My Most Recent Ride 2011 (Part IV of the series)

Jon--If you look at the Picture you can see MY arms are bent like its supposed to but Look at my hands there barely on the bars..an inch just may do it. IF you go look at the longer bars let me know how much they actually extend your reach.

 

Ahh!!! The joys of OSS, I really miss having USS. Made handlebar issues a nonissue. But, alas, until I get around to making modifications, my RANS V2, I will continue to have OSS and I will have to deal with similar issues as you have Brian.

With USS it was always so easy, just let your arms relax and the handlebars did the holding. Let's see now, my next perfect recumbent, a Rans V2 with USS!

Curtis

 

Curtis, what happened to your Linear? I must have missed a post or two. I really like the USS on the trike but not on two wheels. On the Streetmachine we have had problems with the handlebars getting bent and it being a big deal to fix.

The first time, my wife took a low speed fall against a tall curb. We had some bars made that didn't work out, so waited 9 months for a bar to be ordered. Shortly after that was mounted by my LBS guy that bar somehow was bent while in the garage.

 

Sunny and 58 degrees.

16.8 miles today
1874.5 miles total
Need 125.5 miles

I can smell 2000 miles even more!!!

 

The Linear is now with Steve, a gentleman who lives in Los Angeles. He was going to put the Linear back to it's original configuration for him to ride. I was forced to give up several bikes in order to get and keep my Rans V2.

The Linear was a great bike, but it was a little heavy. I loved the 3 spd hub in addition to the 3 rings up front and the 7 gear cluster on the rear. With the modifications I made to it, it made a reasonable off road machine, but space and wife considerations meant I had to make sacrifices.

What I'd like is a quick switch set up to go from OSS to USS. Because as I've ridden the V2 on longer rides, I have really started to miss the USS. I guess a bike easily switched between LWB and SWB, with easy changing between OSS and USS would be the perfect bike.

Curtis

 

Good job...maybe you can get in a nice long ride this weekend if the weather holds...

 

Curtis, you might check with Bill and Serenity. The Edge recumbents might be switchable between USS and OSS like some of the Burleys were. I'm not sure how envolved a process.

I fully understand about the bike situation. My wife said the Pursuit had to go it was taking up too much room. So I was a bit surprised when we were offered a pretty blue Catrike 700 in trade that she was ALL for it. Now my Honda Element has to live outside because our two trikes take up its spot in the garage.

 

Ward,

I wish that would work for me. So far, my wife says, there isn't anyway she's going to ride one of those weird looking bikes, and as for DFs, she's in agreement they shouldn't be ridden because the seat hurts!

I'm hoping at some point she'll relent and give a bent a try, of course, she might find she likes it, in which case I will then have another bent in the house, but won't be allowed to ride it because it's her's!

Curtis

 

Managed to get another 104 miles the past 2 maybe 3 days. No ideal how many for the year but 589 since my new cycle computer...Wish i could remember when Mark installed that for me...
Pretty decent weather,a bit hot and humid Thursday and Friday; cooler and quite windy today....

 

Curtis, we have just the bike for you. The Edge Canto is a "convertible" recumbent. The frame has two head tubes. One head tube is set up to receive the wheel like a short wheel base and the distant head tube remains empty, OR you can use the closer head tube as an USS with linkage while the wheel is further from you mounted in the second head tube like a Long Wheel base. With the LWB option your USS is more doable. Nifty little set up. We had to make some via special request for a dealer in South Korea. Apparently the Canto is a "hot" item over there.

 

Another ride yesterday! Just the Extended River loop again for 6 miles. Loke was happy to run it though. In spite of our lack of snow, gravel has been scattered all over the MUPs which significantly raised the roll resistance of the trike.

It was a beautifully clear day, around 42 F which I didn't need my new mask for. The ground and everything was sopping wet from the rain the night before even at 2 pm. I guess the humidity was too high to let the roads dry off. Everyone was out to enjoy the weather I think. Joggers, walkers and of course cyclists. Oh! And a kayaker on the river again! Two rides, two kayakers or the same one twice. Not sure which. At one point we played bike leap Frog with a rider and his Italian water dog.

I would have ridden farther, but I felt stressed for time with sunset around 3:10 pm. I really should get some lights mounted. Another month or so will see the days getting longer again.

I took a quick look at the year's total. 610 miles. Loke's run all of those with me except maybe 10 or 15 of those. I think that's his best yet! It's definitely better than last year for us both. Of course, it's a bit aggravating to know that given how it was just too hot for me to ride from about mid-May to September and I still skunked last year's total.

Terii

 

Did an easy 19 miles Friday with the Retired riders

Today I wanted to hit a hard climb and see how this bike and gearing do. Fetzers gap is a climb about 2 miles from my house so I tool off with a nice strong headwind in my face to try this climb. I have yet to use my small 30 chain ring on any ride I have been on. I wasn't even going to think twice about going small on this one. I almost pulled over two or three time creeping along at 3 mph at a few points. This bike is easier, yet harder two climb with. I had a 22 on my V-Rex and I could climb anything. I figure if I can climb this thing with a 30 I can climb anything but a 26 would be sooooooo much easier.

33.5 miles
13.2 average
3365 climbing

http://app.strava.com/rides/2394178

I am still a little shaky on descents. I need to lean more or turn more into corners? I am not sued to entering a corner at 30 mph, So i hit the brakes before each turn. Another thousand miles and I will feel comfy..lol

 

This is winter right???

Temp 74 degrees out.

Had to put on my SUMMER riding jersey and shorts. Dug out my riding sandals too. I had washed and packed them away for Spring. Guess what. Spring is back (at least for 2 days anyway.)

We have had a lot of rain. (Over 1 inch yesterday.) Today warm and very breezy. By noon the SUN even came out and the streets were mostly dry. So off I went in pursuit of my 2,000 mile all time record.

Today rode 19 miles. Caught 3 rabbits (it was easy because the headwind hit them a lot harder than me) and finished before the next wave of rain clouds came in.

Total miles this year 1,894. Have a little over 100 miles to go. I can do this!!!! Even with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up!!!

Stay tuned....

 

That is right! Yeah Jon, you go! Keep it up...before you know it you will be and 'cause you've met your goal.

 

Brian,

It won't be long before the downhills will be your favorite part of the ride. Once I got used to my Jetsteam (SWB w/USS) I was very comfortable at speed. One of my favorite rides I did with it was a 25 mile loop in Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks. It was really neat to see the GPS showing me at 43 MPH for quite a few miles. Of course, it also meant there was a lot of uphill which were buggers because a Jetstream is heavy. Also, since my wife was driving our truck, trying to keep track of me and being a support vehicle, she didn't appreciate me running away from her on the last 6 miles of the ride, but it felt really good to be fast!!!

Curtis