It does not do any good to complain about it … the weather, that is. But come on … stop with the teasing. I mean yesterday was 84 degrees and lots of blue sky and sunshine. Today was only 44 with a totally overcast sky. That is hard on a guy (or gal). The ten day forecast shows nearly everyday below normal temperature-wise. Of course, this is typical Indiana weather at this time of year. Truthfully we never know what we will get as I have seen it in the 90s & 100s early on and come August when it normally is in the 90s it only was in the 60s. Strange things are happening I tell ya.
It is hard to go from wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt back to clothing I wear thru the winter, but it is necessary if I want to stay warm enough.
And failing to dress warm enough makes for a miserable ride. It feels so good to stop and go inside of a restaurant or restroom where it is much warmer. I find myself staying longer than I normally would as my body warms back up. But all good things must come to an end as I have miles to go before I am finished. Hot cocoa time as it really helps when chilled. No need of sunburn protection for awhile.
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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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Looking ahead at the ten day weather forecast 7 out of 10 days shows rain or snow for Fort Wayne, Indiana. (For what it is worth, I also checked out the ten day forecast for Floral City, Florida and there was no rain in the forecast.) It is that time of year … Spring … when rain is all too common. Of course, with rain comes river flooding and closed trails. Some of our trails are still closed from rain a few weeks ago. And we keep getting more rain so the river silt (mud) on the trails can’t dry out so it can be removed off of the trails. So the trails stay closed with no hope of opening back up anytime soon. Winter brings quite a bit of precipitation causing all of this and then Spring comes along . I sure wish the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana never would have built so much of our trails along the rivers. What trails we have which were not built along rivers don’t have this flooding problem. At least I have those to ride on when the other trails are closed. Even some of them get flooded over by nearby creeks and ditches but they don’t flood nearly as often and when they do they don’t stay flooded very long compared to the trails along the rivers.
If ever any of you are considering riding the Fort Wayne Trails it would be advisable to check on the status of trail closures by going to THIS webpage. It is usually kept up to date. You are also welcome to CONTACT ME as I usually know what is going on with our trails.
tadpolerider2 at gmail dot com (@gmail.com)
Today (as I compose this) has been a warm rainy day so I took advantage of it and spent several hours working on my trike. Tomorrow is not suppose to rain so hopefully I will be able to ride and test out all that I did to my trike today. The following day some nasty weather is forecast so I won’t be venturing out. But whenever I can my plan is to …
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I reckon it’s that time of year. I am talking about when one day it is 60 degrees and the next day it is 30 degrees with a feels like temperature of 20. Strong winds are also common which, of course, cause the “feels like” temperature. Along with that it goes from bright sunshine with cloud free skies to totally overcast and that can happen all in one day. Usually however when it goes from 60 to 30 it is a much slower process to get back to warmer temperatures. Rarely does it go from 30 to 60 in one day. It usually takes a few days of slowly warming to get back to 60 and oftentimes the weather forecast is inaccurate. They may show 60 for a high but it may never get past 57 or so. And just when it gets back up to 60 or so another cold spell hits repeating the cycle. I tell ya it would not be like this if I was in charge. As I compose this I think it is 3 more days until Spring starts. Of course, that is only a date on the calendar. It doesn’t really mean much. Some of the worst winter weatherI have lived thru occurred in late March. Hopefully that won’t happen again anytime soon.
Anyway, this change in the weather plays havoc with my riding my trike. I can handle riding in 40 mph winds but not when the temperature is already too low for comfort. No, I stay home remembering that “this too shall pass”.
There are those who say that there is no such thing as “chem-trails” … that all we see in the skies are con-trails. I say hog wash! If they are all con-trails why do lots of them look a lot different and have a different effect up in the sky? I believe that man is manipulating the weather by releasing chemicals from high flying aircraft, but it doesn’t stop with the weather. I believe some very evil things are going on high up into our atmosphere. The people behind this have let it be known that their goal and agenda is to eliminate 90 % of the world population. They want to greatly decrease the number of people to a “manageaable” number as they strive to gain total control thus fulfilling end time bible prophecy.
If airplanes are not spraying chemicals in the sky then will somebody please explain all the pictures and videos that are available showing it.
Recently “they” used a so-called vaccine containing harmful ingredients which do great damage to those foolish enough to allow it to be injected into their bodies. Already tens of thousands of those who received the injection have died. Of course, the corrupt Fake News media is keeping pretty much silent about this. Even if the recipients of these injections have not yet died many of them are dealing with lots of sickness in their bodies that they never had before. Some do not believe man is capable of such evil but I remind you of what God has said to us … “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9 NASB
If the future of mankind was not foretold in God’s Word then I would not so readily believe what many call conspiracy theories. But hey, that is exactly what is going on. By the very definition of the word conspiracy … “conspiracy — a secret plan or agreement to carry out an illegal or harmful act, esp with political motivation; plot the act of making such plans in secret.” For a very long time these evil hearted people tried their best to keep what they were up to unknown as much as possible. But after some time had passed they had become so powerful and so much in control that they no longer concerned themselves with hiding what is going on. Then United States President George H. Bush openly declared that they are working to establish a “New World Order” in which the super rich and powerful players will control all of the world. They had come a long way toward accomplishing their agenda when something happened they did not expect. Someone other than one of their own was elected President of the U.S. and right away started to reverse everything they had worked so hard to put into place. They had counted on Hillary Clinton to win the election and continue on with their plan but that did not happen. Donald Trump knows what is going on and unlike these evil hearted people he loves this country and does not want to see it destroyed. He truly made America great again. The elitists need to get rid of him. They cheated big time in the 2020 election in order to keep him out of the White House and put their people back in power. They have tried numerous ways to attack him and deal with him … mostly making all kinds of false charges against him but nothing has worked. Now they plan on arresting him on false charges to take him out of the picture. I don’t think they will succeed as Trump and many patriotic people have out smarted and out manuevered these elitists every step of the way. The Deep State people are desperate as they know they are being exposed and defeated. Time is quickly running out for them.
The truth is slowly coming out and people will know just how evil their fellowman has been. It will be a real eye opener for the majority of the people.
Well, a mixed bag of weather is what we have regardless of how we are getting it. I learned long ago just to take one day at a time. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow will have it’s own problems and concerns. Today is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. And if I get to go for a trike ride … well, that is just icing on the cake.
BTW, as I type this the actual temperature is 21 degrees F. with a 19 mph wind resulting in a feels like temperature of 5 degrees. BRRRRRRRRR! I am thankful for a warm home to take shelter in. Tomorrow will be a little warmer … but come next week when this gets published “happy days are here again” with temps back into the 50s and maybe even 60. That is all good news, but the bad news is many days in the 10 day forecast show rain. BOOOOOO WHOOOO!!!
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Flooded over trails is something that happens all too often. All it takes is one day of rain and some of our local trails close for weeks sometimes. This is something I have written about several times before so I won’t repeat myself here. I will simply provide a link to a past article I wrote about it.
I am amazed that one of our local rivers rarely ever rises up under a major highway flooding over the trail which goes under the highway. Looking at the river here one would think it would readily flood over. Yet I have only seen it flooded over a couple of times. And this river has flooded over elsewhere at other locations and doesn’t even rise any here oftentimes.
It is a mystery to me, but I am glad about it as I can still ride this trail when others are closed due to flooding. I may have to take alternate detours elsewhere but most of the trail is rideable when others are not.
Dealing with all too frequent flooding and trail closures gets old quick. Never the less, I am thankful I still have other trails to ride that usually don’t flood. And if worse comes to worse there are always streets and roads to ride … as hellacious as they are. I am talking about pot holes. I don’t know how many thousands of dollars I have spent repairing my trike from damage Fort Wayne streets have caused. The heavier duty BMX wheels I have now are holding up much better than the stock Catrike wheels did. Still I hate hitting pot holes and there are lots of them and I can’t usually avoid them. With the Catrike wheels I was constantly breaking spokes … I mean dozens of them. I think I have had only one broken spoke since I got the BMX wheels. I have put a lot of money into my trike over the years, but it is serving me well and holding up well with the components I now have on it. I just wish I had made the changes sooner rather than keeping it stock for so long.
In addition to the trail closures due to flooding there are also several utility, construction, tree removal, and bridge closures all going on at the same time in many different locations. As they say “when it rains it pours”. And as they say … “you’ll have that!” And I can vouch for it … we got it.
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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.
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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You may be asking … “is a recumbent trike for me”? Keep in mind that one does not have to be old or disabled to ride a tadpole trike. But if you happen to be old or disabled recumbent trikes are likely your answer. They are highly modifiable and can be equipped to meet the needs of nearly everybody. From a basic tadpole trike to a FAT trike to a sophisticated velomobile there are lots to choose from. When it comes to riding on thru the winter most definitely 3 (or 4) wheels are far better and safer than only 2.
That is how I got started with tadpole trikes. Winter was fast approaching and I wanted to keep riding … riding safely. I knew 2 wheels were unsafe as a bicycle goes down readily on slippery surfaces. I had already experienced that more than once. Fortunately I never received any serious injury, but I was well aware it can happen. So I built me first tadpole trike and rode it thru the winter. I fell in love with riding a tadpole trike. It is so much more fun than riding a bicycle and it is much much safer. When Spring time finally came around I tried switching back to a 2 wheel recumbent bike, but quickly discovered that I much preferred riding the trike so I sold my bike which I didn’t care to ride anymore. That was in the winter of 2007-2008. So for 16 years now I have had the infamous “recumbent smile” on my face and never a moment’s regret. Recumbent tadpole trikes are difinitely for me. I bought a 2009 Catrike Trail and sold my homemade tadpole trike. I now ride a 2013 Catrike Trail.
Recumbent trikes come in two completely different design builds … a Delta with one wheel in the front and two wheels in the back …. and a Tadpole (originally called a Reverse trike) with two wheels in the front and one wheel in the back.
Although my personal preference is a Tadpole design you may find you prefer (need) a Delta design. A Tadpole is like driving a sports car (Corvette) while a Delta is like driving a family sedan (Rambler). Not everybody is able to get in and out of the low seat of a Tadpole trike so for them the Delta is the only way to go. In all fairness there are some Delta trikes which are made low to the ground and built for speed and cornering.
These videos address these subjects:
As shown in the video above there is a lot of difference between a Delta recumbent trike and a Tadpole recumbent trike. I fully agree with the thumbs down for the Delta and the thumbs up for the Tadpole.
One last comment … I have found that riding a tadpole trike brings a whole lot more respect from motorists than one gets riding a bicycle. That, of course, adds greatly to the safety factor.
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It feels like rain drops … so many rain drops … it feels like rain drops falling on my head. So go the words to a popular song from my teen years. Personally I try not to ride in the rain but I know some cyclists choose to go and ride boldly ride in inclement weather.
I used to carry rain gear with me on my trike but I have not now for several years. I don’t even know if I still have any. I never have had any “quality rain gear”. I know it is expensive. The one above is $450 and that is just for the jacket. I think that is an outrageous price … about 4 1/2 times more than it should cost. I find that the rider’s seat position on a tadpole trike makes it difficult to get proper effective protection compared to what the rider of a bicycle has. This is mostly the lower part of the body I am talking about. If I were a rich man I would have quality rain gear and the means of carrying it along with me on my trike. Maybe someday, but I am not going to hold my breath waiting for it to happen.
Here is a pair of $190 rainproof pants …
Being a big person (I am talking about FAT) it is quite challenging and difficult to get in and out of rain gear, especially the pants. It is hard enough to put them on at home but when I am already out riding it is extremely difficult to do.
What about canopies, you ask? They are great for providing shade but they don’t help much when it comes to rain, especially when the rain is coming down on an angle and wind is blowing it about. At best they might keep the face, head and neck dry. But if the wind is blowing the rain much … huh uh! I speak from experience. And most canopies offer no protection for the feet and lower legs.
There are canopies which offer more protection … on the sides and the front. Of course, they cost more.
And then there are velomobiles which offer great protection. The one shown above even has a windshield wiper.
I know I don’t like riding in the rain. I have done so many times out of necessity … I got caught out in it … and I got quite soaked just like I had been in swimming with my clothes on.
Lastly, there is always the concern of getting electronics wet. Water and electricity still don’t mix. Cell phones, GPS devices, etc. must be protected. Many of us have electic motors on our trikes. The motors themselves are water resistant but wiring, batteries, switches, connections, and display consoles can be a concern. I have had moisture get inside of my computer and my display console. Both took days to dry back out. I had a perfectly good battery get destroyed by getting wet inside. That was a costly mistake.
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Norway is working on bringing this velocar to market. They call it a velomobile which, of course, it is. I call it a velocar as technically that is what it is. It has some neat features. It has pedals but there is no mechanical connection of any sort to use them to propel this quadmobile along. What it does have is wires as pedaling turns an e-motor acting as a generator to supply power to charge a battery. BTW, pedaling backwards will reverse the direction the vehicle is going. They have designed this velocar so that the top speed going downhill is limited to 60 kph or about 37 mph. The motors will brake the speed automatically. It is capable of regenerating braking where it can put some charge back into the motors. Being a quadcycle it has a total of 3 motors … one of each rear wheel and one used as a generator to charge the battery when pedaling.
There is a stainless steel roll bar designed into this velocar to provide some degree of safety in case of a rollover. There is also built in means of emergency escape if the normal exit mode is not able to be used.
With that huge clear canopy vision certainly should not be a problem. You might be wondering how the rider gets into and out of it. The canopy raises up out of the way but so does the body. I am not sure what the reason is for the body raising up. It seems to me that would make it more difficult, especially for a short person. I guess I would have to see it and try it to make a fair judgement.
Being made in Norway their main market is in Europe, of course. That also means that this vehicle is limited to only 250 watts. The idea of getting out of the weather is appealing. They say that this vehicle is about the width of a typical bicycle trailer. That means is would easily fit on bicycle trails.
It has special lighting along the sides to help it to be seen. Of course, it has LED headlights and taillights and turn signals. It has cargo space behind the seat. They offer a child seat option.
I am a little confused by their claimed turning radius as they show 138 inches which is about 11.5 feet but their video shows a circle which is the diameter not the radius. I would hope it is 138 inch diameter as 138 inch radius is quite a large turning diameter.
One nice feature they have incorporated into the design is the ability to park/store this vehicle in a smaller space than what it would normally require.
One battery comes with the purchase of this quad. An extra battery can be purchased and this vehicle is designed to accommodate two batteries.
They made changing the wheels easy enough … just one bolt to remove and off it comes. I like the spokeless wheels. Extra wheels can be purchased to use for winter tires.
Now if your appetite is wetted and you live in the United States I am aftraid I have some bad news for you. So sorry Charlie! Due to stupid laws in place motorized quads are not legal here. So you can not buy one of these and have it shipped here. To satifsfy your curiosity the price tag for the premium model is about $7351. That even includes carpeting on the floor. Shipping charges are extra.
THE STANDARD FRIKAR E-BIKE WILL INCLUDE: One external mirror Easily removable canopy Dual front lights Dual rear lights Sidelights *not in Germany Direction indicator lights Daylight running lamp Reverse light *not in Germany Hazzard warning light Internal speaker for warnings Adjustable seat Adjustable pedal generator Pedals with toe cap Summer tires Battery (reach up to 80 km) Standard battery charger USB charge port Mobile phone mount Bike bell Ready for user-installed keyless entry kit (user-installable) Bluetooth interface for free dashboard app
Initially they are only selling their Plus model which I called their premium model. It has a few features their Standard model does not have.
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It’s that time of the year again … SNOW, that is. So if you are like me and try to keep riding thru the winter months … and you live in the north where you have winter with snow … you have a choice. You can stay home or get out there and ride in the snow. I do what I can but I readily admit I am not the winter rider I used to be when I was younger. I learned quickly that there is a difference between riding ON SNOW as compared to riding IN or THRU SNOW. I learned that a standard tadpole trike is about worthless when it comes to riding thru much snow. 2 or 3 inches is about all standard tires will roll thru and that is only if it is a light dry snow. A heavy wet snow is quite a challenge.
Snow is not as slippery as ice but it can be fairly slippery. Traction can be a problem. The resistance of the tires rolling thru the snow determines the traction. Some riders like studded tires for riding on snow. I am fine with them on ice, but to me they are not practical on snow. I don’t think they provide much traction on snow. All these studded tires shown above are knobby tires and it is the knowbby tire tread pattern which provides most of the traction … not the studs. The studs are for riding on ice.
I much prefer an aggressive knobby tire. I have one (pictured above) but haven’t used it for several years now as I have not been riding in snow deep enough to need it. I get by with my normal tires just fine. When I did use it it provided amazing traction.
That is me plowing snow with my trike in the picture above. Now if you believed that I would like to talk to you about some prime property in southern Florida. Actually that v-plow is being pushed along by a diesel powered train locomotive. At least it was until I got ahold of it.
Here where I live and ride the city is suppose to plow the snow off of the trails when there is a minimum of 3 inches depth. That helps immensely, of course. I used to remove leaves off of one of our local trails. I made up an “angled plow” to do it and it worked great. I did it for about 3 years before it broke and I never repaired it so that ended my leaf removal efforts. I thought about making up a snow plow to pull behind my trike but I never did. I don’t really want to get involved in snow removal. BTW, I could never do it or the leaf removal without having a powerful e-motor to use.
I suppose if I was really serious about winter riding I would use tire chains. However most winters anymore we don’t have the kind of weather that requires them. I would no more than install them when I would have to remove them.
I am not a fan of using plastic cable ties as they break and “litter” the earth as they fall off.
Yes, riding in the winter on snow can be fun. There is no reason to wimp out and stay home … not unless you have some really serious winter weather which is just too nasty to get out in..
This was our driveway in 2012. Needless to say, I did not go out riding at that time. I did go out riding when I took the picture below.
And I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was able to ride thru this snow as it was not deep enough to offer too much resistence to where I lost traction. Most people who talk about going out riding in winter with snow on the ground are riding “ON the SNOW” and not “IN IT” or “THRU IT”. There is a lot of difference. It is easy to ride on the snow but it can be hard to ride in it or thru it.
The velomobile video below demonstrates this. Riding on snow was not at all challenging but when he got to virgin snow and was riding in it he had to give up as he could not make any progress. He totally lost traction.
Here is a video I made back in 2008 when I had my homemade trike. I apologize for the poor quality of the video. Unfortunately it is a copy of a copy of a copy several times over and with each copy it lost quality and became blurred.
If you can do so I encourage you to make the effort to get out there and ride thru the winter. Even if you have to make it a shorter ride than you usually do.
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– 38 degrees … Hey, that will wake you up … or if exposed to it too long might put you to sleep … permanently. It is Dec. 24th as I sit here in comfort typing this. It is warmer today than it was yesterday but the wind is still blowing hard resulting in blizzard conditions (white out). It is nasty out there! And it is not just here in the northern states. Atlanta, GA has nearly identical weather. It is below freezing in Floral City, Florida. I need to explain — the – 38 was the “feels like” temperature yeasterday morning … not the actual temperature. The actual temperature was about -8 degrees.
The wind was blowing hard all night Thursday, all day Friday, all night again Friday … and still blowing hard this morning (Saturday). It is my understanding that much of the United States is experiencing this same weather. It is amazing to me how this can happen. We went from temperatures in the 40s and 50s to this frigid weather.
Next Thursday the temperature is forecasted to be back up into the low 50s for 3 days. Crazy man, crazy! I will take it though. Of course, it is also suppose to rain or snow nearly everyday for more than a week. So it doesn’t look like I will be going out riding when it warms back up. It seems it almost always happens this way in northern Indiana.
This has long been one of my favorite trike videos …
I can remember as a kid growing up I would be sitting in the classroom at school looking out the window at the great weather we were having and really looking forward to the weekend so I could enjoy the nice weather. And almost every weekend it would rain. Such is life! But I still want to …
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Every once in awhile I find myself looking online at bicycle campers. I don’t know, maybe I have some nomad in me. I ponder over pulling a “small home” behind my trike and living out of it as I travel along in my final days of life on planet earth. In time past I have written about bicycle campers. In fact, I have featured Paul Elkins before including this very camper featured in the video below, but unfortunately the post no longer exists. I only have two posts from the past which are about a bicycle camper. Click HERE to view the first one and HERE to view the second one.
You can buy the complete set of plans of this camper from Paul for $20. Paul has invented and constructed many different things and has videos covering many of them. Click HERE to check out his other mobile shelters.
There are factory manufactured campers available to buy. Of course, they cost a lot more than these DIY campers. Unfortunately all of them I have seen are made in Europe. It would cost quite a bit to have one shipped here to the U.S. One of them I really like is the Wide Path which reduces to half it’s expanded size when pulling it. Here it is fully expanded …
And here it is at half size being towed along …
It is almost hard to believe that this is the same trailer unit. One thing that all of these campers lack is a toilet and shower although Paul Elkins did make an outdoor shower on one of his campers.
There have been a few different campers people tried to bring to market but failed in doing so.
Here is one which is a little different … tow, float, sleep …
I would not want to get the wheel hubs submerged when weight is added to the boat.
Foldavan makes a rather simple offering good for sleeping only I would say. Of course, I guess one could simply take shelter inside of it.
Dealing with wind could be interesting. A strong wind or wind gust could cause the trailer and trike to tip over. That could really mess up one’s day. And it could cause considerable damage and possible injury.
Hey, I just found a manufacturer here in the U.S. In fact, they are located in nearby South Bend, Indiana. BikeStream-RV sells their camper for $2395. They have a Facebook page as well.
As you can see it is only big enough to sleep in. The video below does a pretty good job of illustrating it.
There is not much extra room inside most of these but at least they would get you out of foul weather if you had no where else to go.
One last option which may be appealing to some as it is small, light and inexpensive. A bicycle tent camper can be had for under $400 on Amazon and Ebay. It is made in China so I don’t know the quality of it. It has 16 inch wheels which I would not care much for. Maybe 20 inch wheels could be installed in their place, but that would mess up the frame work support legs which sit on the ground with the 16 inch wheels. It sets up and tears down quickly so that is a plus. One can also carry up to 50 pounds of extra gear on it when it is all folded up. I would think having a tarp along to place over it might be a good idea … in case of rain or snow. It shows that it comes with a rain cover. I would still want the extra tarp anyway.
I just ordered one of these tent campers so I will let you know what I think of it.
Update: I received the main frame and tent part of it. I have not received the wheels and tongue yet. It is shipped in two different boxes. Anyway I set up the tent in the living room and crawled inside of it. There is lots of room and lots of ventilation available. I don’t think I would have any trouble sleeping in it. I did have trouble setting it up however. The roof poles were difficult to bow and get into place. I got three of them, but could not get the 4th one into place. I hope that changes with use. It comes with tent stakes and rope which I don’t have a clue what they are for since this sits on it’s own frame up off of the ground. It sure took a lot longer to set up than the video made it look. I wore myself out trying to get the roof poles in place. If I had to go thru that at the end of a day’s ride I would be ready to climb in and go to sleep. Anyway, so far I am fairly impressed. Everything seems to be made pretty well and I am hopeful it holds up. Now if I can just get the second box with the wheels and tongue.
UPDATE: I received the second box with the trailer’s running gear and assembled it. The running gear is cheaply made and poor quality compared to the tent and its frame. I fully expect it to fail me as I am riding along. Definitely this trailer with the wheels on it is way too wide to fit thru most bollards. That is going to be a problem. Oh, BTW, this does not come with assembly instructions. Howerver, there is a video available to watch. However, if one is mechanically inclined they probably can figure it out on their own as it is fairly simple. I recommend putting the tongue on before putting the wheel on that side as it will allow you to get a straight run at the screw head. With the wheel on you don’t have a straight run.
Here is a homemade tent camper. It is far more elaborate but has some good features. Definitely it is not one which you set up and take down as quickly as the other one.
Well, that’s about it for this topic. Who knows what the future may hold? I may someday own one such camper and be seen pulling it along … at least until I am done for the day and can find someplace to park it to crawl in it. I readily admit that I would be concerned about two things … 1) finding a place where I could park it and use it … and 2) my personal safety. I may want to get a German Shepher or Rottweiller dog for both companionship and helping with my safety.
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Above is a picture showing my bell (yellow arrow pointing to it). BTW, did you notice the snow on my wheel?
One thing that I notice every year when the temperature plays games cooling down somedays and warming back up other days I am not the only one complaining. Both my bell and my squeeze bulb horn are greatly effected by it too. Below is a picture of my horn mounted on my right side handlebar below the wrist rest. The red arrow is pointing at the wrist rest.
Yep, they don’t like the cold weather any more than I do. If fact, they refuse to work like they normally do in warmer weather. Neither are very loud. It is amazing how they change when cold weather comes along. I bet if I were in Florida I would not experience this. But I would probably find something else to complain about. Fortunately I don’t have that much use of my bell or horn in nice weather so cooler weather is not any big concern as there is even less need of either as there are fewer trail users out once the weather changes. In fact, many times when I go out I am the only person out there on the trails.
Hey, speaking of the effect of cold weather I haven’t mentioned e-batteries. They don’t like cold weather either and will let us know it. They do so by not performing the same as they do in warmer weather. The distance we can go on a full charge will be less than normal. And that’s normal! Fortunately it is not all that much of a concern as most of us don’t care to stay out there as long when the weather is cold. I am starting to shiver just sitting here thinking about it. Who likes bundling up in cold weather anyway. I know I don’t.
Well, it is time to put and end to this before my body temperature starts dropping. It is 35 degrees F. outdoors as I type this. It has not warmed up any at all in the 3.5 hours since I got up. That is discouraging. At this rate if I do go out riding I will need to bundle up like I was in the picture above. When you live in the north this is what we deal with if we want to …
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I looked out the window into our back yard early this morning and what did I see? It was not anything I wanted to see. It was that nasty four letter word … SNOW! And it is only mid October as I type this. I tell ya … I AM NOT READY FOR THIS! Yesterday was cold, windy and light rain off and on. It was not a pleasant day for riding … and it is still early Autumn. Oh woe is me … whatever will I do? I’d give a lot of dough, if only I could know … the answer to my question … is it yes or is it no? Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight? When your mother says don’t chew it, do you swallow it in spite? Can you catch it on your tonsils and heave it left and right? Now I ask ya … does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost over night? Old timers will know where that came from, but younger folks won’t have a clue. It doe not have anything to do with anything. It just sort of fit and flowed off of my pen … and I am not even using a pen. (See the video at the bottom of this article.)
By now you have probably figured out that I don’t have anything in mind to write about and am just rambling on here. But the weather outside is frightful and so I think I will remain inside today. I had enough of nasty riding weather yesteday. And we have only just begun. At least 6 more months can be expected. It is probably more like 8 more months before decent weather returns. Why do people choose to live in the north and deal with nasty weather? Well, at least I have something to look forward to today. I will be going to an eye doctor to get my monthly injection in my eyeball. Doesn’t that sound like fun? It is not really as bad as it sounds. When I first heard about it it made me shudder, but after experiencing it I discovered it was no big deal … a piece of cake … at least when the doctor is skilled. I have a great eye doctor I deal with. Sure I would much rather not have to get the monthly injection but it is helping to preserve what eyesight I have left in my one eye. The other eye is already totally blind. Thank God for two eyes as I still have vision in one and it enables me to …
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
and most every other thing … even compose a nonsensical article for this blog. Hopefully we will both live thru it.
BTW, the snow had all melted away by afternoon. I understand that we here in northern Indiana were fortunate as some states got 12 to 18 inches of snow and more is forecasted for them.
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I am sure most of us have heard the terms concerning what the current weather actually feels like to our bodies. “Feels Like” is probably to most common. Accuweather has patented their “RealFeel”. Of course, before we started hearing and using these terms we had the good ol’ “Wind Chill Factor” commonly used. Along with it came the explanation that the wind chill is what the weather actually feels like to us humans and animals. Colder weather is coming on. Much of the northern United States went from warm summer weather to much cooler Fall weather literally overnight.
Hey, it’s that time of year and there is nothing we can do about it. We can’t all move south to warmer weather. Yesterday and today are much colder days than what we have been having. I am not rushing out the door in the early morning as it is just too cold out there to enjoy being out. Even the warmest part of the day which is late afternoon still FEELS rather chilly. I was out riding yesterday and found I was not dressed warm enough. Mostly it was my hands that got cold as I did not have the right gloves with me to cope with the weather. I also did not have the right headwear. I dug all that out this morning and will be taking it with me today. I am even taking some chemical hand warmers along just in case I need them. Hopefully I will get by without them.
One thing I have noticed which I am not too thrilled about is the fact that as I age my internal furnace doesn’t seem to be working as well as it did when I was younger. What I am saying is I get cold easier than I used to. That equates to not going out riding in temperatures I used to years ago. I used to go out riding with temperatures in the 20s. Last year I found I didn’t venture out unless it was at least in the mid 30s. I don’t know what will be the case this year but I can tell you I am already struggling with the mid 50s. Of course, I could dress warmer and probably not have a problem. It is just that we went from 80 degrees one day to mid 50s the next. I wasn’t ready for that.
If only I had a space suit with heating and cooling available to me. I don’t think I could sit on a trike with it on however. Besides that I know myself … I would have it ripped open the first day.
Again, if I were a rich man and single I would be snowbirding in the Floral City, Florida area and riding on the Withlacoochee Nature Trail during the cold months in the north. I would have started doing that several years ago. But alas, I am married and I am not rich. My wife and I have talked about snowbirding but we don’t know if it will ever happen. She is not yet retired so that has to happen first and then see how our finances go. Who knows? We might “git ur dun”. Maybe I will meet up with some of you down there. Unless and until then I am stuck here dealing with colder temperatures.
Hey, it is now 11:10 AM and we are having a real heat wave … 50 degrees F with a feels like temp of 46 and 9 mph winds. I think I will eat lunch and then bundle up to head out. The forecasted high today is about 54 degrees.
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How is it possible that I can already be experiencing winter blahs when Autumn is not even here yet? Well, at least according to the calendar it isn’t here yet. I tell ya …. the temperature has already fallen off. Oh, it will warm back up some as summer has its last hooray, but the overnight lows are already announcing change of seasons are upon us. I was out riding yesterday wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt. I did put a sweatshirt on and was thankful for that along with the brown cotton gloves in had in the pockets. I assumed as the day went on I would be removing all of it, but the temperature never climbed much so I wore it the entire time I was out. I laid in bed last night covered with only a sheet and was cold all night long. Tonite will be different as I already put a comforter on the bed. I will be warm tonite and hopefully will get better sleep.
Oh, I am looking forward to Autumn and all the beauty of the foliage. I can’t say I am looking forward to the leaves falling onto the trails, especially if the city fails to remove them like they often times do. I used to remove them myself, but I stopped doing it.
I had a friend who also use to remove leaves off of the trail. I liked my leaf removal rig a lot better than his. Mine was made like a plow which off loaded the leaves to the outside as I went along but his didn’t and they kept piling up making it harder and harder to pull. Also it would just dump a whole bunch of leaves on the trail that then had to be removed by hand. Here is a video of him with his rig …
HERE is a previous posting about our rigs. All I have to show mine is still pictures … no video. Watching it in action it is easy to see how much better it worked than the one my friend designed and made. Yes, a powerful leaf blower would be great to have and use but I can’t afford nor justify spending my own money on one.
And when winter finally does come and we get snow I may not be able to ride to the trails even if the snow has been removed. And there is a good chance the snow won’t be removed from the trails as the city doesn’t do a very good job of any kind of trail maintenance. It makes no sense to me to build trails if you are not going to maintain them.
One thing I have not touched on is dealing with cold weather. As for me as I have got older I don’t care to deal with colder weather. When I was younger I would venture out in temperatures in the teens but not anymore. Now I usually won’t venture out if it isn’t at least in the mid 30s. Bundling up is not something I enjoy having to do.
It is really bad when snow falls on top of leaves. I am hopeful that doesn’t happen this year. It greatly adds to the winter blahs. I know I need to fight the winter blahs remembering “this too shall pass” and I have survived many winters thus far and I assume I will survive this one. I just want to …
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Seventy Five degrees, blue skies, gentle breeze … great cycling weather … and it is mid August which is usually the hottest time of the summer. I am taking advantage of it each day that I can. Tomorrow (as I write this) rain is forecasted as well as the following day. Oh well, I can’t complain … it wouldn’t do any good if I did.
I met up with a fellow tadpole trike rider today. He is from out of town but said that he comes to Fort Wayne a couple of times a week during decent weather to ride the trails.The first words out of his mouth when I pulled up alongside of him were about the great cycling weather we are having. He rides a Catrike Expedition. I rode a few miles with him and his friend who was riding an e-bike.
Yes, rain is in the immediate forecast for a couple of days but then it is more of the same for most of next week. I can handle that. I check the weather forecast in a few other locations daily. Most of the locations are in the Southern U.S. I don’t like dealing with winter up here in Indiana but I sure don’t like dealing with summer down in the south. I lived in the NE Atlanta suburbs for ten years. They don’t call it Hotlanta for nothing. And Florida, is just plain miserable almost year around. The only good thing I can think of to say is they have nice pavement … not potholes and nasty bumps like we have here in Indiana. Those potholes and bumps have cost me a few thousand dollars in trike repairs and wheel replacements. The one thing I did like about Georgia weather besides a much shorter and milder winter is the long Spring and Autumn seasons. But Summer was always brutal.
It is time to go out for another ride taking advantage of this great weather. Adios! I expect to be back.
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“They” say we are having a drought here in northern Indiana where I live. If we are I think it is safe to say that it has come to an end. It is raining hard and the forecast if for it to continue to rain … for the rest of the week. Boo Hoo! So it doesn’t look like trike riding is going to happen. Oh well, I will just have to figure out something else to do. Maybe I could and should build a boat. It is looking and sounding like I might need one. It is really coming down hard out there. I know we need the rain. If nothing else the farmers’ crops need the rain. I just hope they don’t get too much.
With all of this rain the rivers are sure to flood and most of the trails I normally ride will be closed due to flooding. I don’t like having to ride in the streets and roads but with the trails closed I don’t have much choice.
Even if it were to stop raining long enough to sneak in a short ride it would be a wet one with all the standing water on the streets and trails. I have a full set of fenders but they are limited in how much good they do. They don’t stop all of the water and crud from being flung up onto me.
It is so sad that Adam and Eve blew it committing sin (rebellion against God). After they sinned a curse came upon the earth and mankind. Prior to this there was no such thing as rain and flooding. God watered the earth with a dew on the ground thru the night. Wouldn’t that be nice? Yes, if only man would not have sinned things would sure be a lot different. Of course, we will never know. And it is unfair to put all the blame on Adam and Eve. We would have done the same thing. As to the reality of things, they were absolutely pure prior to that. Adam chose to disobey and BECAME a sinner. You and I can’t make any such claim. We were born sinners and therefore we are at enmity with God Who is Holy and Pure. Being holy and pure He can not allow us into His presence as we are unholy and impure. That is the problem we have and what keeps us separated from our Creator Who loves us and wants us to be in a relationship with Him. We have a serious problem that only God can fix. And He did fix it. He did His part. Now the ball is in our court. You can read all about it HERE. Oh how He loves you and me!
Rain rain go away, Come again another day. I want to …
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It is summertime and the heat is on. I remember well from my motorcycle days riding when it was quite hot outside. When it gets to a certain temperature it makes no difference how fast one rides … IT’S HOT! It is no different when riding a bicycle or a trike in my case. Even with an electric motor by which I am able to gain considerably more speed than I can via my own human power it is just plain hot. What I have noticed is this — I have a choice of riding in an oven at slow speeds or a blast furnace at higher speeds. That’s the way it was on a motorcycle too … oven or blast furnace … the only choices. Either way … either one … IT’S HOT! I do ride with a canopy in hot weather which certainly does help. And when I ride with a canopy I ride without my visor hat as I am cooler without it and don’t need it when I am seated under my canopy. But I guess I would rather feel the heat on me at 20 plus mph than at 2 or 3 mph. We have all heard it said that we lose up to 80 % of our body heat thru our heads. Science has proven that this is not true … not even anywhere close. Cooling off one’s head, however, is effective in relief from being hot. I need to incorporate some means of cooling off such as a wet towel over my head. Maybe I need to install a mister overhead or out in front of me. There is nothing I can do about hot weather so I will just have to deal with it. I am thankful for those things I have already mentioned … my canopy and e-motor do help a lot. I will manage to …
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In case you haven’t noticed it a whole lot of the nation (U.S.) is hot and humid lately. Are you still out there riding in it? If so, what are you doing to help fight the heat? Do you purposely ride in shady areas?
Do you have your own source of shade … a canopy?
Do you wear wicking clothing?
Do you use a cooling headband or neckwear?
BTW, some of it is capable of having ice cubes inserted in them or has built in liquid which can be frozen in a freezer prior to use.
How about a hand held mister fan?
Do you ride anyplace that has a mister installed for trail users?
Do you keep hydrated while out riding?
(I hope you don’t get this desperate.)
Maybe you know a fireman who can help you out …
Hey, speaking of misters … maybe you have a trail which goes thru a park where they use a misting system to water the vegetation …
Several years ago in Headwaters Park in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana they had misters in use like this except there were a lot of them and just riding along the trail thru the park was quite refreshing. I wrote an article on misters several years ago. We have one on one trail installed next to a restroom. I have never seen anybody use it. I have just to try it out.
Of course, you can always just pour water on top of your head and cool off. I have done that many times. It is very effective.
Anyway, if you are riding out there in heat and humidity keep cool, man (or woman or boy or girl). We all want to …
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I am a little confused by their claimed turning radius as they show 138 inches which is about 11.5 feet but their video shows a circle which is the diameter not the radius. I would hope it is 138 inch diameter as 138 inch radius is quite a large turning diameter.
Tadpole Rider 