Screwing Around with Tires

The Pandemic has left me with time to spend to do useless projects. With the tires I have laying around I decided to spend some that time 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. 

The max speed was measured on a 3/4 mile downhill run with a max grade of 8% and no signals with minimal traffic on my ICE Sprint FS E8000 with 90% max pressure in tires. 

Front tires and Back Tire

Schwalbe Marathon Racer and Schwalbe Supreme

40/406 - 340g   0.75 lbs

40/406 - 340g   0.75 lbs

42/599 - 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

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Continental Contact (E25) and Schwalbe 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

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Schwalbe Plus and Schwalbe Plus

35/406 - 560g   1.23 lbs

35/406 - 560g   1.23 lbs

40/599 - 870g   1.90 lbs 

Total    1,990g  4.36 lbs

Speed Average: 36.6 mph

Speeds: 37.1, 35.8, 36.8, 36.5, 37.8

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Now it's time to figure out something else to do with my time besides riding my trike, working on my trike, making stuff, drawing, reading  and watching birds in my garden with my beautiful wife Carrie. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to pack my trike in the car and start traveling again with Carrie, go out to dinner, visit family and friends and whatever.

Helmets - Virginia Tech Helmet Lab

REPOSTING MY HELMET POST FROM JULY OF THIS YEAR.  Adventure Cycling profiled Virginia Tech Helmet Lab in the Dec 2020/Jan 2021 issue of Adventure Cyclist Magazine. So I thought this would be a good time to repost.

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Why replace a Laser Blade helmet with a Laser Blade helmet? I've had my old one for five years and my research tells me a helmet should be replaced every five years (some say every three years). You know...degradation of the materials over time.

Why the Laser Blade?

1. The Lazer Blade withs MIPS has a Five Star rating from Virginia Tech Helmet Lab.  (update 11/20/20, Adventure Cyclist profiled Virginia Tech Helmet Lab in the Dec 2020/Jan 2021 issue of Adventure Cyclist Magazine.)

2. It fits me well. It comes in sizes from XS up to XL. The Large fits my big head.

3. The retention system is adjusted from the top of the helmet. For recumbent riders this means no knobs and plastic between you and the headrest (if you use a headrest).

4. The back of the helmet is rounded. No point on the back to interfere with a bike rack or the tire when really laid back.

5. Now it comes with the MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System). Extra protection for rotational impact.

The old helmet (red accent) and the new one. 

Inside the old helmet and inside the new helmet with the yellow MIPS insert.

No retention adjustment on the back of the helmet. Instead...

 

..it's on the top.

Rounded in the back.

Trikertude

Trikertude is not backed up by science. Trikertude is not backed up by any facts whatsoever. Just having fun here.

The following is my highly biased take on recumbent triking in a world dominated by motorized transportation and socially acceptable two wheeled human transportation also know as the diamond framed bicycle. 

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Trik-er-tude-wherein the intrepid triker finds enlightenment. To discover enlightenment the triker must first successfully pass through Phase 1 - Fear and Uncertainty followed by Phase 2 - Acceptance and then onto Phase 3 - Trikertude.

Phase 1 - Fear and Uncertainty

Our intrepid newbie triker  has been lurking on the Bent Rider forum for some time now desperately wanting to be active again. Our triker loves the idea of riding a tadpole recumbent trike (or maybe a Delta trike). but is dealing with the fear that overwhelms newbies to the triking world. On the practical side our triker asks, "Is it safe? Can drivers see me? Is it okay to ride in the streets?".  And then there is the social fear that every new triker deals with, the dreaded "everyone one will be staring at me, I'll look like an idiot", kinda fear.

With fear in check (thanks to Bent Rider forum members) our triker now boldly enters a recumbent dealer in (the City of your choice) and marvels at the site of all the recumbent trikes and immediately feels a sense of rightness. After hours (maybe days) of checking out all the shiny new trikes our triker walks out of the recumbent shop and loads the new trike into the awaiting mini-van (or whatever works) and heads home.

It's now time for the first ride. So many decisions. ""Do I ride on the road where every driver will be looking at me and trying to run me over or on the bicycle trail? But the trail has street crossings, what do I do then?" FLAGS AND LIGHTS!! "Yes that's it I'll look like a float in a parade with flags waving and lights flashing". Oh, but now the weird factor just got amped up. What to do? Ah "Grasshopper", every triker must find the path that is right for them. There is no wrong path.

After a few rides our triker is settling into a zone where the desire to ride is overcoming the fear. Our triker is now ready for Phase 2.

Phase 2 - Acceptance

Without wasting time our triker is putting on the miles and the transition into Phase-2 has come quickly. Our triker has moved past  fear and has accepted that drivers are not out to run him or her down. Quite the opposite. Drivers are giving more room to our triker and surprise, surprise, trikers are actually more visible simply because they look "different". Our triker has also accepted that drivers are staring, and some are probably making ignorant comments from within the protection of their tinted high horse powered cocoon. But  to our triker's delight comments made by fellow cyclists and those who travel on foot are generally positive.

Our triker now regularly cruises the roads and trials. With a good understanding of the rules of the road and an appreciation of cycling etiquette our triker has now accepted that he or she is part of the cycling world and expects to be treated as a cyclist.

With complete acceptance our triker has mastered Phase 2 and soon moves on to Phase 3-Trikertude.

Phase 3 - Trikertude

YES...our triker has reached Trikertude and with that enlightenment. Every road and path is open. You have gone beyond the acceptance of yourself as a mere cyclist and now see yourself as a pioneer who has broke free of expectations and social norms. You exude confidence. So many are the cyclists for whom a traditional bicycle no longer suits them. Even though their body cries out for something better and smarter to ride they continue to ride what is expected of them. Others simply give up cycling. 

Trikertude is a state in which a triker has moved beyond the expectations of others and has developed a sense of self worth that acknowledges the right of an individual to enjoy their life in whatever manner they so please as long as their actions don't negatively impact others. To the contrary, Trikertude is further defined as a willingness to help others in a positive way by helping them to discover the joy of life again. 

Get out and ride a Trike!

Instagram Post 11/2

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No picnic this year for us National Park Service Volunteers. Drive by meetup instead. I triked on over to Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa to say hey to NPS regulars and pick up a bag of cool stuff. I started volunteering for the NPS 21 years ago and would never have imagined I would be called off from my duties at Cheeseboro Canyon because of a pandemic. Oh well, keep riding.

Quad Lock Dampener

When taking fast downhill runs I'm starting to wonder how much vibration my phone can handle. I don't want find out so I installed a Quad Lock Dampener. It's designed for the motorcycle mount which I use on my trike. So far it's lived up to the task of making the ride easier on my phone.

Go To Quad Lock Motorcycle Mounts

 

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New Window Decal

Custom decal from Flaming Eyeball Graphics.

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