6th May 2015 Trivek trike!?!

*

Wednesday 6th 52-61F, 11-16C, rather breezy with bright sunshine. This morning is definitely the time for a ride. Showers after lunch are forecast. Loads of warblers in the woods including Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. Chaffinches outnumber everything else by a considerable margin. Noisy gits! A large, long-legged, bird of prey was tiptoeing about on the bare field with two hares sitting unconcerned nearby. Later I saw a small, dark-backed bird of prey. Lots of Great tits were coming and going into the oil seed rape. Wood pigeons are trying to invade the garden!

A sunny start to my ride but rather windy. Shopped and then raced back to avoid the rapidly darkening sky falling on me. The 'Goth' bag found its limits but must have absorbed two carrier bags worth of the three and a half I brought home. It would never have gone in the Camper! 15 miles.

Thursday 7th 48F, 9C, overcast, very windy with showers. It is supposed to brighten up later but gust to 35mph all day. My 3/4 hour walk was brisk to match the wind. More comfortable on the way back.

Hold onto your saddles! Here's an upright/recumbent trike:

Best of both worlds? Or master of none?

Trivek leaning trike lets riders sit back and sit tall

Trivek by Hiele - A new concept in tricycles by Lewis Freiberg — Kickstarter

The designers are seeking funding online based on working prototypes. Immediate impressions are very positive except for the horrible seat and backrests. I'm thinking it should have a fully adjustable mesh hammock seat with slightly more laid back stance as standard. This would supply a greater level of comfort/suspension for longer rides having safely removed the one guaranteed source of pain and discomfort for most cyclists: That damned saddle! It would certainly improve drag and frontal area helping to improve speeds. The small wheels/road shock/discomfort issues needs to be addressed one way or the other. A suspended hammock would be cooler and more comfortable for both the rider/owner and admirer of the machine. All without loss of visibility. The designers also seem to have missed the opportunity to add a swinging arm, rear suspension. Rubber bushes at short distances from the pivot, or a spring damper further away, are both well proven. The forward pedals should not suffer the bouncing common to true uprights.

Left after lunch into a shower and a gale. Second leg an effortless 20-24mph. Last leg a headwind. I was only managing 12-14mph on the aero bars. Only 19 miles.

Friday 8th 50-55F, 10-13C, almost a dead calm,  bright overcast to rather cloudy. An interesting new machine was spraying the field in front of the woods. Usually they use huge, tractor drawn, spraying implements. The new device may do less damage with its narrower and far fewer wheels and smaller turning circle. It may also have a larger tank to cover more ground per load. Tractors often have doubled wheels for grip and LGP [Low Ground Pressure] on the soft, undulating soil. I seemed to be in no immediate danger as the gentlest of breezes was behind me and I could escape into the woods as it approached. Buzzards soared overhead quite unconcerned with the activities below.

My afternoon ride was made in several loops but amounted to no more than 13 miles in all.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

*