My Recumbent Days

Steady as she goes!

2011-07-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

After a close medical scare I am back riding, but it is going to be a slow start. A few weeks ago I was just sitting around after a walk along the D&R canal when all of a sudden I felt like my throat was closing up and there was someone sitting on my chest. I was really scared as this has happened twice before after a spider bite and a bee sting. I can't use an Epe pen as I can't tolerate the drug. I called my wife who was at a friends house around the corner and she rushed home. We headed for the ER where I spent the next two days. Since the doctors couldn't find a bite mark they decided to treat it as a heart problem and an insect bite. I now had to make an appointment for a nuclear stress test and an Echo Cardiogram. I passed both with flying colors, but the found that I have a swallowing problem which requires me to take more tests. Back to the ride!

I rode a short 5.29 miles in 33.38 minutes at an average speed of 9.4 mph and a max speed of 14.5 mph. I burnt a mere 262 calories and brought my HR up to 162 bpm.

Slow ride from hell

2011-06-08T10:48:00.000-04:00

This morning I decided that I would make up for lost rides after my injury. Big misconception on my part. It was 96℉ at 8:45 AM when I started my ride. No matter how hard I pushed myself it was like pedaling against a brick wall. My average speed was 10.1 mph and my max speed was 18.6 mph. I burnt 584 calories and my HR was 142 bpm avg while my max HR was 183 bpm. Maybe I should have stayed home today as I was under general anesthesia yesterday for a procedure on my lower back. I just wasn't thinking when I decided to ride.
The trike is working fine after the repairs, just a few things need tweaking, and I will leave that until a cooler day next week.

My riding stats are posted below.

First ride after my accident!

2011-06-02T11:19:00.000-04:00

Well this morning I decided to ride along with a friend for a short 7.75 mile break in run. It wasn't the fastest ride I have done in the past but it was just enough to test the repairs and brake adjustments. All repairs and adjustments were good, so normal riding can start as soon as my body says so. My average speed was 9.6 mph while my top speed was 21.2. The speed was low do to the route taken through Princeton University Forrestal Campus. My stats are below.

Ready for the road

2011-06-01T11:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the last of the repairs were completed. The brake rotor was slightly bent, but the LBS was able to straighten it without a problem. I am still in a lot of pain and my arm looks nasty, but I am going to be riding tomorrow. It won't be a long ride, but just enough to give me a taste. Thinking back to my accident, I came up with the following impressions:
1. I was going to fast for the road conditions.
2. I wasn't thinking as I know how the roads here get after days of rain, and I should have avoided the conditions that put in that place.
I am not going to cry over spilled milk, but move on and avoid the situation in the future. I know sometimes I can be foolhardy and go a lot faster than I should. The fellow from the LBS said that I had to be doing over 20 mph as I passed him and he was doing 22+. Oh well accidents do happen!

Trying to get back on the road

2011-05-26T11:42:00.000-04:00

Well it is a few days since I flipped the Black Widow and some things are improving while others are not. First thing yesterday I bought the parts needed to repair the computer mount, and a new replacement Mirrcycle Mirror. Last evening I cut the parts for the mount and painted them this morning. The base of the mount has been installed and the vertical stem fastened in place. I will not know until tomorrow if the adhesive held, so I am unable to mount the mirror until then. Next will be to mount the SlipGrip mount for the iPhone. After I know the adhesive is dry and the mirror and SlipGrip is mounted I will bring the trike to halters for the brake adjustment.

Now my damage is going to be an up hill battle. As the doctor said "It will get worse before it gets better!" Well he is correct, as I feel horrible, and the pain is very bad. I will post here as things progress, for both me and the trike.

Flipped the Black Widow Today.

2011-05-24T13:43:00.000-04:00

This morning I was out on my usual route and came to a corner that I usually can take at 20+ mph, and flipped the trike. There has been a huge amount of rain and sand had been washed up on the road, so I didn't have a chance. There is no damage to the trike that I can see other than the rubber axle cover on the left front wheel. The custom mounts for my computer and my Mirrycle mirror was destroyed. Tomorrow I will start the process of building a new mount. The Mirror is ordered, but I am having trouble finding the rubber end cap or axle cover. I have a call out to Steve and Randy, I hope they can help with that. My left arm and leg are covered with Road Rash and I am hurting bad, but my pride is hurt more. A motorist viewed my accident and just drove off without even asking if I was OK.

I heard from Steve as I was writing this post and he has the part I need. He is sending it out today. I rode 10.41 miles at an average speed of 9.5 mph and a top speed of 23 mph.I burnt 698 calories and my average HR was 133bpm and my max HR was 165bpm. Below is my stats from Garmin Connect.

Nice ride, but no riding partner today

2011-05-12T10:59:00.000-04:00

I rode 11 miles by myself and felt a little lonely. My average speed was 12.4 mph and my max speed was 22.2 mph. I burnt 623 calories and my avg HR was 139 and my max HR was 165. There was a bit of abnormalities between my Garmin Edge 305 and my iPhone CycleMeter. The Garmin I tend to think is more accurate, but the was almost a mile per hour difference. But since I use both it doesn't mater.

Added iPhone mount

2011-02-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I added a SlipGrip iPhone 4 mount to the left instrument cluster. It will allow me to use my iPhone 4 and the Cyclemeter on my rides. This mount allows use of the OtterBox Defender on the phone. Now my phone is at least protected from minor accidents. I will also be able to use the Bluetooth calling features while triking. The unit in itself is well made here in the USA which is rare to say the least. The mount is made of Polycarbonate and feels sturdy. The mount has a bicycle clamp which has a ball joint allowing many different positions and angles. I can even go into landscape mode and use the map feature of the Cyclemeter. I know that the Cyclemeter is a redundant instrument as I already have the Garmin mounted on the right instrument cluster. But as a recumbent geek and a computer geek more is better. I bought this mount from http://slipgripcarmounts.com, and I am excited about getting out on the road again. Looks like a long way off as there is still lots of snow on the street.

Sorry about the quality of the photo as it was taken handheld in a dark garage.

2010-10-07T11:06:00.003-04:00

I Planned to ride today, but the wind had another idea regarding that. I was all dressed and headed out the door for my ride, and got all of 20 feet before I returned home. The wind was blowing in all directions with speeds exceeding 20 mph. I had dust in my eyes in just 20 feet. My wrap around sunglasses didn't help one bit. I am really annoyed as i have been unable to ride for a week and a half do to rain every day.

On another thought: Last week I ordered another MARS logo flag from Devil Women Flags to replace my tattered flag. This time I ordered it in yellow. Yesterday I ordered some reflective tassels for the top of the flag mast as an added safety measure. The flag shipped on the 5th, but the tassels have not. I ordered the tassels in ANSI Yellow to make sure they are seen and it should go with the color of the flag. I ordered it from Purple Sky Flags Or at least close enough.

#4 is the color I choose

Rain again today & flag update!

2010-10-01T19:16:00.000-04:00

This morning I ordered a replacement flag from Devil Women Flags. This is the same place I ordered my original flag. I placed the order for a yellow MARS flag which is the same design as the original flag, but in yellow not orange. The order was posted as $20.00 for the flag and $5.00 for shipping. When I went to her home page it now says all flags are $25.00, if that is the case I will cancel the order and order a non MARS flag from another vendor. I will call later and see what happened. I went directly to the MARS flag bypassing the main screen so I didn't see the price change notification.

UPDATE:
I spoke to Barbra and she didn't mention anything about a price change so I guess the $20.00 plus shipping is what I will pay for the flag. Mean while I installed an old Be seen wear flag.

MARS Club Flag

Night View

Day View

The rain stopped for a bit!

2010-09-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

This morning I had a few things to get done, but I managed to get out as soon as possible. The rain is do to return this afternoon, but the weather forecasters have not been right in a while. I rode 10.16 miles in 40:15 minutes at an average speed of 15.1 mph and a max speed of 23.3 mph. I burnt 586 calories and my average HR was 149 bpm and my max HR was 163 bpm. The temperature was 63℉ when I started and 67℉ when I returned home. The winds were from the NNW at 4 mph. My stats are below.

Rain, Rain and more Rain

2010-09-27T09:44:00.002-04:00

It looks like bad weather until Wednesday so riding is out. I ordered a Nathan wrist wallet the other day as I realized that I had no room to carry my wallet while the trike is in lite weight mode. I am hoping that this will serve the purpose. I wanted to order it in another color, but it seems like there are none available in anything but black. I will update with a photo once Google gets the editor fixed. I am using the old editor until the fix arrives.

Nathan Reflective Wrist Wallet

MARS ride from NJ Bents in Hamilton Square

2010-09-26T15:53:00.008-04:00

This morning went for a group ride with three other members of MARS. Steve Friedlander led the ride through West and East Windsor and Heightstown. We rode 22.05 miles under very cloudy skies. A few times it started to rain, but all in all we lucked out. My average speed was 14.0 mph and my max speed was 26.6 mph. I burnt 1,219 calories and my average HR was 137 bpm and my max HR was 169 bpm. The members that rode with me were Steve, Bert and Ming a potential member. When we returned to the bike shop Charlie was there and we were able to look around, and buy if we wanted. I will post photos once I receive them. Below are my stats.

L to R Steve, Bert, Ming next to the Black Widow

Steve

Front to Rear Bert, Steve and me

L to R Ming, Bert, Me,Steve


L to R Bert, Me, and Steve

Windy start to the weekend

2010-09-25T10:30:00.001-04:00

This morning I got a little later start as I have my weekend chores to do. The ride was a little daunting as it was very windy again. Even with the strong winds I pushed forward trying not to loose against the wind. I rode 10.18 miles in 42:23 minutes at an average speed of 14.4 mph and a max speed of 26.2 mph. I burnt 561 calories and my average HR was 142 bpm and my max HR was 154 bpm. My stats are posted below.

UPDATE: Tomorrow I am going on a MARS group ride leaving from Jersey Bents LLC in Hamilton Square NJ. Not sure the distance we will go, but I am assuming 20 miles will be in order. We will stop for linch at a Pizza and Sub shop over in Windsor Village. When I get home I will post my stats and info about the ride.

Ever thickening fog & Jacket test

2010-09-24T10:35:00.000-04:00

This morning I got up to a cloudy sky and thickening fog. The fog seemed to worsen as the morning progressed. I decided that I wasn't giving up a day of riding so I got my gear together and headed out. I turned on my headlight and my flashing taillight and put on my new Brooks Essential Jacket. The jacket is a super bright yellow called Nightlife™. I rode 10.17 miles in 41:56 minutes at an average speed of 14.5 mph and a max speed of 24.3 mph. I burnt 544 calories and my average HR was 144 bpm and my Max HR was 160 bpm. The temperature was 66℉ at the start of the ride and 67℉ at the end. My stats are at the bottom of this post.

My impression of the new Brooks jacket are as follows. You can see this jacket from a very long distance off even in dim light or fog. The vents on the back are probably useless as you are pressing against them in the recumbent position. It does stop the wind and wasn't very warm, but I wish the vents were better.

Brooks Essential Jacket (Nightlife)

No ride today but purchase made

2010-09-23T16:21:00.000-04:00

Today I was unable to ride as I spent the morning have an epidural shot into my cervical column, to treat chronic pain. I hope to ride tomorrow morning.

I made two purchases one yesterday and one today. The first was for one yard of 1" wide reflective iron on material to go on my flag to make it more visible. The second was for a new chain keeper to replace the one on my Terracycle idlers. The original goes on from the back and the chain can get free. The new one clamps on the outside.

Nice day for a ride & derailleur problems

2010-09-22T09:57:00.001-04:00

This morning was perfect weather for a ride, the temperature was a beautiful 60℉ when I started and 64℉ at the end. I rode 10.10 miles in 41:05 minutes with an average speed of 14.8 mph and a max speed of 28.2 mph. My average HR was 143 bpm and my max HR was 161 bpm and I burnt 561 calories. My ride stats are below.

I ran into some derailleur problems and will head over to my LBS after I shower. For some reason it jumps cogs and isn't smooth. I think it wasn't adjusted correctly last time I was in.

UPDATE: I went to my LBS with the Black Widow and he adjusted the tension on the rear derailleur and it seems fine now. I went for a test ride around the parking lot and it shifted well, but I wasn't at any speed to be sure. Friday I will test it again on the road.

Winds have died down some, what a relief!

2010-09-21T10:08:00.000-04:00

After yesterdays ride from hell, I was dreading going out today, but I pushed myself. There are those days where I get in a funk and want to vegetate. Today I started out and was pushing hard and not getting anywhere. I continued to push and near the end of the ride I looked at my front chain wheels and realized the reason for the hard time was that I was in the large ring not the middle ring. I can't believe I was so stupid and did such a bad move.

I rode 10.14 miles in 41:26 minutes at an average speed of 14.7 mph and a max speed of 23.6 mph. I burnt 541 calories and my average HR was 149 bpm while my max HR was 160 bpm. The temperature at the start of the ride was 45℉ and it was 62℉ at the end of the ride. I sure needed my new jacket today, but it is sitting in Portland OR for the last four days. UPS said it is on time for delivery.

My stats for today's ride is below.

It looks like next season I will have to buy new cycling pants as mine are all large.

Windiest ride to date

2010-09-20T09:53:00.004-04:00

I headed out today with a smile on my face as I was looking forward to the ride. Well after the first five minutes the smaile was gone from my face. The winds were so strong that I had a hard time pushing against them. They seemed to be coming from all directions at once. The leaves and debris were flying everywhere including in my face. The winds were 18 mph gusting to 28 and the temperature was 59℉ at the start and 62℉ at the end of the ride. I rode 10.26 miles in 44.35 minutes at an average speed of 13.8 mph and a max speed of 20.0 mph. I burnt 527 calories which has to be wrong as I worked my butt off trying to fight the wind. My stats are below.

Below are the modified Flag mounts with included anti-noise grommet.

Grommet added to eliminate tapping noise

Grommet added to eliminate tapping sound

Cool 61℉ ride into a 15 mph headwind

2010-09-18T10:42:00.000-04:00

Today's ride was all and all usual for this crazy weather pattern. There was a constant 15 mph wind that was in my face no matter which way I turned. I rode 10.15 miles in 41:21 seconds at an average speed of 14.7 mph and a max speed of 24.4 mph. I burnt 561 calories and my Average HR was 145 bpm while my Max HR was 164 bpm. The trike was performing great even when the pilot was not performing well. My stats are below.

Fall jacket ordered

2010-09-17T19:24:00.000-04:00

Since I lost weight I found that my Pearl Izumi jacket no longer fit and that the long tail in the rear caused me nothing but pain. So I went on the hunt for a jacket that would work well on a recumbent. I found a few, but decided that the Brooks Essential Run Jacket from Road Runner Sports would fit the bill. I had to order site unseen as the stores don't carry them yet. below is a picture of the jacket.

I tried for a bearing test ride, but things didn't go as planned.

2010-09-17T10:17:00.002-04:00

I started out this morning with intentions to give the new bearings a test. I first pulled on the wheels to check for play and there was none, a good thing. I then headed out for my ride. The only true test would be to see if my speed increased etc. Well that idea didn't bear any fruit as there was a very strong headwind of 15 mph. But all in all my average speed even with the wind increased to 15.1 mph and my max speed was 24.7 mph. I did the 10.13 miles in 40:11 minutes. I burnt 532 calories and my Average HR was 151 bpm while my Max HR was 166 bpm which seems to be normal for me. The temperature at the start of my ride was 67℉ and at the end of my ride it was 70℉. My stats are below:

While I was riding I kept on hearing a taping noise and thought it was coming from the rear of the trike. I checked everything and figured out it was the flag staff hitting the inside of the hole in the second support. I then decided to slip some heat shrink tubing over the shaft and shrink it. The noise is gone now. I might post a photo of the fix later.

Prior to adding Grommet

New Bearings Installed with a little fighting!

2010-09-16T18:55:00.000-04:00

This morning the Bearing Tool arrived and I had already removed the wheels and axles from the trike. I tried my best to remove the axles from the wheels, but they would not give way. I picked up my stuff and headed for the Halters Cycles where Jason was able to get the axle and bearings out. Next the four bearings were installed and I left to reassemble the trike. It took me all of 15 minutes to have the wheels back on and the brakes installed. The left brake worked perfectly but the right was rubbing. I tried my best to see what was wrong but no dice. Another visit to the shop corrected the problem, The rotor was ever so slightly warped, but Jason has a tool to correct the problem. Tomorrow as soon as the weather clears I will be out testing the install. I do not foresee any problems as the bearings went in with out a hitch. The inner lock nut couldn't be tightened all the way as it bound the bearing, but a slight fraction of an inch loose corrected the problem. My two inner lock nuts were not tight in the original install so I assume that is OK.

A Snails Pace

2010-09-15T09:55:00.000-04:00

This morning I planned on using my local route that has been closed for repaving, but that idea didn't bear fruit. I made my usual turn onto my normal route and rode about 200 feet when again the road was closed, so I turned around and headed for Claremont Road detour. I rode 10.03 miles in 42:03 minutes at an average speed of 14.3 mph and a max speed of 23.1 mph. I burnt 541 calories and my Average HR was 145 Bpm and my Max HR was 158 Bpm. The temperature was 54℉ when I started and was 60℉ when I returned home. The winds were from the NW at a constant 15 mph, which is strong, but doable. The problem was with the leaves and dirt being blown in my face. I feel like I washed with sandpaper. As usual my ride stats are below the text.

With luck I will receive the bearing tool by the end of the week, but that depends if it went out on time. Tom is being very nice loaning me his custom made tool, which is one of a kind.

Cool 59℉ ride

2010-09-14T10:02:00.000-04:00

This morning I headed out a little later as I was waiting for it to warm up a bit. It was 57℉ when I left and 59℉ when I arrived home. I rode 10.64 miles in 43:14 minutes at an average pace of 14.8 mph and a max pace of 24.2 mph. I burnt 575 calories and my Average HR was 143 and my Max HR was 156 bpm. There was a very slight wind of 6 mph coming from the WSW. My stats are shown below.

New Route today and computer problems

2010-09-13T10:48:00.001-04:00

Today's ride took me on a different route do to construction. I rode 10.37 miles in 41:41 seconds at an average pace of 14.9 mph and a max pace of 25.5 mph. I burnt 557 calories and my average HR was 149 bpm while my max HR was 162 bpm. My stats are below. The temperature was a little cool at 65℉ so I had to wear a cycling jacket which I hate wearing as it bunches up in the front as it isn't shaped for recumbent riding.

As I passed the road construction area I asked the crew when it will be done, and he said "Don't you think that you being handicapped should ride on the sidewalk?" I looked at him and jumped out of my seat as quick as I could, and his mouth dropped open. He then said "I thought that that was one of those special wheelchairs." The rest of the crew started laughing and the police officer guarding the site looked like he would pee in his pants.

I ran into computer problems the other day, and thought by changing the battery in the Cadence sensor would fix it, but I was wrong. The battery in the computer is what needed changing and after today's ride I did just that.

I sent a PM to LayZeeD on the www.bentrideronline.com forum asking if he would loan me his bearing tool. I haven't heard back from him, but he is at work, so I can wait. I just hope I get it by next week early. Now that the bearings are here I am getting antsy.

Nice ride today 72℉

2010-09-11T11:24:00.001-04:00

This was a great day for a ride. The temperature was a beautiful 72℉ with 4 mph winds. I can live with that. I rode 10.15 miles in 41:10 minutes at an average speed of 14.8 mph and a max speed of 24.3 mph. I burnt 583 calories and my average HR was 148 and my Max HR was 163 bpm. My results are below.

Today's ride was real nice until I reached mile marker 9 where the road is a gradual up hill climb for about a mile. Over night the work crews were out grinding down the surface in preparation for paving. The surface was now like a wash board causing severe pain in my neck and a chattering of my teeth. I rode a few hundred feet and was forced to ride the grass apron the rest of they way taking a huge chance as it is strewn with glass.

Yesterday my new Phil Wood bearings came in and I will make time in a few weeks if not sooner to have them installed. My battery on my cadence sensor is dead, or at least that is what I think is wrong. Later today I will change it and see.

Not feeling so well so cut my ride short

2010-09-08T09:31:00.001-04:00

I haven't felt well since last night, just a little out of whack so today's ride was cut short. I rode 5.12 miles in 21:10 minutes at an average speed of 14.5 mph and a max speed pf 20.3 mph. I burnt a paltry 291 calories and my Average HR was 137 Bpm while my Max HR was 149 Bpm. My ride results are posted below.

UPDATE:

It is now 11:59 AM and I forgot to give the weather report for today's ride. The temperature was 82℉ and the wind was from the West at 21 gusting to 35 Mph. I do hate these strong winds, they just tire me out especially when I am not feeling well.

Schools back and my first scary ride

2010-09-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

This morning I headed out for my daily training ride, the weather was beautiful and the temperature was 69℉, with winds out of the SW at 9 mph. I rode 10.15 miles in 40:26 minutes and burnt 560 calories. My average speed was 15.1 mph while my top speed was 25.3 mph. My average HR was 153 Bpm and my Max HR was 166 Bpm.

Riding today was a bit of a challenge, not do to weather but do to all the additional drivers on the road as school opened here today. I counted two near misses and three people backing out of driveways without looking. I had to be more on my toes today than ever. All in all a great and enjoyable ride.

Friday I ordered the four bearings from Phil Wood web site, I hope to put them in the fron wheels this fall. Below are my ride stats for today.

Strong Winds Still With Us.

2010-09-05T10:38:00.000-04:00

I wanted to ride my local training route this morning, but the winds were way to strong. The winds were blowing from all directions at 23 mph and causing dust and dirt and everything else to be flying in the air. I rode 7.20 miles in 30:20 minutes at an average speed of 14.2 mph and a max speed of 22.2. I burnt 379 calories and my average HR was 140 bpm and my max HR was 155 bpm. The temperature was 68℉

Hurricane Earl Slowed me down

2010-09-04T10:34:00.000-04:00

This morning I left for my ride with the intention of riding my normal ride and route, but was I wrong. As soon as I left I realized that Hurricane Earl left some very strong winds behind. The constant wind was variable at around 25 mph and there were a few gusts of over 35 mph. So I decided to keep to my local roads and streets. I rode 9.08 miles in 39:29 minutes at an average speed of 13.8 mph and a max speed of 22.6 mph. I burnt 484 calories and my average HR was 140 bpm while my max HR was 154 bpm. My stats are posted below this post.

So far my removal of the rack has not effected me in any major way other than my pushing and lifting handle is gone. It will make transporting a drop harder and pushing much harder.

Earl is here not ride do to rain/CherryBomb is here!

2010-09-03T10:19:00.000-04:00

Last night I removed the rack and the Planet Bike Superflash and installed the NightRider CherryBomb taillight. The trike has a totally different look to it, I have to get accustomed to it. The CherryBomb is much brighter than the SuperFlash and has a much wider beam. As all lights the CherryBomb is brighter in the center. The CherryBomb is mounted on the neckrest support and looks real nice. Below are photos of both the trike and the taillight.

Great riding day before the storm

2010-09-02T10:08:00.001-04:00

I think today will be the last day of riding until Earl passes us. The winds are starting to pick up and it is the calm before the storm, I hope we don't get hit to bad. I rode 10.05 miles in 40:31 minutes and burnt 557 calories. My average speed was 14.9 mph and my max speed on the flat was 27.5 mph. My average HR was 147 bpm and my max HR was 164 bpm. I had to work a little harder to maintain speed today and I feel it. The temperature at the start of my ride was 81℉ and the wind was from the SW at 10 mph and climbing to 18 mph. My stats are below.

My NightRider CherryBomb taillight will be here later today so I might have time to work on mounting it, and implementing my loss prevention system.

Fantastic ride today

2010-09-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

Today was a real good day for a ride, yes it was a hot and humid 86℉, but the wind was half the speed as yesterday. I rode 10.14 miles in 41:45 minutes at an average speed of 14.6 mph and a max speed of 25.1 mph. I burnt 561 calories and my average HR was 141 bpm and my max HR was 162 bpm. My elevation gain for today was 254 feet. My stats will be at the bottom of this post.

Yesterday I started fabricating a safety tether to make sure I don't loose any parts of the new NiteRider taillight. When this project is complete I will post photos of the light and it's loss prevention system.

Great ride but hot

2010-08-31T10:06:00.000-04:00

I went out to ride to today with a sort of different attitude! I was not going to let the wind get the best of me and make my ride unpleasant. Even with the strong head winds I decided to make it a competition, me against the wind. I rode 10.14 miles in 42:00 minutes with an average speed of 14.5 mph and a max speed of 22.6 mph. I burnt 580 calories and my average HR was 143 and my max HR was 161. My performance has improved with a slight drop in my Max HR. The temperature was 87℉ under a bright sun. Below is my stats for today.

My new taillight was shipped yesterday and with luck it will be here Friday.

Exhausted but good ride anyway!

2010-08-30T10:04:00.000-04:00

I am totally exhausted after this mornings ride. The temperature was 75℉ and the winds were extremely fast near 20 mph. I felt like I was pedaling against a wall. My goal is to maintain a speed for as long as possible to build my stamina. I rode 10.06 miles in 41:50 minutes at an average speed of 14.4 mph and a max speed of 22.8. I burnt 600 calories and my average HR was 142 bpm and my max HR was 162 bpm. I can tell that I am getting stronger even with the strong winds pushing me back. My stats are below:

Plesant ride even with strong winds.

2010-08-28T10:51:00.001-04:00

I rode 10.04 miles in 41:32 minutes at an average speed of 14.5 mph and a max speed of 23.9 mph. I burnt 551 calories and my average HR was 146 bpm while my max HR was 164 bpm. The temperature was 72℉ with variable winds at 18 mph. My stats are below.

Yesterday I decided that a powerful rear strobe was needed for daylight riding. I searched the web and asked questions and ended up ordering a NightRider Cherrybomb strobe. I should have it next week some time, but I am not sure how I will adapt it to the trike or helmet.

Strong Winds but nice ride.

2010-08-27T10:21:00.000-04:00

This morning I headed out with a smile on my face as I knew the temperature was just perfect. The temperature was 69℉ and the wind was a bit strong at 10-18 mph. I rode my usual 10.05 miles in 41:56 minutes at an average speed of 14.4 mph and a max speed of 23.9 mph. I burnt 574 calories and my average HR was 146 bpm and my Max HR was 163 bpm. My stats are below.

Nice ride but wind as usual

2010-08-21T10:44:00.000-04:00

It was a great morning for a ride but as usual the wind was making things a bit hard. I just got to get it in to my thick head that the wind is here to stay and I have to adapt. I rode 10.05 miles in 41:51 minutes with an average speed of 14.4 mph and a max speed of 23.2 mph. I burnt 559 calories and my average HR was 147 bpm while my max HR was 164 bpm. Below are my stats.

Training ride turns into leasure ride

2010-08-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

I planned for a normal daily training ride but that did not bear any fruit. The winds were so strong I had trouble just maintaining speed. The temperature was 81 degrees and the wind variable with speeds exceeding 15 mph. I rode 10.12 miles in 42:54 minutes with an average speed of 14.1 and a max speed of 22.1 mph. As you can see my speed was crushed by the wind. I burnt 619 calories and my HR average was 144 bpm and my max HR was 163 bpm. My stats are below.

New Layer of Safety added today.

2010-08-19T14:07:00.000-04:00

After seeing a trike motorcycle yesterday and noticed that I was clearly able to see the width of the vehicle from a long distance. The reason for this was because the trike had a rear taillight and two marker lights one on each front fender. I then thought how can I do this on the Black Widow without adding excessive weight and bulk. I decided that by using two Red Knog Beetle lights mounted on the handlebars facing rearward would give me exactly what I wanted. So I placed one on the right handlebar and one on the left handlebar just below the brake levers. Now my trike will be seen wider than a bicycle.

Making a goal and keeping it

2010-08-19T10:07:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the season I made a goal for myself, to be the healthiest I could be and break my own speed record. Well I am slowly progressing toward that goal. I have broken my average speed already and my health is greatly improved. I closely watch what I eat and limit the amounts I consume. Today I rode my usual boring route which is 10.04 miles. My average speed was 14.8 mph and my max speed was 24.2 mph. I burnt 562 calories and my average heart rate was 151 bpm while my max heart rate was 170 bpm. The temperature today was a nice 78℉ and the wind was variable at 6-15 mph. The wind today seemed to be in my face 99% of the ride getting me to push harder. As usual my stats are below.

Second Chukker Wheel test

2010-08-17T09:44:00.000-04:00

Today I ran my second wheel test and the facts show that the new wheel has increased my average speed. Today I rode 10.04 miles in 41:13 minutes at an average speed of 14.6 mph and a max speed of 24.5 mph. I burnt 583 calories and my average HR was 153 bpm and my max HR was 170 bpm. The temperature was 77℉ and the wind was from the WNW at 10 mph. Below is my stats.

Velocity Chukker Wheel Test Ride

2010-08-13T15:18:00.000-04:00

I decided to do a test of my new Velocity Chukker wheel and I had an interesting surprise. First here is my ride report for today. I rode 9.20 miles in 37:57 minutes with an average speed of 14.5 mph which is my highest average ever. My max speed was 24.5 mph and I burnt 493 calories. My heart rate average was 154 bpm while my max was 173 bpm. The temperature was 81 degrees and the wind was coming from the ESE at 15 mph, making riding into the headwind hard at times.

Now for the surprise! My average speed on this route with very little headwind is usually around 12.4 mph. Today with the new wheel my average speed was 14.5 mph, which is 2 miles per hour faster. I am not sure if this is a good sign or some placebo effect.

Below is my stats for today's ride.

Velocity Chukker Wheel Update.

2010-08-12T12:03:00.002-04:00

When my LBS received my new custom Velocity Chukker wheel we found out it wasn't drilled out for Schrader Valve. My LBS had no problem drilling it out but we found the Schrader valve was too short for my Mountain Morph Pump to properly attach. I knew I didn't want to switch tp Presta valves as all my spare tubes are Schrader type. I knew there were extensions made allowing for different extension lengths. I wanted the shortest I could find and that happened to be 3/4". I was forced to order one from MacTools online. The part was $2.90 but there was tax and shipping bringing the cost to $11.00 USA. I feel a little ripped off, but shipping choices were limited to UPS.

I am sure this will do what is required so I have to suck it up and stop complaining.

It is raining today so my road test of the wheel will have to wait. Maybe tomorrow will prove to be a better day.

The options I choose for the wheel were for strength and aerodynamic design. I choose DT-Swiss Aerolite bladed spokes in black and the Velocity ATB rear hub.

Replacement Wheel is here

2010-08-11T14:46:00.001-04:00

I was forced to replace my rear wheel do to a failed weld. I ordered a Velocity Chukker wheel which was custom built to my specs. Below are photos of the wheel with the custom graphics installed.

Fighting the headwind!

2010-08-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

I started out this morning fighting a variable speed and direction winds. There were a few calm points, but mostly constant winds varying between 8 and 15 mph, and changing direction often. The temperature was a nice 81℉. I rode my usual route of 10.03 miles in 45:24 minutes with an average speed of 13.2 mph and a mak speed of 25.6 mph. I burnt 541 calories and my average heart rate was 137 bpm and my max heart rate was 163 bpm. My elevation gain today was 273 feet. My stats can be seen below and for more detail you can click the "View Details" link on the bottom of the map.

A nice Windy ride.

2010-08-08T11:38:00.000-04:00

This morning I got up a little late as we were tired from a great day at my sons house warming party. I was also stuffed to the limits with roasted pig. He smoked a whole 60 lb pig, and it was real good and I couldn't help my self. I rode 10.04 miles in 46:02 minutes at an average speed of 13.1 mph and a max speed of 26.0 mph. I burnt 579 calories and my average Heart rate was 138 bpm while my max heart rate was 166 bpm. The winds today were Variable at 10-20 mph. The temperature was 80℉. My Garmin stats are below. Click on View details for more info.

Very windy ride

2010-08-05T10:39:00.000-04:00

This morning I knew as soon as I left the house I was in for a tough ride. The winds were variable at 13-18 mph. The temperature was 85℉ and rising, and the humidity was shear wet. I did very well with breathing through my nose with little or no burning, but at times it was hard to catch my breath. I think that was from the high temperature and humidity. I rode 10.04 miles in 48:23 min. My average speed was 12.4 mph and my max speed was 26.6 mph. I burnt 544 calories and my average heart rate was 128 bpm and my max heart rate was 159 bpm. My Garmin Connect stats is below, and for more info click "View Details".

Another nice day

2010-08-02T10:23:00.000-04:00

This morning I started out a little bit earlier than normal, since I had things I must accomplish by days end. I rode 10.04 miles in 45:37 minutes. My average speed was 13.2 mph and my max speed was 25.7 mph. I burnt 602 calories and my heart rate was 135 bpm average and 162 bpm maximum heart rate. For some reason my overall speed has been improved since I switched to the large Q-ring. I just guess the gearing is a better more efficient combination. Below are my stats from Garmin Training Center. To see a detailed report click "View Details" at the bottom of the map.

Another perfect riding day

2010-07-31T12:04:00.000-04:00

Headed out a little later this morning as I had some work around the house. I rode 10.15 miles in 48:36 minutes at an average speed of 12.4 mph and a max speed of 23.0 mph. I burnt 536 calories and my average heart rate was 131 bpm while my max heart rate was 159 bpm. The temperature was 77℉ with the wind was variable at 6 mph. My full ride stats are posted below, click "View Details" to see the complete ride.

Glorious day for a ride.

2010-07-30T10:31:00.001-04:00

I got up this morning with my jets burning on high. I decided that today would be a great day for a extended ride. The weather was very cool making riding conditions great. I choose the extended route along Canal Road that runs parallel to the Raritan Canal for a nice short bit. The roads leading up to the canal consist of rolling hills and some moderate down hill runs. The ride away from the canal is all up hill. I rode 15.61 miles in 1:14:18 hours at an average speed of 12.6 mph and a max speed of 27.8 mph. I burnt 798 calories and my heart rate was 137 bpm average while my max heart rate was 167 bpm. The temperature was 74℉ with the wind from the North at 8 mph with gusts to 15 mph.My ride info from Garmin is listed below.

Strong Winds Presist, but great ride

2010-07-27T10:53:00.002-04:00

This morning I was hyped to ride and headed out the door after breakfast. The strong head winds were still present, but I pushed on. The weather was just perfect! The temperature was a beautiful 74℉ and the winds were variable from 8 mph to 18 mph. I rode my extended route which was 12.06 miles. My average speed was 12.5 mph and my max speed was 23.9 mph. I burnt 654 calories and my heart-rate was 134 bpm average and 162 bpm max. My elevation gain was 309 feet. All and all a great workout. Below are my Garmin details. Click view details to see.

Journal of a fustrated triker!

2010-07-26T10:21:00.001-04:00

One of the main reasons for biking/triking is the health benefits. As a person living with chronic back and neck pain I know how much body weight effects my pain level. I try very hard to maintain my weight to within a two pound range. I also know that I gain a little after eating out during the weekend and this weekend was no different. But when I awoke this morning and did my usual weighing in, I found I had gained three pounds. To say the least I wasn't happy but I said to myself "I will not let this ruin my day". After breakfast I filled my water bottle and headed out for my ride. The temperature was a fantastic 68℉ and a slight breeze. I headed out with not a care in the world and a good attitude. I slowly made my way past housing developments and open farm land expecting the ride to be uneventful.

I was now about one mile from home when the wind started to pick up to a strong head wind. The wind was so strong at times I could barely move up the hills. I pushed on expecting the wind to die down as quick as it started. Well I was wrong the wind kept up and at times became even stronger across the fields. The wind stayed with me the rest of the ride.

So as you can see my day was not going to well. I came to the intersection of route 27 and at that location there are three lanes a right turn lane, a left turn lane and a straight lane. I was in the center of the straight lane. The light turned green for me and I started to move forward. Out of the corner of my eye I catch movement in the right mirror and I see two cars an SUV and a sedan passing me on the right, both were in the right turn lane. They continued straight missing my right mirror by inches. By this time I was heading home and thought "nothing else can go wrong". Boy was I wrong! I was now heading down my next to last leg of my ride when from my right a huge black dog starts running toward me barking and snarling. I managed to zig and zag to get away. The dogs owner yells sorry about that. I now am a few hundred yards past this dog when another dog lunges at me, this time he was on a leash and the its master pulled him back. Nether less I nearly sh_t my pants. I was now heading up my street toward my home when directly in front of me a women walking her dog on one of those retractable leashes enters the road texting and not looking where she was going. The dog was fifteen feet in front of her with the leash extended across my path. I had to swerve and jamb on the brakes. The last 20 feet to my driveway was uneventful. I am not sure if I should crawl up in bed or just lock myself in my bedroom.

The stats for this ride are as follows. I rode 10.14 miles in 49:33 minutes at an average speed of 12.3 mph and a max speed of 20.9 mph. I burnt 618 calories and climbed 287'. Below is from Garmin Connect, click on View Details to see the chart.

Short local ride

2010-07-23T10:16:00.001-04:00

I started out this morning planning on just a short local ride do to a very likely chance of thunder storms. I rode at a leisurely pace of 12.3 mph and a top speed of 22.8 mph. I rode for 29:19 minutes and burnt 321 calories. My total miles covered was 6.02 miles. My total elevation gain was 155 feet and my heart rate was 132 bpm average and a max heart rate of 152 bpm. The skies were very cloudy with a few rain drops, and a temperature of 77℉. Below is my Garmin Connect info. Click on view details for more info.

First ride in a long time.

2010-07-22T09:59:00.003-04:00

Well I hit the road today to try and get back into shape. Boy do I need to exercise more, I am beat. I ran my usual training course today, but I encountered strong winds, making some parts of the ride real hard. I covered 10.06 miles in 47:20 minutes. My top speed was 22.5 mph and my average speed was 12.7 mph. I burnt 608 calories and my heart rate on average was 152 bpm. The temperature was 82℉ with winds from the WNW at 18 mph gusting to 23 mph. You can click on the details below for more info.

Fustrated triker (just a little rnat)

2010-07-13T14:21:00.000-04:00

I have been having a very hard time getting out to ride and I am getting very frustrated. I have been having contractors working at my home repairing damage from the huge March storm. So for months I have been home baby sitting workers. I have learned from experience that you have to keep an eye on workers to make sure things get done without cutting corners. In general most contractors are highly reliable, but during very hot or cold weather corners get cut to get the jobs done. Well now that the last worker left my home yesterday I was free to ride. So I awoke this morning planning to ride. I had my bike gear on and after breakfast I put on the heart rate monitor and headed out the door. I rode no more that 500 foot from the house and it started to rain. I headed home and put my street cloths on. It was 1:45 PM and the street was dry and the sun was bright in the sky, so I put on my bike cloths and again headed out the door. I got a block or so away from home when the wind picked up and in a matter of seconds the sky got black and the rain started to fall. I again headed home and redressed in my street cloths. That is it for today I am just fustrated and angry. Tomorrow calls for the same type of weather, so I am not sure if I will be bold or stupid enough to try again.

Now for some trike updates. I was at the LBS yesterday to discuss using Aeroplugs on my new wheel. We spoke at length and I decided with some knowledgeable help that I will stick to Velox rim tape. I was also told that my wheel is not expected until the end of the month, I hope it comes sooner.

As soon as I am able to get out and ride I will do a test video using my Sunglasses Video camera. The device records for about an hour at 720 X 480 resolution. They are very lite and use Polaroid lenses. For memory it uses a 8 gb trans-flash card, or some people call a mini SD card. I have done a video using my SUV, but riding the trike is much different than a car or truck.

New rear wheel for the Black Widow

2010-07-08T11:06:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I ordered a replacement for my Black Widows rear wheel. I choose a near bulletproof wheel by Velocity. The model is the Chukker deep V. It has a all black rim, black spokes and a black hub. Most wheels other than Disc brake wheels have a machined brake surface. Since the trike has neither disc or caliper brakes an all black wheel with no machined side walls was possible. So Halters Cycle spoke to Velocity and they are custom making me a wheel with 32 spokes. Yes this wheel is a little heavier, but it will take a beating, which with the condition of the roads here is very important. As far as any speed loss, I am not sure how much the weight will effect me. I am sure it is less weight than my current wheel, so I might see a slight increase in speed. The wheel will take two to three weeks to get here, I am looking forward to getting it mounted. I originally planned on the Aerospoke wheel, but found out that I couldn't get it with out the machined sides and if ordered in black it would cost an additional $80.00. The LBS checked on how long to get the Aerospoke and they were told 6 to 7 weeks. That was out of the question. I will post photos of the wheel when I receive it.

Schwalbe Tire Update July 3

2010-07-04T11:37:00.002-04:00

Yesterday July 3rd I received the Marathon tire I ordered on Amazon.com. So if all goes well I will go to my LBS and get a new tube and have it filled with Tru-Goo. While I am there I will have the tire mounted. I will be glad to get on the road again. To be honest the next few days are going to be near 100℉, so ridding might be hard. I intend to try, and if I don't do as many miles as I hope to so what! I spoke to Schwalbe regarding the replacement and was told a container is due to arrive in two weeks. If the tire is not on that container it will not come until late August. I hope it comes soon as I would have preferred to mount the two new tires and save the older as a spare.

During my non ridding time I had time to make a few modifications.
1. Removed the fenders. (I prefer the clean look) I also don't ride in bad weather.

2. I designed and fabricated a new computer sensor mount to replace the mount on the fender.

Schwalbe Tire Update:

2010-06-30T10:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I received an email from Schwalbe warranty department stating that they need a photo of the damaged tire and the "Production Code". I removed the tire and searched the inside of the tire using a magnifying glass with no luck. I checked at least three times not finding this code. I sent them another email telling them that the code does not exist on this tire. I also sent them the photo of the only printing on the inside of the tire and a photo of the damage. I hope now they can help replacing the tire. I guess i am not going to ride until I receive a replacement. I already ordered a spare tire so maybe next week I will ride again. below are the photos.

As you can see from the above photos the damage is clearly visible as well as the only number printed on the inside of the tire.

Back in the saddle again!

2010-06-29T10:27:00.002-04:00

Well this is my first ride in a long time do to a few issues. The first main issue was that I was baby sitting contractors repairing my home after a huge March storm. The next issue was that I contracted Poison Ivy on my body and in my throat. I guess I could have ridden with the stuff on my body, but the stuff in my throat made it impossible.

I rode 10.09 miles in 51.08 minutes. My average speed was 11.8 mph while my top speed was 22.8 mph. I was not to happy with these results and will have to work harder. I burnt 506 calories and my average Heart Rate was 139 bpm and my max Heart Rate was 159 bpm. I also climbed 180' during the ride.

Below is my Garmin Connect status report.

Update: After I got back home I noticed that my right wheel seemed out of round after removing the fenders. I looked closer and realized I had a bulge across the tread of the tire. I looked closer and as I did the tube escaped the tire through the bulge and burst. I have since contacted Schwalbe via their warranty form. The form asks for a production code from the inside of the tire. I removed the tire and found no production code stamped in the tire, I hope they don't give me any problems as the tire has 400 +/- miles on it. I also noticed that they are out of stock on the Marathon HS-368 tires. So I ordered a new one on Amazon.

Late start, but great ride!

2010-05-05T11:59:00.000-04:00

This morning I had some computer work to do on my home server so I got a late start to my ride. I rode my usual loop and covered 10.6 miles in 44:30 minutes at an average speed of 13.6 mph. I burnt 638 calories and my HR was 148 bpm average. My results from Garmin are posted below. For a change the winds were from the South at 6 mph gusting to 12 mph.

Strong winds but nice ride anyway

2010-05-01T10:41:00.001-04:00

Today I left early for my ride as the temperature was already 75 degrees and climbing. I rode 10.39 miles in 48:56 minutes. The winds were strong so I was a little slower than usual. Not that I am going to break any speed records, but I like to maintain a certain average. My abverage HR was148 Bpm and my Max HR was 178 Bpm. I burnt 532 Calories. Below are my stats from Garmin Connect.

Interesting ride

2010-04-30T13:38:00.002-04:00

This afternoon I headed out for a ride and was looking forward to it. The ride started out uneventful to say the least. The weather was a fair 74 degrees with a slight wind of 5 mph. When I was about half way through the ride and starting up the hills I started to feel the wind increase. I now felt like I had lead in my shoes and the hills became mountains. I lowered my gears and started up as the wind increased and changed direction. The wind was now in my face and I had nothing to do put take it the best I could. After about 10 minutes of this pain the wind just died as fast as it started. I made it home and now I am just licking my mental wounds. Below is my stats from Garmin connect.

No ride today, but Alarm installed

2010-04-16T10:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I received my new trike alarm from Hong Kong. When I first opened the box I was impressed by the size of the little alarm. I installed the 9 Volt battery and proceeded to activate the alarm. A very simple push of the "B" button for 2 seconds arms the unit. I then waited a few seconds and moved the handlebar and the alarm started to howl. It has a ear splitting sound that repeats itself then resets. I next decided on a new code as the factory default is very easy to figure out. The changing of the code took longer than I thought as I didn't hold the "A" button long enough to enter the code change mode. Well after the code change I set the sensitivity to high by pressing the "C" button for two seconds. I am not sure that high is not to sensitive, but I will test that out when the weather gets better. The new alarm looks so much better than the old one, but I needed to modify my accessory mount to install it. Below is a photo of the new alarm on the accessory mount and the addition of a Minoura mount to hold my watch. The view is looking down on the handle bars.

Out came the tights

2010-04-11T10:45:00.001-04:00

This morning I headed out for my ride wearing a long sleeve jersey and tights. It was only 49 degrees when I started out and ended at 52 degrees. The wind was from the West at 12 mph. I had a nice workout which I needed after last nights meal. I love eating out, but I feel horrible when I weigh myself in the morning. I know I am very much possessed when it comes to maintaining my weight. The main thing is that the more weight I have around my waist the more pain I have in my back. So I have only a few pounds to play with. Below is my stats for this ride, to see the details click "View Details on the map bottom.

Yesterday I realized that My Garmin Edge 305 had the bike profile all wrong so my calories and stats were way off. Oh well I screwed that up. I put it to the correct weight and my calories burnt increased by 25%.

Slight Modification to frame pack

2010-04-10T09:57:00.000-04:00

My top boom mounted frame pack original version without wall stiffeners rotates off the top of the boom. I already placed plastic stiffeners on both sides to give it some form, now I had to stop the rotating from top of the boom. I tried tightening the straps, but with the smooth straps and the smooth bottom of the pack it was a no go. I then thought of gluing rubber to the bottom of the pack and felt at this time it was a drastic move. So my solution was to use two sided Velcro on the bottom of the pack and to the top of the boom. I haven't test driven the trike to see if this solution works, but maybe if the weather is good Monday will be the test.

Yesterday I ordered two 2 oz tubes of Conductivity Gel for my heart rate monitor. I found it on EBay for $8.00 for 4 oz including shipping. I found 2 oz in my local surgical supply for $7.00, so I felt for $1.00 more I was getting double the amount. It was shipped yesterday, so I should receive it early next week. By that time I should be out of the Gel I have on hand.

Windy Ride and other updates

2010-04-08T10:23:00.000-04:00

At 9:14 AM I headed out for my ride, and the first thing I noticed was the wind blowing in my face. The wind seemed to be in my face no matter which direction I turned. Strange to say the least. Again my stats have improved by a small margin, but who cares I will take it as a good sign. Below are my stats. Click "View Details" to see the rundown.

On another subject, I modified my computer pod by using the angle mounts from the Garmin to tilt the both computers on a slight angle facing me. This small change made viewing the computers in the bright sun easy as could be.

Beautiful morning ride

2010-04-07T10:57:00.004-04:00

This morning at 9:28 Am I started my ride with a technical problem. The Cage Rocket mount failed do to installation error. I will explain farther in to this post. Back to the ride. The weather was a nice 76℉ with the wind WSW at 14 mph. I tried my best to maintain my average speed, as I thought the wind being so strong it would slow me down. To my shock I improved in my average speed by 2 tenths, at least I didn't loose speed. My heart rate also improved a little. Below is the stats, to see the complete listr click "View Details".

The technical problem was caused because I hoped the Cage Rocket bottom would stay put using two sided tape, but that didn't work out. When I got home from the ride I took a two hole knee and covered it in hear shrink, drilled two holes one in the rack and one in the Cage Rocket. I then mounted the Cage Rocket to the rack and a two hole knee. It should stay fine now that it is installed properly. Below is a photo of the modified mounting. I know you can't see it, that was my idea, keep it hidden.

A little more customazation!

2010-04-06T13:31:00.000-04:00

As I stood back and looked at the trike I felt something was needed, and I just couldn't think of what until last night. I realized the Cage Rocket was just way to stark and needed something. I also didn't like the imperfections on the top of the Cage Rocket which is common with EVA molding. I decided to customize the Cage Rocket with some custom lettering from my local sign shop. He does very nice work and charges me very little for his time and material.

I didn't get a chance to ride today as I had a doctors appointment in the morning, then a lunch date which I had to cut short because the exterminator was coming for his quarterly visit. Tomorrow I will be able to ride, and I am looking forward to it.

I have no idea of what I will do when I run out of things to customize on the trike. I doubt that will ever happen as I seem to over flow with ideas. Just wish my brain storms were less expensive.

Great day for a ride!

2010-04-05T12:32:00.010-04:00

This morning 10:00AM EST I headed out to ride, I planed on doing around 10 miles each day when possible. Below are my stats. The wind seemed to be in my face a good portion of the area I usually sprint. I was able to do a few sprints and obtained speeds of 25.1 mph. To see the full stats click view details.

Before I headed out I put three coats of Rustoleum Plastic paint on the Cage Rocket as I was not impressed with the finish it came with. I think all EVA plastic looks cheap. No longer does it have a toy look. I has a nice satin finish. Below is the photo of the paint job.

Shake Down Ride

2010-04-03T10:36:00.001-04:00

This morning I went out on a local training loop. I feel I did well for the second ride of the season and the first true ride. Below are the stats for this ride.
10.14 miles
12.2 Mph average speed
23.4 Max Speed
304' Elevation Gain
566 calories burnt
154 bpm average heart rate
179 bpm max heart rate
I found a few things needing adjustment on the trike, but nothing to do with the drive-train, all just cosmetic stuff.

I was notified today that the new alarm has shipped, so I guess I will get it in around 10 to 15 days, which is normal for HG Airmail.

I received the Cage Rocket and it does not fit the carbon cage I had allocated for it. So it was mounted on the rear rack and it fits in good with the motif. It is easy to open and it looks like my cell phone will fit fine plus some extra cash and a few other things. Below is the photo of it mounted on the rack.

I find it very easy to access my gear in the Cage Rocket and it doesn't feel like it will pop open and I will loose anything. The version I bought is waterproof so I don't have to worry about it getting wet.

I bought a new alarm

2010-04-02T09:56:00.002-04:00

Someone on www.bentrideronline posted about a new alarm and I couldn't help my self and bought one. I felt that $6.99 shipped was reasonable and it surely looks better than my bulky one. So a chance I took, but at least the other person says it works great. Another good reason is not having to worry about loosing the key.

.com

Just waiting

2010-03-31T10:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I received the new Polar Water Bottle and was surprised the design had changed. The tops of the Polar Bottles were interchangeable, now this is not the case. The new design has a wider mouth so tops can't be interchanged. The new bottle also comes with a hanger, which I will use as a grab loop making removing the bottle from behind my seat easier. Otherwise the quality is as good as before. Now will I need to replace my other 24 oz bottle chances are I will not, but I might just do it for appearance sake.

I was informed by Nashbar that my Cage Rocket was shipped via FedEx SmartPost, but the tracking number still reports that it wasn't picked up yet. I contacted Nashbar and they said that it was shipped yesterday. Well if it doesn't show up in the system tomorrow I will call again. Niagra Cycle Works informed me that my Brake Lever Covers were going to ship yesterday and that I would receive an email to the fact. Well you guessed it I didn't receive an email regarding shipping, so I emailed them today and am waiting for an answer. I tried calling them, but their phone for support is not available, which has been like that for days. I think the number is never active and it is just needed by law to say they have a customer service agent. I truly think that if the USPS had a good tracking system like UPS or FedEx, they would be the best choice for shipping. The thing I hate about ordering online is the wait to get my toys. Oh well enough bitching for today. I will update this post if any information changes.

UPDATE: I was informed that both items have shipped, and I have activity showing on the tracking pages. The Brake Levers are in transit from upstate New york and the Cage rocket has left Grove City Ohio. I assume the earliest I will receive either is Monday the 5th of April.

My thoughts on this dreary day!

2010-03-30T12:15:00.000-04:00

I sit here and get depressed as this weather keeps me cooped up in the house with no place to go. I am so looking forward to some better weather so that I can get on the trike and head out for a nice leisurely ride. The weather over the last number of years has been horrible to say the least. We have had major snow and rain storms with very cold winter temperatures, and just plain unpredictable weather.

I think all the trike upgrades will be complete as soon as the two remaining items get delivered. The Lizard Skin Brake Lever Covers and the Cage Rocket are both getting shipped today at least that is what I have been told. The Cage Rocket was shipped via USPS and I am not sure how the Lever covers are going to be shipped. Either way they both should be here no later than Saturday as one comes from NY and the other from Ohio, which are normally a three day zone.

The Black Widow will need the tires pumped up to pressure and the frame polished once again as it has dust all over from the bottle cage modifications. I am planning on redoing my web page as it is way behind with the new upgrades, but my software needs to be upgraded, and I don't have the cash now. The reason it doesn't work is that I am on a Mac now and the software was Windows. Yes I can run it in virtual mode, but this software runs slow and strange in virtual mode.

I hang out a huge amount on the www.bentrideronline.com forum, and read all about the new trikes the members are buying. Sometimes the thought goes through my little brain that maybe I should think about getting another trike. But then I let that thought drop as I only want a trike with a hard Shell seat, and only three come to mind and all three are very expensive. The ICE is number one on my list, and if Catrike had a hard-shell seat it one move to number one as I like to buy from a US company if all possible. Some people ask me why a hard-shell over a lawn chair seat and there is only one answer I can give. That answer is that I need the support for my back and neck if I want to continue riding.

If I think of anything else on this horrible day I will edit the post as I usually do.

Work continues

2010-03-29T11:17:00.000-04:00

This morning after taking care various chores I continued on the Cage Rocket project. I needed to mount a third Carbon Bottle Cage on the back of the seat about 8" from the top down. I drilled the holes, but ran into a problem with one of the Nylock nuts. The nut went on cross threaded and I had to cut it off using the Dremal tool. After that things went a lot easier. Below is a photo of the mount installed. Please forgive me for the quality of the photo it was dark and hard to focus. The bottle cage is mounted on 1/4" Aluminum spacers to allow for the Cage Rocket to have room to clear the seat support ribs.

Storing my valuables.

2010-03-28T19:22:00.001-04:00

When I installed the GaleForce Blaster I used the pack that I carry my phone and wallet for the battery. I now ended up needing an easy and safe place for these goodies. I decided to order the Cage Rocket in Black/Black with the clip and waterproof Class III seals. I bought it from Nashbar. I am hoping it will be here this week sometime, but Nashbar is sometimes slow in shipping. I will call their office tomorrow to check on status.

Neckrest complete

2010-03-27T17:56:00.000-04:00

I received the Topeak BarXtender today and adapted it to the new neckrest. This should work out better than prior mount. A test ride will be in order. I also received the new jersey and it looks great.

What was done yesterday?

2010-03-26T15:45:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I received the new Spenco innersoles for my biking shoes. They were easy to cut and replace my existing innersoles. My next ride I will test these out. I also received the BikeBrake which I must say I am not impressed as it is very hard to get it over the brake lever, and I will need to use another method as a parking brake, maybe Velcro. I also received the two missing screws for my Mountain Mirror extensions and installed them. At my LBS yesterday I bought some Lemon/Lime Nuun to use as my primary hydration source. I bought at 12 tablet container that is 24 servings. The instructions say 1 tablet for 16 oz of water, which isn't correct as 8 oz and 1/2 tablet is really a serving. I hate to waste these. I contacted the company but haven't gotten an answer as of yet.

Today UPS dropped off my Kucharik Recumbent shorts. They look nice, but I am not so sure the double material on the seat that they call a pad will be any better than another pair of recumbent specific shorts. They are similar to my rowing shorts with double material seat. Steve Sussman informed me today that my Finer Recliner Henley was shipped yesterday, his shirts are real nice and have a finished professional look. I have no idea when my Topeak BarXtender will arrive as the shipping status has not been updated since the day it was shipped. Today I ordered a pair of Lizard Skins Brake Lever Grips in red to insulate the levers and make it easier to grip. I ordered them in red to give a little colro accent to the trike, which as a red Black Widow logo and red valve caps.

Adjusting the cages

2010-03-25T10:08:00.002-04:00

After installing the twin Carbon Fiber water bottle cages yesterday, I didn't have a chance to sit in the seat and try them out. Well this morning I realized that I had made them parallel to the sides of the seat which make it hard to access. The fix for that was to loosen the cage mount screws and angle the cage mount at the top away from the seat. Once I did the angling of the mount I tightened the screws and nuts and replaced the bottles. I again sat in the seat and tried out this position. Well the change made a big difference, and I am happy with this position. I had even toyed with the idea of moving both cages toward the top back of the seat and quickly changed my mind as the look was horrible. One thing I found out after purchasing the trike, is that accessories come and go and arrangements change as the seasons. I am always experimenting with different things and that is the fun of it.

Some time this morning I am going over to the LBS to see if they have a 24oz Polar bottle in white to match my existing one. My search for the Zefal aluminum bottle was fruitless as it is no longer made. When moving the bottle cages around I realized that my small white Polar bottle is hard to remove from the cage as it is shorter than the 24oz on the other side of the seat. I thought I had another white one, but I sure can't find it. One of these days I will spend some time in my garage/shop and clean it up, so maybe then I can find things.

As of yesterday I have received the following items and am expecting the following items.

RECEIVED:

1. New handle bars
2. Minour water bottle mount
3. Two Carbon Fiber water bottle cages
4. Black Widow logo
5. New cross arm logos
6. Two plastic head rest brackets

WAITING FOR:

1. BikeBrake Parking brake
2. Two screws for mirror extensions
3. Spenco Orthotic bike shoe innersoles
4. Kucharik recumbent skin shorts
5. The Finer Recliner Henely in Gold
6. Topeak BarXtender for new neckrest
7. BETTER RIDING WEATHER

Carbon Cages and Camera/Light mount here

2010-03-24T16:14:00.001-04:00

Today I received the twin Carbon Fiber Bottle Cages and installed them on there mounts located behind the seat. I also installed the Camera/Light mount on the left accessory mount. I am going to change the screws on the left cage as I feel they are a little short.

Orthotics Innersoles ordered & Neckrest Modification

2010-03-23T08:57:00.002-04:00

As a person with a high arch I am sometimes plagued with foot pain. Cycling does not help as I am putting constant pressure on the pedals. Normal Orthotics are to large for use in cycling shoes as they are tight fitting. I did some research and have seen forum posts about Spenco RX Thin sole Orthotics. The retail price for these heat shaped innersoles is $29.99 plus shipping, and I bought my size on EBay for $15.00 including shipping. I am hopping I can mold these using the oven or boiling water as I do not have a heat gun. Below is a photo of the innersoles.

Today I was looking over my neckrest mount after having a conversation with krispysteve from BentRiderOnline. I have decided I wanted a little stronger mount system, as there seems to be a little lateral movement at certain times. Steve recommended that I buy a Topeak BarXtender as it has a solid center bar. I took a chance and ordered one, but I am hoping that the tubular bar that supports the neckrest will be long enough. Looking at a photo it is hard to judge actual size. Either way it is ordered and on the way. Below is the photo of the bar extended.

Ordered new recumbent shorts

2010-03-22T12:51:00.000-04:00

This morning I went to my favorite LBS to see if they had padded MTB shorts. They had standard pads in all the shorts which means it is useless for recumbent riding. I then called Kucharik Clothing a manufacturer of recumbent clothing. I asked a few questions and felt these shorts will chances are be perfect for my purposes. There is double material in the seat of the shorts, which will give me a little extra padding. Also the material might be able to be opened to form a pocket to hold some sailing pads, used in technical sailing shorts. Below are two photos of the shorts and the pad.

After I receive these shorts I will do a mini review and let you all know my thoughts.

Black Widow in complete blackout

2010-03-21T12:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I completed painting the motion alarm black so it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. I am still waiting for the two carbon water bottle cages and the camera mount. It has been 12 days since shipped for the bottle cages, but both the cages and the mount are coming from HongKong.

The good the bad and the pain!

2010-03-20T10:57:00.003-04:00

This morning I looked out at the beautiful sky and decided today is going to be great. I had breakfast and headed out for my ride. I put the Garmin on the instrument pod and headed out. First thing I noticed was that the regular computer not the Garmin had no speed readout. I stopped and looked at the sensor alignment and that was in order. I then pressed the battery test button and found that the battery was dead. Not a big deal as I keep a stock of 2032 batteries at home. I continued to ride and then noticed the top frame bag kept flapping over, nothing that tightening the straps would not fix. I continued the ride and at about 5 miles in I started to get toe cramps on my left foot. I pedaled through the pain and it subsided, then I realized I didn't have my shoe inserts installed. The pain continued for the remainder of the ride, but not to be a total loss I started to get calve pain. I know the calve pain is from not riding for a year my muscles became limp to say the least. I ended up heading home after 6.5 miles and a 205' elevation gain. All and all I am not upset with my first true ride, I truly didn't expect to get back to the way I was in one ride. My average speed was 11.9 Mph and my top speed was 19.5 Mph and I burnt 267 calories.

The black Widow ready for the road

2010-03-19T15:41:00.001-04:00

This afternoon I put a final coat of Color Wax on the frame and rechecked everything. As of now I think she is ready for the road. All that is left to do is the Carbon Bottle Cages and the camera mount. Both items are in transit and I have no idea how long before they arrive. Below are two photos taken today showing the new steering and neckrest with the Black Widow logo.

As you can see from the above photo there is very little that has not changed on the Black Widow. I have even lowered the seat for a more reclined riding position. The lowering of the seat is something I have wanted to do for a while, but never had the guts to drill the seat in 7 places.

UPDATE: After posting this I received the suggestion that I paint the horn cone black and that is what I did. photo below.

Parking Brake and service time

2010-03-18T17:03:00.001-04:00

This morning I headed over to my local Home Depot for an M8 lock-nut to replace the one I lost when moving the seat to a more reclined position. Let me not jump ahead without giving you all some background. For a while I have felt that I would like to get my seat to be in a more reclined position. I haven't attempted this do to the amount of drilling needed to the seat. Well I got up enough nerve this morning to attempt the modification. First I measured 1" from each existing hole up higher on the seat and marked the positions. That done I drilled the seven holes needed. Four holes for the actual seat mounts, one hole for the fender and two more holes for the neckrest and rack mounting. After drilling all the holes but the two for the neckrest while the seat was still attached to the frame, I then removed the seat and drilled the remaining two holes for the neckrest. Next I remounted the seat using the original bolts and the new holes, moving the seat forward at the front and more reclined. The reason I choose 1" is that where the holes must be drilled the seat is reinforced but moving farther up I was not on the reinforced portion of the seat any longer. I next tightened down the bolts snugly, and that is when I realized that one lock-nut was missing and one was very loose. I bought the new lock-nut (Stainless Steel) and a set of metric combination wrenches and tightened those final bolts. I took a short test ride and everything seems fine and more more front slippage.

Today I realized that when I replaced the Techro brake levers with the original Avid levers I lost my parking brake buttons. I have tried many different methods over the years to prevent the trike or bike from rolling, and haven't found something that met my visual expectations as well as being functional. I did a Google search (www.froogle.com) to look for a suitable product and found found the BikeBrake® and it looked like it would be perfect. The little band cost $2.99 including shipping, so I took a leap of faith and ordered one. Here is a link to the company web page. BikeBrake Below is a photo of it in use.

Photo courtesy of BikeBrake.

After I receive the product I will post my thoughts about it.

Catching Up

2010-03-15T10:32:00.001-04:00

On Saturday I received the Minoura BH-95X Bottle Cage Holder add found out that it has changed in design. Since it is no longer the same as the one on the right side I had to modify the new holder to make it uniform with the original. The holder could not be mounted in its present form and I had to get nylon spacers to raise it off the seat back. I am now in the process of painting the spacers so they will blend in with the trike. The weather has been horrible of the last 4 days, so the paint is taking longer to dry. I hope by this afternoon I can continue with the install. Below is a photo of the modified Cage Mount.

Mountain Mirrycle Mirror Extension

2010-03-12T09:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I started and completed a 1" extension for each of my two Mirrycle mirrors. The 1" extensions bring the mirrors out away from the trike making the new field of vision unobstructed by my arms. All the parts were available from my local Home Depot. I got the idea from Utah Trikes blog article. Below is a photo of the completed extension. I think it came out real nice.

Yesterday I also completed or should I say modified my two handlebar accessory mounts. I felt the use of Ty-Wraps wasn't a professional method of mounting the mounts to the handlebars. What I did was purchase four Stainless Steel hose clamps and some heat shrink tubing from Home Depot. I then carefully put the hose clamps around the handlebar and accessory mount trying not to scratch the paint. Once on I marked the hose clamp with a marker behind the screw. I removed the clamps and cut heat shrink from the screw to the mark. I proceeded to slip on the cut heat shrink and heat over the gas range until tight. I was no ready to install the clamps with no fear of damaging the paint on the handlebars. Below is a photo of the completed mount.

Water bottle cages

2010-03-10T10:37:00.001-05:00

I wanted to add a Carbon Fiber water bottle cage to the opposite side of the trike and ran into a problem. The original Carbon Fiber cage is made by Ascent and I couldn't find a matching cage. I searched the high and low all over the web and local shops with no luck. I then decided last evening to order two new cages from Hong Kong which have already shipped. I also needed a mount to be able to add the cage onto the seat with a minimal amount of drilling. I ordered a duplicate Minoura handlebar/seat mount that I modified for the right side of the trike. That also was shipped. The cages will not be here for a good week or two, the mount should be here in four or five days. Below is a photo of the cages. Photo Property of Carbonbicycle99. The company I ordered this from http://www.flyxii.com is a manufacturer of Carbon Bike parts. I will post a photo of the completed installation as soon as I have completed them.

Handlebar modifications complete

2010-03-08T15:35:00.003-05:00

This morning I went to Halters to have the modified handlebars installed. The job took around three hours as the brakes and shifters had to be redone. All that is left now is to clean up the trike which seems real dirty. I will work on it tomorrow. The photo below is the left handlebar and instrument pod. I added another photo taken from the seat view. A note to others attempting this upgrade: You have to drill the handlebar out to accept bar-end shifters. Keep that in mind, if you want these. Utah Trikes sells them and they are made to fit the Performer Carbon trike with a 1 1/8" stem.

One mount complete

2010-03-06T08:16:00.001-05:00

As of yesterday I completed one mount and the layout looks good. I won't know for sure until the handles are installed. The two handles were going to be drilled yesterday, so I am hoping they are returned to me this weekend.

As you can see by the above photos I changed the right mount to include the mounting stub as I did on the left mount. This method brings the pod closer to the wheel, giving me more cockpit space.

UPDATE: I spoke to Chris this morning and he told me that the handlebars were drilled out and they now fit the bar-end shifters. Monday I will trike the trike to Halters Cycle to have the work completed. I will install the mounts by myself and finish the wiring needed for the horn button. The handlebars need end caps so I asked Chris if he has the stem caps in 1" I figure they will do the job. They might need 1 1/8" star nuts as I think 1" will be to small in diameter. After that is done I will have one more thing left to do on the trike.

One pair of Carbon water bottle cages. For the seat back. I can't think of anything else, but I am sure I will find something.

Computer and Mirror Mounts are Complete

2010-03-04T13:41:00.001-05:00

This morning I continued building and fabricating the new right and left computer mounts. They came out real nice and they should be easy to install. The only question will be if they should be mounted on the inside or outside of the cockpit. I am also not sure if the alarm will stay where it is, or in another location.

Below is a photo of both left and right mounts.

The mount on the right of the photo is the left mount and the other is the right.

UPDATE: I heard from Chris at my LBS and he informed me that the drilling of the handlebars to accept the bar-end shifters will be done by the weekend. That was a pleasant surprise that it can be done and done so fast. I will be glad when this is over with. I don't remember having so hard a job on a Black Widow upgrade.

This morning I checked with Firetiki to see if my Black Widow patch was shipped and he told me it went out in the morning post. So I guess at least five days to the right coast from the left coast. I will post a photo of the neckrest when it is complete.

Progress and the waiting game!

2010-03-02T16:22:00.001-05:00

As you know I was supposed to receive my handlebars yesterday but UPS in their ultimate wisdom delayed it for weather reasons. Weather reasons what a laugh, as the mail wasn't delayed, nor any other service got screwed up. Well I write this as I wait for delivery today, and as usual they are very late. During the waiting I gave the chain another try and I had it opened and the new chain tube installed. One less thing for the LBS to do. I will be purchasing a Park Master Link tool at the LBS if it is in stock, if not off to the Internet I will go. I still have other projects to do, but they all take cash which I have allocated for my new MacBook Pro. I hope Apple refreshes the MacBook Pro very soon as it is overdue.

I am hoping that we get some warmer weather moving in to the area soon as I am getting cabin fever. I am ready to get my daily workouts in and get out of the house for a few hours a day as I am getting pale from lack of sunlight. I will go back to my doing nothing now as it is 4:22 PM and there is nothing else to do until I prepare dinner.

UPDATE: At 5:00 PM UPS showed up with my beautiful handlebars, and tomorrow they will be installed. The look great, I will not be able to use Bar-Ends to hold the computers etc. But I think I have it figured out so there will not be a problem. My only problem is the mirrors, which I lost the large wedges. I can order the parts from the mfg. so if I can't find them it will just mean a short delay to completion. I was able to use some rubber and wedge them in so that too is not a permanent problem. Tomorrow if time allows I will post a photos or photos of the completed setup. I am confident that my mounting of the computers will work out, but we will see for sure tomorrow.

The waiting Game!

2010-03-01T15:17:00.001-05:00

As we all know the best laid plans sometimes don't work as well as we hoped. I had made an appointment with my LBS to install the handlebars on the trike tomorrow. They were supposed to be delivered by UPS today, but they never made it to my local UPS installation, so now the delivery is for tomorrow. The next day I can get this done is Thursday unless they come early tomorrow. Coming early is highly doubtful as UPS never shows up until late afternoon.

The replacement chain tubes came Monday and I tried to install them, but I was unable open the master link so that also will have to wait also until Thursday. I ordered a embroidered patch of a Black Widow to place on the front of the neckrest. I think if the patch adheres properly it will give the neckrest a finished professional look. I purchased tow beautiful Henley riding shirts from Steve Sussman Below is a photo from Steve's site showing the shirts I ordered. I already received the orange shirt and have ordered a gold one. These shirts look well made and look great on. Not just a plain Jane shirt.

Added a Taillight to the new Neckrest.

2010-02-27T12:29:00.000-05:00

This morning I added a taillight to the right of the neckrest similar to what ICE has done to their neckrest. I also ordered a embroidered Black Widow patch for the front of the neckrest for a little graphic zing. When the patch is in I will post photos of the completed project. Below is the rear view of the neckrest and taillight. The added light is higher than the rack mounted light so it will provide more visibility from the rear.

What did i do when I became bored?

2010-02-26T14:55:00.000-05:00

Well this morning after digging out the driveway from all the snow and taking a hot shower and some pain killer I became bored. I headed out to the garage to look at the trike and maybe do some routine maintenance, but I became distracted by my trike neck-rest. The neck-rest that I assembled worked fine to a extent, but lacked adjust ability. I was hard pressed to come up with a solution. I decided to take on the task and make the headrest adjust up, down, forward and making the pad adjustable to different angles. I used a Space-Bar to mount he cushion. First I took a piece of Aluminum and cut it to 2.5" X 3.5" and drilled two holes for the bolts that hold the clamps that hold the pad. I then attached the two metric bolts with nuts and mounted the Space-Bar to the trike on a movable plate. Below is a photo of the completed mount.

As you can see by the mount it is adjustable up and down and the pad can swivel to meet my neck.

Chain Tubes here but a no go

2010-02-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

The chain tubes came the other day, but they are over 3/4" to short. I ordered 7.5" but for some reason they were 6.75" and they expose the frame to damage. I called the vendor and they are going to redo the order. This a a pain as I had uncoupled the chain from the master link, removed the old chain tubes and replaced with the new ones, that is when I realized the problem. I closed the Master Link and will have to start over again when they get here. Monday UPS should deliver the handlebars, but with all this horrible stormy weather who knows. When they do get here I plan to remove the old ones and install the new ones. While I have the old one off I will strip the bar-ends off the old set and install them on the new set. The rest I will leave to the LBS as I am still not proficient as a mechanic, and if I screw it up it will cost me more cash to correct the mess. After the work on the chain tubes I will have to give the trike a wax job as it is dirty and the shine is there, but not deep.

Bling for the Black Widow

2010-02-23T10:10:00.002-05:00

For the longest time I have felt that the graphics on the Black Widow were dated and shabby looking. I also noted that they were starting to peel up at the edges and know that as soon as it was warm out they would start to peel off completely. I decided that I should change the graphics to something more refined and cool looking. The local sign maker was able to produce two logos and install them on the trike to match the Black Widow logo on the chain-stays. Below are photos of the results of the change. I think they look cool and give the trike a special look.

I found out that my replacement handlebars were shipped yesterday from Utah Trikes and will be delivered March 1st. I also was notified that the custom chain tubes being made by Terracycle were also shipped. They were shipped priority mail so they should be here in a few days. Then I will have my hands full installing those bad boys. I am expecting the replacement tubes to make a difference as the tubes I have now are not properly flared.

New Modification on my list

2010-02-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

For a while I have been looking over a problem I have with my steering and have found a solution. I have ordered a safe replacement that will give me adjust-ability and comfort. The new handlebars will be fully adjustable for length and angle. It should also reduce the weight of the trike by a few grams. I am far from a weight weeny, but I won't complain. When I get them is when I can decide what I need to do to add my accessory bars form the old handlebar. These bars are being shipped on Monday as well as the replacement chain tubes. Below is a pretty bad photo of the handlebars.