Ready For The Storm

Took the Greenway out on this dismal warm day for a 32 miler. I then headed over to the market for some last minute supplies before Hurricane Sandy arrives. Looks like there will be no riding for a while.

Behind the case of club soda is real food

Adventure Cyclist

Dennis Kuhn

I had the good fortune of meeting up with Dennis Kuhn. He was finishing up his trip from Bar Harbor, ME to Hamilton, NJ. A journey over 1,000 miles and 18 days of cycling bliss exploring New England's spectacular Fall foliage. I spotted Dennis outside of Englishtown stopped by the side of the road. He was using his phone GPS to hook up with his brother-in-law for his last 25 miles home. I offered my assistance for a scenic rural route to Hamilton. The pleasure was mine and the next 10 miles we talked and I lived vicariously through his adventures. We met up with his brother-in-law and bid farewell. It was a great beginning of a ride for me and I hope end for him. Dennis renewed my faith that I too will someday make that epic Adventure Cycling Journey.

Greenway Revisited

I have 3 recumbents. 06 Stratus LWB, 06 ICE T Tadpole trike and 2012 Greenway Delta trike. Since my recent acquisition of my new/used Stratus, I have ignored my other 2 trikes. The other day I got re-acquainted with my ICE T which was my favorite ride for 6 yrs. In fact it was the reason I sold my original Stratus in the first place. Today I decided to revisit with my Greenway. Of late I have only been using this bike for local errands and shopping. It is the perfect bike for utility riding with it's large rear cargo area. It is also great for casual cycling with it's 3 point stance. As with most trikes, cars give you a wide birth. On the Greenway they seem to give me even more room. Sometimes I think they believe I am handicapped. Whatever the reason, not being buzzed makes for a nice relaxing ride. Sitting up high also gives you a nice view of things especially compared to the tadpole trikes. The Greenway also has a low bottom bracket which works better for me. This is one heavy bike with a base weight of 56 lbs. If they could shave 10-15 lbs this would be one awesome machine. It's 192 gears does make climbing easier but again there is no running from the weight. The one thing that annoys me most is the disk brakes. They are finicky, difficult to adjust and always squeal when wet. I love drum brakes, no maintenance, last forever, don't squeal and stop big rigs well. My trike is equipped with a fairing which is not meant for aerodynamics as much as it is for weather protection. I also have fenders, very large fenders, 60 mm wide. These are made for 2.0 or larger tires. Any tires smaller look lost under these fenders. I have had a few different type tires on and my latest "Bling" are these orange 2.125 Kenda Komfort Kontact tires. They look outrageous and add to the "Cool Bike" effect. They are extremely comfortable and have minimal rolling resistance  The major issue is they are heavy. The jury is still out on whether to keep the cool bike bling effect or change back to lighter Continental Contact Sport tires. If I do change to a smaller lighter tire I will change out the fenders also. The Greenway was purchased in March and has over 2100 miles. Riding it on this beautiful Fall day makes me continue to appreciate it's fine qualities. This bike is not for everyone but is a keeper for me.

Nice Fall Ride

Nice 50 miler on this Sunday morning. Lots of sunshine with light winds. Colors are peaking.

Pretty 20 mile rest stop

Feeding horses

Forget About Life For A While

One of the many great things about cycling is to forget about life for a while. Today was one of those rides.

                                           Some pics from this 58 mile day

Rising Sun Lake

Etra Lake

5K

I have come a long way from my annual goal of 3,000 mi/yr. Last yr was 4,700 and the yr before 5,400. I just hit 5k miles and still have 2 1/2 months to go. It has been an outstanding yr. I did lose some momentum the last 2 months due to life's obligations. I was hoping to hit 6k but it looks like it might be more of a challenge than I realized. In either case I am quite pleased. I am promising myself not to be as compulsive next yr. The reason I have been regularly riding  for the last 25 yrs is because I keep it fun.

25 miles to 5k

ICE T Revisited

It's been a while since I have taken the ICE T out. In fact, outside of a test ride after I replaced the drive train in June, it has been collecting dust in the garage. I was concerned I forgot my flag. It turned out to be a non issue as tadpole trikes inherently get a wide birth from cars. 3 miles after the video was taken the weather turned ugly. The sky became grey, the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped. When I got home the skies began to clear but the wind and cold remained. The Streamer fairing offers great protection from wind, rain and cold and I have decided to keep it on all yr long. The trike is a pleasure to ride. It is the most stable and relaxing ride of all my bikes. Not having to worry about balancing at slow speeds or being buzzed by cars is great. I love that I can easily get to my phone for a call or pictures. It's great for tours as you always have a seat at the campground. It is not as fast as my Stratus and requires more leg effort to ride. If I want to ride 50+ miles the Stratus is my bike of choice. If I want to be mindless when it comes to cars the trike is it. It was great getting re-acquainted with my ICE T and it will be seeing a lot more of me.
Please enjoy the video and forgive my amateur quality.

4F

Fall-Fifty mi.-Fifty deg-Fabulous

It's All About The Weather

Today brought the last of summer with temps reaching the 80's. I even ran into a fellow recumbent rider, John, on his Rans Rocket. 54 miles. It doesn't get better than this.

Beautiful

Signs of Fall

New Bling

Orange Julius