Finding Shade

The marine layer gave way to some warm temps and humanity. 

Oak Canyon Community Park duck pond. Oak Park

Catrike 700 "Red" For Sale

As of 6/24 - For Sale at Bent Up Cycles in Burbank, CA. Restored to factory specs with following upgrades.
FSA Carbon Fiber Triple Road Crankset. 172.5mm length cranks. 52/39/30
Sram X9 - 10 speed rear derailleur.
Shimano Ultregra front Derailleur
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Original information posted below. Now outdated.

I've come to the realization that I only need one Catrike 700.  So here's my Red Catrike 700, bought new July 2014 with the redesigned Catrike spindles. It has only 220 miles logged. It is set up for comfort and durability with Schwable Tryker tires (or 35/406 Kojaks) in front and a Mavic 36 hole rim and a Schwalbe Marathon Plus 37/622 tire in the rear.


No shipping. Local pickup only, Agoura Hills, CA  (Between Los Angeles and Ventura).

Includes:
FSA Carbon Fiber Triple Road Crankset. 172.5mm length cranks. 52/39/30
Sram X9 - 10 speed rear derailleur.
Shimano Ultregra front Derailleur
Dual mirror mounts
Purple Sky Flag
And whatever you see in the pictures

Custom rear wheelset;
Rim - Mavic A719, 36 hole
Hub - Shimano Ultegra
Cassette - Sram PG1070 10 speed 11/36
Tire -Schwalbe Marathon Plus 37/622

 Top chain removed. I have top tube and hardware if you want to replace it.

Leave a comment if you're interested or see the Bent Rider classified add.

Day Touring

It's been my desire for some time now to do a bit of touring on the ole trike. BUT...the one thing that is holding me back is I love hanging with family. Over the last few years I've made it a point that any vacations we take include throwing my trike on top of the car (or in the car) so I can take a ride during the day. When I'm done riding I'm back with my favorite people.  

I've come to recognize that I get the best of both worlds by being able to ride new roads and trails and at the end of day be with my wife and kids while on vacation. Now with Byron living away and attending college and Leili studying ballet with various ballet companies it's pretty much down to taking trips with my best bud, my wife Carrie.

As I dive deeper into retirement I'm starting to plan more "Day Tripping" vacations. A "Day Trip" vacation is simply driving to places that I want to explore on my trike and is also fun for Carrie (who prefers to explore on two feet). And maybe an occasional meet up with one or both of the kids.

Light duty to heavy duty in under 7 minutes and back again in less then 5 minutes.

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Sept. 2012

Riding the Central Coast on my old Expedition. A perfect day of riding that ends with a perfect day of swimming with the kids and shared beers with Carrie.

Sept. 2012

The old Expedition loaded on the car and ready to take off.

April 2013

Making good use of the 700 when the ride is over for the day.

Shimano PD-6800 Ultegra Pedals

I've been using Crank Bros Eggbeater pedals since I started triking back in 2009. They're considered a MTB pedal but suit recumbent riding. After getting my new hips in late 2013 I've been steadily increasing my strength and riding faster. I've become uncomfortable with the excess float (ability to move foot from side to side while clipped in the pedal) of the Eggbeaters. During fast descents on rough roads my feet will bounce around and sometimes my ankle will hit the crank. The Q factor (see Sheldon Brown Glossary for Q factor) on my crankset is 157mm which brings my feet close to the crank. Generally speaking, when clipped in, my feet feel a little to loose for comfort. In addition I fear that if my feet get bounced around enough they may become unclipped at high speed. I live in a hilly area where the roads are wide and invite you to keep your hands off the brakes. I routinely get into the high 30mph range and often into the high 40mph range. Occasionally I'll take a route that gets me up to 50mph and I don't want my feet bouncing around in the pedals.

Recently I replaced the Eggbeaters with Shimano PD-6800 Ultegra pedals. Through choice of cleats the float can be adjusted from 6 degree float to 0 degree float. The spring tension on the pedals can be adjusted making it harder or easier to unclip from the pedals. Being a triker and having no need to unclip at stops I can adjust the tension to keep my feet solidly in place.

The cleats come in a yellow coded version with 6 degree float and red with 0 degree float. The color sections on the cleat not only indicate the degree of float but also serve as walking platforms when off the trike. 

With the change in pedals I had to purchase new road shoes to accommodate these road specific  pedals. Luckily Bontrager makes a road version of the RL MTB shoe I was using, the RL Road.  Bontrager is the most comfortable cycling shoe I have ever worn and I managed to find last year's model (with the silver ratchet lever) in my size at a reduced price.

I'm enjoying the Shimano PDs. My feet truly feel like a part of my trike now. No more bouncing feet on rough roads. Right now I'm using the Yellow 6 degree float cleats. The 6 degree limit on float protects my feet from banging the crank. I may try the 0 degree float cleats later on. Note; If you're using a Schlumpf crank you probably won't be able to hit the shift button with these pedals.

Shimano PD-6800 Ultegra 

Yellow 6 degree float cleat. The Shimano cleat has a wide platform. The yellow tabs on the side of the cleat serve only to add more stability when walking. Thus the reason I choice Shimano over similar pedals from other manufacturers. With the added Kool Kover (picture below) walking is reasonably comfortable.

Kool Kover cleat cover. Prevents cleat wear from walking. Also more stable non-slip platform when walking.

Bontrager RL Road shoe with cleat.

Red 0% float cleat. Note the larger rounded area on top of the cleat compared to the yellow cleat. This is what keeps the float down to 0 degree.

My old  Eggbeater pedal. A good pedal but not right for the way I ride.

Throwback Thursday - Trying Out Two Wheels.

Back in July of 2010 I bought a Bacchetta. Didn't last long. I love trike'n.

Pic of the Day - Catrike 700 "Black"

Just another nice Sunday ride with a little climbing thrown in.

Catrike 700.
The black container in the boom water bottle holder is where I store  my nutrition needs like energy bars. I find that 200 to 300 calories an hour seems to get me through a 3 hour ride. Longer rides require a little extra planning. I take hydration and food seriously. I paid the price more then once for screwing up my calorie and water intake.

Schwalbe One 28/622

Now that I have the Kojak/DT Swiss XR331 wheelset ready to go on my Catrike 700 "Black" when riding rough roads, I decided to try a new tire with the American Classic Aero wheel for the tame roads.

I swapped out the Schwalbe 23/622 Ultremo with a Schwalbe One 28/622 on the light Aero wheel. The trend towards wider racing tires convinced me to give the 28mm tire a try. It seems that larger is not necessarily slower. In racing it's now felt that a 25mm is the fastest tire for both racing and time trials.

The 28/622 Schwalbe One is more comfortable then the old 23/622 Ultremo without any noticeable loss in speed. It also holds a straighter line with less rear end shimmy when riding fast on not so smooth roads.  

Having the 28/622 on the Aero opens up more riding situations where I'll want to use it.

As for speed...there is a downhill run close to my home that is nearly a mile long with smooth pavement. I use it to judge speed. At 35 mph I stop spinning and let gravity take over. The front tires are Schwalbe 23/406 Ultremos. This year I have used three different tires on the rear and two different rims and hubs..

Here are the best max speeds for each tire and wheel;

50.0 mph - 23/622 Schwalbe Ultremo with American Classic rim and hub.
50.2 mph - 28/622 Schwalbe One with American Classic rim and hub.
47.2 mph - 35/622 Schwalbe Kojak with DT Swiss rim and hub.

The only way to go a little faster (without a fairing) would be to ditch the baggy wind catching shorts and slip on some Lycra. I'll try it one day.

23/622 Schwalbe Ultremo with American Classic Aero

28/622 Schwalbe One with American Classic Aero

35/622 Kojak with DT Swiss