Well known tadpole rider, Sylvia Halpern shared a video of the frame replacement on her HP Velotechnik Scorpion trike.
My greeting to ya, Sylvia …
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So far I have bought 5 lithium-ion batteries for my e-motor trike. They are all the same size (48 volt 20aH) but they are not all the same brand. I think the first one I bought has been the best. It has held up the longest. I have had various motors thru the years so I can’t really make accurate comparisons of the batteries. The motors have varied in wattage and thus use differing amounts of power from the batteries. All I know is when I first got my first battery I could get about 75 miles out of a full charge. Years later the milage is down to about 25 +/-. But it keeps going at that level of performance so I keep using it. As expensive as batteries are I won’t replace it as long as it is still serving me well and dependably. I usually have 2 batteries on my trike so I am good for about 50 miles of riding. I could always take along up to 2 more as that is all I have left out of the 5 I have purchased.
One of them I destroyed when it got wet riding thu some flood water. I know … DUH !!!. I didn’t think the water was deep enough to get to the battery but it was and I paid a high price for my poor judgement and bad decision to ride thru it. Probably if I had not been using the battery at the time it would have survived ok by simply opening it up and drying it out. I think the BMS got destroyed. It could be repaired but it cost more to have it repaired than I can buy a new battery for.
Since I have never encountered failure of any of my batteries I don’t know how long they will last. According to what I have read about e-batteries I am well satisfied with the performance I am getting out of my batteries. I have had people tell me to stay away from buying lower cost batteries on Ebay, etc., but that is all I have ever bought. Like I said, I am well satisfied with my lower cost batteries I got on Ebay. I have been impressed with their quality.
I would not hesitate to purchase the same batteries again. They have all been great.
I probably should try using one of the spare batteries I have which have not been used much just to see how many miles I get out of a newer battery. With the motor I have now I would not expect to get 75 miles but hopefully I would get more than 25. But I have not tried it. I just keep using my two oldest batteries. It is my understanding that lithium-ion batteries are only good for so many charges. I am sure I have charged these two batteries well over what they say they are supposed to last. Like I said, I have been well pleased with these low cost batteries I got from Ebay. I will let you know if and when they “give up the ghost”. Meanwhile, my plan is to …
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As this article is posted Feb, 22 the Big Honkin Trike Rally is going on in Inverness, FL. It is the 4th day into a 7 day long event. I don’t have the statistics for each year but I understand last year, 2022, there were about 103 riders that showed up. This year I understand the number is up to about 157. That is encouraging. I plan on going next year. Maybe the number will be over 200 in 2024. That would be great!
Here is a video of the 2020 rally …
Here is a video from what I think is the 2021 rally …
Here is a video from the 2022 rally …
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Forty Six degrees in mid February and it has been as high as the low 60s. I can handle that. All in all the last few winters have been pretty decent allowing for riding much of the winter months. Yep, I can handle that.
I just got back home from a nice ride. I came upon another tadpole trike rider out there taking advantage of the nice winter weather. I met him a few weeks ago and we talked together for awhile. He asked me about my e-motor. Today as I talked to him again he had one on his trike. He said he was so thankful as he is really enjoying it.
Are we experiencing “global warming” and climate change as we are being told? I can’t deny I don’t remember winters like this when I was younger. “They” say it is man made inferring it is we the people causing it. I don’t buy into that. We hear about and can see the “chemical trails” up in the sky. They are different than “condensation trails” we see from commercial jet aircraft.
https://www.chemtrailprotection.org/about/chemtrails-vs-contrails
I have learned that there is not much that would surprise me when it comes to the evil man is up to and capable of. Man seems to be determined to destroy this earth and God has said in His Word that He will shorten the days to prevent man from destroying himself (Matthew 24:22, Mark 13:20).
There is not much I can do to change what is going on but as long as I can and thanks to better winter weather I will do my best to …
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I originally posted this article back in 2014. They are in Florida now and still working great.
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REPOSTED FROM LAST YEAR …
Hey, it is that time … sweethearts day. Why we observe it in mid winter instead of during nice weather I don’t understand. This picture shown above isn’t possible around here where I live. The snow and ice on the ground won’t permit it. So we must come up with other ways to observe Valentine’s Day. Even if we could ride on trikes riding side by side on a trail can cause issues for other trail users.
Even riding side by side on the same trike could be a problem as the trike may be too wide. It is a nice thought though.
This might work but it is not a trike … and no smoochin’ on this machine. Hopefully these two are not sweethearts. And thankfully these two below are. Otherwise I would probably have a black eye and large bump on my head.
I would rather smooch with my sweetheart inside anyway. Hope you have a happy sweetheart’s day.
And try to …
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Nobody in their right mind wants to get hit by a car, truck, bus, etc. Yet some trike riders do very little to help themselves be seen. They make silly excuses objecting to safety flags like “it will slow me down” or “they make noise flapping around back there and I don’t like to hear it”. I am pretty sure that laying in a hospital bed or a morgue will slow you down even more. I don’t know how many times I did not see a fellow triker or even a bicyclist until the last possible second because they were riding along in a shady area and had no lights or flags to help others see them. I am talking about riding on trails where some think they don’t need lights or flags. Others see me as I always have a flashing headlight and flashing taillight(s) plus two high visibility safety flags which by them selves can be seen far away. Many times I have had people tell me that they saw my flags from half a mile distance or more.
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Certainly I can’t make the claim that everybody is doing it, but there is no denying a whole lot of people are switching over to recumbent trikes. And most have pretty much the same testimony. Here is a video about the subject.
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Here in Fort Wayne, Indiana where I live we currently have about 130 miles of paved trails. The city of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Trails organization offer programs to the community where once a week guided bicycle rides and guided walks are offered to the public giving people an opportunity to get better acquainted with our trails. A different section of a trail is featured each time. Also twice a year (I think) they offer the same thing to horse riders. That is the only time horses are allowed on our trail system.
I have written about this before. And HERE is another posting about it. Those articles only covered the TREK the Trails. I have never written about TREAD the Trails nor TROT the Trails before.
TREK the Trails is for bicycles and happens Tuesdays at 6 PM during the months deemed comfortable enough weatherwise to do so. Most rides are 8-9 miles long covering a different section of the trails each time. The average speed is 10-12 mph. There is always someone bringing up the rear so no one will be left behind due to not keeping up with the group or mechanical failures.
TREAD the Trails is for walkers, runners, etc. and is on every other Thursday evening. It is a 5 km walk starting at a different place each time.
TROT the Trails is for horses. At present there are no horse trails available in Allen County although they are working to change this. For now twice a year a limeted portion of one of our multiuse trails, the Maumee Pathway, is made available … always on a Saturday and only during strict hours. Much of the riding is done on old golf course trails on a defunct golf course the city now owns which is adjacent to the trail. The satellite image below shows the golf course property outlined in red. You can see the golf cart trails running thru it. Clear to the bottom is the Maumee River and the Maumee Pathway (Trail) alongside of it.
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Most rear sprocket clusters nowadays are cassette type … not freewheel type. That is because freewheels came along first and were replaced later by cassettes. They don’t look much different from one another so how can you tell which one you have? This video answers that question plus helps you to determine what tool you will need to remove it if you do the work on it yourself like I do.
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If you are looking for something a bit different … you have found it. Or maybe I should say I found it and am posting it here. I don’t follow what this man is making a parody of so I can’t really identify with this video. However, it is different. It appears to be well done so hopefully you will enjoy it. I like the “three finger greeting” at the end. I think we ought to start greeting one another like that. Who knows … maybe it would catch on all over the world among tadpole riders.
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HERE IS THE ITINERARY FOR THE RALLY!!!
Big Honkin’ Trike Rally, Inverness, FL 2023
This Trike Rally is a non-sponsored, non-supported and loosely organized event for mainly recumbent trike riders. The rally will last from Sunday, Feb 19, 2023, to Saturday, Feb 25, 2023. Participants can attend on one day or several. A list of area bike trails will be available in case you wish to explore other area trails. Participants can ride by themselves or in their own groups on any of the trails, or ride with the main group at the listed time and day. All rides will be out and back, so riders can ride at their own pace and distance. Wednesday, Feb 22 there will be no group ride as this is for participants to visit local attractions or ride on their own.
There is no fee and only one organized event – a barbeque meet and greet provided Sunday afternoon (Feb 19, 2023) by the Traveling Trikers/Citrus Cyclepaths group, free of charge to all persons attending the event. All are encouraged to attend this meet and greet where you can get to know some of your fellow trikers from around the country.
All rides will originate from the Depot (under the water tower) at Wallace Brooks Park, 208 N. Mill Ave, Inverness. All miles noted on the rides will be figured from the Depot.
A couple of administrative items: Please obey all trail rules and signage which include riding in single file when meeting, passing or being passed by other trikes/bikes or pedestrians (joggers, walkers), and always alert those you are passing with “On your left!” or bicycle bell. There are several road crossings on the Withlacoochee and other trails marked with stop signs for bikes. If vehicles are approaching, they have the legal right of way – however, most vehicles in this area are familiar with the trails and bikes and will stop to let you cross (do not take this for granted). Be sure the driver sees you and is definitely stopping for you before you proceed. If you are riding in a large group, please “double up” at these intersections in order to cross as quickly as possible.
NOTE: All rides are out and back, so distances are for total length, but anyone can turn around at any time to ride whatever they are comfortable with. No pressure on distance or speed!!
Sunday, Feb 19, 10 AM – NORTH WITHLACOOCHEE – meet at Depot for quick welcome ceremony and then ride the Withlacoochee Trail north from Depot to end of trail – approximately 32 miles round trip.
3:00 PM – Meet and Greet barbeque at 4382 E Amsterdam St/4361 E Bennett St (outdoors in back yards), Inverness – free of charge for rally attendees. Follow the pink arrows from the trail.
Monday, Feb 20, 9 AM – N. WITHLACOOCHEE/BLUE RUN TRAIL – travel on your own or meet at Depot in vehicles (trikes loaded) and convoy about 15 miles to the Gulf Junction Trailhead, 2233 W Magenta Dr, Citrus Springs FL 34434, to ride N. Withlacoochee Trail to Blue Run Trail connector– approximately 24 miles round trip. Return for lunch (on your own).
Tuesday, Feb 21, 9 AM – (drive out time if you plan to follow us!!) – SANTOS TRAIL – travel on your own OR meet at Depot parking lot in vehicles (with trikes loaded) and convoy about 30 miles to the Santos Trail, Landbridge Trailhead, 11100 SW 16th Ave, Ocala FL. Santos Trail is about 30 miles long round trip and is a hilly, curvy and fun trail to ride. However, if you do not have e-assist or are not a strong rider, we recommend you pick another trail to ride on this day, as the hills can be very challenging.
Wednesday, Feb 22 – OFF DAY. Enjoy the sights, visit Orlando (Disney World, Universal Studios, etc), Tampa (beaches, shopping, etc) or ride other area trails.
Thursday, Feb 23, 9 AM – SOUTH WITHLACOOCHEE – depart Depot and ride south on the Withlacoochee Trail to the end (or as far as you feel comfortable) – approximately 60 miles round trip. On your return ride, Mike and Susan Gaeta will be hosting a free hot dog social at their home in Floral City from 11:30 – 1:30. If you plan to attend, please be sure you turn around in time to reach the restrooms on the trail at Floral City by 1:00. From the restrooms, follow the pink “BHT” arrows to 8898 E Washington Lane. From restrooms, ride through the parking lot, take a left out of the parking lot to stop sign. Turn left and then first right (E Marvin St) in front of the school. Stay on Marvin for 4 blocks and turn left on S Annie Terrace. (Remember: follow the “BHT” signs) Their house is the last one on the left at the lake.
Friday, Feb 24, 9 AM (drive out time!!) – WITHLACOOCHEE BAY TRAIL – depart Depot and drive to 10247 N Suncoast Blvd, Crystal River, FL, approximately 25 miles. Trail is 7 miles long one way. Follows the abandoned cross-Florida canal. Short, scenic and ends at the Gulf of Mexico overlook.
Saturday, Feb 25 – Pack up and say “GoodBye” to Inverness! We hope you have enjoyed your visit!! Travelin’ Trikers
OTHER TRAILS IN THE AREA YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER: (Google for more info)
SUNCOAST PARKWAY, Lecanto FL (10 miles from Depot) Trail is approximately 60 miles long one way, almost to Tampa. Parallels turnpike, not too scenic but if you want to ride fast, this is the trail.
WEST ORANGE TRAIL, Winter Garden FL (52 miles from Depot) Trail is 22 miles long one way. Nice trail through scenic Winter Garden area.
VAN FLEET TRAIL, Polk City FL (74 miles from Depot). Trail is 29 miles long one way. It is very flat and straight, but with lots of opportunity to see interesting wildlife as you cross the Green Swamp.
GAINESVILLE/HAWTHORNE TRAIL – Gainesville/Hawthorne Trail, 874 SE 4th St, Gainesville FL, approximately 65 miles from the Depot. This is a very scenic trail, mostly flat (a couple of hills) and fun to ride. It is approximately 34 miles round trip. After ride, there are several restaurants in the local area.
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As much as I would like to go to it this year I can’t, but I am hopeful I will make it next year.
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Definitely e-assist has really caught on. Of course, there are those who still resist the idea and speak out against them. That is the way life is. People have resisted just about anything one can name in the early days of its introduction. In fact, I was not in favor of e-motors on trikes unless one truly needed one. Even until this day I still somewhat feel that was believing that if a person is able to ride without one they should not take the plunge until they really need one. But I don’t make an issue of it with anybody. I believe in just leaving people alone and let them do what they want. Anyway, this video touches on the subject of getting e-assist.
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Tadpole Rider 