A year 'Bent

My First Ride on Rover I, Panama City Beach, FL: Dec 29, 2015

It's been almost exactly a year since Rover I arrived in that big box. It has been and continues to be a wonderful adventure. No matter the weather or location, that first roll down the street everyday puts a big, stupid grin on my face. And in spite of my wife's initial insistence, not one close encounter of the auto kind. The twice I did flop it over were minor stupidity and only cost a bit of skin.

Rover I was stolen after a month and about 8-900 km, but after a week of mourning and raging, I ordered Rover II and got on with my life. Never did see hide nor hair of Rover I since, but hope whoever now has it found the 'Bent experience as exciting as I have.

Rover II has been a really great trike. I've tried and will continue to add mods for enhancing the triking ride, but I can't think of one reason to abandon Rover II in favour of another. It has been super reliable and has never left me stranded on the road.

Maintenance and repairs have been minimal, With over 5300 km on the odometer, I have worn out a set of tires (replaced with Big Apples + one rear lug for the snow). I changed the 11T sprocket because I wore it out from continuous use in high gear before I put on the 24" rear wheel. I think the chain has pretty much had it, but has never broken and I have a replacement I will put on when/if I go e-assist. I have a set of replacement brake pads for the Alhonga disks, but last I checked the old ones are still fine and working well. So other than tightening a few nuts, bolts, spokes, and lubing the king pins, etc., All systems are go!

E-assist is still planned.Don't want a hotrod but I need the extra oomph to help me up those really ugly hills and extend my range on the gravel roads. The problem is legislation and availability of a legal, durable, reasonable cost kit. There are several that will do the job, but all have a sticking point someplace in the whole conundrum. Canada has enacted really short-sighted rules specifying '500W Max, stamped and certified by the manufacturer that it cannot be altered': obviously written by a bureaucrat because it cannot be met or enforced. Each prov/ state I may want to visit has another set of rules or none at all. Allowed/dis-allowed on MUPS, bike lanes, roadways, signals... the confusion goes on.

Even in Europe where pedelecs face pretty strict rules for speed and power, 'chipping' kits are now readily available to remove power/speed restrictions from the most popular ebikes. These mods are not externally evident and you can bet they work just fine as the same hardware is available at the higher power in other jurisdictions or for off road use.

In the end I will have to make a decision on my own and pioneer. I think one wags definition of a legal e-bike is one that "you can ride by a cop without getting stopped or ticketed. Stay tuned as I may have to start a 'Go fund me' campaign to raise bail.

So the past year has been a great adventure. Due to being 'Bent I am happy, active, and healthy. The weight and blood sugar is being kept at bay and in spite of my wife's insistence otherwise, the budget is not in bad shape either. Probably have about $2000 spent on this hobby so far... How many rounds of golf or gym memberships is that?

So whether I go zooming by you or the more likely scenario, you go zooming by me, smile and GRIN!

Happy New Year

Today, Dec 28, 2016, Dressed for -8C, Osoyoos, BC

Winter is upon us!

At least the temperature is, if not the calendar.

We are wintering in Osoyoos, BC on the BC/WA border which is at the northern end of the Sonora Desert... the rattlesnakes are in hibernation, but the cactus spines are lying in ambush for bike tires. Up until this morning the only snow in evidence was on the tops of the mountains. All that Pineapple Express moisture that slams into the Pacific Northwest drenching Seattle, Portland and Vancouver gets pretty well sucked dry going over the mountains leaving just the odd drip for the interior here.

 An Arctic Outflow played a really dirty trick on us all this week dropping temps here in Osoyoos to -13C at night and a couple days of stiff winds makes one wonder where the summer zephyrs went. Over the mountains to the coast that cold air went turning things white out there in Lotus Land. Here we got a dusting of about a half inch... one centimetre for the metrically inclined.

The Fountain this morning after three nights at -13

Sun shining through the
 Osoyoos Fountain
 when we arrived Nov 12

But this cold and snow hasn't stopped me so far.... only slowed me down and shortened down my ride segments a bit. My wardrobe  has changed a tad. The long johns are permanent now... three new pair for adequate rotation. Socks, sometimes an extra pair, but not always necessary as the WGX Fairing really protects the legs and feet. I have a set of wind pants but haven't really needed to put them on over my jeans yet. On my upper, I have now two fleece hoodies covered with a good windproof breaker

I am still wearing my bike helmet,(with reason...later) but have it lined with my winter hard hat c/w ear flaps. I pull my inside hood up over my helmet as well to keep the draft off the back of my neck. A pair of hd long cuff mitts completes the attire Think I may add a face/neck muffler as my wife demands her wool scarf be returned. The only place I was feeling any cold was on my back and where the metal seat supports were pressing against me. A piece of 2 inch foam 24 x36 " laid on the seat held by a strap wrapped around the seat fixed that
.

The 2" piece of foam that insulates my back and butt FANCY!!. MY riding clothes right where I hung them up in the middle of the kitchen floor

Heading back home from coffee at McDs. I can break the 30 kph limit  no trouble, so I stifle.
The trip back up requires 1,2 and 3rd gears

The Big Apple tires aren't much for tread so a little worried about a couple of steep parts of my route. Spun out on one ramp this morning, but perseverance got me over the top. May throw a knobby on the back to see if that improves things. Keeping the speed down and if its gets too icy may put knobbies on the front or just park Rover II for a while.

Always found the Rover very stable. Only an idiot could flop it over. Let me introduce you to an idiot....ME-  TWICE.

First time just rolling off a curb at a cross walk, barely moving when left wheel dropped 4 inches and right went up a couple and I did not lean. Pride wounded, no injuries, to me or Rover. Trucker that had stopped for me peed herself laughing. Did not learn my lesson  as three days later crossed the street with the sun in my eyes and ran the right wheel up on a 12 inch decorative  boulder and "Flop". Again wounded pride but no other casualties. That's why I've slowed down on my descent of Main St.

In spite of the abuse things have been holding together well on Rover II with well over the 5000km mark on the odometer now. With these hills around Osoyoos I have been running in the 28 tooth front ring most of the time which gives be a top pedaling speed of about 20 kph in 8th.I really need that granny gear in a few spots. Realize this is taking a toll on that 11 t cog, but plan on changing it out in spring. There is so much roll to the streets and paths here there is a lot of coasting. Brakes are working fine, but have a new set of pads to put in when I get a warmer day.

If you follow the switchback it's 27 km to the summit. Me thinks e-assist needed

Have been looking seriously at e-assist options and what I need/want in a mid mount just doesn't seem to be available right now. The Bafang BBS02 doesn't have torques sensorand at 750 watts is illegal in Canada except for off road and off MUP use; the TSDZ2 will do the trick but the blogs are full of inconsistencies on its reliability and quality. The new Bafangs w torque sensor are not yet available and require a different mounting bracket not the standard 68mm BB.There are so many new options coming down the pipe, I think I'll just keep looking for now.

Rover II by a vineyard at foot of Anarchist Mountain. Yes they have wine tasting at the dozens of wineries here!
Call it NAPA North

Besides I'm enjoying the ride and will  leave those steep hills for another day.

Getting Ready for Ol' Man Winter

A few brisk mornings had me layered up and still trying to peddle my butt and/or belly off. Been contemplating electric assist for the hills, distances and backroads.The leading candidate is a Bafang BBS02 because of its reliability, price, and North America support. I don't need or want to go 40 mph, half will be more than sufficient and the BBSO2 unit w a 52 v battery looks like it will be a good choice for my Rover.

However before I do that those brisk winds I've been encountering with the promise of more to come strongly suggest a fairing will be a necessary winter investment if I don't want to flash freeze my bod's tender parts. I ordered a Windwrap XG  blem (I'm cheap) c/w rubber mounting rubber screws from Terra Cycle and then took a quick spin up to my LBS (AKA the dump) to pick up a few recycle pieces.

Initial completed installation Fine tuning needed

 A front stem handlebar mount from a BMX and a selection of bolts from a plant stand were mated up with my stock of scrap aluminum. The old drapery tracks matched up with the supports from clothes drying line provided the main mounting hardware. Three hose clamps, some stainless steel bolts, and a piece of inner tube, a lawnmower handle, some water pipe foam insulation, and my trusty DeWalt drill and I set off on an engineering experience.

Watching Terra Cycle's installation video showed me how this was going to work, but like every good cook I was going to have to add my own twists to the recipe.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
tools & supplies of the complete backyard amateur engineer

First the main upright was an aluminum paddle. I won't need that on the pontoon boat until next summer and I have lots of wooden paddles anyways. I thought it might need a little more beef in the bottom end where it pivots and the wooden rake handle was a nice snug fit... besides raking leaves is a highly over rated activity. The BMX handle bar mount fit the other end beautifully and after nipping off the tub with my trusty pipe cutter I still have lots of vertical adjustment if needed... might have to nip another inch or two off the paddle handle... we'll see. Oh let's not forget the obligatory tad of duct tape.

Mount for the main post. Attached with clamps (blue tape covers ends)
Rubber inner tube protects bike frame

The crowning touch, was the lawn mower handle. I had to bend it a bit ( by sticking it in the trailer hitch receiver) and drill holes for the TC  mounting rubbers. This piece was a tad unsightly so I covered it with the pipe foam insulation. A piece of inner tube provides the tension to hold the fairing back in the travel position and aluminum stops limit back and forward tilting

Handlebar head from LBS (aka the dump) provides attachment for top
crossbar plus vertical and rotational adjustment. Foam pipe insulation
is cosmetic to cover up ugly pipe bending

Had to take off the peddle extensions for my big clod hopper feet to fit under the fairing. Still have a bit of adjustment to fine tune, but the end result is it looks okay.

Had to remove the 3/4 in peddle extentions. Particularly on
right side as 3 ring sprocket moves peddle to right too far

Spent 10 minutes in private practicing my mount and dismount. Getting on is no problem. Getting off I have to remember to lift my foot high enough to miss kicking the top of the drive chain and not falling down.

Been for several spins up my 600 Bike route and around the town. No laughing and just a couple "What the heck is that?" queries. Never tried a fairing before, but it seems to work great. Very solid and quiet. It very noticeably reduces head wind resistance and heat loss. Doesn't take long to start dropping layers and undoing zippers.

Mount/dismount position. Lift your foot and
don't kick the chain tube

Thanks to Terra Cycle for the great service and videos and apologies for my seat-of-the-pants engineering.

Now onto that Bafang BBS02.

5000 Km and still enthused

With the full blessings of summer's heat in the rear view mirror it's time for a review. Combined distance on Rover I and II since the first of the year now topping 5000 km and still going strong and as enthused as ever. I now try to get out every day for my 24 km roll around the town. I try to scare the Canada Geese off our riverfront trail, but only managed to bring a little organic fertilizer back to the yard so far. My route up Hwy 600 has been out of order for the last month as that road is being resurfaced. I took a run up it today, but the surface treatment still has a way to go to be pleasant. Hopefully it will be a lot better next year.

Rover II is standing up well without even a flat tire so far, but the fronts are pretty worn down and one developed an aneurysm last week so I popped the original rear onto the front rim. Had to adjust the rear derailleur a couple of times as well as regular lube and maintenance and the odd bolt, tightened the spokes once, brakes are fine, but really not much else. I fabricated a derailleur post for the front and it worked... sort of, but I shift so rarely and just nudging the chaintube sideways works so well I removed it in preparations for future mods (more later)

I've learned a lot over the past 5000 kms... good and bad.

The good::

• Theft insurance a must.
• Cadence is king. Keep those rpms up for happy knees and pleasant riding. Got lots of gears...use 'em.
• The three speed chain ring on the front... great inexpensive addition.
• USB rechargeable lights- real bright, retina burning red rear...great
• Mirracycle Mirrors both sides... a must
• SPD type Clipless pedals and shoes... should start that way, don't delay,. minimizes heel strike too
• Bright yellow shirts and flags... Under Armour the most comfortable, but any is good.
• Layers. Weather is either too hot or too cold for what I go out the door wearing.
• Got rid of the old Schwinn MTB... yeah
• Trailer hitch Hollywood carrier works great. Hauled Rover II 8000+ kms.
• 24" rear wheel got rear derailleur up out of dirt, smoother ride, higher top end speed
• Cards with TT and website info.

The bad:

• Bike locks... close to useless. Thieves
• Helmets... mediocre. better brim needed, sunburn through the holes
• Chain tubes part top one is a bit too short so greasy chain contact. Tuck pant legs in socks
• Ranaico Bike Computer. Original plus free replacement both died after a month use

So the enthusiasm is still there. On the health front I lost a bit of weight 5+ kilos. My A1C hemoglobin is now 6.8 and 6.7. The first it has been below 7 in years. For years I suffered with resting or night leg cramps almost daily. Now they are extremely rare and I would credit that to better circulation from the exercise. My butt doesn't hurt, my back doesn't ache, my knees are great, my shoulders don't ache, and neither do my wrists.

So what from here? A new set of Big Ben tires all round is on order. See if that will help with some of my favourite bumps. I'm looking at the weather reports and thinking seriously about faring. Been spending much of my web surfing looking at E-assist and have it narrowed down to mid mount either Bafang BB02 or TSDZ2. Don't want to go 50 kph. 20-25 would be great with some help for the hills and headwinds and torque sensing would be nice. That field is changing so quickly almost afraid to jump.When I do I'll let you know.

So for the next while I'll be quiet. Wanted to make it down to Recumbent Con or the Chicago show, but ain't gonna happen this year. probably heading for the west coast this winter so may see you BC interior or Vancouver trikers.

Still grinning

Let's laugh!

We need to remember not to take life too seriously.... gonna wind up dead anyways, so enjoy the journey. With that in mind a great big thanks to the comic strips and in particular to the creator of Zits who recently offered this gem. Thank you Zits

Wild Things from the Wild Woods

Did a little wash, lube, and adjust on Rover II before taking it for its latest spin up 600 through the Wild Woods. Hit the 2500 km mark yesterday since Feb 2016, so thats nearly 4000 total since I got Rover I in December.

As expected there were a few Wild Things about to note. The first was right outside my door. We have a mystery plant that started sending up sprouts a few years back and now it heralds every spring with a yearly explosion of shoots, that literally shoot up 4-6 inches every day. I have to tie them up to a stake to keep them from tipping over, It has little green spikey flowers forming a globe. Every morning it's there to greet me as I set off. No idea where it came from or what it is so I just call it the Wild Thing from the Wild Woods.

We have a few other Wild Things around the garden  with a a real explosion of volunteer Columbine this year. Beautiful flowers.

A Wild Thing from the Wild Woods
growing outside my door

Wild Clumbine is flourishing in the
garden this year

As I set off up the road the shoulder and ditches are wearing their best finery these days. The  grass is so green it nearly hurts your peepers. Scattered throughout are tufts of purple Vetch and the yellow of Birdsfoot Trefoil is everywhere. Trefoil for you non farmers is a legume imported from Europe many decades ago that became popular as a pasture forage for cattle as it does not carry the danger of making ruminants bloat like alfalfa can. It is a very tough, self-seeding plant that prevents erosion so has been seeded extensively along ditches and road right of ways. It blossoms all summer long and makes great bee forage

There are lots of other blooms, ox-eye daisy, milkweed (for the Monarch butterflies) sweet clover, goat,s beard, tall buttercup, and a half dozen other flowers we generally refer to as weeds, but here and now they are not hurting anyone, so let's enjoy them

At the northern limit of my ride I stopped by a tangle of briars that were sporting cluster of wild roses. The air was cool and moist and the fragrance. 'Would a rose by any other name smell less sweet?

About 10 days ago I noticed a few Yellow Lady's Slippers along the ditches. This member of the  genus Cypripedium is one of our native orchids. Although rather rare, today they seemed to be everywhere. Native people used a solution from their roots in traditional medicine.

Would a rose by any other name
smell less sweet

Yellow Lady's Slipper were used in
Native medicine

 But today I saw the star attraction the Pink or sometimes called the Showy Lady's Slipper. They were just popping up along the ditch in the moist soil in the shade of the poplar trees. These are quite rare here unless you know where to look. Several people have tried to cultivate these beauties, but they seem to prefer the wilderness rather than the city. They should not be disturbed

The Pink or sometimes  called Showy Lady's Slipper (genus Cypripedium)
blushing at my intrusion into her shady bower

 So a beautiful day for a ride, Just poking along enjoying every moment. Lots of stops, lots of digital bouquets, no traffic, no hurry.... "along about knee deep in June"

Takin' the Trike Along

Had a few questions on the hitch mounted rack pictured in my last post, so here's the scoop it was:

Sunlite Recumbent Hitch Rack, 2" Receive

ships from and sold by excelcycle.ordered through Amazon

• Easily adjustable wheel holders
• Fits two regular or two recumbent two-wheel bikes or fits 1-adult/recumbent trike and 1-two wheel bike/recumbent (up to 74" wheelbase)
• Padded top clamps
• No-wobble no-tools hitch system
• Folds flat against car when not in use (except when small wheel adapters are attached)

› See more product details

Here sits Rover II after a trip to and from Calgary- 2000 plus kms

As my old rack that only held two  2-wheel bikes was stolen along with Rover I while in Florida, I needed some kind of a rack so at my wife's insistence (honestly), I decided to upgrade. I still had my TT roof mount pads for placing Rover II on the roof of the Flex, but even with my 6'4" frame hoisting Rover II up there would be no mein feat.

And with the luggage roof bag already installed stuffed with loot from the various sales last winter all we needed was to add Rover II, a couple of lawn chairs, some buckets and a BBQ and we would look too much like the Beverly Hillbillies for my wife's sense of decorum. So we splurged.

It came knocked down in a big, heavy box and after spreading the pieces out on the parkade floor, I did considerable head-scratching before undertaking assembly. I had all the components for one 2 wheeler and one trike. Surprisingly by following the pictorial directions, it all went together on the first try. Who said real men don't follow directions.

All the bits and pieces for the complete reconfigured Rack including hold down straps, cable lock, chain lock, locking pins

Back here in Rainy River before setting off for the wild west last month, I reconfigured the rack to carry only one trike. The MTB sat in the garage and moped. Serves it right for throwing me last winter. It's pemanently retired to the part transplant heap.

The spare bits and pieces needed for configuring hitch for one two wheeler and one trike. Oops forgot the padded top claps that you use on a 2-wheeler- really quite neat pieces but did not find I needed them on the trike.Eliminated a post and some weight

This complete Rack (The name stenciled on it is Hollywood Bike Rack) is one heavy beast but the reconfiguration reduced the weight by about 50%. I have added a few parts of my own. A locking main hitch pin, a locking secondary tilt pin, a couple of reflectors, and a locking cable as well as a locking chain. Not theft proof but they are going to have to work at it and will probably set off the car alarm before they get it off. 

The flexible configuration of this rack is very nice. it is sturdy and I have not had any transport issues with it.

The anti-rattle tightener that tightens the attachment in your hitch receiver eliminates the bangs and rattles you get with standard hitch attachments. When unloaded you can flip the hitch up 90 degrees so it's not hanging out the back or leave it down, open your rear gate and then fold up either of both sides for access to the rear of the vehicle. (Got to remember to put the sides down before you close your gate).

Empty rack flipped 90 degrees to up position. Note anti-rattle tightener crank at bottom centre of unit and adjustable pads to accommodate different size wheels. Highly adjustable frame components using hand tighten knobs and/or hex set screws

The trike is snugged down to the wheel racks with buckled straps that are secured with good velcro fastners. Never had any issues with trike or bike shifting over several thousand mile plus trips even with a few suspension shuddering bumps. . I always take off my lights and speedometer readout. Have left the wheel sensor in place without incidence but on reflection I might wrap it with a bit of duct tape.

A couple of unavoidable drawbacks. With any attachment the back up alarm goes crazy when you put vehicle in R so read your manual and learn how to turn of that alarm temporarily. This is a good mental exercise as all MEN should read their vehicle manual at least once... you know it's that thick book in the sealed package in the glove compartment.

Also it does stick out the back a ways, so parking can be tricky, but haven't noticed any handling issues

So there you are, everything you did not want to know about my rack and maybe a couple things you did.

Ramblin' on Rover II

We hit the road last week for a trip west, Installed the trailer hitch carrier, reconfigured to hold one trike as the old MTB is not going along anymore. I am permanently 'bent.

Rover II all loaded up and strapped down c/w a new 24 inch rear wheel and 8 speed cassette. The old temp 24" w a 6 speed freewheel sprocket only had a 14T high speed where the cassette has a 11T high speed giving me quite a bit more top end (when I can muster the strength... and nerve)

Our trip west took us across Saskatchewan where I never got a chance to unload for a spin, but in Calgary, AB I was in for a real treat. For those of you not familiar with Calgary it is centered on the edge of the foothills bisected by the Bow River. It has some magnificent hills that are crisscrossed by dozens of paved trails.

I made sure my brakes were in good shape and with the Rockies looming on the western horizon I set off exploring... maps?... who needs 'em? Up hill and down I variously zoomed, cranked, and coasted. I am sure I used every sprocket tooth combination- front and back. I got hopelessly lost, then following my nose I eventually would stumble onto a street/avenue I recognized. Calgary is laid out in  quarters with Avenues running East/west and Streets north/south. Along with those grids are a maze of twisting Thoroughfares and Trails, and Subdivisions. I was centered on the junction of the Crowchild Trail and Shaganappi Trail which are in the NW quadrant of the city.

It was exhilrating and exhausting. Every time I topped a rise a new vista opened up where I often paused to consider do I want to zoom down that one with its attendant crank back up the other side. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If on down I suppose I could call my b-i-l to bring the car and rescue me. But that might have been too humbling, so I always managed to crank my way back home. Left me seriously contemplating E-Assist for some of those climbs

Many of the slopes were long and steep and if you had just let RoverII take the bit in her teeth no telling what speed you could hit but these are MUPs and SLOW warnings 10 km are posted several spots so I just coasted along with the occasional burst on a straight clear stretch or a city street where I would let it roll up to over 30 kmh. Rover II handled well and I was tempted to let it out a bit more, but these MUPs had lots of pedestrians and many are 'off leash' as well, so tried to be a considerate rider.

The week's just about up and soon time to load Rover II back up on the carrier for a run back across the Prairies. Only saw one other trike in Calgary struggling up a steep trail as I coasted by on the adjoining street. Couldn't even get the make beyond it  had a 26' rear.  Maybe I'll get a chance to try the trails in Winnipeg, MB.

I'll miss these hills.

A 10 kmh warning at the top of this steep hill. Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided a zoom down here should be deferred to for another day

A beautiful view over the Bow Valley

Visited a large modern LBS with hundreds upon hundreds of bikes and accessories but not a trike or ,bent in site. The salesman I talked to did not know what they were or who in this city of one million even handled them. Oil and gas seems to be the predominant religion in these parts

Time to Ride

First here's that promised photo of my Spud Hauler. This old CCM Kiddie Trailer salvaged from a neighbours scrap heap provided the frame wheels and hitch. Amazingly the tires still hold air. That and a liberal application of lubricant to the axles was all that was required. Scoots along behind Rover II nice as can be.

Jack's Spud Hauler: The crop is in> How many trip the haul in the harvest?

The Warm took a few days off, so I had to unpack the longjohns for another stretch. But the last two days have been beautiful so after planting the garden I headed up Hwy 600.

One of my most vivid childhood memories was picking wild flowers in the spring . Literally arms full of Trilliums, Jack in the Pulpit, Marsh Marigolds, Mayflowers, Violets, and Adder's Tongues. Today as I rode along those memories came flooding back when I spotted  a whole whack of Adder's Tongue in the brush along the road. I could barely contain myself as I piled off Rover II, unlimbered the camera and "picked'' you all a bunch.... digitally that is. I no longer slaughter wildflowers. After 60 or 70 years you do learn a few things.

In this area of Northwestern Ontario we do not have Trilliums that grew like clouds under the maple trees of my child hood, but there is still lots to marvel at. The wild plums, saskatoons, high bush cranberry, and crab apples provide splashes of brilliant colours. And the fragrance for the abandoned orchard I coasted by was heavenly. No need to hurry today. Just coast along and enjoy the ride. The rest of the gardening chores can wait til tomorrow

A sprinkling of Mayflowers

Marsh Marigolds: we cooked the stems and leaves as spinach greens 

A bunch of Violets

Adder's Tongue

More Adder's Tongue. If you are very fortunate a rare red sport is sometimes found

Next month I'll be looking for Lady Slippers. Both the smaller yellow one and the larger Showy Pink. They are two of our native Orchids. The Rover is the perfect conveyance for cruising along the ditches in search of the these beauties. I'll have my camera battery fully charged

The Warm finally...maybe

Spring is finally upon us here in the northwoods. The tulips are blooming, the weeds in the garden are coming up with avengance. Had a great ride yesterday up Hwy 600 north of Rainy River to McGinnis Creek Road. This provides me with a 34 km loop on a roughish secondary road with lots of dips, a couple of  hills for zooming and a chance to see a bit of wildlife. That loop wit a couple of circuits around town gets my 40-50 km a day quota in.

Bald eagles were in abundance a month ago soaring just above me checking me out... few buzzards as well. They have pretty much dispersed further north as the ice is now out of the lakes. I think they pretty much cleaned up any winter killed wildlife and pet owners can breathe a sigh of relief that Fluffy will not as likely become lunch now. We have quite a few eagle nests along the river and they provide some spectacular fishing demos when we are out on the pontoon boat.

The deer that were yarded up over the winter are dispersing around the countryside seeking safe spots to drop their fawns starting in the next couple of weeks. Saw a parade of half a dozen parade across road at the hilltop about 8 km north of town last evening. Neighbour saw a sow blackbear with 4 cubs near Morson.

The wild plums, hazel nuts and apples are bursting into bloom. Maybe they'll escape a killing frost. With the garden at my neighbour north of the tracks ready to plant soon, I found an old bike kid carrier that I stripped down and placed a plastic bin on to haul supplies and tools across town. It works great. My explanation to my wife, The Pearl oft he Orient that I was going to mount a rocking chair on it for her personal chariot was not met with enthusiasm. But it works great. I'll save a photo for a later post.

The new bike shoes are working out great and the ease of pedaling is noticeably improved. Gave Rover II a good cleanup and service the other day and works smoother. Was getting some brake noise as I travel on some pretty gritty roads, but a good wash out of the brake calipers with the garden hose seems to completely solve the issue. A lot of the grit is from winter sand and salt leftover on the paved shoulder as we haven't had a lot of rain this spring and the town crew don't want to run the sweeper until we have some moisture to abate the dust. Maybe this week.

The extremely dry winter and spring are causing some really volatile forest fire dangers across our Boreal Forest as you may have seen on TV with the whole city of 80,000 evacuated from the disaster in Fort MacMurray, Alberta. 2400 homes burned While that fire is 1500 miles from us, all the forest between here and there is tinder dry and we have quite a large one burning just over  100 miles north of us. So far the smoke here has not been a problem, but you can smell it and the air is hazy.

Summer should be here in a few days.... if we don't have another snow storm first.

Clickity-Clack

Promised an update and a photo or two of my attempts to cheap out on a pair of clipless shoes. First off I had to abandon my experiment of bolting my old shoes to my existing pedals. They worked but:

1. The peels of laughter at the coffee shop watching me disengage, walk in in my sock feet, walk out and remount was too disturbing. You have to remember my friends are of the mental capacity that prohibits them from driving and chewing gum without getting a distracted driving citation.
2. Hanging a spare set of sneakers by the laces around my neck was no better and that old set was way to close to my nose.
3. My sweet wife, The Pearl of the Orient, informed me I would be dead meat if I ever again brought in a pair of socks in that condition.
4. It took too long to get out of the shoes to answer the call of nature. I'm a country boy
5. It took too long to bend over and get my feet in the shoes

But they worked fine. Here are the picts. Quit laughing!

So following Trikester Hal's advice I searched the lbs for a cycle shoe that would fit. With size 49 feet you don't ask the colour, make or style. Simply a pair that will fit that I don't require a 2nd mortgage for. I found them at MEC- Mountain Equipment Co-op at Portage and Donald in downtown Winnipeg, MB. The sales people were super friendly and helpful I got a pair of Pearl Izumi X‑Road Fuel IV Cycling Shoes- $125, a Set of WellGo M17C pedals, dual type (clip one side) and SPD clips $44. They put the clips on and gave me a couple of tips about shims and cautioned re over-tightening the clips. That's Canadian Pesos (.75) not U.S.

At home I installed the pedals and took them for a spin. Clicking in took a bit of doing as I was warned the fit might be a little tight and a shim might be needed. I fashioned a shim out of a piece of strapping and voila, perfect. Here's the picts.

The cleats positioned as far to the rear of the shoe as possible

The Well Go  clip pedals. Other side is platform. Note the pedal extensions installed earlier

The strapping material used to make a shim to place between the shoe and the clip

 I installed the clips as far to the back of the shoe as possible. For some that may be a no-no, but I needed that to prevent heel strike. The platform on these shoes is very stiff with little flex. The back of the heel is tapered to ease walking and the tread is okay, but I would not want to take any extended hikes in them.

On the trike they are great. Secure with enough wiggle room to move the angle of your feet. The security and ability to 'pull' on the pedal was quite noticeable under heavier load. My knees like them.

Spring-sort of- finally arrived today so I went for a nice long ride after a 5 km warm-up around town, I headed for the country for a 49km circuit. I was bushed when I got back to town, but it was a blast.
After supper I did another 5 km around town. I decided to do this blog up tonight as any new muscles I may discover tomorrow morning may preclude me from getting out of bed

Spring! Wherefore art thou?

Brrr! Seems spring will not come Minus 20C this morning with 4 inches of new snow and a stiff north wind. This is the second day I have not been for a ride and Sunday promises another touch of snow, wind and unfriendly temps. Time to tinker and get the Income Tax filed.

Been thinking about 24 inch tires and wondering should I make the $400 leap. Time to cheap out a bit.

First I found some 24 inch rims with 6 speed freewheel sprockets (not cassettes) at the local bike emporium a.k.a. the dump, I serviced the wheel bearings and made sure the freewheel was working properly and with the help of a couple spacers hooked it up to Rover II. I adjusted the derailleur so it only shifted up to the 6th gear sprocket (14T) and took it for a quick spin. The tire itself was so rotten I was afraid to go more than a block, so I spent fifteen bucks at the local hardware store for a new tube and tire.

At the same time I cleaned and lubed the chain and did a bit of work on the chain tube hangers to give them more flexibility to guide the chain straighter regardless of which sprocket gear I was using, front or back. A bit of a Rube Goldberg fix, but it works for now.

I wanted to see how much problem heel strike was on the pedals with the larger rear wheel and my big clod-hoppers. It was noticeable, but with my feet secured more centrally on the pedals it was not a real problem.

And then it struck me!

I only very reluctantly throw out a pair of comfortable shoes, no matter how worn. I have a pair of Rockaport velcro loafers with worn out heels, but very comfy with good stiff platforms and arch supports. Two 1/4 inch carriage bolts and nuts, four big flat washers, and a drill and I have new cycling shoes. Eat your hearts out, you clipless weenies. And if I'm hanging upside down in the deep ditch cattails, there should be no problem extracting my feet before I drown.

My first couple of rides with this new setup was very positive. The shoes have enough wiggle room on the pedals to let my feet sit at a comfortable angle (I tend to toe-in my right foot a bit). The washer and the carriage head bolt under the insole are not noticeable. The laughter when I mount and dismount at the coffee shop is loud and sustained.

The 24 inch wheel does seem to smooth the ride a bit perhaps with no noticeable change in handling or lateral stability. With only 14T on the sprocket vs 11T on the stock cassette, I have not gained much top end, but I do find it necessary to use the 38T chainring for some of my hills. Still doing this by flicking the chaintube to the left with my fingers to down shift and using thumb and forefinger to lift it onto higher chainring to shift up. No danger, quick, easy, and works flawlessly. The adjusted rear derailleur worked just fine 1 thru 6 with the min R setting making 7/8 doing nothing but not interfering with the operation.

Overall I am pleased and will now see if I can find a 24 inch w cassette hub - inexpensive, but not cheap. Best positive price for a Wilson double wall is just over 80 bucks on Amazon.

The Raniaco Bike Computer worked great until it didn't

Replacement promised

RoverII hibernating in its position of honour on the pontoon deck with 

temporary 24 inch wheel installed. Derailleur now well up, out of dirt

Picts of 'new' clipless shoes next post

Home again

The trip north was uneventful. Clear sailing and mild temperatures all the way. Got Rover II unloaded and seated in a place of honour on the front deck of my pontoon boat in the garage. Was nice having in up on a platform where I could work on it without stooping over.

I suited up for a ride wondering about how many layers I would have to put on. The morning temps are running from 0C to -10C. You Fahrenheit people get with the program and convert.  (0C is freezing, 100C is boiling, -40C and -40F is the same- DARN COLD!). I found the longjohns and will consider dispensing with them around July 1st. Two pairs of insulated, loose socks, lightly laced in my sneakers to not restrict circulation. Jeans, a loose shirt and my blue hoodie and I am all decked out to sit on the couch and watch TV at a comfortable 20C (68F). Riding on brisk morning -10C,with a nasty little breeze required layers, My windproof jacket and pants topped with my bright green, high vis hoodie, a pair of insulated gloves and a hard hat liner under my bike helmet, along with my sunglasses and I'm off. A little cold on the bare part (not much) of my face and I had to curl my fingers up in my gloves, particularly my left hand with the old smashed finger until circulation picked up, but I was soon up to heat. It would have been lovely to have a WGX WindWrap Fairing, but it will have to wait.

Half way through the ride most days I shed at least one hoodie, open a couple of zippers, drop the hoodie hood and open the flaps on the hard hat liner. My roads are primarily hard surfaced secondary highways with light traffic, a few grades, not many but a few curves. A very bucolic scene as I roll through farms, swamps and forests. Boring? No I love it. Not much for wildlife yet as the deer are still in their yards... but soon. Saw a drunk robin eating frozen apples the other day.

Have different routes set up and some days do 50km (30mi) but most days keep it to 30-40 with overall average of  around 12-14 kmph. I keep my cadence at 50-60 rpm, and the grades/head winds make my common gears 6 & 7 on my 48T front ring with occasional drop as low a 1 on a couple hills. Almost always use the 48T with a couple times along the way dropping to the 38T (stock Rover 8 Ext).

Now have over 1400 km on Rover II. The bike computer from Raniaco stopped working suddenly with no speed reading and batteries change did not solve the issue. Email to company was sent and promptly responded and promised immediate shipment of replacement. Will update on support after replacement comes but until failure it had worked well.

Did a bit of other maintenance. A "click" responding to cadence under load was traced to a left pedal bearing. Removed end cap and gave both pedals a shot of spray grease. That solved the problem for now. When warmer I will disassemble and check the bearings. Will update later.

On first week home, in the silence rolling through the forest started hearing another "click" and checking with my hand while seated on the bike, sure enough found a loose spoke. How long loose? Who knows as my hearing is not predator sharp. Sitting on stand and trying I could not identify for certain which one it was by hand but knew as I had identified location when seated on it. The wheels all appeared true so simply took my spoke wrench and checked them all. Was a full 1.5 turns off tight. I found several others on all wheels that were a little loose- .25-.5 turns. All tightened without change in truing. I expect this was simply break-in loosening, perhaps with a bump or two, too many. But every thing appears straight and true, so will see in another 1000 or so.

A little warmer yesterday and today so will get out and enjoy the ride before we get another 12" dump. like we did the week after arriving home. Spring where are you? Like the poem says,"Along about knee deep in June!"

Along the Rainy River-ice is out

Out the back Door-March 17- no ride today

Oh what shall Poor Rover do then?
Sit in the barn and keep itself warm

Back to the North

Made the best use of my time in Florida from Feb 25 to March 5 rolling around my usual haunts including an extended exploration along 30A west of Seaside. It was the first time in several years (since 2008) that I had wandered around the Watercolors community streets. This is a high end development by the St. Joe Company that was just heavy into its construction phase when the crash of 07/08 hit. Things there kind of ground to a halt for a few years but now seem to be rolling again. It was interesting to see how the streets, boardwalks, houses and landscaping have weathered 10 years of Panhandle climate.

Trees and other plants have matured and may have been neglected but are nicely cleaned up now. Boardwalks suffered from the weather and deterioration is obvious, but a lot of planking has been recently replaced. Most of the asphalt streets are fine with the odd exception where poor quality asphalt and roadbed prep is showing significant deterioration. The whole project was put together very quickly and some  shortcuts are becoming evident. Another year or so will show how good the remediation will be. It is a great community to cycle around

St. Joe, per their website has ambitious plans for this area of NW Florida in Bay and Walton Counties with seniors retirement communities including 170,000 residential units as well several million square feet of retail and commercial development. Currently construction activity in the area could best be described as frenetic.

From a cycling standpoint, the bike path paralleling 30A makes for a leisurely, safe ride with a a host of boutique restaurants and shops. There are dozens of places you can rent a bike, but no bent trikes ...yet. Rover II and I received a lot of looks and folks stopping to make more inquiries. If you need some cycle service out here at Grayton Beach, Big Daddy's Bike Shop - www.bigdaddysbikes.com -has a well equipped shop, some expert mechanics, and even a mobile repair shop. While your waiting for the work to be completed, La Loba's Bakery - www.lalobasbakery.com - in the same building has some great baked goods, coffee and a pleasant patio. Their moto "Real Food for Real People"

That about does it for my winter in PCB. Before dawn on March 5 we pointed our noses north and headed back to Canada. The Flex was packed with two cycles hanging off the back, and a roof top bag also stuffed with treasures. According to my wife all we needed was a rocking chair on the roof and a few buckets tied to the roof rack rails to make us a modern day Snowbird Hillbillies.

A new use for old bike wheels- La Loba's Patio

La Loba's Bakery, Blue Mountain Beach, Fl"Real Food for Real People"

New Sights

We've had several days of gorgeous weather here in  the Florida Panhandle, cool mornings moderate afternoons, brilliant sunshine and generally light breezes. I retraced my usual routes around the Conservation Park, up and down Gail's Trails and over the West Bay Bridge. I keep wondering when I'll get tired of this same old circuit, but it's as much fun as it was the first day I tried it a couple months back. I've come to know many of the regulars cycling and walking the paths and the greetings are always cordial. Still a lot of folks wanting to stop and inspect this contraption... a few doubters but most are impressed. Weather has been so nice I have not bothered blogging just kept taking shots and rolling down the trails.

Spent a good half hour teasing a randy cardinal. He whistled fluttered and squawked at me but would not come down out of the top of the pines. The other trail users gave me strange looks... maybe I am a little strange.

Haven't done much adjusting beyond tightening up the seat straps... seems this one stretches more than the last one. Also released the set down pressure on the kingpins a tad to free up the steering and am now expert at wheeling the unit onto the elevator and through the condo door. I have a 'borrowed' plastic milk crate zip tied to my carry rack and the rear facing handle works great for grabbing it from the rear and either towing, pushing or turning it around at the bike stand.

Made the decision to replace my stolen MTB  carrier with a Sunlite Recumbent Hitch Rack, 2" Receiver carrier that will handle a two wheeler plus a trike. It was more than I wanted to spend but looked better than putting Rover II on top of the Ford Flex. Even with my height, 6'4", that would have been a bit of a struggle and too much luggage to put it inside.

The carrier is well designed and surprisingly went together quite easily. The rear part that carries most of the Rover II detaches my pulling one pin to shorten the frame sticking out the back when not required. Put some added reflectors on for extra visibility particularly in the parking lot. The only fault I saw was the pin for the extension was not a locking pin whereas the one at the hitch was. One pull and it could be gone. Fixed that with a $20 locking pin from Walmart. So now I have four more keys. One for the main hitch pin, one for the extension hitch pin, one for the cable lock on the MTB, and one for the chain lock on Rover II. That should keep the honest folks at bay. The thieves.... well, maybe 5 or 10 minutes. How long until I lose both sets of keys?

The cycles both fit easily and very well on this carrier and seem very secure. All wheels sit in their holder, held down by good velcro straps, plus the up right post has a hold down arm for the MTB crossbar and another one for Rover II that holds down in the seat area. I'll post some photos in a later edit.

Been checking out some new snacking spots. Can't always eat at McDs even if it is close and handy to my route. On SR 79 on the south side of the West Bay Bridge (actually under it) is a little diner called the BFE which stands for Best Food Ever. It was warm, I needed a bathroom break, and something to boost my strength and courage for a climb up over the bridge (twice)and two zooms down. There were a bunch of construction pickups parked there a good sign of good food so I stopped and asked. The smoked brisket was the best claimed the customers, but they were fresh out. Second was the fall-off-the-bone ribs, but the portions just looked too big. So I settled for pulled pork on a bun, smothered with BBQ sauce and a cold beer. Yum Yum.

Suitably refreshed, de-watered and encouraged. I tackled the West Bay Bridge both directions. It was worth it. Another day well wasted!

A view of the West Bay Bridge SR #79 PCB, FL from BFE Restaurant

BFE - Best Food Ever under the West Bay Bridger SR 79 PCB, Fl