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My review's slightly out of date - there's a new version (same name etc), with the only difference being the USB cable is now permanently wired into the main light unit, rather than via a plug.

This rather knackers it for recumbents (the wire won't reach the handlebars and you can't add an extension any more), but probably improves life for uprights as the water ingress issue some people experienced will go away.

Very good light, but it is big...

My report here, albeit on a recumbent rather than an upright: http://www.darkerside.org/2013/08/lel2013-ride-report/

Like Ed, also managed to oversleep, although at Market Rasen not Brampton. Made the next control with 25 minutes in hand after a bit of a sprint stage...

Aha, knew there would be a thread somewhere. I'm L22 starting a bit earlier (white highracer recumbent, blue tailbag, black cap with white stripe).

To get my head around the route I ended up writing a TdF-stylee stage preview job last night. Elevation profile might be handy if you're not a GPS person:

http://www.darkerside.org/2013/07/london-edinburgh-london-2013-stage-preview/

I'm laughably underprepared for this...

As always with anything the EEN writes, don't read the comments.

Hopefully enough noise about this that the sentence will be looked at again.

As a thought, what made you rule out a more normal bike and a trailer? Cargo bikes tend to have all sorts of expensive and unique parts, whereas you could knock up a DIY trailer pretty easily and cheaply (variety of plans on google) and hitch it up to a beater.

I'd have thought for kitchen stuff the trailer would work particularly well as you've got a big flat low space for heavy stuff like stoves.

Ideas -> http://www.carryfreedom.com/custom.html

I would definitely go for some kind of enclosed cage device, even if it's just chickenwire and a lightweight frame...

Jo - if you are thinking of a Y-frame Dave has written loads on what you can do with it. Versatile little beast.

http://mccraw.co.uk/tag/carry-freedom-y-frame/

Makes my trundles with the glass recycling look a bit tame.

Think Uberuce on the citycyclingedinburgh forum managed pretty well with a standard dog cage thing lashed to a carry freedom y-frame.

http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9252

Y-frames are good all-round trailers anyway - recommended

On the other hand, I've got a Y-frame I haul around with a Kona Sutra, and I only ever change down uphill when I'm feeling lazy. I reckon you could manage SS if you were geared low and didn't have any long uphill grinds around. The momentum tends to punch you most of the way up short, sharp stuff, and it's a light trailer anyway.

Harold - recumbent trike or upright? Definitely agree with gears on laid down stuff, but then you haven't got the option of putting your body weight through the pedals.

Probably wouldn't bother with that hat, mind.

Right. I have it. I'm on a similar thing to the three-wheeler at the front of this pack.

Probably with bigger wheels all round. Massive spoke count, solid rubber tyres, elephant gun strapped to the tube supporting the front wheel. Jobs a good 'un.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Bicycling-ca1887-bigwheelers.jpg

Can we clarify the starting rules? Do we know that Doom Is Coming, and can therefore spend some time getting the perfect steed together?

If so, I'm shifting to a custom trike with massive penny-farthing sized wheels. Plenty of carrying space for supplies, transmission will be set up to utilise car fan belts (which google informs me are pretty long), and my big wheels will reduce the risk of damage from the dodgy road surfaces.

I admit that the rims are vulnerable, but I reckon they'd last longer than me going at a pretty slow pace. As said above, slow and steady is the key.

I reckon you'd have to be belt drive, to enable you to scavenge stuff from cars. No faff with oil, and allows silent running to avoid the, er, zombies.

(optimistically hopes that fan belts are suitable for bikes, without any knowledge whatsoever...)

The little things on foils (#57 and 78) are International Moths. Go. Youtube them.

Might have to weigh in here.

I ride a Fuego low racer every day in central Glasgow and on open county roads. I've never had a problem with not being seen - it's a massively visible, unusual vehicle that stands out in drivers' eyes. Yeah, if you filter you can be tricky to spot, but you learn that pretty quick and adjust your riding style to suit.

Leading with your feet is also a huge safety boost. They only incident I've had is a head on slow speed job with a BMW jumping a red light (deliciously ironic...). Pedal lodged in his bumper, but certainly better than pitching over the bonnet into the windscreen.

I'm aware I'm grumbling at the messenger here. Stroppy email time methinks.

Not so easily - wing mirror is there for that. And normally I'd stay wide, but if someone decides they absolutely must pass now and then cuts me up, I'm always going to try and dodge them.

Yeah... My best near-dooring was last year. Wide out from parked cars and shifting along, when a bus passed pretty close. Moved in for spacing, only for a parked van ahead to throw his door wide open.

Gets more exciting as I'm on a lowracer recumbent, so the bottom of his door was about neck height. Cue hauling on the brakes, locking up both wheels, and a beautiful skid to stop about two feet short of the door.

We exchanged views.

@French Touch - can sympathise. Used to do the Eglington Rd stretch into town daily, but I was passing at 6am and whilst the roadworks were on, so it was never quite so bad.

As bitrunner said, can you bump across just after the petrol garage and join Victoria Rd? Surface is crap, but there's a bus lane all the way in and you haven't got that dodgy 'move right to go straight on'. It's my current route in (on an orange recumbent...)

Put my thoughts here, but I similarly can't understand how that is 'accidental death'. I'd always assuming (and hoped) that the offence was pretty cut and dry.

I'll be cycling even wider away from parked cars on the way home tonight.

RIP James

I've got a magicshine rear light under the seat*, angled slightly down to illuminate the entire rear wheel, mech and frame. Brilliant rear and side visibility in one go.

• recumbent...
  

Go on then...

Was struck head on last night by a BMW in Glasgow. All slow speed stuff, but still not pleasant. Details are fairly tedious, but I've got a statement from a lovely witness in the car behind who saw me moving off with the green light at a crossroads, only to be hit by a car crossing the junction and turning into my road.

The 'bent has survived relatively unscathed. There's a definite benefit to being directly in line with the point of impact and having that point be your feet, rather than being pitched over the front wheel for some bonnet/face interaction. Few more details here.

yacf have an active recumbent forum, as do cyclechat and velovision. Failing that secondhand stuff north of the border is often available through Laid Back bikes and a number of other 'specialised retailers'.

For deciding what you want, Dave McCraw has an ever-expanding collection of reviews of the quicker end of the European recumbent market, whilst I have a load of information specific to the Nazca Fuego at www.darkerside.org.

Go for it. The future's low down...

Further info from the Cycling Lawyer blog

http://thecyclingsilk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/british-cycling-calls-on-lord.html

All UK air ambulances are charities, relying on corporate and public sponsorship to keep flying, which in turn relies partly on the aircraft looking professional.

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