Month: April 2023

VELOCHAIR … GETS MY VOTE

Hey, I really like this. I am not in need of it but if I were I sure am glad that it is being offered. It is called Velochair. It is an upstart company which I would think will be successful as surely there are lots of folks who could put this to good use in everyday life. They call it a recumbent wheelchair hybrid. At first glance I assumed it was electric motor assist. I was wrong. It is strictly pedal powered.

Velochair’s YouTube Video Channel

Contact Velochair

Here is the About Velochair writeup …

“The Velochair was developed by founder Kenneth Simons after he was diagnosed with Ossification Posterior Longitudinal Ligament, or OPLL, in his early 50s.

A lifelong runner and downhill skier, Simons could no longer bear weight on his legs for an extended period of time .

He found that most current mobility devices did not promote his activity, which prompted him to create the Velochair and restore his sense of independence.

This innovative solution can be operated by people with a variety of mobility challenges, providing indoor and outdoor flexibility to those who struggle with balance, strength, or walking.

The Velochair is a fun and safe way to exercise muscular, cardiovascular, and neuro systems.”

It looks to be well engineered which impresses me.

No doubt there will be many who will “cheat” using this when they don’t really need to.

The Velochair can be operated by only one hand.

As you can see the rear wheels do the turning/steering.
A word of caution … with a short wheelbase and rear end steering … definitely do not try to turn sharp at too fast of a speed as you will likely tip over.

Built for the Future

Designed and Manufactured in the U.S, the Velochair is built out of custom handmade printed carbon fibre components. Weighing around 42 pounds, the Velochair can be folded for easy transport and is light enough to be lifted into the back of a standard SUV or hatchback for transportation. The chair is also entirely customizable and adjustable to each user’s specific needs.

It’s All In The Details

1 2 3 4 5 6
1 – Steering
Steering tillers are what guide the Velochair directionally left and right. Tillers control the rear wheel steering allowing for tight turns increasing maneuverability. The Velochair can be steered with one or both tillers allowing for left or right hand operation. There is a quick release to remove either tiller to provide side transfer, if desired.
2 – Pedals
The Velochair comes with comfortable platform pedals that can be modified with the addition of different straps and leg supports as needed.
3 – Boom
The Velochair boom is adjustable in length and angle to provide the user with the optimum pedaling position.
4 – Seatback
The Velochair seatback folds for transport and locks in place during use. The seatback is adjustable to help the user find the optimal angle for their comfort.
5 – Brakes
The brake levers are located on the steering tillers. Either side lever will control the brake. Brake levers lock to park the Velochair in place and are also used to control speed while going downhill.
6 – Seat
The Velochair comes with ergonomically designed seat cushions that provide comfortable support.

This innovative product can be operated by people with a variety of mobility challenges, providing indoor and outdoor flexibility to those who struggle with balance, strength, or walking. The Velochair is a fun and safe way to exercise muscular, cardiovascular, and neurological systems.

$5,499 price includes shipping costs to lower 48 states.

Right now their Velochair is constructed of carbon fiber and titanium … both are expensive materials. They are looking/wanting to migrate to aluminum which should lessen the production cost.I hope they can bring the price down as $5500 is quite a lot for a wheelchair.I think this would sell but it would sell even better at a lower cost. That would be good for them and for the customer. BTW, they are looking for a Designer and a Fabricator.

**********

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“NORMAL” is not coming back … JESUS IS!

 

DEATH IS OUR STALKER!

I am now 76 years old. This morning a friend called me to tell me of the passing of a mutual friend. We all used to ride together. He was just a few weeks younger than me. Here is a picture of him on the bicycle along with another friend.

Having someone you know your own age die really brings home the fact that we are all nearing death. If fact, all my friends I have ridden with or do ride with are all living on borrowed time so to speak. We are all past 70 and according to God’s Word, we are all living on God’s grace when we go beyond 70 years of life. (Psalm 90:10)  I don’t think there is a day that goes by that I don’t think of that.

Here is another picture of him  along with another friend and myself.

I watched my parents as they aged. Nearly all of their friends died several years before they did. My mom lived until 84 and my dad lived until 93. One can guesstimate how long they will live … for me perhaps half way in between my parents … 88 or so … but it would only be a guess. I could die before I finish composing this. We have no guarantees in life as to how long we will live. I am thankful that I am healthy. But even our health can change very quickly.

I am sure my friend who just died did not have a clue his death would occur when it did. That is not to say he went suddenly without any concept of the possibility of his being near death. I have no idea what all transpired for him near the end. I had no idea he had a staph infection in his leg which apparently worsened and entered his bloodstream where it reached his heart resulting in death. We emailed each other quite a bit but he never mentioned anything to me. I did notice that it had been a few days since I last heard anything from him. That was not unusual however so it was no clue anything was wrong.

He used to ride his diamond frame bike nearly every day. The others in our group all ride tadpole trikes and we have all motorized them which brought him to getting an e-bike … an expensive one … some $5000. He rode it for one year and part of a second year until his elderly mother needed his help in her daily care. That took him out of the picture and his like new e-bike just sat out in his garage. A couple of years passed by and during the time he developed poor blood circulation in his one foot which prevented him from being able to ride his bicycle anymore. He faithfully took care of his mother until her passing several months ago. Then he got tied up in dealing with her estate and finances. He inherited quite a lot of money but he didn’t get to spend hardly any of it.

Why am I telling you all of this, you may ask? That is a good question. If I come up with the answer I will be sure to get back to you. No, I am just kidding with you. Many of us are elderly and death is a certainty. Ten out of ten people will eventually die. That includes you and I. It is like taking a trip. It is best and most wise to prepare for it. It is most foolish not to. We all have a trip coming up. It is called “entering eternity”. There are only two destinations … heaven or hell. The choice is ours. Yes, it is our choice where we spend eternity. We make the choice in this life. Once we draw our last breath and experience our last heart beat our fate is sealed. We have made our choice and it is too late to make any changes. I won’t go on any more. Most likely you know the truth and are accountable for it. And if you don’t know the truth just click on the link below about the FREE GIFT. DEATH IS OUR STALKER! It will eventually find us and over take us. Be careful and be safe out there. And give serious thought to what lies beyond death. There is nothing more important and precious than your eternal soul.

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“NORMAL” is not coming back … JESUS IS!

 

CYCMOTOR, AN UP & COMING

 

 

For those who want a crank drive e-motor there is a fairly new contender available. CYCMOTOR has a few models to choose from … from 750 watts to 5000 watts … plenty of power to destroy your trike. As for me, I will stick with hub motor drive and save the drive train from destruction. But if you really want a crank drive motor this company offers torque sensing and although it will only accommodate a single sprocket various size sprockets are available up to 50 teeth.

 

Their 750 watt motor is called the Photon and is probably the most practical and popular model to select. 750 watts is the legal limit and it can easily destroy the drive train. More wattage is not needed for that. The Photon kit is currently selling for $850 plus applicable tax. There are not very many crank drive motors that offer torque sensing so this is an attractive feature.

I would love to have 5000 watts in a hub motor but not in a crank drive. Like I said, 750 watts can easily destroy the drive train in short order. I speak from experience. It was an expensive repair.

The package includes everything you need to convert your bike except the battery:

Motor body with Gen 3 torque sensing freewheel module
Built-in CYC XP6 controller
Chainring with chainring cover
Bottom bracket assembly
Crank set
Peripherals including:
Display
Waterproof wiring
Thumb throttle
Speed sensor
Brake sensors (optional)
User manual (ecopy)
eBike Headlights (optional) available here> https://www.cycmotor.com/product-page/ebike-headlights

Their batteries are quite limited  … only three models .Their smallest battery (36 volts 10 aH) costs $383 and their largest battery (52 volts 15 aH) costs $707. One thing to remember about motor wattage … the bigger more powerful the motor is the more battery power it will consume. And the more power you require from the motor (the harder you run it) the more battery power you will consume. For me 15 aH would not last long.

I like the fact that it comes with a thumb throttle. They are extremely handy and very practical in my opinion and experience.

BTW, one thing you might want to consider is replacing your standard chain with an e-chain which is stronger and made for the additional power the chain has to handle.

So if you want to go the route of crank drive e-motor definitely CYCMOTOR is one to seriously consider.

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MYRTLE RIDING THE KATY TRAIL

Syllvia Halpern has completed riding on the Katy trail on her current 9000 mile 10 month long journey across the U.S. and back to the West coast. She has a blog among her various media resources. HERE is her writeup with pictures of riding on the Katy Trail.

HERE is an article with the details of her 9000 mile 10 month long journey. HERE is Sylvia’s YouTube Channel. I noticed that at the time I composed this her videos are not up to date. She is now in Illinois but her most recent video has har just entering Oklahoma. I guess more recent videos are published but they are not yet listed for some reason. Here is one of riding to the Katy Trail …

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DO YOU HAVE CAT’S EARS?

Now I ask ya … do you have cat’s ears when you ride? If you wear a helmet you are all set. You could have cat’s ears. Have you ever studied about cat ears? I wrote an article about it once before. We all know that many different animals hear much better than we humans. Animals which are outside have to deal with the wind. Jesus Who created everything that exists was on top of things as He is the master designer and engineer. We know that when we are riding along air passing by us is noisy. The faster we ride the louder it gets. Also if it is windy it adds to the noise we are producing. Perhaps you have held your hand up in front of your ear and noticed the huge difference it makes when the air moving past your ears is blocked or deflected away. We**don’t have ears like cats and dogs with hair growing out of them which greatly blocks and/or reduces the wind and helps them hear better.

** Well, most of us don’t anyway.

I already mentioned “if you wear a helmet you are all set”. More than one manufacturer makes a product which attaches to the straps of a bike helmet for the purpose of blocking the wind from going past your ears. It is my understanding that some work better than others.

If you don’t wear a helmet as far as I know you’re out of luck. You could do as I did and make your own. I made mine attach to my eye glasses. They worked fine, but I stopped using them as I looked like an idiot wearing them.

One thing is for sure … it is great not having all that wind noise to deal with.

I just had a thought … maybe a person could buy this product and then figure out someway to use it with glasses.

HERE is one manufacturer’s website.

I don’t wear a helmet when I ride my trike so I am out of luck. Of course I guess I could resort to my homemade DIY ones and look like an idiot. It would be nice if someone would come up with something that does not require wearing a helmet.

HERE is their Amazon store. They have 4 different versions ranging from $12.95 to $14.95 so you won’t need to be on good terms with your banker to buy these.

They may offer 4 different versions but I bet they don’t have any that will help this fellow …

Hey, seriously … this is one product I think is very practical. It greatly reduces wind noise enabling the person to hear much better … greatly enhancing conversations with others as they ride along together. You would actually be able to hear each other instead of just wind noise. Yes, you too could have cat ears. Personally I like cat ears, but then I love cats.

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YA CAN’T WIN FOR LOSING (ABOUT INNER TUBES)

I don’t think any normal person likes getting flats. I know I sure don’t. For years I used Schwabe Marathon Plus tires and never had a flat while using them.

A few years ago I switched to Schwalbe Big Ben Plus as I wanted to go with a balloon tire. I like the ride and handlling of the Big Ben Plus but they don’t offer the wear mileage nor as much flat protection as the Marathon Plus. I have always used standard inner tubes (shown as normal in the photo above). When I switched to the Big Ben Plus tires I decided to use the heavy duty thorn resistant inner tubes as the tires are plenty roomy inside to accommadate them.. My thinking was “since the BB+ don’t offer as much flat protection as the M+ tires do adding the HD inner tubes would increase the flat protection”. And they do, but there is a trade off. With the much thicker wall inner tube comes stiffness. With these inner tubes the sidewalls of the tires can’t yield like they can when a standard inner tube is used. Oh BTW, the cost for the HD inner tubes is about doulble what the standard inner tubes cost.

What I am saying is using the HD inner tubes means the soft ride balloon tires are capable of providing is sacrificed. It is a tradeoff. I am tempted to go back to using standard inner tubes just to experience the difference it would make in the ride.

I just had a thought worth mentioning here. Whatever a person does don’t mix up inner tubes, especially on the two front wheels. Don’t have a HD inner tube in one side and a standard inner tube in the  tire on the other side. That could seriously effect the handling of the trike and result in a wreck.

Well, that is my story and for now I am stuck with it. Besides, I just restocked my supply of HD inner tubes. My plan is to …

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TEMPERATURE EFFECT ON E-BATTERIES

Just a few words about batteries and weather conditions. First let me state that my batteries are showing their age. Without looking up the exact information I am sure they are at least 4 years old. Batteries are only good for so many charging cycles before they start losing some of their power they produce. They continue to function but not like they did when they were new. Most lithium-ion e-batteries are good for 700 to 1000 charging cycles before they start losing power. I would guess I have over 1300 charges on my batteries by now. When brand new I got about 75 miles out of a full charge. I miss that as now I am down to about 20 to 30 miles out of a full charge.

 

20 miles vs. 75 is quite a difference, but it is what it is. But wait … 20 miles is what I get in the winter (with the temperature in the  40s or colder). When it warms up into the 50s the mieage increases to around 25 miles on a full charge. Lately we have been in the 70s and even low 80s and my batteries are providing about 30 miles on a full charge. Hey, maybe if I ride when it is 120 degrees I will be back up around 75 again. What do you think? Naw! It will never happen. Nope, you won’t ever catch me out riding in 120 degree heat … not even 100. I am not that desperate to get 75 miles out of my batteries.

Back when I had a BionX e-motor system I could not ride my normal ride without having to stop and charge my battery. The picture above shows my trike with the battery being charged. Of course, I didn’t get anywhere near a full charge in only an hour or so of charging, but it helped some. Now I have much larger capacity batteries so I don’t have to stop in the middle of my ride to charge my battery. I had the larsgest battery BionX had but it was still small compared to what I have now … 11aH compared to 20aH.

Anyway, the ambient temperature really does effect battery performance. I don’t have a clue how much longer my batteries will perform satisfactorily. I still have two spare batteries just sitting around so I assume they will outperform the two I am using now. They are all 48 volt 20 aH. I would like to get a 72 volt battery as that is what my motor is rated at. They are a lot more expensive than the 48 volt batteries. A 72 volt battery would increase my top speed considerably. That is a bit scary. I could end up wrapping myself around a tree. I probably should stick to the 48 volt or maybe go down to 24 volt. Naw! A guy only lives once. Hey yeah, I am getting a 426 HEMI engine for my trike. Phooey with these batteries. I am not a little old lady and I am not from Pasadena. I just wanna go man go. Hmmm, I wonder how I am going to mount that monster.

 

I will be the only tadpole trike around which shakes the ground and windows as I ride along.

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TRAIL CROSSING A BUSY SIX LANE HIGHWAY

Here where I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana we have a trail which at this time lacks a connecting section between what is built to the south and what is built to the north. I am talking about the Pufferbelly Trail which I have written about before. The section which needs to be built to connect these existing sections must cross a busy six lane highway (Coliseum Blvd). Obviously the very safest way to accomplish this is to build a bridge which goes up and over the highway. That is the eventual plan but that costs big bucks which the city does not have at this time. So for now the plan is to have a street level crossing. I have to admit that has me concerned. We have already had two trail users killed on this trail on the north section. Both were hit by cars as they attempted to cross roads in the crosswalks. And these were only 2 lane roads and not heavy traffic like Coliseum Blvd. In both fatalities the car drivers were at fault.

On the same trail we have a bridge over another often busy street (West State Blvd). It is really nice and is great to use.

Coliseum Blvd. aleady has several traffic lights and one more is not going to be welcome by motorists. Below is a map of the section of the Pufferbelly Trail which is suppose to be built next year. Coliseum Blvd. was originally built as a by-pass but it didn’t last long before it was all built up and very congested. In the aggrevation and frustration that followed it became known as the 7 mile long parking lot.

On the map below the section which needs to be built yet is shown in orange. The sections shown in red are already built and in use.

In the satellite image below it shows where the crossing will be located. It shows that there will be a “refuge island” out in the middle of Coliseum Blvd. Personally I would like to see some sort of gates come down stopping traffic so that they could not get to trail users without crashing thru the gates.

Here is a street view of the area on Coliseum Blvd. where the Pufferbelly Trail will cross. As you can see there are 6 lanes of traffic. The one side doesn’t appear to be very busy as traffic behind the camera  is stopped by a traffic light when the picture was taken.

At another busy road (Dupont Rd.) they built the trail going under the road which is even nicer than a bridge going over a road. They were able to do this while rebuilding the road. I think the road project paid for it and a good chunk of the money came from the State of Indiana.

Although I am somewhat terrified at the thought of crossing this busy road (Coliseum Blvd.) I am looking forward to having this connecting link completed so trail users have a way to ride the entire trail. They are currently working on completing the trail north on to the county line where the next county will continue it to their northern county line and so on with each county involved. Eventually it should be an 83 or so mile long trail one can ride. I will probably be too old by then to ride it. Meanwhile my plan is to …

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HOORAY! SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

I am very much a fan of nice weather. Finally the 10 day forecast looks great with much warmer temperatures and lots of sunshine and very little rain. I can handle that. I just hope it allows the mud on the trails to dry up so they can remove it from the trailS and get the trails open which have been closed for several weeks. We keep getting rain so the mud has not dried up.

I can’t really complain. We were blessed with a mild winter and I was able to ride most of it. Of course, I had to bundle up in several layers of clothing. I am definitely looking forward to going riding in a short sleeve shirt and shorts. Spring has arrived and the 70s and even low 80s are in the forecast.

Yes, flowers are in bloom welcoming nice weather.

Changing the subject just a little …

And we have a new puppy not yet introduced to triking. The nicer weather will make the introduction more enjoyable and pleasant for him as well. He is so small I dare not try to walk him alongside of me. I will have him in a pouch slung over the front of me.

Of course, he will add a lot of weight to my trike … all 2.2 pounds of him. We don’t expect him to get any more than 4 pounds.  I think the pouch weighs more than he does. Now I have two dogs to take along with me. What did I get myself into?

Yep. sprung has spring … er … spring has sprung a leak … oh you know what I mean. We can rejoice together as winter is pretty much over with. I sure hope I am not made a liar. I have seen snow in June here in northern Indiana. Of course, it was only scattered snow flakes and melted as it touched the ground. Well, let’s ride!

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TRIKE TECH WEBSITE

triketech.com has a lot to offer so I recommend it as a resource. It covers pretty much everything concerning tadpole trikes. Just take a look-see at their index page:

Rider Specifications covers physical aspects of the rider and how to provision, fit and adjust all aspects of a Recumbent Trike to the rider

Trike Stuff discusses technical elements of Recumbent Trikes along with some long term Trike Reviews

Drivetrain provides both technical and rider benefits for popular Internal Gear Hubs, Derailleurs, Chains, Idlers & Brakes

Power Assist covers both basics and details on selecting the best Electric Assist system for your needs and budget

Rolling Stuff explains bearings, hubs, rims & tires with some comprehensive Tire Reviews

  • Bearings – ABEC, Sizing, Lubrication, Steel & Ceramic benefits
  • Wheel Dynamics – Sizes, Weights, Performance Impacts
  • Tires – Sizes, Robustness, Performance Impacts

Accessories will help you get the most bang-for-the-buck on all those must have little gizmos & gadgets for your Recumbent Trike

  • Lights – How to see & be seen without breaking the bank
  • Flags – Visibility, Illumination & Drag
  • Cargo – Racks, Bags, Hydration Systems
  • Mounts – Phone Mounts, Bottle Mounts, Computer Mounts, etc.
  • Computers – Features, Wired, Wireless, Illumination & Mounting
  • GPS Phone Apps

Places to Ride offers an informal review of some rides worth taking a vacation to try

Links to the most valuable resources on the internet for Recumbent Trikes

  • Trike Centric Forums
  • OEM’s
  • Rides
  • Using Google Maps

I did notice that the website is not fully functional. Unfortunately many LINKS don’t function and many things have no links. This greatly takes away from the website. I don’t have a clue why it is this way. Hopelly it will get fixed.

After composing this I discovered that I already posted about triketech.com back in Jan. 2016. Click HERE to see it.

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DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERNT FOLKS

I can remember as a kid growing up some families had Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, Lincolns, Imperials, etc. while others had Ramblers or similar bottom of the line orferings. And it is not always about what they can afford. Some people just went with the “entry level” offerings even though they could afford something more. It is the same with buying a tadpole trike. I have a friend who bought  a TerraTrike Rambler. For only $300 more he could have bought a Catrike Villager and had a much better trike. He realizes that now and regrets that he didn’t. Oh well, what has been done has been done and can’t be changed.

There are just so many people who end up with buyer’s remorse after buying a trike that lacks quality and good engineering design. They end up buying a better quality trike and wasting good money going thru this process. Of course, some folks are satisfied with a Nash Rambler.

I had a Rambler once. It broke down little by little. First both shocks on the rear quit working at the same time and the back of the car would bounce up and down like crazy. I was in the navy at the time. I had orders to go out to Mare Island, California from Norfolk, VA … a drive from the east coast to the west coast over two ranges of mountains. The night before I left the overdrive went out on it resulting in the inability to get the gas mileage I had been getting. While driving out there the engine developed a leak in the headgasket resulting in engine coolant water mixing into the engine oil and the engine overheating. Steam came out of the exhasust. I had to carry lots of water with me to keep filling the radiator up. I started sleeping in the day time and driving at night time when it was cooler. This coolant leaking was a common problem on Rambler’s aluminum 6 cylinder engine. My dad had it happen on his Rambler. Upon getting out to California the shocks on the front end quit working and the entire car would bounce like crazy while driving down the road. Needless to say,  I never bought another one. It pays to buy quality.

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UTAH TRIKE BUILD

Utah Trikes has produced lots of great videos. Here is one about a trike build for a customer. They are adding e-motor assist to it. I found it interesting although I sure can’t agree with their calling this trike FIRE RED. It looks ORANGE to me.

I have a 1000 watt e-motor which runs 30 mph on a fully charged battery. I am no longer using it as  the gear\clutch assembly inside needs to be replaced. My current 2000 watt  motor is only good for about 24 mph with a fully charged battery but I am only running it on 48 volts instead of 72 which is what it is rated at. It is suppose to be capable of about 44 mph on 72 volts. Anyway, it drops off to about 20 mph top speed as the battery charge drops off considerably. Definitely it is the most powerful e-motor I have had so far. I am so thankful for e-motor assist as I truly need it as I am aging. It enables me to …

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