A local area ride

Put on 10 miles around the local area today, Sunny, breezy around 45F. Had bit of a problem, the top chain tube came loose and ran into the chain wheel! Pulled the tube back, tightened all the tube holders and the guide wires and got back on the road. LOL, got stopped a few times for folks asking questions about the Recumbent Trike, ended up with the wife on her DF comfort bike at Sonic Drive Inn for a "mini" strawberry ice cream slush, YUM!  Enjoying the new R-trike, glad I decided to take the risk to try something different.

My first ride on my new Recumbent Trike!

The trike has been assembled, I've been fitted and it was time for the first ride! It was only 10 miles but a good mix of hardpacked dirt, concrete and asphalt, lot's of rolling hills. Well it seems a bit twichy but then I remembered something from my rides on a LWB recumbent bicycle, "relax the upper body, hold the bars loosely, wala, the trike smoothes out and we are off! My DF comfort bike had 21 speeds, this new Eco-Tad has "7" but they seem to spaced well, even the bigger hills aren't too bad!

WOW, this tadpole really does set LOW to the ground but it seems to get noticed more by others than my old Comfort Bike, that's a good thing! Now for the test, had to get on the emergency lane of a 4 lane highway to get to my home, got the machine in 7th. and hauling bunns, it's quite a bit slower over all but way more FUN to ride!

I think I need to smooth my cadence a bit for the higher speeds, pumping the pedals hard seems to kinda make the trike slightly shift left and right but nothing scary! LOL, the folks in my little area probably have never seen a recumbent trike and I'm stopping traffic. This is gona be FUN! :) Sorry for no photo's but I was racing the failing sunlight to get home before dark! 

My Recumbent Tadpole Trike is now on order!!!

Well it's a done deal!  I went to the Colorado Springs Bike Shop and ordered a Sunseeker Eco-Tad SX recumbent trike and traded in my Del Sol Comfort bicycle on Weds. Jan. 17th. It's going to be the Red one as that's what they had in stock and should be assembled and ready to ride by Weds. Jan. 24th.!!!  Looking forward to putting it thru it's paces on the ride from the shop to home is 15 miles with lot's of HILLS, LOL, they can't be avoided here in Colorado Springs!!

We hope to be trading in my wife JoLynn's Del Sol Comfort bicycle for a "Trike"so we will both be on "3-wheels" very soon!  :) Our page has been updated to show the "change", have a most excellent day! :)

Looking into a change

JoLynn and I are going to change from diamond framed "Comfort Bikes" to Recumbent Trikes soon, we've decided that as we are getting older (60+), balance and trying the throw the leg over a top tube, (me, not a problem with JoLynn's "step-thru frame), is getting harder. The recumbent trike is a "3 wheeled cycle, not like the "Grandma Trikes" some older folks ride but low, faster and better suited for riding rail-trails and bike paths! These like most bicycles run for 7-8 speeds up to 30+ speeds, LOL, it's about "how much MONEY" you have to spend! ;)

We don't do any group riding anymore as JoLynn, can ride all day BUT she's really SLOW and groups/clubs just can't handle it IF you can't keep up with them!!!! :( So we will just ride by ourselves and have FUN!  The BAD thing about Recumbent Trikes is that they are almost "double" the price of a comparable bicycle.

My Sunseeker Eco-Tad SX, 7 speed is $1000, my Del Sol Comfort bike with a 21 speed set up is $425.00 so it's quite a "step up" price wise for actually "LESS" but the comfort/balance factor is worth the extra money to us. Even with 21 speeds we've found that we mainly use the "32 tooth Middle Chainwheel" and the 7 speed cassette rear gears 90% of the time so it shouldn't be a bike problem going to a 7 speed set up!  I can always "upgrade" the trike later! :)