Trike Trip Toward Towm

Today's Tracking via APRS
Actually, it was a Trike Trip AROUND Town, but I couldn't resist the alliteration for the title ----
Yesterday, Friday, was a full one for Jacque and me.  We left early in the morning to be at the Albuquerque LDS Student Institute in time to whomp up a huge pot of Jacque's famous Green Chile Chicken Stew, 3 pans of fresh home made biscuits, and a HUGE Jacque Apple Pie for their weekly Friday Forum (And Student Feeding).  It was shortly after 1 PM by the time we got that completed, and we had loaded the trike on the rooftop carrier in hopes the cloudy weather would allow for a bike ride.

When we looked outside the skies were overcast but calm, with no threatening dark clouds indicating rain.  We decided to unload the trike right there in the parking lot and ride to Old Town via city streets and decide where to go from there.  Martin Luther King boulevard has a decent bike lane and the traffic was not too bad to downtown.
Trouble struck almost immediately.  The new front chain I'd just installed was skipping gears every few seconds and would occasionally jump off the front crank gear.  We made it to the downtown plaza before deciding to pull into the plaza, out of traffic, and see if adjustments or repair could be made.  The front chain was sagging very low and seemed too long.  We found a brick bench to elevate the rear wheel on the trike and pushed and pulled on the chain trying to figure it out.  It appeared too long and I finally dug out my multi-tool and broke the chain and removed one link, meaning one "innie" and one "outie" link for almost an inch and a half of shortening.  With this now missing from the chain it was TOO TIGHT. so tight as to not allow the remaining links to be rejoined together.  So, the removed link(s) now had to be pressed back in with the tool.  Now, again, the chain was too long and saggy and the slack would again result in odd loops while pedaling that lead to the irritating and dangerous gear jumps and skips.  Fortunately I had taken photos of the idler gears when taking the old chain off, and I reviewed the one involving the spring loaded idler under my seat.

I noticed this idler, while spring loaded, did not move or change tension or position while pedaling or even sitting still.  I removed it and looked it over, and wow, there was actually an adjustment nut on the back that allowed for increasing the spring tension.  I cranked it several degrees stronger and reinstalled it and VOILA!  The idler now kept the chain almost tight, and moved back and forth to maintain better chain tension while pedaling at various speeds.  I put the trike back together and off we went, with the chain now performing almost flawlessly, with only a very occasional jump.  What a difference new chains made!  When we first got the trike it whirred, clanked, and ground loudly along, very jarring mechanical wearing sounds.  With these new chains front and rear the trike now runs quietly and smooth.  Very nice improvement.  We rolled on through downtown, relying on Jacque's memories of the area streets, until we reached Old Town, not very far distant.  We enjoyed a nice ice cream and lemonade rest break while passers-by made innumeranble comments about the trike and the Tinkerbell trike-doggie.  Between Tink and the Tandem Trike we have lots of instant friends.
Then we rode on down Mountain Road, now signed as the very pleasant-sounding "Bicycle Boulevard", to the Bosque Trail and rode north on that very pleasant route.  When we finally got to a rest break at the Paseo underpass, I suggested we take a roundabout route back to the gas burner by riding the Paseo Trail trail over to the North Diversion Channel Trail and then south back to the UNM campus where we started from.
We are just WAY THRILLED with this trike.  We get less tired, we get in fewer arguments, we feel each other's strength and effort as we cruise along, climb hills, make jokes about each others' grunts, groans, and farts, and just generally have a great time.  Even though this ride is NO lightweight, and we carry a lot of weight and JUNK, our combined efforts seem to blend and pay off.  Unlike the tandem bike-E we tried a few years ago that led to frustration, fights, and Unenjoyment, this thing is a BLAST.  What a hoot it is to pull together and love it.. and each other.  /MUSH
Even after racking up almost 22 miles  for this loop around town, we had enough time and energy left to go see a great WWII war movie:
Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed
Which is a blood-and-guts war movie with a surprising human twist.  You should go see it.  It's been woefully under advertised but has superior acting, scenery, and story lines.
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  21.65
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
5.2 MPH                                  8.8 MPH                    20.9 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
4 hours 12 mins                      2 hours 27 mins        1 hour 45 minutes

Got New Trike Chain Installed

Little Short Trip Tracking Today via APRS
I thought I had it all calculated out.  New chains come with 112 links, and I needed 149 for the front chain and 136 for the rear, or theoretically 285 links total needed for both chains.  I was shocked, SHOCKED, after paying 90+ bucks for 3 new high class chains and finding, after opening the containers when we got home, that the chain maker counts links differently than I do...
I counted my links as the "twofer" of one outer link and one inner link being one link.  The manufacturer counts EACH link, innie and outie, as a separate link, and thus I found I would need THREE MORE new chains to have enough to build 2 long chains for this tandem recumbent.  At these prices, suffice it to say the NEXT 3 chains will be WalMart specials at $9.95 each, or a third of the price of the high class chain.  The high price high class chain went on the rear, where it takes the brunt of both  captain and stoker, whereas the front chain only takes the strain from the captain.
It took me all morning and then some, but I got my new chains put together into one long 'un for the rear of the trike.  I was surprised when I got it all threaded back together (several idlers and stays and the Derailleur to figure out).  The new chain, though having the same number of links as the old chain, was TIGHT, so much so that it would not shift to the larger chain ring without binding.  So I had to add another 2 links, and we find it is STILL too tight to shift to the larger chainrings at the same time, so will require still yet another pair of links to allow sufficient chain for accessing all our 27 gears.
We decided it needed a test run so we did the usual post-office-Shell-Station run.  Even though the new chain is still too tight to use the largest chain-ring, what a difference it made.  It now runs quietly, shifts smoother, and is just downright more pleasant to ride with.  Can't wait to replace the front chain too...
Though we left the house after 3:00 PM, the temperature was only in the upper 70's and the sky got a bit cloudy so it was very pleasant.
While we rested at the Shell Station watering hole, I ate a huge burrito and Jacque had her usual lemonade and Tinkerbell attracted her usual collection of admirers.
On the way back home, this time we did not break a chain, and we climbed the entire set of goat-path hills all the way home, the first time for either of us.  It must be really true that two are better than one.....
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  6.27
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
3.9 MPH                                  6.5 MPH                    22.5 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
1 hour 36 mins                      58 mins 10 secs         37 minutes 50 seconds

A Trike Disaster, er, Adventure, that is

Today's Trike Track via APRS and Ham Radio
It's been a few days since we rode any of our human-powered vehicles, in part due to Jacque being down with the local epidemic of colds & sore throats.
She felt good enough today to want to take a ride and suggested we haul some giveaway items to our local thrift store on our trike:  about 7 miles each way.
This is the first time we'd tried hitching up the trailer to the trike but it worked fine.

We had to add a cardboard "floorboard" to keep the plastic trash bag of goodies from sagging between the rails but it worked well.
We rode up to the Post Office and took a break, then rode on up to the Triangle Shell station for another break, only a quarter mile or so farther up the road.
While relaxing and drinking my soda and Jacque's lemonade, we looked at our clocks and realized, that since it was by then 4:30 PM, there was little chance of our completing the entire ride to the thrift store and back home before dark.  We decided to cut the trip short and return instead.
The bike trailer really is  a relatively painless way to haul lopsided or heavy (or both) loads using the human-power puller.  It requires some jockeying when backing up, and turns must be made carefully to keep the trailer from hitting curbs or running through the off-path thorn infested weeds and grass, but it truly reminds us the wheel is a wonderful invention indeed.
Also - On the trike - we find we can successfully climb hills that we normally cannot do by ourselves on individual bikes or trikes.  it helps that we have 27 chain/gear combinations.... climbing steep hills have made us intimately familiar with the lowest ("Granny Gear") combo.
We were chugging along in Granny Gear up our last hill toward our house when suddenly "POP" the trike stopped and I had to grab for the brakes:  The rear chain had broken.   I have a link-breaking tool and we struggled with it for a while trying to get the chain in position to remove the broken link and re-link the remaining chain but we finally gave up and un-strung the whole 139 links of chain and turned the trike around and pulled it between us up the hill.
We found ourselves VERY thankful the chain had separated so close to home.  This would have been very much more difficult if it happened miles away from home.  We weren't carrying a bike lock so would have found it difficult to secure it somewhere and walk home.  Our chain had a couple other links ready to pop, and the entire chain had been worn badly on one side from friction somewhere, so when I put the new chains on I will have to check all that out and hopefully make it more better.
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  6.07
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
2.4 MPH                                 5.2 MPH                    29.0 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
2 hours 31 mins                     1 hour   9 mins          1 hour 22 minutes

Just a Mail Run Today on the Team Trike

Today's APRS Tracking with New ID
I worked several hours yesterday, Tuesday, preparing coax cables for antenna installation on the new Tandem Trike.  Monday's ride concerned me because my J Pole antenna was mounted on my seat back post, in front of Jacque, and every time she mounted or dismounted, I did not like the nearness of the sharp narrow end of the J matching to her head and eyes.  I'm now mounting the antenna on HER rear seat posts.  Since the antenna tilts backward there is little danger of her bending over and "encountering" any portion of it.
By late afternoon I still was not finished, but we decided we needed to take at least another short ride with the beast and rode up to the Post Office and then the Shell Station on top of the hill for a Lemonade treat for Jacque and a diet Coke for me.  Since we drove the trike on the roof rack down to the pavement, the total mileage was nothing much.  But, that hill is a strain, and very good exercise for such a short ride.
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  4.26
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
3.7 MPH                                 7.0 MPH                    28.9 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
1 hour 8 mins                       36 mins 15 seconds    32 minutes20 seconds

To Edgewood and Back on the New Tandem Trike

Today's Trip Tracking via APRS and Ham Radio
Yesterday, Monday, we planned to do a ride out to Edgewood for the ostensible reason of Jacque making a small deposit to her bank account.  We don't need big reasons to go for a ride....
I still had almost no electronics (Like GPS and Ham Radio) on the trike so I spent all morning wiring all that up and building mounts. 
First, I drilled a hole for a 1/4 X 20 stud (cut from a longer bolt) in the front trike stem:

Then, I used a tap to thread the hole for the stud:

Installed the stud and checked the wing-nut fit and grip:

 I mounted the GPS/Radio cluster between my knees on the front post of the trike, and worried it might get in the way  of my cranking clodhnoppers, but it worked out great.

The radio tracker ID for this trip was W5AOX-6, but to distinguish it in the future from our other vehicles, it will be now programmed to beacon W5AOX-2.
When we finally took off for Edgewood, it was about 2:00 PM.
We took the trike on the roof mount on the Exploder down to the pavement to start the ride there since the trike is so long and low and the chain, gears, and idlers easily get crunched when encountering uneven roadway.  That's about the only thing we don't enjoy about the trike.  This late in the day would normally have meant a late and hot ride, but the fall weather made it very reasonable, and the afternoon winds were  cooling, and only mildy bothersome.
When we got to Edgewood we found the restaurants we like to patronize were closed, since it was Monday.  Oh Well.  Another pedaling-day supported by chocolate chip oatmeal "Fiber One" bars.  I go through a lot of these.
Evidently our new trike is such an unusual sight that most motorists give us WONDERFUL clearance as they pass by.  I worried because many impatient drivers pulled way over in the opposite ONCOMING lane in spite of oncoming cars being unsafely close.  Few drivers seem to have any concept of SLOWING DOWN, waiting at crawl speed for an opening, and THEN passing us in the far lane.  However, for us, we had lots of space and lots of consideration, which we wonderfully appreciate.
Thus, so far we really like the trike.  We both get a great workout, we're together and not miles apart as when on separate bikes, and even though the trike seems more than twice as heavy as a single trike, it's FUN, and we'll soon work up to longer distances.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0   Ending Voltage: 8.2
Lowest Temp  70 F      Highest Temp:  80 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  26.53
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
4.0 MPH                                 8.1 MPH                    30.3 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
6 hours 41 mins                     3 hours 17 mins        3 hours 24 minutes

Mad Run to Omaha for our New Tandem Trike

4-Day Trip Tracking via APRS
Busy week for us.  Jacque spotted a Terratrike Tandem Recumbent Tricycle on the internet (Thanks Google!) for a very reasonable price.  The guy responded, we made a verbal deal, and hit the road Monday for Omaha to retrieve our new ride.
For some reason it only took us a day and a half to get there (leaving Monday about noon and arriving Omaha about 5:00 PM).  Coming home, however, took a bit more time.  We left Omaha about 7:00 PM and stopped in Fairbury for a motel stay about 9 PM.  We left Fairbury (Nebraska) about 8 AM the next morning and made it all the way to Tucumcari before giving up and staying another expensive night in a motel. We hit Tucumcari about 9 PM and, though I knew we could have continued on and made it home about midnight or 1 AM, it just wasn't worth it.
When we awoke Thursday morning for our final push home we saw that it had rained most of the night, with the roads and weather pretty soggy.  When we finally got home around noon, the weather was still wet and soggy and COLD.
We had hoped to take the trike for a few miles on an initial first-time ride but only did about 100 yards down our goat path road before turning around.

 We are STOKED about this tandem trike.  You can see Jacque nd Tinkerbell are trying hard to keep from smiling.

 Friday we awoke to great weather.  After running too many errands in Albuquerque, we drove down to the Bosque Trail to put some real miles on the trike-tandem.  We rode down Mountain Road (AKA Bicycle Boulevard) to Old Town and had a nice rest and ice cream break there.  Here's the new tandem parked in the shade with the Civil War cannons in the background.

 The trike is an immediate hit with passers-by.  Lots of rolled - down windows and comments from motorists coming around us.  At Old Town Plaza, a very nice couple approached and wanted to talk about Tinkerbell, the fearless travel buddy, and the trike.  Lovely folks from Carthage, Texas.  I'm sorry I did not get their names, and Jacque reminded me later I should have offered to let them take the trike for a ride.  Oh Well.  Maybe next time.
I still don't have all the electronics on the bike so I did not get accurate GPS tracking and mileage during our first real ride, but we did put in maybe 5 or 6 very enjoyable miles and the weather was absolutely great. 
We rode back to the fossil powered vehicle and loaded up the trike:

Then we went to the Horse-Pull event at the NM State Fair and had an enjoyable evening after snarfing our annual State Fair Navajo Taco.  If we had left the Exploder behind and rode the trike all the way to and fro we would have done a better job of burning off all those carbs. (belch)

Check-Ride for Jacque's New Trike-Shade

Today's Joint Trip-Tracking via APRS
 During yesterday afternoon's dog-walk down our goat-path road, the dogs suddenly seemed to notice the sunflowers in full riot again this season:

These weed-flowers do not appear every year but maybe every 3 years.  They seemed a bit slow to open their blossoms this time;  most were taller than me  before blossoming, which happened only about a week ago.Jacque spotted a shading device contraption on the internet a few days ago and promptly ordered one.  It arrived via UPS yesterday and she couldn't wait to start installing it.  Of course, the instructions were minimal and the mounting hardware didn't seem to match our needs, but she got it configured.
Pictures will follow soon...
She decided she needed some wing-nuts for the installation and of course none were included in the mounting kit so we decided to ride down North 14 to Davis Hardware and acquire some.  by the time we got to the Post Office to check the mail and deposit some bill payments in the slot, she had modified the shade mounting and no longer saw any need for wing nuts, so we just rode up to the Triangle Shell Station and took a soda/lemonade break.  We debated the idea of riding up Sandia Crest Road at least as far as the Doc Long picnic area but decided that we would save our strength for the impending group ride in Albuquerque tomorrow.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  12.9   Ending Voltage: 12.9
Lowest Temp  77 F      Highest Temp:  84 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  6.21
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
3.4 MPH                                 7.6 MPH                    24.7 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
1 hour 50 min                      48 mins 51 seconds    1 hour 2 minutes

Wednesday 5 September

Today's Typical Tracking via APRS
I had a 1:00 PM appointment today so was unable to take the long shopping-trip ride to Albuquerque I'm still planning.  On the way home from the appointment I stopped off at the Post Office for the mail only to discover I'd failed to bring the proper keys with me.  So I drove home and rode back on the bike to get the mail, gladly, since I had yet to get any aerobic exercise for the day.
Nice cloudy overcast today which precluded the need for sun-block which saved me a few minutes preparing to ride.
I confabulated a visor shade extension for my bike helmet last night while waiting for Jacque to come home.  I couldn't find anything better than a 2-gallon plastic oil  container for the raw material and it was a good  color....

Even though it was cloudy today, it was a nice (if silly looking) addition to my biking paraphernalia.  I look sillier all the time so it's a good thing I don't care.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0   Ending Voltage: 13.0
Lowest Temp  77 F      Highest Temp:  77 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  5.56
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
6.2 MPH                                 8.5 MPH                    25.3 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
53 mins  29 seconds             39 mins 24 seconds   14 minutes 35 secs

Tuesday Turnaround

Tuesday APRS Tracking
I saddled up and took off late today, almost 11 AM.  The temperatures weren't too bad but my original plan was to ride clear into Northwest Albuquerque to pick up some clear goggles at Mesa Equipment on 2nd Street and a couple other places on the way, since it IS quite a ways.  By the time I topped Marco Polo Hill I noticed it was already past 12 Noon and obviously it would be after 3 PM in the afternoon heat coming back, if I rode my intended route.  I decided for such a trip I needed to get rolling MUCH earlier.  I decided to drop off the rental DVD I was packing, a couple of old books at the local thrift store, and go on back home.  I can get up at 6 AM instead of sleeping in until 7 and go tomorrow or the next day.  No Hurry.  I actually remembered to bring the mini-bike-vid-cam today but nothing of note happened so I just deleted all the files.
I've been getting blisters on my lower lip the last couple weeks and am suspicious it may be sunburn cooking me.  I slather sunblock on rather thickly each day I ride but not on my lips..... normal lip balm.  Jacque suggested some SPF15 lip balm she handed me and I used that today.  Hopefully it will stop the blistering lips.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0   Ending Voltage: 10.1
Lowest Temp  77 F      Highest Temp:  84 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:    12.6
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
5.2 MPH                                 7.6 MPH                    32.3 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
2 hours 25 mins                    1 hour 39 mins          45 minutes 29 secs