Packing up.

It is time to start figuring out how to get our two trikes loaded along with all the stuff for our new Malteses puppy, Tiki, and our living stuff for our 4 or so month trip to sunnier points south. This is the one huge disadvantage of Trikes, they take up a lot of stinking room! Then add in the higher weight and traveling with them in a loaded camper it's the easiest thing in the world.

But I found that the trikes load/store much easier if the wheels are off. Next it became obvious that the front fenders should come off and since their only held on with a few allen screws that was easy enough.

Once my Trident fenders came off it was equally obvious that the Kenda Kwest 100psi tires were pretty much toast. Interestingly the front tires are each more worn than the rear. I guess I'd been thinking that the higher load on the single rear would trump the steering force on the fronts, but not so:)

I suppose I could get a few hundred more miles but since my next big ride includes some long gravel sections I'd like some softer riding tires anyway. I had know I'd need new tires at some point during the spring ride so I have some Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires in house.

Next learning point was that the Trident fender mounting does more than just mount the fenders! I had pulled the fenders off a few days ago and continued to ride on the trainer, very glad I hadn't decided to hit the road:) The bearings are much dirtier than I had expected but I'll wait until Annapolis to clean and repack them. I had thought they would be sealed, another lesson.

Back in the Seat Again

My world of trike riding has been in the doldrums since suspending our cross country trip back in May. After about two weeks off I got back in the seat and did some light riding. This was in the living room on the trainer. I gradually worked back up to an hour ride at a moderate pace, about 10mph. But then life got in the way and we needed to be in Florida for several weeks helping my mother through surgery. Also we really got in to this Paleo DIet/Lifestyle, specifically as espoused by Mark Sisson of MarksDailyApple.com. It just makes so much sense it was impossible to ignore. One idea is what MDA calls Chronic Cardio is actually bad for the body as well as marathon/endurance type events. Next we joined a local gym to do some weight training. My goal was primarily to strengthen the muscles related to the knee, so squats, leg extensions, leg curls. So after about four months of the trike folded and under a work bench I finally pulled it out again, cleaned it up and started on the trainer again. 

So now I’m thinking agin of a reasonable riding challenge, so tentatively I’ve decided to ride around Lake Okeechobee in south Florida. Its actually a pretty easy ride of about 110 miles but damn near table top flat trail. But the whole trail is not paved.If that goes off without a hitch then I’m really thinking hard of resuming the Northern Tier ride next spring. Now how I square this with Paleo is another question. 

Note on Paleo, we have been following this lifestyle since Apr/May 2012. From a dietary perspective the main item is to not eat neolithic foods, i.e. moderen.  That means no processed foods and more specifically no gaines. This was hard, I love hot, fresh bread topped with melted butter(Bread=Bad, Butter=Good). Not to mention pasta was a staple in our meals. But it's worth it for both of us. My personal results have been fantastic. I've leaned out, dropping 20lbs but the most dramatic thing is my blood pressure. I had been on BP medication for 13 years. In one month of removing grains from my diet I have normal BP without medication! MarksDailyApple is a great resource I highly recommend.