When the dredded error code comes up on your ebike display....

I was going out on the ebike nearly 10 days ago,switched on the power and jumped on but no surge of energy from the bike, I looked down at the display and there it was...ERROR 500. I tried every variation and combination of buttons I could, took out the battery, switched it off and on but no success. Needless to say every Trek dealer I phoned was either on holiday or fully booked for the next month. After scouring the internet that night I discovered four local-ish Bosch service dealers and by chance phoned one who wasn't too busy and could look at it in a couple of days. The upshot is the motor's goosed but still under warranty and Bosch have said they'll replace the motor in the next few days , so I hope to be reunited with my ebike by the middle of next week. In the meantime I've been biking on my non ebike, a Giant Anthem and discovering once again just how steep some of the climbs are up the Pentland Hills when you've no assistance to power you on, next week can't come quick enough!

This was taken on my last trip before the fault developed, I wouldn't like to try it unassisted any more!

The old faithful, at least it doesn't develop error codes!

Two guys Roger and I met today on their ebikes, envy didn't begin to describe how I felt!

Hopefully next week back aboard Ernie the ebike!!

It's waterproofs from now till spring by the look of it....and wellies!!

Out with Barrie on Wednesday afternoon and the tracks up the Pentlands were wet and greasy, waterproofs definitely the order of the day now

Out again the two of us on Friday and though it was dry there was a gale blowing higher up in the hills, that didn't stop us from looking for every available climb which would have been impossible without the e assistance.

The descent from the west end of Black Hill is always worthy of a picture especially on a clear sunny day

Barrie's still nervous about biking through the water crossing or maybe it was because he wasn't wearing his wellies like me!!

Out again this morning, Sunday, and a complete contrast to Friday with virtually no wind whatsoever as can be seen with this photo of Harlaw Reservoir.

The leg appears to holding up OK after just short of 100 miles of off road biking and nearly 10,000 feet of climbing this week, the forecast for next week looks like more of the same rubbish but the waterproofs have been washed and are ready and waiting!

How to keep your feet dry on an ebike....simple really!

How do you keep your feet dry normally when your walking through a wet muddy mess... you wear a pair of wellington boots or wellies as they're known in Scotland, where it's generally pretty muddy and wet so why not wear them on an ebike, seems logical so I tried them out!

Here we are pre muddy ride, pristine clean both wellies and waterproof trousers, note the trousers are over the top of the wellies!

Here we are halfway round a wet and very muddy 14 miler, the trouser are muddy but the legs and feet are bone dry and a hose down of the waterproof trousers when you're back to remove the worst of the mud and you're as good as new. This only works with flat pedals I haven't got round to getting spd wellies manufactured yet!!

The frustration of being injured and not able to do the biking you really want to do.....

Whatever went twang down the back of my leg last week as I tried to jump on to my bike crossing a footbridge over the Tweed in Peebles has certainly curtailed my riding since then. The first few days were purgatory and I hobbled about sort of sideways, but at least as the week wore on the pain subsided and I was able to go for an easy ride on Wednesday to try out the leg. The pain was still there but not excessive and I did another easy ride today, Friday, but the constant fear of the "twang" remains and I'll take it easy for another week at least, whats really annoying is the fact that Barrie and Dougie are at Glentress today having fun....and I'm not there!!!!

At least when I went out on Wednesday the weather was first class!

Not quite so pleasant this morning but at least I got a few miles in albeit not very exciting ones, never mind I've got my hopes up for next weekend, fingers crossed!!

Glentress is made for ebikes and yesterday conditions were perfect!

A short stop for a quick photo of the sunrise at the top of Janets Brae after a quick climb up it!

The beauty of going with another ebike is the fact you don't have to hang around waiting at the top of the climbs, its get and go right from the start!

Just look at that weather! We certainly hit it lucky yesterday, this was Barrie and me on our way along to "Mild Peril"

Barrie disappears down the start of Mild Peril 

The end of the climb known as "Redemption", which at one time would have had us nearly on our knees but is highly enjoyable on the ebikes, in fact yesterday every climb I did came up as a PR on Strava!!

After another long climb we were up to the mast and ready for the final descent back down to Peebles.

A brilliant days riding slightly marred by me tearing a calf muscle as I jumped on the bike too quickly whilst crossing the footbridge over the Tweed about 100 yards from our vehicles, that means no biking for a week at least and maybe longer, however I've lots of memories from yesterday to keep me occupied. The weather looks like its taking a turn for the worse again so maybe I wont miss too much!

Barrie's ebike is christened "The Blue Flash"!

What else could you call such a bonny looking bike, makes mine look like some pre-war model!

At least he gave me a little pedal on it just to whet my appetite for getting my Trek back which incidentally is getting a new frame under warranty so I'm looking forward to that!

A quick stop to puzzle out which is the most environmentally friendly means of travel, a horse or an ebike, hmmm, have to think about that...

A nonchalant looking Barrie who went one way on the winter loop while I went the other way on the non ebike, when we met up he'd done at least 5 miles more than me, but I've been assured my ebike will be back in my  hands by the end of next week, raring to go against "The Blue Flash"!!

My bike's in bike hospital and Barrie's making an assault on my Strava KOMs!

Barrie's Giant ebike sits at the top of Allermuir taunting me but at least I still hold the ebike KOM for the climb....but for how much longer?

Another photo to haunt or is it taunt me, this time at the top of Castlelaw up the infamous climb called the "Grunt" (for very good reasons) at least he had the decency to say it had been quite hard!

All I can do is wait until my bike returns with its problem main pivot bearing resolved, its been sent back to Trek so hopefully it should be fixed soon, until then it's going to be back on the acoustic....ouch!!!

Breaking news, Barrie set to join the ebike clan!

Barrie "admiring" my ebike after astonishing himself how easy it was to bike right to the top of the Kirk Road in the Pentland Hills, something that he's had to hike a bike the last 100 yards any time he's done it before! No sooner was he back home than he was on the internet looking for the best deal he could find and ended up ordering a GiantTrance E+2, It'll make mine look like an old Lada beside it!

This could possibly be the last photo of Barrie taken lagging behind me on a climb, Dougie, also in the picture beside Barrie remains to be convinced on the merits of an ebike however!

In the meantime I'm off on holiday for a week so its time to get Ernie, my ebike, into bike hospital for a bit of treatment to bearing thats gone wonky! 

Cant wait to come back and see Barries new bike!!!