Bike ride with my EP-1 PEN Camera and visit to USAF War Memorial

[BDennis]

I headed out on a bike ride with my old EP-1 PEN camera to take some photos around some South Cambridgeshire villages.

The main interest was to visit the war memorial for the USAF 355th Fighter Group at RAF Steeple Morden abandoned airfield. I used to pass this on the school bus - it was a pig farm at the time and no memorial - the memorial was built in the late 1990s.

Here are a few photos of the war memorial outside the village of Steeple Morden taken with the PEN camera. The airfield was a satellite to RAF Bassingbourn which is only a few miles away and also not far from Duxford. The B17 Flying fortresses were stationed at Bassingbourn during WW2 - unfortunately that airfield is not accessible to the public for photos.

Bill

[MJ224]

Well worth the visit and remembrance.

Good photos Bill...:-)

[BDennis]

Thanks! I found the PEN camera tricky as no EVF but it's quite pocketable at least. I have the hotshoe mount optical viewfinder for it somewhere. The mechanical shutter makes a sound that reminds me of my father sharpening the carving knife for Sunday lunch!

[davcoll]

Nice set Bill, having moved to Lincolnshire I must do some research into what can be found in our area.

Dave

[DerekC]

If it was flat in Lincolnshire they built an airfield, and there is plenty of flat land. I think there was almost fifty air field in Lincolnshire during WW2. So there is a number of memorials.

[BDennis]

Thanks Dave. Yes what Derek says - if you go to this wikipedia page and order the table by county, there are over 60 former RAF stations listed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_Royal_Air_Force_stations

[DerekC]

This also a very useful resource http://www.bcar.org.uk/heritage-airfields

[DerekC]

Nice set. These memorials are worth the visits. Nice to see it is well maintained.

[blackfox]

Many years ago I went metal detecting on a pig farm in that area , the farmer gave us permission on a huge field and we found lots of u.s.a.f buttons and coins .. might even have been that one ? Think the farmer said the field had held lots of barracks

[Wreckdiver]

War memorial is looking very neglected which is sad.

[BDennis]

War memorial is looking very neglected which is sad.

The memorial was reported in good condition in 2013 on the war memorials website here and doesn't look much worse than the photos on there:

https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/151349/

BTW, the broken granite boulder was part of the original control tower.

I noticed the circular crests are getting a bit weathered, it is in quite a bleak location very open to the elements.

It used to get regular visits from USAF veterans but the number of surviving people directly involved will be diminished by the years now.

Bill

[blu-by-u]

Cute bike, how heavy is it? 5 speed? Electric assist?

[BDennis]

Cute bike, how heavy is it? 5 speed? Electric assist?

It’s a fully human powered Mezzo D9 folding bike - the 9 as it has 9 gears with a rear derailleur, so a 9 speed. It is about 12Kg. When I was working I rode it to the office and stored it under the desk - no messing with bike locks! I do a lot of riding round country lanes and cycle paths on this now for exercise and exploration. The 16 inch wheels make it tricky on rough surfaces like farm tracks and I have to look out for pot holes, I’ve been over the handle bars a few times when a wheel has gone in a hole!

It was designed by an ex Formula 1 car mechanic Jon Whyte. I like it because the frame is a single piece as compared to the Brompton bikes which have a hinged frame. When riding this bike there is no significant flex in the frame but when I tried a friend’s Brompton the frame had noticeable flex when peddling due to the hinged frame, it is loss of power! On my bike the bit that folds is the rear triangle - the black part hinges where it joins the frame. When folded you can wheel it using the little wheels on the rear rack, ok for a short distance. It fits easily in the back of the car. The company that made these stopped trading and sold the design to another company, which is a shame. I don’t think they could compete with Brompton Bikes which is like the iPhone of folding bikes - with a price tag to match!

Bill

[Bikie John]

Interesting, I've not heard of these, thanks Bill. The steering arrangement looks odd - how does it feel to ride?

John

[BDennis]

Interesting, I've not heard of these, thanks Bill. The steering arrangement looks odd - how does it feel to ride?

John

It’s a nice ride. The steering looks odd but it handles OK, the top stem down from the handle bars has a hinge that is part of the folding arrangement which is why it looks odd. I just have to keep an eye on the clip on the handlebar folding bit, it is pretty secure though. I like the upright position and the low frame makes it easy to slow down and just step off the bike if things get unstable. The gearing is pretty good, I can get up some steep hills on it. Not quite a large enough chain ring for keeping it going down some hills so I tend to free wheel on the downs, but why not and it’s not a bike for speed really! You can’t bump up curbs on it as the small front wheel just catches and stops it sending you over the top. I’ve done rides of up to 18 miles on this no problems and could do more. Getting wheels and tyres off for fixing punctures is a bit tricky though, I’ve not had to sort a puncture out on a ride with it - I’d probably just fold it up and phone for a lift from someone! I’ve seen some of these bikes cropping up on eBay recently, some spare parts might be an issue though as they’re out of manufacture now.

My other bike I’m not currently using is a 1980s Dawes Galaxy tourer. I had a bad accident on it and in hindsight I think the frame was too big for me, I just feel to high up on it now and have lost confidence to ride it and the high crossbar makes it tricky to get feet firmly on the ground if needed. The little Mezzo folding bike has helped me get back into riding. I ought to look at another large wheeled bike with a low frame and upright bars for exploring farm tracks, as I keep going off road down local tracks with the folder which is not the best for that!

Bill

[BDennis]

shakyHands I too did that thing where the pedal hits the ground on a corner also when the bike was new! I came off on a roundabout but just bent the pedal so got a bike shop to put some new pedals on the cranks. Such a pain to damage a new bike though. I think the original pedals were quite long. It made me learn to pause pedalling on corners keeping the inside pedal at the top.

[Bikie John]

Nice, obviously newer than mine (1978) with the blue livery. it does look like a big frame, judging by the length of the steerer tube. Is that the original Brooks leather saddle? I've sweated my way through a few of those! Impressive thread drift here

[BDennis]

Yes, the original Brooks saddle still on the bike! It might have gone a bit mouldy in the shed though. Yes, this has turned into a bike thread..

[blu-by-u]

Those are street tyres. Off-road need something more rugged. But then I have yet to see an off-road foldable small wheel bike.

[BDennis]

I put Schwalbe Marathon tyres on it, they’re quite durable and I’ve not had a puncture yet. It’s ok for dry off road paths and tracks but I avoid taking on wet mud with this bike!