Catrike 700 With the Ones

The Schwalbe One tires are back on my Catrike 700 after riding with the softer Kojaks for awhile. 

Schwalbe One 23/406 on the front

Schwalbe One 28/622 on the rear

What I Learned from Two Catrike 700s

As I prepare to get my "Red" Catrike 700 ready for sale, I can say that I've learned a lot from having two Catrike 700s. The "Black" 700 is my light and fast ride and the "Red" was set up for casual cruising and possible touring.

This is what I learned:

1 - I don't need two 700s. Everything I can do with two 700s I can do with only one.

2 - With a little bit of planning and hardware selection I can change the setup on one 700 within minutes and be ready to ride with different configurations just about anytime at any place.

3 - Going with a wider tire on the rear wheel has a more positive effect on comfort with less loss in speed then going wider on the front wheels. Also going wider on the rear tire has minimal to no effect on handling where going wider on the front tires definitely effects handling.

4 - I do not like Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, I do not. They are heavy, slow and a bear to put on and take off. To be able to easily change the configuration on my 700 a tire is required that is easy to remove and replace. I would rather have an occasional flat (only two this year) then mess around with these energy absorbing monsters.

5 - Having two wheelsets is a luxury more then a necessity. But it allows me to have a super light wheelset option (the American Classic Aero) that would otherwise not be suited for larger tires and loads. It is also nice to be able to have two wheelsets ready to go with my most used tires already installed, the Schwalbe One 23/622 and the Schwalbe Kojak 35/622.

6 - With good tire selection (I like folded bead tires for ease of installation, lightness and storage) tires are easy to change. It's much easier to change tires then to have to maintain a second trike. With the tires I use it takes less then 8 minutes to change a tire and have it back on the trike.

7 - As mentioned in a previous post, adding a rack and panniers takes less then 7 minutes.

8 - If I decide to go with fenders (which I usually don't like) it takes no more then 10 minutes to set up fenders on all three wheels.

My fastest configuration for is the 28/622-American Classic wheelset on the rear with 23/406s up front and minimal carry alongs.

At the other extreme is a configuration with a 40/622 Schwalbe Marathon Racer/DT Swiss wheelset on the rear and  40/402 Schwalbe Trekkers up front and a rear rack with panniers. I hope to try this combination out on maintained gravel and dirt trails in the future.

In between these two extremes the best compromise between speed and comfort is the 35/622 Schwalbe Kojak/DT Swiss wheelset on the rear with 23/406 Schwalbe Ones on the front.

Configuration options;

REAR Wheelsets and tires
American Classic Aero rim and hub wheelset
with;
Schwalbe One 28/622

or

DT Swiss rim and hub wheelset
with tire options;
Schwalbe Kojak 35/622
Schwalbe Marathon Racer 35/622
Schwalbe Marathon Racer 40/622

FRONT Wheelset and tires
Stock Catrike Velocity Rim and Chris King hubs
with tire options;
Schwalbe One 23/406
Schwalbe Kojak 35/406
Schwalbe Tryker 40/406

REAR rack
Tubus Logo Evo
with;
Ortlieb Panniers

By utilizing my two complete wheelsets, with tires already installed, I can go from light and fast to loaded in less then 7 minutes.

Pic of the Day - Catrike 700 "Black"

Today's ride made up for the last two "crappy weather" rides. I got my mojo back today. 

Did a little climbing to get a better view of this perfect day.

A 23/622 Day

A perfect day for a ride. Sundays are good days to be out on the road, low car traffic and high bicycle traffic. Add some sun and temps in the low 70's and you have it, a perfect day to be pushing pedals.

Feeling energized and wanting to stroke my ego a bit by showing up a few DF riding MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) I left the Kojak wheelset at home and put on my American Classic, 23/622 Ultremo, wheelset on "Black" and took off on a short but fast (for me) ride. The little bit of extra speed I get from the 23/622 is just enough to show off what a old guy on a performance Catrike 700 can do. It's all in fun and I don't take it seriously. I'm just out having a good time and connecting with other riders.  One poor  lady had her MAMIL drop her to try and catch me. He gave up. Guys, don't ever drop the lady your with to chase down an old guy on a tricycle. Not cool. Especially if that old guy leaves you in his wake and you have to think of an excuse for your "poor performance".

Today's Stats
20.6 miles
14.1 average mph
912' gain

More on the Kojak Rear Wheelset

Recently I posted about the new wheel setup for my Catrike 700 "Black", Catrike 700 Sweet Spot. I've taken a few more rides since that post on March 27th. I'm not sure how much I'll be using the old American Classic Aero with the 23/622  Ultremo. The Kojak/DT Swiss wheelset  makes for  a sweet ride. It seems that the key to maintaining a fast and nimble ride is keeping the 23/406s on the front while smoothing out the rode a bit with the 35/622 Kojak on the rear. 

Bottom line...if I want to squeeze every ounce of speed and acceleration out of the 700 then I use the 23mm Ultremo mounted on the American Classic Aero wheel. For the slight bit of speed loss (not often noticed) and considerably more comfort  then going with the 23/406s on the front and the 35/622 Kojak on the rear is the answer.

Note: The DT Swiss XR 331 rim is considered a MTB rim. It has a 20mm inner rim width (see DT Swiss tire chart). I went with the more robust rim for peace of mind when charging down rough roads. 

Catrike 700 Sweet Spot

In my post from February 15th "New Setup on Red" I was trying to soften the ride without scarifying to much speed. The changes felt sluggish and made me want to be back on "Black" for long rides. It tired me out faster. Well "Red" is back to it's original setup as an all around beast of burden.

Through trail and error I've discovered the sweet spot. A balance between speed, handling and comfort.

I tried a new rear wheelset on "Black" with  a lower pressure and larger Schwalbe Kojak 35/622 combined with a DT Swiss rim and hub and left everything else untouched. The Ultremo 23/406s still grace the front. What I ended up with is a fast and comfortable ride without any compromise in handling. Acceleration is still very good and loss of speed is barely noticeable. Downhills are still just as fast. If not for the lower pitch of the new rear hub when coasting I could easily forget that "Black" sports a more robust rear wheelset.

Combining the existing Ultremo 23/406s on the front with the new wheelset on the rear is the ticket to maintaining a fast nimble ride with a little cush over the rough spots. The outboard front wheels take the rough road with more of a rocking motion that doesn't translate the bumps to the rider with as much force as the rear wheel. I can keep the skinny and hard Ultremos on the front. When the rear wheel hits a bump all the force that the tire doesn't absorb goes right to the rider. So far all my rides with  the new setup have been with full tire pressure. On truly nasty roads I can play with the pressure to soften the ride up even more.

I'm really happy with this combination of wheels. Of course I could buy a trike with suspension but I'm not ready to slow down that much yet. Here's the new rear wheelset:

The 35/622 Schwalbe Kojak is paired with a DT Swiss XR 331, 32 spoke Rim and a DT Swiss 350 rear Hub. The wheelset with a 11/36 cassette weighs in at 1850 grams (4.05 lbs). 

 The new more robust wheelset also gives me more peace of mind on rough roads and longer rides.

The original wheelset with a 11/36 cassette weighs in at 1590 grams (3.5 lbs) and will be used on short fast rides (a short ride for me is generally around 20 miles) on roads that I know are in good condition.

Bottom line...I'm spoiled. I have two Catrike 700s and now I have two unique wheelsets for "Black" that can easily be traded out depending on my riding mood. Above all my Catrike 700 "Black"is still a kick in the ass to ride regardless of which wheelset is used.

1st "Sunny" Ride of Spring

Actually today's ride was the 2nd ride of Spring but the 1st ride of Spring was cloudy. Today I meandered as evidenced by my slower average speed of 11.3mph. The total ride today was a sunny 23 miles with 1,300 feet of gain. My meanders are slower paced rides that often leave the main route. I take side trips on neighborhood roads, through parks and today rode a short trail. Generally it involves a little more climbing but I take longer breaks on my meanders and enjoy a little quiet time away from the busy roads.

My 700 parked at a local park

And a selfie of yours truly parked at a park

Sunny Ride...

...at least it began that way. Today's ride started out cool and sunny. Towards the end of the ride the clouds won out and the sun retreated. It was still a nice break from the cool cloudy days and occasional rain.

Perfect Autumn Day on the 700

Today was one of those perfect So Cal Autumn days when you don't want the ride to end. So I took two breaks at the local parks. Below are some pics of my "Black" Catrike 700 taken at Oak Canyon Community Park in Oak Park.

It was back in February of 2013 that I sold my old 700 with the 16" front wheels and bought the new version with 20" front wheels. To date I've put 2,352 miles on my "Black" 700 while at the same time taking a break to have two hip replacements.

Old and New Catrike 700

I was looking at some old pictures of my first Catrike 700. Here's a little visual comparison between the old and the new Catrike 700.

The new stretched out Catrike 700 with 20" wheels (post 2013)

The old Catrike 700 with 16" front wheels (pre 2013)

Rebuilt Crank for Black

I recently rebuilt the crank on Red and now it's time to tweak out the crank on Black. The last time I fiddled around with the crankset on Black was back in August when I tried a 26t granny ring. But now I really want more speed so I'm now using a 53t large chainring. The best I can do on the hills around here is 50mph. I'm hoping I can get a couple of more mphs on the hills by being able to pedal a little longer. Once you get the bug to go fast there's no turning back. The 700 is a stable machine and invites you to go fast.

The new crank is now 53/39/28 with a 32/11 ten speed cassette. I can't go any smaller on the granny gear (28t chainring) without loosing tension on the chain. The long cage on the rear derailleur does have it's limits. You can go smaller on the granny gear but then you have to be careful not to go small/small with the gears while riding. Unless you don't mind a loose return chain and extra chain clatter. 

Details:

Bottom Bracket - Mega Exo BB-8681 (68mm  English)

Crank and spider - FSA SL-X Carbon

53t Chainring - FSA Super Road Bike K Force, 130mmBCD outer (ramped and pinned), 10 speed

39t Chainring - FSA Road Pro, 130mmBCD middle (ramped and pinned), 10 speed

28t Chainring - Vuelta, 74mmBCD, 10 speed

On Order

Light Weight Outer Chain Guard - Teamssx Driveline Lightest for a 53t, 130mmBCD, 98g (3.4 oz)

I'm putting the chain guard on so I won't poke folks with my chainring (including myself). I usually put my helmet over the chainrings when parked at a bike shop or some other place where there's people gathered.

26t For Black

My Catrike 700 Black gets Red's crankset and Red will get a ???. The FSA SL K Carbon crank with a 26t granny gear and guard worked so well on Red that I put it on Black to get a lower granny gear so I can take a few more hills riding Black. The change added less then 2ozs. I rode 18 miles today and gained over 1,100 feet. The lower gear on my light Black worked great and effectively extended the riding range of Black. 

Maybe a Schlumpf Mountain Drive on trucker?  More on that later.

Gear Inches

                                           Tire    Cassette      Crank

My Catrike 700 vs My Catrike 700

Catrike 700 "Red"

Catrike 700 "Black"

It didn't take long to get to know my new Catrike 700 known as "Red". I built it for touring and general laid back cruising. I've been riding "Red" along the same routes and in the same manner (aggressively) as I ride my other lighter performance dedicated Catrike 700 "Black". 

How Red differs from Black

- Redis about 25% heaver with it's Schwalbe Marathon Plus 1.35" tires, touring rear wheel, rack and a few more odds and ends.

- The Schwalbe Marathon Plus 1.35" tires put more rubber on the road but it makes up for the extra rolling resistance with serious puncture protection.

- With the Schwalbe Marathon Plus 1.35" tires the ride is considerably smoother and the steering is less twitchy. The narrow hard Ultremo tires on Black react to every pebble it comes in contact with. Finally, the turns are a bit more sluggish 

- As for speed... I was surprised to see my average speed on Red was only about 8% slower then Black. I had expected it to be at least 15% slower. Acceleration was slower but not to the point of making much of a difference. My max speed on a long downhill run was not noticeably different. It just took a little longer to get there.

Bottom line...both 700s perform equally well for their intended purpose and are a kick in the pants to ride. 

I've come to appreciate that both trikes have the same ergonomics. Switching from one trike to the other is seamless with no orientation time required when choosing which trike to ride. 

Now that I'm done comparing the two trikes I can ride Red the way I intended to ride it...slow and easy and taking time to smell the roses.

20 Miles

Doesn't sound like much...20 miles but it was my first ride over 15 miles for some time now. The last 20 mile I pedaled was a few months ago while I was still on pain killers for my hip replacements. That ride was easy enough thanks to my little friend hydrocodone. But I paid for it later in the day with considerable soreness and a reprimand from my doctor.

Today's ride was exactly 20 miles with 903 feet of gain (no steep climbs). I rode at a relaxed pace and averaged 14.0 mph. At the end of the ride I felt good and feel like I can do more as long as I don't push the pace.

Beautiful day to start pushing the miles.

Riding the 700

It's hard not to want to go fast and push myself when riding the 700. I enjoy keeping up or passing other cyclists while on my rides. I know that some of them take a strike to their ego when an old guy on a tricycle passes them. It shows in their body language as they lean forward a little more and start to rise off their seat to get a bit more power. What can I say old guys need to get their kicks and I do it while riding my 700. But I need to slow down...just a little.

My legs are getting stronger as I slowly break in my new hips. However I do pay a price for pushing a little too hard on my rides. The hips get sore and I have to take it easy for a day or two. On the last couple of rides I made up my mind not push hard and I put my head and body into cruise control. The rides turned out to be the most enjoyable rides I've had since my hips went titanium. As it turned out my average miles per hour suffered by less then 10% and the hip  soreness was minimal. The only real difference in my riding style was taking the hills a little easier by gearing down more then usual and I avoided pushing hard to make a signal or to pass another cyclist. Just keep a nice steady rhythm. Also when stopped by a signal I'm now in the habit of gearing really low so my take off is easy with minimal pressure on my hips. From the time the signal turns green and I'm through the intersection I'll have geared up through 4 to 5 gears. The SRAM 500 bar end shift levers make shifting easy and fast.

The facts (nothing special but for me it's pretty good): Since my hip replacements my rides are generally short, less then 15 miles. The average gain is 500 feet. That hasn't changed. The change is in my average miles per hour along the same route (more or less). It went form 15.5mph to an average of 14.5mph.

I ride 3 to 4 times a week.  I'll continue to keep the pace steady when riding the 700 and focus on adding more miles.

10 Weeks

It's been 10 weeks from today (12 weeks being the magic number when I can start riding stupid) since my final hip replacement. To celebrate I upped the mileage a bit and added a few extra hills. I did 16 miles and 1,004 feet of gain. Average speed was 13.2mph. 

During the first 10 months of last year my average gain per mile was 87 feet. Today's ride was 62 feet of gain per mile. I'm getting there.

I still get stiff and a bit sore but no real pain like I would get before my hips went titanium. Back in the day I would not be able to ride two days in row. My hips would hurt to much. That's not a problem anymore as long as I keep within my limits.

I'm working my way back with at least three rides a week. Ride on!!

Crossing over Hwy 101 in Thousand Oaks

Week by Week

Once again I transported the 700 down
my hill to take another ride on the flats.

Everyday it's either ride my 700, take a hike or go to the gym. Sometimes I go to the gym after a ride or hike but regardless I still have a long way to go to get my strength back. I've been told to expect up to a year for my hips to feel normal again. Although with every ride I feel noticeably stronger

I'm taking life week by week. Recovery from hip replacement is a long grind. If you measure progress on a daily basis you'll drive yourself crazy and those around you as well. The worst was over after about a month and now it's just a slow but steady trek to total recovery. I know my limits and I know when to slow down a bit, my body tells me so. My doctor tells me I should probably back off a little on my activity level for the first twelve weeks after surgery. His comment is based on  the average patient that is older, over weight and less fit. As long as my hips aren't becoming red or inflamed then I'll can carry on. At least I'll avoid any hill climbing until the twelve weeks are past me.

I've got my exercise routine kicked into gear and I'm enjoying my short rides. My longest ride on the 700 is 12 miles at about 15mph average speed and 500 feet of gain. I'll keep the rides at that level for the next few weeks until I get past the twelve week threshold that the doctor set out for me.

The biggest challenge is keeping my brain focused on where I'm headed and not where I am or where I've been. Getting out of bed in the morning  is a "here we go again" moment, time to get the hips moving. After moving around a bit and sitting with a cup of tea in the garden my head generally gets back into the game of recovery and getting physical. My first option is to hop onto the 700 and take a ride. I also need to walk to get a full range of motion and taking a hike into the back country is easy on the mind. So I mix things up a bit and I always make sure I get to the gym every other day. Visualizing what I want to accomplish and what I want to be doing by the end of the year motivates me to work past the soreness of my new titanium hips and go for a  ride, a hike and to tolerate the odors of a well used gym facility.

Have Trike Will Travel

Climbing is not yet an option. From my home there is nothing but hill so I load up my ride and travel down to the flats. No pucker up downhills but it's still nice to be riding.

Getting ready to ride around the lake at Westlake Village. The roads are wide and make for a nice flat ride. On any given weekend you'll find plenty of cyclists riding the roads around the lake. 

Doing Laps

My left hip was replaced exactly four weeks from today. Time for my first ride on the road...well I should say on the pavement. I took advantage of the holiday to take some laps in the school parking lot. I went around and around for 3.2 miles. I've lost a lot of strength in my legs. On the positive side, both hips are now replaced and I only get stronger from here. I've been told to expect eight to twelve months for total recovery. This new year will be dedicated to settling in the new hips and building up my strength. Oh the sweet pain of recovery. Ride on!!

MLK Day and the school parking lot is all mine.

Feels good to be moving on my 700.

Carrie waits for me to do a few more laps around the lot and then give me a ride back home. It's to soon to attempt the grind up our hill.

Catrike 700 Weigth

 Stripped (as it would come from the dealer with upgrades added) the 700 weighs in right at 29 lbs.

The "ready to ride" weight with the side bags and extra ride necessities (for me at least) the 700 gets beefed up to 38.5 lbs. This is before water, food, iPhone and me.

Note: As of  February 2014 I've eliminated some of the "necessities", permanently put on the front light and put on hand rests. The "ready to ride" weight now comes in at 37.8 pounds.

Inventory of accessories and supplies that bring the total weight up to 38.5 lbs.
Catrike Bags
DiNotte rear light with 4 cell lithium battery
Two accessory mounts on handle bars with two mirrors, wired Cateye computer and phone cradle.
Water cages
Brake strap
Flag

Stored under the seat:
   Pump
   Two 406 tubes
   Two 622 tubes
   Three plastic tire irons
   Patch kit for tubes
   Multi tool
   Mini Leatherman knife with pliers
   Small length of chain
   Two Quick Links
   Quick Links pliers
   Latex gloves
   Piece of wire to help with chain repair
   Small rag
   Two DiNotte large O rings for whatever
   Utility strap

Stored in Catrike Bag:
   First aid
   Sunscreen
   Lock
   Bandanna
   Ibuprofen!

The Catrike Bags have plenty of room left for food and the typical high tech cyling cold weather gear.

Stored under the seat.

Stored in the Catrike side bag.

1.6 pounds of stuff (included in the above pictures) that I could eliminate from normal daily rides but I won't. I like to be prepared even though realistically I could call Carrie to bail me out.

Add another 0.5 pounds when the headlight and 2 cell lithium battery are on the 700. Putting the headlight on is dependent upon riding conditions. 

Add another 0.8 pounds for those days when tunes are a necessity. The Braven speaker and the bottle cage (that the speaker fits perfectly into) are mounted on the boom.