First Crash

You might have control over how you ride but you do not have control over the stupidity of others on the road...

WEAR A HELMET, PLEASE.

Trikes are very stable but shit happens.

It could have been a lot worse, recumbent trikes are awesome! After 13 years of riding trikes I had my first crash. If I were riding a traditional bike I would have been toast. I was doing about 25mph coming down a hill and a clueless driver coming up the hill suddenly made a left turn right in front of me with a split second to react. I turned the trike sideways and hoped for the best. The next thing I know I was on the ground with the trike upside down and me looking up at Mr Clueless's passenger door. I left some blood on the pavement from a flap of skin torn back on my elbow, my right side is as sore as hell with three fractured ribs and a small lung puncture.  I'll have to replace my helmet as it did get dinged.

Most of my posts on done on my Instagram Crazy On Three

My Instagram 11/23

From my Instagram "Crazy_On_Three"

Since 2017

Staying active for the last 13 years on recumbent trikes and for the last three years on my ICE Sprint FS 26 E-Assist. Keep moving…adapt.

#icetrike  #icetrikes  #recumbenttrike  #recumbenttrikes  #adaptivecycling   #shimanoe8000   #e8000  #etrikes  #electricassist  #peopleforbikes  #ridewithgps  #clubrideapparel #crazyonthree

 

Autumn Tire Change - Marathon Plus

I've been enjoying the performance of the Continental Contact tires (37/406 and 47/559) but the Fall road debris is back and so is the occasional flat tire. Acorns, pine cones, endless twigs with jagged points and the occasional downed branch. And of course piles of leaves hiding who knows what. It's time to put on Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. I have the skinner 35/406 Plus on the front and this time I'm trying the skinner 35/559 Plus on the rear. I'll see if having the 35mm tires all around helps with performance. Time will tell.

In late Winter or early Spring the road is usually clear of most of the debris from the trees and I can go back to the lighter faster and better handling Continental Contacts. 

Acorns...usually they just crunch as you roll over them
but hit them just right and the hard shell turns into a weapon
that wants to stop your ride with an untimely flat.

Battle Mountain 2022

2022 Battle Mountain Sept 11th - 17th. 

Facebook -World Human Powered Speed Challenge

Blog - Biking in a Big City

My IHPVA Speed Records Page here.

MULTI-TRACK UNDER 12

SRAM 1190 Rear Aero Shifter

I found a SRAM 11 speed 1190 rear shifter without the paired front shifter. It was new "out of box" and sold at a reasonable price. So goodbye MircoShift.

The new 11 speed MicroShift I installed in July (post here) was working acceptably well but precision was not it's strong point. The new SRAM 1190 is precise. I'll keep the MicroShift as a backup.

The SRAM 1190 is a click back or a click forward to change gears and then the carbon level returns to a neutral position after the shift. The neutral position can easily be changed. You can also shift multiple gears at a time and the shifter will still return to its neutral position when done.

The little white lines showing the gear I'm using 
are hard for me to see. I put pieces of white
tape on so I can more easily visualize the gear.

 

ICE Seat Mount for Spare Battery

I noticed that the new ICE Sprint X 365 has a seat mount to store an extra battery. Unlike current secondary market battery seat mounts the clamps on the new spare battery mount looks robust enough to handle the weight of a battery hanging upside down. I want one! 

I emailed Andy at ICE and below are the emails. Bottom line, hang in there for 12 months if you want a mount that looks like it will perform well.

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My email to Andy at ICE Trikes

Andy,

Any chance that the seat mounted spare battery carrier now used on the new Sprint x365 will be available to buy as an accessory? Current secondary market seat mounted carriers have flimsy clamps.

Mark

Email reply from Andy at ICE Trikes

Hi Mark, 

 

Yes the newer seat mount is available these are 04527 which are $245 + shipping. We do not currently have any available as we are waiting on a delivery of parts for these however we should hopefully have some available in around 12 month. 

 

Thanks,

 

Andy

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Pictures from ICE Trikes website

 

Tires - Continental Contact

Tire Speed Page here

When I bought my first trike in 2009 it came with Schwalbe tires. I stayed with Schwalbe up until recently only because I just got used to buying Schwalbe. That changed recently when I decided I wanted a better looking tire without the reflective stripe (I don't ride at night). The Continental Contact was one of the few if not the only name brand touring style tire that comes without the reflective stripe. 

I've been riding with the Continental Contact tires for over 500 miles and they have become my favorite tire. They satisfy my want for a cool looking tire but more important they are fast, comfortable and hold the road beautifully. My very unscientific measure of tire speed can be seen on my Tire Speed page. So far they seem as tough as any Schwalbe tire other than the heavy Schwalbe flat resistant tires like the Plus and Marathon. 

As Fall and Winter come around and the tree debris accumulates in the street I'll probably change over to Schwalbe Marathon Plus for awhile.

Continental Contact 37/406 (20"x1.45")

Continental Contact 47/559 (26"x1.75")