My Recumbent Days

This photo shows how I was able to locate the pump, which was unable to fit in back trunk bag. It fits perfectly alongside the hydration pack under the seat. I no longer have to worry about not having my pump. I always carry a spare tube, CO2 inflater and a patch kit, but with out the pump you are up the creek without a paddle.

Today I decided to tackle the lighting problem. I wanted to install a light that I could use in the evening, but wanted to save money. I had to come up with a design for a bracket to hold my waterproof 8 LED flashlight, both secure and with good looks. The design in this photo is what I came up with. It is highly adjustable in the vertical plane, and feels good and sturdy.

Today I spent with the wife, shopping and hanging out. I really needed a quiet day. I spent a little while installing a bike computer and programming the proper wheel size. Now almost everything is done, and as soon as the mirror arrives and the flag is installed I will go on the road. Heard from Steve of ActionBike regarding the few problems with my trike order. He informed me that He and Randy will be attending an open house put on by J & B Importers. They are a large supplier of bike parts. Steve said he will get the parts I needed on Sunday and ship them out on Monday the 27 th of February. Looking forward to the parts arrival. I am adding a picture of the computer and its mount so you get an idea of how different installing one of these on a trike can be..

Today was so far a very relaxing day here. I spent the morning helping my wife clean, and answering emails. I then went to my local bike shop to find a mirror for the left side of trike. I would not put the trike on the street without the safety of one. That and a flag are a necessary thing on a trike that the highest point is 29" off the ground. I had no luck at the bike shop so I went home and used a search of EBay and found just what I needed. It is on order and I should have it by next weekend. I also spent some time modifying a SpaceBar on the trike to be able to support my lights for night time use. I have provided a photo to see what it looks like.

Today started out bad, lots of pain from accident yesterday. The rest of the day went very nicely, I worked on the trike adjusting and adding hand grip foam. I hope to get out on the bike in a day or two. I plan to add a few more pictures in the near future, so you can see what my ride looks like as I make my modifications.

This morning I left myself extra time to get to the bike shop for final adjustments to the AB trike. About 300' from the entrance to the shop a commercial van hit me on the side and tore off the bumper and fender and part of the drivers door. Another start of a bad day. I am sore all over, but nothing serious. After waiting for the police and supporting the front bumper I proceeded to the bike shop. At the shop the mechanic set up the shifters and brakes, then cut the chain down to the proper size. He of course took it for a test ride, and I had a hard time getting him off of it. He was having a blast. The trike is complete except for a few safety items such as a mirror. The next report will be when I get to ride my new toy. I hope in a few days, when the pain goes away.

At 12:33 this afternoon UPS came with the box with the ActionBent trike inside. Like a little kid I couldn't wait to open it, and get my grubby little hands on it. I started removing parts and checking to make sure everything was included. That is when the problems started. The first thing I noticed was the head-rest was not included in the package, but the padding for it was. I said to myself "Self you don't need that part to assemble the trike!" So I proceeded to assemble the tools I needed. I started to inflate the tubes for the front tires and then I realized the pump had no effect on the tire. I then noticed that the valve stem was seperated from the tube, making it all but useless. I went into my garage and found a tube I had that should work, and installed it. Now I started to assemble the front assembly which was a pain in the a-s. It didn't line up properly and the rear tadpole end was not aligned. After two hours of adjusting it, I think I got it right.

Only one more day until I except delivery of my new ActionBent recumbent trike. I feel like a little kid waiting for his birthday. I have been looking forward to this day for a long while, and the waiting is getting to me. At age 58 soon to be 59, you would think something like this would not get me excited well you would be very wrong. We men need our toys, and these toys make our lives better. More about that later on. I have been riding recumbent bikes for about three years. Why did I choose a recumbent bike well that is an easy answer. Back in 1989 I was working for a company that was the electrical contractors for the renovation of Ellis Island State Park , in NY. One morning while setting up the work for my men I stepped on a large piece of cardboard. Not realizing that the cardboard was covering a gaping hole in the floor. Needless to say I went through the floor, flipping upside down and landing the floor below on my neck. For the next ten or so years I was working with very b