This weekend I cycled up to Rheinsberg. I camped just outside the town of Rheinsberg in a little place called Lindow so I packed my tent, sleeping bag, thermarest, camp stove and pans plus food and clothing.
It was meant as a test of the Brompton's Touring ability and because the weather was nice.
The route I took was about 50 miles/ 75 Kilometres in each direction and in general the Brompton faired well. Some of the roads are in a pretty bad way out in the country (and in Berlin to be fair) and the cycle paths where they exist range from billiard table smooth to bumpier than a dirt track. The small wheels of the Brompton and the relatively short wheelbase make for a bumpy ride in places and being laden with kit didn't help.
As I don't have a rear rack most of my luggage was up front which didn't help either and contributed to me loosing the front end on a railway track that crosses the road (at a strange angle - not a level crossing) just outside Rheinsberg. One bent pedal, bruised knee and elbow later I was back on the road thinking harder about the benefits of even distribution of load on a touring bike.
I made a brief video of the trip..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef-jqneFuV4
Packed and ready for the off: Therma rest on the seat post, tent in front of the handle bars and everything else in the Brompton 'T' (Touring) bag
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| I saw plenty of mushrooms, snails (all over the cycle paths!?) and bees but no gnomes except in this brilliant mural |
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| In Kremmen there was a Village and Harvest Festival in full swing. Kremmen presents it self as a 'destination' for cyclists and motorcyclists and has some great little cafes and restaurants. |
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| Cyclists love ice cream! |
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| There were some interesting Motorbikes on display - this 1948 BMW... |
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| .. and this Kawasaki were two of my favourites. I believe this to be an early 1970's KH 250, this was 'Old' even when I first got interested in motorbikes and is now a bona fide classic, I think it has a 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine. |
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If I have ever seen so many pumpkins of such various shapes and sizes I cant remember when that was!
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| This old chaps town bike looked to be riding a fair bit smoother than the Brompton over the cobble and rough roads. Notice his old style cycling jacket and cap with feather combo. |
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| It's easy to see why the area attracts a lot of motorcyclists. |
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| The architecture of the churches in this area varies greatly but they all seem to have a very rustic quality about them. |
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| It is my personal belief that 99% of graffiti is absolute rubbish, a waste of perfectly good paint and an eyesore. Of course there are exceptions and sometimes even the badly applied can raise a smile. Be free be happy. |
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| Tent pitched, mosquito repellent applied and the stove on - boiling water to heat a 'Wayfairer' Chicken Casserole which was absolutely delicious after a long ride. |
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| A beautiful view from my tent of 'Grosser Rheinsberger See' (Rheinsberg Big Lake) |
Sunday Morning:
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| This is the strangest end to a cycle path that I have seen yet. Yep, without warning the path terminates at a public toilet. |
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| Sunday morning was grey and overcast and I caught a few rain showers on the way back. |
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Out in the country there are a lot of seemingly derelict warehouses, sheds and buildings of one kind and another - some with better graffiti than others.
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Overall despite the bent pedal, bruised knee and elbow and the tragic loss of my Zefal Spy mirror which must have shaken loose from the handle bars somewhere near Kremmen on the terribly rough roads, I had a great time. The area is very beautiful and the weather was brilliant at least on Saturday. I am not convinced that I would set off round the globe on the Brompton with full luggage but it was a enjoyable adventure nonetheless.
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