New Windbreaker Jacket

Like some of you I am not a big fan of Walmart.  I do however like their Starter brand apparel. I find them a good value and quality athletic wear.
I purchased this windbreaker jacket. It has 2 zippered pockets, a storm flap for the front zipper, extra long tail, a vented back, reflective stripes, nice fit and stylish. $15. I wear this over some layered clothes and am quite toasty on those cold rides.

Marathon Racer Review

I have about 4,000 miles on my Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires.  I thought a review at this time would be appropriate.  As you can see from the photos there is little wear for bicycle tires with this much milage.  This compares favorably to my old Kenda Kwest.  I believe I could get another year out of these tires.  I  had only 2 flats in the 8 months, which is on par with my track record.  The 2 flats were on the right front tire, where the most road debris is.  The holes were tinny in nature and centered on the tire.  Not sure of Schwalbe flat protection.  The ride is good, but not as good as my all time favorite Tioga Comp Pool tires(no longer manufactured).  I find 50-55psi offers the best comfort and rolling resistance on a trike.  Traction seems fine although I don't do much mud slinging.  I purchased these tires on sale from Utah Trikes at $25 each plus shipping.  I believe they are now $32.  These are very good tires and are serving me well.  I do prefer 1.75 tires with a tread-less design.  The only ones now made close in design is Greenspeed Scorchers, which are expensive and don't last long and Schwalbe's Durano and Kojak, also expensive and narrower.  Schwalbe does make 1.75 tires that are very durable but have a significant weight penalty.  In summary, I am pleased with my purchase and overwhelmingly happy with tread life.
KEEP RIDING!!!

Streamer Fairing Revisited

I purchased the Streamer fairing in October of 2008 and am now into my 4th season.  I bought the fairing to help with my cold feet during winter weather.  I also hoped it would offer some additional weather protection and help cut through the wind.  Having had a fairing on my Mongoose utility DF bike and my Rans Stratus, I new it would not add any speed to my ride.  According to studies done, fairings will increase speed over 15mph.  I am a slow rider so this benefit was only possible on descents.  It does offer some protection in the rain but a good bump will shoot the droplets onto my face.  On my trike I do get some protection for my cold feet, but not being fully enclosed, it still is quite cold.  It does help with head winds.  It is not that I am faster but it seems to make pushing into the wind less strenuous.  I decided to keep the fairing on when I went on Bikefl this year as I thought it might be windy.  It was not terribly windy, but quite rainy.  The fairing kept my lower half dry which was a nice plus.  When I returned home in late March I removed the fairing.  It is much easier to get on and off the trike without it.  It is also easier to transport.  I keep mileage logs with average speed on my rides.  I noticed this year that with the fairing my average speed increased by 1/2 mph consistently.  This is not earth shattering, but when you are a slow rider, this becomes a significant increase.  I have had the fairing on for the past 1 1/2 months.  The weather has been surprisingly warm, but we have had many gusty days.  The fairing has proved to be a nice asset.  It also adds quite a lot of "Bling" and I get more "Cool Bike" remarks.  Although  I much prefer warmer weather, the trike and fairing help me get through the winter months with it's stability and protection. 

KEEP RIDING!!!

New Walz Cap

From Website

Fun with Grandsons ball

I just purchased another Walz Cap in moisture wicking material.  It is highly visible bright yellow.  Goes great with my yellow shirt in previous post.  The new caps have a bigger firmer brim.  Great for wearing under helmet or alone.  Large brim keeps sun off forehead and eyes.  I love their wool winter cap with ear muffs.  I have become quite a fan.
 100% circular knit polyester
- Lightweight (7 oz.) fabric
Wicking finish draws moisture away
Fabric stays breathable
Available in two sizes

Helps you, 

KEEP RIDING!!!

Maintenance and Repair

Schwalbe Marathon Racer





Time for New Tires



Need Mirror and Grips 




New Marathon Racer



New Mirrycle Mirror and Grips

New Sram 970 cassette and KMC Z 9 Chain

It has been a great cycling year with a record 5354 miles.  Add Bike Florida with 3 days of rain and it has taken it's toll on parts.  Time to change out some basic components like chain, cassette, mirror, grips and tires.  Some cables and housing were done on BikeFL.  I had received the parts ordered and decided to make repairs on Tuesday.  It was a beautiful day and I wanted to get things done quickly.  I got a 35 mile ride in to see how things faired.  At first everything was great.  Then about 1 mile into the ride I noticed problems with the 4th gear.  It was not smooth and tended to slip and skip.  I made frequent adjustments on the ride, but, just couldn't fix it.  I decided to wait until I got home and could place it on my stand.  No matter how hard I tried, the problem remained.  I decided to put back the old cassette and low and behold the problem was gone.  I realized my new Sram 970 cassette had a defective 4th cog.  I boxed and returned to seller at no charge.  I am now looking for a new cassette.
I have been a big fan of my inexpensive Tioga Comp Pool Tires.  Unfortunately, they are no longer manufactured.  I did much research and finally called UtahTrikes and asked their opinion.  They recommended the Scwalbe Marathon Racer.  They also run a perpetual sale on these tires at $25.  I am quite pleased with the ride quality and I feel no difference than with my old Tioga tires.
I am also looking into changing the drivechain to Sram 1:1 Actuation as it is smoother shifting with little maintenance.
KEEP RIDING!!!

Rocketing In The New Year 1/1/11

I finished a great 32 mile New Years Day ride on my new used Rans Rocket.  Although it is not quite tweaked out yet it performed beautifully.  It took some time to get used to, but, as the mileage increased so did my speed.  I found it more stable than I remembered.  I was 2.5 mph faster than on my trike and 2 mph faster than my Fuji Tourer, at about the same weight.  It is still early to assess it's speed and riding qualities.  The Rans seat that I always found most comfortable gave me some recumbent butt.  I am using different muscles than on my trike.  Time and further adjustments will be the true answer.  Shifting was on the money.  Braking was as I remembered. poor and squealing.  The tweener type bars on this bike vs. the Hamster type on my old bike are far more stable.  It has Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires which I find quite fast and at 80 psi can be a little jarring over major bumps. Not sure if it is the tires or the bike.  Overall I find it a nice inexpensive addition to my stable.
Happy New Year
KEEP RIDING!!!

Radical Alfa ICE Side Pods.

This has to be my favorite accessory on my trike.  It holds 25 liters, does not require a rack and weights about 1 lb.  Since I do many utility miles, it is important to always have available space to carry items.  These bags have served me well for the past 4 1/2 yrs.  They are by no means water proof or even resistant but they have held up well and carried more than their share of weight and volume.  I used these bags for my 2 day tour on the Pine Creek Trail.  They also help fill that void behind the seat on a trike.  This makes them well suited as a second pannier for those extended self contained tours.  You just have to make sure you secure your items in water proof bags.  The one major problem is price.  They run from $110-$175 depending where you buy.  This seems to be the norm on most recumbent specific products.  I paid about $100 and was a bit disappointed when I opened the light and flat package, especially compared to my other bags.  Sometimes it's a test of time to see what works best.  For me this was a great decision.

KEEP RIDING!!!

Great Long Sleeve Shirt

I have a few Sporthill Infuzion shirts that I swear by.  Unfortunately, they are a bit expensive and work best in colder weather.  Now that the temps are a moderate 50-60 I needed some less expensive long sleeve wicking shirts.  I found such shirts at Target for around $15.  They are made by Champion using their Duo-Dry fabric.  These shirts have a great true to size fit, are extremely comfortable and can be used alone or as a base layer.  I even got 2 thumbs up from my son on style.  I am obviously no model but these pix give some idea of fit and style. 

Clowning Around

I have been searching for reasonable biking shorts. I pulled out my bathing suite and thought WOW these might work. Long, fast drying, great wicking, light and inexpensive although I do look like Bozo the clown. I went out for a 20 miler and if not for drawing more attention than usual they worked well. I gave up on spandex a long time ago. I usually wear some inexpensive wicking tank or T from Walmart or Old Navy. Then just some cotton boxer briefs, Fruit of the Loom fleece shorts and Sketcher sandals. Sketchers are my favorite shoes. They are light with a wide toe box and have a firm sole which makes them great for cycling. I decided to swap out my cotton briefs for something with more wicking capabilities. I found Body-Sensors by Terramar. They are 92% Polyester, 8% Spandex. Very comfortable and keep me dryer than cotton. I picked up 4 pair at Sierra Trading Post for a great price. My shorts are great but I would like to find something less bulky so I could easily rinse them out when touring. A bathing suite or Board shorts might be just the ticket. I will have to research further for something less conspicuous.

KEEP RIDING!!!

Hats

Hats, what can I say? I like them. Not just any hat. One that must fit well and usually in the form of a cap. I am especially fond of cycling caps to help keep the cold off my head and the sun out of my eyes. My favorite Bowery Boy cool weather cap is tucked away till fall. It is now time to release my spring wear. My favorite over the last few years has been Headsweats Spincycle cap. Good fit with great wicking ability and just the right size bill to keep the sun out of my eyes and off my forehead. Unfortunately it has streched and no longer fits. The new version comes in white only and at $20 is a bit rich for my taste. I have tried other caps, but, find the longer bills do not allow my favorite Smith and Wesson sunglasses to fit properly. After researching and with the help of Alan from Ecovelo, I came across Walz Caps. They are moderately priced, have a great selection, come in 2 sizes and have great reviews. I decided to go with the basic cotton cap and have it personalized. While waiting for my cap to arrive, I found Pace Caps. A well known name also with a great selection and reviews, but, one size fits all. I found an especially good deal and purchased a basic black cap which I received in 3 days. After all the hoop la, here is what I found.

Price being relatively equal, the Pace cap has a much better fit for my small head. In addition the Pace cap has a slightly larger and stronger bill. The Walz cap which I purchased in a small medium size is a bit big for me. Having some cotton in it, I tried to shrink it a bit with almost no effect. I fear this cap has the potential to blow off my head on a good fast downhill. The bill also does not flip up crisply and has a tendency to wrinkle. Some people find this a unique quality. Both caps are excellent quality and made in the USA. For me the Pace caps work better. Like buying a recumbent you have to try it on for size to see if it works for you.

KEEP RIDING!!!

New Carry Freedom Trailer

I use my bike for most errands, however, when shopping for larger items this can become quite challenging. I thought a trailer would be just the ticket. I looked at a few inexpensive ones on the net. Aosom makes steel cargo trailers for about $100, but they weight 35lbs. Croozer also makes a nice steel cargo trailers for $200, but again the weight is 25lbs. Avenir has a light weight one for $200 but uses a chainstay mounting system not suitable for my trike. The better and lighter ones such as Burly and Quik-Pak exceeded my budget. After scouring the web, I came across what was advertised, as a Croozer Y frame trailer. I new Croozer didn't make a Y frame and remembered that Carry Freedom did. I checked there site and found the trailer for about $310 plus shipping. It was exactly what I was looking for. Light weight alloy frame, with 20 inch wheels under $175 shipped. It came in a Croozer box, but upon opening it I immediately saw the decal for Carry Freedom. It came mostly assemble and took just 1/2 hr to tweak everything. It tracks great, can accommodate various configurations, has a ridiculous load capacity of 198 lbs and weights just 15.7 lbs. My only complaint is it is a bit rattly, especially when empty. I will work on that. I feel I lucked out on this purchase and look forward to many more utility miles.

KEEP RIDING!!!

Sporthill Winter Shirt

It's been a pretty tough winter this year with all the snow. I have not been able to get out and ride as much as I would like. This does not keep me from surfing the web looking for new ideas to enhance my riding. A few years ago when I first started this blog I wrote about some pretty expensive pants. Sporthill XC winter pants designed for skiing. I read about some cyclists using theses pants with great reviews and decided to spend the $100. Normally I would wear some sweats and only buy clothes I have tried on a dozen times. I almost never bought on line. The pants are exactly as described in fit and warmth. I later found a great price on Sporthill Infuzion slacks and shirts. They have proved to be outstanding quality and fit. Sitting at home over the last 2 weeks with all the snow I thought it might be a good time to look for some great winter deals. I had purchased the Sporthill Infuzion Splice shirts and love them. I found some Sporthill Infuzion Stripe shirts at less than half off and decided to give them a try. I just received them from REI Outlet. They have the same comfortable fit and warmth as the Splice but do not have the articulated sleeves and don't have the longer back. I couldn't figure out what the difference in shirts was on there web site and now I now. In spite of the difference they have a great comfy feel and fit. I wear them as my base layer. The zipper is 12 inches long and has a storm flap so next to the skin is like warm fleece and the large zipper allows for ventilation as needed. The shirts and pants have great wicking ability. Sporthill pays great attention to detail and IMHO makes some of the finest active wear around. They are unfortunately, a bit expensive. I know have enough winter and cool spring wear as needed. Now if the snow would just melt a bit.

I do long for the warm weather when I don't have to think about what to wear. Regular shorts, shirt, and sneakers or sandals work for me.

Until then,

KEEP RIDING!!!

10K on My Sweetened ICE T

It's been a great cycling year for me. I reached my goal of 3K miles in less than a year. I also turned 10,000 miles on my very Sweetened ICE T. This is my 3 rd trike and by far the best. I have added all my creature comforts and tweaked the bike to my perfect specifications, so it fits me like a glove. It has been such a joy to ride that it has become my only ride. It is a keeper. The folks at ICE have not only done their homework, but continued their great customer support. I know 10 K is just the beginning and look forward to many more miles.

KEEP RIDING!!!!

ICE T Face Lift

It's that time of year for me to replace tires, chain and rear cassette. I still have dimple left on my Tioga Comp Pool tires, but I like to have some good thick rubber for the upcoming winter weather. I have packed up my Motorhome and brought it back from the shore. The salt air and sand from the shore is devastating to bikes. My chain has signs of rust. You can't replace the chain without replacing the rear cassette. It is 5K miles since my last overhaul. I decided to purchase all parts from 1 retailer instead of shopping around and saving more money. I am not totally happy with the service of this well known dealer, but, everything arrived as ordered and the tires were not folded.
I put things together starting with the cassette(Sram 970 11-32), the chain(Sram 951) and tires(my favorite Tioga Comp pool). I must need remedial chain wrapping as I had to look at my other bike for routing.
You can see by the pics how rusted the chain got in just 4 days and a 10 mile rainy ride. I believe I could have gotten another 2k miles from the tires. The front tires on a trike wear faster and hence were the ones I replaced. The rear tire had less than 200 mi and was taken off my sons old WW in lieu of a Big Apple. At $20 ea I have no problem replacing these tires sooner than needed.
Replacing these parts makes it feel like a new ride and ready for the winter months. Soon it will be time for the fairing.
I am a NERD.(Never Enough Riding Days)
KEEP RIDING!!!!!

ICE Quick Relaese Rear Fender

I just purchased and installed ICE new QR rear fender for my T. In short it is form followed by function at a reasonable price. For the past 3 yrs of owning my trike I was very happy with the rear rack and fender setup. Unfortunately, I rarely used the rear rack as the PODS Panniers proved quite adequate for my needs. I new any rear 20 in fear fender would easily mount, but my trike would not fit in the back of my Accent with it on. The original QR rear fender was expensive and had mixed reviews to its being able to stay put.

Apparently ICE was on the ball and redesigned the fender. The fender appears to be SKS and has these black mounts that the fender stays snapped into. I have seen these before. The interesting part is how they came up with the front mount to the bike. They used the same black mount screwed on the fender and added a metal tongue that screwed into the frame. All this amounts to click, click,click. There is one trick. You have to click in the front mount first and then the side stays. If you do it the other way the front mount is very difficult to snap in. The side stays are different on each side, not exactly sure why, but it all works. At under $30 this is a very fine and rock solid fender with no wobble or rattle that gives you the option to quickly remove if needed.

KEEP RIDING!!!!

MTJP