One week before leaving for the UK, something happened that nearly meant me cancelling the whole trip.
I had to slam the brakes to avoid a pedestrian who stepped onto the road without looking. It was at low speed, and thankfully no one was hurt. But the TWIKE didn’t come out of it unscathed.
After stopping, something felt off immediately. There was no resistance in the brakes, the rear brake didn’t provide any friction at all, and the whole front of the TWIKE would lift when I applied the front brake. I looked underneath, and the front assembly was moving in ways it definitely shouldn’t. It was pushing the entire front of the vehicle upward when braking.
It was clear I couldn’t drive it like this, and even worse, I had no idea whether the front assembly had been damaged. I knew I had to get it to Ksenotek, but the idea of arranging transport with the horse trailer myself didn’t appeal to me at all.
Luckily, Andi from Ksenotek stepped in. He was delivering another TWIKE not far from me on Tuesday and offered to pick mine up on the way back. I was beyond relieved. He even reshuffled his week to prioritize my repair, aiming to have it done by Thursday evening. That’s the kind of support that really means something when you’re stressed and uncertain.
On Wednesday, Andi sent me a short video that even I could understand: the rear brake line had ruptured. That was the entire issue. The front assembly was still intact. Given the symptoms, it could have been so much worse. I honestly couldn’t believe my luck.
I picked up TW560 that same evening. With fully functioning brakes again, I drove home with a huge weight lifted. The UK trip was back on track—at least mechanically.
What’s still up in the air is whether my TWIKE will be approved for the London Congestion Charge exemption. If it’s not, I’ll either have to reroute or pay a small fortune just to drive through town. Fingers crossed.