Update; Gonna go for it! Went for it; Didn't hit the speed I wanted to.

Well I went for the speed record as I said I would in Des Moines this past weekend. Unfortunatly I did nto hit the speed of over 48 mph as I wanted to. I parked at Howe Elementary School on the south siode of Des Moines. Got the bike ready. Rode out onto Indianola Rd. Rode the 2 blocks to where the hill started gradually picking up speed, started down the hill increasing speed and shifting up my gears and was only able to hit over 41 mph.

I am not going to make excuses as to why I was not able to hit the 48+ mph I wanted to hit, only educated guesses. First one of the differances between when I hit 48 mph the last time and now is I did not have fenders on the bike then as I do now, thus possibly causing some wind resistance. Another reason could be right now my bike is very dirty and needs to be cleaned and relubed, before the bike was cleaned and lubed. It also could have been because I had just ridden 24 miles prior to the speed attempt and I was a bit tired and a little sore in the legs. I do know what it was not. I know it was not because of fear. There was no fear of crashing or getting caught by the authorities for speeding. While I have no illusions of what could happen if I crashed at that speed on a bike, I am not afraid of hitting speeds like that. As far as a speeding ticket is concerned, I would consider it a badge of honor and liely frame it and hang it on my wall.

I am going to attempt this again on that hill in Des Moines, so this is not over. Next time the bike will be cleaned and lubed and will not have the fenders on it. I will not have ridden any sort of distance except maybe a few miles of warm up first.

Fender broke.

I use Planet Bike fenders on my bike. I love them, they work great and recommend them for anyone who has a bike. I use a 20" on the front and a 26" on the rear. The rear fender broke, but not through any fault of Planet Bike or manufacturers defect. The fender has 3 points at which it is fastened to the bike. An "L" bracket and a total of 4 stays. The stays are in pairs located at 2 points along the fender to hold and support it in place. It was where the pair of stays furthest to the rear that broke where the stays connect to the fender. The reason they broke is because of how I transport my bike on the carrier I use. I use an Sportworks tray style carrier. It has arms that come up and hold the wheels in place from the top of the wheel. At the rear wheel this has caused stres, torsion and torque on the fender where these 2 stays connect. I repaired it by taking a piece of corroplast and riveting it to the inside of the fender and attaching the stays to the corroplast. Hopefully this will work until I can purchase a new fender. This would have been prevented if I had unthreaded the stays from the connection points before securing the wheel with the locking arm that holds it on the carrier tray. Hind sight is 20/20 I guess.

Gonna go for it!

The fastest I have ever gone on a bike was 55 mph. It was during my first RAGBRAI in 1998 on my TREK 470 road bike, this happened at the Pilot Mound Hill. The fastest I have ever gone on my recumbent is 48 mph during a commute to work. It was no Singing Hills Blvd heading south. I have been trying ever since I hit 48 mph on the recumbent to hit 50 mph or faster. I have not found a hill smooth enough or straight enough for this to happen, until now.

In Des Moines there is a road called Indianola Rd. Part of it is a long straight stretch of a hill. I am going to Des Moines this weekend. Tomorrow 06/20/2009 I am going to go for a ride on the Summerset Trail, then I am going to go to the top of this hill on Indianola Rd to attempt to speed down it hitting at least 50 mph. I don't need to hit anything faster then 55 mph and have no intention or goal of breaking that speed record, just the speed record of 48 mph on the recumbent.

By the way Indianola Rd. is a city street with a speed limit of 30 to 35 mph. People often drive down it at 40 mph+. So yes I am admitting to breaking the speed limit on my bike, therefore breaking the law. If anyone wishes to report me to the authorities, get over yourselves and remove the plank from your own eye, before you remove it from mine, also stop throwing stones or you will break that glass house you live in.

Cycling Term Translations‏

Cyclists are the biggest sandbaggers and secret trainers around. They'll say anything to soften you up for the kill. Don't let this happen to you. Study this handy rider's phrasebook to find out what they really mean when they say:

"I'm out of shape"
Translation: I ride 400 miles a week and haven't missed a day since the Ford administration. I replace my 11-tooth cog more often than you wash your shorts. My body fat percentage is lower than your mortgage rate.

"I'm not into competition. I'm just riding to stay in shape"
Translation: I will attack until you collapse in the gutter, babbling and whimpering. I will win the line sprint if I have to force you into oncoming traffic. I will crest this hill first if I have to grab your seat post, and spray energy drink in your eyes.

"I'm on my beater bike"
Translation: I had this baby custom-made in Tuscany using Carbon Fiber blessed by the Pope. I took it to a wind tunnel and it disappeared. It weighs less than a fart and costs more than a divorce.

"It's not that hilly"
Translation: This climb lasts longer than a presidential campaign. Be careful on the steep sections or you'll fall over -- backward. You only have a 39x23 low gear? Here's the name of my knee surgeon.

"You're doing great, honey"
Translation: Yo, lard ass, I'd like to get home before midnight. This is what you get for spending the winter decorating and eating chocolate. I shoulda married that cute Cat 1 racer when I had the chance.

"This is a no-drop ride"
Translation: I'll need an article of your clothing for the search-and-rescue dogs.

"It's not that far"
Translation: Bring your passport.

Update; Pedal Broke

I went ahead and purchased and installed the Look Keo's Classic and am using the gray cleats. The cleats I am using have 4.5 degrees of float. There are 2 other colors, red, that have 9 degrees of float and black with no float.

Here are the pedals I purchased;
Look Classic Pedals

16 reasons why a bike is better than a horse:

1. A bike does not leave melon sized steamers on the trail.
2. I don’t have to feed or shoe my bike.
3. Bikes don’t have attitudes.
4. If I get thrown off my bike, its usually my own fault.
5. A bike does not stink.
6. It is easier to adjust a saddle on a bike.
7. When I get off and walk my bike, it wont trample me, refuse to follow me, or bite me.
8. When I come across another bike on the trail there is no fear of it freaking out and sending its rider flying into the trees.
9. A bike is cheaper to own.
10. I don’t need livestock rights to keep a bike in my yard.
11. A bike won’t get worms.
12. A bike won’t find a hole in the fence and run amok all over the neighborhood.
13. A bike is never in heat.
14. Unlike a horse, a bike will not go berserk when you come across a wild animal.
15. A bike does not leave post-holes in muddy trails.
16. And lastly, a bike does not leave melon sized steamers on the trail.

Why Bicycles are Better then Horses

This would never happen on a bicycle.....

A 30-year-old blonde decides to try horseback riding for the first time.

With no lessons nor prior experience, she mounts the horse unassisted, and the horse immediately springs into motion. It gallops along at a steady and rhythmic pace, but the blonde begins to slide from the saddle. In terror, she grabs for the horse's mane, but cannot seem to get a firm grip. She tries to throw her arms around the horse's neck, but she slides down the horse's side anyway. The horse gallops along, seemingly oblivious to its slipping rider.

Finally, giving up her frail grip, the blonde attempts to leap away from the horse and throw herself to safety. Unfortunately, her foot has become entangled in the stirrup; she is now at the mercy of the horse's pounding hooves as her head is struck against the ground over and over. As her head is battered against the ground, she is mere moments away from unconsciousness and possible death when to her great fortune.....

the Wal-Mart greeter sees her dilemma and unplugs the ride.

Why Bicycles are Better then Women (for the guys.....)

1. Bicycles don't get pregnant.
2. You can ride your bicycle any time of the month.
3. Bicycles don't have parents.
4. Bicycles don't whine unless something is really wrong.
5. You can share your bicycles with your friends.
6. Bicycles don't care how many other bicycles you've ridden.
7. When riding, you and your bicycle can arrive at the same time.
8. Bicycles don't care how many other bicycles you have now.
9. Bicycles don't care if you look at other bicycles.
10. Bicycles don't care if you buy bicycle magazines.
11. You'll never hear, "Suprise, you're goning to own a new bicycle"
unless you go out and buy one yourself.
12. If your bicycle goes flat, you can fix it.
13. If your bicycle is too loose, you can tighten it.
14. If your bicycle gets misaligned, you don't have to discuss
politics with it.
15. You can have a black bicycle and bring it home to your parents.
16. You don't have to be jealous of the guy who works on your bicycle.
17. If you say bad things to your bicycle, you don't have to apologize
before you ride it again.
18. You can ride your bicycle as long as you want and it wont get
sore.
19. You can stop riding your bicycle as soon as you want and it wont
get frustrated.
20. Your parents wont remain in touch with your old bicycle after you
dump it.
21. Bicycles don't get headaches.
22. Bicycles don't insult you if you're a bad rider.
23. Your bicyle never wants a night out with other bicycles.
24. Bicycles don't care if you're late.
25. You don't have to take a shower before you ride your bicycle.
26. If your bicycle doesn't look good, you can paint it or get better
parts.
27. You can ride your bicycle the first time you meet it without
having to take it to dinner, see a movie, or meet its mother.
28. The only protection you need to wear when riding your bicycle is a
decent helment.
29. When in mixed company, you can talk about what a great ride you
had the last time you were on your bicycle.

Why Bicycles are Better then Men (for the ladies...)

Bicycles don't belch, snore or fart.

A bicycle never get "too tired".

You can take a bicycle to the mall, and no matter how much
time you spend there, when you return, it never asks "What
took you so #%$^* long?"

Bicycles don't leave dirty socks and/or underwear all over
the floor.

Bicycles don't work late.

Your Bicycle stays as clean as you want it to.

Bicycles don't have parents or kids.

Bicycles don't get sick.

A bicycle never try to be in control.

Bicycles let you know when something is wrong.

A bicycle does not worry obsessively about the size of its
crank.

Bicycles don't get overweight, except as per your
convenience.

A bicycle will never ask "Are you gaining weight?"

A bicycle will never dump you for a younger, sexier rider.

If your Bicycle goes flat, you can fix it.

If your Bicycle is too loose, you can tighten it.

You can check out the guy who works on your Bicycle.

If you say bad things to your Bicycle, you don't have to
apologize before you ride it again.

Your Bicycle always has time for you.

Bicycles don't complain and don't ride away from you when
the road gets rough.

Bicycles don't watch TV.

Bicycles don't shave.

Bicycles don't leave a mess in the kitchen or bathroom.

Bicycles are better protection in a bad neighborhood.
If you don't like the size of your bicycle you can get a
new one.

You can try out as many bikes as you like before you get
your own.

You don't have to feed your bicycle.
Bicycles never argue, you are always right.

Bicycles never wake you up in the middle of the night, for
any reason.

Bicycles never try to show you off to their friends.

Bicycles don't come home drunk after a night out with its
buddies.

Bicycles don't sneak around with other bicycles.

Bicycles don't care what you look like or what your age is.

Bicycles don't care and don't comment about what you spend
your money on.

Bicycles don't care if you have to work late.

When you go riding, your bicycle doesn't care if other
bicycles are bigger or out of town.

You don't have to explain to a bike if you don't feel like
a ride.

Bicycles never put you down.

Bicycles don't complain if you wear "sensible" clothes.

Bicycles don't have egos.

Bicycles don't refuse to ask for directions when they're
lost.

Bicycles don't need remote control units.

When you're lost you don't have to argue with it about
stopping for directions.

When it's going too fast into a curve you can slow it down.

When you need someone to ride with it's happy to go.

You buy the tools it needs; it doesn't buy tools that never
get used.

You don't have to continually assure it that its crank
length is just right.

You determine the length and frequency of the rides, and
you're always on top.

It never finishes before you do.

It doesn't complain about you going out to dinner with your
women friends rather than staying at home with it.

You never get helpful suggestions from its mother.

It will ride with you even on Super Bowl Sunday.

It never complains if you put on a few pounds.

When its dysfunctional you know how to get it fixed (and
know that it can be fixed).

If you decide to get a new bicycle you don't have to give
up more than half of everything you have.

It will never earn more that you do for the same job just
because it's a bicycle.

It never spends a "night out with the bikes" and come home
with a strange rash on its saddle.

It will never turn into a beer bellied blob of metal on the
couch in front of the TV.

Pedal broke.

On my commute home on friday 06/05 my right pedal broke. I was using Look pedals. What broke was the spring loaded plastic piece that moves when I clip in and out. I have a pair of SPD/platform pedals I can use if I can find an adapter to convert my 3-hole pattern cycling shoes over to an SPD style. Part of the problem may also be the stack height. Might be too much to allow me to comfortable and safely walk as well as change the geometry on the bike. I might end up just buying the set of Look Keo's for $100 from my bike shop.

Visiting old friends and making new ones.

This post is not going to be about what you think. When I say visit with old friends and make new ones I do not mean people. I am talking about trails. Call them bike trails, Multi-Use Paths, bike paths, etc. I'll just refer to them as trails. More specifically the trails in central Iowa. Sure I have a lot of real human friends and some may think referring to something like a trail is weird, strange, odd and lame, but that's ok. I grew up in central Iowa and I have ridden a lot of the trails in central Iowa. I used to walk some of them to go to my favorite fishing hole along the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. I went to and graduated from a high school that is really close to one and I used one to commute to and from college on one of these trails. I even made out with some of my past girlfriends, long before I met my wife, on one of these trails. I have a strong tie and kinship with them and as such I consider them friends.

The trails to date I have used in my youth as a pedestrian, cyclist, fisherman, student or horny teenager are;
1. Neal Smith Trail
2. John Pat Dorrian Trail
3. Bill Riley Trail
4. Great Western Trail
5. Raccoon River Valley Trail

In the past 3 years I have made friends with other trails that did not exist when I was a younger lad or I simply never met them. I have only ever visited these trails as a cyclist. These trails include;
1. Gay Lea Wilson Trail
2. 4 Mile Creek Greenway Trail

As of April of 2009 I have made friends with some new trails that were recently built or I never had the opportunity to meet until this year. I have only visited these trails as a cyclist. They are;
1. MLK Trail
2. Meredith Trail
3. Kruidenier Trail
4. CHICHAQUA VALLEY TRAIL

In June I hope to make a new friend of the Summerset Trail.

Information about the trails can be found here. Click on the link and scroll down the list to learn more about these trails.
IOWA TRAILS

Kudo's and Thanks to Hostel Shoppe.

As I have been posting about the issue with my seat frame and the help I have been receiving from Hostel Shoppe on a solution. One of their sales people, Jessie has been very helpful in working with me on a solution.

To summarize;
1. Seat frame broke.
2. Called Hostel Shoppe, a recumbent bike shop in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and started looking at local metal shops to see if it could be repaired or have a new one built.
3. Found a few shops to repair seat frame and one that could build me a new one.
4. Jessie at Hostel Shoppe called me back and we discussed a possible solution from parts they offer. Also go quote from a shop called Dakota Muscle on building a new seat frame.
5. Decided to purchase parts from Jessie at Hostel Shoppe and attempted to retro fit new Volae parts to my old Vision bike.
6. Right off the bat some of the parts would not work, the seat stays. I returned those parts and received a refund.
7. Managed to fit the new seat frame to my bike and adjusted and dialed in other parts of the bike to accomidate the new seat, etc. with the help of my local bike shop.
8. Took bike for a test ride and very quickly figured out because of the newer seat frame design the geometry was not going to work with my older Vision. My hips and lower back hurt when I tried to ride with the new set up.
9. Had my original seat frame repaired and went back to using it.
10. Returned remainder of parts, including new seat frame to Hostel Shoppe and received refund.
11. Of the parts I purchased form Hostel Shoppe I only kept and used the new seat frame cover, seat bag, and side plate for one of the seat QR skewers. I needed a new seat cover, bag and side plate.

I do not blame Jessie or the Hostel Shoppe for the Volae parts not working on my Vision. She presented a solution and I decided to try it. In fact both her and Hostel Shoppe has been incredibly helpful with me through all of this. They are of course empathetic that the solution they presented did not work. At the same time both they and myself are glad there is a shop in my area that can build me a new seat frame using the geometry from my original one when I am ready for it. For right now my original repaired seat frame will work fine.

Thank you Hostel Shoppe for your help and patience. I will continue to do business with you when I am in need of your services and help. You have earned a loyal customer.

I highly recommend Hostel Shoppe to any and all recumbent owners/riders. Here is a link to their web site;
Hostel Shoppe

Civic Duty

I am a volunteer with the Sioux City Police Dept. My role as such is to help patrol the local recreation trails within Sioux City. I do not have any law enforcement powers. My role is help and assist anyone who needs it along the trails and to kindly ask that people not block the trail and move off of the trail when they stop. If I see any major problems or violations of the law I call either 911 or the non-emergency dispatch number. I have no set schedule when I patrol the trails, it is on a voluntary basis. I consider myself on voluntary patrol duty when ever I am riding on the trails.

For me this is when I commute to/from work and when ever I use the trail for recreational riding as well.

Last night on the way home from work I had to call the non-emergency number because of a violation of Sioux City's open burning law. I was riding along the trail and just got past the Perry Creek channel where it empties in to the Missouri River along the riverfront. People like to fish in the channel along the banks. Last night some of these people had fires going. This presents a problem. There is a lot of dry brush along the banks of the channel and river not to mention other structures in the area that can easily catch fire and burn.

I do not mind if people fish, I think it is a great activity. I do not even mind if people fish with out a fishing license. What does bother me though is people setting open fires, potentially putting the entire riverfront at risk, especially on a windy day.

I do not like calling the authorities on people, I'd rather people obey the law and get along. But I am proud to serve my community in this capacity.

Update: Flying ribbons from bike

As I stated in an earlier post I fly ribbons from my bike. One of these is a blue ribbon, dedicated to my father in law who has brain cancer. It turns out the cancer is terminal, it is unknown how much time he has left. He is fighting it with chemo and radiation. But today has the attitude it is going to do no good and sounds like he saying good bye.

In addition to the ribbons I also have attached to my seat bag a yellow LIVESTRONG band and an orange band that says; IADIP DR. BOB. The yellow LIVESTRONG band needs no explanation. The orange IADIP band is in dedication of Dr. Bob Breedlove. Dr. Bob was an orthopedic surgeon in Des Moines. He competed and won the Race Across America, or RAAM several times. He was killed during his last race a few years ago on RAAM. IADIP stands for It's another Day in Paradise, a favorite quote of Dr. Bob's.

I am dedicating every mile I ride this year to my father in law. Dealing with his cancer has been hard on all of us, my wife especially. She is an only child, thus being closer to her parents then a child with siblings.

Update Part 10: Seat Frame Broke

I sent back the remainder of the parts I had to return to Hostel Shoppe yesterday. In time I will have Dakota Muscle Cars build me a new seat frame out of chro-moly material. After Hostel Shoppe receives the parts I returned I will post a huge kudos to them on the blog.

Alchemy Goods

I recently was turned on to a web site for the company Alchemy Goods. They manufacture products out of recycled bicycle inner tubes among other things. After reading about them I bought a new belt; Alchemy Belt I didn't buy one just because. I actually needed a new belt and was looking at buying one anyway, old one wore out. With shipping it was about $45, about the same cost I'd spend in my area for a good one. I received it today and wore it for the first time. It works as well as can be expected, in other words it works and functions like a belt, keeps my pants up, that's all I need it to do.

I do wonder though what kind of a cyclist used the inner tubes my belt is made out of. Is he or she a pro, or someone famous?

It is nice that a company is giving new life to an old product that us useless as it's original purpose.

I also need a new wallet and business card holder, I'm thinking about the Alchemy Goods brand for those as well.

Here is the web site; Alchemy Goods

Electronic gadgets

As of this year I have really simplified the type and amount of electronic gadgets I ride with. Until last year here is what I had for electronic gadgets;
1. ATC brand digital camera mounted to handle bars that would shoot both still photo's and video, only used it for still photo's.
2. ATC brand camera that would shoot video only mounted to front "T" bar on front deraileur mast.
3. IPOD Shuffle.
4. 2 Samsung MP3 players.
5. Sony speakers with battery power supply for greater volume.
6. Cell phone.

Now all I carry is my cell phone, which doubles as an MP3 player and the Sony speakers. In fact I sold both cameras and all 3 of the other MP3 players. When I ride and am playing music I have the phone set to Airplane/Music Mode, which saves on the battery power when I am playing music. I use a 4GB mini SD card for the music files.

Will I ever go back to using a digital camera? Maybe, I won't rule it out. ATC now has a digital video sports video camera that has a viewer so you can see what you're shooting video of. My other 2 did not have this feature. If I need to take still photo's of anything I carry my regular Olympus 5 megapixel digital camera. The Olympus is what I use when I take photo's of the buildings I post about in my History and Culture by Bicycle Blog.

The only other electronic gadget I use on my bike is my bike computer. I have never ridden with out one.

Update part 9; Seat Frame Broke.

I went for a ride with the new set up and seat to take the bike through it's paces. It did not go well at all. In fact it hurt my hips and lower back to ride the bike set up like this. My legs were fine, the rest was not. After a very short ride, about 1.5 miles round trip because it hurt so much, I set the bike up the way it was before using the old repaired seat frame. Thankfully I can return the new seat frame and hardware used to attach it to my Vision. The only thing I am using that I bought brand new is the seat cover and seat bag, both of which I needed anyway. I think the reason the new set up does not work is the geometry of my Vision frame. I hope the repaired frame holds up until I can have a new one made out of chro-moly.

Update Part 8; Seat Frame Broke

My bike is now back to being able to be ridden. I washed the bike and took it to the shop where I had the boom tube moved out, had additional chain links added and had a new longer front derailer cable and housing put on in place of the shorter one. I also had to have a chain tubing and spring clips added that I ordered from Hostel Shoppe so the chain would not rub and hit against the new seat bracket hardware.

I take the bike out for a ride tomorrow. If all goes well with everything dialed in correctly then I will be ready for MAR on Saturday.

Update Part 7; Seat Frame Broke

I got the new parts installed yesterday. Today I took my bike to the shop to see if and how much the geometry changed and if it did what would need to be done to dial the bike in so it is comfortable to ride and performs the way I want it to.

The geometry changed to where I will be in a more upright position and had to adjsut the distance between me and the steering riser. I also need to push out the front boom tube, there is too much bend in my knees. Pushing out the front boom tube requires a new front derailer cable and housing and a few links added to the chain. I have an appointment to take my bike back to the shop to have the chain links added and the front derailer cable and housing changed to a longer one. Before all of this happens next week though I need to wash the bike this weekend.

22nd Annual Mayor's Annual Ride for Trails

I just signed up for the 22nd Annual Mayor's Annual Ride for Trails. I have been doing this ride almost every year since 1995. I have seen it change in more ways then one. There have route changes and changes in the sponsors. The amount of people who do the ride has also increased over the years too.

One of the current sponsors/partners I am not too impressed with and there will be some people associated with this particular sponsor/partner I am not impressed with and want nothing to do with that will likely be a part of MAR, but that's ok I will still enjoy doing the ride. This ride is not about one particular sponsor/partner or anyone associated with this sponsor/partner. It is about raising money to improve trails for the City of Des Moines. I grew up in Des Moines so I want to see it succeed as much as possible. Of course this is only my opinion of this particular sponsor/partner of MAR and the City of Des Moines. Though aggressive, demeaning and disparaging toward the sponsor/partner and positive to the City of Des Moines, it is how I feel. Also notice I did not name the sponsor/partner of MAR. If anyone approaches me about this that has something to do with this particular sponsor/partner I will simply tell them I do not want to speak to them and ask they stay away from me and will do what I have to to stay away from them.

This year the MAR is 04/18. As in the last few years it starts and ends at City Hall, just on the east side of the river.

Here is the link to register and the brochure;
Mayor's Annual Ride for Trails Registration
MAR brochure

Update; Other bicycle plans for 2009

I finally have final confirmation on being able to do organized rides on Saturday's. I could not say anything until now, but the reason I will be able to do rides on Saturday's is I am switching companies. I was waiting for and have finally received confirmation of being hired at a new company. The company I currently work for, until I do my exit interview, I am Tuesday through Sat. and they do not pay well at all and the benefits are not good. My new company is one I applied at before I started working for my current company. The new company called me in for an interview, I was offered the job, accepted on the contingency that I passed the back ground check, I did and I start on April 20, 2009. As I am in training at my current company and because they do not want to invest any more money into my training I have pretty much said good bye to them, but am waiting to hear back from them on the exit interview part of it. I am tired of working Saturdays and am tried of working hours other then 8 to 5. Now I will have Saturday's off and will have more realistic hours.

Update Part 6; Seat Frame Broke

I picked up my original seat frame from the welding shop in Elk Point, South Dakota today. It is repaired. I will use this one as a back up frame if something happens to my new one. The guy who repaired it told me this one was either not heat treated or not heat treated very well, the aluminum is pretty soft. My new seat frame nad parts on their way from St. Paul, Minn. They left Wisconsin yesterday, arrived in St. Paul this morning and are not on their way to Sioux City. I should get the package tomorrow.

Here are photo's of my repaired seat frame;

Update Part 5; Seat Frame Broke.

The parts shipped today. I also took the original seat frame up to a welding shop in Elk Point, South Dakota. I am going to have it repaired and use it as a back up if something happens to the new frame. I should get the parts for the new frame either Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. Once I receive them my bike will then be morphed from just a Vision R40 to a Vision/Volae R40.

Cycling, CPAP and Sleep

In order for me to be able to comfortably ride bike, stay focused and be safe while doing so I need a minimum of 7 hours sleep. But sleep has not always come easy for me. For at least 3 or 4 years prior to 2004 I was almost always tired, regardless of how much sleep I had the night before. I would go to bed, sleep for at times 10 or even 12 hours and still be exhausted the next day. I hardly rode bike or did anything much at all. I finally said enough and went to my doctor. After determining what it was not he referred me for a sleep study. It turned out I have sleep apnea.

It was decided by the neurologist who studied the results of my sleep study that to help me sleep I would use a Constant Positive Air Pressure machine, or CPAP. I use the nasal mask that fits comfortably on my head and over my nose. Because of the constant pressure into my nose it is impossible for me to breathe in and out through my mouth when I sleep. The CPAP forces me to breathe in and out through my nose, as it is designed to do. If I try to fight it and attempt to breathe through my mouth I lose and start breathing through my nose again. Another positive thing about the use of a CPAP is it is impossible for me to snore, in fact from what my wife tells me I have not snored once since I have been using it. To snore a person has to breathe through their mouth, someone can not snore if they only breathe through their nose when they sleep which is what a CPAP makes happen.

A CPAP does not do the the breathing for me or force my breathing to take place, nor does it pump oxygen into my lungs, only air. I still breathe on my own, all the CPAP does is pump air in through my nose only which forces me to naturally breathe through my nose and into my lungs and exhale like I normally do when I sleep. There is a vent on the mask to allow the exhale to vent out instead of getting trapped in the mask. The mask I use is a silicon one that is comfortably attached to my face with an elastic velcro head gear strap. There are other styles of masks and other options, the silicon mask works best for me.

In the 5 years I have been using a CPAP I am on my second machine. My first was set at only one pressure setting and did not ramp up, I also did not have the humidifier. My second starts a lower pressure setting then ramps up to what I need when I sleep, up to a max. setting of 18. I also use a humidifier in the winter time.

Because of my CPAP I am no longer tired when I have at least 7 hours of sleep a night. The only reason I am tired is if I get less then 7 hours, but it is no longer because of my sleep apnea.

Some people have a hard time with using any type of mask or nasal pillow device on their face. Some people get used to it and it no longer bothers them over time, others never get past that so a CPAP ends up not being for them and they pursue other options. Certain types of surgery can help correct the problem and I have also heard about some sort of device someone can get from their dentist that they hold in their mouth which pushes the jaw forward. I do not know how effective these devices are. What I do know is my CPAP is the only 100% sure way to prevent my sleep apnea.

Speaking of these devices that push the jaw forward at night, I had some dentist, not from my area try to shove the idea of one of these things down my throat. This person tried to tell me it would work better then my CPAP and wanted to sell me one. This dentist apparently helps design or manufacture these things. This person was very aggressive about it, almost to the point of being beligerant. Not something I take kindly to. I more or less told this person what to do with their advice and device and I AM NOT going to consider it. Even if I did a few things would have to happen first. I would ONLY do so under my doctors advice and the advice of a neurologist, not some dentist. I would also have the device ordered from someone in my local area. I trust people in my local area more then someone trying to pedal a device like this that is not from my local area. I also would NEVER just go to my dentist and talk with them about it, I would go to my doctor first.

I get very defensive when someone tries to tell me of a better way to sleep at night when I KNOW FOR A FACT what works for me. I have been using my CPAP for over 5 years. I know for a FACT it works 100% to help me sleep. I AM NOT willing to even consider trying anything else. The way I see it, if it isn't broke don't fix it. I have learned the hard way when I have tried to do so in the past.

When I first got my CPAP I thought the days of camping and over night bike ride trips were over where I had to camp. After doing some research I found a way to use my CPAP while camping when there is no available AC electricity. That is a deep cycle marine battery. I use a marine battery because it holds a charge longer and lasts longer at powering my CPAP then a conventional car battery. My batter is in a plastic battery box for easy carrying, storage and to keep it dry from rain. Connected to the terminals are alligator clamps that are attached to a female DC plug. The wire or cable is run through a plastic pvc pipe with silicon sealed ends to keep it dry from rain. The female end of the DC plug is run in through the power port opening of my tent to the male DC end. The male DC end is attached to a power inverter. The inverter, inverst DC to AC. My CPAP is plugged into the inverter with the standard AC plug. When I first put this kit together I tested it. I put the battery outside my bed room window, ran the DC cord through, connected it to the male end and the inverter and plugged my CPAP into it. It lasted for 4 consequtive nights at 8 hours each night before the battery died and needed recharging. I also used this set up to keep my cell phone charged during this 4 day time period.

This allowed/allows me to go on camping trips and bicycle rides where camping is the only option for over night accomidations. Knowing I only get 4 nights of use out of the battery I have had to figure out ways to keep it charged. I take my charger and extension cord and have always been able to find a place to plug it in to keep the battery charged.

For those that are thinking of using a deep cycle marine battery to power a CPAP or any other electronic device on organized bike trips where you have to camp keep something in mind. The organizers, or your own team/club may limit how many baggage items you can take. My club allows up to 2. My battery counts as one, but because I am able to strap my tent, sleeping pad and a few other things to the top of my large rubber maid container that holds everything else I only have 2 containers.

My battery weighs about 60 or 70 pounds. Because of this I am the only one who lifts it on and off the truck that my group rents when we do over night bike ride events.

Because of my DC power kit I can continue to do 2 things I love most, camp and do over night organized bike trips.

Update Part 4; Seat Frame Broke.

I placed the order today with Hostel Shoppe for the replacement parts. It came to over $650.00. Considering the bike only cost me $1,100 brand new 7 years ago, some may think I'm nusts spending that much on this bike. As I said words can not describe why I want to keep this recumbent rolling. Only those that own one understand. It is not something that can be explained to a lay person, or someone who does not understand anything about recumbents. Today a new bike like mine, which would be a Volae, would cost $1,800.

Here are photo's of the way my bike looks with naked, (with out her seat);

Update; Other bicycle plans for 2009

I got some more confirmation today, about an hour and a half ago that I will be able to do the rides listed; MAR, Tri-State Trails Tour and ONABIKE this year. I will have a firm confirmation on Monday 04/6.

I missed MAR last year and the Tri-State Trails Tour the last 2 years because of work. Some how I have not missed ONABIKE though.

Other bicycle plans for 2009.

Along with my bicycle vacation plans there are other rides I hope to do in 2009. Starting with a ride in Des Moines called Mayor's Annual Ride for Trails, or MAR for Trails. It is put on by the City of Des Moines to benefit the trail system. This will be the 22nd year and I have done several of them since 1995. Mar is later this month.

Another ride I am hoping to do is the 6th Annual Tri-State Trails Tour. It is a ride held in May in the Sioux City area, put on by the Siouxland Trails Foundation. I helped create the organization that puts the ride on and was the ride director for the first 2 years. The ride includes all 3 states ind if someone does the entire route they can potentially ride up to over 50 miles.

In August is ONABIKE. Held the 4th Saturday in August, in Onawa, Iowa, it is western Iowa's premier bike ride. One of the most scenic rides I have ever been on. The ride goes through the beautiful Loess Hills and is put on by the ONAWA Chamber of Commerce.

All of these rides are on Saturday. I did not include rides in the month of June and July because of the Michigan/Illinois trip. The riding I will be doing there will be in June and will be enough to not have to worry about doing an organized ride in July. I may do my annual solo century to Hawarden and back in July.

If some positive changes happen the way I am hoping they do I will be able to do these rides on Saturday. I'll know more by tomorrow, so an update will be following this.

Update; Stressful RAGBRAI, May Never do RAGBRAI again, 2009 Bicycle Vacation Plans

I recently found out there are some people who think because of the stress I experience on RAGBRAI that I will likely never do RAGBRAI again. As a matter of correction I need to clearly point out, NOT TRUE. The stress I experienced on RAGBRAI while a factor in my decision is not the sole or even a big reason as too whether or not to ever do the ride again. Though I stated the stress had something to do with it, it is likely it maybe did not. The main reason, and possibly the only reason is there are several other rides I want to do in other states.

Another item that needs to be corrected is some also think I am doing a week of riding in Michigan. No, not a week. I am riding a total of 4 times in Michigan and 1 time in Illinois on this trip. Most of the riding will not be a full days worth, in fact only one day will be a full days worth, the first day of the Big Mac ride.

2009 Bicycle Vacation Plans

My wife and I finally have our vacation plans set and locked down for 2009. We are going to Michigan. Specifically an area called the Straits. This is where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan come together near Mackinaw City.

This is in part a bicycle vacation because it is centered-ish around a bicycle ride I am going to attend. It is a 2 day event called the "BIG MAC" SHORELINE
SPRING TOUR. Day one there is a choice of 4 routes, ranging from 25 to 100 miles. Day 2 is a one way ride across the Big Mac. For those that do not know that is the Mackinaw Bridge. One of the only 2 days of the year bicycles are allowed on the bridge, I am not going to pass this oppurtunity up. To be allowed to do the ride across the bridge participants have to have ridden the day before. A shuttle brings us back across into Mackinaw City once we get into St. Ignace.

Here is a link to info. about the ride and a route map;
”BIG MAC” SHORELINE SPRING & FALL SCENIC TOURS

This will not be the only riding I will do in this area. We are also going to visit the Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point. I am going to ride from Paradise, MI. to the museum. On another day we are going to the Soo Locks and Sault Saint Marie, Canada. I am going to ride across the bridge on the International Hwy and do some riding in Sault Saint Marie, Canada as well.

After we leave this are of Michigan we are driving to Illinois. I am going to complete another section of the Grand Illinois Trail while we are there.

Here is a tenative itinerary of our trip. Any part of this is subject to change;

Thursday June 11: Travel day from Sioux City to Mackinaw City.

Friday June 12: Packet pick up, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Icebreaker Mackinaw, historic walking tour.

Saturday June 13: Bike ride.

Sunday June 14: Bike ride in morning, Fort Michilimackinac in afternoon.

Monday June 15: Mackinac Island.

Tuesday June 16: St Ignace, bike ride from Paradise to Whitefish Point, Shipwreck Museum.

Monday June 17: Sault Ste Marie, Soo Locks. Ride bike across International Hwy Bridge into Sault Saint Marie. Ride around Sault Saint Marie.

Thursday June 18: Travel day from Mackinaw City to Illinois.

Friday June 19: Visit with grandma.

Saturday June 20: Bike ride to Ottawa on Grand Illinois Trail.

Sunday June 21: Travel day home to Sioux City.

This is why I am not doing RAGBRAI this year. I would much rather go to Michigan to enjoy and experience riding there then stay in my own state and ride yet another RAGBRAI. Will the riding in Michigan and Illinois be better then RAGBRAI? Right now I do not know, but I certainly hope so.

Restricting comments.

I apologize to those that may wish to leave comments on this blog. I am left with no choice but to restrict comments at least for the time being. I just received a comment, that I rejected, because it was full of vulgarities and threats. I take matters like this very seriously. The IP address has been tracked and I know what it is. The IP and the comment have been reported to the authorities.

The comment had something to do with and was in referance to my postings about RAGBRAI.

Again I apologize to those that would like to leave comments that are respectful that this restriction will affect.

Maybe at some point I will lift the restrictions.

Update; Stressful RAGBRAI

I am adding something more to the original post about stress on RAGBRAI. Some who read it may think I blame RAGBRAI for the stress. In fact I know of people who have read the blog post who think exactly that. They are dead wrong. No, not at all. With the exception of the fireworks show in Le Mars in 2005 the things that happened could have happened anywhere when I was riding. I do not blame RAGBRAI. How ever these things have NEVER happened anywhere else other then while I was on RAGBRAI.

I do not feel home sick when riding, even on other multi-day rides. I have done a few other 2+ day rides. I never had a tire blow which required replacing it and interrupting my ride. I never had a bug hit me in the eye to the point where I had to stop to deal with it. I never have been sick while riding. When I have had to have my wife come pick me up while riding, for what ever reason, she has always had no problem finding me. I have also learned how to make sure my cell phone does not die while riding. I have made it a point to remember her cell phone number. I used to just rely on it being in my cell phone directory.

For some reason, through no one's fault something stressful always affects me when I have ridden RAGBRAI. Whether it be one day or all seven. But no one is to blame. I just find it odd these things only happen on RAGBRAI and never any other time when I ride bike.

May never do RAGBRAI again.

I have decided it will be a very long time before I ever do RAGBRAI again. One reason is to avoid the potential stress talked about in the previous post about RAGBRAI. Granted the same type of stress may happen in other organized multi-day cross state rides, then again maybe not. That leads to another reason why I will not do RAGBRAI anytime soon. There are plenty of other multi-day cross state rides I want to experience other then RAGBRAI. While RAGBRAI may be the "grandaddy" of these other rides, it is no longer the only multi-day cross state ride to participate in. At one time, yes it was. That has changed.

Are these other rides better then RAGBRAI? I don't know yet, have yet to find that out and can not wait to do so. I do know one thing because of the huge problems and issues of RAGBRAI not controlling the amount of people who ride it the organizers of other cross state organized rides strictly limit how many are allowed on their rides and they enforce it. Some of them have no lottery, it is first come, first serve. After so many people are signed up that is it, the rest are turned away. Thus better controlling what happens on these other rides. This is part of why I want to experience other cross state organized rides, other then RAGBRAI.

The organizers and ever participants tend to get a little arrogant in thinking their ride is THE ONLY ride and THE BEST ride to participate in. In some ways I think they get complacent because of this. Sure RAGBRAI will likely never suffer from lack of participation but it is not the only ride to do. I wonder how many of the participants have even considered doing other rides. Some of them are probably too narrow minded to even want to.

That leads to another reason why I will not do RAGBRAI for a while. Because of some circumstances in the recent past I do not want to associate myself with some of the people who participate in RAGBRAI. Thankfully no one in my area or from my bike club. I'll leave it at that.

I have come across at least 7 or 8 states that have some form of a cross state multi day ride. Some are an entire week, others are shorter. I look forward to participating in these rides. It may take me the rest of my life before I am finished with them. Until then I will not do RAGBRAI again.

Stressful RAGBRAI

RAGBRAI, for those that do not know is what is often referred to as the "granddaddy" of multi-day organized bike rides. It is a 7 day cross state ride. Participants can ride the whole week or as many of the 7 days as they want. 2009 will be it's 37th year. For more info. google RAGBRAI as this post is not going to talk about the history or how to ride RAGBRAI. It is going to focus on how RAGBRAI can cause stress and/or be stressful to people who ride it. I do not mean the physical stress, because it is a physically stressing ride. People need to be in shape and train to accomplish it. I am referring to the other stresses that can, do and have occurred during the ride. I am going to share my experiences of the RAGBRAI's I have done and how I dealt with it.

First a short bio. on the RAGBRAI's I have done;
1998; First time I ever did RAGBRAI, rode the the whole week.
2005; Rode first day only.
2006; Rode first 3 days only.
2007; Rode the whole week.
2008; Was supposed to ride 2 days, only rode one, the last time I did any part of RAGBRAI.

Here are the stresses I encounterd and endured on the RAGBRAI's I participated in;

1998; This was a big year for my wife and I. In this order we bought a new Jeep Cherokee, celbrated our 7th wedding anniversary, I did RAGBRAI for the first time, we bought a house and got a dog. The house and dog came toward the end of the year.

I had joined the Siouxland Cyclists bike club the previous year and learned they did RAGBRAI every year, though not every member in the club went. I also learned that the club is a "grand-parented" guarantee club and the members of the club that wish to do RAGBRAI do not have to worry about the lottery. So I decided to go at the encouragement of some of the club members who are veterans of RAGBRAI. When I told them I was going they started sharing their "secrets" on how to make it a successful event for me. I really appreciated that because it did help. Of course they could not prepare me for every bad encounter that could happen on RAGBRAI nor did I expect them to. I either did not think to ask or it was something that had never happened to them before.

My wife and I had never been apart like this. Sure we had spent time apart when either of us had to travel for business, but not for something like a vacation. We had always taken our vacations together. The first few days of RAGBRAI I have to admit I was a little emotional at spending this time away from my wife. I actually felt homesick and that caused some anxiety and stress for me. I tried to hide it as best I could, even from my wife when I called to talk to her about every other night in what ever over night town we were in. I did not want to be alone, yet amongst all of the people, including those in my own club I felt alone, because my wife was not there sharing the experience with me. She is not a cyclist, but she could have come as a non-rider. As the week went on I got through it and started feeling better and then something happened that almost spelled the premature end for my first RAGBRAI.

At the time I had a TREK 470 road bike. Near the end of the week, I think it was on the day we left Cedar Falls, I was beginning to feel better, no longer homesick and looking forward to completing by first RAGBRAI. I get up that morning, pack my gear and when I go to air up my tires I notice a bad bulge in the side wall of my rear tire. I hurriedly found one of the bike shops that follow the route for those that need mechanical help with their bikes, like tires, tubes, etc. He replaced it for me but it took most of the rest of my money and I still had 2 days to go. I called my wife and started asking what I should to. I was feeling stressed, not thinking straight all of the feelings of anxiety were rushing back I had felt earlier that week and was looking to my wife for advice. Thankfully in that situation she stayed calm, which calmed me down. At the time I did not have an ATM card, never had a need for one. She advised if I could borrow money from someone and pay them back when she arrived to pick me up on Sabula, where the ride ended that year. All of the members of my club who did RAGBRAI that year were gone, only the guy who drives one of the rental trucks was still there. I asked him if I could borrow enough to get me through the end of the week. Thankfully he loaned money to me. I had enough to get me through and then some. I made it in to Monticello and saw my favorite country music group at the fairgrounds. the Oak Ridge Boys. In fact one of the towns people gave me a free ticket to get in to see them. I finished the rest of the week, met my wife in Sabula, paid back the guy who loaned me money and that was it.

2005;
After what happened in 1998 and other things going on I either did not want to or was unable to do RAGBRAI for 6 years. I decided to do the first day only in 2005. We were in Le Mars, Iowa. Nothing stressed me out the day I rode in 2005, but the night before was no pic-nick. Some clown who organized the activities in Le Mars decided it would be a good idea to have a fireworks show at the fairgrounds where everyone was staying. Problem was a lot of us were trying to go to bed so we could be up and ready to ride the next morning. My group was so close to the damn fireworks the ground was shaking from it. Needless to say we were not happy about this. I was not the only one stressed by it, but the next days ride could have been better if I had gotten more sleep. I have to have at least 7 hrs of sleep if I am going to ride bike. My wife picked me up in Sheldon. Thankfully I only did the one day. That night there was a bad storm in Sheldon which ended a lot of people's RAGBRAI that year, and unfortunately ended one persons life when a tree fell on his tent as he slept.

2006;
Nothing really stressing about the 3 days I did. RAGBRAI started in Sgt. Bluff, one of Sioux City's very close neighbors. I slept in my own bed that night and took off from a church in Morningside, joining the route as the ride left Sgt. Bluff. The only concern I had was with my CPAP machine. I need to use a CPAP to sleep at night. I do have a way to power it on RAGBRAI. Because I slept at home that night I had to figure out a way to haul the CPAP to Ida Grove. I was able to strap it to the rack on my bike and carry the 70+ miles. Thankfully no damage was done to the machine and it worked fine the rest of time I did RAGBRAI that year. The last day I did RAGBRAI that year the ride was in Waukee, really close to Des Moines. My wife drove to her parents home from Sioux City to Des Moines so she could pick me up. The stressing part about this was my cell phone had died, I could not remember my wife's cell phone number and was not that familiar with the area around Waukee High School where my group was. What should have taken an hour to get my wife there to pick me up took over 2 hours. We were both pretty stressed about it, but in the end laughed about it and felt better.

2007;
This year was the last time I did the whole week of RAGBRAI. The stress I experienced was only on the first day. About a quarter of the way to Spencer I had a bug hit me in the face. There is nothing unusual about this. I am usually able to brush an insect away or make sure it does not get into my eyes or most will fly away. Except for this bug, it somehow got into one of my eyes. Keep in mind I am still riding at this point thinking it will fly away or I can just brush it off. That was not the case. I could feel its wings beating against my eye and the inside of my eye lids. Not a really comfortable feeling, in fact rather irritating. When this started I pretty much immediately stopped, got off the bike, took my helmet and glasses off, grabbed my handkerchief, wet it with water, grabbed what I could of the insect with my free hand and washed my eye out. Until I started getting the bug out of my eye, I had to endure the feeling of it being caught and moving around on the surface of my eye ball. Thankfully it was not a stinging or biting insect. I managed to get my eye cleaned out and continued on, irritated eye and all.

The stress of the encounter with the insect and some of the music I was playing on my bike started making me feel emotional about being away from my wife once again. With the exception of the music, the feelings and anxiety were just like it was in 1998, only 9 years later. But at some point I started feeling better. Then about 10 miles from Spencer my front tire blew. I thought no big deal, I'll change the tube and finish the that days ride. At that point I saw it was a sidewall blow out of the tire. I tried to boot it to no avail. So I waited for the sag. A SAG vehicle came along, but not the RAGBRAI SAG, I didn't care, they offered a ride and I accepted.

Once I got to Spencer I found a phone to call my wife, she did not answer and I left a message that I knew would cause her concern. I then found a bike shop to replace my tire, found my group, set up my tent and then went and had dinner. The meal I had was made by the Shriners and it was delicious. It was also great to sit and talk with my Masonic brethren. My cell phone had died, but that was being recharged. I found a phone to call my wife. She was worried about me after the message I left. I have to be honest, after the stressful day I had I was ready to throw in the towel and come home. She encouraged me to stick it out. I went back to where the club was camped and sat around enjoying beer and conversation with my friends. One of the guys who drives one of the trucks was reading the Good Book, (the Holy Bible). After I saw that I then remembered the story of Jesus Christ's time in the desert for 40 day and nights and the stress he must have undergone to come out of it a better person. So I decided to endure and stick it out for the rest of the week. There was no more really bad stress the rest of the week. I took the bus back home and had a great time.

2008;
I was only going to ride the middle 2 days in 2008. I ended up only riding one. My in-laws took me to Jefferson, Iowa, the place of my birth so I could ride the next day to Ames and then the next to Tama/Toledo where they would pick me up and take me home. Had a good drive with them to Jefferson. Unloaded my gear and went and had dinner. Sometime after dinner I started feeling sick to my stomach. I took something for it to no avail. Later that night I was up and down to the kybo's getting sick to my stomach, out of both ends. Needless to say I did not get much sleep but decided to ride. I ate, but not much because I was afraid I would get sick again. So right away I was felling pretty stressed about not having nearly enough sleep and being sick.

I leave Jefferson and was not riding very fast at all. I was thinking early on I would have to SAG into Ames at some point, but not after I took care of something important. My mom passed away the previous November. The RAGBRAI route in 2008 went very near to where her side of the family is buried, the Paton, Iowa cemetery. I had purchased some Memorial Day decorations for the graves prior to RAGBRAI that year. When the route got close to Paton, I went off route, rode to the cemetery and put the decorations on the graves. My great-grandparents, grand parents, mother and uncle. Everyone except my uncle had a cross with their favorite color flowers. On my uncle's grave I put a RAGBRAI ball cap. He loved wearing hats when he was alive. After I did this I returned back to the route and continued the slow pace into AMES. Surprisingly I made it before 6 pm. Had dinner, found my group, etc. I was felling better, but not 100%. I called my wife and talked with her parents, they were staying in Sioux City with my wife. I told them to come pick me up in the morning I was not going to ride to Tama/Toledo. They came and got me and brought me back home. I do not know if it was something I ate or something that was going around Sioux City before I left and the travel and minor stress that goes with it caused it to get worse.

None of the stressful experiences or encounters were planned or intentional. I am not the kind of person who wants to be stressed. Some of the experiences were preventable, some were not. All of them were learning experience.

RAGBRAI is not totally stress free, though the organizers and probably most of the participants would tell people differant. Some would even sugar coat it and say there is nothing that can go wrong on RAGBRAI. Nothing could be further from the truth. Is there a dark side to RAGBRAI? Absolutely! Is this dark side something that should keep people from participating? Well that should be left up to the individual when they decide whether or not to do the ride. This dark side and the stress that can occur should not be hidden, nor should RAGBRAI be sugar coated in saying nothing can go wrong on the ride. Am I disparaging RAGBRAI? Well that is something people can interpret for themselves how they take what I have written here.

Update Part 3; Seat Frame Broke

I got the quote from Dakota Muscle Cars and it will come to over $550. Add a new seat cover to that and it is over $650. I was just about ready to go with this option when I decided to try Hostel Shoppe to see what they could do for me.The sales person there offered a better solution.

That solution is to turn my bike into part Volae and part Vision. Ok, she did not put it quite like that but it is what it will amount to. What I will end up doing is replacing the entire seat assembly, including the seat stays into Volae parts. It will be more then $100 less then having Dakota Muscle build me a new frame so I am going with this option.

Here is the seat assembly as it looks with 100% Vision parts;















Here are the parts I am going to order to adapt a Volae set to my Vision bike;
Volae/M5 Seat Wedge
Volae - Delrin Frame Plugs
Volae - Mesh Seat Fabric Only
Volae - Mesh Seat Frame Only
Volae - Quick Adjust Kit
Volae - Rack Adapter kit
Volae - Seat Quick Release Skewer, part #'s 73349, 73350
Volae - Seat Skewer Side Plates, part #79085
Volae - Seat Slider
Volae - Seat Stays
Hostel Shoppe - Stainless Steel Nuts, part #82681
Hostel Shoppe - Stainless Steel Screws, 75353

The sales person at Hostel Shoppe thinks the reason my seat frame may have failed is it may not have been heat treated, given it is an older model. The older model seat frames were, at one time not heat treated. Vision later corrected that. Volae seat frames have always been heat treated. Which means the aluminum will hold up a lot better and longer.

Update Part 2; Seat Frame Broke

I went to Novelty Machine and Supply and talked with the shop mgr. showing him the seat frame. He can repair it but he'd rather see me spend the amount I would pay him to repair it in having a new one fabricated out of chromoly. The reason is it will fail again over time. He is unable to fabricate a new seat frame for me because he does not have a tubing bender. He sent me to McArthur Sheet Metal in South Sioux City, Neb.

I talked with the mgr. at McArthur, like the guy at Novelty he can not fabricate a new seat frame because he too does not have a tubing bender. He sent me to Dakota Muscle in North Sioux City, SD.

The guy at Dakota Muscle can fabricate me a new seat frame out of chromoly but it is going to be expensive. About 1/3rd of the cost of a new recumbent. Well I am still keeping my options open but it looks like I will have Dakota Muscle build my new seat frame.

Some people would hear that and call me crazy or think it is nuts to spend that kind of money when it may be better to get a new bike. I don't agree. For one I refuse to have a seat frame made out of aluminum anymore after 5 of the 8 welds have failed or are starting to fail. Chromoly is a much better material as it flexes and takes a lot more to become fatigued to the point of failure. 4130 chromoly is used to build funny car frames, one of Dakota Muscle's specialties. A funny car frame has a lot of stress put on it and unless they crash they hold up almost indefinitely.

I am working with Hostel Shoppe to see if they can find a seat frame made out of chromoly for a cheaper price then what Dakota Muscle will charge, but I have doubts they can have one built or find one that will work with my bike.

Another thing about not wanting to get a new bike, other then not wanting an aluminum seat frame, is most of the people who would advise replacing the bike either do not ride bike or if they do, they do not ride a recumbent. So they don't get it, especially those that don't ride bike at all. There are no words to describe why I want to keep my bike and keep it rolling as best I can, regardless of cost. Some may think it materialistic, it isn't. I can't put it into words as to why I want to keep and ride my Vision R40 and no other recumbent when there is nothing else wrong with the bike.

Update; Seat Frame Broke.

After extensive research I have not found a replacement seat frame for my Vision. I have found a place to repair it and possible build me a new one. That is Novelty Machine and Supply. They are a local Sioux City company that has been around since 1876. They specialize in repair of old and obsolete items like my seat frame. They typically work on machines and parts for companies in Sioux City but will also do the type of simple repair I need.

I have also found 2 other welds that are starting to fail that I will have Novelty repair for me.

I mentioned having Novelty build me a new frame. I do not know the angles, but I measured the tubing and it is 1"OD, 7/8"ID with a wall thickness of 1/16". The total appx. length is about 11'. It also has flat bar stock used for the "forks" that connect to the quick release skewers where it attaches to the seat stays and main frame tube. The measurements for those are about 3/16" thick, 1 1/16" wide and a total of about 15" long. The "fork" pieces also have an open ended slot cut into them that the QR skewers go through to fasten it to the bike. The slots for the seat stays are 1?4" wide x 3 3/8" long. For the front "fork", where it attaches to the main frame tube the slots are 1/4" wide x 5/8" long.

The material I will want used for the new seat frame will be chromoly. I will try to find a local supplier. I will consulte with Novelty to see if they can order the chromoly tubing. If not I will try the 3 local supplers first, if I have no luck I will start checking online for suppliers.

Seat Frame Broke

Today when I was commuting from work to my wifes office 2 of the welds on my seat frame failed and broke about a block away from her office.

My Vision recumbent uses an aluminum tube seat frame welded together. The front of the seat frame, where it connects to the main frame tube of the bike is a "fork" shape and is held in place by a quick release skewer. It is where the "fork" assembly piece is welded to the bottom tubing of the seat frame where the welds failed. I am pretty sure it is due to fatigue. The bike is over 7 years old and has a lot of miles on it.

There was also another spot it failed a couple of years ago that I had welded back together.

I am checking to see if I can find another seat frame. Vision went out of business a few years ago and most of the inventory was auctioned off. I found one bike shop in New York and am contacting them to see if they have a seat frame that will work on my Vision. Vision changed the design of their bike frames and thus the seat frame design before they went out of business. I need one for a bike built in 2001.

There is also a shop in Wisconsin that might have replacement frames too. They have a house brand of recumbent called Volae. The seat frames on some of their bikes are almost identical to the Vision seat frames. I need to contact them and find out if they have one that will work with a 2001 Vision.

In case I can not find a replacement frame I am looking to see if I can have it welded back together. There is a place in Elk Point, SD I know that will and can do it. When the weld broke a few years ago on another part of the seat frame I happened to be in Elk Point at the time. I stopped by the guys shop and he welded it back together for about $10.00. Did a great job too, has held up better the original weld.

The place my wife works also may be able to weld the broken welds as well. She is going to ask tomorrow. There also may be one other palce in Sioux City that can weld it. I heard from a couple of other recumbent riders that a place called Novelty Machine may be able to weld it, so I'll give them a call.

Here is the photo of the repaired weld that broke a few years ago;


Photo's of where the welds failed this time;

Flying ribbons from bike.

I fly an assortment of differant color ribbon from my bike when I ride. They are tied to the handle of my Vision Day Bag, and are visible from the back. The colors of ribbon I fly are; red, black, blue and purple.

The red and black are for those that have been hit by a motorist while riding and have either been injured or killed. Black is in memory of everyone showing my solidarity in mourning lost cyclists. Red for those whom I personally know that have been injured or killed by motorists. There have been too many.

The purple ribbon was my mom's favorite color. I fly it from the bike in honor and memory of her. She passed away on Nov. 28, 2007, just 4 days after my 36th birthday.

I fly a blue ribbon because it is my father in law's favorite color. I fly it in support of him and what he is dealing with at the moment. The blue ribbon is also the most recent one I added to the bike. Right now he is fighting Non-Hodgins Lymphoma. The prognosis is good, so far. But this type of cancer is one that never goes away. There is no such a thing as cured of it, even after the 5 year time span of being in remission. It will either be in remission, or not for the rest of his life. The average remaining life span for someone with this type of cancer is 8 to 9 years. He may live another 2 or 3 or another 20, no one knows. But he is only 69, neither of his parents lived to see the age of 71.

Assembly Views of my Vision R40

One person was kind of critical of my video; How We Roll. He just bought a Vision R40 with Under Seat Steering or USS. His problem/criticism of the video is he was trying to use the video as a guide to help put his bike together to make sure he does/did it right and he more or less if only for a brief moment gave me the 3rd degree over it. The problem with that is the video is in no way meant as a guide or set of instructions on how to properly assemble a Vision R40, so he obviously missed the entire point of the video. Another problem is mine is an Over Seat Steering or OSS and his is USS. I also do not know when his was manufactured. Mine was built in 2001. Advanced Transportation, the company who used to build Vision's dramatically changed the design of the frame, I do not remember when they did that, but shortly after they then went out of business. So his frame could be different then mine as well as some of the assembly.

How ever in light of that I have decided to help as best I can to guide him in assembling his Vision and anyone else who has issues with theirs. Those that use these photo's as a guide needs to keep some things in mind;
1. My bike was built in 2001.

2. Vision, at some point changed the frame design, especially in the rear of the bike.

3. I assume nor accept ANY liability if someone makes a mistake in using these photo's to help guide them with their bike. They screw up they can not come after me for damages.

4. My Vision is Over Seat Steering, OSS, NOT Under Seat Steering, USS.

5. My Vision is a Short Wheel Base, or SWB.

6. My Vision has a 20" front wheel and a 26" rear wheel. Previous Vision models had 16" front wheels with a 26" rear and some had 26" wheels for both the front and back.

7. Since I have owned it I have had to have the seat frame welded back together in a spot it had failed and broke.

8. I have had fenders put on it and will not remove them to show any more of an assembly view then I already have.

9. I have had a rear rack put on it and like the fenders will not remove it to show any more of an assembly view then I already have.

10. The rear derailleur has a spacer to push it out to keep in line with the chain so it will shift properly. This was not done at the factory, but Vision may have corrected this in their later models.

11. One of the chain pulley brackets is bent in a little to help keep the chain from bouncing off and over. Vision may have corrected this in their newer models.

12. The seat cover and cushion are NOT the original. It is the second one and the current cover has had to have some repairs done to it.

13. The black "T" shaped piece in the front is not original, but it is meant for a Vision with the front derailleur mast.

14. The view of the frame near the bottom of the steering tube is different then some of the older and/or newer models. As Vision changed the design of the frame this was one of the areas that was dramatically changed.

15. Some of the cable routing up at the handle bars and down the steering tube has been changed/re-routed to make for better and more efficient braking and shifting.

16. There is a mirror at each end of the handle bars that were added after market. To install them I had to cut the ends of the grips off.

17. The grips are not the original. The first set wore out and had to be replaced.

18. After an accident the handle bar had to be replaced and is not the original and may be slightly different then the original, may be slightly different then other Vision models.

19. After an accident the rear rim had to be replaced and is not the original, may be slightly different then other Vision models.

20. After an accident the front chain rings, all 3, had to be replaced and are not the original, may be slightly different then other Vision models.

22. My Vison has had one overhaul done to it and some other things may be different then the original factory build.

23. My Vision is perfectly dialed in for me. For example the brake/shifting levers are rotated higher then most and the left and right are different then one another. This is different then the original factory build.

24. Anyone is welcome to use these photo's as a guide only. They are not meant in anyway to instruct anyone in how to build or assemble a bike such as this. Again I assume NO liability or responsibility if someone uses these photo's and makes a mistake causing damage to their bike.

Here are the photo's;

How We Roll

I was once asked by someone "How do you roll, when you ride bike?" Well here is the answer. This is the new look for my bike for 2009. It is how we roll. Enjoy;

recumbent Series Post C: Recumbent bicycles take the strain out of seeing the best Siouxland has to offer

Originally posted in a another blog in Nov. of 2008. Moved here Feb. 2009.

This story was done about 7 years ago. I had only had my recumbent for about 2 years then. And have never regretted riding it one day since.

There is a mistake in the article though. I said I can hit 22 mph consistently with a tail wind. Not 27 mph. The paper mis-quoted me & mis-printed it as 27 mph.

Recumbent bicycles take the strain out of seeing the best Siouxland has to offer

Recumbent Series Post B: Sit back and enjoy the ride on a recumbent.

Read this article. It pretty much sums it up for me.

Sit back and enjoy the ride on a recumbent

Recumbent Series Post A: More comfortable DOES NOT mean easier to ride!

Originally posted on different blog in Nov of 2008. Moved to this blog on today's date.

I often hear people razz me or give me crap about riding a recumbent. I ride a 7 yr. old Vision R40 with a short wheel base & above seat steering. She is red in color & has over 10,000 miles on her. She is a real joy & comfort to ride.

Keep something in mind as you read the rest of this. This is based upon my experience with my recumbent. There are several models out there. I test rode a lot of them before buying mine. There are others that are easier to ride & others that are more difficult to ride compared to mine.

My recumbent is not easy to ride. It has become easier to ride her, yes. It took me 2 years & quite a few crashes, some resulting in major road rash & a lot of pain, of riding her to fully understand how to control her & how she behaves in certain situations. This taught me what to do & most importantly what not to do in certain situations.

Yes while I ride her I have no pressure, strain, discomfort or pain on my neck, shoulders, back, arms, hands, fingers or palms. I do not have a wedgie shaped saddle trying to insert itself into my ass. I never get saddle sores & do not need padded bike shorts. I sit upon what by all accounts looks like a lawn chair in a reclined position. My seat has a nice foam cushion on which to sit. The back is a strong mesh material that makes up part of the seat cover. The seat frame is made of aluminum.

Again all of this makes riding more comfortable, but not any easier then riding a diamond frame road bike or what I like to call wedgie bikes. If anything my recumbent is harder to control. First of all my front boom is further out then the front tire. When I turn the very end of the boom tube completes the turn before the front tire does. This is something I always have to be aware of when banking into a turn. Also as I mentioned I bank into my turns, not turn into them like on a wedgie bike. Turning also requires more room & I can not make sudden hairpin turns. My bike needs a wider turning radius.

Another thing is she will fish tail if I grab the brakes too hard. This is because of her lenght. From the furthest point in the front to the furthest point in the rear she is about 70" & her wheel base is about 39". While her center of gravity is lower then wedgie bikes stopping her can be interesting to say the least. I have had severe crashes because I applied the brakes too hard, fish tailed, was not able to recover & went down hard. One crash I slid along the ground on my left side with the bike on top of me for about 10' before stopping. I had major road rash from my lower back to my ankle on the left side. This was the first full summer I had the bike & was still learning how to control her.

There are also a lot of myths about recumbents. Too many to mention here. But one of the most common are they are not as safe as a road bike because drivers can not see you as well. That is such B.S. it is almost funny. I have never had a problem with a driver of a car seeing me while riding. Every recumbent rider I have ever met, talked with, ridden with, etc. has never had a problem with a driver seeing them.

Another myth is they are faster then wedgie bikes. That depends more on the rider then anything. Yes recumbents have a better aerodynamic advantage then a wedgie rider does. But if the rider is not a good strong one then a wedgie rider will beat a recumbent rider ever time. How ever I have discovered in the 7 yrs. I have ridden mine, wedgie riders pass me going up hill, but on the way back down the other side I pass them like they are standing still & they do eventually pass me on the flat if there is one. But not after riding like crazy to catch me. I also have an easier time in head winds, being 2' lower has some pretty good advantages with that too. In a strong tail wind I pass most wedgie riders on the flats as well.

My bike has had to adapt very little to my riding style. I have her dialed in perfectly to meet my needs. It has been me that has to adapt how she handles when I ride her. After the first 2 years, what I call the learning period, we get along great. She is probably the only female I will ever totally understand in my life.

After 7 yrs. I know every inch of her. How she handles when I do certain things while riding her. I know exactly what she will & will not do just by the feel of what is happening beneath her tires as we roll along the pavement. I know how she will respond when I move the handle bars a certain way. Not to mention how quickly she responds to what I want & need her to do. She is probably the easiest female I'll ever get along with too.

I know all of this sounds like I have no control over her at all & have difficulty riding her. After about a week when I bought her I was able to ride her in a straight enough line & maintain control to trust my abilities to ride her on the roadways. Before that I was riding around on a school track or a school parking lot to learn. Now when I am riding her we are inseperable. I do something & I know exactly how she will respond & what she will do. There are no suprises anymore with her. Just the way I like it.

I used to own & ride a road bike. I know what it is like to ride one. Not everyone who rides a wedgie road bike knows what it is like to ride a recumbent. Yet they have no problem giving those of us who do crap about it. They make judgments & decisions on what it is like to ride one, yet don't have a freaking clue. They are simply ignorant & very stupid to the facts about one. When it is recommended that they try one, they have come up with all sorts of dumb excuses not to. So they, by their own choice, remain stupid & ignorant to the facts about recumbents.

The people who think road & mountain bikes are the only true bikes live a very sad life as far as I am concerned. These people are the ones who give recumbent riders a hard time for owning or riding one. They judge a "book by its cover" & refuse to educate themselves. I can only ask why & feel sorry for them.

I am not asking that everyone become recumbent riders. Not everyone can. I have known quite a few that tried & did not have good luck with it, so they went back to riding a wedgie. All I am asking is people educate themselves & give it a shot. Then, maybe they will have a reason to judge recumbents.

I am one recumbent rider who will never allow an inexperienced person to ride my recumbent. For one she is dialed in & set up for me, that is something that took far to long to figure out & I am not willing to ever change it. The only ones allowed to sit upon her for a ride are myself & the guys at the shop that I take her to for maintenance & repairs.

Finally in closing on this I do not know why people think a bike that is more comfortable to ride thinks it is easier. Trust me when I say IT IS NOT!

Warning! Riding a Bicycle Can Have the Following Side Effects:

If you are thinking about replacing a car trip with a bicycle trip instead, it is important to know the repercussions of that choice. Read further for 8 side effects that your doctor or bicycle salesman may not have told you about.

1) Weight loss
If you are trying to get fat, then cycling might not be right for you. Cycling has been known to deplete calories stored in the body’s fat reserves, thus decreasing the gravitational pull on the affected body.

2) Slowed breathing
Those who cycle regularly have reported more time needed for each breath during both exertion and periods of rest.

3) Dangerously low amounts of stress
Those who commute to work by bicycle have been observed to be void of hostility, which some claim is an important survival tool in today's world.

4) Punctuality
Being able to navigate around traffic, take shortcuts through places where cars can't fit, and choose between both car AND bicycle infrastructure can often leave cyclists bored and twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the rest of their associates to show up at work or when meeting friends for lunch.

5) Caffeine free mental stimulation
Those who cycle often attain natural alertness and thus are unable to justify a delicious morning cup of coffee.

6) Feelings of Invincibility
Those who power their own commute often feel that they can accomplish anything.

7) It can be a gateway activity
Cycling can lead to the curiosity, exploration, and even a dependence on other natural, non-motorized activities.

8) Extreme joy
Regular cyclists often have trouble understanding road rage, and thus often get left out of the popular passtime. Too much smiling can also add laugh lines to the face.

Source

Bikes In Hell

An interesting art piece. I like art and do consider this to be such and I do collect bicycle type art but I am not sure I'd own this piece, but still interesting to say the least.

Check it out:
Spooky Bicycle

Carter bikes stolen.

2 bicycles that belong to former President Jimmy Carter and his wife were stolen from the Carter Center near downtown Atlanta, Georgia. They were donated by a bike shop after the owner saw the condition their original bikes were in when they were brought in for service. I agree with the bike shop owner and that they were probably stolen to get money for a $10 rock of crack.

Here are the stories from bikeiowa.com and MSNBC.com:
Jimmy Carter's bicycle stolen in Atlanta
Thieves nab 2 bikes belonging to Jimmy Carter

Cyclist Friendly Locations Around Siouxland

This is from the December 2008 Siouxland Cyclists Newsletter called the Chain Letter.

There are several business in SIouxland that are "bike firendly" by offering a bicycle rack for parking and securing bikes. It was even suggested that the bike club give an award to the most "bike Friendly business" each year. In addition to places with bike racks there are other ways businesses are bike friendly. Here is a list of what businesses that are know to be "bike friendly":
These businesses have bike racks available:
Sioux City, Iowa:
Hy-Vee at Marketplace on Hamilton Blvd in Sioux City, Iowa
Shopko
SIMPCO on Pierce Street
Siouxland Community Health
Wal-Mart - both Floyd and Singing Hills Blvd
South Sioux City, Nebraska:
Great West Casualty Insurance
the new Siouxland Y
Scenic Park Campground
North Sioux City, South Dakota:
McDonalds

Security National Bank at Lake Port Commons and Dakota Dunes allows cyclists to do business in their drive throughs. The Pierce Street motor bank has a walk up window for pedestrians and cyclists.

It is always best to ask first but several businesses are ok with cyclists filling up their water bottles or Camel Baks. They include:
McDonalds in South Sioux City, Nebraska and Hardees located at Gordon Dr. and Virginia St in Sioux City, Iowa and any of the Caseys General Stores. I also bet the McDonalds in North Sioux City, South Dakota would also let cyclists fill their water.

A big thank you goes out to all of these business for being bike friendly.

Its official, I'm done for the year.

It’s official, I am done riding for the year. I took everything off of the bike that could come off, saddle bags, seat bag, computer, Air Zound and lights and put them in storage. My helmet is put away and the Camel Bak bladder is in the fridge. I hung my bike up in the basement 2 nights ago. All of my cold weather bike gear is washed and put away. I can still use the shirts and shorts for working out at the Siouxland Y.

I still need the goggles though. If I had them I would have been able to extend my riding season even more then I did. My birthday is in less then a week and I have already told my wife I would like them. I will also need a new pair of bike shoes for next year. My current shoes are 2 years old and really worn out.

I still need to remove the bike carrier from my Jeep and hang it in the garage. I do not like leaving it on my vehicle in the winter.

In Feb. I will take my bike to the shop for its annual tune up. Hopefully I will begin riding sometime around the end of Feb.

Weapon carrying bicycles

Bicycles have been and still are used to carry weapons. In past wars they were used to carry rifles while the military soldier rode on the bike. They are still used today to carry weapons for various reasons.

Here is another: This is what the Swiss uses or used to use for military bicycles:


Here is an example the U.S. military was considering in the early 1990's:


Here is an example of a bike the U.S. was considering in the late 1990's and early 21st Century. I do not htink it ever got beyond the test stage:


I do not know if the Swiss still use their bikes but as far as I know the U.S. military does not.

Free Credit Report.com Bike Commercial.

This is the funniest one yet of these commercials.

Regular voice:


Chipmunk voice:

Bicycle Cartoons.

I found some bicycle cartoons on certain web sites. Some of them are funny, some make you think, some are political and some are informative, but they all have a point. Enjoy:

A new Advocacy and Safety Blog

I have created another new blog, called Bicycle Advocacy and Safety. All of the posts that were originally on this blog have been moved to the new blog. People may have noticed this blog has less then half of what it originally had for posts.

Here is the link to the new blog:
Bicycle Advocacy and Safety

I never know what I will see when I ride bike.

This past Sunday I was out doing a historical tour and research ride of my own. One of the buildings I visited was the old Sioux City Municipal Auditorium which is now the Long Lines Family Recreation Center. The new Tyson Event Center, which is attached to the old auditorium was hosting musical artist's Carrie Underwood and Little Big Town that night. So all of the busses, trucks, etc. were parked outside the family center.

Right next to the old auditorium/event center is the office for the Chamber of Commerce. In the parking lot of the Chamber of Commerce was a guy test flying a model helicopter. I stopped and talked with him for a little while. He had just changed the fuel mixture and was testing how well it worked and making adjustments to the engine. It turns out he was with the Carrie Underwood/Littel Big Town group. I did not ask what he did or who he was. I just thought it was cool that he was test flying his helicopter there.

I had stopped at the building to take some photo's for my History and Culture by Bicycle Blog. I recommended a few places free of tall buildings, power lines, etc. with a large enough clearing to fly it if he had the time to do so. He asked some questions about my bike & we talked a little bit then I had to continue with my tour.

Here are the photo's of the helicopter:

New Commuting Blog

I have created a new commuting & errands blog. It will only include posts about commuting, running errands by bicycle & using a bike for other then recreational use, as a utility vehicle. There will be articles about commuting as well as links to other blogs & sites.

Here is the link:
Commuting and Errands

Introducing a new blog.

I have created a brand new blog. It is only going to have posts that are about areas of history & culture posts that I have visited by bicycle. Right now I am focusing on just the Sioux City, Iowa area. I am up to 31 so far & am only about half way done. I will add posts about other areas later.

The blog is titled History and Culture by Bicycle. Here is the link:
History and Culture by Bicycle

Ironic

I park/lock my bike up in a one of the downtown parking ramps when I commute to/from work. It is locked to a fence across from the ramp office. I ride into the ramp from Douglas St. to the sidewalk next to the ramp office, stop, get off my bike & walk it to where I lock it up at. At the entrance I pull into the ramp at is a sign that has a picture of a bicycle & a skateboard with the red circle with a line through it & the sign says

IN RAMP

. I find it rather ironic there is this sign posted & yet myslef & one other person locks our bikes up in the ramp, right across from the office.

What the sign is saying about bicycles is no riding inside the ramp. I imagine this is for liablility & safety purposes. I have seen the way cars drive throught e ramp. The motorists go nuts jockying to find a close parking spot. When they leave they are in a big hurry to get out of the ramp. They hardly ever have any regard for anyone elses safety when driving through the ramp. I understand why the city does not want anyone riding bike through the ramp.

This too is ironic though. Because when I leave the ramp on my bike I ride through part of it to get to the Pearl St. exit. The ramp employees have seen me do this & have never said anything to me. Probably because I do not go joy riding through the ramp, not that I have ever wanted to.

Here are the photo's:

I'm an Outlaw.

According to this article I am an outlaw everytime I ride my bike. I could probably be considered more of one because I ride a recumbent. I think if anyone ever asks me the question what am I rebelling against when I am on my bike I should say "What do you got?". These days it would seem a hot rod car or a loud motorcycle are enough to raise people eyebrows or get a reaction from them. But if you ride down the street on a bicycle, watch out! You'll be looked at as if you're a rebel or an outlaw.

Are you an outlaw or a rebel?

Here is the bikeiowa.com article:
Want to become a true outlaw? Ride a bicycle

Fenders.

I am finally going to purchase fenders for my Vision R40 recumbent. For a while I could not find any because the company that made Vision recumbents went out of business so parts like fenders were had to come by. I found a set of fenders at Planet Bike. They make a universal fender for 20" & 26" wheels that will fit most any recumbent. I am finally purchasing them because I want to commute to/from work, even when it is raining on my bike. On Monday when I am out running errands on my bike I am going to stop at my local bike shop & have them ordered.

Here are the links to Planet Bike's web site & the fenders I am going to have ordered:
Planet Bike
Planet Bike Hardcore Fenders

I already have the Planet Bike bike computer. A portion from any purchase made from Planet Bike is donated to bicycle advocacy.

Brake job.

On my commute to work this morning I rode to my local bike shop & left my bike there for a brake job. The front brake pads need to be replaced, they are beyond the wear bars. The rear brake pads will be looked at & replaced if needed. 80% of the braking & stopping is handled by the front brakes on my bike. The reason is because it is a short wheel base, SWB recumbent. The front wheel is practically under where I sit. So most of the weight is on the front brakes when I stop.

Also when I was replacing the front tire last night, I posted about this is a previous post, I dropped the rim. They are going to check the wheel trueness as well.

After I left the bike I walked the remaining 2 blocks to the building I work in. I took the saddle bags, seat bag & water bladder off. I will walk down to the bike shop at lunch to pick it up. I'll walk it back to the parking ramp I lock it up in when I am at work.

Tire Injury

While I was airing up my tires tonight to get ready to commute to & from work tomorrow I notice a bad tire injury on my front tire. I run a Primo Comet 20" x 1.35" on the front. The only way this injury could have happened is if I hit something. It is possible it started as a small injury & over time & use got worse until it finally split open. I am glad I saw it tonight rather then find out about it as I am riding to or from work. The tire was close to being completely worn out anyway but I would have like to gotten more miles out of it. I had a spare I bought before RAGBRAI that I put on as it's replacement. The injury is at the top of the photo.

Photo:

Bicycle City

This is a very good concept. I will probably not contribute money to it until the construction actuall begins. Then I will with the intention of moving & living there.

Web site:
Bicycle City

Setting up a Wellness program at the Siouxland Y.

I am setting up a structured exercise program at the Siouxland Y. With the ending of the outdoor cycling season coming up I need something structure to do so I am in better shape for next year.

I am working with a personal trainer to do this. The Siouxland Y has a new program called Wellness System. It uses a prgrammable key, called the Wellness Key that is a programmable thumb drive type device. It will record the stats. & progress on what ever machine I work out on, whether it is a cardio or weight machine. The key can also be programmed with a specific program for which ever cardio machine I want to use. Things like resistance, grade, etc. The key will record my reps. & the weight lifted on the weight machines. It also The brand of equipment the Y uses with this program is called Technogym.

Last night was my first meeting with the trainer. We did my Vo2
max & strenght tests. Needless to say I need to improve. Though I expected it to be not good, it was not as bad as I thought. I continue setting up my program on Friday with the trainer.

There is a Wellness Challenge going on. If participants lift so much weight & do so much on a bike, etc. they can win prizes. If I am able to I am going to compete in the challenge. I will ask my trainer about this on Friday when I continue setting up my program.

This program does cost. The key itself is $30.00 & the sessions with the trainer cost as well.

I am doing this because I need some sort of structured program that I am willing to invest money in with a set goal to accomplish to help motivate me to improve my fitness, lose weight & build muscle, etc.

Another thing I might do is figure up the total cost of this & figure up a formula to make the money back on my investment. One example could be if the whole thing is costing me $65.00 figure up how much total weight I need to lose & divide that into the cost which tell me how much each pound of weight lost is worth. So as I lose the weight I will start to see a return on the investment.

Bugs & gnats

Last night after work when I was riding along the trails in Sioux City & South SIoux City there were 10's of thousands of bugs & gnats in hundreds of swarms. They pelted me as I was riding. I did what I could to prevent from riding right through the large swarms but still got covered in them. I had my white Qwest bike jersey on & it was speckled in dark colored insects. My neck, face, arms & legs were also covered.

This is the first time this year this has happened. There was no wind. Riding faster helped a little but it also caused the impact of the bugs on me to be harder when I hit them. Some of the larger ones stung my neck a little.

When I arrived at the Siouxland Y where my wife was she took one look at me & told me I looked like I had some sort of skin problem, there were that many.

Freak Show/Circus Freak

I must be some sort of circus freak. I say this because last night when I was riding to the Siouxland Y in South Sioux City, NE. I was stared at by some people in the parking lot of the Y.

I arrived around 7:50 pm. When I arrived in the parking lot/driveway I saw my wife was already there. So I rode to where she was parked. As I was riding to where she was parked some boys were coming out of the Y to go to their vehicle. As I was passing by they all stared at me & turned to follow with their stares as I rode by to my Jeep. They were looking at me like I am some sort of circus freak or belong in a freak show.

I can only ask why? It is one thing to look then continue with what you are doing. But to turn & follow with your stare is another thing.

Perhaps it was because I ride a recumbent & they have never seen one until then, though I doubt it, there are a lot of recumbents around this area. Perhaps it was because I play music over external speakers & they thought it was odd that a guy on a bike was doing so. Ok, but what is so different about that compared to a motor vehicle playing music so loud it can be heard by others? I guess it could also have been because I was covered in gnats & bugs. They were out is huge swarms last night along the trails I rode on. I had to brush them off when I stopped & got off my bike.

I am not self conscience, but I'd rather that people not stare at me. For one thes boys, who were either high upper clasmen in high school or underclassmen in college, were walking across the parking lot, looking at me, not where they were going. A motor vehicle could have hit them because they were not paying attention.

Air Zound Blast.

Many have wondered just how loud my AirZound is. Well here you go. This is as good as it gets unless you are right next to me or it when I push the button. The bottle holds 100 psi of air. It is connected to a horn via a long thin black tube.

Here is a picture of it from the place I ordered mine from:
Delta Air Zound Horn

It puts out a 115 db blast every time I push the button when it is at full volume. The volume is controlable, but I keep it at full & the loudest it can go.

The horn has saved my bacon more then once by getting the attention of idiot motorists who are distracted & not watching what the hell they are doing while driving.

There are some cyclist who literally hate the fact that I use the thing, no one in my community but in other parts of the state & country. They have probably never had a motorist come at them head on while they were stopped in a big SUV with the driver on the phone & they have no where to go & the only option is get the drivers attention or get hit & possibly killed. They also hate the fact I use it on motorists who pass too close, or think they do not pass too close. Any motorist who does not pass with at least 3' of space is passing too close. I have caught several on video with a camera mounted to my bike that shows this happen way too often.

I also use the Air Zound when I am taking off from a start, going straight & on coming traffic wants to turn left & is not paying attention to what is in front of them or they want to beat me through the intersection even though I have the right of way. I have almost been hit several times before I started using the Air Zound at a certain intersection I always use. I have no other option except to use this intersection at times. Since I have used the Air Zound to get motorists attention the rate of them trying to beat me through or not paying attention has dropped by at least 40%.

To those cyclists I say tough shit I am not going to stop using the Air Zound.

To understand the full effect of the Air Zound:
1. Turn volume all the way up on computer
2. Click on the play button to the video.

Taking the stairs.

I am taking the stairs in the building I work in. Both up & down. Yes, a person does burn calories & there is an exercise benefit with going down though not as much as going up.

I will not say what floor I work on, but I will say I have to up or down more then 2 flights of stairs.

It gives my legs a great work out.

This is funny.

The other night Sioux City Police arrested a guy for riding his bike naked on Floyd Blvd.

Here is the story:
Naked Sioux City cyclist arrested after morning joy ride

Update: Need a new brake handle/shifter assembly.

My new brake handle/shifter for the front works great. I installed & adjusted it properly & it does what it is supposed to. I already left positive feedback fro the seller on EBAY.

The only problem I had was the add listing for the item stated, very clearly it would be shipped within 24 hrs. upon payment. I use PayPal which confirms payment immediatley to both the buyer & seller so I know the seller was notified. However he did not ship it within 24 hrs, more like 36. That is a problem for me. I had to email the seller to ask if the item had been shipped & when & if it had not, why. If you are going to advertise that you will ship within 24 hrs then you darn well better do it. Otherwise do not advertise as such. That is a huge pet peeve for me.

Update: Thinking about using a "fanny pack" when I ride.

I've used the "fanny pack" or waist pack as they are now called a few times now on the bike. It works great. I hardly know it is there. I keep it at my side. I have already saved on time when I get on or off the bike when I stop while running errands, to take a break & eat, etc. I don't have to get the things I used to carry in the day bag out & have to worry about losing them anymore. It is all right there with me. I also don't have to worry about anything of value, money, credit card, etc. getting stolen from my day bag either. I am going to keep using the waist pack when I ride.

Update: Need a new brake handle/shifter assembly.

Finished installing the new brake handle/shifter part. Adjusted it as best I could. I am not going to ride today, but will tomorrow. I'll see how well I did & if I need to take it to the shop for further adjustment.

Thinking about using a "fanny pack" when I ride.

When I ride I have next to no pockets on my clothing unless I am wearing one of the very few bike jerseys I have. I can not have anything in the jersey pockets because I ride a recumbent. So I carry my cell phone, money, ID, etc. in my Vision Day Bag pocket. When I get off the bike I have to open the pocket, grab what I need, etc. I have been thinking of a way to not have to do this. I think a "fanny pack" might work. I am not sure how it will feel when riding the bike though. I don't have one right now but am thinking about buying a decent one & trying it when I ride this weekend to see how it feels/works.

Update: Need a new brake handle/shifter assembly.

Just got the part today in the mail. I was not expecting it until tomorrow or Sat. I am going to try to install it myself to see if I can. After looking up the info. I need for it online I have all the instructions & tools I need & then some. If I have problems I'll take it to the shop.

I will give feedback for the seller after it is installed & working properly. I want to make sure it is not defective first.

Update: Need a new brake handle/shifter assembly.

The brake handle/shifter has been shipped & at least check it had left Omaha & is on it's way to Sioux City. I should have it tomorrow or Saturday. I will take the part & the bike into the shop next week sometime to have them install it.

So far the only problem with purchasing the part is the seller did not ship within 24 hrs of the payment. The seller has stated in the description of the part he ships within 24 hrs of payment. I used Pay Pal, which confirms the payment right away, within minutes of the buyer clicking submit. Even after that the seller did not ship it until I sent him a message asking if he had shipped it & if not, why. He replied he finally had shipped it.

As far as I am concerned if you state or advertise you ship within 24 hrs of payment confirmation then you damn well better follow up on that or I will take my business elsewhere. I may not buy a lot of things on EBAY but this is piss/poor custoemr service on the sellers part & I will state as much in the feedback after I receive the part.

Update: Need a new brake handle/shifter assembly.

As I stated in an earlier post I need a new brake handle/shifter assembly for my front brake/derailer. The top bushing on mine is wearing out & braking is soft. None of the shops I took my bike to or called can order them or has them in stock. I did a search on Google & found one on EBAY. I ordered it as a But It Now item & it is on it's way. As soon as I receive it I will take it & my bike to my local shop & have them install it for me.