Rob Archer wrote:It was nice to see your Kettwiesel 'in the flesh' in Norfolk this week. It's a great looking machine and I'm sorely tempted to look at one. Trouble is, I like my Streetmachine too much and haven't got the space, cash or justification for another 'bent!
HI,
That was a somewhat surreal experience!
One small junction in a small Norfolk village and three recumbents!
Was out on kett this morning. Lots of other cyclist out around the chilterns today for some reason. managed to tip on sharp bend at bottom of hill. Must remember to lean the correct way!! Ah churches. The are amazing buildings from a engineering viewpoint as well as commitment to build and worship there. (lapsed catholic ). Temped by radical bag but attach mrs vjock or kids too often to justify.
Re mountain drive. Have it on eldest boys trike with rear derailur and no knock so far. Mountain drive great and would have been a nice addition to rohloff trike but it goes too far out of recommended rear ratio.
Always nice seeing other trikes/ velos when out on a ride. Thus far come across one of each but separate rides.
Love kett trike to bits but would love to try velo too. Saying that really enjoyed the thorn explorer tandem when on holidays in sherwood and kids been to mountain bike training over weekend. Clear one will be a speed freak on road and other wants to do tricks and wheelies etc. and single track stuff. Took them to Windsor great park today and they loved it there. Well worth returning with trikes another day. Right...... another week of drudge before can get out again. Ho hum. [emoji25]
And tigerbitten goes "somewhat" outside the Rolhoff recommended layout...
Of course small wheels reduce torque anyway...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way.No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse. There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
I've got 53/38 chainrings on my HSD and a 21 tooth sprocket on my Rohloff, 9.5"-172". The reason for the twin chainrings is it make it a 14-3-4-3 shift to use the full range.
After two years cycling and ~15k miles, I sent the hub back to Rohloff to check over. They sent it back saying it fine.
I think you probably could use the Radical bag and use the tandem attachment. Unfortunately, I got my bag after selling our other Kett so never got the chance to try it out, but the profile of the bag is pretty much vertical from the rear axle up to the seat, so it shouldn't interfere with the front end of the trailing trike (we did 'tandemise' our Ketts when we had two). I'd highly recommend the bag, very capacious, gives you a nice big area of bright colour to the rear, and doesn't interfere with the trike sitting on its tail.
MickH wrote:I live in Leicester and recently bought the Pashley PDQ that Si had in the Classifieds.
I've got it clean and am still struggling to go more than a few yards in a straight line in the garden. I'll get there!
As a suggestion take it somewhere with a small downward slope and very few other people (balance is easier if you can get a little speed). I learnt outside Kinetics in Glasgow which is at the top of one hill into a valley and then up the other side before getting off turning it round and going back.
It's only a suggestion on personal experience so feel free to ignore it.
Lonely recumbent rider
HP Velotechnik Street Machine GTe Metabikes Metaphysics Hase Pino HPV Velotechnik Scorpion
It's always a pleasure to meet other recumbent riders when out and about. A few weeks ago my partner and I were riding our semi-recumbent tandem up the back road between Coniston and Kettlewell, in Wharfedale, and.....lo and behold....another semi-recumbent came down the other way. We passed a very pleasant 15 minutes chatting. But, it's a rare occurrance. Almost a "Dr. Livingstone, I presume" thing.
So there I was, this afternoon, driving back from an Oxford hospital, going north on the Banbury Rd through Kidlington. I was thinking ahead to tomorrow, planning a ride to take advantage of the continuing warm weather. Just as I was turning left onto Yarnton Lane a tadpole trike came down Banbury Rd, towards Oxford. The rider was a chap about my age (65), I guess, with a splendid beard. I didn't identify the trike, but it was black. The time was 3.20 pm.
I felt quite frustrated not to be riding, and to at least exchange waves if not stop and chat. Would it be any reader of this forum/section?
PS The only other recumbent I've seen in this neck of the woods was also in Oxford itself- a low racer. I've come across none out in the sticks of rural Cotswolds....even at the tea shops!!
MickH wrote:I live in Leicester and recently bought the Pashley PDQ that Si had in the Classifieds.
I've got it clean and am still struggling to go more than a few yards in a straight line in the garden. I'll get there!
As a suggestion take it somewhere with a small downward slope and very few other people (balance is easier if you can get a little speed). I learnt outside Kinetics in Glasgow which is at the top of one hill into a valley and then up the other side before getting off turning it round and going back.
It's only a suggestion on personal experience so feel free to ignore it.
My first proper two wheel bent was a PDQ. Really enjoyed riding it, and once I'd got used to it could almost track stand on it. I only sold it because I was an inch or two short for it: could barely get my toes down at stops, which didn't inspire confidence at junctions etc. The Nazca Fuego that I have now certainly doesn't have that problem! However it is also substantially heavier than the PDQ which is quite remarkably light. The PDQ's ultra short wheelbase (shorter than a Brompton) makes it very manoeuvrable, but contributes to its twitchiness when you're learning. Another possible issue might be play at the steering pivot, which is simply a hole drilled through the steering riser. It will tolerate a lot of slop but it doesn't inspire confidence. I drilled mine out a bit more and fitted a better fitting bushing, which helped tighten things up a bit.
If my legs grow a couple of inches, I'd buy another! Not likely at my age, though!
I only have experience of recumbent trikes which are (of course) easier to get used to, twas my black ICE NT Sprint that was spotted in Kidlington, managed to get a NT middle section from ICE and they were very accommodating as to build (as was The Oracle (aka Kevin at D-tek) modified the gearing a tad and twill now toddle almost up anything, only clue to getting used to something difference is perseverance, one moment you are wondering if it will ever be right the next you are helping someone else, tis that quick, stop thinking and have a go if you think you analyse and that leads to ouch
Hi, I live in Derby, my bent is flevo racer. Few visit at Tissington Trail, few trips Derby - Nott - Derby Last Sunday I've made 86 miles: Derby, Matlock, Monsal Trail, Tissington Trail, Ashbourne, Derby. Great weather, 10 hours and not enough to drink