camping La Manga, Spain 2023
View from pitch 130, Sector PQ, Camping La Manga, Spain 2023
