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.