ICE Rear Fender - Cut Down

I prefer a short rear fender. Less rattle and easier to maintain. 

The ICE rear fender has eight support struts that makes it easy to cut down without sacrificing rigidity. 

The ICE rear fender as it comes from ICE.

ICE Ergo-Luxe Seat Re-reviewed

Let me start off my saying that my original review from April 16, 2020 was done shortly after my back surgery February 19th. I largely discounted the Ergo Luxe seat due to discomfort around the incision area of my back where I had surgery. I didn't even take the effort to make minor adjustments needed to accommodate the extra thickness of the Ergo-Luxe. BIG mistake! So please let me have a do-over.

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Another update 3/3/21

After developing a tear in the Ergo Luxe seat (go to post) I put the mesh seat back on. For now I'm very happy with the mesh seat and plan on keeping it on the trike. What I like most about the mesh seat is a bit lower center of gravity and the the firmness of the mesh seat when peddling.

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ICE Ergo-Luxe Adventure seat cover on my ICE Sprint

I use an Adventure seat frame on my Sprint. 

The frame of the Adventure seat base is a bit longer and I find it more comfortable.

I'm very VERY happy I did not end up selling the Ergo-Luxe seat cover and waited for my back to toughen up. It has toughened up and now I can say this seat is really comfortable. Like REALLY comfortable.  

After having installed the Ergo-Luxe seat cover on my Sprint seat frame and making minor adjustments to the trike to accommodate the thickness of the Ergo-Luxe I took it for a 20 mile outing. It's clearly the most comfortable seat you'll ever sit in whiling pushing pedals. After a few more rides it's without a doubt going to stay on my ICE Sprint FS E8000. The couple of negatives are outweighed by the positives.

The seat sits a little higher with its extra padding raising the center of gravity a bit but the seat is constructed in a way that makes it much easier to lean into a turn. On the old mesh seat I had to lean forward to clear the seat frame before being able to lean into a turn. Being able to easily lean into a turn by far compensates for the higher center of gravity.

Another issue that gets talked about a lot is heat. Yes my back heats up a little more with the Ergo-Luxe but not nearly enough to be a deal breaker considering everything else that rocks on the Ergo Lux. 

Another issue I brought up in my original review was the extra padding absorbing energy. As I said earlier "I ride a lot of hills and I felt that the Ergo-Luxe was a bit too cushy and absorbing some of my power when pushing pedals going up a hill." I feel now that I may have over thought this issue. With the E8000 and my riding style being being more relaxed nowadays the loss of power is a minor issue. 

In the end the seat is supper comfortable and easy on the old muscles. I'm really enjoying the ICE Ergo-Luxe. And to think I almost let the haze of a recent back surgery cloud my thinking. I have been enlighten.

This is not a seat for someone who wants to ride light and fast. For all others it's an option worth looking at.

The minor adjustments that needed to be made on my Sprint to accommodate the extra padding of the Ergo-Luxe

Ready to Ride

Shimano E8016 630Wh Battery and Mount

Shimano's latest external mount battery is the E8016. A 630Wh battery that offers a substantial jump in range over its next largest battery the E8010 504Wh battery.

Bad news, the E8016 is a large battery that will not work on the older BM-E8010 battery mounts. A new battery mount, the BM-E8016 is required.

Good news, the new BM-E8016 battery mount will accommodate the older E8010 and E8014 battery. So at least you can use your old batteries but you will have to by the new BM-8016 battery mount.

      

The big new E8016 630Wh Battery

The older B8010 504Wh battery (shown with mount)

  

My Correspondence with Shimano

My Question - Can the down tube battery mount for the E8010 be used for the new E8016 battery

Shimano's Answer - Hi Mark. The New BT-E8016, does require a new battery mount BM-E8016, and will not work with the BM-8010 mounts. I hope this information helps. All the best.

My Question - One last question (for now). Will the new BM-E8016 mounts work with the older E8010 battery?

Shimano's Answer - Hi Mark. Yes the BT-E8010 and the BT-E8014 will work on the BM-E8016 mount. All the best.

Bike Lanes Becoming Pedestrian Lanes

Give me a break. In the age of COVID 19 if you gotta give another pedestrian a little space by moving into the bicycle...fine. And there are a lot more pedestrians out. Most pedestrians move back onto the sidewalk or out of the way when a cyclist comes along. But there are the newbie exercise walkers and runners that have discovered the great outdoors thanks to COVID who are clueless and just hold their ground in the bicycle lane, some with strollers, some staring at their phones and some just being whatever, forcing cyclists to move into traffic to get past them. 

I'm happy people are getting outdoors and exercising but use common sense. Especially on a downhill blind curve, what do you expect when I almost plow through you.

It's time that city planners start designing public spaces with pedestrian needs in mind. Token sidewalks just don't cut it anymore.

This pic is on a less traveled road going uphill and in so big deal. But pedestrians

 in the bike lane on busier roads are common.

Puppy and The Ballerina

Who doesn't like puppy pics. My daughter's puppy chill'n on my ICE Sprint FS E8000. 

My daughter is a dancer with the San Fransisco Ballet and while Covid has put everything on hold she came home with her puppy. Lucky me I get to help her raise her pup. Ummm...maybe that's why I'm more tired than usual.

The Puppy

Leili's mini-aussie pup Barley

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The Ballerina

Leili

The Puppy and The Ballerina

Instagram Post

Clean air, quiet streets and humans walking, running and cycling during COVID-19.

My Instagram

Rear Brake Change for Sprint

Update March 2021... After using the  disc brake setup for a parking brake I went back to a v-brake . Due to the flex of the rear wheel in turns the disc brake pads would slightly rub on the rotor while turning. I don't light rubbing noises, especially so close to my head, annoys the heck out of me. If I were to adjust the disc pads so they wouldn't rub then it would become useless as brake for parking.

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I changed out the rear rim parking brake for a disc brake. 

What I've learned:

1. With a rim brake removing the rear tire from the trike requires an extra step...reaching underneath the trike and releasing the brake cable so the tire can slip past the brake shoes. Doing it with one had   requires a bit of dexterity. Doing it with both hands requires getting down on your ass to reach under the trike or putting the trike on its side. With a disc brake no extra step required.

2. The rim brake doesn't have the same holding power to prevent the trike from moving while trying too dismount on a hill. The disc brake has better holding power.

BB7 

Handlebar mounted brake lever. 

Recumbent Trike Store has a rear disc brake kit so you don't have to accumulate the components.