I slept very well after having completed the longest stage of any TWIKE trip ever yesterday. 650 km in one go are taxing for both vehicle and driver. After a hearty breakfast with the farm owner, I walk outside to find TW 560 just finishing the last few Wh after recharging 17.5kWh overnight. Today’s drive is much shorter than yesterday – it’s just over 400km 😀 First, I have to get back to the main road – it’s about 3 km of unpaved road which feels much less than yesterday in pitch dark. As we’re in the Pianura, the first […]
TDI2019 Day 3 – Linz -> Chioggia
Today I’m going to push the envelope what a TWIKE is capable of covering in a single day. Sure, I’ve driven halfway across Germany and pushed the envelope whilst driving through Russia but today I’m going to go for 650 km in one day not hypermiling! It was very hard getting up at 7.30 AM today. I left my cousin’s birthday party at 1.30 AM and was in my bed at 2.10 AM… After a very nice breakfast, my uncle and aunt saw me off at around 9.20 AM and I was more or less ready for my longest distance […]
TDI2019 Day 2 – Telfs -> Linz
Waking up early I am greeted by another beautiful day and a very nice view from my typical Austrian Gasthaus room. After a breakfast including one of my favourites – Handsemmel (hand made Austrian bread roll) with Leberwurst I feel 100% ready for my 330km drive to Linz. I really liked this place as the owners both came to say good-bye personally and the son wanted to sit in the TWIKE for one last time. With the canopy off, I start to drive along the Inn valley towards Innsbruck and enjoy the sun’s warm rays even through it is still […]
TDI2019 Day 1 – Switzerland -> Telfs
TGIF! TDI2019 starts is today! I’ve been looking forward to this trip very much. Unlike other TWIKE adventures, this time, I will be travelling alone. Today will be a full day at the office before I dash across Switzerland and part of Austria towards Linz. In theory, nowadays with my huge battery pack, I could make the trip to Linz in one day but not when departing from Zurich at 4 PM. A charge somewhere in Innsbruck and one in Salzburg would be required if I want to do the full trip on the motorway – when hypermiling, I’d only […]
TDI2019 – nearly there
Since deciding that I needed some time off, time has just flown by. Now, just one day away from my next trans-European TWIKE adventure TDI2019, everything is as ready as it can be. The usual GPS-tracking is going to be active and unlike other years, I will not write the entries at the end of every day – This trip is about relaxing and getting some fresh air / space into my brain. I’ll be adding the entries one-by-one after getting back from the trip. Really looking forward to seeing my family in Austria and Italy!
TW560 interior: new seats
As one of the last parts of my full restoration of TW560 after an accident completely destroyed the vehicle and needed extensive re-building from the ground I thought it to be fitting to go all the way and spend some money on a new interior. This isn’t a decision based purely on luxury – the accident destroyed one of my seats and reduced my TWIKE to effectively a one seater. 10 years ago, I already had new seats made – the process was utterly satisfying: chose every aspect of your seat, from padding to colours and top materials. I’m a […]
Repairs: Easy and cheap re-attaching of canopy snap fasteners
Have you had canopy fasteners coming off the frame and staying in the canopy thus creating a not-so watertight problem? Don’t despair – I have a handy and easy way to fix it. Just buy M4x15 screws, helical spring washers, M4 nyloc nuts and a 4.1 metal drill. Carefully place the drill in the center of the existing broken-off rivet put your finger behind the metal band on the rivet and slowly start drilling. Within a second, you will notice that your rivet has come loose, as not much metal has been keeping in place anymore. The hole […]
ODT: Lake Lucerne – Ibergeregg, postcard-grade Switzerland
After my first drive across Switzerland after TW560’s rebuild following a the destruction of TW560 in an accident, a visit to the Gran Sasso and enjoying a weekend in the Graubünden Alps, it’s time to drive back home. This entry isn’t too much about TW560 and more about the stunning beauty of the country I live in. We start by crossing the Oberalppass for the third time in as many days. It’s another very nice day with a bonus of being one of these day that has extremely clear air, giving 200km+ visibility. Then, not using the motorway, I head […]
ODT – Visiting Sasso San Gottardo
Sleeping at 1600m is always relaxing – fresh air, cow bells in the distance and crickets all merge into the typical Swiss soundscape I find deeply relaxing. (Maybe the bottle or two of very drinkable Rhine valley reds we had the evening before also helped a little 😉 ) Today, whilst my daughter is competing in a Show Jumping competition, I, together with a fellow neo-Swiss, will be visiting one of Switzerland’s greatest wartime relics: the Gran Sasso fortified bunkers atop of the Gotthard pass. There is so much interesting to learn about how Switzerland prepared to defend against being […]
Repairs: DIY TWIKE drivetrain overhaul (not for the faint of heart!)
Part of the TWIKE community reaching out to me after destroying TW560 was me being offered to drive TW600. Caroline and I have known each other for a few years now and I’ve been her primary gateway for most questions around her vehicle as we both live in the same (small) village. During the handover of her TWIKE she asked me: when you’re driving my TWIKE, can you please tell me if there is something you think will fail soon? Are there any sounds you think should worry me? As I’ve said many times – every TWIKE is different .. […]