We got up early this morning to beat the heat on a short ride. As I wheeled out of the garage, I noticed that my front, right tire was completely flat. I figured that I must have had something major happen to the tube, so I wheeled it back into the garage and started fumbling about for the tools to take the tire off. My wife suggested that maybe, since I had pumped all the tires up the day before, I had not tightened the Presta value all the way. So I took the cap off and, sure enough, the value was not tightened down. So I filled the tube and properly tightened it up and off we went.
Some time and miles later, as we were going through a park (on a narrow pathway), I came to an abrupt halt (there was a man with two large dogs on the path ahead and sprinklers in the park were going and spraying on the sidewalk). I thought to stop before reaching either, but miscalculated and ended up stopped on the sidewalk and getting thoroughly soaked by the sprinklers. And immediately thereafter getting run into by my wife. Thankfully, she stayed on her bike and didn't receive any harm to her or her bike. I on the other hand, got a thump on my head and had one of my tail lights torned off. We got out of the water, picked up the pieces, and continued on our way.
However, just a few yards down the path and I realized that my front, right tire was again going flat. I got off, took my small hand pump, and pumped the tube up as best I could (far less than I could using the pump in our garage -- there is no leverage on those little hand pumps to push against the 50 or 60 pounds of air pressure you need in the tire).
We turned around and headed home. We made it without the tire going flat again (though it was getting flatter). I guess I will be changing the tube (or patching it since I cannot find a 20" tube around here with Presta values -- I have to order one from HostelShoppe). While I have the tire off, I will also be putting the Tuffy tire liners in that I bought some time ago. Guess I should have put those liners in right after I got them...
Showing posts with label Her Bike / My Trike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Her Bike / My Trike. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Easier riding...
As I stated in an earlier entry, I decided to see what I could do to make the ride on my trike a little easier on my back and seat.
I took some very porous foam (the manufacturer of which claims will dry quickly and not be prone to mildew and the like) and tried putting it on top of the existing "canvas" seat of my Catrike.
The immediate problem I encountered in doing this was that it hiked my reclined position up and toward the front of the trike. This threw off the, until then, correct positioning of the boom and pedals. I no longer could get a "straight stroke" on the pedals (I was essentially pedaling from an angle -- imagine sitting on a regular bike's handle bars and still trying to pedal -- although not that extreme) and my knees also ended up being bent more than they should on the outbound stroke. This wouldn't work without some adjustment to the trike boom and who knows what else.
The Catrike canvas seat is "wrapped" around the frame and connected in the back with plastic snaps (like what you might find on some backpacks or fanny pack belts). There is a space (the width of the frame) between the front seat and the rear of the canvas.
I cut the foam pads I had to fit between the frame bars
and within that space -- one on the bottom, going slightly up the back, and the other going from the top by the head rest down the back to meet up with the bottom one (that way the "gap", if any, between the pads met somewhere in my middle to upper back instead of directly under me).
The pads make the canvas seat stick out a bit (looks puffed up like a small pillow), but not enough to throw my location off (thereby not affecting the boom length and how I reach the pedals).
I took it out on some bumpy Tucson streets and felt a marked improvement in the comfort of the ride. Granted, large bumps and dips still jar me a bit, but overall, my teeth didn't chatter as much.
I took some very porous foam (the manufacturer of which claims will dry quickly and not be prone to mildew and the like) and tried putting it on top of the existing "canvas" seat of my Catrike.
The immediate problem I encountered in doing this was that it hiked my reclined position up and toward the front of the trike. This threw off the, until then, correct positioning of the boom and pedals. I no longer could get a "straight stroke" on the pedals (I was essentially pedaling from an angle -- imagine sitting on a regular bike's handle bars and still trying to pedal -- although not that extreme) and my knees also ended up being bent more than they should on the outbound stroke. This wouldn't work without some adjustment to the trike boom and who knows what else.
The Catrike canvas seat is "wrapped" around the frame and connected in the back with plastic snaps (like what you might find on some backpacks or fanny pack belts). There is a space (the width of the frame) between the front seat and the rear of the canvas.
I cut the foam pads I had to fit between the frame bars
and within that space -- one on the bottom, going slightly up the back, and the other going from the top by the head rest down the back to meet up with the bottom one (that way the "gap", if any, between the pads met somewhere in my middle to upper back instead of directly under me).The pads make the canvas seat stick out a bit (looks puffed up like a small pillow), but not enough to throw my location off (thereby not affecting the boom length and how I reach the pedals).
I took it out on some bumpy Tucson streets and felt a marked improvement in the comfort of the ride. Granted, large bumps and dips still jar me a bit, but overall, my teeth didn't chatter as much.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Fenders?!? Who needs fenders? Mud is therapeudic...
We took a little longer trip up through the Indian Bend Wash green belt in Scottsdale. We started from the same place, but went all the way up to Shea Blvd. We have intentions this coming weekend to go from Tempe Town Lake up to the same place (that first trip was about 18.5 miles, the second will be close to 26). And though it hasn't been raining here, they do water the greenery in the the "green" belt.
We had the opportunity to run through several puddles -- nice, dirty puddles -- those kind that have collected all the dust, smog, and other goodies out of the air, sidewalk, and surrounding undergrowth. And of course, I was riding behind my lovely wife on her bicycle.
There I was, getting hit in the center by the gork being kicked up by her wheel, and getting hit on the shoulders and arms by my own two front wheels (which obviously are in front of me). The bright, yellow shirt you see in photos below became bespecked with splotches ranging from light brown to coal black in a varity of sizes. My pants suffered the same fate.
I guess if you were to go cross country in a tadpole, fenders (and a face plate attached to the helmet) might not be a bad idea. I mean, mud is one thing, but there might also be rocks and other junk kicked up by passing bikes and cars (so far, I have been fortunate in this regard and have not been hit by such debris).
We had the opportunity to run through several puddles -- nice, dirty puddles -- those kind that have collected all the dust, smog, and other goodies out of the air, sidewalk, and surrounding undergrowth. And of course, I was riding behind my lovely wife on her bicycle.
There I was, getting hit in the center by the gork being kicked up by her wheel, and getting hit on the shoulders and arms by my own two front wheels (which obviously are in front of me). The bright, yellow shirt you see in photos below became bespecked with splotches ranging from light brown to coal black in a varity of sizes. My pants suffered the same fate.
I guess if you were to go cross country in a tadpole, fenders (and a face plate attached to the helmet) might not be a bad idea. I mean, mud is one thing, but there might also be rocks and other junk kicked up by passing bikes and cars (so far, I have been fortunate in this regard and have not been hit by such debris).
Monday, March 24, 2008
"Obnoxiously" Bright
In figuring out what to wear in our cycling, we have gone to bike shops and looked around on the web. But we have also been looking at what other cyclists are wearing (you know, the ones running in packs with various colored, tight-fitting jerseys and shorts with ads all over them).
From what we could learn on the web (and we all know that everything on the web is true... ;-), and from what we have observed as we have ridden and driven around, multi-colored or multi-patterned jerseys, no matter how brightly colored or patterned, often fade into the surrounding background, especially on city streets.
We came to the conclusion that a single, bright color (almost obnoxious color), might stand out better. And we decided to go with that approach. The color in the photo below actually matches pretty closely the new warning sign colors that the city is putting up for pedestrian cross walks and the like (and in addition, one of the fire departments here in the valley has their vehicles painted this color -- though granted, they are big, have lots of flashing lights, and very loud sirens).
And as for those bike shorts... Hey, I'm almost lying down, so I want comfortable as opposed to aerodynamic. Hence the comfortable cargo pants. I still use reflective strips that I slap onto my pants legs (or around my ankles for when the pants change to cargo shorts during the summer).
From what we could learn on the web (and we all know that everything on the web is true... ;-), and from what we have observed as we have ridden and driven around, multi-colored or multi-patterned jerseys, no matter how brightly colored or patterned, often fade into the surrounding background, especially on city streets.
We came to the conclusion that a single, bright color (almost obnoxious color), might stand out better. And we decided to go with that approach. The color in the photo below actually matches pretty closely the new warning sign colors that the city is putting up for pedestrian cross walks and the like (and in addition, one of the fire departments here in the valley has their vehicles painted this color -- though granted, they are big, have lots of flashing lights, and very loud sirens).
And as for those bike shorts... Hey, I'm almost lying down, so I want comfortable as opposed to aerodynamic. Hence the comfortable cargo pants. I still use reflective strips that I slap onto my pants legs (or around my ankles for when the pants change to cargo shorts during the summer).
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Eye-to-Eye With Bumpers
Being eye-to-eye with the bumpers of most cars and trucks can be a bit disconcerting. As such I wanted to be noticed as much as possible. To that end, I have put some additional flags and color on the flag whip on the back of the trike as well as a number of lights.
Apparently color glow pink (fluorescent pink) does not occur in nature (or at least is rare), so the human eye picks up on it as something "unnatural" and draws the viewer's attention to it. So I have put some flapping glow pink ribbons on the whip just below the orange Catrike flag and also put some windings of glow pink duct tape on as well.
I thought it good to be seen from the front (for on-coming traffic). I found a headlight/tail light pair, the Ascent Jet Set, that is small, light-weight, yet extremely bright. The headlight holds five very bright white LEDs and can be set to be on steady or on in a strobing affect (which is very noticeable). I wanted to have two of these lights in the front, one strobing, one on steady. The Catrike has a rod and half T at the end of the pedal boom. This was fine for holding one light, but I wanted two lights and a computer there (it was convenient and easy-to-see to have the computer right in front of me – you can see that in the photo). I invested in an add on T-bar that slips into the end of the boom rod. You can check these out at http://www.hostelshoppe.com/ (the full location, which may change, was http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/readitem.pl?Accessory=983907300). I also had to get a shim to use this on my Catrike. This allowed me to place two of the Ascent Jet Set headlights and a computer on the front boom without interfering with my pedaling.
I outfitted the back of the trike with three tail lights. The center light (which is just the tail light from a Planet Bike 1200 light set) I keep on steady, and the two outside lights (the tail light portion of the Ascent highlight/tail light pairs) flash. Granted, during the day, these may not be that noticeable, but at dawn, dusk, or night, they really stand out. And as far as the front lights... My son told me, after riding toward him at night, that I looked like a very bright, flashing, glowing orb of light at around knee level coming down the street -- odd, but very noticeable.
Apparently color glow pink (fluorescent pink) does not occur in nature (or at least is rare), so the human eye picks up on it as something "unnatural" and draws the viewer's attention to it. So I have put some flapping glow pink ribbons on the whip just below the orange Catrike flag and also put some windings of glow pink duct tape on as well.
I thought it good to be seen from the front (for on-coming traffic). I found a headlight/tail light pair, the Ascent Jet Set, that is small, light-weight, yet extremely bright. The headlight holds five very bright white LEDs and can be set to be on steady or on in a strobing affect (which is very noticeable). I wanted to have two of these lights in the front, one strobing, one on steady. The Catrike has a rod and half T at the end of the pedal boom. This was fine for holding one light, but I wanted two lights and a computer there (it was convenient and easy-to-see to have the computer right in front of me – you can see that in the photo). I invested in an add on T-bar that slips into the end of the boom rod. You can check these out at http://www.hostelshoppe.com/ (the full location, which may change, was http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/readitem.pl?Accessory=983907300). I also had to get a shim to use this on my Catrike. This allowed me to place two of the Ascent Jet Set headlights and a computer on the front boom without interfering with my pedaling.
I outfitted the back of the trike with three tail lights. The center light (which is just the tail light from a Planet Bike 1200 light set) I keep on steady, and the two outside lights (the tail light portion of the Ascent highlight/tail light pairs) flash. Granted, during the day, these may not be that noticeable, but at dawn, dusk, or night, they really stand out. And as far as the front lights... My son told me, after riding toward him at night, that I looked like a very bright, flashing, glowing orb of light at around knee level coming down the street -- odd, but very noticeable.
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