Georgia Trike Riders

Yesterday, July 28, 2007, will go down in cycling history as the inaugural ride of Georgia Trike Riders. There were three of us -- Trplay, hailing out of Cochran, on his Catrike 700, Marshall, out of Macon, Georgia, on his Greenspeed GT3, and me, Atlanta, on my Trice Monster. We were a sight to behold cruising along the gently rolling hills of beautiful central Georgia. I would bet that the good folks of Bleckley County have never seen anything quite like it.

Trplay and I have been planning to put together a trike riders group in Georgia ever since we did our first ride together a couple of weeks ago, a 106 miler, on the Silver Comet Trail. We envisioned a group of 6-10 trikers training together and showing our stuff doing pacelines in some of Georgia's premier cycling events. Trplay is a strong rider, an experienced randonneur, and can show the rest of us all his long distance secrets.

It was an overcast warm day that threatened, but never delivered, rain. We started out at 9 am from Cochran. Trplay mapped out a route that included one fairly steep climb, for central Georgia. Mostly we cruised along chatting at about 14-16 mph on the rolling terrain and had a great time. One of our goals was to try out a couple of "trike pelotons." On one long stretch, I don't remember the exact mileage, we did a paceline, changing pullers about every 5 minutes or so. Since the three of us were inexperienced with pacelines, we were surprised at the speeds we could maintain. Even on long gentle inclines we were easily maintaining 22-25 mph. Our estimate was that if we could keep the pacelines going for most of a full metric or full century we could pick up at least 5-6 miles per hour as compared to riding solo. Trikes have a wide low profile, which, it seemed to us, is ideal for drafting, as long as you are doing it with other trikes.

Anyone else have experience with trike pacelines?

Our ride was about 68 miles. One of the other highlights was a celebration of Marshall's first metric century. He moves down the road well on his Greenspeed and we expect he has many cycling feats awaiting in his future. Marshall, trplay and I are looking for other Georgia trike riders to join us for future training rides. We would like to have a group interested in training hard together and riding in metrics, full centuries and possibly some brevets. If interested, please contact me. If you live within commuting distance in other parts of the Southeast, it also might be possible for you to join us for rides.

Our main goal is to have lots of fun riding together.
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Customizing the Trice Monster

Trikes, maybe all bents, are nonstandard. It seems that many upgrades and modifications require some ingenuity because parts are not standard and every bike/trike model is different. This is either a plus or a minus, depending upon how you look at it. Some people like to fiddle, others do not. I have grown to like to work on my bents and get enjoyment from it.

Trike Work Stand - I bought the trikestand shown in this picture from trikestand@gmail.com. It was $299, which is expensive, but I have found it invaluable in working on the Monster without getting a sore back stooping over. The stand looks is sturdier than it looks and puts the trike at just the correct height. The trikestand comes apart in three pieces and is ideal for traveling. I keep it in the back of my truck and have used it often for pre and post-ride repairs.

Trike Lights

Shown above are the front and rear Dinotte lights that I have added to my Monster. Also notice the Radical Solo Lowracer bags that fit the Monster seat almost perfectly. My seat is a 2004 model. These bags may or may not fit later versions of the Trice carbon seat. I keep food for my journeys, spare tires and tubes and tools in the bags.

The headlight was easy to mount on the front derailleur post using a Terracycle Accessories Mount. The taillight took some ingenuity. I used one of the accessories mounts supplied by Trice with the trike attached to the rear dropout and secured to one of the fender stays. The light is held securely to the accessories mount and the battery pack is zip tied to the accessories mount. This setup works pretty well. I use the lights for my night rides and also on most day rides when their is traffic. I have received many positive comments from motorists about the increased visibility the Dinotte lights provide in heavy traffic.

Velocity 24 spoke 650c rear wheel with Hugi hub

I recently added a lighter, faster rear wheel. This is the smoothest rolling rear wheel I have tried on the trike. You will also notice that I have cut back the rear fender to provide some rain protection, but to reduce weight. The wheel was built up for me by All3Sports an internet triathlon shop that is based near my home in Atlanta. It is a very quite running wheel, which is especially nice for trikes since my head is so close to the rear end of the drivetrain. So far, the 24 spoke setup has held nicely. I will probably switch to a heavier duty rear wheel if I tour, but for day rides and group rides with two wheelers, this would be my choice.

Terracycle Idlers

I have replaced the stock Trice idlers with front and rear Terracycle Idlers. This accomplishes several things. First I have rid myself of most of the chain tubes, which makes for a quieter and smoother running drivetrain. There is still a short bit of chain tube for the return chain next to each idler. Secondly, the idlers provide, theoretically, a bit more power. Third, I save some weight not only from getting rid of the tubes, but also the mechanism that the tube clamps are attached to can be eliminated. I found that these idlers where tricky to install on the Monster, especially since Terracycle does not have the parts exactly customized to the Monster as yet. Using hardward parts and some new parts from Terracycle, I finally have it right.

Polar Wireless Computer

After trying the Garmin 305 Edge, I went back and bought a Polar computer. The Edge was not accurate. After calibrating my Polar to a 16" wheel I discovered that the Edge was measuring .5-.75 miles per hour slower. The Polar costs a lot less, although it doesn't have as many capabilities. The sensor is mounted close to the front right wheel and with the computer mounted on the main tube using another Trice accessories mount, it is within the 18" necessary to pick up the wireless signal. I get much more accurate and consistent reading with the Polar as compared with the Edge 305.

The Bicycling Paradox: Fit Doesn’t Have to Mean Thin - NY Times July 18, 2007


Andy Hampsten, the former pro cyclist, the only American ever to win the Tour of Italy, the first American ever to win the grueling Alpe d’Huez stage of the Tour de France, does his best to discourage casual riders from signing up for the cycling trips he leads in Tuscany.
"All of our trips are designed to satisfy experienced riders," Mr. Hampsten writes on his Web site. To train, he suggests, "you should ride at least 100 miles a week for at least 6 to 10 weeks" on routes with "as many hills as you can find."
So I had an image of what our fellow cyclists would look like when my husband, son and I arrived in Castagneto Carducci for a cycling vacation. They would look like Mr. Hampsten, who at age 45 remains boyishly thin and agile, bouncing with energy.
I was wrong. For the most part, our group consisted of ordinary-looking, mostly middle-age men and a few middle-age women.
These were serious cyclists. One of them was Bob Eastaugh, a 63-year-old justice on the Alaska Supreme Court who said he rode mostly to stay in shape for his true passion, downhill ski racing.
And our trip was challenging. The longest hill was 15 miles, the steepest had a 15 percent grade, the longest one-day ride was 90 miles, and the terrain was never, ever flat. It is hard to imagine that a group of middle-age adults could have handled an equivalently difficult 10 days of running. What, I wondered, made bicycling different?
It turns out that others, too, have been struck by the paradox of bicycling fitness.
"When I first got into cycling, I would see cyclists and say, ‘O.K., that’s not what I perceive a cyclist to be,’ " said Michael Berry, an exercise physiologist at Wake Forest University. Dr. Berry had been a competitive runner, and he thought good cyclists would look like good runners — rail-thin and young.
But, Dr. Berry added, "I quickly learned that when I was riding with someone with a 36-inch waist, I could be looking at the back of their waist when they rode away from me."
He came to realize, he said, that cycling is a lot more forgiving of body type and age than running. The best cyclists going up hills are those with the best weight-to-strength ratio, which generally means being thin and strong. But heavier cyclists go faster downhill. And being light does not help much on flat roads.
James Hagberg, a kinesiology professor at the University of Maryland, explains that the difference between running on a flat road and cycling on a flat road has to do with the movement of the athlete’s center of gravity.
"In running, when you see someone who is obviously overweight, they will be in trouble," Dr. Hagberg said. "The more you weigh, the more the center of gravity moves and the more energy it costs. But in cycling, there are different aerodynamics — your center of gravity is not moving up and down."
The difference between cycling and running is like the difference between moving forward on a pogo stick and rolling along on wheels. And that is why Robert Fitts, an exercise physiologist at Marquette University who was a competitive runner, once said good runners run so smoothly they can almost balance an apple on their heads.
Even Mr. Hampsten has been surprised by the cycling paradox. He recalls a woman from San Diego who went on one of his trips. "She was quite overweight," he said, and even though she claimed to be an experienced cyclist, he worried that she would have trouble keeping up with the group. He was wrong.
"She rode so well," Mr. Hampsten said. "Her cadence was very efficient. I was just amazed and delighted."
As for the effects of aging, serious recreational cyclists do slow down, but they are not penalized as much as runners by the passing of years, Dr. Hagberg said. It’s because cycling, while grueling, is not as demanding as running.
"The best example of that, in a bizarre way, is the Tour de France," Dr. Hagberg said. "What runner could go out six hours a day for three weeks and not be totally trashed after a day or two? That’s a microcosm of the aging issue."
Still, even the best serious recreational cyclist is almost a different species from a professional rider. How much faster, our touring group asked Mr. Hampsten, would a professional rider go up that 15 percent grade during a race? About twice as fast as the fastest in our group, he replied.
And how about recovery after racing? Mr. Hampsten used to compete in 100 races a year, including the Tour de France, and he would recover by going for a long, relaxed ride. It sometimes took him three hours of cycling to warm up after a hard race. Then he’d continue for another two hours.
But recovery does become a limiting factor for professional cyclists, Mr. Hampsten said. It’s why most professional riders can no longer win long, multiday races after age 32.
"It’s almost eerie that at 32 years, you stop winning," Mr. Hampsten said. "The endurance seems to stay, but recuperation doesn’t come around."
When Mr. Hampsten retired, he was 34, "and I hadn’t won a race in two years."
Now, he estimates, he is 80 percent as fit as he used to be.
But 80 percent for Andy Hampsten is still impressive. As soon as our cycling tour ended, he headed out on a fast ride that included a long hill to the town of Suvereto, taking a road with 187 switchback turns.
"It is my favorite road to ride," he said.■

Why are Trikes so Satisfying?

I split my time about 50/50 between my Aero and my trike these days. Why, you might ask, would I like riding a trike when I speed along so nicely and comfortably on the Carbon Aero? It isn't that I favor the trike, but there are some days and some situations where the trike is more satisfying.

The Aero blends in nicely with other riders of all types. It is no longer unusual to ride an event with several bents, most of them Bacchetta Corsas and Aeros, with some EasyRacers and Rans bikes. With the trike I stand out, which is both good and not so good. At a recent event I received a couple of negative comments from upright racer types. One queried, "Why do they make those damned recumbents so low?" as he sped by in his peloton. A few other riders actually stopped me to ask a bunch of questions and offer compliments. Okay, the truth is, on occasion I like being different. The attention and the conversations generated are fun.

Secondly, riding long distances on trikes is very satisfying. I don't go as fast. Sometimes I am as much as an hour slower on the trike for 100 miles. Nevertheless, it almost always is a great ride. I can stop at intersections without unclipping. I can relax at rest stops without dismounting and the way I have my Monster set up everything, including hydration bottles are close and convenient. Yes, the second truth is that sometimes I am a bit lazy when I ride.

Next, I have the sensation of speed even though three wheels move along somewhat slower than two. My closeness to the ground gives a very special sensation, especially on fast descents. Now I know what kids in their go-carts feel like. At 65, it is nice to feel young. I guess that is the third truth.

Trikes are mechanically very interesting. I enjoy obsessing over the merits of direct versus indirect steering, just the correct way to mount a mirror on each side, which tires will be the most durable given the pecular cornering characteristics of trikes. I can spend lots of enjoyable time experimenting with various rear wheels to see if I can squeeze out a little extra speed as well as making sure the two idlers on my Monster are running smoothly. The truth is I am not mechanically gifted, but I do like fooling with these things. My two wheeler is much simpler and straight forward. But, with my new trikestand, I can spend enjoyable hours fine tuning my three-wheeled machine.

And then there is that silly flag to make me visible in traffic. I never ride in traffic without the flag plus front and rear day running lights (Dinottes). My latest is an American flag made by a nice lady who specializes in making interesting flags. Riding around my neighborhood on Independence Day flying my colors was a special experience. Generated lots of attention. See truth number one. Does riding around on that low trike with the flag waving make me look like a dork? Probably.

Finally, there is a special bond between me and other trikers. We know we share something undefined and unspoken. I am hoping to assemble a small group of trikers who will periodically ride together and maybe even take on some challenges together, like Sebring 12/24, for example.

Yes, trikes are special and I'll probably ride one for many years to come.

MY RECUMBENT STORY IN BRIEF

I transitioned from being an avid runner to being a passionate cyclist about 30 years ago. My wife bought me a traditional upright bike since I had Walter Mitty notions of becoming a triathlete. Due to my dislike of swimming, I never made it as a triathlete, but cycling soon overtook running in my affections. Although I never raced, for many years I participated in as many cycling events as my work schedule would allow.

About six years ago I retired from my career as a management consultant. One of my first retirement projects was to organize a week long tour of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan with my then 32 year old son. Problem was that we didn't have touring bikes. My son had seen advertisements for recumbent bikes and he thought it would be a blast to do our tour on bents. We both bought Rans V2 long wheelbase bents and off we went.

My conversion to bents had nothing to do with being uncomfortable on upright bikes, or getting older or any of that. I tried it because my athletic son wanted a different kind of adventure. And in the process I found a form of cycling that was enormously satisfying and challenging.

After a year I sold the Rans and bought what I think was the first titanium Aero in the state of Georgia. One day I walked into a local bike shop in Atlanta at just the time they were assembling a Bacchetta Aero to be displayed in their showroom. I watched while they assembled the bike, was immediately smitten, did a test ride around the parking lot and bought the Aero on the spot. I rode that wonderful bike for three years and now have a Carbon Aero and a Giro 20 in addition to a recumbent trike.

Recumbent cycling in general, and Bacchetta in particular, have been major factors in the enjoyment of my retirement years. I have done countless Centuries and many long distance events. I have done Bike Ride Across Georgia five times, four of them on Bacchetta bikes. In 2003 I did a self supported tour of the East Coast on a Bacchetta Strada. Although I am certainly not going to win any speed records, or am I particularly competitive these days, I love riding and have averaged over 7500 miles per year since purchasing my first Aero. This year my goal is 8,000 miles.

I have been health conscious and have participated in various aerobic sports most of my adult life. Cycling has been an important factor in keeping me healthy. After spending many years on a traditional bike and now recumbents, I would urge both cycling veterans and newbies, regardless of age, to consider recumbents. They are loads of fun, easier on the body, especially over long distances, safe and every bit as challenging and performance oriented as upright bikes. Whether you are a leisure rider or serious competitor the recumbent design can meet your needs. I doubt that I would be riding as many miles if it weren't for the recumbent, especially the Bacchetta Aero, which is light, fast and able to eat up the miles comfortably.

I had no idea when I started my first bent ride how important cycling would be to my life. At every opportunity I am now an ambassador for sport of recumbent cycling.