Tricycling

Tricycling? Yes? Do you want me to begin from the beginning? Or, click right down to the Suntrike
Or the Updates:

The beginning? The beginning I guess was Dad teaching me to balance on a two-wheeler, on the lawn.
One speed until age of 12, then Raleigh 3-speed as birthday gift.
Got around on roads of NH ok, Challanged the hills and they challanged right back. Had plenty
of chance to learn about impacting the ground without breaking anything. Then:

College town, Boston. Wanted to keep up, Italian, 10-speed Chiorda. That got me out of town ok.
Skip ahead two years, going back to work after lunch, on Commonwealth Ave. Some yo-yo jumped a
red light. Knocked me and the Chiorda tumbling aross Comm Ave at lunchtime. Wheeee!
I wasn't hurt. Chiorda was a smash. Cops called, yo-yo filed accident report.
His insurance settled me out for $50, I didn't have a lawyer. I needed a bicycle.

Went French this time, Peugeot, 10 speeds. Now, this was my main bike.
I rode that Pug all over. Trucked it out west and rode around in Colorodo. Mountains don't give up.
Trucked it back to NY, Introduced Pug to roads I'd known with Raleigh. Then, Litchfield!
There exists no road in Litchfield that Pug and I have not rode down, or up, or both, repeatedly.
Years add up. At about 20 yoa Pug just got too old.

Replaced with Trek, road bike, 12-speed.
Skishark is starting to slow down too a little bit. Remember, thinking,
" My knees can't take this hill like they used to." Then, head trauma.

Didn't quite have enough left of my balance sense to, , well, deal. with a 2-wheeler successfully.
But I really missed my cycling. I needed my cycling for aerobics. After breaking both legs,
I needed it for muscular therapy as well.Thought,"What about tricycle?"

Local shop had a 3-speed, a good trike for an old man in Florida, but not for my hills.
To get more I had to get out of town. Did so. The Sun Trike has a recumbent posture and 24 speeds.

Sun Bicycles EZ-3 AX Trike

a recumbent delta. Well,


Now that took a bit of getting used to, being so dependent on yaw of road for my balance.
Not all roads are created level y'know. Got disk brakes on back. Can turn around in my own length!
Bought mirror, helmet, and waterbottle. Made my own saddlebag.

Now working on getting my bike legs back. Starting with training loops. Got some fine training hills
close to hand up here in Litchfield. My first loop is quarter mile up the hill from driveway
Next driveway UP, abandoned farm, is where I turn. Then WHEEEE!!

It has a lot in common with skiing around here on these hills. You give it your all to climb
As fast as you can. Get to the top. Turn and catch breath, then a wild downhill ride.
You hope you don't lose control.

I got another loop, starts about quarter mile from here, then is almost one mile around,
gently DOWNHILL !! Both ways, until just before the turnaround.
Figure be good for practicing in my higher gears.

At the end of that loop is the hill that inspired me, my knees wouldn't bicycle anymore.
But? No Problem. I can push as hard as I can from that recumbent posture and my knees like it fine.
Very theraputic, cycling on my Suntrike eases my back spasm more the harder I push.



Here's the UPDATE:
Last summer I was getting discouraged. It seems I couldn't get into a low enough gear for the local
hills, and the higher gears propeled me too fast for the lumpy roads here. I was looking for some
different sprockets. Local bike shop fixed me up with a new front crank set. Instead of 30-42-52,
Now I'm working with 24-34-44. The longer throw on the cranks gives better leverage too,
even though it slows my beat a bit. That gives me the power I need for these hills.
It's easier to shift between those smaller sprockets as well.
I'm taking longer rides, going faster now that I can use the biggest sprocket.
Did that one mile loop in four minutes. Can't go that pace for any distance. I have a loop, five and
a half miles from my driveway to my driveway. Takes me 50 minutes. First half is 2.1 miles,
second is 3.4, owing to change of terrain. have not timed it the other way yet, beyond being an hour
for the whole loop. I have ambitious plans for longer rides yet. Now I need GPS.

Here's the 2nd UPDATE: (overdue ? )
Rode Suntrike to vote in November, pollworkers said that was a first. 'Bout 10 miles round trip.
Those who love me gifted me with GPS last Christmas. Now I can know my speed and distance,
and exactly where I am. It's a training aid, does NOT give directions. Compass is good, I need my own
map. It gives elevations as I go along and tries to calculate grade I'm going.
It fails at that if grade is much over 20%. Now, I can bore folks with very precise statistics.

My rides ARE geting longer this season, my average speed seems to usually be around 8 mph.
I'll take 2 hours if I get a chance. Weather, and other things I must do means I don't get out as much.
I have learned leaning out on curves makes cornering easier. Anything over 20 mph gives me
a ballistic feeling. I'll go super tense unless I consciously tell myself to relax.
At about 25 mph I can't pedal fast enough, even in highest gear, I just go ballistic.

My legs ARE getting stronger, hills don't hurt like last year, using higher gears on my training loops.
Now I've worn out a set of tires, wore them bald, never did that cycling.
Now I ride on micro-knobby tires, better traction.
Brakes too. I got new pads for the disk brakes on my 2 rear wheels.
Think I'll go for a ride.