Repairs Prevent Riding

A few days ago when I rolled the recumbent Terratrike off the top of the Explorer I noticed the idler gear just behind the pilot seat had a missing tooth:

Sorry for the fuzzy photo, I got too close with the cellphone camera.  I emailed the factory to see what a new gear would cost me and they sell the whole spring-loaded arm for $49.95.  Not terrible, but it occurred to me this gear looked a whole lot like something I might already have on hand... 10-tooth idler gears on normal Derailleurs.  I have several "donor" bikes laying behind the shed and, sure enough, when I removed one and compared, it was an exact match.  Which is cool, since I just spent almost 50 bucks for new disc brake pads for this trike last week.  Seems like almost everything costs in the neighborhood of 50 bucks to repair failures on this rig.  Which of course is a screaming bargain compared to what almost any auto part costs nowadays.
I rode my 2-wheeler recumbent last week for the 12 mile trip each way to Edgewood and noticed it had a slight "Grumble" at speed on smooth pavement.
Today I thought I should take off the rear wheel, since that seemed to be where the grumble was coming from, and check and lubricate the bearings.  They weren't DRY, but hopefully a cleaning and greasy re-lube will help it roll silently for the immediate future.
After I reinstalled the newly re-lubricated wheel and checked the shifting to make sure I'd gotten the chain and gears mated properly, I noticed a slight "Chug-Chug" as the rear wheel spun.  I have slowly learned over the years to NEVER ignore strange sounds, no matter how slight.  As I slowly rotated the wheel watching for problems I spotted a nasty bulge in the tire:  It had a rip in the center of the tread  with the tube barely showing, just RIPE for a blowout.
Thank goodness I spotted this today instead of experiencing the unpleasantness of  a "POW!" while riding down the road somewhere.  I carry a spare tube but NOT a spare tire in my pannier.
After working on the bike/trike today I was covered with black grease and dirt, about as grimy as if I'd been working on one of the cars.  Bike grease and oil is NASTY.  All my pants I've ridden bikes with have at least faint blackish grease stains from unintentional contact with the chain.  Guess I should consider grease stains a badge of honor, Har.

Short but Strenuous

Short Trip but Still Tracked with GPS, APRS, and Ham Radio
It was  getting late in the day but we still wanted to get in at least a few miles so we saddled up and rode to the Post Office and then the Shell Station at the top of the hill at Frost Road and North-14.
Even though it's slightly less than 3 miles one way, this is an EXHAUSTING pull up a long hill.  It's the toughest part of riding we've ever done - the only thing I can think of that's worse is Heartbreak Hill just southeast of Golden, NM.
My blood glucose was high when we started and only a little too high when we arrived at the Post Office so I didn't snarf any snacks during this trip.  We rode on up the hill to the Shell Station where we normally have a treat and potty break.  I had a small Diet Coke this time and did fine, no carbs needed for once.
Fortunately it's mostly coasting and riding the brakes coming back toward home.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0        Ending Voltage: 12.5
Lowest Temp  61 F      Highest Temp:  75 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  4.29
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  3.5 MPH                                 6.1 MPH                    26.0 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  1 hour 12 mins                     42 mins 31 secs         30 minutes 12 seconds

Another Great Day to Ride

Today's APRS/GPS tracking via Ham Radio
Today I had another medical appointment:  Another eye exam.  Jacque suggested since we would be in town anyway, why not take the tandem trike for a ride?  Twist my arm, Baby.....
My appointment was at 9:30 and took over an hour (Great News:  I still have 2 eyes) which got us out and on the trail just before noon, with a lovely temperature in the mid 60's and lots of sun and almost no breeze.
We debated about where to ride - thinking we should trya a different ride and maybe go up the Tramway boulevard - but finally decided to do the easier and flatter ride along the Bosque Trail.
We certainly enjoyed the previous few  weeks the South Bosque Trail was opened with the wonderful new smooth pavement.  Not having the gates at Bridge and 2nd street was great, since we ride recumbents.  The previous "obstacle course" cycle gates and barriers were very difficult to navigate on a non-standard bike or trike, but with effort we were able to go UNDER the locked ends of the gates.  Today we found new gates with NARROWER gaps between the barrier poles than any of the other barriers in Albuquerque.  The other barriers are barely wide enough to allow our passage with our tandem recumbent Terratrike, and these new barriers are at least 3 inches too narrow to allow passage.  The gate at Bridge was unlocked, thankfully, so we got through That choke-point, but at 2nd street we could go no further.  We'd hoped to do a complete southern Bosque loop-around but had to turn back.  Hopefully the City/County will consider widening these bollards' gaps to allow more than just "standard" bicycles to pass.
We stopped for a couple nice breaks.  As usual, the most enjoyable stop was at Tingley Beach.  School is out for spring break this week and thus the "beach" was crammed with families and Mommies and Dads and little kids.  Tinkerbell got an even larger number of "Oooh's" and "Aaahh's" and "Look at the Doggie on the Bike!", which Her Royal Highness dealt with most satisfactorily.
We're hoping to get back into a regular riding routine to rebuild our stamina and strength.  With weather like we've had the last few weeks, excepting one week of stormy freezing, we have no excuse.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  12.9        Ending Voltage: 12.0
Lowest Temp  62 F      Highest Temp:  73 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  13.22
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  4.6 MPH                                 7.1 MPH                    23.4 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  2 hours 54 mins                     1 hour 51 mins         1 Hour 2 minutes

Back in the Saddle Again

Today's Tracking Worked Great
It's again been way, way too long since I've ridden.
I DO have excuses.  Cold weather, Jacque's Dad died and we spent a couple weeks traveling and tending to arrangements, etc, etc.
Today, however, dawned sunny and clear, and I had a lunch date in Edgewood with my great friend Paul N5DBB.  I decided there was no time like the present to make a few miles on the recumbent bike, and it was great.
I'm continually chagrined that, when I'm off the bike for a while, it gets easier to put off resuming the habit of regular riding.  There's always something that seems to demand your time and prevent you from actually saddling up and GETTING GOING.  Then, when I actually get going, I'm reminded how much FUN biking is and how GREAT it makes me feel even if it's tiring, and of course often BECAUSE it's tiring.
Even though my legs are lacking tone, it still felt WONDERFUL to be out on the road pedaling along.  I was late for my 11:45 lunch appointment, and was tempted to forgo the ride due to a last minute incoming phone call just before I departed.  Even though I was 15-20 minutes late it was just SO good to be out in the fresh air getting the blood circulating again.
On the way down the hill on County Line Road I was surprised to be accosted by a pair of large dogs.  Jacque and I have ridden this route many times before and only encountered barking dogs behind fences that kept them in, but this pair of mutts charged right through their open gate and rushed toward me.  I decided to play "Chicken" with the lead dog and steered the bike straight toward him as he charged, and he decided to veer off into the weeds and rocks rather than collide with me, which slowed him down enough he - and his companion - could not catch me as I raced past them.  Snicker.
On the way back, I debated with myself whether to take another route (Mountain Valley Road) to avoid the dogs since this time it would be slightly uphill and no way would I be able to outrun them.  I decided to go back past the threatening doggies, but armed myself with a crooked stick I found under a tree alongside the road.  At least I would have some means of defending myself if they actually got close enough to bite me.  A hundred yards later I had to stop for a pee break and spotted a like-new golf ball on the side of the road, which looked like another good weapon:

So, with Big Stick across the handlebars and the golf ball in one hand, I resumed riding.  When I went past the open gated property, no doggies appeared to harass me.  Evidently they were safe inside their house this time.  Which is just as well.  I probably would have fallen off the bike trying to swing the stick or throw the golf ball at them.  I did throw the ball into the front basket, however.  It might come in handy someday.... HAH

Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  24.02
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  6.6 MPH                                9.1 MPH                   28.0 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  3 hours 36 mins                     2 hours 38 mins      58 minutes 36 seconds