30 Dec 2010

Snowy December 2010

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As December was getting a bit long I have split the month as usual. I have scattered a gallery of snowy scenes throughout. Though these were all taken in late December 2010 they may not relate to the adjacent text. I have now brightened them in PhotoFiltre to reduce the blueness.


21st  8-16F, -13--9C, sunny, calm. Despite the cold it was a superb day thanks to the bright sunshine. I soon warmed up and took off the Belstaff jacket and my scarf. Even my hands didn't feel cold though my face and ears did when I went faster. My beard was literally solid with ice from early on. The Aesse jacket was perfect for these temperatures and conditions. I wore skiing goggles to stop my eyes from watering. These goggles also have excellent sun blocking properties without darkening the view. I think I paid a fiver (equiv) for them at a local supermarket.

The back lanes were quite passable except for the drifts where the hedges were missing. The chaps in the snow plough lorries work around the clock to keep the roads clear and their work is undone by selfish farmers. Farmers who receive billions in tax payer's subsidies to care for the environment. The snow banks were over 6' high in places.(2 metres) I took a few snaps but this was the only one where there wasn't a complete white-out from wind-blown snow.


Four more inches of overnight snow remained on the roads leaving the traffic to crumble it and squash it flat. I passed a council worker clearing the cycle paths with a mini-digger. Let's just say that the moron had never ridden a bicycle along a path after he had been busy and leave it at that. So many unemployed and this idiot still has a job! In case this is a bit too cryptic he was leaving deep snow dams across the cycle paths at intervals. Only god knows why!

I stayed on the roads and left the traffic to overtake where and when they could. I was able to keep up 12mph without too much trouble provided I stuck to the thinnest or smoothest snow. Going downhill at 20mph felt a bit hairy though. If one back wheel senses more resistance the trike tends to turn that way. I'm talking about free-wheeling downhill here. Nothing to do with the 2WD. The trike can get quite a bit sideways at times. I just point the front wheel straight downhill and hope.


The new i-GotU GPS logger software is completely screwed up and wont download trips. The Next box remains greyed out! Cancel, and the damned thing clears the logger memory! 23 Miles. (as measured by the Ventus GPS logger)  (Now fixed but the i-GotU logger keeps falling asleep half way around)


22nd 18F, -8C, fresh overnight snow, almost still, watery sunny periods. Feeling unwell in the morning with dizziness. Probably the virus which has been giving me headaches. Christmas shopping all afternoon on snow covered roads. 0 miles again!


The deer ran on across the hill in the distance but were gone by the time I had stopped and retrieved my camera. It was rather cold to strip off my gloves to take pictures. Just for scale there is a car by the dark tree on the road straight ahead. It had passed me in the woods and is just about to make a sharp right turn up a rather steep hill.

23rd 28F, -2C, overcast, blowing a 15m/s gale. Snowed all night with drifting and continuous snow and wind forecast for all day and tomorrow. Not looking at all good for a ride today or tomorrow! My monthly average has collapsed with very little hope of a change to better weather.


24th 23F, -5C, blowing hard, overcast. I spent a couple of hours clearing drifts in the drive then went out for a ride after coffee. The roads had been scraped. Leaving a layer of snow over ice. Except where the hedges had been ripped out. There were drifts up to three feet deep just there and nowhere else. The snow was smoking across the road and blowing in clouds off the fields. I was heading for a supermarket but they were closed! Though I managed to get a French loaf in a small village shop. 13 miles. The damned i-GotU logger software is still blocking trips and then deleting them.


25th December 16F, -9C, full sun, winds have finally eased. Lovely day for a ride, but not today. Merry Christmas! Let's be careful out there. :-)


Another hill surmounted without a problem. I liked the way the weak sunlight shone briefly through a gap in the hedge onto Mr Higgins.


26th 8-21F, -13-6C. Still, overcast. I tried my new lightweight cycling balaclava which Mrs Santa had brought me. It was excellent. Offering protection for my cheeks and chin without the excessive warmth of a scarf. The skiing goggles offering even more protection. It was cold throughout with the roads quite difficult at times. Though I stayed out long enough to do a few miles. Mostly by minor roads. Even quite steep hills were fine thanks to 2WD. It really does give me confidence to take any navigable road. Fresh, six inch deep snow is easily overcome but when it reaches the axles it is really hard work to maintain forward motion.

The narrow strips of road which still looked like bare asphalt were actually ice. The snow was fine when freshly scraped but cars had often made it into crumbly stuff with rather higher rolling resistance. I stuck to the crown of the road wherever possible to avoid sliding off sideways. My new large, cheap mirror gives me an even better view to the rear. Though the flexible stalk is much too long and the mirror vibrates on rough surfaces. It has two clamping screws so I can use anything I like to make a new, shorter stalk.

The chain was frozen and noisy and didn't get any better. I doused it and the gear changers in liquid grease when I returned. The snow I leave on the trike stays there thanks to the unheated shed. So I cleared it off with a stick before putting it away. It will save the gear cables being iced up next time out. 15 miles.


27th 22-25F, -6-4C, still, cloudy. The roads were absolutely appalling! It was obvious nobody had scraped them over Christmas. Where it was undisturbed the snow was fast and smooth. Unfortunately much of it was broken up by tractor and lorry tyres which had crumbled it. On the good stuff I was managing 18mph on the flat but the majority was awful with heavy drag. That meant bottom gear and 5-6 mph! On most of the main roads the ice was corrugated into a vicious washboard. Even the traffic was crawling on the worst of it. The hammering as lorries drove over it was dreadful. I was pulling off when I could to let the traffic pass but it wasn't always easy because of the snow banks on the verge. I saw one young cyclist go down hard on a corner. Fortunately there was no traffic around him at the time.


I set out determined to visit a triangle of three village shops. I managed it but it was a serious workout and I was starving and tired on the last leg. Over three hours (including shopping) to do 23 miles on almost no bare tarmac at all.   


28th 22F, -6C, overcast, misty and still.  My front tyre was as flat as a pancake this morning. Probably a pinch flat from yesterday's grim battle with washboard ice. Once I was out on the roads I discovered they were largely unchanged but there was more traffic about. It felt very cold today.  My centre-pull brake is dragging and the cable ragged. Good job I spotted the cable or it could have been nasty. I think I'll try a side-pull for a change and get rid of the cable hanger.


Only 13 miles so far but I'm going out again after coffee. There is no way to reach 10k miles this year with only three days left. But, if I can manage 68 more km, I shall have ridden 15,000km this year. So I need about 44 more miles. My right knee is niggling so I shall have to try and keep the revs up.


What a hero! :-)  I did another 25.5 miles after coffee and brought back some heavy shopping. Mostly on snow-covered, minor roads. I have beaten 9300 miles and am very close to 15,000 km.

The temperature is now 24F, -4C, almost still, with a heavy overcast. It still feels very cold though I don't know why. I have been out in 10 degrees C colder than this and it didn't feel as cold as it does today. My big blue shopping bag is disintegrating. I have a new purple bag ready but haven't tried it for size yet. It certainly doesn't have the same quality as the blue one. So I shall have to look after it well if it is to last.


29th 18F, -8C, mostly overcast, light breeze. It was much easier  going than coming back because the earlier, smooth snow had been ripped up by traffic. Where the snow had been crumbled it was 3-6mph in bottom gear. I presume the snow plough drivers are all on holiday because none of the roads look any different from one day to the next.


I saw quite a large deer near some woods. It didn't seem to know whether to run or watch me go past at safe distance. I stopped to get the camera out and it ran. At the same moment a snowy breasted thrush landed in the hedge right beside me.  Probably just a well camouflaged song thrush. 20 very cold and tiring miles. I have safely cleared 15,000 km or 9300 miles for the year.


30th 18F, -9C, overcast, light winds. I set off intending to do a 30 mile loop but the roads were very hard work. I was tired and hungry and had no biscuits to revive myself. It was bitterly cold and my beard was soon heavy with icicles. I stopped a couple of times to capture the pretty wintry scenes and my hands were aching with cold within seconds. Even the poor camera went into slow motion! The zoom slowed and the viewing screen took ages to change when I moved the camera! My cycle computers have both stopped recording. The screens show the numbers clearly enough and the 1/10ths change, but the mileage hardly changed at all. 3 miles in 20? Weird! Hands up who thinks I'm a masochist? 20 cold and tiring miles today.

31st December 2010 30-32F, -1-0C, almost still, bright sunshine. A shopping loop halfway by main roads the rest by hilly, snowy lanes. The higher temperatures are allowing the salt to finally start working. The sunshine probably helped. Most drivers were ignoring the speed limits as usual. Though some were holding back and giving me lots of room. I chatted to a few people outside supermarkets who were interested in the trike. The shops were packed with people with long queues.

22 miles to finish off the year. A provisional 9,360 miles for the calender year, or 15,070km. All on a trike. I haven't ridden a bike for at least 18 months. (I have yet to double check my figures with my desktop calculator)

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15 Dec 2010

More of the same

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1st December 2010  23-27F, -5-3C, strong easterly gusts, snowing, occasional sunny periods. Snow coming down at about an inch per hour or more. No problems despite a lot more drifting. The snow. Not the trike. A hill which defeated me last year, because of wheel spin, was a doddle with 2WD.

I wore my fleece, foreign legion hat with ear flaps and neck protection. My face was still really stinging at times in crosswinds. I have a rather short, lightweight, Belstaff jacket which is windproof but breathes well. Some sort of special fabric called Tactel. I wear it over the Aesse cycling jacket for extra protection from the wind, snow and traffic spray. Only 11 miles.

2nd 26-30F, -3-1C, windy, overcast. The main roads were better today but there were still stripes of slush and drifts in places. On a minor road I hit a patch of crumbly white stuff and it was like slamming on the brakes. I ended up in bottom gear and was still struggling. So I turned back before I was committed to miles of the stuff. No problem maintaining grip and a straight line with the 2WD. It was just that the packed snow was so stiff it resisted my wheel movement cutting through it.

I wore two pairs of leggings today and was much too hot. I wore a couple of extra vests too instead of a waistcoat and was hot/cold and sweaty almost from the start.  Once chilled there is no way to take anything off to cool down. The thicker vests were quite damp when I got home. Better to be cold and warm up than too hot and then chilled.

I was nearly wiped off the road by a little old woman in a red car., She had obviously forgotten her reading glasses. After brushing past me she lost it completely and ended up on the verge. Then she over-corrected and shot across the road into the other lane. Obviously satisfied with her wonderful driving skills she put her foot down and went through the speed sign at 67kph in the middle of a 50kph village. Just after the speed indicator board is a lethal crossroads. Where I saw the immediate aftermath of an awful accident involving several vehicles. One of which was sliced in half lengthways. With an ashen faced young women still sitting in it. With nowhere for her legs to be. A Volkswagen mini-bus was lying on its roof nearby.  No sign of the police of ambulances yet so it must have jut happened as we approached. Not bad for a 30mph village consisting of wide, straight roads and perfect visibility.

More than half of drivers today were exceeding the local speed limits despite the difficult conditions. No traffic police or speed cameras = no road crime. 19 miles and I still survived! Whoopee! :-)

3rd 20-26F, -7-3C, almost still, mostly sunny. All the roads had been snow ploughed. Not necessarily down to the tarmac but it didn't  seem to matter too much.  I could always keep going thanks to the 2WD.

I was self-disciplined today and took off the lightweight, Belstaff jacket and my scarf as soon as I warmed up. I was completely comfortable from then on despite the cold. The Easse jacket is fine over just a racing jersey and poly vest when it isn't blowing hard. Racing shorts over poly skiing tights were perfectly warm enough. I wore the skiing goggles again to avoid being blinded by watery eyes. Even the best of  my cycling sunglasses let in too much cold air at these temperatures. I'm wearing the fragile, BBB Hardwear overshoes until they shred and become completely useless.What a waste of money!

 It was such a nice day I rode a normal route despite the mostly white roads. Keeping my speed down to 20mph seemed sensible on the descents. The brakes were crap hidden deep inside a football-sized mass of snow around the forks. Often with a spray of dry snow shooting out of the front of the mudguard. The chainrings and sprocket were completely lost in fluffy white stuff for most of the time. I'm giving the chain, gear changers and gears a long squirt of liquid grease before each ride to combat salt and rust.

Climbing was safe thanks  to a total lack of wheel spin. I could even climb out of the saddle on the steepest bits in 3-4" of powdery snow without the rear end losing traction. Impressive for dead smooth, rock hard, 23x700Cs.  Like an idiot I left my camera at home for the first time in years. There were lots of wintry views to capture and I couldn't do anything about it!

Going through one village I came upon a huge, articulated lorry which had jack-knifed and crushed a car against a house. The lorry was broadside right across the road. The driver was probably taking a short cut through the village to get to the motorway. Rather than taking the slightly longer main road route. They often don't give a damn about speed limits as they blast through the 30mph villages. I have no idea of the injuries to the car occupants. The air bags were completely blocking the view of the interior as I pedalled past the mayhem. A couple of policemen were waving the traffic through the remaining gap. No sign of ambulance or fire brigade yet so it must have just happened. Car drivers were putting their foot down as soon as they managed to push past the wreckage. Totally ignoring the 50kph (30mph) speed limit as always. Otherwise a pleasant enough ride of 21 miles.


Winter, direct ascent.

4th 28-30F, -2-1C, breezy, bitterly cold wind, mostly sunny.  I went out determined to find some hills to test the Trykit 2WD system. The image above shows how well it copes with about 4" of crumbly snow on a long incline. Click the image to enlarge it so you can see how long the hill really is. There is a cottage right at the bottom with a snow covered roof. My hands were freezing in seconds in the strong wind blowing across the hill as I took a couple of quick snaps. I had already removed my lightweight Belstaff jacket and scarf before the climb. I was out for hours ploughing three lonely furrows with hardly any traffic. Only 15 miles.

5th 30F.-1C, still after overnight gales caused drifting. About 5" of snow fell this morning. I rode through over 6" of fresh snow to reach the road without difficulty. The main roads were almost clear from regular snow ploughing. I pulled off to allow a couple of lorries to pass with huge plough blades on the front and salt spraying off the back. They left three lanes of brown slush with arcs flying up from my wheels as I rode on.

Most of the light traffic gave me lots of room. Except for one retard. Who sprayed me from head to foot with slush with his people carrier. Forgiveable, I suppose, as he was driving to the bakers with his spherical wife. No words of mine can make his life any more unpleasant than decades of having to provide emergency sacks of cakes, on a daily basis, for his pet pig. Only 8 rather slushy miles. I hadn't the energy to fight the deep snow on the hilly back lanes.

It seems a drugged-up waster has killed at least eight cyclists who were out training in Italy. The killer was driving without a license having had it taken from him some months earlier for dangerous driving. He attempted to overtake another car and was speeding while under the influence of marijuana. Some overpaid ambulance chaser will plead some tear-jerking garbage. The waster will be given another chance and be released after spending a fortnight on remand watching TV and smoking pot in some cushy jail.

6th 25F, -4C, still, misty, sunny. Main roads almost clear. Side roads freezing crumbly snow and very hard work in places. 19 miles.

7th 32F, 0C, light winds, overcast. Roads variable with slush and snow. Mist down to 50 yards in places. Not that it affected driving behaviour. I was showered a few times by selfish bastards not slowing down in narrow lanes. They say one can recognise people's real psychology by their driving. If this is true then a large proportion of the driving population is either retarded or are dangerous sociopaths. 23 miles.

On a more cheerful note Alan Schmidt has been recognised for his contribution to triking by being awarded the Hans Just Sports Prize for 2010. He won two bronze medals at the World Championships this year and has won lots of other events over the last couple of years. Outstanding! Well done, Alan!

Hans Just Idrætspris 2010

Dansk Handicap Idræts-Forbund


8th 25-28F, -4-2C, misty, still and overcast. Just another shopping trip. Rear changer frozen. One tooth of my Shimano, steel, middle chainring has snapped off into a hook! 15 miles.


9th 25-27F, -4-2C, light winds, sunny. Just a gentle rural shopping trip in the sunshine.  The very first car I met overshot a blind bend and was 100% in the wrong lane as she approached me. How am I supposed to know if she will correct  safely and get back on her own side before she hits me? This is the same village where over 80% of drivers cut every single corner! Many are on their mobile phone as they pass me. Over 6o vehicles have fallen off this stretch of road since I have lived here. Those are just the ones I have seen for myself. Most are probably towed away before I see them. Hardly a month passes without seeing a car on its roof. Or a lorry on its side. Or nose down in the verge. I saw two crashed motorcyclists lying very still in the fields this year alone.  Doesn't anybody care? 16 miles.

10th 18-32F, -8-0C, overcast, almost still. Busier roads mostly clear. I had a headache this morning for the third day in a row. I don't usually get headaches. Once I had reached my first shop I was feeling better and decided to do a detour to add a few more miles. It started snowing, then raining, towards the end. 5 shops. 24 miles.

11th 41F, 5C, gusts to 27m/s, more than 50mph! Mostly overcast. I rode into the wind going and then back with the wind. Crawling at 6-8mph in bottom gear and hiding under the crossbar in places and hanging on for dear life when the wind came from the side. Cruising at an effortless 20mph coming home. A sudden thaw and overnight rain had almost removed the lying snow. Only the compacted stuff was hanging around on the verges. The roads were very wet and littered with small branches. With the wind roaring in my ears, sometimes literally moving like a passing train, I was rather wary of falling trees. There were lots of hunters out in the woods and fields. 16 miles.

I did 12 miles later and watched the golden sun sink behind the trees just after 3.30. The wind had subsided a little but I was still standing up in a low gear to maintain forward motion at times.

12th 29F, -2C, sunny periods, blowing a gale. It was hell out there! At times it was blowing so hard my upwind wheel was lifting! When I hit the frozen run-off from the fields the front wheel was being pushed sideways on the skating rink. My snot was a kite string hanging in the wind. It was so cold my face felt frozen and stung by burning needles by turn. I have no idea why, under these awful conditions, but the sun made me want to take a detour. I managed only 17 miles before limping back home again. Sometimes I was crawling at 6-7mph going downhill. Why do I do it? 

13th 28F, -2C, snow, winds light, sunny periods. It started snowing around 9 am and dumped 4" in about an hour. I set off without any problems onto untreated roads. Using the car tracks where possible to save ploughing my own furrows. No problems govce.ing uphill but I got a bit sideways on the steeper descents. Straightening the front wheel up saved me a few times before I lost the plot completely. The problem seemed to be the front tyre building up snow. So I was essentially floating with no adhesion at all. Only 11 hilly miles today.

I see Google Street View has finally updated where I have seen the camera car, from my trike, but I'm not there! A bit disappointing after waiting months to see the alien out on his trike.  Bwah! :-)

Google Earth 6 is the latest update but it's incredibly slow. Taking about 20 seconds minimum to sharpen a single Street View. Move the camera and it starts all over again! The "bubbles" were much quicker and vastly more useful for scanning for bikes because a sharp scene was visible in the bubbles if one wanted to zip along a whole road very quickly. Hopefully they'll sort themselves out.

They have tidied away all the camera symbols. Now one has to double click on any road and hope they have been along it. I know all those cameras were getting very untidy but they haven't been along many minor Danish roads yet. Some sort of stripe along the virtual road, where they have been, would be useful at this point to save wasting time. Ground View on an un-recorded roads is absolutely dire! I know, I'm a moaning minny.  :-)

14th Out all day. 0 miles.

15th 23-25F, -5C, winds light, weak sunny periods. It felt  bitterly cold in the wind with my face and hands aching from the cold. I tried to tie a scarf around my face but I was getting cold as I struggled with it in the wind. With the scarf flapping all over the place I had to tie it in the front and swivel it around my neck.

The same old problem of hedges and no hedges. There was much deeper snow on the roads where it drifted off the fields in the gaps in the hedges. Where there were hedges the snow was lying in long thinner stripes along the road with stripes of tarmac just visible. Where I was sheltered by a hedge it was as if there was no frost at all.

No real problems on the way back apart from my beard freezing solid from the condensation of my breath.  There's no way to rescue my average mileage in this weather. I followed a Segway for  a while before overtaking him. He was averaging 8mph on big fat, knobbly tyres with a big dog loping alongside. While I wanted to do 10-12mph under the same hard packed, crumbly snow and ice conditions. The i-Got GPS logger failed to get a fix today and had no data to download. 13 hilly miles.

16th 23-30F, -5-1C, windy, heavy, wet snow. A complete waste of time trying to get out today. After a 11F, -12C frost last night we had heavy, wet snow all day with gales. The roads were appalling with thick, icy slush and ridged up snow. The traffic was crawling. Another rest day!

17th 12-21F, -11-6C. Overcast, calm. Dogh! The road was awful.  Covered in thick lumpy ice lying on top of thick black ice where slush had refrozen. I couldn't even go out in the car to do any Christmas shopping. Riding on that mess would have been impossible on a trike. If anyone had braked, because of me, they would not have been able to stop. Another forced rest day. 0 miles.


18th  22F, -5C. still, overcast. Roads atrocious. Christmas shopping out in the car all day. 0 Miles.




19th 12-8F, -11-8C, sunny, almost still. A beautiful day, but rather cold. The roads were covered in hard packed, powdery snow and solid ice. Very rough in places.  No problem with adhesion thanks to 2WD. I left it too late to go very far. Only 11 miles.










A little too late for a perfect Christmas present but a new racing trike has turned up on eBay.

VINTAGE RACING TRICYCLE FRAME BY PAT ROHAN OF PINNER on eBay (end time 28-Dec-10 17:41:05 GMT)

Probably a hand built frame with a Higgins axle? 21.5" One size fits all? Though advertised as a frame and forks it does include rear wheels.

This trike made only, a very affordable, £142. 

20th December  21F, -6C, sunny at times, still. Christmas shopping all day. O miles.

Fed up with the cold weather? Here's some barmy pictures from balmy Shanghai from the 3Wielweb website:

Trike Use









Mileage 2010

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Since I am so forgetful about checking my daily mileage from my bike computer I shall now record it here: Recording my mileage publicly is vitally important to me because it gives me another incentive to continue riding when conditions are very unfavourable. I am using every constructive means available to me to keep building on my fitness. It is absolutely vital to me that I don't return to the state I was in only a few months ago. With paralysing pain over most of my body, very high blood pressure, daily nose bleeds and breathlessness from doing the simplest activities.

I remember the agonising pain of trying to put on and remove my shoes. I could neither bend over from a low seat nor lift my foot! Every night I lay in bed suffering from constant pain in my joints and worrying whether I'd end up in a wheelchair. Thankfully I didn't have much weight to lose but my fitness was remarkably poor considering how much exercise I was getting at work.

Tricycling rescued me from regular visits to the doctor to complain about the latest, debilitating aches and pains. Now I cause the only pain I feel by cycling. I am firmly in charge and any pain I cause is usually gone by the next morning. I am no longer the victim of my age and physical condition. They say you should visit your doctor before embarking on serious exercise. I had nothing to lose. Except the threat of lifelong medication for high blood pressure!

The very long winter is still restricting my routes to main roads. My usual back lanes, well away from the traffic, are still iced up and largely unrideable! (as of March 2010 and counting) This restricts my potential routes dramatically. Riding on the main roads is no fun (at all) when the roads are considerably narrowed by high snow banks. Often making it difficult for the traffic to pass easily. Moreover the risks are far higher due to the damage this winter has done to the road surfaces. They are cracked all over and badly potholed. Which makes selecting a safe path on a trike increasingly fraught with danger in the presence of speeding traffic. One has to find three clear paths for the tyres instead of only one on a bike.

I am now using my GT-120 GPS logger to record my daily mileages confirmed by the maps which it draws on Google Earth and safely files on my computer.Yet another incentive to go out and ride further. The best match between the GPS and computer is to set the bike computer to 2120 for 700 x 23 tyres.I also bought a Ventus G730 GPS logger as backup and use both on every ride now. The bike computer has been changed for the latest model at the local supermarkets. Not always for the better though. These required different circumference multipliers (including 2090) to match the GS loggers. After a very wobbly start the GPS loggers are beginning to agree much more closely.

 Note the use of miles for the daily distance. Not kilometres. Multiply miles by 8/5 (or x1.61) for kilometres.

I have since entered kilometres for the running year total to save anybody doing the maths for themselves. It was my wife's suggestion because she said it looked as if I had ridden much further when measured in kilometres! :-)

I no longer ride a bike, at all, so all distances are on the Higgins 'Ultralite' trike.

I have regularly discovered new errors of addition and have (hopefully) corrected all of them.  I should have checked my mental arithmetic long before now! My skills at addition have always been rather poor. The problem is that every single error has to be carried forwards through every column. Even then the odd typo crops up.

For some reason the Tricycle Association records annual trike mileages to the end of September. Since I kept no records prior to January 1st 2010 those missing three months take a large chunk out of my potential mileage claim. I may have done 2000 miles by the end of 2009 but I changed bike computers several times. (including one lost into the verge on a fast, bumpy corner!) So I have to ignore my mileage between September 30th 2009 and Jan 1st 2010. I was using my natural competitive instincts to keep on riding every day to try and amass more miles than most of the other TA stalwarts. Now it only adds up to a 9 month year and only 7.3k miles instead of a (probably) more realistic 9-10k. Grrr. :-) 

The columns are as follows: 
Date of the month, 
Day's mileage, 
Month's mileage to date, 
Month's daily Average to date, 
Total mileage and Total Km for the year to date. 
R =Rest day (0 miles usually because of unrideable weather) 
Total Rest days for the year.  
BS= Fitted Brooks Professional saddle at 993 miles.

January 2010
                                   Month                 Year
Date      Miles     Total     Avge     Miles     Km

 1..............0..............0...........0...............0...........0 R
 2...........15............15...........7.5..........15.........24
 3...........10............25...........8.3..........25.........40
 4.............0............25...........6.2..........25.........40 R
 5.............0............25...........5.............25.........40 R
 6.............0............25...........4.2..........25.........40 R
 7.............8............33...........4.7..........33.........53
 8.............0............33...........4.1..........33.........53 R
 9.............0............33...........3.7..........33.........53 R
10. ..........0............33...........3.3..........33.........53 R
11..........12............45...........4.1..........45.........72
12............0............45...........3.7..........45.........72 R
13............0............45...........3.5..........45.........72 R
14............8............53...........3.8..........53.........85
15..........14............67...........4.5..........67.......108
16..........15............82...........5.1..........82.......132
17..........23..........105...........6.2........105.......169
18..........21..........126...........7...........126.......202
19..........22..........148...........7.8........148.......238
20............0..........148...........7.4........148.......238 R
21..........19..........167...........7.9........167.......269
22..........25..........192...........8.7........192.......309
23..........20..........212...........9.2........212.......341
24............9..........221...........9.2........221.......355
25..........14..........235...........9.4........235.......380
26..........17..........252...........9.7........252.......407
27............0..........252...........9.37......252.......407 R
28..........25..........277...........9.9........277.......447
29..........11..........288.........10.0........288.......465
30............8..........296...........9.9........296.......478
31..........13..........309.........10.0........309.......499 
              11R                                                    11R

February 2010
                                  Month                  Year
Date     Miles    Total     Avge.     Miles      Km

 1..........10............10.........10.0.........319.......515
 2............0............10...........5.0.........319.......515 R
 3..........10............20...........6.7.........329.......531
 4..........15 ...........35...........8.7.........344.......555
 5..........12 ...........47...........9.4.........356.......574
 6..........10............57...........9.5.........366.......590
 7..........30............87.........12.4.........396.......639
 8..........10............97.........12.1.........406.......655
 9............0............97.........10.7.........406.......655 R
10...........0............97...........9.7.........406.......655 R
11...........8..........105...........9.6.........414.......668
12...........8..........113...........9.5.........422.......682
13.........10..........123...........9.5.........432.......698
14.........17..........140.........10.0.........449.......726
15.........20..........160.........10.7.........469.......758
16.........18..........178.........11.2.........487.......787
17.........20..........198.........11.7.........507.......819
18...........8..........206.........11.5.........515.......832
19...........4..........210.........11.1.........519.......838
20.........22..........232.........11.6.........541.......874
21.........33..........265.........12.6.........574.......927
22.........23..........288.........13.1.........597.......964
23.........19..........307.........13.4.........616.......994
24...........0..........307.........12.8.........616.......994 R
25.........15..........322.........12.9.........631.....1019
26.........23..........345.........13.3.........654.....1056
27.........12..........357.........13.2.........666.....1075
28.........30..........387.........13.9.........696.....1123
             4R                                                      15R


March 2010
                                 Month                   Year
Date    Miles     Total      Avge      Miles      Km

 1..........22............22.........22.0.........718......1159
 2..........15............37.........18.5.........733......1183
 3..........10............47.........15.7.........743......1199
 4..........17............64.........16.0.........760......1226
 5..........23............87.........17.4.........783......1263
 6............0............87.........14.5.........783......1263 R
 7..........28..........115.........16.4.........811......1309
 8..........15..........130.........16.3.........826......1333
 9..........26..........156.........17.3.........852......1375
10...........0..........156.........15.6.........852......1375 R
11.........19..........175.........16.0.........871......1405
12.........25..........200.........16.7.........896......1445
13.........21..........221.........17.0.........917.....1479
14.........35..........256.........18.2.........952.....1536
15.........12..........268.........17.8.........964.....1555
16.........29..........297.........18.5.........993.....1598 BS
17.........31..........328.........19.2.......1024.....1647
18.........22..........350.........19.4.......1046.....1684
19...........9..........359.........18.9.......1055.....1698
20.........12..........371.........18.5.......1067.....1717
21.........23..........394.........18.8.......1090.....1755
22.........24..........418.........19.0.......1114.....1793
23.........29..........447.........19.4.......1143.....1840
24.........30..........477.........19.9.......1173.....1888
25...........0..........477.........18.8.......1173.....1888 R
26.........23..........500.........19.2.......1196.....1925
27.........30..........530.........19.6.......1226.....1973
28.........30..........560.........20.0.......1256.....2022
29.........48..........608.........21.0.......1304.....2099
30.........24..........632.........21.0.......1328.....2138
31.........34..........666.........21.5.......1362.....2193
             3R                                                      18R


April 2010
                                  Month                 Year
Date    Miles     Total      Avge    Miles       Km

 1...........8..............8............8.........1370......2206
 2.........35............43..........21.5......1405......2262
 3.........18............61..........20.3......1423......2291
 4.........30............91..........22.8......1453......2339
 5.........30..........121..........24.2......1483......2387
 6.........25..........146..........24.3......1508......2427
 7.........23..........169..........24.1......1531......2465
 8.........25..........194..........24.2......1556......2505
 9.........30..........224..........24.9......1586......2553
10........28..........252..........25.2......1614......2598
11........27..........279..........25.4......1641......2642
12........22..........301..........25.1......1663......2677
13........10..........311..........24.0......1673......2693
14........26..........337..........24.1......1689......2719
15........23..........360..........24.0......1712......2756
16........32..........392..........24.5......1744......2807
17........16..........408..........24.0......1760......2833
18........23..........431..........24.0......1783......2870
19........26..........457..........24.1......1809......2912
20........28..........485..........24.2......1837......2957
21........17..........502..........24.0......1854......3004
22........23..........525..........23.8......1877......3021
23........32..........557..........24.2......1909......3073
24........21..........578..........24.0 .....1930......3107
25........18..........596..........23.8......1948......3136
26........27..........623..........24.0......1975......3179
27........20..........643..........23.8......1995......3212
28 .......18..........661..........23.6......2013......3240
29........24..........685..........23.6......2037......3279
30........27..........712..........23.7......2074......3323
             0R


May 2010
                               Month                    Year
Date    Miles   Total    Avge       Miles        Km

 1...........8......... .8............8............2072.......3336
 2.........43.........51..........25.5........2115.......3405
 3.........27.........78..........26.0........2142.......3635
 4.........22.......100..........25.0........2164.......3484
 5.........38........138.........27.6........2202.......3545
 6.........28........166.........27.7........2230.......3590
 7.........14........180.........25.7........2244.......3612
 8.........14........194.........24.2........2258.......3635
 9.........28........222.........24.6........2286.......2286
10........22........244.........24.4........2290.......3686
11........17........261.........23.7........2307.......3714
12..........0........261.........21.7........2307.......3714 R
13........12........273.........21.0........2319.......3733
14........25........298.........21.3........2344.......3773
15........18........316.........21.1........2362.......3802
16........28........344.........21.5........2390.......3847
17........25........369.........21.7........2415.......3888
18........54........423.........23.5........2469.......3975
19........25........448.........23.6........2494.......4015
20........47........495.........24.7........2541.......3880
21........22........517.........24.6........2563.......4126
22........50........567.........25.8........2613.......4206
23........45........612.........26.6........2703.......4351
24........39........651.........27.1........2842.......4575
25........34........685.........27.4........2776.......4459
26........24........709.........27.3........2800.......4508
27........26........735.........27.2........2826.......4549
28........34........769.........27.5........2860.......4604
29........34........803.........27.7........2894.......4659
30........16........819.........27.3........2910.......4685
31........28........847.........27.3........2938.......4730
            
1R                                                     19R


June 2010
                               Month                    Year
Date   Miles    Total    Avge      Miles         Km  

  1........37...........37.........37.........2976........4791
  2........50...........87.........43.5......3025........4870
  3........51.........138.........46.........3076........4952
  4........43.........181.........45.2......3119........5021
  5........50.........231.........46.2......3169........5102
  6........52.........283.........47.2......3221........5185
  7........25.........308.........44.........3246........5226
  8........50.........358.........44.8......3296........5306
  9........50.........408........45.3.......3346........5387
10........28.........436........43.6.......3374........5432
11........40.........476........43.2.......3414........5496
12........34.........510........42.5.......3448........5551
13........31.........541........41.6.......3479........5601
14........54.........595........42.5.......3533........5688
15........24.........619........41.2.......3557........5726
16..........0.........619........38.7.......3557........5726 R
17........10.........629........37..........3567........5742
18........34.........663........36.8.......3601........5797
19........50.........713........37.5.......3651........5812
20........61.........774........38.7.......3712........5976
21........37.........811........38.6.......3749........6035
22........57.........868........39.5.......3806........6127
23........58.........926........40.3.......3864........6221
24........28.........954........39.7.......3892........6266
25........48.......1002........40.1.......3940........6343
26........40.......1042........40.......   3980........6408
27........46.......1088........40.3.......4026........6481
28........61.......1149........41..........4087........6580
29........45.......1194........41.2.......4132........6652
30........36.......1230........41..........4166........6707

        1R                                                      20R


July 2010
                              Month                     Year
Date   Miles  Total     Avge        Miles        Km 

 1.........52.........52.........52..........4218........6791
 2.........46.........98.........49..........4264........6865
 3.........42.......140.........46.7.......4306........6932
 4.........45.......185.........46.3.......4351........7005
 5.........24.......209.........41.8.......4375........7043
 6.........26.......235.........39.2.......4401........7085
 7.........35.......270.........38.6.......4436........7142
 8.........27.......297.........37.1.......4463........7185
 9.........51.......347.........38.5.......4514........7267
10........28.......375.........37.5.......4542........7312
11........29.......404.........36.7.......4571........7359
12........29.......433.........36.1.......4600........7406
13........44.......477.........36.7.......4644........7477
14........49.......526.........37.6.......4693........7555
15........37.......563.........37.5.......4710........7583
16........31.......594.........37.1.......4741........7633
17........30.......624.........36.7.......4771........7681
18........37.......661.........36.7.......4808........7740
19........31.......692.........36.4.......4839........7790
20........50.......742.........37.1.......4889........7871
21........36.......778.........37.0.......4925........7929
22........36.......814.........37.0.......4961........7987
23........29.......843.........36.6.......4990........8033
24........31.......874.........36.4.......5021........8083
25........25.......899.........35.9.......5046........8124
26........35.......934.........35.9.......5081........8180
27........50.......984.........36.4.......5131........8261 
28........28.....1012.........36.1.......5159........8306
29........48.....1060.........36.6.......5207........8383
30........12.....1072.........35.7.......5219........8402
31........30.....1102.........35.5.......5249........8450
        
   0R                                                      20R 

August 2010
                              Month                     Year
Date   Miles  Total     Avge       Miles        Km 


 1..........45........45..........45.........5294........8523 
 2..........19........64..........32.........5313........8553 
 3..........25........89..........29.6......5338........8594
 4..........51......140..........35.........5389........8676 
 5..........36......176..........35.2......5425........8734 
 6..........29......205..........34.2......5454........8780
 7..........33......238..........34.........5487........8834
 8..........26......264..........33.........5513........8876
 9..........28......292..........32.4......5541........8921
10.........42......334..........33.4......5583........8990
11.........18......352..........32.........5601........9017
12.........43......395..........32.9......5644........9086
13.........39......434..........33.4......5683........9149 
14...........8......442..........31.6......5691........9162
15.........58......500..........33.3......5749........9255
16.........38......538..........33.6......5787........9317
17.........24......562..........33.........5811........9355 
18.........10......572..........31.7......5821........9372
19.........60......632..........33.3......5881........9468
20.........25......657..........32.9......5906........9508
21.........41......698..........33.2......5947........9575 
22.........49......747..........33.9......5996........9653
23.........41......788..........34.2......6037........9720
24.........25......813..........33.9......6062........9760
25.........28......841..........33.6......6090........9805
26.........52......893..........34.3......6142........9888
27.........25......918..........34.........6167........9929
28.........38......956..........34.1......6205........9990
29.........43......999..........34.4......6248......10059
30.........25....1024..........34.1......6273......10099
31.........30....1054..........34.........6303......10148 

      0R                                                     20R


September   2010
                             Month                     Year
Date   Miles  Total    Avge        Miles        Km   

 1..........40.......40.........40...........6343......10212
 2..........37.......77.........38.5........6380......10272
 3..........36.....113.........37.7........6416......10330
 4..........40.....153.........38.2........6456......10394
 5..........48.....201.........40.2........6504......10471 
 6..........47.....248.........41.3........6551......10547
 7..........37.....285.........40.7........6588......10607
 8..........39.....324.........40.5........6627......10670
 9..........24.....348.........38.7........6651......10708
10..........0......348.........34.8........6651......10708 R
11..........0......348.........32.6........6651......10708 R
12........11......359.........29.9........6662......10725
13........30......389.........29.9........6692......10774
14........27......416.........29.7........6719......10817
15........31......447.........29.8........6750......10867
16........34......481.........30.1........6784......10922
17........29......510.........30.0........6813......10969
18........34......544.........30.2........6847......11023
19........25......569.........29.9........6872......11064
20........44......613.........30.6........6916......11135
21........38......651.........31.0........6954......11195
22........45......696.........31.6........6999......11268
23........46......742.........32.2........7045......11342
24........41......783.........32.6........7086......11408
25........45......829.........33.1........7132......11482
26........40......869.........33.4........7172......11547
27........43......912.........33.8........7215......11616
28........24......936.........33.4........7239......11655
29........25......961.........33.1........7264......11695 2WD
30........51....1012.........33.7........7319......11777               

2R                                                     23R
                                                              
October 201
                             Month                    Year

Date   Miles  Total    Avge      Miles        Km  

 1........28........28........28..........7343.......11822 3 new
 2........21........49........24.5.......7364.......11856 tyres
 3........16........65........21.7.......7380.......11882
 4........50......115........28.7.......7430.......11962
 5........32......147........29.4.......7462.......12014
 6........35......182........30.3.......7497.......12070
 7........45......227........32.4.......7542.......12143
 8........52......279........34.9.......7594.......12226
 9........39......318........35.3.......7633.......12289
10.......28......346........34.6.......7661.......12334
11.......44......390........35.4.......7705.......12405
12.......30......420........35.0.......7735.......12453
13.......26......446........34.3.......7761.......12495
14.......42......488........34.8.......7803.......12562
15.......28......516........34.4.......7831.......12608
16.......32......548........34.2.......7863.......12659
17.......12......560........32.9.......7875.......12678
18.......23......583........32.4.......7898.......12715
19.......22......603........31.7.......7920.......12751
20.......20......623........31.1.......7940.......12783
21.......23......646........30.7.......7963.......12820
22.......35......681........31.0.......7998.......12876
23.......22......703........30.5.......8020.......12912
24.......28......731........30.4.......8048.......12957
25.......21......751........30.0.......8069.......12991
26.......42......793........30.5.......8111.......13058
27.......13......806........29.8.......8124.......13079
28.......23......829........29.6.......8147.......13117 
29.......29......858........29.6.......8176.......13163
30.......33......891........29.7.......8209.......13216
31.......60......951........30.7.......8269.......13313

       0R                                                    23R

November 2010
                             Month                    Year
Date  Miles  Total    Avge      Miles        Km  

 1........36.........36........36.0......8305......13371
 2........27.........63........31.5......8332......13414 
 3........38.......101........33.7......8370......13475
 4........36.......137........34.2......8406......13534
 5........34.......171........34.2......8440......13588
 6........54.......225........37.5......8494......13675
 7........40.......265........37.8......8534......13739
 8........24.......289........36.1......8558......13778
 9........43.......332........36.9......8601......13847
10.......19.......351........35.1......8620......13878
11.......22.......373........33.9......8642......13913
12.........0.......373........31.1......8642......13913 R
13.......35.......408........31.4......8677......13970
14.......19.......427........30.5......8696......14000
15.......29.......456........30.4......8725......14047
16.......21.......477........29.8......8746......14081
17.......13.......490........28.8......8759......14101
18.........0.......490........27.2......8759......14101 R
19.........0.......490........25.7......8759......14101 R
20.......20.......510........25.5......8779......14134
21.......28.......538........25.6......8807......14179
22.......15.......553........25.1......8822......14203
23.........0.......553........24.0......8822......14203 R
24.......39.......592........24.6......8861......14266
25.......22.......614........24.5......8883......14301
26.......13.......627........24.1......8896......14322
27.......19.......646........23.9......8915......14353
28.......11.......657........23.5......8926......14370
29.......11.......668........23.0......8937......14388
30.........0.......668........22.2......8937......14388 R

    
       5R                                                    27R

December 2010
                             Month                    Year
Date  Miles  Total    Avge      Miles        Km  


 1.........11........11........11.........8948........14406
 2.........19........30........15.........8967........14436
 3.........21........51........17.........8988........14471
 4.........15........66........16.5......9003........14494
 5...........7........73........14.6......9010........14506
 6.........19........92........15.3......9029........14536
 7.........23......115........16.4......9053........14575
 8.........15......130........16.2......9068........14599
 9.........16......146........16.2......9084........14625
10........24......170........17.0......9108........14663
11........28......198........18.0......9136........14708
12........17......215........17.9......9153........14736
13........11......226........17.4......9164........14754
14..........0......226........16.1......9164........14754
15........13......239........15.9......9177........14774
16..........0......239........14.9......9177........14774
17..........0......239........14.0......9177........14774
18..........0......239........13.3......9177........14774
19........11......250........13.1......9188........14792
20..........0......250........12.5......9188........14792
21........23......273........13.0......9211........14829
22..........0......273........12.4......9211........14829
24........13......286........11.9......9224........14850
25..........0......286........11.4......9224........14850
26........15......301........11.6......9239........14875
27........23......324........12.0......9262........14911
28........38......362........12.9......9300........14973
29........20......382........13.2......9320........15005
30........20......402........13.4......9340........15037
31........22......422........13.6......9360........15070

   7 Rest days    27 total Rest days for the year.

*

17 Nov 2010

Grey, white and wet

*
17 November 2010. 38-42F, still but becoming windy, grey overcast, spits and spots of rain. A quick shopping trip provided some new (skiing) gloves from the local supermarket. Thinsulate 40g with three layers. I wore them home and they were much warmer than the Thinsulate fleece gloves but not at all sweaty. The attached blurb claims three layers make them waterproof, windproof and dry in use. At 1/5 the price of the GripGrab gloves in the LBS (local bike shop) I am willing to put up with the extra bulk. A snug but not tight fit in XL to match my orangutan style appendages.  I hope they don't shrink in the wash! 13 miles. Worked on the roof until after dark so no afternoon ride.

18th 37F, a miserable, dark, grey, raw day with rain. I worked on the roof all day and I'm aching all over. Some rest day! :-)

19th 37F, raw, cold, windy, dark with sleet from morn to night. Another rest day to recover from working on the roof.

20th 37F, overcast, still, quite chilly but dry. I had found some liquid chain grease in a spray can in a motoring shop. So I thought I'd give it try it. The chain was getting noisy and dry with poor gear changes before application. It seemed to do a very good job without making everything black. The usual light machine oil seems to make a hell of a mess even when the chain is run through a rag afterwards. I saw a large bunch of "racing" cyclists out training and lots of cats. Feeling quite strong today but only 20 miles.

21st 38-41F, still, overcast. A fairly gentle, Sunday morning ride along the rural lanes. 28 miles.

22nd 38F, overcast, turning to rain and wind later. Working on the roof all day. Only 15 miles.


How's this for a serious winter trike? Studded rear tyres, lots of lights and gears and waterproof luggage container.


Double sided pedals for cleated winter shoes, knobbly tyres and front suspension.  Hub and calliper  brakes for sure stopping power in all conditions. My thanks go to 'Dreirad' for his excellent images of his winter trike.

23rd 33F, overcast, northerly gales, continuous sleet and rain. 0 miles.

24th 29F,  -2C, a couple of inches of overnight snow, overcast, windy. Too good a chance to miss trying the 2WD in the first wintry conditions this year. With my eyes streaming, despite new cycling sunglasses, I struggled to find more than frozen slush even on the quietest lanes.

The trike behaved impeccably. Never a foot wrong. No wheel spin anywhere despite seeking ever patch of white stuff. Not even when I stood up in a low gear deliberately trying to get the rear wheels to unstick on some steep, uphill ice. If it wasn't for the crackle of slush under the tyres I wouldn't have known it was icy from the way the trike handled.

The Aesse jacket finally came into its own today, At just below freezing, it blocked the cold wind completely without a hint of sweatiness. I wore a slightly heavier set of skiing underwear, plus my usual racing jersey and shorts and Thinsulate hat. I was perfectly comfortable even pedalling into a 20mph wind at 15mph. The rather bulky gloves were fine. Even when my hand became cold from answering the phone, while riding along, my fingers soon warmed up again.

I wore the BBB overshoes and they kept my feet dry and comfortable without unwanted warmth. I still haven't decided whether to return these overshoes for a refund. Or try and repair them with some tough (cloth?) tape machine sewn around the all too fragile edges. The quality YKK zip and neoprene uppers are fine. The cheap, Aldi overshoes, skinny zips are already well beyond useless despite being treated with great care.  A comfortable ride brought me home safely after 17 hilly miles without any damp clothing at all. 

Another ride later for 22 more miles. The slow puncture finally gave out and the tyre was flat when I came out of a shop. I have used four new tubes on that one new tyre. I have no idea why they keep going down. I have turned the tyre inside out and examined every millimetre each time. I have checked the rim and tape for sharp bits again and again. Tomorrow I shall check the punctured tubes to see if there is a coincidence in puncture position. There may be a tiny piece of swarf or a shard of glass but I haven't found it yet. The other tyre has stayed rock hard from first fitting.

As I was out so late I followed the advice of a contact and bought some decent lights at an LBS. I had never even heard of Smart before yesterday but am glad that I do now. I was invited to check the performance outside the shop before purchase and was amazed at the power of these new LEDs. I fitted them outside the shop and was able to ride home at quite normal speeds along the rural lanes in the pitch dark.

These LED lights really are bright! I could safely manage 12 mph on the bumpy lanes and 18 mph on the bigger roads where there are white lines to guide me and a better surface. At 0.5 Watt the beam on the front light is excellent with a very even light distribution. Quite unlike an incandescent bulb. The light casing itself is tiny and lightweight. As is the back one. A choice of flashing or steady light on both. Since I already had flashing magnet lights I used a steady beam. I rigged the front one in the middle of the bars so I could see my bike computers in the dark. This also left the bars free for my gloved hands when climbing.

The one problem I discovered is the lack of extreme range when gaining speed rapidly on a descent. Despite careful adjustment, for best range, one can run out of clearly lit road unless one is a bit careful. These Smart Polaris lights do seem quite expensive. Particularly when used to a diet of  £2-3 supermarket flashing LEDS but the extra light power is well worth it. The supermarket LEDS and the magnet lights have no beam to avoid potholes and debris but are quite handy for being seen.  I noticed that oncoming cars were dipping their headlights much earlier thanks to the brightness of the beam on the Smart front light. The rear light is best left on continuous beam, rather than flashing. It just seems much brighter like that. While the flashing LED light can draw attention the steady light can be seen from a long way behind.

25th 29-31F, overcast, moderate wind, snow flurries. A gentle shopping trip for 22 miles. I saw some 1/2W LED rear lights in a Coop supermarket very similar to the Smart! Only a fiver each! Grr?

26th 27F, -3C, overcast, overnight snow, still snowing, winds light... will he or wont he? Well, I couldn't miss a chance to try the Trykit 2WD on a decent bit of snow and ice. Only there wasn't much of it. More like a lot of slush and standing water on the main roads. With every brainless moron overtaking as if  it were dry and sunny. I was soon wet and filthy from being sprayed with wet slush! My own rear tyres were contributing. With the wind blowing the filthy spray sideways onto my legs and back. So if you are ordering a hand built trike take the removable mudguards option.

I managed to find some hard packed snow in the back lanes but the grip was so good that I might just as well not have bothered. Not once did I experience any wheel spin. I deliberately rode with one wheel on the snow and another on wet tarmac. I rode over every bit of hard packed snow I could find uphill and down but the trike ignored it all. I could deliberately manage a bit of wheel spin if I turned the handlebars at a sharp angle and pedalled hard. Though it was easily controlled and keeping the handlebars straight was a guarantee of excellent grip on all surfaces.

Three cars had fallen off the road and lay on the verge at various odd angles. The present conditions did not seem likely to have caused this. Not unless they were driving far too fast. 13 mostly wet miles. The clumsy great Thinsulate gloves were not warm enough going out, but my hands warmed up after visiting the shops.




Dreirad's winter Raleigh-Longstaff trike conversion enjoying the unusually wintry, UK weather. Much easier to get about town on one of these than in a car under these conditions. Very much safer than a bike! Where a wheel can shoot out from under you in a flash.


27th November 24F, -4C, 2" of new, overnight snow,  misty, sunny variable cloud turning to snow and overcast, quite still. I managed to find a lot more packed snow today on the lanes. The trike was as stable as a Land Rover. No skidding or wheel spin at all. The clumsy Thinsulate gloves were too cold on the journey out. Okay coming back. A woodpecker flew to the roadside hedge to watch me pass. Probably the same one as last time.  Lots of different birds of prey about but I'm really not good at recognising any of them. Lots of hunters shooting in the woods and gathering by the roadside to turn and watch me pass by. 19 miles shopping trip.


Here is a typically narrow rural road where the traffic has formed typical clear lanes and hard snow ridges. It requires care to ride on the changing surfaces when they are frozen hard. Often the clear tarmac lane is too narrow for the trike's back wheel track width. This sometimes causes a tramline effect where the back wheels try to centre themselves suddenly. Snow and slush can build up into a large ball around the front brakes. The best way to remove it is to stop occasionally and bounce the front wheel hard on the road. 

28th 30F, -1C, snowing lightly, overcast, no wind visible in the birches. Fieldfares, hare and deer in the lanes. The lines of slush are freezing which makes progress feel much less safe. With occasional sideways shunts by the back wheels. It doesn't help when one can't see the edge of the road beneath the snow.  It is harder going against the resistance of the crunchy, refrozen stuff. Otherwise no real problems. Only 11, quite hilly miles.

29th 26F, -3C, overcast then sunny periods, blowing a gale with drifting and snow blowing about. I was quite comfortable but the conditions were much more difficult today. Same old story. Where there were roadside hedges the roads were black and clear. Where there were no hedges the roads were full of drifting snow. Just think how much the cash-strapped councils would save on road salting if there were more hedges! Another 11 miles. It doesn't look as if I'm going to manage my target of  ten thousand triking miles this calender year.

30th 20F, -7C, mostly sunny, bitterly cold with an even colder breeze. That wasn't a problem but I had to work on the house instead of going out. It will be too windy 15m/s (35mph gusts) over the next two days to get anything serious done. 0 miles.


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13 Nov 2010

Mellow November?

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 1st November, 43-49F, almost dead calm, misty, weak sunshine becoming very cloudy. Another gentle tootle through the quiet, rural countryside. I'm fine tuning the circumference setting on the new bike computer to match the GPS loggers. It is more sensible to do this before a big mileage is built up. 2120 read too far. 2095 was just 0.4 miles further than both loggers which agreed exactly on 23. I'm going to try 2090 next.

Index gears working well but I need to take the cassette off once more to put the wavy washer back on. An oversight when I removed it to rivet the sprockets together. The largest sprocket can't sit flat against the Trykit stop-ring because of my protruding riveting. Grr. Now I have now found the missing original sprocket clamping screws which I had put safely away and then lost the pot plot!


I'm sure the autumn leaves are even prettier than last year. Beech woods are the predominant species on my travels.

 

Morning above Brydegård looking over Dreslette and Snave towards distant Hårby lost in the mist. Whadaya mean you can't see anything? :-)

Here's something I threw together in ten minutes to get the computers off the handlebars:

I hate having things cluttering up the handlebars when I want space for my hands on climbs. With one computer it can be strapped to the top of the stem well out of the way. With two clocks I needed a better solution: I need one for cadence and the other for speed and distance. Nothing I do will make the CSI wireless computer show speed or distance any more. And yes, I do know about flashing diode lights confusing the radio signals.

A simple strip of light alloy was drilled for the handlebar tightening bolt then bent at right angles in the vice. Then I clamped the other end of the strip in the vice with a slightly smaller tube (as a former) and put a smooth curve on the extreme end. The strip and a larger diameter piece of alloy tube were drilled for two pop rivets to hold them both together. I had turned the ends of the tube clean in the lathe. In retrospect I could have made the tube a bit shorter if I used standard handlebar end stops. These would stop the tie-wraps (zip ties) from falling off the ends of the tube without needing the extra length for added security.


The underside view showing the simple bent strip fitted into the slot in the stem. Ignore the untidy cables. I haven't done anything about them yet while I'm still playing with new ideas.

Assembly of the extension bracket on the stem is very simple: The Allen (socket head) handlebar clamping bolt was removed from the stem. Then the angled end of the drilled strip pushed up into the slot under the stem. The bolt was then fed back through the stem. (and the hole in the strip) Then the nut was attached, as usual, so the handlebars could be tightened securely again.

Another advantage of the forward position for the computers is that one doesn't have to look downwards and backwards to see them when down on the drops. Nor while resting on the elbow pads of a tri-bar extension. The normal position is downright silly because you are likely to be travelling at your highest speed and can't watch the road for obstacles at the same time. In fact the strip could be made as long as desired to put the clocks well forwards or downwards. The extra weight of a slightly longer strip of light alloy (US: aluminum) is almost irrelevant.


The view from the cockpit. Ignore the scruffy handlebar tape. I have been meaning to replace it for ages. By using a scrap piece of handlebar tube the supplied computer docking stations can be used as intended and the computers themselves angled to taste.

Something to watch out for, when tightening the bolt, is that the slot in the stem is not closed too tightly onto the strip. Which might leave the handlebars loose.  Conversely, if the strip material is so thin that it can rock in the slot then a washer or packing material (in the slot) can be fitted over the bolt  to stop the strip moving around.

I used the centre-pull brake cable hanger to fill the remaining space in the slot.  The fastidious could even drill decorative holes in the strip for lightness. The supporting strip carries almost no weight so does not need to be strong provided it is stiff enough not to bounce up and down on rough roads.


The tube shortened and the sawn ends tidied up in the lathe. (a file or emery paper will do instead) This image shows how incredibly simple the bracket is.


 A quick flash image with end bungs in place to stop the zip ties from slipping off the ends of the shortened tube. The bungs also help to avoid a forlorn whistle from the tube in strong winds.

A video camera could also be mounted on such a bracket without it interfering with the handlebars. As bike computers grow ever larger, particularly with the advent of GPS, computer extension brackets may even become the norm on touring and time trial bikes.

I even found time to remove the axles, dismantle the cassette and fix the sprocket retaining screws back in place. So I'm ready for the road again tomorrow despite the all-day, rain and gales forecast.


The wind had brought down a lot of freshly fallen leaves. Who could ask for a more beautiful route? What you can't see, or hear, is the falling rain and the head-on gale waiting for me just beyond the trees.

2nd 45F, windy, overcast, cold, then wet. An effortless loop until I turned straight into the wind. Despite my windproof jacket and the modest temperature the wind started blowing straight through me. I had to stop to put on another windproof-showerproof jacket on top. This was the signal for the rain to start. I pulled my knitted, pudding-basin hat well down over my orange sunglasses and pressed on towards home. Only 27 miles when I was really hoping to stay out much longer.

The BBB "Hardwearing" overshoes are already disintegrating around the edges of the soles! I have hardly walked anywhere in them except around supermarkets. The I-gotU GPS logger fell asleep half way round today. Crap!

At least the computer support bracket worked well. There is no interference with my hands anywhere on the bars now except for the rear-view mirror. I am still thinking furiously about where and how to fit it. At present I just straighten it up if it gets knocked awry. No harm done and it only takes a fraction of a second to straighten it on its flexible band.

I wouldn't be without a mirror now as it saves me turning to look behind me every few seconds in traffic. I occasionally get overtaken by racing cyclists out training. So I get an early warning that they are catching me. On the quieter lanes I can usually hear a car coming from over half a mile away just from the tyre noise. The mirror gives me the confidence to plough on while I watch their approach. Once they pass I can safely use more road to avoid potholes, puddles, boulders, mud and edge subsidence. It helps that vehicles must show dipped headlights in the daytime in Denmark. Though heaven knows what it costs in extra fuel and CO2!


How do you get 5 metre x 20cm (16' x 8" x 1.5") planks back home with a trike? You tie wheels on the other end, of course. Just like they do with windmill blades. The pneumatic wheels and axle are from a dirt cheap sack truck which rusted away. The journey was only a few miles. It worked well except for the sharpest corners at junctions and was rather hard work on the hills. I was a bit wary of the main roads with traffic belting past in the failing light but nobody seemed to notice. The wheels tracked perfectly to follow the trike. I was careful to suspend the weight on the seat post, with rope, to avoid local damage to the frame tubing. I reasoned that the seat post was the strongest part of the trike. Note the obligatory striped warning tape at the back. I didn't have a flashing orange light handy. Danger! Long load! :-)

 3rd 43F, sunny periods, slightly windy. Rain was forecast for all morning but only arrived at lunch time. So I had a pleasant ride along the coastal lanes after shopping. I was finally caught in a heavy, squally shower in the last mile but just kept going. 25 miles. Out again in the late afternoon for 13 more miles. My best cycling jacket is still too warm for 43F when wearing leggings. I have learned that the cold can damage my knees and I should cover them up. I like the cooling effect on the bare knees and don't ever notice the cold on my legs until they get wet. I can still remember the struggle to find a comfortable balance of warmth and cool, last autumn. Only much later did it become too cold to go out without skiing tights.

The best thing about the indexed gears is being able to keep changing down a gear at a time when a hill rears up. This maintains momentum far better than pushing a high gear until I stall and then simply dropping onto a smaller chainring. Conversely, when descending, it is  more efficient to push a series off increasingly high gears than my habit of shoving the gear lever right down. Then pushing a great big gear right from the very top of the hill.

Using a lot of different gears, all of which can be found reliably, is much kinder to my knees.  I now maintain my cadence (pedal rpm) in the high nineties (or higher) to avoid potential knee problems. If I hadn't completely changed my pedalling habits, from pushing to twiddling, I probably wouldn't be able to ride at all by now. I can tell when I have been pushing too much when I climb our steep stairs at home. If my knees hurt I know I really must keep spinning the pedals.

4th 45-47F, overcast, light winds. My legs are tired today. I managed 27 miles before coffee but it seemed to drag on a bit towards the end. Massaging my legs when I got home didn't seem to help. No obvious knots of pain. Perhaps I need a rest day? Rain forecast all day tomorrow so I might work on the roof instead. Another 8 miles in the afternoon.

5th 43-45F, blowing a gale, mostly overcast. Forecast rain was cancelled. 13 miles in the morning. Fighting the headwind in bottom gear! Spent a couple of hours on the roof.  21 miles late afternoon in lighter winds. Wore tights for the first time this year: Far too warm! My back was wet with sweat. I'll wait until it is much colder before I try again.

6th 37-43-39F, almost still at first, becoming windy. Quite cloudy at times but mostly sunny. Didn't notice the cold on my legs at all. Though it was blowing straight through my Ventour cycling jacket despite the lightly padded, woven waistcoat, cycling jersey and long sleeved vest underneath! 43 miles in the morning.  Saw a couple of groups of club riders out training. I was going well the other way at the time with a decent tail wind. I gave them my usual cheesy grin. Well, it seems rude to ignore them when they are all staring at me. ;-) Another 11 miles later on.


A view of the Trykit gear hanger. (arrowed) Showing how it it should be adjusted inwards along its slot towards the cassette. Until the chain just clears the vertical section of the gear hanger when in top gear.  I have drawn thin lines on either side of the Trykit hanger to increase its visibility. This should be the first setting whenever any gear hanger and rear changer are attached to the boss beneath the axle of a trike. If the clearance is not kept to a minimum then it may not be possible for the changer to reach bottom gear. (i.e. the largest sprocket) (Click on the image for an enlargement. Back click to return to the text)

7th 27-36F, -3+2C, still, white frost, sunny. The Winter Witch fired a first warning shot across the bows of the good ship Mr Higgins. Undeterred, Mr Higgins ploughed on through ice and salt crystals alike. A jumble of sunlit clouds on the horizon looked just like a range of snow covered mountains. My bare knees didn't notice the cold and I stayed warm and cosy in my Aesse jacket. The Thinsulate gloves were not quite warm enough for the first half hour. I really must find a more windproof alternative this winter. My feet were comfortable in the cheap Aldi overshoes over the Tahoes. 25 miles before morning coffee without breaking into a sweat. 15 miles later.


You are looking at the single most likely item of litter to be found on the verges of Denmark's roads and lanes. Not only that but I estimate that I see at least this many packets per day, on my daily rides. Discarded by consumers of this product. Many can't even be bothered to throw them onto the verge and just drop them in the middle of the road.

One could argue that by placing a large, returnable deposit on this manufacturer's packaging Denmark would enjoy a 50% reduction in litter almost overnight. Ladies and gentlemen: I give you cocoa flavoured Matilde. The most publicly discarded product packaging in Denmark. It's consumers obviously enjoy the 5% sugar content but it leaves them with 0% respect for the environment. I can just see the advertising: "Matilde: Drunk by sweet toothed, slovenly slobs!"


8th 34F,  cloudy, becoming overcast, later rain turned to sleet, gusty headwinds. 24 miles. Out all afternoon so I couldn't have a later ride.


Ever wondered what a Brooks Professional saddle would look like with a plastic cover? Well, wonder no more. A Brooks with its shower cap on. If this is the desirable result of thousands of miles of breaking in why doesn't anybody make plastic saddles this shape? None I have ever seen are remotely like this. Almost all have a dead straight spine and variations between flat and curved cross the back. It's no wonder they are so uncomfortable! Even if each Brooks conforms to its owner they all have a family resemblance. Once broken in they are nothing like a plastic saddle.

9th 34-37F, overcast, raining steadily, modestly windy, cold. I left later than usual and it only stopped raining  just as I climbed off two hours later. Using the layer principle kept me quite comfortable but the rain had finally penetrated right through to my skin by the bitter end. Which is why I headed home.

My Thinsulate fleece gloves were becoming very heavy and cold too. The polyester tights added quite a lot of comfort without too much extra warmth at this temperature. I didn't want to sweat on long climbs and then chill. They also protected me from spray thrown up by the psychopaths/retards just missing me as they overtook on the very wet roads.


BBB "Hard-wear" overshoes breaking up around the edge of the open sole after very little walking.

I put the BBB "Hard-wear" overshoes on to protect my feet and they worked just as well as usual. Just a shame the "Hard-wear-ing" nonsense is just completely empty hype. The edges of the open "soles" are just thin sponge and the flimsiest of narrow, cloth tape. Totally useless for the shortest walk even on smooth surfaces. (as I have discovered after only a couple of weeks of ownership) The Aldi cloth overshoes at a 1/5 of the retail price (of the BBBs) are much better built around the sole. 20 very wet miles so far.


Close up of damage to flimsy cloth tape and neoprene foam from walking around a few supermarkets. The dirt is just from crossing the yard from the bike shed.

It stayed dry later so I went out again. Returning in the dark with a low, crescent moon for company. My new cycling gloves were not warm enough for 36F even if I was. I have now bought some snug-fitting, thinner  gloves to wear under the roomier Thinsulate ones. A usual, my wife insists on washing everything twice before I am allowed to wear it. 23 more miles.

There's a Longstaff Cyclon trike on eBay.  Starting bid of £150.

Longstaff Mountain Tricycle Trike - Rare on eBay (end time 18-Nov-10 08:41:38 GMT)


Longstaff Cyclon trike


10th 36F, almost calm, overcast, raining steadily. The forecast was dry with sunny periods all day! 19 damp miles in a polyurethane jacket on a trike is no fun at all. Even if I stay dry on the outside I am saturated from the inside. Once my vest is wet I can't taken anything off and must finish the journey in my own, personal, mobile sauna. Spent the afternoon on the roof.

11th 34-41F, overcast with rain, getting very windy. Even stronger winds forecast for later. 22 miles.

I have been reading blogs about training again. It seems that I must finally admit that going out and doing miles every day is not making me any stronger or faster. Quite the converse. I am feeling tired and getting slower. Five minutes of massage will get rid of the pain in my legs but I am losing the will to go out and try hard. I just wander along on the trike thinking about other things and my average speed is falling.

The weather hasn't been conducive. With more rain in a short time than I have enjoyed over the last year. The almost constant wind hasn't helped either. I am getting critical and angry about other road user's bad behaviour.

I have not had a rest day since September the 11th this time. Just over two months. Riding every day has become a habit which my wife calls an obsession. I deliberately ride a different route every day but I am still getting stale. Recently, I have made no impression when I have tried to chase other cyclists to check my form.

I seem to be using very low gears most of the time. Despite my high cadence (90s) it doesn't amount to much in the way of speed. I seem to be stuck in the 40-55 gear inch range and never use the large chainwheel at all any more. Despite leaving later I never stay out much beyond coffee time either. (11am) Worst of all I have been taking short cuts instead of extended detours.

Rather sadly I have been here before. A sort of shallow, cycling depression has descended. All the expert/experienced advice is to take frequent rest days to recover body, mind and soul. I have ignored this good advice yet again. Tomorrow is supposed to be windy and wet. Will I have the willpower to use the excuse and do something completely different? Or will I feel guilty, bored, depressed and restless if I don't go out as usual? Am I really addicted to my daily cycling fix? We shall see. :-)

12th November   I spent the entire day browsing on the computer and listening to music. Watching the trees bending double and listening to the rain against the windows worked for me. Though I nearly weakened as the sun came out, briefly, after lunch. It is now dark at 5pm and too late to go anywhere. Further rain and wind forecast for the weekend. 0.0 miles! Lazy git!

13th 41-47F, sunny periods, becoming much windier. I was caught in a couple of showers but ignored them and plodded on. I rode through a very large flock of what I assumed to be Redwings resting in an avenue of oaks. At least 500 of them too off complaining. They seemed rather shy and strangely untidy in flight as they hovered looking for a new perch. With non-musical chirrups which reminded me of snipping scissors. Still a lot of birds of prey in the fields. I passed close to one large bird with dark brown plumage, large eyes and a grey beak. It kept turning its head but didn't take off. It must have been very hungry and was close to breakfast.

The motorist psychopaths were out in droves today! Nutters behind the wheel. Driving on the wrong side of the road, overshooting and cutting corners and speeding everywhere they went. No police=No sanctions for road crime. Two cyclists were killed this weekend alone in Denmark.

I was turning left at a junction with loads of time to get off the main road.  When a young madman put his foot down from half a mile away and shot past me at well over 80ph in a 50mph limit! Another fool in a light van completely overshot a blind corner in the wet at well over 60mph. This was in a village with a 30mph speed limit. He only just managed to correct the car and miss me before putting his foot down hard along the following straight. Still well within the built up area and the lower speed limit.

Over 90% of drivers totally ignore a 30kph limit in one particular village, shopping street. The speed limit is only 18mph! Many do well over 50mph! Literally hundreds of schoolkids and pensioners cross this road every day. A speed camera would pay for itself in only one day.

I was feeling a bit stronger after my rest day. My Aesse jacket was far too warm or not breathable enough to keep my polyester vest from becoming soaking wet. I shall have to reserve the jacket for much colder weather despite the protection it offers against the high winds of the moment. 24 miles so far but I still have to go out again to do some more shopping to catch up on yesterday.  I'll have to wear something more breathable though as it's still hovering around 49F.

44F and still windy later. The rear gear cable broke near the bar-end lever while I was out. It was the original cable which came with the secondhand lever so it didn't owe me anything except reliability. Then I discovered that I didn't have the cross-head, gear adjusting screwdriver in my tool kit! Grrr!

So I bought a pack of six different electrical screwdrivers in a supermarket for small change. Eventually I was able to adjust the H-screw on the changer until the chain ran on a middle sprocket rather than top gear. This is not easy on a 2WD trike loaded with shopping because it is difficult to lift the rear end. So I applied the brakes and pushed hard so that the rear end lifted with a little help under the saddle. Then I shoved the pedals round to change gear with one foot while balancing on the other. I had to ride straight home because my usual detour is far too hilly without gears. 11 more miles of endless fun. :-)

14th 43-45F, almost still, heavily overcast, raining steadily. Replaced the rear gear cable just in time for the rain to start. A gentle ride to the village for some milk. I hate polyurethane waterproof clothing! Returned so wet I might just have fallen in a pond. I need a new strategy (and clothing?) for wet days. Only 8, very sweaty miles.

Plus eleven more miles later in the rain again. I wore a windcheater jacket from last year and was much more comfortable. That is until my shoulders and forearms stating feeling damp and slightly cold. Not for long journeys in the rain then. There were hunters shooting in the forest. A deer dashed out of the woods onto the road, took one look at me and dashed back in again. Probably to meet its fate. I know I'm ugly but not that ugly! :-)

Further on I saw a couple of mountain bikers coming the other way. They ignored my greeting. Most of them do. Probably afraid of the third wheel. They can't cope with it. :-)  I passed 14,000kms today from Jan 1st.

15th 40-47F, sunny periods, light winds. Another cool/warm day requiring less wind protection. I must have hurt my knee riding home without gears followed by a day fighting waterproofs.  Only 20 miles with a shopping trip to do later. I passed within a few feet of a Great Spotted Woodpecker in a hedge. 9 more miles later shared with a half moon. I'm getting quite used to riding the lanes in the pitch dark with only my magnet-powered flashing lights to let others see I am there. They provide no light on the road worth a candle. Orange lenses in my cycling glasses make for some spectacular sunsets. :-)

 A Bob Jackson trike has come up for auction on eBay: Believed to be a 21.5".


Trike Racing Trike BOB JACKSON Bicycle RARE Trike on eBay (end time 24-Nov-10 22:06:50 GMT)

Thanks for the tip, Bill. I have now added a saved search for Bob Jackson trikes. This is the first Bob Jackson trike I've seen on eBay.



16th  29-38F, -1C+3C, still, sunny. I wore two pairs of gloves at first but my hands were still cold. I looked at motorcyclists gloves (too heavy) and in a bike shop. (far too expensive) So I'll keep looking. 21 miles.



I have had a tip-off that a Roberts trike has now come up for auction: Thanks Peter.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROBERTS-TRIKE-1983-/230551360998?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item35adee95e6


Roberts trike from 1983 with a Rogers axle.


It seems to have a wide track for good stability.




Click on any image for an enlargement.
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