My coming holiday trip to Germany with my trike and caravan.

Joined
Sep 16, 2018
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1,360
Location
Netherlands
I arrived back home today.
I did today 55km and that went great.

It was a great trip, but I won't do it again in this way.
The roads where heavy on the Trike, the caravan and me.

But overall it was a great experience.
Tomorrow I will be away, so I try to write my story Sunday.
I have actually 2 stories. One about my experience and one about the infrastructure.
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
1,360
Location
Netherlands
I came home this Friday after a last trip from 55km.
When I left, I planned to go to Berlin. This changed because of the weather. Temperatures where way to high to ride.
So I decided to stay ad a camping. I found a good camping and stayed there for 3 days. I met several people there and I had a good time. So it wasn't a problem to stay.
After that I wanted to trafel to the meeting but with shorter routes. Matthias, the man that I visited last year, contacted me and asked if I joined him and Uwe. Uwe builds caravans and cells them.
So I changed my route again and take a detour to meat them. From there we traffeled with 3 further.
They drove other roads then I normally do, but with help, I could do the same.
My chain decided to break the first day we road together. Luckily we could fix it and we could go one.
Ad the camping we came a bit to late. Ad 6, the camping closed, so we couldn't get on. But then a man helped us and opened the gate. He also helped with electricity so we could charge our batteries. Then I found out that he was also with a caravan and we where from there with 4.
The days after that, my chain broke a few times, we met an other man with a caravan, but he wasn't going to the meeting.

Ariving ad the meeting was great. To see so many different caravans was great.
The meeting with other bicycle caravan builders and owners was great. The organization was a bit less, but only on the toilet part. There was one toilet for men and one for women and from the over 150 people, most where men.
But being together was great.
Before I could ride back, I needed a new chain. Then I heard that Velomo was in the town next to where we where. It wasn't far, so I went to them. There I found out that the owner was also on the meeting.
I replaced my chain there and from then, my trike was riding good again.

The way back is z'n other story.
I left in the morning to do an 86km trip. This went well, but the mountains where a lot harder. I took the short way, but that was a mistake. The first day I had several steep climbs and that made it very heavy. The second day was harder and The 3rd day was even harder and my legs stopped ad a surten point. I couldn't even go faster than I did hill up on the flat. So I decided to stop. Stani a man in the wattsapp group and who I met on the meeting, came to pick me up.
I stayed there for the night and the next day I left to go home. It was 125km, but I decided to do it in 2 steps.
Day 1 about 76km and the last day 55km.

On his channel there are also a few shorts.

There are many more. Just look for fawawo treffen on YouTube. It is all in German, but there are many Trikes and caravans.

I was the only one that came with everything build by myself.


The infrastructure is an other story.
No it isn't as bad as the USA and Canada. Those places are bad for all ways of traffic on the roads.
Germany is terrible from a Dutch perspective.
I know, the Netherlands has the best infrastructure, so coming from that, every other country looks terrible. But after last year, they still surprised me.
For cars the roads are also not that great, but way better than for bikes.
It looks like that they hate bikes. Cycle lanes go steep uphill, where for a car it goes slowly up. I had to ride on the roads, to get up hill in many places.
Also do they let you ride on the side walk. That is just crazy and I refused to do that. You are allowed on the road, but those Germans ride all on the side walk.
Roads on Google maps that just aren't there. According Google they are, but I only saw a field.
14 to 15% climbs is normal and holes in the roads are bigger than the roads.
70% of the Germans can't ride a bike, but thag isn't different in other countries. I have seen Americans ride a bike and they can better not try to ride a bike in Amsterdam.
In the Netherlands you learn to ride a bike as soon as you can walk. You also learn how to behave in traffic and how to interact with other traffic. That last part isn't there in Germany, but also not in the USA. This makes that people are very unsurten on their bikes.

When I got back in the Netherlands, I got to adjust again.

I had a great holiday, but I will not go to the same place for the meeting again.
Next year there will probably be a meeting closer to where I lif and maybe also one in the Netherlands.
Several want to come to the Netherlands.

One more video from a wonderful caravan. I am using done things in my new build. The froor that goes down, the door and the seat.
 
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Joined
Feb 10, 2021
Messages
87
Location
Canada


Caravan is ready. More stave and is now hanging level behind.
This week or coming week I will do my first test rides.
Hi Emiel.
Ever since you posted these photos of your caravan I've been considering whether it would be worthwhile for me to build a caravan for camping during the summer time, but could also be switched-over to a storage-shed structure for the winter months. I thought of having a removable floor in the caravan and then setting the caravan's walls onto a pre-made structure similar in height to the space between the ground and the base of your caravan. Then I could just push my quad into one end of the two part structure thereby freeing up some space inside my garage for fabricating the tail section of my quad.
So I have some questions. Is it important to have suspension for the caravan? What about windows/venting?
Cheers
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
1,360
Location
Netherlands
Yes i have ventilation in my caravan. 2 pc fans in the bottom that pull air in and above my door some holes to let it out.
I have no suspension. Some have it, but i don't see the real need for it. As you go off-road, than it is an option. But i ride slow on bad roads and than it isn't a problem. Some switcht to 26 inch wheels and i will do that also on my new caravan.
I have in the door one window. This is a pure sleep caravan. My new build gets more windows. Not to big but a few extra because i also make a seat in it.
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2021
Messages
87
Location
Canada
Yes i have ventilation in my caravan. 2 pc fans in the bottom that pull air in and above my door some holes to let it out.
I have no suspension. Some have it, but i don't see the real need for it. As you go off-road, than it is an option. But i ride slow on bad roads and than it isn't a problem. Some switcht to 26 inch wheels and i will do that also on my new caravan.
I have in the door one window. This is a pure sleep caravan. My new build gets more windows. Not to big but a few extra because i also make a seat in it.
Thanks Emiel
 
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