Month: November 2020

MAGPED … another magnetic pedal offering for foot retention

 

I don’t know anything about them at this point in time as I only first heard of them 5 minutes ago. Looking at their website , one can readily see that what they offer is a mountain bike pedal with a magnet bolted down onto it. They also have road pedals. The company is out of British Columbia, Canada.

They have various models varying in price … $72 to $208. Wow, I paid $13 for my BMX pedal and they have been great. Some models have just one magnet so the rider can only use one side of the pedal if they want the magnet in use. One model has two magnets so it doesn’t matter which side of the pedal is used as both sides have a magnet. They sell replacement parts such as magnets, pins, shoe plates, etc.

My biggest concern with using a magnetic foot retention system is the magnets picking up metal pieces on them as well as magnetizing the steel plates in the shoes and having them pick up metal as one walks around in them. With my own personal experience with BMX pedals my shoes stay in place on them quite well without anything holding them down onto the pedal. So with the aid of a magnet I would think that they stay in place quite well as long as the magnet used is strong enough. They have some extremely strong magnets nowadays.

I don’t think these would work for me as I like to be able to move my foot around on the pedal if I want to. That would be tricky and challenging using this set up. Besides I much prefer wearing whatever footwear I want to. But I know that there are many who want their feet secured to the pedals when they ride and these pedals just might appeal to you.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magpedNorthAmerica/
Instagram: @magpedNA

So for anyone looking for an alternative foot retention system you might want to consider these. Be safe out there and …

ENJOY THE RIDE!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

LIFE’S INTERRUPTIONS

It is Sunday evening the 28th as I sit down to write this. I am sure we have all experienced various happenings in our lives which take up/keep us away from being able to do other things we would like to be doing. Indeed … other things we would prefer to be doing. That certainly has been happening to me lately. I have not been able to ride my trike for three days now and tomorrow isn’t looking too promising either. Obviously having a working computer is essential in my life. I could not be involved with this blog without one. I have been having some major computer issues in my life lately. All of my computers are old as computers go. My best computer has developed some major problems with hardware failure. Sometimes it works okay for awhile but it freezes up constantly and has to be rebooted frequently. I have to “hard boot it” which I don’t like doing as it can and eventually does mess something up so that it won’t boot up at all. That happened and it became apparent it was time for a new computer. So yesterday my wife, her nephew and wife and I went computer shopping. We were quite disappointed to find out lots has changed with computers. Most of them can not be modified anymore. A simple thing like changing the hard drive can’t be done. Also most stores we checked are out of stock or the store does not stock what we were looking for. We were told we would have to order it online or that their store didn’t even have it available … that we would have to go directly to the manufacturer’s website to order it. We were quite disappointed and frustrated but I suggested stopping at one more store and low and behold they had what we were looking for and it was on sale at a very low price. So I grabbed it while I could.

Now I have used Linux Mint operating system for a long time. I was so glad to get away from Microsoft Windows. There is very little about Windows that I missed … mostly third party software that was not available to run on Linux. It is nearly impossible to find a new computer with a Linux operating system. Everything is Windows 10 and I loathe Windows 10. It is the worst operating system Windows has come out with yet in my opinion. I find it very user unfriendly and difficult to navigate. Many of the changes that have been made are downright idiotic. I started out using Windows 95 and to this day I still think it was the best operating system Microsoft ever produced as far as being sensible in the way it was designed. It was a lot easier to use in many ways. XP and Vista remained fair but once they got to Windows 7 they had ruined their operating system in my opinion. And, of course, Windows 8 was horrible. Anyway, this new computer I have has Windows 10 on it and I hate it. I had every intention of installing Linux Mint 20 on it either alongside of Windows 10 or on the second hard drive this new computer has. However I discovered that Linux Mint 20 won’t run on this Intel I5 processor. So I am stuck with only Windows 10 for now. It is maddening. I am not sure if I will keep this computer or not. Of course, I can’t open it up without voiding the warranty and I don’t think it would do any good anyway. One thing I may be able to do is install an earlier version of Linux Mint as I think it will run ok on this processor. Hopefully tomorrow I will give it a go. Of course, that will mean day 4 with no trike riding … very unusual for me.

Today, Monday the 29th,  as I continue to write this it is cold and snowing (sometimes raining) so once again  riding my trike has been denied me even if I was not working on my computer. And tomorrow, Tuesday the 30th is another snow day so I may not get out riding again until Wednesday, Dec. 1st. I guess I will survive but I certainly am not used to going this long without being able to get out and ride.

So anyway what I am trying to say is we can have various kinds of interruptions in our lives which prevent us from doing those things we would prefer to be doing. Of course, I am sure you knew that. I really want to

…                                                         KEEP ON TRIKIN!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

 

IS THERE ANYTHING I HAVE NOT COVERED ON THIS BLOG?

A thru Z, ONE to INFINITY, ALL BASES COVERED, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, NOTHING LEFT UNTURNED … no,I certainly cannot claim any such thing concerning this blog. That being said, over the years I have covered a lot of things … probably far more than most people realize. I have posted previously about how to SEARCH and find articles on this blog. In addition to the search feature there is the CATEGORIES to use. You may not find what you are looking for but, hey, then again you just might.

Being a very active member of a few Facebook groups about recumbent trikes I am continually amazed when other members mention various things asking about something … something I have written about previously on this blog. I can truthfully say “I’VE COVERED THAT”! At that point I do a quick search of my blog in order to find it and then post a link to it for their convenience.

While I am at it I should give credit to others who post on those Facebook groups as sometimes they “feed me” providing something for me to write about on this blog. That is greatly appreciated as it gets harder and harder to come up with something new to post after years of writing this blog.

I know that not everybody likes this blog. Some people have developed quite a negative attitude toward me and have said some pretty mean spirited things about me. Well, what can I say? You can’t please all of the people all of the time. One is bound to make some enemies along the way. We as human beings tend to sometimes not agree together … we rub each other the wrong way. Life goes on.

I am thankful and appreciative of the fact that most feedback I have received is quite the opposite … it has been very positive and complimentary. Many have expressed their appreciation of my efforts in writing this blog and making it available. They have expressed that it has been very helpful to them.

Anyway, this blog exists and as far as I know I will continue to offer it. It is my sincere hope that it is helpful to others. In order to take full advantage of it one needs to know how to find whatever it is they may be interested in and looking for. I won’t repeat myself here as I have covered this before. Read my SEARCH THIS SITE page.

And may we all continue to …

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART

Here in the United States today is a holiday … Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally it is a time when family and perhaps friends gather together around a grand meal. And traditionally it was a time where nearly everybody understood and participated in giving thanks for their many blessings in life. Sadly in many homes in America the latter no longer is a part of it. It is mostly just eating … “pigging out” with no thought or expression of thankfulness.

In my life I have so very much to be thankful for. I could write many pages listing them but this blog is supposed to be about tadpole trikes so I will stifle myself and only write about … well, mostly write about things pertaining to tadpole trikes. In doing so I will start in the beginning.

I am thankful that my Creator, Jesus Christ, gifted me mechanically as I was able to fabricate my first tadpole trike which got me started in this beloved part of my life. I am thankful that later my God made a way for me where there was no way in order to purchase my Catrike tadpole trike. I am thankful that He has always provided me with whatever I needed  to maintain my trike over the years. I am thankful that I have an excellent LBS (local bike shop) with highly qualified mechanics to go to when needed. I am thankful that in retirement I have lots of time available to ride my trike. I am thankful I live somewhere that offers many dozens of miles of paved trails to ride on and are building more each year. I am thankful for relatively good health to enjoy and take advantage of each day. I am thankful for a great wife who loves me and cares for me as she faithfully does each day. And she fully supports me in my daily trike riding knowing that I am getting good exercise each day. I am thankful for family and friends. I am thankful for the family of God … brothers and sisters “in Christ” who support one another and will pray for the needs of each other.

Most of all I am so very thankful for my heavenly Father Who loves me and provided salvation for me even though I don’t deserve it. Lastly I am thankful for my God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who demonstrated His love for me by willingly coming to this earth to be born as a human baby for the purpose of dying a horrific death providing salvation for those who turn to Him in faith. He offered Himself up as the perfect acceptable sacrifice … acceptable to His Father. He shed His innocent blood while dying a cruel agonizing death being nailed on a cross. I am so thankful for that blood for without the shedding of (innocent) blood there is no forgiveness of sin (available) to any of us. I am thankful that my name is written down in the Lamb’s “Book of Life” and I have eternal life … not because of anything I did or could possibly do, but because of what Jesus did. In Him alone I place my hope and faith. He is all I need. He is my best friend Who loves me despite who I am.

I could go on but I think you get the picture. It is important to count our blessings and have a grateful heart expressing thanksgiving. And not just one special day each year but every single day of our lives. What are you thankful for? Do you know the Savior? You can. He is only a prayer away.

Well, on this special day I hope to go for a ride on my trike. After two days of rain being couped up inside I am ready to …

ENJOY THE RIDE AGAIN!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

 

 

HEATED GLOVES … GONE WITH THE WIND … THE HEAT, THAT IS

I recently purchased a pair of heated gloves. I tried them out today. I am sending them back tomorrow. Yes, they work. They keep my hands quite warm as long as 1) it is not cold outside  2)  I am sitting still.  Therein lies the problem. I bought them to wear when it is cold outside … when my unheated handwear does not keep my hands warm. And, of course, riding my trike means that I am moving.  When cold air moves across the gloves it removes the heat being produced and makes them ineffective. If I had some means of keeping the cold air off of them they might work. As is I have to have the heat turned up on high which means the rechargeable lithium ion batteries only last 2 hours. I ride a lot longer than that each day so I would have to have about 3 sets of batteries to last thru my rides. Well, that is my review. If a person rides really slow these gloves might work for them, but if they ride 15 mph or faster the heat is “Gone With the Wind”. I may try one more product … heated glove liners … and wear them inside of my mittens which do a pretty good job stopping air from getting thru. It is hard to …

ENJOY THE RIDE

with cold hands.

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES or WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER and DO IT ANYWAY YOU CAN PAY A PRICE

Have you ever done something that you knew better than to do and experienced the consequences? I am pretty sure most all of us have as it is part of being human. If nothing else that is one way we learn in life. Yesterday was one of those days I paid a high price for my stupidity. I am well aware of the concern of carrying various things in the front pockets of my pants when I am riding a recumbent. Those items have been known to fall out. I used to carry my wallet in my left front pocket of my sweat pants I wear in colder weather. I have lost it a couple of times but fortunately I discovered it quickly and was able to turn around and go back to get it before anyone else did. So I stopped carrying my wallet in my front pocket. However, later I went back to doing it as it didn’t seem to be a problem anymore. My wallet stayed in place and I rode many thousands of miles with it in that pocket. Recently I bought a new wallet and yesterday I discovered that unlike my previous wallet this new one didn’t seem to stay put. I was riding down a city street taking the lane when it fell out. I didn’t notice it so I just kept going until I got to the trail I was planning on riding and turned off of the city street. It was a couple of hours or more before I discovered I had lost my brand new wallet. I went back to the area where I had lost it but, of course, it wasn’t there. Somebody else has it now. I am hoping they will return it but I am not holding my breath. Of course, I immediately started doing all that needed to be done reporting lost credit cards, getting them replaced, getting a new drivers license, etc. There is a lot to do when this happens and it is a royal pain. And the bottom line is it is so unnecessary … if only … if only I would have used my head it never would have happened. But it did and yes, I learned a valuable lesson. It was an expensive lesson as I had more cash in my wallet than I normally carry. And, of course, I have various fees involved in replacing credit cards and drivers license.

Yes, when we know better but do it anyway we can find ourselves in deep doo doo. So do try to …

KEEP ON TRIKIN!

Just try not to do anything stupid like I did. It definitely will help you to …

ENJOY THE RIDE!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

UPDATE … There is good news … answer to prayer. When I got back home from my trike ride yesterday I checked our mailbox before going inside of the house. I saw a large priority mail envelope folded in half stuffed into our mail box. I wasn’t expecting anything via the post office so I was curious as to what this was. I pulled it out of the mailbox and noticed that whatever was in it was the size and shape of my lost wallet. I opened it up and sure enough it was my wallet. Somebody had placed it in a blue collection box and our neighborhood post office sent it to me. The post office wrote a sticky note which was attached to the wallet. It simply said that it was found in a blue collection mail box. All my money was gone as well as a check made out to me which I hadn’t cashed yet. Also some misc. cards and my list of medicines I take were missing but everything else was there. God is good! And a kudos to the post office as well!

RIDE ALONG WITH MATT

I have written about and shared quite a bit concerning American, Matt Galat, and his around the world excursion via tadpole trike. Matt produces top quality videos which are always very interesting documenting his travels. In this video below Matt shares with us all about what he is doing and some of what has transpired thus far. I think you will enjoy it.

And here is Gary Solomon’s interview with Matt.

Yeah, Matt is quite a guy. He is a bit unusual at times as though he is not from around here. I mean just look at this picture of him he posted some time back …

Now I ask ya … does he look like anyone you know? I am glad to see he has a good sense of humor. I always appreciate that in people. His trike journey if I remember correctly started out to be a 5 year journey. In the video above he mentioned 10 years. He also said 100 countries and 95 more to go. Lets see … where has he been thus far? I may be wrong but I think he has ridden in: China, Viet Nam, Laos, Korea, Taiwan and Japan (not in that order). He has had to interrupt his journey a few times for various reasons. He is becoming better known as time goes along. He has met up with others on their bike journeys and rode with some of them. Those of us who have “rode along with him” via his videos have watched his little girl growing and have been enchanted by her along the way. Thanks Matt for including your family as you document your journey. The introduction and use of a drone has added greatly to the videos making for spectacular views and helping the viewer to take in far more than we could from ground level camera work. I don’t know if I will ever get to meet Matt and ride along with him as he gets over to my area. I would love to. We’ll see what happens when that time comes. I may not even be around by then. Or if I am I may not still be riding my trike. I am getting old. Matt is a young man yet compared to me. I am nearly twice his age and he is not catching up to me regardless of what people say. Matt, enjoy the ride while you can and do so for the rest of us as most of us will never be able to undertake such a journey. Thanks for inviting us along and making it possible to accompany you thru your excellent videos. BE SAFE, BE VIGILANT, and …                                                     KEEP ON TRIKIN’

JaYoe!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

HEADWATERS PARK

The city of Fort Wayne, Indiana where I live was built on the confluence of three rivers … the Saint Joseph river which flows from the north, the Saint Marys river which flows from the south and turns east in the downtown area. These two rivers converge and form the third river, the Maumee river which flows east and then northeast and empties into Lake Erie at Toledo, Ohio.

With rivers come flooding and Fort Wayne has experienced some bad flooding over the years. One of the most memorable floods that happened in my lifetime was back in 1982 when downtown was flooded and then President Ronald Reagan visited and did a photo shoot of him lending a hand handling sand bags.

After that flood occurred “Headwaters Park” was built near downtown. It is designed to flood over and prevent the river’s floodwater from going into the city. I guess it works. I don’t recall seeing any more flooding downtown since. But then again I don’t recall seeing Headwaters Park flooded over either. Oh, I have seen flood water over portions of the park, but I have never seen the entire park flooded over. Anyway, it is a nice park with lots of paved trails running thru it. I have ridden on them many times.

Here is a picture taken from the north looking south. It only shows the northernmost portion of the park.

This photo must be “touched up” as I have never seen blue water in our rivers. They are all brown and nasty looking … nothing at all like this picture shows. BTW, the rivers are also nasty smelling. There is gobs of trees jammed up at bridges, etc. Maintenance is badly needed.

That is the MLK jr. Memorial Bridge which was built a few years ago to replace (upgrade) the old bridge across the St. Marys river on Clinton St. It is a beautiful bridge which lights up at night. It has several different colors of lights on it that can be turned on making it very attractive. Here is a video of it. At about the half way point (one minute into the video) they show the lighting.

Here is another video showing the bridge from the side as the lighting changes.

The park is divided in two by Clinton St. One can ride a trail to go under Clinton St. on the north end of the park to get from one side of the park to the other side. That is, if it is not flooded over. There is also a crosswalk with pedestrian traffic light control on Clinton St.

Here is a satellite image of the park (in the center of the image). You can see all the trails in the park.

And here is an aerial view of the park.

Here is a video I made of me riding my trike across the MLK jr. bridge and thru Headwaters Park.

The regular bicycle trails are close by running along the river. They are called the “Rivergreenway” because they are built along the rivers … all three rivers. They were the original trails built here in Fort Wayne. There are about 25 miles of them. They are nice but unfortunately they flood over all too often and the trails remain closed for some time as a result.

Here is a video I made several years ago as I rode to and thru Headwaters Park. I approached it from the west side this time. The area I am riding thru to get to it is all changed now as “Promenade Park” has been built there.

I have posted about this bridge and park once previously. You can read that post HERE. If you ever visit Fort Wayne and have your trike (or even bike) with you and would like to ride our trails I would be delighted to ride with you and help you navigate them. Just  email me initially to communicate. Yep, I know the trails like the back of my hand. Hey, where’d my hand go? 😉

tadpolerider2@gmail.com

Wherever you ride, do try to …

ENJOY THE RIDE! 

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

RECUMBENT HISTORY

 

I  came across this interesting webpage I want to share here. It is the history of recumbents. Lots of photos and information are found here.

https://www.lightningbikes.com/riders/martin-krieg/recumbent-history/index.html

It was the photo below that influenced me when I built my first recembent bike. I considered using this steering setup on it, but went with  a different type instead.

Here is what I built. I used two steering heads and connected them together with an adjustable connecting rod …

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

A $25 TADPOLE TRIKE

Having made my first tadpole trike I know what is involved in doing so. I definitely saved money in building my own. Never the less I still had about $600 invested in my homemade trike. This man says he only has about $30 invested in building this one. I had written  several sentences about this trike in which everything I said was negative. I came under conviction remembering the saying “if you don’t have anything good to say just keep silent. So I deleted everything I had written. Anyway, here is the video of his $25 trike.

May we all enjoy whatever we ride and …

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

CHECKING OUT A FUTURE TRAIL

 I try to keep up with the news about trail construction around Fort Wayne, Indiana where I live. One of the future trails is called Becketts Run. There is a small creek on the north end of the Becketts Run subdivision. This, of course, is where the name comes from. On the map above I have drawn a blue line showing the St. Joseph River. The black line is the St. Joseph Pathway. It is an existing trail. The red line is the future Becketts Run Trail. Right now it is still under construction. It is gravel the entire distance. I rode my trike on it today to check it out. It should be a really nice trail when it is done. I talked with a construction worker today who is the inspector of all the work going on. He said that it should be paved next April so it is only a few months off before it will be open. I am looking forward to it as it adds to the available trails to ride. It is fairly wild looking back in some areas. We have quite a lot of miles of trails already (over 120) but with too many of them there is no connectivity  making some of them impractical to get to and ride on. I have mentioned before that I like variety and hate monotony. So having more and more trails to ride on is great for me. This means that I can …

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

and

ENJOY THE RIDE!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

Hey BTW, today is Veterans Day in the United States and so I want to thank all military veterans for their service.

I salute you!

Yes, that’s me … circa mid 1960s.

I think  I could still fit into the hat today but not the rest of the uniform. 🙂

I thought you might find it interesting to see the photo that the above photo of me saluting was cropped out of. Notice that I am looking downward. Here is why …

It was Christmas time and I was back home on leave. This little boy in the navy uniform was the son of some friends of mine. We all thought it would make a cute picture of the two of us saluting each other.

I will allow our beloved President to have the last word …

NOVEMBER, GREAT WEATHER & TOO BUSY TO RIDE

Yep, it is November and the current weather is exceptionally nice with daily highs in the low 70s … absolutely perfect riding weather. There is only one problem … I have too much going on right now and don’t have the time to ride and take advantage of this. And it really bums me out. It is extremely unusual for me to be so busy that I can’t ride. I am so used to riding almost everyday … at least 6 days a week. By the time I am able to get back to riding this nice weather will have ended. Oh well, maybe there will be some more of it as my wife and I have been praying for a really mild winter. As the saying goes … so far so good. Of course, it is still Fall. The official start of Winter is about 7 weeks off yet … dry, sunshine with no threat of rain.

I am sure this happens to many others. I should not complain since it is so rare in my life. I am usually out there riding almost all the time. Not everybody can say that. And you know what? I think I am going to be able to sneak a ride in today after all. It may not be very long of a ride but at least I think I will be able to get out. I hope all of you who want to ride are able to do so as well. May we all …

ENJOY THE RIDE!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

CONVENTIONAL HIGHWAY VS. INTERSTATE HIGHWAY

Now I ask ya … which looks more inviting … the “interstate” on the left or the “conventional highway” on the right?

Most of us probably know that travelling on a conventional highway is slower but more scenic than travelling on an interstate highway. Interstate highways are usually thought to be rather boring in comparison. As for me I equate most rail trails to an interstate highway. They are usually pretty straight and relatively flat. I have always been a person who prefers variety. I can’t stand monotony. Working on an assembly line is not for me. Riding in a relatively straight line is oh so boring to me. I also like and appreciate good shade trees along the trail. I have ridden on some rail trails that don’t have any trees at all and in the hot summer it was miserable not having shade trees for relief from the scorching sun. Now I know that there are exceptions to all of this. Some rail trails offer curves, and scenery as well as good shade. Others, however, offer nothing but mile after mile of absolutely nothing of interest.

Here where I live and ride (Fort Wayne, Indiana) we only have one rail trail, the Pufferbelly Trail. I am pleased to say that it is an exception to most of what I mentioned. It has some curves in it and quite a bit of shade in  much of it. In fact, it is one of my favorite trails to ride.

And then there is the St. Joseph Pathway. For years we waited for the trail to be built on the west side of the St. Joe River. Meanwhile we rode on the east side of the river on the trail thru Purdue University property. It follows along the river making turns. It has always been a fun trail to ride on. They eventually got the trail built on the west side of the river but it is a straight line with no shade trees at all. When I ride on the St. Joe Pathway I usually ride on the west side of the river going one direction but on my return I usually ride back on the east side of the river as I just like riding on that trail. The west side is boring but the east side if fun to ride on. Yep, like riding on a conventional highway vs. an interstate highway. Interesting and fun vs. Boring! That is the way I see it and that is the way I call it. You may or may not agree. But deep down you know I am right, right?   

Hey, whatever trail you are travelling on …

ENJOY THE RIDE!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

PRESCRIPTION: RIDE !!

It is 10:34 AM as I sit down here at the computer to compose this post. I am frustrated over the fact that the election results are dragging out. I feel confident that the outcome will eventually be what I am hoping for … what my wife and I along with millions of others all over the world have been praying for despite all the efforts of the Demoncrats, deep state, and globalists to cheat and steal this election. (It is the only way they can possibly win.) God is still in control and He is the One Who sets up rulers and takes them down. Meanwhile one thing I know … I need to go for a ride. That will help me immensely. Riding is good medicine. Yep, rather than sit around at home waiting for the election results to come in I need to push myself out the door and onto my trike. My sitting around waiting won’t change anything. It is what it is. I know that going for a ride is the thing to do. So … goodbye … I am out of here. And if you are doing the same may we all …

ENJOY THE RIDE!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

I would not be at all surprised if I end up with that infamous recumbent smile on my face once I get out there riding.

DISAPPEARING TRAILS

 

It is that time of year again when falling leaves cover the trails. Some trails are fortunate enough to get the leaves removed off of them. Some are not so fortunate and they can present a serious problem for cyclists trying to ride on them. As Steve Irwin was known for saying … Danger, Danger, Danger! Not being able to see the edge of the trail can lead to disaster. Having a front wheel suddenly drop off the edge of the pavement can lead to a tip over or worse.

Over the years various individuals have voluntarily undertaken the task of leaf removal on one of our local trails. I did it myself for about 3 years. A friend made a device to pull behind his trike. It worked okay but watching it and giving thought to how to improve upon it I made an angled “plow” of sorts to pull behind my trike. Being angled it “unloaded itself” as I rode along. All I had to do is pull it.. It worked great … much better than what my friend devised as his was straight and loaded up making it necessary to stop frequently to empty it and manually remove a large pile of leaves off of the trail. If he did not stop to unload it it would unload itself leaving a large pile of leaves on the trail to contend with. Here is a picture of mine as I removed wet leaves off of the trail. Being wet they did not move off to the side unloading as well as dry leaves did. Never the less it still did a pretty good job even on the wet leaves … which surprised me.

As you can see by these pictures it did a really good job.

Here in Fort Wayne, Indiana the city street dept. is supposed to do it, but they rarely do. So there have been individuals tackle it. It is a lot of hard work for them as they don’t have the equipment available to them to use that the city government has (blowers, sweepers, tractors and utility vehicles with various sorts of plows, snow blades and rotary brooms).  Scrapers, brooms, rakes, shovels are their tools. And they are walking not riding as my friend and I did. It has been about 3 years since I last removed leaves off of the trail. At the end of the season my broom I incorporated into my device broke and I never replaced it as I had decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I still have it and it would not take much to get it going again, but I doubt if I ever will.

The last couple of years an elderly bicyclist has been doing it using two pusher type snow shovels he holds side by side as he walks along.

 

His are antiques I think. They are steel and all rusted. He only does the outsides of the trail leaving a bunch of leaves in the center of the trail. When I did it I got them all off. At least he has enough of the leaves off to make it safe. We can see the edge of the trail and that is what is most important.

Hopefully whatever trails you may ride on are maintained and the leaves are removed. Do be careful out there.  Riding a tadpole trike is definitely safer than riding a bicycle. I have seen bicyclists go down riding on leaves and wet boardwalks. So …

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!