Big silly daft gormless idiotic lunatic grin.....

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Big silly daft gormless idiotic lunatic grin.....

That was what I was wearing today on my first real ride on the catrike. Took it out to Derwent Valley, only a 12 mile or so ride, but at the start I was wobbling around and sweating up tiny slopes, by the end I had learned how downhill is fun, how judicious application of the brakes can induce a fun slide to the rear wheel, how although it's a "trail" model, trying to talk whilst on a trail is difficult with the forcibly-induced vibrato, and by the end I was beginning to push back in the seat and attack upward slopes (albeit small ones)

It was also fun watching my MTB-riding mate shrink to a tiny dot in the mirror on dh/flat

Today I decided I made the right decision - and I know it's a big toy from the way all adults were viewing me with suspicion but all the kids out for a bank holiday ride were "whoooah...cool...etc" but I don't care because obviously I am just a big kid - and why not?

Can't wait go go out on it again

Tomorrow is a big day though...tonight I attached my magicshine and an airzound - I figure in traffic an audible warning is essential - and rigged up a mount for the mule trailer as I have a load of parcels to drop off at the courier on the way to work tomorrow - I chickened out of riding it in traffic on sat, so tomorrow is all-out gung-ho with the trike and trailer into town - figure best do it now whilst it's still lighter traffic for the last week of school holidays, to give me chance to ease into it

If I can use the trike for daily commuting, that gives me time to order forks for the explorer and have the frame powder coated and rebuild that, and then return my MTB frame that is currently the base for an MTB/tourer/road hybrid complete b*****d of a bitsa to offroad spec again

Then buy a road bike...or probably make a custom one on a carbon frameset, just because I've always wanted to spec and build my own

But for all-out fun...the trike has it..I need to get my bent legs fast though as I plan to take it camping in Derbyshire next weekend - only for one night as an old friend is having his wedding and reception in Shatton, with a long party till midnight in a barn/field and then camping out...and that may be a bugger of a ride there whilst not used to it, and even more of a bugger of a ride back up surprise view whilst hungover and not used to a 'bent - but there's only one way to get used to it......

Now, if I get straight back form work, I can take the trike down some more swooping hills with no kids in the way tomorrow night.........

 

[3tyretrackterry]

well done glad you made the call and it seems to have paid off, riding in traffic is easy and relativly stress free just hold your position and cars will on the whole give you room and respect

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Well, I survived the trip to work

Fully rigged up for load lugging now

 

[sunnyjim]

Big silly daft gormless idiotic lunatic grin.....


Classic symptoms. Don't forget to tell us the first time you roll it - probably about 2 weeks from now..

 

[coffeejo]

Huzzah! One of the guys was out yesterday in his recumbent. If there's a lottery win in my future, then one is second on my n+1 list.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Big silly daft gormless idiotic lunatic grin.....

Classic symptoms. Don't forget to tell us the first time you roll it - probably about 2 weeks from now..

Probably - it will undoubtedly be a comedy moment exaggerated by the positioning of the airzound trigger in such a way that as I lean drastically my backside will shift across and press down on the horn, just to make sure I have everyone's undivided attention as I tumble out of the cockpit

Note to self: adjust position of airzound tonight

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I lost my flag already! The pole is there but the flag disappeared.

I now have personalised the trike to suit me - fluttering away now is a beer mat in amber and black (Tiger beer)

My eBaying is starting to take off so the Mule looks like being a permanent addition and looking at rigging up a "top box" for it to increase the load capacity...hopefully having a loaded trailer whilst I acquire my 'bent legs will mean that I really appreciate it when I take the trailer off for fun rides

It's not nearly as scary in traffic as I thought either...if anything it will improve my cycling due to the necessity of reading the road ahead a little more and formulating a "plan" as I ride

Only thing that gets me at the minute is my slowness up hills, which ever way I come back from work have a few hills, one of them is a busy stop-start hill with a cycle lane where I would easily filter on an upright but don't fancy doing so on the trike, I can take a detour

Did my first "medium" hill today - one that I would ride up on the tourer in bottom gear, middle ring - I plodded up in absolute bottom on granny and did pull in at one point for following cars to pass, but if I keep at it.....

Going that way I can go through the university grounds and there's a flight of stairs that I think might be fun when (a) I don't have the trailer and (b) I get the bottle to try it

Downside: I thought my shoulder was just about better from my crash back in March - I certainly didn't think that a 'bent would aggravate it - maybe I'm gripping bars too hard - but I am getting an ache in my right shoulder again since getting the trike

That worries me as I thought my shoulder was more or less healed

 

[ufkacbln]

Commuting on a Catrike is definitely possible.

I commuted on an Expedition in all weathers for three years and have had no problems even in the snow!

 

[byegad]

Relax from the waist up. A light grip is all you should need at speed. The direct steer needs a bit more muscle at low speed than an indirect and the side to side movement is one I'm learning having just got my new Trail as both the other trikes are 'forward and back' indirect steering. That said it's not a big muscle thing even at walking pace.
Your climbing legs will come, it took me around 800-1000 miles to get my recumbent legs and I don;t break any records even now after well over 10000 miles on bents. There again I didn't roar up hills on a DF either.

 

[markg0vbr]

if you have a bit sticking out at the bottom of the handle bars put a bit of foam on it and rest your hands there, this stops the death grip on the handles, as pulling on them going up hill dose you no good
i have a lot of miles in on a bent and still don't climb as fast as i did on a df but then again i dont get the tunnel vision and light headed feeling from near oxygen starvation like i used to i spin up now and feel a lot better for it.

as you are not scrunched up you will notice your breathing is better and recovering after a burst of speed quicker

 

[Tigerbiten]

Try just holding each bar with just one finger.
This will help you to get used to a light grip, which is all thats needed.

I'm another one who uses a trike-trailer combo.
I think its better for every day use as the extra lenght/width at the back helps/makes drivers give you more room.
Plus it stops them sitting on your back wheel which is only inches from your head.

I'm another one who climbs hills slowly.
For example it took me 2.5 hours to climb Bealach na Bà on my last tour.
So you do need a different mind set on a recumbent trike vs an upwrong when hill climbing.
The fun bit is coming down the other side, thats where you make up time.

Luck ............

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Big day tomorrow

Long slog out and uphill from the city centre to fox house then a long dh (but a careful one, will have a trailer with tent, sleeping bag(s) and other camping gear)

The other person going camping is going to be on a motorised lambretta with just a small daysac whilst I lug all the gear in the mule...but then there is by far a greater chance of the lambretta breaking down and never making it

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Did it without the trailer....

Now home again after an early rise and eating a well deserved veggie hot dog for breakfast(!)

And yes, I did pass my mate stopped roadside looking at things on his scooter that weren't doing quite what they were supposed to

Nobody warned me about how wild it gets hurtling downhill with a load when you hit even a small bump round a bend

Good fun indeed and I think I already have the philosophy - "How long did it take you" - I don't know (and don't care)

A friend's 12yo kid spent most of last night hurtling around the campsite/field on it with my sleeping bag as a booster cushion to reach the pedals..I think I know what mummy and daddy are going to be pestered for come christmas

 

[Tigerbiten]

Did it without the trailer....

Nobody warned me about how wild it gets hurtling downhill with a load when you hit even a small bump round a bend

Good fun indeed and I think I already have the philosophy - "How long did it take you" - I don't know (and don't care)

I think you'll find silly speed decents easier with the trailer.

With all the gear on the back rack, it moves your CoG up and back.
This will make the trike more tippy at speed around bends.
But it will help hill climbing as there's more weight on the back wheel.

With a trailer on, there is no change in the CoG.
So the trike feels/reacts the same as if its unladen.
Just hill climbing is a little slower due to the extra weight of the trailer

Plus it only gets real fun when you start flat spotting the inside front wheel under brakes because there is so little weight on it.
But I really need to be going +25mph to do that on a corner ...........

 

[markg0vbr]

split the load between the rack and bags slung at the side of your seat, avoid putting heavy gear on top of the rack, as you do not lean you can attach heavy things like a two man tent to the bottom of your panniers.
with a full load my trike becomes more stable at speed, i have only ever lifted a wheel once when fully loaded, when i swerved around a car reversing in to the main road with out looking, i was doing 45mph at the time, i am positive unloaded i would have flipt her over.
unloaded even on a wide trike i have to do some radical out rigging when riding around castleton/ ladybower mamtor, braking would be so wrong on that hill.