Tag: tadpole trikes

RAIN NEARLY EVERYDAY

Looking ahead at the ten day weather forecast 7 out of 10 days shows rain or snow. 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 with the city of Fort Wayne, Indian 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 traills 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.

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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NO SENSE CRYING OVER A LOST TAIL LIGHT

I had two of these BV taillights mounted on the rear of my trike. Yesterday at some point during my ride one of them fell off (unlees someone stole one while I was eating lunch). I didn’t discover it until half way thru my ride. I watched carefully for it as I backtracked my route but someone must have found it and got a nice taillight out of the deal. These are only sold along with their headlight as a set so I can’t just order the taillight. I don’t need another of their headlights as I already have three. It sickens me when I lose a headlight or taillight. Actually I hate losing anything off of my trike. I think I will just stay home and stay in bed. No, that won’t work either. Actually I have extra taillights I can use and already am. This one I lost is only rated at 35 lumen although it seems much brighter than that … closer to 100. This morning I replaced it with a set of 150 lumen  lights I had. The battery charge lasts a lot longer in them anyway so they are probably what I should have been using all along.

Mounted in between these two I have a 350 lumen version of this taillight I can use. It is almost blinding so I rarely use it.

One thing I have noticed is that taking still pictures or videoing bike lights doesn’t do them justice. I videod both of the head lights and the tail lights earlier today and  neither one appear like they do to my eyes. This video of my headlights illustrates my point quite well. I have two BV 300 lumen headlights on flash mode and right below them is a BV tail light. With my eyes this combination is very noticeable. The red really catches one’s attention. However in the video you can barely see the red tail light flashing.

And the tail lights  are very bright, especially the center one. But in the video they don’t appear anything at all the same. One would not even think that they are the same lights.

It is like when I was in the navy out at sea. I used to see some of the most beautiful sun rises and sun sets but when I would take pictures of them they didn’t look anything like what I saw with my eyes. I was always so disappointed in the pictures.

I just bought a taillight with an automatic brake light. I will install it tomorrow and see how that works. Hopefully it is not a waste of money. My biggest concern is the automatic brake light will be too sensitive coming on all the time when I don’t want it to.

I got the brake light mounted today ready to try out. I also mounted my new battery mount. My previous one broke in two and my battery spilled out onto the roadway as I was riding along. So now I have one of my two batteries mounted down low under the seat moving its weight forward. Previously I had both of my batteries mounted on my rear rack which is a lot of weight back there. Now when I lift up my trike to load and unload it from my truck it is much heavier toward the front and noticeably lighter toward the back. It makes it considerably harder to load and unload.

I bought a tail light with turn signals awhile back. They work but the control switch is too dim to see out in daylight so I was never able to use it. The tail light itself along with the turn signals is also too dim to be much good. It would be fine at night but I ride in the day light.

While working on my trike today I discovered that one of my two bike alarms is missing. They were attached to the bottom of the frame (out of sight) using plastic zip ties. I have only been using one of them and so I have not been carrying the other remote control with me. Since I haven’t been using it I haven’t heard the other alarm chirping letting me know it is still there. Oh well, what’s money?

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MYRTLE’S BEEN UNDERWAY FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

I readily admit that I don’t keep up with the adventures of Sylvia on her 9000 mile journey she started two weeks ago. That being said, I just checked out the latest she has posted and watched the YouTube video.  HERE is a handy web page to do this.

Sylvia reports that it has been considerably cooler than she anticipated it would be. She has had to dress in several layers of clothing to stay warm. At least she has a warm comfortable place to sleep each night. Even Myrtle takes advantage of it.

On her most recent stopover she was met by a pastor who along with his wife are hosting her for a few days in their home.

Turtles are known to move along rather slowly but sometimes ol’ Myrtle will surprise us … 23 mph. I think she is going downhill.

I see that Sylvia’s YouTube  videos are not keeping up. She only has day 5 posted as I compose this. The current videos are available via links on the web page I mentioned earlier.

I would love to be able to ride a ways with her when she comes thru Indiana, however her route is too far south for me to be able to do so. I was just reading Sylvia’s testimony of traveling about 75,000 miles on her tadpole trikes since 2007. She has travelled in over 20 countries. I can’t make that claim but over the same period of time I have ridden my tadpole trikes over 108,000 miles. Most of that is on the local trails here in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is highly unlikely I will ever travel by trike like Sylvia is doing but thru her and a few others I can share their experiences vicariously. She is several years younger than I am so she may eventually bypass my miles ridden. She will have to work hard at it though as my intention is to …

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as long as I am able adding to my accumulated mileage.

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MIXED BAG OF WEATHER

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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REPLACEABLE BATTERIES VS RECHARGEABLE LIGHTS

We have a choice between lights which use throwaway batteries or rechargeable batteries. Of course, most lights have “built in” rechargeable batteries. But even if our lights use AA or AAA alkaline batteries we can use rechargeable cells like pictured above. Just be sure you don’t throw the rechargeable batteries away as they are a bit more expensive than those made to throw away. I use to use rechargeable cells but now my lights are all built in rechargeable batteries. I like the rechargeable lights with one exception … they don’t last long enough. That being said … some last longer than others. If you ride several hours a day you might run into trouble with your rechargeable lights not lasting long enough for the entire ride.

My headlights and tail lights are the same brand but the headlights’ charge lasts a lot longer than the tail lights do. So I have additional tail lights I can use if this happens. The problem is I don’t have any way of knowing if and when the tail lights shut off while I am riding. I don’t like that but that is just the way it is. Since I can’t see my tail lights without stopping, getting off and walking around behind my trike I sometimes ask someone if my tail lights are still on and flashing. My headlights’ charge lasts me 2 to 3  days. I have had rechargeable headlights that don’t last long enough for one day of riding. That problem resolved itself as the lights themselves did not last. I ended up throwing them away. I am well pleased with the headlights I have now. The price has come up since I bought mine, but it is still a relatively inexpensive light set to buy at $15.99 thru Amazon.com. The shipping is free for Prime customers. I highly recommend this headlight. It is extremely bright on flash mode and definitely gets attention.  https://tinyurl.com/2cndfvts

The tail lights in the video above are not the ones use daily that I have written about here. The ones I use daily I write of can be seen in the video below. They are the middle set.

I have changed my lighting around several times over the years. The setup I have now is much different than what is shown in this video. I don’t have the top ones at all anymore.

All my tail lights are mounted on the same bar. I have my BV tail lights on the outside ends. A 350 lumen rechargeable tail light is in the center and a AA alkaline battery powered tail light is mounted beside of it. I keep it there just in case my rechargeable tail lights fail me.

I have a free source of AA alkaline batteries from my wife’s employer but I had her stop bringing them home as I had way too many … far beyond what I could possibly use.  I still have quite a few of them left. And I still have rechargeable AA and AAA cells but I haven’t used them for years. When I still used them they lasted longer than the throwaway alkaline cells. So I am saying that I do recommend the rechargeable cells to anyone using removable AA and AAA batteries. They outperform regular alkaline cells.

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DIGGING IN THE ARCHIVES

I have shared postings about various things in the archives. Here is one that isn’t even part of this website. It is from another one of my blogs I shared various topics on including tadpole trikes. The blog is entitled “Steve’s Mixed Bag”. Here is an article on Catrikes … which happens to be my favorite trike manufacturer. This was first posted April 15, 2015.

CATRIKES IN FLORIDA

I discovered that I had first posted this on this website almost a year earlier … https://tadpolerider.com/2014/05/10/catrikes-in-florida/

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RIDICULOUSLY TOO BIG

I have been wanting to get a 72 volt battery for my current e-motor as that is what it is rated at. I only have 48 volt batteries. After quite a long period of time using the lower voltage I ordered a 72 volt 40 aH battery which they showed as being just slightly smaller that my 48 volt batteries. I questioned how this could be, but I took their word for it and ordered it. It only took 3 or 4 days to get it. When I saw the size of the box I got concerned. When I opened the box and saw the battery my thought was OH NO! This thing is NOT AS ADVERTISED. It is about 4 times as large as the dimensions they gave. None of their dimensions are right. I would have loved to be able to use it but there is just no way to mount it on my trike. It is just too big. It would probably be fine in a velocar or a custom made quad or something such built with using it in mind. Anyway, I am returning it for a refund and start over in my quest for a 72 volt battery. For sure I won’t be looking for a high aH rating … probably 20 aH at the most.

If I were a much younger man and still had my welding shop I would probably keep the monstrous battery and build a quad around it. I would use larger wheels and tires making it able to be used off road like an ATV. I am sure it would be a great battery to use if there were just a way to haul it. With the power of my motor the thing would probably be a blast to ride.

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IT PAYS TO BUY QUALITY UPFRONT

Having a frame failure or some other component failure leaving you broken down while out on a ride would be quite frustrating. I knew a guy who bought a low cost Taiwanese made tadpole trike which I won’t name. (It no longer exists.) He rode it until the frame broke and left him with a pile of chrome-moly tubing. The manufacturer had gone out of business so he could not get any help from them. He probably could have taken it to a good weldor to have it repair welded, but he didn’t. Finding someone who is qualified and capable of repair welding it would be challenging. If he had bought a better quality trike to begin with it would probably still be serving him today.

I understand that money is an issue for many. It was for me. However, I learned long ago in life that it is best to buy quality … even if you have to delay to save up more money or buy used to get more for your money. It is well worth it. There are lots of really nice used trikes for sale which you could take advantage of. If fact, I would have to say that the majority of used trikes I see are still in very good condition. And sometimes you can get a really good bargain.

I waited for awhile until I had saved the money needed to make my purchase. I am not a rich man so I knew I would probably only have this one opportunity to buy a trike. I chose Catrike. It is American made which meant a lot to me. That was 2009. I now have over 106,000 miles on it and am well pleased with it’s quality with the exception of the stock wheels which I have replaced with heavier duty BMX wheels. I have all of the confidence in the world that it will keep on serving me as it has thus far. Without doing one thing to it I would not be afraid to take off on a cross country journey.

I have a webpage with trikes listed according to their price. It is a very handy resource. However, be aware that it has not been updated since I first published it in 2014 with the exception of just a few brands which I updated in 2019..      TRIKE PRICES

There is an old saying that rings true …

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” ― Benjamin Franklin

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SURF’S UP AGAIN meaning TRAILS ARE FLOODED

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.

SURF’S UP! = CLOSED TRAILS

 

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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E-MOTOR BATTERIES – HOW LONG WILL THEY LAST?

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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BHTR — GROWING SLOWLY EACH YEAR

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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ANOTHER MILD WINTER

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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(from the archives) FOLDING ALUMINUM RAMPS

I originally posted this article back in 2014. They are in Florida now and still working great.

FOLDING ALUMINUM RAMPS

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THANKS FOR SWEETHEARTS

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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AM I VISIBLE TO OTHERS?

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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WHY MAKE THE SWITCH FROM A BIKE TO A TRIKE?

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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TREK, TREAD OR TROT — THE TRAILS

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.

Fort Wayne Trails

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT AWAITS YOU!

You are invited to come join the Tadpole Rider Facebook Group. Please note that in order to join you must first answer the two membership vetting questions and agree to comply with the group rules.

FREEWHEEL OR CASSETTE … HEY HEY HEY … WHATCHA GOT?

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.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT AWAITS YOU!

You are invited to come join the Tadpole Rider Facebook Group. Please note that in order to join you must first answer the two membership vetting questions and agree to comply with the group rules.

RIDE TO ARRIVE — A PARODY

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.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT AWAITS YOU!

You are invited to come join the Tadpole Rider Facebook Group. Please note that in order to join you must first answer the two membership vetting questions and agree to comply with the group rules.

BIG HONKIN’ TRIKE RALLY 2023 ITINERARY

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.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’

A FREE GIFT AWAITS YOU!

You are invited to come join the Tadpole Rider Facebook Group. Please note that in order to join you must first answer the two membership vetting questions and agree to comply with the group rules.