Back to Road Tires...for now

There is still too much water crossing the trails to have any extended meaningful rides off road. Most of my ride time is still spent on pavement so keeping the GT365s on didn't make any sense. I went back to a road tire setup. So goodbye Schwalbe GT365s...for now. Hello Schwalbe Marathon Plus 35/406 front and a 35/559 on the rear.

I wanted more time off road (see my February Post) but too much water is still crossing the couple of trails suitable for my trike. And I don't want to fold up my trike and travel to another trailhead. I like to just pull out of my driveway and ride.

In addition to putting road tires on I removed the rack and panniers to lighten the trike up a bit. The ride necessities are now trucked away in ICE seat pouches and a T-Cycle frame bag. I’ll use a ICE Sidepod when I want to carry an extra battery and more stuff for longer rides. 

For now, it's the Schwalbe Marathon Plus on front and rear. I have other tire combinations I'll probably try out over the summer. The Plus 35mm tires aren't the lightest or the fastest (but not too slow either). I've gotten use to riding with fewer flats over the last year with the Schwalbe Marathons and the Schwalbe GT365s. I feel the 35mm Plus tires are a good compromise between speed and fewer flats.

My unscientific tire speed tests are (here). 

Broken ICE Boom Bolts

If you're like me and enjoy experimenting with different trike configurations which may at times include moving the boom then read on.

The bolts that secure the boom are under a lot of pressure and suffer from fatigue when tighten and loosened too many times and they may break. Even when using a torque wrench to avoid over tightening they seem to snap after a few rounds of tightening and loosening.

The first time a bolt snapped it was a challenge to remove the manufacturer installed bolt. With the snapped bolt head removed I then had to use my Dremel to mill a slot in the opposite end of the bolt so I could use a flathead screwdriver to get the bolt to stick out. Once it was out far enough I attached a vice grip and finished the removal of the broken bolt by unscrewing it.

Now I use a longer bolt that protrudes out the opposite side about a 1/4 inch. When a bolt snaps, and it will if you play around with them enough, I can easily grab it with a vise grip and twist and remove it.

A 30mm long bolt extends far enough out that 
it can be easily grasped. I put black rubber caps
on the bolt end just for looks.

Vice grip is clamped down on protruding bolt
end. Twist until the broken piece of bolt comes out.

Bolt Depot as the all the bolts, washers and nuts that you'll ever need.

Schwalbe GT365 Front Tire Change

New Schwalbe GT365, 55/406 (20" x 2.15") on the front.

In February of this year I posted about the change to Schwalbe GT365 tires (link here). The GT365 tires have been a joy to use. Currently I have the 55/559 (26" x 2.15") on the rear and 40/406 (20" x 1.5") on the front. But I like to test out different tire combinations so I'm going to take off the 40/406 (20' x 1.5") front GT365s  and try 55/406 (20' x 2.15") GT365s for awhile. I want more steering control in thick gravel and soft dirt. So far after one ride I've gained more steering and braking control off road and taking runts with greater ease but lost some speed on the pavement which was expected and not missed.

Schwalbe GT 365s 55mm front and back.

The narrower 40/406s are excellent on pavement but as I've said in my February post I want to try and reduce my time on the paved roads after my crash last year (link here). Originally to get off the road I put on the GT365s, 55mm on rear and 40mm on the front, and a chainring change (link here) on my ICE Sprint FS E8000. Now I have 55mm GT 365s on the front making my trike even more off road worthy.

Front 55/406 (20" x 2.15")

Rear 55/559 (26" x 2.15")

I'm still spending a lot of time on the pavement and the GT365s are a good hybrid tire. It's nice to know I can take a mental break from all the cars and head off on a fire road or tame trail. Also since my crash I've been hyper vigilant while on the road and it gets exhausting after awhile. Even though the drivers insurance company compensated me well after the crash I DO NOT want it to happen again. So I'll go off road whenever possible.

This picture taken after I left the trail
gives you an idea of how much of
the tire at max inflation is still in
contact with road when
on the pavement.

E8000 38t Chainring

Up to now I never worried about an electronic failure with my Shimano E8000. I know I could call my beautiful wife to come bail me out. Over the years of using e-assist I had to be bailed out only once when I ran out of battery power to the assist drive on a steep long climb. The integrated headlight was to blame for the loss of assist (post here). At that time my lowest gear was 26.5 gear inches. 

Things are a little different now. I'm riding off road a bit more and will be spending more time off road when the rainy season is over. I have to be able to bail myself out if I have an electrical failure to the assist system. That means being able to have gears that I can reasonably use to pedal without power. Right now my low gear is 24.2 gear inches. With the trike weight I can expect a bit of a struggle getting up hills. So I felt a lower gear option would be the smart thing do. I switched out the 44t chainring for a 38t chainring which gives me a manageable 20.9 gear inch ratio with my 11t/46t cassette. I'm giving up some of the high end gear inches which is fine off road but it will slow me down a little on pavement. 

Also there is a long 12 degree grade on one of the off road trails I'll be riding. The 38t chainring will be appreciated.

If I feel I need a even lower gear a 36t or 34t chainring is also available for the E8000.

__________________

Original Configuration - 44t Chainring (Shimano), 11t/42t Cassette, Gear inch range - 101.0 to 26.5

Current Configuration - 44t Chainring (Shimano), 11t/46t Cassette, Gear inch range - 101.0 to 24.2

New Configuration - 38t Chainring (E-Thirteen), 11t/46t Cassette, Gear inch range - 87.2 to 20.9

Other available chainrings (Shimano or compatible) for the E8000.  

Possible Configuration - 36t Chainring, 11t/46t Cassette, Gear inch range - 82.6 to 19.8

Possible Configuration - 34t Chainring, 11t/46t Cassette, Gear inch range -  78.0 to 18.7

The old 44t Shimano chainring with the integrated bash guard.

The new 38t E-Thirteen chainring. 
No integrated bash guards are available on smaller chainrings.

NOTE: I would normally remove 1 chain link per each tooth less on the new smaller chainring, that would be 6 links. But when I put the ICE Ergo Luxe sit on awhile back and pushed the boom out I maxed out the chain when on the largest cassette cog. So I only took 2 links off the chain giving the chain a little play when on the large or small cog.

Caring a Cane on My Trike

 

I resolved the problem of caring a cane without it protruding awkwardly out from my trike.

Up until recently I carried a folding cane in my pannier for my wonky legs (post here "Cane"). There are times when I want to ride without panniers but still have my cane with me. When I'm off the trike a cane keeps me balanced, especially on uneven dirt or gravel. I can manage reasonably well without a cane but I probably look like I've started my day off with a couple of Tequila shots. 

I have three Leki collapsible (not folding) canes that are tall enough for me when extended. The Black Carbon, Makalu and the High Fives. All with a trekking basket at the tip.The High Fives handle is not as comfortable as the the other two but the pack size is just over one inch (3cm) shorter than the other two. It's the cane that fits nicely under my seat.

I'm a big fan of DiNotte lights and I have a bunch of spare fasteners that I incorporated into putting a carrying system together.

Cane tip inserts into fixed clamp. 

The trekking basket on the cane helps 

to keep the cane in place.

Shimano Di2 - Again

On  September 21, 2021 I ditched the Shimano Di2 (post here). The main reason for the change to cable was the shift buttons were wearing out fast. 

After studying the compatibly of other Shimano switches with my e-assist system I bought a Shimano SW-E7000-R switch. I'm giving it a try to see if it holds up longer than the SW-E6000 switch. At least the SW-E7000-R switch is easy to find in the States whereas I had to buy the SW-6000 switch internationally.

The Shimano compatibility chart can be found at Shimano.com (here). On the chart scroll down to the sixth page for the E8000 system.

The top SW-E6000 switch is used for the assist which gets 
far less use than the shift switch.
The bottom new SW-E7000-R switch is used for shifting the Di2.

Back On the Road with Schwalbe GT 365

Now that I'm starting to get back out on the road after my crash I've decided to try and spend a little more time off road and less time on the pavement.

I’ve been trying Schwalbe GT 365 tires. They make a good choice for when a ride includes both dirt and pavement. They’ve made my ICE Sprint FS E8000 a worthy gravel and dirt road trike.

GT 365 - 55/559 (26" x 2.15") rear.

GT 365 - 40/406 (20" x 1.5") front

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.

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.

______________________________

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

__________________________________________________________________

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")

 

MicroShift Bar End Shifter

Updated September 2022

I'm now using an SRAM 1190 bar end shifter. Post Here

I installed a new MicroShift indexed bar end shifter after putting 2,150 miles on the old MicroShift. Good enough for a $50 shifter.

After replacing my worn out chain and adding a new cassette (post here) I couldn't get the gearing tuned. Either the top few gears were tuned or the bottom gears. But never the whole gear range. The problem had to be with the old MicroShift shifter. And it was. All gears are now perfectly tuned with the new MicroShift indexed bar end shifter. 

For $50 I have no problem replacing the 11 speed shifter at around 2,000 miles. I would prefer a Sram indexed shifter but I can only find them sold in sets for front and rear derailleurs and they are expensive. My experience with them is that they last longer. But unlike my Catrike 700 and Expedition days I don't need a front shifter. I don't want to pay the added expense for a front shifter I don't need.

The original MicroShift was added September of last year replacing the Di2 electronic shifter (that post here).

September 2021.
A new MicroShift indexed bar end shifter
and cable actuated derailleur replaced
the Di2 system.

.

For those who just have to know more here is the shifter broken down.

Metal shavings seen after removing the end piece.

Where the indexing magic takes place.

One ball bearing is missing. Did it escape 

while I was taking the unit apart or...?

All the parts.

 Other than the metal shavings and a missing 

ball bearing all the other parts seem good. 

But it doesn't take much to mess up the 

required precision of an indexed shifter.

Chain Wear with E-Assist

Are e-assists chain eaters? Hard for me to say but it seems like my current 11 speed YBN chain suffered wear and stretch faster than usual. I can be a bit manic when it comes to maintaining my trike but this one got away from me. 

I checked the chain at 7,700 miles thinking that I might be getting close to 50% wear. Wow... it's easily at .75% wear. The chain wear tool slipped right in at 75%. I should have checked my chain wear when shifting started to get sloppy. Maybe the e-assist and all the climbing I do put more stress on the chain then I realized.

The point is, check for chain wear/stretch a little sooner if using e-assist.

I tried to order 14 feet (168 links or 336 links depending on what you consider a link) of chain. It seems like 11 speed chain sold by the foot is out of stock everywhere. However as of the date of this post Dana at Bent Up Cycles has 11 speed FSA sold by the foot in stock.

With no 11 speed recumbent length to be found at the time I bought three standard chain lengths of KMC 11 speed and linked them together with KMC Missing Links. Not my preferred chain replacement method but it works all the same.

Because the chain was easily at .75% wear I also replaced the 11/46 cassette and the 44t chainring. 

I've been wanting to change over to a 11/42 cassette from the 11/46. So all is good. With the e-assist the large 46t cog is not needed for riding roads. With a 11/42 cassette the gearing will be a little more closely spaced which I prefer. 

I bought my ICE Sprint FS E8000 in May of 2019. So it's just over three years old.

Total miles 7,700.

Total gain 547,000 feet (all that climbing tests by gimpy legs but I sure do love going downhill).

Roadside Tire Removal

After denting my helmet while supporting the rear end of my trike to repair a flat rear tire I realized I needed  something better to raise the rear end off the ground. DIY time.

For the rear tire I made a lift from an old trekking pole that I cut and topped it off with a with a couple of retrofitted clamps. I lock the front wheels and support the rear fork with the DIY lift. It's light and small and tucks away easily in my pannier.

Vibration Sensor Alarm

Locking up a trike is usually more involved than locking up a traditional bike. And sometimes there is nothing to lock it to. I'm almost always in earshot of my trike so I added a vibration sensor alarm to my trike.

I'm not endorsing any particular product. I like the peace of mind a vibration sensor alarm gives me. When going into a store, taking a short walk on a trail and going to a restroom I set the alarm. 

Mounted behind my seat

WSDCAM vibration alarm $25.00
I haven't had it long enough to make
any comment about quality.

Tire Speed

Tire Speed and Weight (Updated January 2022)

With the tires I have laying around, and a some new ones I decided to figure out which tire combination is the fasted. Over the course of a few rides I came up with the results. 

No science involved here, just going downhill and keeping track of the downhill speeds when weather and road conditions seemed to be about same for each ride I measured. 

Max speed measured on ICE Sprint FS E8000 with max pressure in tires, no breeze and Panniers. Fastest and slowest speed have been eliminated. 

It seems like the Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 42/559 (26 x 1.60) on the rear makes the difference between fast and not so fast. It's too bad Schwalbe no longer makes a 406 (20") tire. The Supreme is an expensive tire but I feel it is one of their best tires.

Note; I posted on this subject back in January and July. This post is inclusive of those two posts.The last tire addition is a Schwalbe Big Ben 55/559 at the bottom of the list.

Note; I currently use the standard mesh seat
not the Ergo-Luxe you see in the picture.

Front tires and Back Tire

Schwalbe 406 Marathon Green Guard  and  Schwalbe 559 Marathon Supreme

40/406 - 530g   1.16 lbs

40/406 - 530g   1.16 lbs

42/559 - 440g   0.93 lbs

Total    1,500g  3.25lbs

Speed Average: 38.8

Speeds: 38.9, 38.5, 40.8, 38.1, 39.9, 38.1

___________________________________

Schwalbe 406 Marathon Racer  and  Schwalbe 559 Marathon Supreme

40/406 - 340g   0.75 lbs

40/406 - 340g   0.75 lbs

42/559 - 440g   0.93 lbs

Total    1,120g  2.43lbs

Speed Average: 38.6 mph

Speeds: 40.8, 38.1, 38.5, 38.5, 38.1, 39.4

___________________________________

Continental 406 Contact (E25)  and  Schwalbe 559 Marathon Supreme

37/406 - 420g   0.93 lbs

37/406 - 420g   0.93 lbs

42/559 - 440g   0.97 lbs

Total     1,280g  2.83 lbs

Speed Average: 38.2 mph

Speeds: 36.5, 38.2, 39.4, 38.7, 37.8, 38.0

__________________________________

Schwalbe 406 Marathon Plus  and  Schwalbe 559 Marathon Plus

35/406 - 560g   1.23 lbs

35/406 - 560g   1.23 lbs

40/559 - 870g   1.90 lbs 

Total    1,990g  4.36 lbs

Speed Average: 36.5 mph

Speeds: 37.1, 35.8, 36.8, 36.5, 37.8

___________________________________

Schwalbe 406 Marathon Green Guard  and  Schwalbe 559 Big Ben (added December 2021)

40/406 - 530g   1.16 lbs

40/406 - 530g   1.16 lbs

55/559 - 760g   1.68 lbs  (Race Guard)

Total    1,820g  4.00lbs

Speed Average: 35.5 mph

Speeds: 35.7, 35.3, 34.9, 36.0, 35.5, 35.3

___________________________________

Schwalbe 406 Marathon Green Guard  and  Schwalbe 559 Marathon Green Guard 

40/406 - 530g   1.16 lbs

40/406 - 530g   1.16 lbs

47/559 - 875g   1.93 lbs

Total    1,935g  4.25lbs

Speed Average: 35.3 mph (Only one ride so far) 

Speeds: 35.3

___________________________________

Di2 and Shifter Switch

After wearing out two SW-E6000 switches used for shifting my Shimano Di2 rear derailleur I decided to dump the Di2 and go back to a cable. I have barely 6,000 miles on my ICE Sprint FS E8000. There are other reasons for getting rid of the Di2 but the switch problem was the final motivating factor in making the change. The switch used for shifting gets a lot of use.

Rather than trying to figure out how to mount other types of Shimano switches I instead removed the Shimano  XT Di2 derailleur and went back to a cable actuated derailleur connected to an indexed bar end shifter.

Once again I'm enjoying the tactile experience of shifting with a cable. The Di2 is a push of a button and cluck the chain moves to another cog at a predetermined speed. The speed of the shift can be adjusted but not while riding. I like to be able to subtlety adjust the speed of a shift depending on how I'm riding. 

It's hard to avoid a loud sloppy gear change while the E8000 is in the Boost mode. The Boost mode puts a lot of pressure on the chain while climbing and you need to be really focused on pedal pressure and the timing of the gear change to avoid the awful gear crunching sound. It's difficult to truly know how much pressure you're putting on the chain while shifting in the Boost mode making it hard to "feel" the gear change using the Di2. The bar end shifter and cable allows me to adjust the timing of the shift more precisely.

Also there is peace of mind knowing that I can still shift gears if there is a complete failure of the electronics on the E8000. In addition if a cable breaks I can easily replace it while on the road. If the Di2 wire fails I'm out of luck.

It seems to me that the Di2 system works best on a bike or trike without an electric pedal assist.

SW-E6000 Switch used by ICE for the E8000 assist and for the Di2 rear derailleur.

BEFORE

Top switch used to adjust boost level,
lower switch used to change gears.

 

The before view looking into the cockpit.

Shimano Di2 XT Long Cage

AFTER

Only the boost switch now.

New view into the cockpit. Boost switch on right and a MicroShift indexed bar end shifter on the left handlebar. I prefer a Sram bar end shifter but I've only seen them sold as a pair for rear and front derailleurs. But MicroShift as upped there game since the last time I used one of their indexed bar end shifters so I'm happy with it.

New Shimano XT Long Cage cable version.