New pictures Randonneur

Here are a few new pictures of the Randonneur. You know the drill, it's not finished yet. But we're getting there. Tomorrow I will do the last bits of welding and then I will wait for the lovely parts.
I decided to put the bottle cages under- instead of behind the seat. That has the big advantage that you can pull out bottles quicker without turning them around and that you can also put it back quicker, which will let you ride on faster as well. At first I was hesitant to do so because of the extra frontal surface this change would create, but after putting them on for a try I was convinced of the ergonomically advantage plus that they don't put on that much extra surface at all.
I also finished the fenders, but I didn't take a picture of them yet. That's something for later.

Training is good so far considering that I had a good cold last week. Actually, the cold was quite bad, but that sounds so negative.

Enjoy the pictures and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Such a sunny day...

 It's remarkable what a bit sun can do. These pictures look much better than the crappy one from yesterday. I was able to work a bit more on the frame until my Argon gas was finished. It always happens on the wrong moment. This forced me to already start with the fenders and I have to say that I am quite pleased with the outcome. I only show you these two teaser pictures to give you an idea, wait until you the the end results.
The handlebar is just put on to get an idea of the setting. I already have different setups in mind but I am also interested in what you guys would put on if it would be your bike. Tell me about your handlebar dreams! 

More next week, have a nice weekend!

Randonneur frame on wheels (mind you, it's little more than a mock up!)

I still have to do a lot of work on it, but this way you can get an idea where we're heading. Not the best picture, so look at it as another teaser.

Don't forget that the nice metallic white racing recumbent is still for sale! have a look in the last post for pictures.

Happy new year, racing prototype for sale and of course a brief training update

First of all I hope that you all arrived well and in one piece in 2016. I wish all of you a happy new year.

Now that we have arrived in a fresh and new year I thought that it is time to clean up the workshop. That is why I will sell my racing prototype which I have used in the end of last year to conquer the Afsluitdijk together with Mick and a lot of other cyclists for a fresh water project in Kameroen.
Have a look at their website to see what they do.

The bike is as good as new for it has barely ridden 100 km altogether.
Here are some facts:

• One of a kind bike
• hand made steel frame
• 2 x 7 gears easily up-gradable
• V-brakes front and rear
• Schwalbe Marathon Supreme front and rear
• Schwalbe tubes
• 26 inch Zac 19 aluminium wheels with Shimano Deore hubs, all black
• Aluminium racing cranks
• Aluminium stem
• Aluminium steering, black
• Alligt seat
• White metallic powder coating. (I know it looks a bit pink on the pictures, but it really is beautifully white)
• It has the secret Vrijwiel tool hiding place which I will show you during the test ride.
• Will be sold with normal pedals (so not the Looks) and without bike computer and rear view mirror!

"If it is such a nice bike, why do you want to sell it?" You might want to ask. Since I am building the Vrijwiel Randonneur and I still have the very first prototype in daily use and for my training I don't really need this bike. I would love to use it, but to be honest, I am more of a "fender and hub dynamo guy". It would be a pity to have this nice little racer sitting in the workshop where nobody can see it. So free it and take it out for a ride! You can ride away on it for only € 1800,00. 

Training is going well at the moment and also during the days between the years. I was on vacation for a few days so forgive me when I didn't cycle then, but for the rest I was able to make some kilometers. I did a test run on the 27th. I had to cycle 240 minutes so I tried if  can make the 100 km in that time. Unfortunately I didn't make it by 1 minute... but hey, I am OK with it. Last Sunday I rode 71 km in 160 minutes.
It seems as I will be even able to make my commuting kilometers again in the coming weeks. So Everything looks good here.

That's it for this week if you are interested in the bike just let me know.

Randonneur christmas teaser

As mentioned earlier this month I have decided that December isn't a very good month for exercising so I will not mention my kilometers from last week.
But December is also the month where the little elves are busy in the Vrijwiel workshop. And busy they should be, even though the Winterfietselfstedentocht is next year, it only takes 8 weeks until the race and I decided that it would be nice to once compete in a race with a tried and tested bike.
Since the holidays are about to begin I won't have all the 8 weeks to finish. And besides the frame there is so much more to do. Components have to be ordered, the bike needs some mad powder coating, it needs to be build up, tested, changed, tested again and then I would even like to train a bit with my new bike. So much to do so little time left.

If you want to support me on my quest you can participate in the Action "Help Vrijwiel through the winter!" where you can get enormous bargains on new Vrijwiel bikes. Please feel free to support. This way you can say that you where supporting Vrijwiel from the start, at least from the start of the year 2016 that is.

And for those of you who can't wait, for whatever reason, I have a teaser photo of the frame. Mind you, it's just a teaser, so the actual measurements will be a little different, but this way you can get an idea of what the Vrijwiel elves are busy with.

I wish all of you a merry Christmas and a happy new year 2016 with a lot of safe and fun kilometers!

second week of december

Last week I was able to cycle 132 km which is more than last week, but less than I was planning to do. And I'm afraid that the coming two weeks won't be very sportive either. I think it's in the month. December just isn't very fitting for intensive outdoor training. You have to meet friends and family in this weeks, you will eat a lot of good food and drink a lot of alcoholic beverages. Some people complain that December is such a busy month where in reality it is very lazy. I even heared somebody singing that it's the most wonderful time of the year. Let's just agree on the fact that December isn't as bad as a lot of people claim it to be but still isn't the best month to train.
So even though I was lazy in some ways, I was busy enough to prepare a little information stall for the local Christmas market. 

My main goal was to let people know about the brand Vrijwiel as you might see due to a little "sign overload". I got some positive reactions on it so I can book this experience as a good investment for the future. Yes, the bike on the table is the Vrijwiel MBB racing bike which still is a one off, so if you are interested, be quick before somebody else gets it.

Thanks for the informative and nice reactions on my question last week. This week I would like to know how you guys manage to train in December. I am very interested in your answers to this one. And please don't forget the action: "Help Vrijwiel through the winter", you can still get a lot off the price of a new bike. Just spread the word!

december training and christmas market

First of all, Vrijwiel will try out how it is to show bicycles on a Christmas market. For this experiment I didn't choose any market but the prestigious Christmas market of Kockengen. If you want to see recumbent bikes on a Christmas market, maybe for the first time ever, come to the Kockengen Christmas market on Friday 11th of december 2015.

So, how about the training? Last week wasn't my best week, in fact I only managed to train once and that was on Sunday. In total that makes up for a "whooping" 92km last week. My only excuse is that I was away for three days and that my bike didn't fit in the car anymore.
But if it is any good to you, I suffered on Sunday. Strong head winds and, living in the so called "green heart" of the Netherlands, 210 minutes of almost absolute boredom. I figured out that "green heart" must be a euphemism for "green hell" or "nothing here what so ever to look at or to stop the wind from blowing". If you have any idea how I can make these long rides between boring fields bearable, please let me know in the contacts. Tomorrow starts a new training week for me so share your wisdom, wish me luck and be thankful if you live in a place where there are things to actually look at in the countryside.