10th July 2012 Higgins mudguard stays revisited.

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 Mr Higgins dons his waders for the forthcoming deluge!

10th 57-65F, 14-18C, very windy, overcast. Off we, jolly well, go again. Possible showers. Will that new saddle cure me of OCTD? Read the next exciting instalment.

(later) It blew like mad and showered fine drizzle on me several times. I had to keep putting on the Aldi jacket. Then taking it off when it became far too warm in the sunshine. The forecast was for lighter winds today. I want a refund!

My legs were as stiff as hell! They hurt so much I couldn't reach 100rpm for the first few miles!  I haven't felt this bad for a couple of years. Perhaps I should have put in just a few miles yesterday to keep my legs in shape. My hamstrings were hurting badly too. I can't ever remember them hurting before today. Weird.  I haven't had a problem after a rest day before this.

The saddle kept changing between unnoticeable, comfortable and downright painful. The Carradice saddlebag shed rainwater nicely while I was in the shop. It was beading as well as any waterproof material. The new vinyl saddle was easy to wipe dry with only a track mitt.

Haarby high street has been resurfaced. There had been bare cobbles visible at the bottoms of the largest holes for quite a while. An interesting insight into the past. They haven't resurfaced the worst stretch of the cycle lane though. An international caving expedition is still camping around the worst pothole. 

Rain forecast for the rest of the week. I had better put the mudguards back on! Summer has been cancelled. They say June was the worst for 20 years.

The three mudguards and stays weigh 3lbs altogether when fitted. They make life so much more pleasant in wet weather. They are very quick and easy to put on and remove. So there is no point in having them fitted during long spells of fine weather.

I have only worn my overshoes a couple of times from new. Which shows how dry it has been. I found that the central Higgins mudguard stay just clears the Carradice Camper side pockets when both ends of the rear mudguards are level.

The secret to a good fixing of these original Higgins stays is 6mm stainless steel screws, Nyloc nuts and a small ratchet socket set. I also wrap a short length of 1 1/4" inner tube around the rear axle casing to obtain maximum grip for the clamps. The original fixing screws are rather small and need very high torque to hold the stays fast. It is only a matter of running a slightly larger drill through the original holes to make room for larger screws. The screws are fed in from the bottom and the nuts go on top.



I am still experimenting with saddle adjustments. It doesn't look it but it is horizontal. I always check the crossbar is level first. The 18" builders level was then placed on the nose and between the two "stealth fighter" tail fins. This point is where the bony protrusions of the pelvic girdle rest. Rather than the tops of the tail fins. Which would tip the saddle nose too high if set the level here. This may explain why the saddle was more comfortable when sitting upright. It is now slightly more nose down than before. Though I did notice more weight being thrown onto my wrists.

When levelling the crossbar I usually wheel the trike around the lawn. Eventually I can find a place where the bubble leans on one of the indicator lines. Rather than central between the two. This avoids any reading errors in the builder's level. As long as it is is not reversed end for end of course. Even reversing the level the bubble should still read identically. If it is accurate.

Interestingly (!) the Higgins top tube is bowed down a little in the middle! Which seems rather odd. The rider of a trike rarely has any need to sit astride the machine with their feet down. Why own a trike and not enjoy the armchair comfort at the traffic lights? One must take every chance to show one's superiority. Particularly over those absurd machines which insist on falling over when at rest. They will never catch on! Just another of those overnight fads. 25 miles.

 Click on any image for an enlargement.

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