Choices … we have them … what is the best? HERE is an article about the matter. I see that the one they list as number one choice happens to be my number one choice as well. I will be posting about that soon.
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Month: December 2020
CRANK DRIVES – A DISASTER FOR TRIKES
I ran across this article and it backs up what I have been saying … why I favor hub motors over crank drive motors on a trike. It does not cover one of my main objections to crank drive but it does cover one important factor I never thought of … the matter of stability. Having all that weight mounted out on the end of the boom effects the handling and stability of the trike. On the other hand a hub drive in the rear wheel makes the trike more stable.
https://www.electricbicycleworld.com/blog/middrives-a-disaster-for-trikes-blind-leading-the-blind/
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CHRISTMAS DAY RIDE
December 25th … hey, that’s Christmas day. Last year we had decent weather on Christmas day, but this year it is nasty bitter cold … arctic cold air coming down. So I won’t be going out for a ride this year. That being the case here is a video of last year’s Christmas day ride.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
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IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME!
Yes, it is that time of year and so I wish you all a very Merry CHRISTmas. Here is a video I put together last year which I may be offering each passing year as sort of a tradition.
Did you see anybody in the video you recognized?
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WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Yes, what is in a name? For many years the Facebook RECUMBENT TRIKES GROUP has flourished and led all similar groups in size (over 10,000 members). It has always been my favorite group. However recently the originator of the group changed the name of the group to Recumbent Weiner Trikes Group which has caused quite a stir. Some 200 or so members have left the group. Why this man did this I will never understand. It is so irresponsible and infantile of him. Some think it is funny and are “milking it” for all it’s worth with their posting and comments. In my opinion it has totally destroyed the group. It has invited unlimited abuse of the group rules. There is no end in sight. It is my understanding that the name change can happen once a month so it is nearly a month before it can be changed back. Meanwhile the posting and comments continue on to where I don’t even want to look at it anymore. And I know that there are others who feel the same. There are those who try to say this was done as a joke. I am among those who see absolutely no humor in it whatsoever. Instead what I see it someone with both a sick mind and a sick heart doing a really inexcusable thing.
BTW, I just discovered that the name Recumbent Trikes Group has been snatched up and is no longer available for the original group to take it back. What a pity. But then again it looks like this was done on purpose so that no one else could grab the name. In a month when the name can be changed back it will be available to do so.
At this point I wlll put a plug in for another Facebook trike group. Mind you there are several but I only want to talk about one. I am sort of partial to it because it is a group I started and administrate. I am a firm believer in having group rules and enforcing them. This group, Tadpole Rider 2, has been around for awhile but at this point it hasn’t grown much in membership. I need to explain that the 2 in the name is there because I first started this group naming it Tadpole Rider. It quickly grew and became the second largest recumbent trike group on Facebook. Many members had told me that they like the group better than the Recumbent Trikes Group as they found it more informative and helpful. As time passed by I was experiencing various issues in my life including some very serious eye vision problems. I made the decision to close down the group. I know that it upset a lot of people and no doubt is the reason it has not grown much since I restarted it again later on. Facebook would not allow me to restart the group using the same name so that is why the 2 is in the name.
So if you would like to be part of a Facebook recumbent trike group that is no nonsense and adheres to the rules please consider joining … https://www.facebook.com/groups/2597823273637618/
Together we can make this group grow and become a bustling forum like it was previously. Just for your information my eyesight situation is currently under control. Although I have gone totally blind in one eye I have pretty good vision yet in the other so I am able to function pretty much normally once again.
May we all continue to enjoy riding and …
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RIGHT ON TIME … WINTER, THAT IS
It is like somebody flipped a switch. Suddenly winter weather has arrived on the scene. Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. I am not ready for winter. We have been so blessed with decent riding weather until yesterday. Yes, starting Monday, December 14th, everything changed. It got cold and windy … well, we have wind quite often but wind along with cold is a bad combination. It is what it is and we are stuck with it. I could not go out yesterday due to an eye doctor appointment and getting another injection in my eyeball. That usually takes me out of the picture for the day. I was hoping to ride today but I don’t feel like dealing with the cold and wind. And with snow coming I may not be getting out at all. All 3 of my tires are worn out so I have no tread left on them. That is not a good thing when riding on snow. I have been procrastinating changing tires trying to get all the mileage I can out of these tires. They are fine for dry or wet pavement but not for snow. Even brand new the Big Ben Plus tires I run don’t have very much tread on them. I may put my knobby tire back on for the winter months ahead. It does great in the snow.
I have not used the knobby tire for a few years now as I haven’t really needed it. Our trails have been in pretty good shape as far as snow removal. I do like the balloon tires in the snow, but then I like them in any condition.
As I have got older I am finding that I don’t care to go out riding when it is cold. Actually 40 degrees is about as low as I care to venture out. I may and do go out when it is colder than that but I don’t like doing so.
Yep, winter is here and the winter of my life is here as well. I enjoyed winter a lot more when I was younger. But as they say … IT AIN[T OVER TIL IT’S OVER. Longing for Spring, I am. I want to …
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THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL-TRAIL
Washington, D.C. to Seattle, Washington … some 3743.9 miles long. That is a long haul. Are you up to it? I know I am not. Oh, I could probably do the daily riding but it is what follows … trying to sleep anywhere besides my regular bed … that would cause me problems trying to do something like this. Anyway, they call it “The Great American Rail-Trail“. It is misleading as it is what is planned. It does not yet exist in it’s entirety. As is a common problem with trail building “connectivity” is the issue. It incorporates sections of existing trails. Other trails will need to be built to connect those sections to one another. Meanwhile anyone who wants to ride this cross country trail will have to use streets, roads and highways to get from one existing trail to another. Who knows … one may end up in a farmer’s field asking them-self “now what”? Truthfully I have not researched it enough to know what the plan is as far as connecting the existing trails together. If I were to guess at it I would say that some additional trails will be built while other areas will continue to use existing streets, roads and highways. But don’t quote me on this as I don’t know.
It will be passing through the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington.
It will take years to complete, but it is already more than 52 percent done with more than 1,900 miles of existing trails and approximately 1,700 miles yet to be built between Washington, D.C. and Washington State. Of course, that 52 percent of completed trails is no doubt almost entirely incorporating existing trails which the plan is to connect together to make up this cross country route. Looking at the map one would think that there is far more than 52 percent completed.
It will great for those who can take advantage of it. I won’t be among them, but meanwhile I will take advantage of the local trails where I live and for as long as I can I will …
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There are a bunch of YouTube videos about this trail project.
INNER TUBE INFORMATION
Like bicycle tires the inner tubes that go inside of them can be confusing. There are lots of different sizes and other things which vary in the offerings. It is imperative that we buy the right size and type. Probably the two biggest factors are valve type … Schrader or Presta … and the size … both in width and diameter. Rubber stretches but we need to be careful we don’t try using an inner tube which is too small and stretches too much. And as to diameter we need to be careful there as not all inner tubes are the same diameter. By that I mean it may say 20 inch on the box but upon trying to install it we find that it is way too big of diameter to fit. There are 406 and 451 diameters. Most of our trikes use 406. I have found that not all those who work in a bike shop know this and they might sell you a 451 inner tube. The picture below shows a 451 inner tube in a 406 tire. As you can see there is way too much inner tube to fit.
Here are some web pages to help inform us and straighten out any confusion:
https://www.evanscycles.com/buying-guides/inner-tubes
https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/tubes/finder
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/bike-inner-tubes/
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/inner-tubes.html
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MAINTAINING E-BIKE BATTERY HEALTH
Here is a video about maintaining a healthy e-bike battery …
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E-BIKE BATTERY TIPS
PODRIDE REVISTED
I first wrote about the Podride e-quad vehicle five years ago. It is a cute little thing but I assumed like so many prototype projects out there trying to make it to market it failed and faded away. Just moments ago I was re-reading my article and decided to click on the link to their Facebook page. I expected it to be past history and no longer exist but much to my surprise and delight I found it still very much alive and functioning. And the first thing I saw posted was that their project is still going and getting closer to reality. I would love to see these running around. They are just so cute! HERE is their update. The body has been totally redesigned and now it is even cuter than before.
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NORMAL IS WHAT WE ACCEPT
I always enjoy David’s videos. Here is one with a powerful message …
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COPENHAGEN WHEEL NO MORE
You are looking at a Copenhagen Wheel … a big ugly red hub. I guess one either likes the look or they don’t. For those unfamiliar with it unlike other electric hub systems which have external components everything is built into it including the battery. That makes it unique. Hey, anyway the manufacturer has announced that the Copenhagen wheel is no longer for sale. There is good news for those who already bought one. They will continue to offer Support. All current Wheel owners will continue to receive support via support@superpedestrian.com
I don’t know anything about this decision that was made. BionX had a top of the line product but they went out of business. It happens obviously.
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YA CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE (trail closure)
After 5 days of not being able to get out and ride I finally made it out today … only to discover ya can’t get there from here … at least not by way of the bike trail. I rode about 14 miles on the trail when I came upon a closed gate and a barricade sign stating the road was closed. So I had to turn around and go back the way I had come. That pretty much ended my ride for the day. It was cold out there today and my hands were cold. I had other things I needed to do anyway so it worked out well.
Anyway, I just love it when construction people fail to put up signage back at the previous trail exit letting you know the trail is closed ahead. Oh well, I was out for exercise anyway. The reason the trail is closed is because the electric company has erected new poles and they are now in the process of pulling new wires up onto the poles. The wires will cross over the river as they go their merry way. Anyway, the entire project is suppose to last thru this month so there is a long way to go since it is early Dec. I will just have to deal with it. There are other trails to ride … thankfully. And there is a way around this area to get back onto that trail and ride the rest of it. It involves riding on and crossing some busy streets but I have done it many hundreds of times. So I am going to …
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Tadpole Rider 