My Recumbent Days

A fter lunch I started my ride and rode 21.52 miles in one hour 44 minutes and 15 seconds. I burnt 1042 calories on a ride which was averaging 12.41 mph with a top speed of 20.40 mph. The weather was a hot 91 degrees with a wind out of the NE at 6-12 mph. I am trying to complete 20 miles each day to try to shed some weight. If I could loose a 1/2 pound per day I would be happy. I wonder if there is a calculator to figure how many calories needs to be burned to drop a pound.

A fter lunch I headed out for my daily ride and decided that today I would ride at least 15 miles, as my weight has not diminished the slightest bit this summer. I rode 22.07 miles in one hour 45 minutes and 45 seconds and burnt 1069 calories. My average speed was 12.54 and my top speed was 22.40 mph. The weather was as follows. Temperature: 88 degrees F. Winds: ENE at 3 to 11 mph Skies: Bright sun and some clouds. I n the near future I have to purchase another set of three AAA rechargeable Nimh batteries, as it is a pain to charge my one set every three rides. T oday while riding a older fellow pulls up alongside and asks me to please stop up ahead. When I stopped he exited is car and asked if it was alright if he takes a picture of me on my trike. I sure do run into some strange people, but generally most are very nice.

T his afternoon at 12:30 PM I started my daily ride, and rode 13.11 miles in one hour one minute and 10 seconds, which included a stop to talk to my wife on the phone. I burnt 635 calories and my average speed was 12.46 with a top speed of 27.10 during a sprint. The weather was nice except for the strong winds from the SSE at 5 mph with gusts exceeding 13 mph. The temperature was a humid 83 degrees which is acceptable for me. The rodes seemed crammed with traffic making some road crossings a little hairy to say the least. I realized that taking my time at the corners was the safe way to go. I continued evaluating the steering upgrade and found that there was hardly any oscillation in the steering with or without my hands on the bars. I will continue with this setup for a week or two then move the bracket to the upper position.

A fter lunch with my cycling friends we headed to the road for a short ride. I needed to test yesterdays changes to the steering brackets and the new alignment I did this morning. We rode a leisurely 13.13 miles in 1 hour 0 minutes and 47 seconds and I burnt 636 calories. The riding conditions were about average for around here. The wind was coming from the SSE at 4-12 mph with a temperature of 88 degrees. The humidity was 66%, but it felt worse to me, I came home soaked to the bone. T o recap what I did yesterday with the steering brackets was to remove the two washers under each tie-rod ball end, and inflate the tires to 85 PSI. The results were excellent, the induced oscillation was all but gone, which to me was acceptable and no need to change anything, but I am tempted to move the brackets to the top of the kingpin to test that position. So if my theory is correct, tire pressure plays into the alignment game and that is the first thing that must be done prior to an alignment. F

A fter lunch I started my daily ride, I felt a little out of sorts as I haven't ridden for a number of days. We were out in PA visiting my daughter and her growing family. I rode 13.43 miles in 01:02:39 and burnt 650 calories. My average speed was 12.90 mph while my max speed was 27.50. The weather was 84 degrees and the wind was from the SSE at 5-16 mph. T he honeymoon with the steering upgrade is still not up as I have been trying different positions to see the handling results. The previous ride I removed two of the spacers under the tie-rod ball ends on each side and tested it today. I felt a moderate induced vibration or oscillation while riding on uneven surfaces. So I returned home and removed the remaining two washers two on each side and went out to continue my ride. I still felt a less significant oscillation, but it is still there. Tomorrow if I am able to ride I will continue the trial and error testing. After I returned I pumped the tires up to 85 PSI to see if tire pr

Y esterday I found some time to do my local Kendall Park and Middlebush Road loop. It took 00:52:08 minutes to cover 11.34 miles at an average speed of 13.09 mph with a max speed of 24.00 mph. During the ride I burnt 549 calories, which I know that after Saturday nights dinner with friends, that I will gain back the weight I lost during the week. The temperature was a nice 78 degrees and the wind was from the NNW at 12-20 mph which made riding very hard at times. I have got to map out another local loop that will give me a change in scenery, as I am getting bored of the same loop. A fter riding the ABTT with the steering modification with 4 washers under each bar-end ball end I felt it was time for a change in-order to test a different configuration. I removed 2 washers from each ball end and reassembled. My initial test was very favorable, but more testing is needed.

A fter Tuesday's excitement we are starting to calm down and back to the regular routine. I left for my ride at 12:30 PM and rode for 00:36:01 minutes and covered 8.04 miles before the thunder storms moved in. I hate the unpredictability of these types of storms. I burnt 389 calories and my average speed was 13.43 mph while my maximum speed was 22.60. The weather was very cloudy and 85 degrees, and the wind was from the SW at 6-21 mph. I am planning to ride tomorrow if the weather allows and I don't think I will be able to ride Sunday as we are heading out to see our new granddaughter.

Y esterday at 9:58 AM my daughter gave birth to our new granddaughter Sheridan. She weighs 7 lbs 5 oz and is 20" tall. I am a very proud grandparent and we are looking forward to seeing my grandchildren on Sunday. H opefully I will be able to ride once the thunder storms are out of the area, and I will post a ride report.

T his afternoon after we finished out shopping I started out on my ride, I only had an hour before heading out to friends. I rode 10.07 miles in 00:45:13 minutes at an average speed of 13.38 mph and a top speed of 26.50 mph. I burnt 488 calories which is about usual for that distance and speed. The weather was a hot 89 degrees and extremely humid, the winds were from the SW at 8-18 mph, but the winds were in my face on the hard portions of the ride.

I n the last couple of days the hair on my back has stood on end a few times and I would like to address this. The first is about people wanting an inexpensive bike or trike to be sold at Wal-Mart. I ask at what expense are we willing to spend to get this? Employees at Wal-Mart are being abused for the so called low price. 1. Wal-Mart's Health Care Plan Fails to Cover Over 775,000 Employees 2. Wal-Mart's Health Insurance Falls Far Short of Other Large Companies 3. Wal-Mart's Health Care Eligibility is Restrictive 4. All of Wal-Mart's Health Plans Are Too Costly for Its Workers to Use 5. Wal-Mart Admits Public Health Care is a "Better Value" 6. Wal-Mart's Health Care is Getting Costlier That is only a few things regarding health care for workers. The following is from the http://www.wakeupwalmart.com web page, and there is plenty more. Wal-Mart & Child Labor Download the Wal-Mart and Child Labor fact sheet - PDF Wal-Mart violates Child Labor Laws

T his afternoon I decided to combine my daily ride with a ride to my LBS for an adjustment to my rear bar-end shifter. The shifter became loose so I figured I would get it tightened before something happens. In order to get to my LBS I have to ride on Route One which is a very dangerous road. I took a route through Dayton Deans which I forgot has some long climbs, to avoid the dangerous road. I gained 164 feet in a short distance and if it wasn't for the Q-Rings I would have had to get off the trike. I got to the LBS and he was very busy, but as always he fixed my problem within 10 minutes and I was on my way home. The route home was through Kendall Park, and Middlebush a total ride of 17.05 miles. My average speed was 13.43 mph and my max speed was 13.43 mph, and I burnt 826 calories. The weather was as follows, 80 degrees with winds from the NW at 9-16 mph.

I planned on a normal ride today, but due to not sleeping well last night and the temperature, I decided a low impact ride would be the way to go. I rode 11.31 miles in 00:52:26 minutes at an average speed of 12.96 mph and a max speed of 19.60 mph. During the ride I burnt 548 calories and rode only local roads. The weather was a very humid 85 degrees with winds from the SSE at 7-9 mph. It was very dark and thunder storms are expected at any time.

I set out at 9:00 AM so I can beat the heat, but that didn't work out to well. The temperature was 86 degrees with a wind from the SSW at 7-23 mph. I rode 10.26 miles with an average speed of 12.54 and a max speed of 23.30 mph. I burnt 497 calories in 00:49:08 minutes, and I must have lost 2 lbs in water weight.

A s today was house cleaning day and errand day I had just enough time to ride 10.22 miles in 47:34 minutes. I burnt 495 calories and had a average speed of 12.90 and a max speed of 25.80 mph. The temperature was 82 degrees with a wind out of the NNW at 5-8 mph. I rode my Middlebush Road Loop 1X and had to make a slight detour due to road construction. Tomorrow I am hopping to get a early ride in, but time will tell, if I even get a chance to ride. The temperatures for the next three days are going to be in the upper 90 degree range.

T his morning I joined two other riders for a multi town tour of 20 miles, and had a great time with good friends. The ride was very casual with an average speed of 11.08 mph. My average is normally 13+ mph, but the speed allowed good conversation. We were planning to do 25 miles, but a detour put a crimp in those plans. We ended up with 20.61 miles under our belts, not bad for a casual ride. My top speed was 24.70 mph and I burnt 998 calories. The weather was excellent for riding, with a temperature of 83 degrees and the wind out of the NW at 8-21 mph. Above is the map of the ride, which I uploaded the .gpx file to Bikely to map the course.

I left at 10:30 for my ride, and was able to do 13.40 miles in 1hr 1min 38 sec and burn 649 calories. The wind was brutal on the road I usually can get some sprints in. The maximum speed I could obtain was 21.20 mph while my average speed was 13.09, I am surely not a speed demon to say the least. The wind was from the SSW at 6 mph with gusts far exceeding 18+ miles per hour. The temperature was a beautiful 74 degrees, which is a great temperature for riding. O ver the years of riding I would always take at least one bottle of water with me. Sometimes I would go through my water very fast and have cramps and just feel rotten. I recently came across Fruit 20 Hydration which I use along with water and find I have had no cramps and feel good after the ride. At the end of the ride if I have any left in the bottle I will finish it to make sure I have all the electrolytes I need. I highly recommend this drink to anyone that rides. They also make an energy drink that you can use to suppleme

I started my ride with the intention of riding at least 20 miles, but the wind was not in my favor. The temperature was a beautiful 73 degrees, but the wind was a constant 11 mph until there was a gust to 19+ mph. It was like I rode into a brick wall. I ended with 12.09 miles in 53:31 minutes and burnt 586 calories. My average speed was 12.86 and a max speed of 23.40 mph. Y esterday I removed the tie-rod from the trike in order to add 4 washers in between the bracket and the ball end, which raised the tie-rod up about 3/8". I then rode my normal route and came to the following conclusions. 1. The steering is not as twitchy as in the standard position. 2. Steering seemed a little stiffer. 3. Overall feeling in my opinion is better. I am almost sure this is the best position, and I will leave it there for long hall. I had lubricated my cleats and noticed that there was a clicking noise coming from the right pedal. After looking at the cleat I realized that the clit was worn way do

E arly this afternoon I had time to take a ride while the wife was out shopping. I rode 20.09 miles in 48 minutes and burnt 488 calories. The temperature was 72 degrees, just a little cooler than usual, but nice riding temperature. The winds were out of the North at 10 mph gusting to 19 mph. There were times the gusts seemed much faster as I felt like I had just hit a wall and it wouldn't move. I was keeping an average pace of 12.63 mph and sprints with a max speed of 23.40 mph. T he steering modification is working fine, but I want to try the tie-rod mounted a little higher than it is now. I will place some stainless steel washers under the ball end and raise it up about a 1/4" on each side. I want to see if there is any noticeable difference in position. I think Tom has sold all the brackets he has made and is ordering more as interest increases. His upgrade idler is selling very well as it cost a lot less than the Terracycle idlers I use on my trike. A fter my ride I poli