Tour de West Coast Finland - 1000+ km road trip on EUCs. Tour blog.

[UniVehje]

On 7/4/2020 at 2:35 PM, mike_bike_kite said:

Pictures please!

I’m trying! It’s been quite intense and I’m usually too tired to deal with uploading pictures with a phone. The editing job is on hold also but we have a lot of footage. The videos are coming...

 

So far the trip has been great. The wheels have performed really well. Our bodies are coping relatively well also. Usually the last 20 km are tough as feet and other body parts are aching. We are taking breaks every 20 km or so. Weather has been poor, it’s unusually chilly july here and we’ve had to ride in rain also. Some parts have not been particularly fun, but most of the time we do enjoy the ride. These small towns are quite cosy and they really know how to serve great and fresh fish around here. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by UniVehje

[HelRider]

Day 7, July 4: Merikarvia—Kaskinen

We had 100 kms to ride today and rain was coming. So we left quite early, 8.20 AM. It was a beautiful morning. We rode quite fast and an hour and 30 kms later we had our first stop. We found this really cute shop/café at Siipyy village. I recharged my wheel and had a raspberry doughnut.

After about 30 mins or so we continued our way. It was starting to feel that rain is coming, but we hoped we would escape from it. But at about halfway it hit us. We found shelter at an abandoned shop that had a terrace and a working power outlet. So I recharged my wheel again until the rain stopped.

On we went again, but the rain came again and didn’t stop. There was no point trying to find some shelter, because the rain would last for hours. So we had no choice but to ride 20 kms to ABC Kristiinankaupunki in the rain. I usually dislike ABC Stations (large gas station chain in Finland) because they are boring, but this time I was so happy and relieved to see the yellow ”tower”. Finally we could get inside, eat, recharge and try to dry our clothes.

Our plan for today was to go sightseeing and have a nice lunch in Kristiinankaupunki, but the rain ruined it. We stayed in ABC for a couple of hours and left before 3 PM. It was still raining but not so much. We had two options: to stay in Kristiinankaupunki until 6 PM when the rain was supposed to end or just keep going. The shops and boutiques were closing and we didn’t want to go eating or drinking, so we decided to continue. We rode through the city centre and got a chance to see it a little. Looked like a really nice place!

On our remaining 25 km ride to Kaskinen we stopped at Carlsro Museum. It’s an old mansion with an interesting history and has lots and lots of stuff. We didn’t have too much time because the museum was closing at 4 PM but it was a nice visit. The last 20 kms were a struggle. It rained heavily and the wind was strong. F*********ck! But we made it! At 5 PM we were at Marianranta camping.

As soon as we arrived the rain stopped. 😂 So we dried our clothes a little and went to sightsee Kaskinen. What a pretty little town with old wooden houses and beautiful views. We also found an old wooden windmill. It was nice to just cruise around in sunlight after all the awful kilometers in rain.

This was the hardest and longest day so far. We rode 104 kms. Tomorrow we’ll have another almost 100 kms to go. I really wish for a sunny day!

 

• Kilometers ridden today: 104
• Kilometers ridden in total: 436
• Riding hours today: 6
• Riding hours in total: 25

[HelRider]

Any questions?

What would you like to know about our trip, wheels, gear, budget, range, charging, accommodation, physical condition, clothing, weather or something else? Please reply to this thread and ask anything. We’ll make a Q&A post soon.  

Edited July 6, 2020 by HelRider
Grammar

[Zwheeler]

Shoes.

What kind of shoes are you using? Loose/tight fit; Hard/soft soles; high/low (up to your ankles or low as possible)

-Z-

[Seba]

@HelRider, @UniVehje - you made a wise decision to make a short daily distances. For sure this allows you to benefit from all the beauty places visited along your expedition route. I wish you good weather, safe and pleasant ride 

[UniVehje]

Here are the pictures that were supposed to be included in the daily reports. The videos will take some more time. 

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by UniVehje

[Zwheeler]

36 minutes ago, UniVehje said:

Here are the pictures that were supposed to be included in the daily reports.

Wonderful! Words are good, but these pics make your story alive!

36 minutes ago, UniVehje said:

The videos will take some more time. 

Man, I can imagine the joy of preparing any decent video with a cellphone  (but we are still waiting for those, too) 

-Z-

 

[HelRider]

Day 8, July 5: Kaskinen—Åminne

The morning was sunny and warmish. It felt so good after yesterday’s horror weather. We left the camping site at 11 AM and had about 90 kms to go.

First stop was after 10 kms in Närpiö. We went to Öjskogsparken, an open-air museum. Unfortunately the buildings were closed, but the area is open 24/7 and there were a lot to see.

Then we headed to church and especially to the church stables. There are 150 little red sheds that were meant for horses back in the day. Very unusual and interesting sight!

 

We continued towards Seaside restaurant. We had fish, beer and ice cream. It was sunny and almost hot on the terrace. Recharging my wheel was easy, because there was a power outlet on the terrace.

 

After the nice lunch break we rode to Vicarage Museum in Korsnäs. It was again one of those places you would never go if you were road tripping by car. During the museum visit we also had coffee and ice tea.

 

We had 30 kms to go and had one stop at an almost abandoned little village, Molpe.

 

After Molpe it was a long, straight road with new asphalt for kilometers and kilometers on. It was almost meditative to ride on such a nice road. The road just went on and on straight ahead and even the scenery didn’t really change. Weird and wonderful at the same time.

Soon we were in Maalahti, went grocery shopping and found our way to Åminnen lomakylä. We had booked a nice little cabin. This cabin had 4 power outlets inside and two outside. Perfect! We left the wheels outside to recharge.

 

Tomorrow we’ll only have 20 kms to ride. That’s almost a day-off! :D

 

• Kilometers ridden today: 93
• Kilometers ridden in total: 529
• Riding hours today: 4,5
• Riding hours in total: 29,5

 

[mike_bike_kite]

Do you have any pictures of the types of roads you're taking? It would be easier to picture your journey that way. Many thanks. 

[UniVehje]

14 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

Do you have any pictures of the types of roads you're taking? It would be easier to picture your journey that way. Many thanks. 

On the coming videos you’ll see more riding. But here are some samples. Mostly small country roads and paths. We try to avoid the big highways. 

 

 

[mike_bike_kite]

Now I feel like I'm there

 

[Mr A.A]

Do you guys have a YouTube channel ?  Pictures looks awesome looking forward for more, 

Do you have pics of all the gear and contents of the Backpack, anything you miss having on the trip, anything that you wish that you haven't brought along ?

[Ziiten]

On 7/6/2020 at 10:55 AM, HelRider said:

Any questions?

What would you like to know about our trip, wheels, gear, budget, range, charging, accommodation, physical condition, clothing, weather or something else? Please reply to this thread and ask anything. We’ll make a Q&A post soon.  

What gear do you think is necessary or to put it in another way, are you carrying something you regret taking with you, or something you wished you had taken but didn't. I guess something rain proof would be nice and shoes that dry fast -Wellingtons are prolly not optimal riding shoes

Edited July 7, 2020 by Ziiten

[HelRider]

Day 9, July 6: Åminne — Vaasa

It rained the whole night, but in the morning it finally stopped. It was cloudy and chilly, but that’s OK.

 

Usually we try to leave quite early (but not too early if not necessary), but this time we had plenty of time. We were going to visit my friend in Sundom at noon and had only 10 km to ride. We took a short cut that ended up being not so short, because of a bumpy gravel road.  Well OK, it was shorter in distance but not in riding time.

 

On the way to my friend’s we saw an interesting place: an ancient meteor crater site Meteoria that had an observatory, museum and birdwatching tower. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit the place. We’ll definitely pay a visit when we come to Vaasa next time.

 

Soon we were in Sundom. I was happy to see my friend and her family after a long time! We had lunch and @UniVehje recruited a new EUC-rider.  My friend’s husband was really excited about the wheels and wanted to give it a try. So he and their 10-year-old daughter tried my V10F. I’m sure they will learn super quick if they get a wheel of their own.  

 

After the visit we rode about 8 kms to Vaasa. We had booked a nice AirBnB-apartment in the city centre for two nights. On our way there we saw an abandoned amusement park, Wasalandia. For some reason abandoned amusement parks feel very creepy to me.  It would be fun to sneak in there, anyway. Well, maybe next time.  

 

Tomorrow we’ll have the second day-off of the trip. We’re going to go shopping and visiting museums.  

 

• Kilometers ridden today: 20
• Kilometers ridden in total: 549
• Riding hours today: 1,5
• Riding hours in total: 30

[HelRider]

Day 10, July 7: Day-off in Vaasa

Second day-off of the trip! It feels good to just relax and not having to carry a backpack for hours.  

It seems that the weather is going to be not so nice for the rest of the trip, so we decided to go shopping for some proper waterproof clothes. I bought waterproof trousers in XXL and a rainjacket in Motonet. @UniVehje bought the same trousers in XXL, gloves in Motonet and a waterproof jacket in Intersport. More about the clothes in upcoming gear post.

After the shopping it was time to go museum hopping!  My friend and her daughter joined us. First we went to Ostrobothnian museum to learn about the history of Vaasa. We continued to Kuntsi, the museum of modern art. The exhibition was a bit, well, weird.  The last museum to visit was Tikanoja Art Museum. Then it was time to say farewells to my friend and her daughter. Hopefully we’ll meet again soon!

We were very hungry after all the history and art. But before going to a restaurant we went to iTronic to buy me a Smart Battery Case. Then, finally, pizza-time! We had tasty pizzas in Niska. 

 

After the pizzas (and drinks) we went back to the apartment and booked accommodation for the last week of the trip. Unfortunately I got migraine and had to spend the rest of the evening in bed. Well, sh*t happens.

Tomorrow it’s time to say bye bye to Vaasa and ride 100 kms to Pietarsaari. It’s gonna be a tough one!

 

• Kilometers ridden today: 10
• Kilometers ridden in total: 559
• Hours ridden today: 1
• Hours ridden in total: 31

Edited July 8, 2020 by HelRider
Grammar

[MikieSWE]

On 7/5/2020 at 1:50 PM, traktori said:

Have you had any problems taking wheels inside or leaving it alone for any cafes or restaurants? I’m in Teijo ruukki with my wife and told her about your trip. We are in a cozy restaurant with very old wooden floor and I would hesitate taking wheel inside.

Here in Sweden I take wheel with me inside (trolleyhandle) 16X anywhere I go. Shops, Dentist, Doctor, School (Im teacher), Bar, Restaurant, and Cafés. I never ever leave the wheel unattended anywhere whatsoever. If someone say NO! I never return to that place, ever. (Never happen so far). Keep your wheel with you as the most precious thing in your life. Let other people understand that too. Be bold, or just turn in the doorway. It works mostly in any country. Joo, olen suomalainen. ;-)

 

[Zwheeler]

7 minutes ago, MikieSWE said:

 Joo, olen suomalainen. ;-)

 

-Z-

[Ziiten]

I leave my wheel outside like a bicycle when I go to do shopping, etc, and I'm not locking it. I'm thinking it's unlikely to be stolen because of its heft and, besides, most people don't even know what it is let alone know how to ride it (of course that doesn't stop people taking something that doesn't belong to them, but you'd really need a car to carry it unless you know how to ride it)

Edited July 8, 2020 by Ziiten

[HelRider]

First mishap of the trip: my wheel won’t start.  We are now stuck in Pietarsaari. @UniVehje went to buy some tools to open the wheel. Let’s hope it’s just because of the rain yesterday and the wheel needs to dry properly. Or it needs to reboot.

[UniVehje]

Looks like the V10F board just died. The wheel won’t power on properly. The board is on, can connect to bluetooth and cannot be turned off. But the wheel won’t balance. I tried disconnecting the power and hold the power button and everything else. No luck. 

It very much looks like this journey has come to an end because of wheel failure. 

[Tazarinho]

41 minutes ago, UniVehje said:

It very much looks like this journey has come to an end because of wheel failure. 

Such a shame! Do you reckon it's linked to the rain, or is it just plain bad luck?

[Ziiten]

41 minutes ago, UniVehje said:

Looks like the V10F board just died. The wheel won’t power on properly. The board is on, can connect to bluetooth and cannot be turned off. But the wheel won’t balance. I tried disconnecting the power and hold the power button and everything else. No luck. 

It very much looks like this journey has come to an end because of wheel failure. 

That's too bad, you were almost getting close to Hailuoto already. Lucky still the board didn't die while riding and possibly cause serious injuries.

[mike_bike_kite]

Can you try using a hair drier around the switches? It sounds like there's damp in there that's shorting out the switch (I'm guessing here). If it does start working then use clingfilm or tape to cover the switches in the rain.

[CaptainKBLS]

Really enjoyed your journal.  Thank you for sharing.

Sorry your trip got cut short.

[UniVehje]

We are continuing the journey!

@HelRider found a rental e-bike from Kokkola. It’ll be different but at least one EUC will (hopefully) make it to Hailuoto. 

I don’t know if the rain had anything to do with the failure. We have one rain cover and I used it on the 18XL because of @Seba’s reports on the lift sensors malfunctioning when wet. I thought the V10F was the one with reputation of surviving rain better. I really hope these would be made as vehicles and not as toys. Nobody thinks twice leaving an e-bike, scooter or moped outside in rain. 

I will be trying to revive the wheel again after it has been drying over night. Thanks for the suggestions.
Today has been a tough day. I also dropped my wheel and the handle bent. We missed two nice cities and all day was spent trying to fix the wheel and getting to next town. 
 

Now we have some beers 🍻

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by UniVehje