Two Reasons I Ride a Recumbent Trike

Two of many reasons...

REASON NUMBER 1

It's just  a lot of fun.  Many humans ignore the fun factor in order to live up to the expectation of others who want you to be "normal". Especially now with the explosion in bike sales due to the pandemic I see many riders, young and and older, who simply do not seem comfortable riding their new steed.

If I were younger and armed with the knowledge and legs (and $$) I would care less about the expectations of others and I be riding the roads on a VTX or Catrike 700 (depending on budget). But I see the day coming when recumbents are more common place.

REASON NUMBER 2

Round two...left wrist CT release. 

Physical setbacks haven't slowed me down. Well...maybe sometimes but in comparison to a traditional diamond frame there is very little to stop me on a recumbent trike. Much of my post op physical therapy and mental therapy was done riding a trike.

My Repair List 

Knee right arthroscopic 

Knee right arthroscopic

2008 Shoulder right rotator cuff repair

2009 Back L4, L5 - Foraminotomy

2009 Back T5,T6 - Foraminotomy

2011 Heart 2 stents LAD

2012 Hip left arthroscopic

2012 Hip right arthroscopic 

2013 Hip right replaced

2013 Hip left replaced

2020 Back  L1 to L5 and S1 - Foraminotomy, partial  

         laminectomy, Discectomy, Coflex clip L4,L5.

2020 Wrist right - carpal tunnel release

2020 Wrist left - carpel tunnel release

I waited until I went I  Medicare in 2019 for the 2020 surgeries. Co-Pays and deductibles were killing me. 

No more surgeries on my 'To Do" list!! 

Instagram Post

 

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Clear sky again

Marathon Plus or Not

First a summary of my opinion regarding the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires...heavy, hard and slow. It's worth it to me to have an extra flat or two by using other lighter and more supple tires.

Now that I have an e-trike I've been using Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. At least up until now but no longer. Yes I've had fewer flats but I've still had flats. Two flats so far. Both punctures towards the sidewall where there is less protection. Fewer flats is nice but repairing a flat while on the road can be tough. These brutes are NOT supple by any means. The front tire requires three tire levers to coax it off the rim and back on. The rear tire requires two levers. After the second flat I went back to using lighter and faster tires from my pre e-trike days. 

           Schwalbe Marathon Plus 35/406 (20"x 1.35")

          Schwalbe Marathon Plus 40/559 (26"x 1.5")

I'm now using folding 35/406 Schwalbe Kojaks up front and a folding 42/559 Schwalbe Marathon Supreme on the back (I wish Schwalbe still made the 406 Supreme again). The Kojaks are fine for now but I want to find a 406 tire that is more puncture resistant but not to heavy and easy to remove from the rim when I get a flat while on the road. (As of Sept 3rd I now have a pair Continental Contact E25 37/406 on the front and I'll see how that works out. Although they do seem a little slower then the Kojaks but still faster than the Pluses. But they have a better puncture rating than the Kojaks.)

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 42/559 (26"x 1.60")

Schwalbe Kojak 35/406 (20"x 1.35")

Regardless of which tires I use, when possible I like skinner tires on the front for handling and a little wider tire on the rear because of the extra weight on the rear tire and for comfort. I've also found that with the wider tire on the back that the rear is more stable in tight turns. 

I have found that the only benefit using the Plus tires is fewer flats. Fewer flats not "no" flats. Right now I'm of the opinion that fixing an extra flat or two is better than having to be pedaling with all the extra rolling weight of the Plus tires. The total weight of the Plus tires is 1,990g (4.36lbs) vs 900g (1.99lbs) for the lighter tire set. Based on my ride log (I've been keeping a log since 2009) my battery range has increased by about 10% while maintaining my average speed of 13.5mph with an average gain of 71 feet per mile. Maximum downhill speeds on a measured downhill run are up by at least 5% amping up the downhill rush. 

Also my current tire choice is more supple than the Plus tires and don't bounce around on a tight fast turn. The rear Plus tire had the bad habit of bouncing around in tight turns forcing me to occasionally counter steer. I tried different tire pressures to no avail. 

Using the lighter/faster tires has added back that extra level of fun. But that doesn't mean I won't put the Plus set up back up if the situation calls for it.

Piriformis Syndrome

WARNING ... Boring medical stuff about Piriformis Syndrome.

I always suspected I had Piriformis Syndrome but held off confirming it until I was on Medicare. I'm now on Medicare and I'm no longer paying $1,200 a month for shitty health insurance with a $7,000 deductible that forced me to think twice about seeing doctors. 

Before dealing with the Piriformis I got my back repaired as to not confuse the symptoms of the Piriformis issue with the back issue The back surgery was done a back in February.

An ultrasound confirmed that my Piriformis is inflamed and there is also a layer of scar tissue on the Piriformis from my hip replacements in 2013. The stiff scar tissue is most likely binding up my Piriformis and not allowing it to smoothly move thus the inflammation. Along with always having some degree of discomfort and sometimes pain (if I twist my leg wrong) it also causes occasional foot numbness as the ultrasound showed the Sciatic nerve to be "entangled" in the mess that is my scarred Piriformis. 

When I ride my scared Piriformis requires that I stretch every 10 to 15 miles during a ride as the Piriformis tightens up with use. I usually feel no pain from the Piriformis while riding but I do feel the onset of numb feet (my form of recumbent foot). The function of the Piriformis is the lateral rotation of the hip joint and other stability functions. Being clipped into pedals helps to stabilize the hip joint while riding. However once off the trike I generally feel some discomfort. Pain on occasion.

I'm moving forward with having the situation reviewed by a doctor to two. The expected game plan is for targeted physical therapy to soften the scar tissue and ease the fascia between muscles to get the area moving smoothly again to hopefully ease the problems associated with the Piriformis. The worse case option would be surgery, if even possible. 

Such a little muscle but it can cause so much pain.

Staying Healthy Takes Work

When I recently went in for my Carpal Tunnel surgery the pre-op nurse asked me a bunch of the usual questions. When she asked if I have had any previous surgeries I started laughing. It hit me at that moment that I have had a bunch of surgeries. And they just keep adding up. Yay for medicare and medicare supplement as of last year. No more $10,000 deductible and co-pays. No more waiting to get my body repaired due to cost or timing a surgery around the start of a new annual deductible. 

I've lived a physical life and leverage and gravity conspire to break down my 6'1" frame. However I am very fortunate that nothing has been life threatening  (except for a little heart attack in 2011). I think of those unfortunate souls who are dealing with serious life threatening and quality of life issue conditions and it helps me put my issues in perspective. I realize that at 66 shit is going to happen and I'm thankful it's shit that I can manage. I may be paying the price for lifting too many stones in my younger days and poor genetics but I wouldn't change anything. Well maybe a better diet in my younger years could have helped me avoid a heart attach. But the plumbing seems to be in good order now.

I hate going to doctor offices but I've learned to accept at 66 years old it's a reality of my life. It plays havoc with my "white coat" hypertension. I keep a record of my "at home" blood pressure readings so I don't have to listen to the high pressure lecture when I visit a doctors office. 

Don't need a fancy gym.

Staying active and maintaining my quality of life doesn't come easy for me. Exercise is a daily routine. I'm not genetically blessed, more like cursed. I work hard at keeping myself moving so I can enjoy life and family. Cycling 200 to 350 miles a month, regular exercise with weights, and a lot of stretching. Old muscles tighten up fast. Also a healthy vegetarian diet (really more like a sushitarian diet, I enjoy Sushi but no other fish). The most I ever weighed was 227 some 30 years ago.  In the last 15 or so years I've kept my weight between 185 and 190.

A life well lived is better than a life long lived.

I have 15 reasons to stay healthy...

9 grandkids,

5 grown kids, 

and waking up next to my beautiful wife every morning.

_________________________________________

Haha...this is what it has come down to, a list of surgeries so I don't have to stress my brain when filling out a new patient form. I'll be adding my left Wrist Carpal Tunnel release to the list in a couple of months. 

Surgeries - Mark Rackow

Knee right arthroscopic 

Knee right arthroscopic...again

2008 Shoulder right rotator cuff repair

2009 Back L4, L5 - Foraminotomy

2009 Back T5, T6 - Foraminotomy

2011 Heart 2 stents LAD

2012 Hip left arthroscopic

2012 Hip right arthroscopic 

2013 Hip left replaced

2013 Hip right replaced

2020 Back  L1 to L5 and S1 - Foraminotomy, partial  

         laminectomy, Discectomy, Coflex clip L4,L5

2020 Wrist right - carpal tunnel release

2020 Wrist left - Carpal tunnel release

Instagram Post

My Instagram 

ONLY ON A RECUMBENT TRIKE...ride 4 days post op after Carpal Tunnel surgery.

Top gray buttons are for the E8000. The lower ones control the Shimano Di2 electronic shifter. The display panel is the Shimano E6100 panel used with the E8000 assist motor.

Lazer Blade Helmet Replaced With Another Blade

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.