My Recumbent Days

I had some things to take care of today so my ride didn't start until early afternoon. Big mistake on my part as the temperature at the start of my ride was 89 degrees and humid, at the end of the ride it was a hot 92 degrees. Breathing was hard and much harder with the traffic and the exhaust fumes. I decided that this won't be a longer ride, but I would do 10 miles. I ended my ride with 10.65 miles at an average speed of 12.81mph and a max speed of 24.8mph. I burnt 496 calories on this short ride, but I felt like I lost pounds of weight, chances are just water weight. Tomorrow is supposed to be as hot so I expect I will do the same distance.

L ate this morning I headed out for my ride and it was a beautiful day for it. The temperature was a warm 76 degrees and the wind was a coming from the SW at 4-10mph with gusts reaching 17mph. There were a few times on the Middlebush Road portion of the ride where the wind was in my face the complete climb to the top. It sure made for interesting pedaling. I even passed a few DF bikers that were walking. I burnt 801 calories and covered 17.20 miles. T his week our township has been flushing the fire hydrants and at the same time creating mini rivers and floods on some of the roads. I was doing around fourteen miles per hour and just as I got to the corner the worker opened the hydrant and a solid stream of high pressure rusty water came directly at me. I was able to steer out of the blast but I still had to ride through the gunk. Not only was the beginning rusty it smelt bad. As soon as I got home I washed down the trike at hit the shower. I will have to be more aware of what trucks ar

D avid seems to be mending real well and he is feeling great. In his own words "I am feeling 10 years younger!" We are extremely happy to know that he is progressing well. T oday my ride consisted of the Kendall Park long loop and the Kendall Park short loop, and for added distance and for terrain variation the Middlebush road loop a total of 17.05 miles. I also did a little vegetable shopping on the way back home. The temperature was a beautiful 73 degrees with winds out of the NNW at 6-10mph gusting to 12mph. T he I-Ride is working real well, and sounds great, so I am very pleased. And the location on the rack is perfect for hearing the Adeo.

T his morning I left at 9:30 AM for my ride and also to beat the heat. I rode 20.09 miles and burnt 936 calories. My average Speed was 12.63 mph with a top speed of 25.50mph. The weather was perfect, with a temperature of 78 degrees and winds of 2-4mph from the East. All in all a great ride. I-Ride Mini Review: O n this past Friday afternoon UPS delivered my I-Ride Stereo speakers and I was able to fully evaluate them today. Installation on my trike was not a major job, but did require the modification of the supplied mount. If you have a regular handlebar mounting would be a cinch. The unit itself is made entirely of plastic, but well assembled, much better than other portable speakers I have tried. The outside is silver with black grills, not bad to look at. The batteries are easy to install as there is a round plastic disk which rotates revealing the battery box. These speakers hold three AAA batteries and do have an optional power jack for use at home with a 4.5 volt USB power sup

T his morning I headed out early for my daily ride in-order to beat the heat. We are expecting the temperature to be at least 91 degrees this afternoon. The riding conditions were very good, there was a constant breeze of 8mph from the North West. I rode 13.72 miles at an average speed of 12.29mph and a max speed of 23.2mph. I burnt 639 calories during this short ride. During the ride I checked the Adeo GPS Trainer audio readout against that of my Sigma 1606L computer and in most incidences they were within 1 tenth of a mile. I am extremely happy with my Adeo and I am looking forward to future updates. The above photograph is the I-Ride mounted on my rear rack. M y speaker problems continue. As I have posted before I have had sound problems with any speaker system I use on the trike. I believe the problem is related to the bouncing around and the massive amounts of pollen and dust that is getting into the volume control. If I jiggle the volume control it clears up, but in a short time

D avid is home from the hospital and is on his way to recovery. We are hoping he now has a long remission. Crohn's can and is a very debilitating sickness, which effects everything in your daily life. I am glad he had a very good surgeon operating on him since it was so involved. D o to shortness of time I went out early to ride and rode 13.32 miles at an average speed of 12.50 and a max speed of 23.30mph. I burnt 621 calories and felt I had a decent workout. The winds were from the SW at 10mph but there were gusts to 41mph, and I sometimes felt like a rag doll blowing in the wind. The temperature was a great 76 degrees, and I wish I had longer to ride.

I went out at 11:00 this morning for my daily ride when after 10 miles I received a call from my son, that he is being released from the hospital this afternoon. I rushed home and showered and will be heading for the city in a few minutes. I rode 11.02 miles with an average speed of 12.37 and a top speed of 28.10mph. I burnt 513 calories on this wonderful ride. The wind was a brisk 10-15mph coming from the South, and the average temperature was 73 degrees. I had a real close call with an idiot driver almost at the end of my ride. I was cruising along at 26mph when this idiot pulls up along side blows her horn then cuts right into the road on the right. I jammed on my breaks and my boom missed her car by a inch or two. My heart was in my mouth, and I saw black for a second or two, and then all I could see was red, I was so angry, that if she was next to me I think I would have decked her women or not. If I had hit her car it would have been in the front wheel well which would have fl

I have nothing new to report regarding my son David's condition, he is regaining his strength, but his digestive system has not started to function as of yet. He is still on an intravenous diet and he needs to expel some gas before they could start feeding him a solid diet. The two drains on each side of his body are still draining, but the doctor says that is normal. I was hoping that he would be out of the hospital by Wednesday, but if he doesn't eat they will not release him. My own personnel thought regarding him not eating is that the longer he doesn't put strain on his intestines the further his intestinal wounds will heal. But I am not a doctor. N ow to the ride report! These freaky winds are enough to make riding a hard job. Today the winds were coming from the North at 20mph with gusts exceeding 25mph. I rode 10.07 miles which was 10 miles shorter than I hoped to ride. I burnt 469 calories and my average speed was 12.54mph and my top speed was 20.25mph. Other than

I have nothing new to report regarding my son David's condition, he is regaining his strength, but his digestive system has not started to function as of yet. He is still on an intravenous diet and he needs to expel some gas before they could start feeding him a solid diet. The two drains on each side of his body are still draining, but the doctor says that is normal. I was hoping that he would be out of the hospital by Wednesday, but if he doesn't eat they will not release him. My own personnel thought regarding him not eating is that the longer he doesn't put strain on his intestines the further his intestinal wounds will heal. But I am not a doctor. N ow to the ride report! These freaky winds are enough to make riding a hard job. Today the winds were coming from the North at 20mph with gusts exceeding 25mph. I rode 10.07 miles which was 10 miles shorter than I hoped to ride. I burnt 469 calories and my average speed was 12.54mph and my top speed was 20.25mph. Other tha

T hursday my son had his Crohn's surgery at Mt. Sinai in NYC. The surgery took about 3.5 hours, and he came through it well. His doctor told us that there was a lot more damage than she expected to see, as a bad section of intestine was hidden behind another damaged area. She did it Arthroscopic which means a smaller incision and less recuperation time. He looked pretty bad after surgery, but most people don't look great. Yesterday we went back to the hospital and he was doing great, he still had the tube in the nose, but they removed it today and he is feeling stronger every day. Today his in-laws are spending the day there, so we will go back to the hospital tomorrow. The traveling and sitting for that many hours is killing my back, but we want to be with him, so I can take the pain. T his afternoon the package from Sigma USA containing the replacement computer came and I promptly set it up. I am looking forward to riding some this week, but that depends on the weather, and

T his morning I started out to ride 20 miles and ended up with only 10.05 miles. I thought the wind of 33mph that we had yesterday was hard, and I did 20 miles, but today the wind was a constant 35 with even higher gusts. The wind from the SW meant that it was coming directly in my face a good portion of the ride making it almost impossible to gain any speed. There were times that it felt like I was pushing against a wall, and was ready to throw in the towel. I had an average speed of 12.12mph and a maximum speed of 25.9mph. I burnt 468 calories, and I need to burn a lot more to get back to my summer weight. For lunch I have been having a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on light breat, but I am going to be eating fat free Yogurt every other day. It has a lot less in the fat department. At the weight I am now I fell very sluggish, and I know I feel better with less weight. My ideal weight is in the 150-153, and I am hovering in the 158-160 range. With my fragile back any additional we

T his morning I headed out for my ride and the temperature was a nice 62 degrees and when I returned it was 73 degrees. The winds were a very strong 33mph coming from the WSW. At times riding was very hard and my legs sure felt it. I rode 20.01 miles with an average speed of 12.24mph and a peak speed of 29.60mph. Total calories burnt was 933. M y speaker system had a huge amount of static, so on my return loop I replaced the batteries with the same result. I was playing with the audio cable and the static would go away. I removed the 90 degree plug and used the straight audio plug and the sound was gone. I went to Radio Shack and replaced the 90 degree plug, and when I ride next I will see for sure. A fter I showered I did a roll down test to get the millimeter size for my tires so that I could set up the new computer when it arrives. I also did a turning circle test with the steering modification. The results of a full 180 degree turn was 8'-0". Now to be fair, I rounded it t

I won't be riding today as my back went out on me today after unloading the trike from the Santa Fe. It usually goes back to normal in a day or so. I am hoping it is back in by tomorrow as the weather looks very promising for a ride. Wednesday looks like there will be rain and another day of no riding. But I will wait it out. Thursday and Friday will not be riding days as my son David is going into the hospital for Crohns surgery. We are hoping that all goes well and he is out of the hospital this weekend. Most depends if his pain is tolerable and he is able to eat and clear his bowels. T his morning I intended to ride but while shifting gears my front dérailleurs cable snapped. Not sure what caused it but I loaded the trike in the Santa Fe and headed for Halters Cycle in South Brunswick for a quick repair. Halters service can't be beat, they always come through with a repair when needed. In a few minutes Chris had the problem fixed and I was on my way. For those of you that r

T his morning I rode to Halters Cycles for him to shorten the front cable and while there my computer disappeared. We weren't sure if it was stolen by some kids or it fell off while riding. I didn't notice it until I got home, but I am sure it happened at the shop. Jason said that it should have not come off so easy, so I should call Sigma. Well I thought that the call would be a waste of time, but I called anyway. I got a fellow that asked what the problem was, and I explained the facts and he calmly said that it was Sigma's fault and it would be replaced. I was taken back and very surprised and asked "him why?" He explained that on the model I own that has the twist-lock mount that they made an error in design which allowed the computers to not engage the mount properly. Well he took my name and address and said the new one would be sent today and I should have it next week. B ack to the dérailleur cable situation! The front cable was interfering with the cadenc

Y esterday at 9:30AM I started my daily ride, but ended it at 10.90 miles after my sun burn started to bother me. I use sun block, but one of the medications I take make me photo sensitive. My average speed for this ride was 12.46 mph and my max speed was 28.90 and I burnt 508 calories. The weather was real nice witha temperature of 73 degrees, but it felt a lot hotter. The wind was from the South at 5-7 mph. T he trike handled great on the high speed runs, as I was doing sprints. The steering modification is working out real well and the CAD drawing that Tom has done are real nice. The finished bracket is very professional looking. I guess they will be ready in June sometime. I will continue to report on the tests.

I started out for my ride at 10:30 AM this morning with the full intension to get in as many miles as possible. I decided on an extended loop that would bring me on all edges of my town, and across into the next county. The roads are fair to poor as winter damage is very evident. I rode 20.50 miles at an average speed of 12.29 and a top speed of 26.00. I burnt 954 calories which was great as I have to loose some winter weight. The temperature at the start of the ride was 58 degrees and the temperature at the end of my ride was 68 degrees. The wind was out of the South at 8mph. I had a total altitude gain of 123'. T he trike performed flawlessly for the total ride, and I had a blast taking the turns at high speed. This steering upgrade is fantastic. While on one of the local streets in Kendall park, on a down hill run with a slight left curve I hit a giant lump in the road, more like the road heaved, and only my right front wheel took the hump. As I hit the top of the lump my righ

T his morning at 10:00 AM i headed out for a local ride which consisted of my usual Kendall Park Loop plus I added a Loop of Kendall Road & Middlebush Rd. Total distance for this ride was 12.80 miles and I burnt 596 calories. The temperature was 58 degrees at start of ride and 64 degrees at the end. The wind was a brisk 9mph from the NNE, and my average speed was 12.16 mph and my max speed was 20.90. I went to Halters to pick up a bike bag for a friend, but spent some time talking about the freaky weather. No one involved in the conversation can remember winds like we have had this season, or the very cool morning temperatures. I am sure it is the Global Warming that doesn't really exist. Tomorrow looks like another fine day for riding, and I will be joining friends from the Princeton area for a ride.

Y esterday while riding I heard a rattle, and figured with my Sunday maintenance I would try to find the problem. I was going to check the headsets and adjust the steering when I noticed that there was some side to side play in the fender mount. So I proceeded to loosen the cap screw and the stem screw and remove the steering assembly and the spacers to see what the problem was. I saw that the ring that goes around the steering tube had a 1 mm space, I looked at the left side and it was tight so I figured it was the stem that needed to be tightened. I started reassembly and after mounting the steering assembly I tightened the screw for the stem then the screw for the cap. But the fender was still loose as a goose. I tried this procedure for about fifteen minutes, when I realized that I was tightening the screws in the wrong order. The cap screw is what pulls the stem assembly down to the headset, while the stem screw only prevents the stem from moving around. I must have done this proc

A t 10:00am I started my test ride of the steering modification, I combined two routes totaling 15.10 miles. My average speed was 11.69 mph and my top speed was 22.8 mph. The temperature was a nice 67 degrees with the wind out of the NNE at 5-7mph. I burnt 703 calories, and I tried to do both sprints and leisure riding. The testing went fine as I tried to do a few different things to see how the trike would handle. For the first time I tried to lean steer the trike with very good results, gradual turns and wide turns I had no problems and had complete control. I was not ready to attempt to do sharp 90 degree turns. I was never able to do that with the original steering or with the steering cones installed, so this is a big surprise. Not that I am going to be riding any distance doing that, but it proves the steering geometry is following the true Ackerman design. After the final design brackets are installed am thinking of removing the front fenders, as I rarely ride in wet weather. It

I started out at 10:00 AM for my daily ride, and everything regarding the day was perfect. The temperature was 64 degrees and the wind was out of the N at 5 Mph. About a quarter into the ride the wind started to pickup and the gusts were in the 15 to 18 Mph range. It seems that the wind was in my face on all the long legs of the ride. Not really a very big deal, but I am starting to get used to it. I rode 18.55 Miles at an average speed of 12.16 Mph. My max speed was 20.90 Mph and I burnt 864 calories. T he bracket for my Masterlock Street Cuffs came today so I am busy priming and painting it, even with the fact I might not use it. I was thinking that the Street Cuffs will not go with me on every ride as I don't leave the trike alone. But when I am on a group ride where we stop for breaks and sometimes lunch, I will have them with me.

A t 10:00 yesterday morning I met my riding group from Princeton and headed out for a great ride. The ride was very easy as rides go. We averaged 10.78 Mph for a distance of 16.45 miles. The top speed I reached was 26.9 Mph and I burnt 756 calories. The weather was a beautiful 60 degrees at the start of the ride and 70 at the end. The wind was out of the ESE at 15 Mph. Seems to be that there are more days with strong winds than that of calm days. I guess another sign of global warming. Y esterday's ride was an excellent test of the steering modification and all I have to say is WOW! The handling was superb and some of those sharp right hand and left hand turns on the bike path were taken with NO tire scrub and no pulling into the turn. Again over steer is easy, but nothing a rider couldn't handle. I would say that over steer is very possible, but since there is no pulling it is easy to pull out with no strain. M y fellow riders couldn't help noticing how clean my chain, cog

W ell I tried to ride yesterday, but the winds made it all but impossible. Today the weather is windy and no chance of a ride. Tomorrow looks better and I will be riding with a group from Princeton. T his morning I had to add a tie-wrap to my custom carbon bottle mount as it had a tendency to rotate one way or the other on turns. I also removed the stem from the right side of the trike and made a slight adjustment. I also adjusted the fender on the left side for additional clearance to the tire. I might raise both fenders a little higher so pebbles don't get lodged between the tire and fender. it would also facilitate tire removal if necessary. A s of yet I still haven't received the replacement Quick stick tire removal tool, it was mailed a day after the Zefal bottle was shipped, but it went 1st class mail. I can't understand why a package from California would take so long. I will wait until Saturday and contact JMAR Enterprises again. I received an email from A.E Bike