Tioga Comp Pool Tire Update

If you go back to my article of 10/26/07 you will read how I changed over from Scorcher TR to Tioga Comp Pool Tire and how time would tell how they fare. The Scorchers basically wore out at 4100 mi and needed to be replaced. I was having trouble justifying the cost of replacement and decided to go with the Tioga Comp Pool tires at 1/2 the price.

It is now 20 months and 4100 miles later and the Tioga tires are still good. You can see by the pictures that there is still plenty dimple left and I believe I would be good for another 1000 mi. I am not flat prone. I had only 1 flat with the Tioga tires same as the Scorchers with the Kevlar belt. I pulled out this tiny piece of metal thread that caused the flat. I talked with my LBS owner who advised me it was from a steel belted radial from a car. Who would think.

Based on my tests the Tioga Comp Pool tire performed better in wear, road just as comfortable with minimal rolling resistance and flats as the more expensive Scorcher TR.

This is not to undermine GS Scorcher or any other tire company. The problem for me is just how expensive bicycle tires are. Spending $35 plus for tires that will last 1-2 yrs of cycling is ridiculous when compared to car tires lasting 50,ooo mi plus. Now they are talking about radial tires for bikes at the cost of a car tire.

I will now get off my soap box. The problem for me now is I believe the Tioga Comp Pool tires will be a thing of the past. I am afraid when I am ready to buy they will no longer be available.

My hope is that some tire MFG will come out with a good bicycle tire that will last a long time at a good price. Until then.

KEEP RIDING!!!

Trike Carrier

I needed a way to carry my Trike down to the shore for our summer get-a-ways. I have a Hyundai Accent which will accommodate the trike inside if I am the only one in the car. That is rarely the case when heading south as my wife and dog come also. The car does not officially allow a hitch and getting a roof rack for such a small roof line was not easy. Anyway, after much research I found a roof rack under $165 delivered. It took about 1 hr to attach and uses self sealing screws. I was concerned about leaking into my roof liner, but, the salesman assured me the screws work great. It's been a while and so far so good.
The roof rack looked great on the car. Now how to attach my trike. It became a problem as the trikes width is a hair smaller than the rack's width. I decided to put 1 wheel on the inside and 1 wheel on the outside of the tracks. Seemed like a good idea. I secured it to the rails with various straps. It worked OK going down, but not on the way back. I had to stop 4 times and re secure or loose the trike.
Today on my ride I thought about adding some sort of aluminum channel. I put the trike on the car to see how it really fit so I could determine the parts I would need. As it turned out I found out if I put the 2 cross bars about 6 in apart I could cradle the tires. It looked great and seemed very secure with adequate tie downs. I didn't like the idea of not being able to fully open the trunk as the rear wheel came down a bit on it. I used the same concept only reversed the trike and placement of the cross bars. It is even easier to roll the trike up the front hood than the rear hatch. All works without a problem. I wouldn't do this with a new car. Fortunately this car owes me nothing and has many dings, scratches and scars. I still prefer to carry my trike inside, but that is not always possible and this works economically for now.
I have added some pictures. Please note the seat and rack are normally removed.

Horsing around on Memorial Day

More than 48 miles on this beautiful Memorial Day.
As Janis Joplin said, "You gotta get it while you can."

Just 4 Fun

Another great day. 33 miles, no place I have to be and some of my best music.
Enjoy the Ride!!!!!

Terracycle Idler

I went out for a small 17 mile ride. It was a bit warmer, low 80's, and a little breezy. I had to get out while I am able to enjoy life and of cause I had to check out my new Terracycle idler. I would have liked to do more miles, but to tell the truth, I am sore from my 90 plus miles of the past 2 days. First off, you can see by my photos, I was in need of a new one. My T has about 7800 mi. I was hoping it would make me faster, but, a hammerhead I will never be. My T is an 06 and ICE made their idlers 60mm. As years changed ICE made their idlers 70mm. I was told by Terracycle a bigger 70mm 15 tooth idler would be more efficient, but it would require modifications, so I stayed with what was to be more original. Terracycle had a 60mm idler that came with a 13 tooth cog that would just fit right in. Of course it came at a premium price of $9 more. It seems 15t cogs are more common. If your going to buy this great idler you have to go titanium which adds another $20 premium. Total price with shipping $104. Is it worth it? I think so. A new idler from ICE would be $18 plus shipping. You can easily see the difference and I will probably never have to replace the idler again and if so there are replacement parts.
The reason I think it made no difference in speed for me is that there is a small bend compared to other bikes. On my old Terra trike 3.4 I hated that maximum bend in their drive chain and felt like it robbed me of power. On my son's Terra trike(now sold) he bought the Terracycle kit for the front and it made a huge difference. That bike was much faster.
I wanted to stay within the original design and like having the chain tubes. The idler is a thing of beauty and it dropped in perfectly. I used to see a small deviation of the chain when spinning which is now gone. It is quiet and smooth. Efficiency wise, I don't think it made a difference on my trike, but, I could see how it would on bikes with more tortuous chain lines. My old Stratus had 20k with the original idler.
Terracycle takes pride in their work and products and there customer service is outstanding.

Another Marty Day

I got in another 44 miles today. Temps a bit warmer in the 70's. Low humidity and winds. Just a gorgeous day. This time I decided to take my Flip- Video. I was able to get a nice shot of a large turtle in the road. I tried to sneak up on a large Turkey Vulture, but cars scared it away. I also spotted a crane which has made it's home at a water run off basin in one of those new developments. Unfortunately, he was much too camera shy. When I got home there was my new Terracyle idler I just ordered. I hope to have that up and running with a detailed and hopefully positive report.
KEEP RIDING!!!!!!

A Marty Day

It's been too long since I have been able to get out on what I refer to as a Marty Day. One of those beautiful days you can just pedal forever. It seems over the last few months life has just gotten in the way. Today I went out for a 50 miler. It is one of my oldest and favorite rides and is part of my annual birthday ride. The weather was in the 60's with winds in the low single digits. I didn't know how well I would fare as I have not done that many miles since January. My only regret was not taking my Flip-Video camcorder. The horses were out with their new folds, cows, bulls, groundhogs and one very large hawk or turkey buzzard, all just enjoying this beautiful day. I fared very well and hope to enjoy many more Marty Days.
KEEP RIDING!!!!!