trike-ab-trike-2020

  2020 mileage: 3496.4 As we are meeting my daughter and son at noon today for lunch to celebrate their late October birthdays, After consecutive days off, I was eager to get out there, and  I knew I'd have to ride early, so I left at 7:50 (sunrise was 8:08) in pale 25° light, and rode the Packard/Platt Square with great enjoyment. This was not my  coldest  ride—that was 17° a few winters ago—but it was the coldest one I've done in several years, and I was glad to see that I could still do it at my advanced age! 😎 Link to (Relive) video to today's ride

2020 mileage: 3482.7 On a lovely fall day today, I rode a round trip to Baker Rd. (20.3 miles in about 2:30).When I began at 12:15, it ws in brilliant 47° sunshine, and clouds moved in steadily during the second half of the ride, though the temperature climbed to 52°. There was a bit of breeze, too, as this video shows, but nothing ferocious. (For some unknown reason, however, it slows down the majority of the short video.) The trike operated beautifully, but my ride was not quite trouble-free, as the phone (and thus my MapMyRide app and the video that is generated from it) ran out of power a little less than 5 miles from the end. It was shooting me "Low Power messages for a while, so I knew it was coming -- but it's frustrating, because I had it plugged into my battery pack, which showed plenty of power remaining. So now I'll need to try and troubleshoot the problem—I suspect it is likely some sort of connection issue, though the cord is new. Who knows? Anyway I have at l...

2 020 mileage: 3462.4 Today's conditions thoroughly fit what my sweet Michelle calls "blukka"—39°, and extremely moist air, spitting a light rain at me throughout my ride. Nevertheless, I went out (at 10:45), and, while I allowed the conditions to help me decid to keep the ride short, I rode the Platt/Packard Square (13.8 miles) in 1:43. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 3448.6 After being unwilling to brave the cold yesterday (low thirties when I was planning to ride in the morning), and taking the day off, I was eager to get back out there today. But I severely did NOT want to ride on a cool (45 degrees), gloomy day. But I went out at 2:45, and did a modest ride of 16 miles (the Packard;Platt Square, augmented by loops on Interfiirst Dr. and in the Bicentennial subdivision) -- and now, of course, I'm glad that I pushed myself to do this. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2 020 mileage: 3432.6 After a good and encouraging stretch of composition early this morning, I went out to ride at 8:00, fully intending to do my 31-mile round trip to Matthei Botanical Gardens in 35°, mostly sunny weather.It west pretty smoothly, with no real problems -- but as I neared a decision point almost 10 miles into the right (at Platt and Packard), my hands and feet were miserably cold, even though my torso (class in a long-sleeved shirt, a hoodie, and my bright yellow winter coat) was fine. I decided there was no need to beat myself up and risk turning an enjoyable activity (riding) into an uncomfortable and dreaded 'duty,' so rather than pressing on, I turned for home, riding the Platt-Packard Square and contenting myself with a brisk ride of 13.7 miles in 1:43. Fall color is at a real peak right now, too, as this tree along Eisenhower Blvd. out in front of Briarwood Mall shows. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

  2020 mileage: 3418.9 On an absolutely superb fall morning, I left just past 8:00 a.m. (after sunrise occurred at 7:58) and rode a round trip to Baker Rd. (20.3 miles in 2:33 under mostly sunny skies at the start that became totally clear by the end, with the temperature climbing from 58° to 70°. After my long hiatus from riding, today I made my first mileage milestone since September 18, passing 3400 miles this morning. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 3398.6 Finally—after getting my new trike on Saturday—I enjoyed my first trouble-free ride today At least, it was trouble-freee as regards the trike ... but after going to the dealer in Dearborn yesterday afternoon, I forgot and left my battery pack in the car. I couldn't get it, as Michelle was gone with our car. I didn't feel as if I should stray too far from home and risk running out of power for the phone, so I kept it limited. (Not that I would have done a long ride anyway, as I am still very much in rebuilding-my-stamina mode.) I did a round trip to Marsh Park, and augmented it by adding loops on Interfirst Dr., through the Bicentennial subdivision, and in Stonebridge on the way home, for a ride of 14.8 miles in 1:31. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

  2020 mileage: 3383.9 Since getting my new trike on Saturday: I've looked forward to inaugurating it with a good, trouble-free ride. However, (1) on Sunday I could not ride due to weather. (2) On Monday I did a ride of nearly 14 miles, but my feet kept flying off the pedals (quite unsafely) since I could not clip into them as on my previous trike. So yesterday  (3) I returned to the dealer in the morning and got new pedals, and got them installed midday with the help of a kind friend.  However, when I went to ride mid-afternoon, a tiny shard of glass I picked up caused a flat, so I loaded it up and took it back to Dearborn for my second trip to the dealer in the day. (4) Today I hoped for smooth sailing, and indeed the early part of the ride went very well. But as I neared the 5-mile point into the ride (Marsh Park), I began hearing a disturbing rattling or grinding noise coming from the chain, and not wanting to ruin my new wheels, I shut it down pre...

  2020 mileage: 3378.9 ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK A fitting motto for today! This morning I returned to Dearborn to pick up some new pedals from the dealer (ones into which I could clip my shoes, thus giving me a more secure attachment to the pedals than I had yesterday). Following my return, I accept a very kind offer from my friend Jim Alvey (who I met at Marsh Park while out riding a couple of years ago) to come over and help me get the new pedals on.  I accepted his offer because I am pretty much hopeless with anything mechanical. By the time I got back from Dearborn (where they don't open till 10:00), and we got the pedals on, the day was bleeding away fast, and I got my ride started at 12:15 in 51° weather. The more secure attachment felt so great, and I was sailing along, anticipating a ride of nearly 14 miles ...  when a whooshing sound told me that one of my front tires had gone bad. There was nothing I could do about it, as I had not ye...

  2020 mileage: 3376.4 My last ride was on September 23—on that day I experienced the breakage of a part so that I had to take the trike back to the dealer for repair. However, the part has been out of stock due to COVID-related factors, and we concluded that the old trike was simply wearing out from heavy use, as I had put just shy of 20,000 miles on it (19,950+) in the 4+ years I've had it (since June 2016). A new age for me in triking has now begun! Late Saturday afternoon I bought a new TerraTrike (Gran Tourismo) from Jack's in Dearborn. I had hoped to ride yesterday morning with friends, but weather ended up ruling that out. As it turns out, though, it's probably a good thing, because when I went out in the afternoon to try and do a first ride with it, I found that (since they had neglected to size it to me) I could barely squeeze into it (though I am far from an exceptionally tall man). This morning, then, I loaded it up and took it back to Dearborn, along with a note...

  2020 mileage: 3362.7 I took my trike to the dealer for repair on September 23, after the clamp that mounted the seat to the frame broke in the middle of a ride. Although they called in the order that very day, they told me that it would be at least a week for the part to come from the manufacturer (TerraTrike) in Grand Rapids. I found this curious, but as time went by and I heard nothing further, I made inquiries, and learned a few days ago that the delay was COVID-related, and that they were now looking at "November at the earliest." The dealer also said that my trike was getting quite worn, which made sense as I had ridden it just barely shy of 20,000 miles in the 4+ years I've had it (since June 2016). A cycling buddy suggested that I should ask for a new one for Christmas, and after Michelle and I conferred about this, she confirmed the wisdom of this idea, and, in fact, last night she suggested that I get it right away so that I'd be able to ride some before th...