My Recumbent Days

E arly this afternoon I headed for the park bike trail which is two mile ride from home. I got there to find many of the people that I normally see leaving, I wondered why, but didn't ask. I found out after riding the path for a few yards, the Japanese beetles were swarming, and there were thousands of them. They were in my hair, helmet and clinging to my shirt and pants. I had to put my hand under the cinches to remove a handful of these critters. I of course left the park and rode the remaining 12 miles on local roads. Turned out to be a real nice ride. It was a little hot but no humidity. The temperature was 81 degrees with a wind out of the North at 8 MPH. W hen I got home from my ride I had a surprise waiting in my mail box. The custom flag I had made at Devil Woman Flags was there. I was very excited to see how it came out. I spent $15.00 US for the flag embroidered on both sides and an additional $2.50 for shipping. I ordered it on Monday and received it on Friday. Not a b

Y esterday I awoke to partially cloudy skies but it was clearing. I had an early appointment, but was able to ride at 1:00 PM. It was very hot and humid, which the humidity is the hard part to handle. I was able to do 10 miles before I had to go home and take care of a few chores. W hen I got home I found the package containing my new CatEye LD-1000. What a great and bright light. The first thing I noticed is that it doesn't come with a mount for my rack which meant I would have to make one myself. It came with two different seat mounts, from which I was able to use some parts. The other parts came from a standard straight type reflector mount and the nut and bolt from the CatEye LD-1000. When looking at the photo you will see on the far left a part with two nuts and bolts, that is the reflector mount. On the left near the LD-1000 you see a tab, that is the part used from the LD-1000 mount. All in all it looks nice and should work as expected. The changing of batteries is not a

W hen I awoke this morning it was raining and the clouds were dark and heavy, but by 9:00 AM there was a glimpse of sun peaking through the clouds. But as much as I wanted to ride, I was unable. Poor me had a appointment to receive four shots in my lumbar spine. So off to the Pain Control Center I went. I waited for the my appointment for about an hour and was out fifteen minutes later. By this time the sun was shining and there were a few scattered dark clouds being pushed by a stiff wind. I went to my LBS and ordered a grease gun so I can grease my pedals and steering knuckles. I then returned home had some lunch and changed into my riding cloths. I was so glad to get out and ride, that I almost forgot my water. After my false start I set out to ride my local roads. I was able to do 18 miles at an average of 14 MPH. I also did some sprints up to 25 MPH. As usual the trike handled great and I had no problems other than that from mother nature. When I started to ride I didn't reali

T here was a break in the weather, so I ran out to ride. I was able to go about 2 miles when the rain returned. Those two miles felt like 20, I was riding into 23 MPH head wind and I could barely keep the trike at a constant 9 MPH. I am going stir crazy sitting here in front of the computer, hour after hour. I read, watch some TV, but my mind is stagnating. I think of things to do on the trike, but realize I have a budget to keep and it is hard enough living. The one thing I am thinking about getting by the end of the summer is a recumbent exercise bike so I can keep up with my training. I am planning on riding again if the sun returns, and the rain leaves, but it doesn't look to good.

W ell today seems to be another day that my ride has been washed out by rain. Right now it is pouring and the temperature is a beautiful 73 degrees. Nice temperature to ride in but not with this rain. I am so depressed, between the weather and the way my back feels, I am having a horrible day, and it just started. T he nice part of the day came when my daughter sent me a gift certificate from EBay, and I promptly ordered the CatEye LD1000 tail light. That will now eliminate my fear of not being seen. As my last post said , I was planning to get a mini lawn sail for the trike, but I think I am going to opt for something less ostentatious. My idea is to have a dual sided flag made with the MARS HPV logo on both sides of an orange flag. The flag will be triangle and approximately. 11"X14". I am going to post the picture of the club logo. I think with the flag of this size I will be able to remove the two smaller flags, or maybe just one of them.

I t looks like rain is in the forecast for the next 4 or more days. Monday and Tuesday call for possible scattered showers and Wednesday looks like I might be able to ride. I am bored silly, and expect to be worse by tomorrow. This weather is a killer for my back, and not riding makes it even stiffer and more painful. A s I mentioned in a few previous posts that I am interested in a few possible choices for a bright daylight taillight. The Lightman +Strobe and the CatEye LD1000 were my prime choices. But as it stands now the CatEye has taken the lead as the taillight that I will purchase. I have become very aware that visibility while riding my trike is of great importance and I have to do what is necessary to make me and the trike more visible to people around me. I have also been following many posts on Bent rider Online forum regarding flags and helmets, and of my current position. I know a helmet is very necessary and there should be a law requiring all people on bikes to we

T his morning the sky was extremely cloudy and the weather report called for thunder storms. So I thought I would be smart and hold off until later. Big, Big mistake! The time I decided to get going the sun was high in the sky and it was very hot and humid. I still decided that I wouldn't be a sissy and hit the road. I was going to go to the canal area, but since it was late I stayed in my general area. I rode the local streets to the park, and a few laps around the park on the bike path. I then headed N on the bike path along Beekman Road then NE up route 27 toward Finigans lane. From there I hit my local loop and did the 2.5 mile loop 3 times, ending with a 12 mile ride for the day. During the course of the ride I did a few sprints up to 23 MPH and then cruised along at my normal speed. All in all it was a hot but a enjoyable ride. Tomorrow I won't be riding because Alayne and I are taking my daughter and grandson to Great Adventure for the day. I have to remember to put a

T his morning I had a appointment at the Dentists office for my 6 month cleaning and checkup so I was unable to ride until late. The later start makes a big difference in the riding conditions. The temperature was 86 degrees with the wind out of the SSW at 5 MPH. Being on a trike and only 8" off the blacktop I felt like I was on a frying pan. The sun was reflecting off the blacktop and burning the back of my legs. I don't know if the sunblock would help with reflected or radiant heat. I managed to do 14 miles and I called it a day. I still feel good that I rode today no mater how hot it was. I rode mostly local streets and bike paths which are pretty well paved, but a few spots where the heat has caused the blacktop to buckle it was like ridding on a washboard. A s far as the new seat wedge goes, I am very pleased with the comfort afforded by the new position. Not once did I feel that sliding off the seat garbage, so that is a huge plus for me. Depending on the weather I might

T his morning I prepared the seat on the Black Widow to accept the new seat wedge. I am expecting that the addition of the wedge will make longer rides more comfortable. Sometimes I feel like I am slipping off the front of the seat. Not as much as I felt on the HP seat, which was most of the time. The seat wedge is on the Fedex truck out for delivery, and I hope it gets here early, but with Fedex who knows. I have removed the Velcro from the seat base, so it is easier to apply the 3M #45 General Purpose Spray Adhesive. I will UPDATE this blog as things progress. I will also add a photograph of this modification and what had to be done to get it to work. T he seat wedge was delivered and it took only a few minutes to install. It took just a few cuts with a sharp knife to adjust, then glued it down to seat base. I then glued the cushion to the seat base. I have also provided a photo of the Power Beam mounted on Space Grip. UPDATE: I took the Black Widow out for a test of the new s

Y esterday was Father's Day and I didn't get out to ride, maybe it was a good thing because it was extremely hot and humid. I ordered a seat wedge that goes under the cushion at the bottom of the seat. This wedge creates a high portion at the front of the seat and it helps to prevent you from sliding off the front edge of the seat. This wedge was ordered from www.hostelshoppe.com, a very large recumbent dealer. I also ordered a pair of recumbent shorts from them also. I am also thinking about the visibility of the trike during daylight, and found a Strobe light made by Lightman products. It is not expensive and with a little bit of modification I can mount it at the back of the Black Widow. This light is very bright and it would increase my visibility to other drivers. I just have to decide what color, clear or amber. I took delivery today of a small 5 LED headlight for the front of the trike. I don't plan to drive at night, but it has a flashing mode for daylight riding.

I didn't like the method I used to secure the chain tubes do to the rigid mounting. Tie-wraps are not the answer, so I had to come up with something that would allow the chain tubes to float with the up and down and side to side movement of the tubes during shifting. I came up with the idea to use chuck key holder from Home Depot. These holders cost $1.19 each in the tool department. I purchased two and with a few washers and nuts and two nylon thumb screws I created the mounts. I test drove the trike with the new mounts, and they are totally silent and work better than expected. I tried this setup on both smooth and rough roads and bike paths, and found them to be the answer. My ride today lasted 10 miles under cloudy skies and a temperature of 79 degrees with the wind out of the SSW at 5 MPH.

Yesterday the postman dropped off my package with the new TerraCycle Idler Kit. I spent a good few hours removing the chain tubes and mounts, then removing the old idler and its mount. I proceeded to install the idler in different locations to see which was the best for me. I found that if I install the idler 3 inches in front of the existing idler location, it would give me the chain clearance I needed above and below the axle shaft. I also found that I could remove and reinstall the tie-rod into its original configuration with my bronze bushings. The idler comes with a mount that has three holes in it allowing for vertical movement of the idler, in other words you can mount the idler at different heights. As soon as I finished tie-wrapping the chain tubes I took the Black Window out for a ride. The idler handled very well as I shifted, and it moved side to side as I changed forward and rear gears. A 150% improvement over the existing idler, I highly recommend it to anybody with a

Y esterday I was at 9 miles into my ride when I shifted gears and the rear derailleur made a lot of noise when shifting. I tried to adjust it but no luck. After I mount the new idlers I will bring the trike to my LBS to see if they can adjust it. I think it is a case of me not knowing how to adjust it properly. The problem seems to be with the 3 smaller cogs, but I can be wrong. Not sure if I will get out and ride today do to the possibility of rain. I will post an update if anything changes.

I am about to leave for a ride, the first time in 3 days. Yesterday it was nice and sunny, but the wind was very strong and hard to ride in those conditions. Also lots of junk from wind damaged trees. I am waiting a few hours for the sun to come show from behind the clouds and the rain to stop. Hopefully I will get out in an hour or so. T here has been a lot of active conversation in the ActionBent forum regarding the placement of the new Terracycle idler kit. Cliff mounted his directly behind the old idler. This was done after removing the existing idler. Terracycle recommends locating there idler a few inches in front of the original idler location. The only way to know for sure is try it in each location and check for chain clearance. I am planning on trying it forward of the old idler. The idler should be here by Thursday or Friday of this week if it is sent Priority Mail. I have added a news feed from Pedal Pushers Forum to my side-bar of this Blog. I hope that you will all e

Y esterday afternoon I saw a post from Cliff a member of the ActionBent forum regarding the mounting of his new Terraycle idler assembly. He mounted his behind the stock ActionBent idler, he felt it would give him a better chain line. He also had to drill a hole in the new idler mount so the shifter cable could pass through the mount. Cliff has a completely different setup than I have, he has one chain ring on the cranks and a SRAM double drive in the rear, while I have three chain rings up front and a nine speed rear. So mounting new idler would be different on his ActionBent trike. Since I ordered mine on Friday and it will ship on Monday I will attempt to mount it a few inches forward of the existing idler as Terracycle recommends. I am hoping that removing the original idler will not be to much of a job, and the installation of the new dual idler will be very easy. I am also going to try and remove as much of the chain tubes as possible. I took a huge leap of faith when I ordere

I awoke this morning to the sun shining through the heavy clouds, and it looked like there was a glimmer of hope that I would ride today. After I had breakfast I decided to take a chance and hit the road. I checked my tires and headed out toward the local bike path. I had a lot of altitude gain until I reached the path which is a gradual climb for about one and a half miles. I did two loops around the path and then hit the local roads for the rest of the ride. The temperature was 70 degrees and the wind was 8 MPH out of the NNW. On my last leg of the ride I was on State Highway 27 ridding the shoulder, when I came up to a Landscaping truck and its trailer blocking the shoulder and partially in the main road. I looked in my rear view mirror signaled that I was moving into the traffic and rode around the truck and trailer. As I reentered the shoulder a car came out of the driveway directly in front of me, he didn't even look. I slammed on my breaks and came to a sudden stop a foot

Y esterday I spent the whole day just sitting around waiting for Verizon service man to come. I was told that he would be here between 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM, yes they would not narrow it down. The service man showed up at 5:00 PM when I was starting dinner, and yes I do all the cooking, because my wife works full time and I am retired. Back to the service man! After being here 15 minutes he tells me that it is an outside problem and someone else will have to come. A few minutes later the phone goes dead and I used my cellphone to find out when the next service man will call. I am told it would be today between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM, and he showed at 8:30 AM. He goes to the phone closet ant tells me it is an inside problem, but don't worry he will fix it. He fixed it in 5 minutes and I was free. Free to do what? I asked myself! It is pouring out and it is supposed to rain all week, so that rules out a trike ride. I am bored silly. So I guess I will spend my day running errands and hang

T his morning I awoke to a temperture of 59 degrees and damp. Yesterday was also cool, but I would have taken a ride anyway but spent the day with my wife. At 10:00 AM it was 65 degrees so I decided to ride even with the dark storm clouds. I checked my tires and adjusted the rear derailleur then headed out. The wind was very lite at 4 MPH coming from the NNE. I had 6 miles into the ride when I felt rain drops, and saw the storm clouds heading my way so I headed back to the barn. I made it just in time to see the sky opened up and rain start to fall. N othing new on the Garmin GPS issue, but I should have it resolved soon. I ma thinking about getting the Terracycle idler kit, but the price is high at $159.00 US.

B oth yesterday and today are no ride days do to poor to nasty weather. The rain has not stopped for a minute, and it looks like tomorrow might be a little better. I hope to ride tomorrow. I am still in the process of deciding which GPS I will purchase. At this time I am looking at the Garmin Forerunner 205 and the Garmin Edge 205. The edge can be mounted on the trike with a included bike mount. The Forerunner has a wrist strap, but I am sure I can build a mount. It might be safer to keep it on the wrist, but I will investigate them both some more. I will not be using this as a true GPS, I want it more for training. I'm interested in how many calories I burn and the amount of climb done in a particular ride or course. With this information I can gage my improvement or lack of. The Forerunner is a much smaller unit than the Edge, but I am not sure if that matters. Battery life on both units is around 10 hours as stated by Garmin, but I have a hunch that this amount is highly ov

T oday I tried my Shimano Sandals and the new Frog G3 cleats. The cleats were easy to install on the new sandals, but the trouble soon began. After I left the driveway my right foot slipped out of the cleats and my calf hit the chain leaving a small scrape. I locked my foot in and started to ride again and it seemed all right for a while. When I reached the bike path which was 2.5 miles from my home my foot slipped out of the cleat again. I stopped at a park bench took off the sandals and tried to adjust the screws. Still kept slipping out, I don't have this problem with my regular bike shoes and the old type cleat. I completed my ride doing 12 miles and then went home to call SpeedPlay for technical support. I got through to them on the first try and a technician explained to me that the sole of the sandals have a slight curve so the ramp is not pushed up high enough to lock the cleats into the pedals. He told me to remove the cleat and place a small piece of plastic under the w