Month: January 2021

LONG LONG TRAILS

Did you know that there are a few existing very long trails one can ride?  Yeppur! One can’t  possibly ride any of them in a single day. Some would take several weeks or even a few months to ride for the average rider. Unfortunately most of these long trails are not 100 % trails as they incorporate some roads to join sections of trails together. I probably won’t cover all of these long trails but here are some of them . From what I have read it is ill advised to attempt some of these rides on a trike as parts would be too difficult and challenging.

Mississippi River Trail

Follows along the Mississippi River from its headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. … some 2200 miles.

The Great American Rail Trail

An east to west route from the nation’s capital  to the west coast (Washington State). I have an ARTICLE about this trail.

Ya know, it really doesn’t make much since for me to sit here and type out these trails when others have already done so.  HERE is a list of long trails in the U.S.

The problem is all too many of these trails are incomplete. Only small limited sections have been built thus far. One could find themselves tackling something they are not prepared for nor equipped for. A bicycle would be much more suited for the journey than a trike would be. In some places they are working on trail building to complete the plan while other areas nothing is happening.

It is not likely that I will ever have the opportunity to ride any of these trails, but perhaps you will. If you do I hope you enjoy it and stay safe.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

CHAIN WEAR & REPLACEMENT

 

I have always gotten phenomenal mileage out of my chains on my trike. I just recently replaced one which had 16,672 miles on it. That is the most I have ever got and truthfully the way it was wearing I think I could have got another couple thousand miles out of it.

I use Rock-n-Roll Gold chain lubricant and am quite impressed with it … more so than any other product I have ever tried.

One of my bike mechanics said to me that I should only get about 1600 miles out of a chain. I said to him “you’re talking about a bicycle, but a recumbent tadpole trike gets far more wear out of the chain than a bicycle”. That is because a trike has 2.5 to 3 standard lengths of bicycle chain compared to a bicycle.That should result in considerable less wear. Even so about 5000 miles is all that one should expect. I have always got far more … usually 9000 to 12,000 miles. One time I got over 14,ooo miles. And, like I said, this time over 16,000.

You may ask me how this is possible. It is possible because of God. That is right! I learned many many years ago to put God first in my finances … to give Him the tithe before I spend money for anything else. He says in His word that if we do this He will rebuke the devouter and we will be blessed. I can not explain this incredible mileage I get out of my chains any other way. The same is true of my tire wear. I have witnessed the result of withholding the tithe. God says it is stealing from Him. One way or another He will get His tithe. If not given freely He will take it some other way. The car or furnace or some appliance will break down costing far more than the tithe would have cost. I have seen it happen in many people’s lives. God is real and everything I am talking about is real. It is truly a joy to give God His tithe. In doing so I also enjoy His many blessings in my life each and every day. May He be praised and may we all …

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

BTW, I have written about this subject of chain wear before …  I even used the same title … https://tadpolerider2.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/chain-wear-replacement.

I have also written several other articles concerning chain … https://tadpolerider2.wordpress.com/?s=chain

You might find it interesting to take a look at the many artists’ creations made out of bicycle chain … https://tinyurl.com/y6zlva4a

 

T-CYCLE SEAT SIDE MOUNT KIT

Terra Cycle (not to be confused with TerraTrike) makes some great accessories for our trikes. One of them is their seat side mounting kits for a bag so we have a really convenient means of storing stuff nearby us with ready access to it. We can easily reach it while seated on the trike. Here is a video featuring this mounting kit illustrating how it mounts and works.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

THE DANGERS OF RIDING A RECUMBENT TADPOLE TRIKE

A tadpole trike is fairly safe to ride but one does need to be aware of the possible concerns. This video does a pretty good job covering the dangers we all need to be aware of. I really like how he illustrates leg suck. I noticed in the video that this rider does not have/use safety flags. He and his trike would be a lot more visible and safer if he did.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

NEW RECUMBENT TRIKES GROUP ON CLOUDHUB

CloutHub is an alternative to Facebook and is quickly catching on as it is not into censorship like Facebook. I joined it recently and upon searching their groups I discovered that they did not have any existing groups about recumbent trikes. So I made the decision to do something about it. Anyone who is a member of CloutHub is welcome to join the Recumbent Trikes Group. I chose that name because I did not want to exclude non tadpole recumbent trike riders. One does not have to have a recumbent trike to join this open (public) group. All that is required is having an interest in recumbent trikes. There is one important thing I want to state upfront. This group is about recumbent trikes and only recumbent trikes. Anything posted or comments made must be related to recumbent trikes. If not it will be deleted. Members who do so are subject to being removed from membership. I would love to see this group grow and be a blessing to everyone. COME CHECK IT OUT … Recumbent Trikes Group

I need to explain something important. If you should do a search for recumbent trikes group on CloutHub you would likely get three groups with that name. I don’t understand how and why CloutHub allows this as it is crazy. In trying to set up this group I had problems and in the midst of it all I ended up creating all three of these groups. Only one is being used and the other two I hope to eventually delete. Anyway, HERE is a link to the correct one to join. I apologize for this mess.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

 

ANOTHER MILD WINTER

So far it has been another mild winter here in Fort Wayne, Indiana where I live. I am quite thankful for that as it means I have been able to keep riding most days. I am not one for stationary indoor exercise so being able to ride outdoors has been great. We haven’t even had any snowfall worth mentioning … just a few dustings. And most days are dry … no rain either. I haven’t bothered to install my knobby tire on the rear wheel for a few years now as I haven’t needed it. This year the temperature has been above normal on most days. I can handle mid 30s okay, especially when there is sunshine along with it. Yesterday and today were in the low 40s and I was quite comfortable. In fact, I prefer riding in the 40s over riding in the 80s. I can bundle up and stay warm but there isn’t anything I can do to stay comfortable when it gets hot out. We are about half way thru the winter … that is … the normal winter weather months. I remember a few years ago I had a suntan in late February as the weather had been that good that I was able to wear shorts while out riding. Who needs Florida anyway? I know not everybody can say that they are experiencing the same thing I am. Some are definitely experiencing winter … cold and snow. Hopefully you too will be able to get outdoors soon to ride. I know that we all want to …

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

5 BEST RECUMBENT E-TRIKES

I came across this video and found it interesting although I noticed these guys are not doing much pedaling … just using their e-motors to propel them.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

MOVING TO A RECUMBENT

Gradual, a little at a time … or … just take the plunge, cold turkey, full speed ahead. I am talking about switching from a diamond frame (DF) bicycle to a recumbent bike or trike. There are some riders who never quit riding diamond frame bicycle. They ride both DF and recumbent. What’s the word for that? … masochist? Yeah, a person who enjoys an activity that brings pain. I pretty much made the switch rather quickly and never looked back. I remember the misery of riding a DF bike and how great it was to find relief from it all when I started riding a recumbent bike. Then after a few months of riding a recumbent bike I tried riding a recumbent tadpole trike. I found it even more comfortable so I made the switch to tadpole trikes. I tried going back to the recumbent bike but quickly  returned to my trike as it was both more comfortable and more fun to ride than the recumbent bike. I eventually sold my recumbent bike since I didn’t ride it anymore. I still have a DF bike. I don’t ride it. I have tried to sell it but had no success. I am reminded of the TV commercial where a person is told “I bet you can’t eat just one”. It sort of parallels taking a ride on a tadpole trike and getting “hooked”. I speak from personal experience. It is a very rare person who takes a ride on a tadpole trike without falling in love with them. They “sell” themselves. Have you taken the plunge? You could be joining the rest of us who …

ENJOY THE RIDE!

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

VELOMOBILE RIDE

Most of us probably know that velomobiles are far more popular in parts of Europe than they are here in the U.S.

This video is just one of many they have available …

Here are a bunch of videos of velomobiles in one particular area.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmiFpfGDYDuEZnVgNJjU7Gw/videos

I am sure that in foul weather it would be nice to be enclosed inside of one to stay dry and warm. Other than that they have absolutely no appeal to me as they are very noisy and hot inside in the summer time. I doubt if I could even get in and out of one of them unless it had a door on the side to use. To each his own. May we all …

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

BACCHETTA CT 2.0 carbon fiber tadpole trike

 

Thru the years there have been a few carbon fiber trikes manufactured and sold. None of them have ever seemed to go over all that well and most of them disappeared from the market. The latest one to appear that I am aware of is made by Bacchetta, a company well known for its bicycles. Their trike offering is the Bacchetta CT 2.0  and it lists for $5995 which is not inexpensive but then carbon fiber never is. I consider them to be a “rich man’s toy”.

To my way of thinking making a bike or trike out of carbon fiber is not at all practical. As stated it is expensive and when damaged it is pretty much junk. So why make a trike out of carbon fiber you ask? Mainly because carbon fiber is light in weight while being strong. But not many people need a trike that weighs 1 to 4 pounds less than one made out of aluminum. For those who qualify to meet the restrictions of physical size and body weight the Catrike Pocket only weighs 28 pounds … only one pound more than this carbon fiber trike.

Here are some specs on this trike:

Frame Full Carbon Monocoque w/Internal Storage. 28 Degree Seat Angle.
Idler Alligt 68mm w/Aluminum Drive Teeth
Seat Integrated Carbon w/Vertical Seat Back Adjust
Seat Pad BCT Custom
Handlebar BCT Custom Aluminum
Rear Derail Shimano XT 11 speed, RD-M8000-SGS (extra long cage)
Front Derail Microshift FD-R58-B with 31,8mm clamp, black
Shifters MicroShift BS-M11 11×2 speed for Shimano DynaSys
Crankset SRAM Force 22, GXP, 50-34T 170mm
Bottom Bracket SRAM Force, GXP, BSA68
Headset Tange Seiki 1 1/8″
Cassette Microshift, CS-G113, 11-42 T
Front Brake Tektro M521 Gemini SL Hydraulic, black
Rear Brake N/A
Brake Levers Tektro Gemini SL Hydraulic (with parking brake band included)
Front Wheel 406 BCT Lightweight Disc, Tubeless Ready
Rear Wheel 700c BCT Lightweight Disc, Tubeless Ready
Front Tire 406 Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless, 28c
Rear Tire 700c Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless, 28c
Chain KMC X11 11 Speed
Pedals N/A
BB Height 14 1/4″
Seat Height 7 3/4″
Wheelbase 47″
Weight 27 lbs.
Weight Limit 275 lbs.
Gear Range 21″-120″
Color Matte Black w/Clear Coat- Red or Blue Stripe/Decal Option
Frame Size Standard Only
X Seam 37″-48″
Overall Width 29″
Overall Height 27″
Overall Length 65″-76″
Turning Circle 19′
Track Width 27.5″
Ground Clearance 3″

Looking thru the specs I see some which would greatly concern me and be a real turn off. The fact that is has a very large turning diameter(19 feet) would be problematic as well as the ground clearance of only 3 inches. It could and would get easily damaged. And with only an overall width of 29 inches I would be a bit concerned as to how it corners compared to a trike of 32 or so inches. As you can see it comes with a partial rear fender .

I was just looking at the various options available when placing an order for this trike. Several hundred dollars could be saved by selelcting some of these options. In doing so weight is added to the trike resulting in it weighing as much as some of the lighter weight aluminum trikes such as a Catrike 700. With all the various options they offer one could change the final price considerably … especially upwards. The pictures show a neckrest but I noticed that it is a $130 option. I would think that at $6000 they could include a neckrest which is a necessity in my way of thinking since the seat is 28 degrees.

Naw, I prefer the Catrike Pocket … not a prema donna like this carbon fiber build. It might be a beautiful machine but not at all practical in my opinion. I only need to lose about 50 pounds to qualify for the weigh limit of the Pocket. I  reckon time will tell whether or not this Bacchetta trike remains on the scene or disappears like all the others that have come along in the past. Hey, whatever you choose to ride …

ENJOY THE RIDE

A FREE GIFT awaits you!

BEST CRANKDRIVE E-MOTOR?

Although this posting is about the Tongsheng TSDZ2, mini 750W crankdrive(or as some call them middrive) e-motor it started out talking about what trike I would buy if I were to get a new trike today and led into what e-motor I would choose today. So it is mostly about this particular e-motor.

I have had my Catrike Trail since 2009 although my current trike is a 2013 frame (original frame was replaced by Catrike under warranty when I discovered a hairline crack alongside of a weld on the underside of the cruciform) and nearly all of the components have been changed at least once and upgraded from what it originally came with. I have a lot of money invested in my trike so it would not be cheap to replace it today. I really love my Trail but truthfully if I were buying a new trike today I think I would get the Eola and customize it some. The newer Trail model does not appeal to me.  I have no use of a folding model nor the adjustable seat back. I much preferred my 2009 model which was the “space frame”.

The Eola has the space frame and really appeals to me. Since I have an e-motor the fact that the Eola is only 11 speed is not a concern to me as I would be motorizing it.

I have always had a hub motor and prefer a hub motor over a crank drive motor. However, if I were to buy a new trike and motorize it I am seriously considering going with a crank drive … something I did not think I would ever do. And I think I would go with a  Tongsheng TSDZ2, mini 750W crankdrive motor. I am certainly not saying it is the very best e-motor in the offering but it is one that has caught my attention.

As you can see it is fairly small in size. It has built in controller with torque sensing. I have read and heard nothing but good reports about this motor. There is one exception, however, and it concerns me greatly. It is said that one must be careful not to overheat this motor as it will get damaged all too easily. It is recommended not to try to use too large (voltage wise) of a battery because of this. 48 volts is the most recommended. Even then the rider dare not ‘hot dog’ with it.

Two chainrings can be used on this motor.

Here is the display unit that comes with it.

Yeppur, it is a very nice looking unit and is fairly low cost … about $400 not including the battery.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT awaits you!