My Recumbent Days

E arly this afternoon I received a call from my LBS telling me that the new Dura-Ace Octalink V1 bottom bracket was delivered. I asked when I can come in for the installation, and they said now if I wanted. i figured I would have to leave the trike, but when i arrived he was waiting with tools in hand. He was done installing the Bottom bracket and new Ultegra crank in about an hour. He then proceeded to adjust the front and rear dérailleurs, for optimum shifting. He had to cut a 1/2" off of each side of my light bar as the cranks came closer than before. He even installed the magnet for the cadence sensor. I was shocked when he gave me the bill, it was a lot less than I expected. I sure wasn't going to complain. N ow that the cranks are installed, the next thing on the agenda will be the Q-Rings. Not sure if I am only going to do the 40t center ring or both the outer and center rings.

L ast evening my new Ultegra triple crank set was shipped. I received the usual email with a tracking number, but as usual it is USPS ! There system always says that they "received information that the package will be dropped off for shipping." So in other words I don't know if it really left Alabama. I have no reason to think it didn't, but I hate the USPS system of tracking. I visited my LBS in order that he can order the Bottom Bracket for the new cranks. But Shimano in there stupid way did not have the Ultegra BB-6500 that I wanted, so I had to pay extra for the Dura-Ace BB-7703. My LBS as well as other bike shops and supplier contacts say that Shimano rarely continues making parts after a new version comes out. So to sum it up, if I need a part for this crank or Bottom Bracket I will have to replace both if needed. That is what is called built in obsolesces, and huge profits for Shimano. It is the same way that Shimano technical support tells us that a ten sp

A fter hours and hours of chasing around the internet looking for a 165mm triple crank set, I finally made my decision and purchase. I found a new Ultegra FC-6503 triple crank set. All I need to do after receiving it is take it to the LBS and let them order the bottom bracket and install it. I kept on going back to the 105 crank, but how could I turn down a better crank for only $8.00 more than the 105 shipped. I will take photographs after it is installed.

T his morning I set out for a short test ride and it was a cold 32 degrees. It took me 10 minutes to get on my base layer and the rest of my gear, but I was determined to ride before the weather turned for the worse. I was able to ride 9.05 miles before I had to head back to the barn. I had my Scorcher tires inflated to 80 lbs and found that I lost a few miles per hour in speed and the induced oscillation was still there but not as bad as before. If I inflate to 100 as I normally keep them it should be all but gone. The new head sets are smooth as butter, a worth while upgrade. Y esterday I spent a good couple of hours trying to find a new set of cranks in the 165mm triple black cranks. I was told by my local LBS that 10 speed won't work, but what I understand from the members of BROL it will work. I now have a wider selection of cranks to look at. Sometime between now and March I would like to finish the crank upgrade.

Y esterday my new FSA Orbit X headsets were installed and the steering is very smooth. I haven't been out to do a full test, but that will have to wait for the first dry day which will be the middle of this coming week. I had removed all the wiring for the Adeo GPS, and replaced it this morning. All that is needed now is a good cleaning of the trike. There are fingerprints all over the trike, form the mechanic. I am very anxious to know if the induced vibration has been reduced or removed with this headset replacement. All these answers will have to wait. N ext week I am expecting a new BETA firmware from MotionLingo, which I will be happy to test. I will be looking forward to see what new things the Adeo will have in the future.

I was planning on riding today, but my stomach is all out of whack. I am hoping that tomorrow will bring a better day for me. I have built and added a addition to my Radical Designs small panniers. These boxes I built out of a closed cell foam camp mat and my trusty glue gun. It allows me to find anything that is in the panniers very easily, while also giving some shape to the panniers. I have posted a couple of photographs showing one of the boxes outside the pannier and one inside as well as how the pannier looks when closed. ©Joel F. Waxman 2007 ©Joel F. Waxman 2007 ©Joel F. Waxman 2007 I was in contact with DHL, and my package with the new headsets will be delivered on Friday. I am planning that it shows up early so I can take the trike to my Local Bike Shop and have them installed. The mechanics at Halters in South Brunswick are great mechanics. Even with the only recumbent trike and bike being mine they are adapt at taking care of them.

W ell according to Cycleway my headsets were shipped DHL from China yesterday, but for some reason the tracking number doesn't work. I sent an email to Yan to ask that he check the number he sent me. Once it is on its way it should be only a few days until it arrives. I received the new speaker yesterday, and built a new mount. The new mount will allow me to remove the speaker if it rains, or I need to change the batteries. I am not sure if I will modify this mount any more, but time will tell. Below is a photograph of the speaker and mount looking from rear of trike. ©Joel F. Waxman 2007

A fter rocking back and forth regarding which headsets to buy, I finally came to the decision that the FSA Orbit X is what I want. I paid $6.00 US more per headset, but I feel it is a superior headset. I like the sealed 36 degree bearings in the FSA over the standard sealed bearings on the Cane Creek. The 36 degree sealed bearings are similar to the Cris King bearings. I ordered them on EBay from China, so I am hoping they come sooner rather than later. As soon as they show up I will bring them to my cycle mechanic for installation. I think this will be the last of the upgrades until this coming Spring. I do have an idea for a better steering bar, but I won't start on that for a while. Photograph Property©Full Speed Ahead

S tarted out early for my ride under beautiful sun covered clouds. The temperature was a warm 65 degrees, with a wind out of the WSW at 12 Mph with gusts exceeding 20 Mph. The wind made it very hard to make any speed, but I had planned to do two loops on my Middlebush Road Loop. Near the end of my first loop the sun disappeared behind some very threatening clouds and I felt some drops of rain. I decided that since I was at the end of the loop I should call it an end to the ride. I rode 9.04 miles in 41 Minutes 11 seconds at an average speed of 13.19 and a top speed of 23.61 Mph. I burnt 421 calories and had an elevation gain of 135.53 feet. It is a shame I couldn't finish my ride as planned, but I am grateful for the good weather so far.

I wasn't able to ride today because of rain and a doctors appointment with my son. I have been thinking about what upgrades are needed first, and I am sure the headsets are what must be replaced soon. I have priced a few around and have asked the advise of members of Bentrideronline . I have narrowed my choices down to two. The two on my list are the Cane Creek S-8 and the FSA Orbit X. The FSA is lighter by 13 grams, but that is not a deciding factor. I of course wanted to buy Chris King, but they are real expensive at $129.00 each. The others would cost about $128.00 for both installed. I have been swaying back and forth regarding which ones to buy. One minute I say the FSA and the next the Cane Creek. Both would do the job real nice, so I will not jump into this until I have time to think a while. I will post my decision as soon as I know.

I set out this morning to try and make up for my shorter rides, but i didn't make it. Not because I didn't want to but because i met some friends and spent extra time looking over each others bikes and trikes. There were three besides myself and we had a great time. It was unusual since we all started out from different places and met at the same place by accident. There was one other trike which was a Terra trike, and two Rans bikes. The fellow with the trike was having trouble with his tires wearing very poorly, so after the others split he followed me home and we adjusted his toe-in. it should be fine now, but a shame about the tires being ruined. My ride was along Middlebush Road then a loop through Kendall Park and Somerset. It was a total of 16.61 miles at asn average speed of 13.33 and a maximum speed of 22.93. I burnt 774 calories in 1 hour and 15 minutes. The weather was 43 degrees and partially cloudy with a wind out of the WSW at 5 Mph gusting to 9 Mph. Tomorrow th

A t 11:30 AM this morning I set out on my ride, it was sunny and 33 degrees. As usual lately there was a strong wind of 8 Mph with gusts exceeding 14 Mph coming from the SW making riding very hard to say the least. I rode a different route today which took me on some rural roads, but I was unable to get to the canal do to massive flooding of Canal Road. The elevation gain on this ride was 110' on the 12.08 miles I rode. My maximum speed was 26.3 Mph and my average speed was 12.81 Mph. I burnt 563 calories, and that was from pushing air. T his coming spring I will map out some new routes for my daily workouts. I think I will combine my Kendall Park loop with my South Middlebush Road loop, this will make it more of a challenge. O n todays ride I had a equipment failure in the audio department. The mount for my speakers broke and the speaker fell from the trike and slid 20 to 30 feet before coming to a stop. Not only was it not destroyed it still works completely. I mounted the spe

T his morning at 11:00 AM it was 42 degrees and I headed out for my daily ride. Yesterday was a total washout do to the constant heavy rain. Today the sun was shinning bright and not a cloud in the sky. I was looking forward to a nice workout, but I didn't expect the intensity of the workout. The wind was coming from the NNE at 15 Mph with gusts far exceeding 21 Mph. I was fighting my way on certain roads, and there was a time I thought I would never make it up some of the hills. My total elevation gain was 190', but it felt like 1,000'. I burnt 724 calories and my average speed was 12.72 Mph and my Max speed was 21Mph. My total distance was 15.54 miles. T he speakers on my trike have been causing me some grief in regard to the mounting system, so I ordered new ones from EBay. These new speakers have less parts, and might be easier to mount. I should have them by the end of next week.