My Recumbent Days

I truly thought I would be out riding by now, but all we have here is threats of violent thunderstorms and rain.  The skies are dark and threatening, so I haven't dared getting caught out. As all this ride posturing is going on I have been stuck at home waiting for my cable provider to fix my Internet and phone. It has been over a month where my phone either disconnects or is totally unavailable.  Then when that is working my Internet goes out. I have had four service calls and still problems.  I finally got so upset I contracted with FIOS which it has some limitations that I will have to live with. I will loose my mirror web page, but no big deal as I have my high speed primary.  Oh well enough wind for today, I will post as things progress and I get out to ride.

A s I sit at my desk looking out at the rain filed sky I wonder about what to do next on my trike.  I seem to be in a funk of sorts as the weather has not been cooperating.  As the readers that follow my blog realize my trike goes through changes every year or so. It goes from having many accessories to be stripped down to nothing.  I finally think I have found a good balance of weight to gadgets.  I am afraid if the weather doesn't allow me to get out on the road, I might have a relapse and start adding to the trike.  I am trying to keep the trike and the engine at a certain weight, and so far I have achieved both.  My weight is down to 140 lbs and I am feeling well, but I still have to get back on the road to build some muscle mass which I lost over a period of bad physical health. T he seat and neck rest are adjusted to accommodate my bad cervical condition. My lower lumbar is now as comfy as it is going to get, with the seat in this more reclined posi...

Y esterday USPS delivered my Kuat bottle lock and I was highly impressed with the ingenuity of the thing.  As I said it isn't a heavy duty theft protection device, but a secondary line of defense for when I make short stops.  The cable isn't very thick about 5 mm I guess and a length of 5 feet.  Enough length to go through the back wheel and frame around a post through the front wheel and back to the Bottle Lock.  It has a compartment on the bottom to hold the keys, but I wouldn't do that. The key goes around my neck on a light chain. T he lock slides easily into my Carbon Fiber bottle cage.  I have three cages on the trike but only one is suitable for the lock as the others seem a bit to loose for my liking and might rattle.  you know how much I detest rattles. A t this time I feel confident that the combination of the Kuat Bottle Lock and my Bike alarm will serve as a mid level deterrent.

Y esterday I purchased two (2) Radio Shack part # 270-409 and a RCA Female plug.  I connected the two 4 AA battery packs in series for a total of 1.5 volt X 8 giving me a total of 12 Volts.  Then making sure the polarity was correct I attached the RCA plug. Connecting the two in series battery packs, created a extremely loud horn.  My project was a total success.  The battery life should be extended as all a 9 Volt battery is is 6- 1.5 volt AAAA cells with a MA rating of 500.  The AA cells have a MA rating of 2000 each.  ON my next ride I will test the horn in real life conditions. Below is a photo of the inside of a 9 Volt battery.

I had sent two emails to the makers of the Gale Force Blaster regarding the use of two 9 volt batteries with the horn, and to my surprise no answer.  I don't like the idea of the extra heavy 12 volt battery and the space it requires, but two 9 volt batteries would be the ultimate solution.  All I can do now is wait. I am not the only person to request this same info, but they also have not heard back.  This is the first time that communication was lax with them. I hope all is well with them.

L ast season when I flipped my trike on a nearby back road I not only damaged myself I lost my Kuat Bottle Lock.  This lock is not what you would call heavy duty, but for the times I go into the local store or bathroom it serves the purpose.  I know I can't just depend on the lock, so I also use my bike alarm as a second line of defense.  So yesterday I ordered the replacement for the Bottle Lock from Amazon and it was shipped today. What is nice about this lock is that it fits nicely into one of my bottle cages. "Kuat Bottle Lock (White)" UPDATE: Received word that the Bottle Lock will be delivered May 15th.  A day later that I thought. It is being delivered by FedEX Smartpost and USPS.  Since 1:10 AM this morning it has been sitting 6 miles from my door. I hate Smartpost as it can sit for days before being delivered to the post office.

E arly this afternoon the USPS truck dropped off the brake light.  I promptly opened the little box and inserted the two AAA batteries.  So far no problems.  I then choose the mounting bracket to fit my custom mount and headed to the garage and the awaiting Black Widow.  It took only a few minutes with a Phillips screwdriver and a level to get the Maxxon mounted. The unit looks well made, but as most taillights the bracket looks like the weak link, but only time will tell.  There is a button centrally mounted on the top of the unit to set the different modes. But if I start to ride before turning on the unit it will automatically go into mode 3 (Daylight) mode within 30 seconds of riding.  It will also turn off within 4 minutes of inactivity.  Below are a few photos of it mounted.  It looks very nice, but the ride reports will follow. Maxxon Rear View   Maxxon Side View

I was notified the day before yesterday that the Maxxon Brake Light was shipped from California on the 7th by USPS First Class mail.  It should take 3 to 5 days to reach New Jersey.  As soon as it gets here I will install it, that is if time allows.  I am looking forward to testing this and riding as the weather here has been nothing but rain for days.  I do not ride in the rain unless I happen to get caught in a downpour. I will keep this Blog updates as things proceed.

A fter ordering the Maxxon brake light I thought I had better come up with a mount for it.  I looked carefully at the trike and realized that locating it on the same stem as the laser taillight was not going to work at all.  I then came up with the idea of mounting it on the left rear chain stay, but I still had to find a secure and good looking way of doing it.  After a few ours in the workshop looking through my piles of bike accessories and accessory mounts I decided on using the "Minoura Light and Computer Mount". Do to the strap size it took a lot of adapting for it to fit. but it looks great.   N ow once the Maxxon Brake Light is delivered I will mount it and give it a test run.  Once I removed the frnder the trike was once a gain it's streamlined self.

F or the longest time I have been in the market for a brake light, and I finally found one that needs no switches or wires.  The Maxxon Brake light has the following specs: Employs similar-to NINTEDO Wii technology world-first wireless brake light bikes Innovative award winner with U.S. patent (US7649447B2) Equipped with PWM/SWITCHING tech, able to work with rechargeable batteries without sacrifice of brightness, environmental ! Equipped with auto-on (within 30 sec of riding, on to Mode-3) and auto-off (when bike is still over 4mins) user-friendly functions World-strictest German standard approved with supreme brightness and 250-degree wide beam angles I just ordered this unit, so I will not know if it will live up to my expectations or not.  Between this brake light and the Laser tail light I think I will be covered from rear end collisions.  Well maybe that is asking a little to much, as I have seen how people drive around here.

W e had a few nice weeks for me to ride, but many things prevented me from getting on the trike.  When I had the trike ready to ride the weather got in the way, then it was the paving on my street and now of all things my back popped out.  The weather is going to be bad for the rest of the week so maybe next week I can get back on the trike.  I see the pain doctor Friday for some spinal shots that usually help, so I am confidant that I will be OK to ride.  If so it will be the shakedown ride of the season. I have my Vivitar DVR 480 mounted on my helmet and fresh batteries installed, so it will get it's test as soon as I ride.  I am not expecting a record high speed ride, just a nice leisurely ride along the canal tow path.  The Delaware and Raritan Canal tow path has just been re-topped with something that looks like red clay, I hope it is compacted well.

I wanted a better taillight for the Black Widow just for my riding conditions. These conditions are not unusual to say the least. These conditions are dusk and cloudy and overcast.  This light and most others are are not great in bright sun light.  I found a rechargeable 5 LED and 2 Laser emitter taillight, which I think will serve my purpose very well.  It produces a solid or flashing Laser line on the floor right and left of the trike.  It also has a conventional LED flashing or solid taillight.Below is a photo taken in my garage with lights off and some light filtering in from the top windows.  I have also bought a Vivitar helmet camera DVR 480 which I have yet to test, updates will follow.

W ell folks riding season is starting and I am doing my general maintenance and some upgrades to the Black Widow.  I have added a new Laser tail light and purchased a helmet camera.  After I complete the installs I will post photos as usual. Here is a video showing the tail light in action. Laser Tail Light

A fter 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....

T his 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. T he trike is working fine after the repairs, just a few things need tweaking, and I will leave that until a cooler day next week. M y riding stats are posted below.

W ell 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.

Y esterday 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!

W ell 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. N ow 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.

T his 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 cal...

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.