Chain Slap Protector

Going tubeless on the chain means occasional chain slap. I have a small piece of rubberized stair tread material that has been protecting the front wheel strut on my 700. It has worked well but is looking dingy. Time to upgrade.

Lizard Skins Tube Protector

Done

ARION 1 T-Shirt

University of Liverpool Velocipede Team raised money for their attempt to break the WHPSC (World Human Powered Speed Challenge) record at Battle Mountain in September 2015 by selling t-shirts. 

ULVT website

ULVT ARION 1 Facebook

Oh yeah...looking good in my ARION 1 T-Shirt.

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 - In the Hills

Opted for the DT Swiss/Kojak wheelset for a softer ride today in the hills.The ride was spent meandering through neighborhoods an avoiding the load main roads.

Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail

Here's a good reason why I'll be selling one of my Catrike 700s. Although I set up my Red Catrike 700 for cruising and touring it still can't get me off the pavement. So what happens after I sell Red? I'll be looking at fully suspended trikes that can comfortably handle gravel and dirt trails. My doing so I'll have the best of both worlds. My fast 700 for paved streets and hopefully soon a suspended trike that will take me off the road and to places like the Bizz Johnson trail.

Water Bottles Left at Home...and it's Hot

What to do when you discover that you left your water bottles at home on a hot day? Call for backup. Carrie delivers my water bottles. Excellent service...thanks babe.

Sunscreen

Two things are certain for me (other then death and taxes), I will wake up sore and stiff every morning and my bulbous nose will begin to fry within minutes without sunscreen. I am cursed, like so many others of European ancestry, with white skin that does not like being in the sun. Non-the-less I like being in the sun and therefore I must rely on a good sunscreen that will protect my poor fragile epidermis without killing me with toxic ingredients.

I have used many sunscreens over the years in an effort not to be lectured by my skin doctor on the dangers of being in the sun unprotected. For many years now I have used products with Zinc Oxide. Todays non-nano Zinc Oxide goes on thick but rubs in well with minimal "whiteface".

Of all the Zinc Oxide based sunscreens, I've found Badger sunscreens the easiest to use and most effective and it's safe. They're line up of sunscreens don't clump with age.

I use the Skin Deep APP for  ratings on product safety.

One final note. When using Zinc Oxide sunscreens I find buzzing or shaving wherever sunscreen is applied sure makes blending the white goo in easier. When riding an average of, at least, three times a week applying sunscreen can become a bit tedious, so shave them legs, arms and whatever else you like to expose.

Forget the tan, a little "whiteface" is the true sign of an real outdoors person...right???