Direct vs Indirect Steering

Everyone has an opinion and I'm no exception. And here's my opinion on direct steering versus indirect steering.

My take on this subject is influenced by many years of riding Catrikes with direct steering and more recently riding my ICE SprintX FS with indirect steering. With direct steering the handlebars are connected to the headset of each wheel. Steering is a simple right or left movement.  With indirect steering the handlebars are connected to a pivot point at the center of the trike. From there it connects to the wheel via some sort of linkage. Steering is accomplished my pushing and pulling the handlebars.

Direct steering

Indirect steering

Direct steering

Pros

- Good road feel. Especially welcomed at higher speeds.

- Simplicity of design makes maintenance easier. Especially when adjusting toe in.

Cons

- Wheel vibration on rough roads is more pronounced. It's important on rough roads to avoid a "death grip". Relaxed hands and arms is important, especially on rough roads.

Indirect steering

Pros

- Wheel vibration telegraphed through the handlebars is less pronounced. The steering linkage absorbs some of the rough road conditions. Combined with front suspension the rough roads are easily tamed.

- Smooth and easy to turn.

Cons

- Disconnect from feeling the road. I find the lack of road feel to be a bit disconcerting at speeds over 30mph. The steering can feel a little squirrelly at higher speeds. The Sprint has an adjustable steering damper that helps the steering from feeling too loose. I feel I need more time on the fast roads before I get truly accustomed to indirect steering at higher speeds.

- More complex design requiring more skill to maintain. Toe in adjustment is more complicated.

- For weight weenies the extra steering linkage components means a little extra weight.

All things being equal I personally prefer direct steering.  I feel more connected with the road and I prefer the simplicity of design of the direct steering. Whether you go with direct or indirect steering it all comes down to the overall quality of the trike and deciding which features are important to you when choosing a trike.

Ortlieb Bottle (Speaker) Holder

As far as water bottle holders go Ortlieb's add on water bottle holder for Ortlieb panniers seemed a little funky at first. But it works well for bottles and more importantly for my JBL Charge speaker.

The Ortleib water holder mounted on my Ortlieb front rider pannier. 

I like using the small panniers when I ride my ICE Sprint so I can carry more stuff on longer rides.

My JBL Charge in the water bottle holder. 

The water bottle holder consists of three straps that have to be connected at the back of the holder. The JBL Charge usually fits in most frame mounted water bottle holders but it's a little too big for the Ortleib holder. The center strap of the Ortlieb holder is a little tighter then the top and bottom straps. I leave one side of the center strap unconnected to accommodate the speaker. Even without the center strapped connected the speaker remains firmly in place. 

Closeup of the Ortlieb water bottle holder. The center strap on the opposite is left unconnected to allow for the JBL Charge to slip in. When the center strap is connected on both sides it creates a pressure ring that keeps a water bottle from bouncing out.

So Much More to See

Cars, SUVs and buses are passing me by at 55mph and usually more as I ride HWY 1 along the Central Coast. They're headed to their pre-planned tourist destination. Occasionally they'll stop at a point of interest that yells out to them, like the Hearst Zebras that sometimes graze close to HWY 1. As they're whizzing along, the world beyond their steel beast is a blur. "So much to see and so little time to see it" is the mantra of the typical visitor trying to take it all in.  While I'm riding along on my trike it's not uncommon to see visitors park at a turnout, pop out of their car, take a picture and move on to the next picture opportunity. 

Cyclists see the world in slow motion, seeing the details around them. Recumbent cyclists especially have a unique vantage point in the world of cycling. Riding laid back allows a recumbent cyclist to take it all in. And then there's the recumbent trike for those who are in no hurry and want to see it all without the bother of balance or maintaining a minimum speed. And imperfections in the road that may be a hazard for the two wheeled cyclist is just a nuisance for the adventurous triker.

So much more to see on a trike.

This little gem of a cove is only visible to the observant cyclist. It's packed with Elephant Seals this time of year. Cars go speeding by on their way to the official Elephant Seal viewing area another 1/3 of a mile up the coast. There you'll find plenty of other car centric visitors walking the fenced boardwalk that keeps the Elephant Seals safe from the antics of human visitors.

A blubbery mass of Elephant Seals.

Event Rides and Salad

As a vegetarian since 2011, primarily for personal health reasons, I've learned that a vegetarian menu can be just as hearty and varied as a meal that includes meat.  Look no further then Indian food for great vegetarian meals. A vegetarian menu in the United States is considered to be a salad, veggie burger and now oversized mushrooms. 

And then there is the cycling event rides where the end of the ride meal for us non-meat eaters is usually a lettuce salad with a beard roll, usually stale. A sizable portion of the event fee is allocated to the food. Food that doesn't satisfy us vegetarians.  No wonder I avoid signing up for event rides. When I'm done riding I want a real meal so in the past I've brought my own food to an event ride.

Restaurants and events haven't figured how to prepare good non-meat meals. Sometimes it's hard for them to figure out how to put together a decent meal of any kind.

I know event rides have other draws besides food. Charity support and socializing to name a couple. BUT no matter what your food preferences happen be, good food at the end of a ride is right at the top of the list of reasons to do an event ride.

Final musing. Why is it that at a BBQ serving a veggie burger option, they always run out of veggie burgers when there were more then enough veggie patties to feed the herbivores? 

Lighthouse Ride

I joined in with the Lighthouse Century riders just long enough to have my picture taken by the event photographer before I rode off on my own. 

The Piedras Blancas Lighthouse is waaaay off in the distance. 

October On the Central Coast

Escape from reality, riding the Central Coast. 

The 35mm Kojaks are becoming my favorite tire for the varied conditions along Hwy 1.

Looking out to Morro Bay and Morro Rock

Lunch break at Cayucos 
The rock in the middle is my usual place to dine. 

ICE Sprint Mesh Seat Not Comfortable for Me

I like the ICE Sprint 26fs and it's suspension system. But I can't get totally comfortable with the seat.
After putting a lot of thought and time into figuring out which trike would fit my needs on California's Central Coast (700 v Sprint26fs v Expedition), the seat on the trike I thought would work best the ICE Sprint 26fs is turning out to be my nemesis. After a bad experience with the carbon fiber seat I was convincing myself that the Sprint mesh seat was comfortable for me.

My hip replacements left me with temperamental pirifomis muscles.  They tend to get sore easily and I need a seat that doesn't put pressure on that muscle group. My Catrike 700 and my old Catrike Expedition are very comfortable seats. The mesh seat on the Sprint has it's good days and it's bad days. The design of the Sprint seat puts pressure right where I don't want it. I feel a slight discomfort but a slight discomfort adds up after a couple hours of riding. I so much wanted the Sprint to work for me I overlooked the occasional uncomfortable rides. Those noticeably uncomfortable rides were when I road a little harder. I never had that issue on my 700 or my old Expedition.

I'll probably have to sell the Sprint and maybe I'll add the unsuspended Catrike Expedition to my stable for those days when I feel like a relaxed cruise around the Central Coast. I can use larger volume tires on an Expedition as a compromise to a suspended trike. Going back to having an Expedition keeping my 700 company in the garage is not at all a bad option.

Before making a final decision I contacted ICE to inquire about using the ICE Adventure mesh seat with it's longer seat base. Maybe that might work. Maybe?

On 9/26/17 ICE responded and said they could fit the ICE Adventure seat with it's longer seat base on the Sprint but the end of the seat might hit the back of my thighs when pedaling. I don't feel it would be a problem but I don't want to put anymore money into the Sprint to find out. 

On 5/13/19 I picked up my new ICE Sprint FS E8000 and with the Adventure seat and it's work great.

ICE Sprint 26fs mesh seat
The base of the ICE Sprint mesh seat is short and the curve at the end puts pressure where I don't want it. Contrary to the feeling of sitting at the edge of the seat the design of the seat seems to lock your butt into the seat but my poor old sensitive pirifomis. 

Catrike 700 mesh seat
The seat is longer with no curve at the end.