Comments

18 responses to “Trice XL – On Order!”

1. 2005/10/05

   Chris Gerhard

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   I’m in awe. A deck chair on wheels. Now you have to find lots hills to ride down (I’ll gloss over the going up).

   I would love to descent pebble coombe hill on one of those (on the Dorking Road decending from Walton on the Hill). The turn at the bottom would be fantastic.

   Reply
2. 2005/10/05

   alecm

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   The going-up is actually not too bad – depends on your fitness level (in my case, “not”) and you lose a little leverage, but you can pull-over and engage the handbrake if you want a sip of water or to check the map.

   Deckchair on wheels. I like that concept. Pimms & Lemonade on the road.

   Reply
3. 2005/10/05

   Jander

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   The wait will be worth it 🙂

   I’d love to hear what it’s like going up hill with your feet somewhat above your head. As you say you will lose the possibility of standing on the pedals, but I suppose you do get to put your back into it instead ?

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4. 2005/10/05

   alecm

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   Since you’re about my size, how about popping down next easterish for a try, so long as you bring your kids and your gorgeous babe of a wife? Or maybe stage it, by visiting Steve?

   Reply
5. 2005/10/05

   Stephen Usher

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   Good-oh!

   Hmm.. I’m sure it’d be better if it had some sort of cowling to make it more aerodynamic. 🙂

   Reply
6. 2005/10/05

   Stephen Usher

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   That’d be find by me. I see all of you far too little.

   Reply
7. 2005/10/05

   alecm

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   http http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/trike_details_general_accessories.htm#Fairing

   Am not getting one, but am having the pertinent mountpoints braised onto the the frame.

   Reply
8. 2005/10/05

   bartb

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   It’s highly recommended not to put your back in as you would put too much stress on your knees: the idea is that you spin (at 90 rpm and higher) instead of push.

   Reply
9. 2005/10/05

   Stephen Usher

   re: Trice XL – On Order!

   Erg! I find cycling at high RPM *FAR* more tiring on the legs than pushing hard at lower RPM. (I do 5 miles each way to work and back every week day.)

   I find that my cruising RPM is about 60RPM max, any more and I start using more energy rotating my legs than going on the road. Anything less than about 50RPM and it gets too low and there’s not enough momentum to help with the pushing.

   Basically, my legs have a very narrow power band. 🙂

   Reply
10. 2005/10/05

    bartb

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    It takes a bit of getting used to cycling at a higher cadence, but it’s worth it — mashing wears out your knees, and it takes a long time (and a lot of effort) to get those back into shape.

    Reply
11. 2005/10/05

    Stephen Usher

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    I just find that my legs won’t straighten that fast.

    It probably doesn’t help that I have short legs so the crank length is quite a large proportion of my total leg length.

    Reply
12. 2005/10/05

    bartb

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    Shorter cranks could help cycling more comfortable (at higher cadence)… you can get shorter cranks either by replacing the existing ones or shortening the ones you have.

    http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cranks.html, http://www.nettally.com/palmk/crtips.html contain some notes on this (googling for things like “crank length” or “cycling cadence” will get you many more sites on these topics)

    Reply
13. 2005/10/07

    Jander

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    Yeah, we’ll have to arrange that 🙂

    I’d love to have a go on a 3-wheeler recumbant just for the experience.

    Reply
14. 2005/10/07

    Jander

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    I have to agree here. I used to be a ‘pumper’ in that I’d run a higher gear and pump my way up the hills, but over time it did affect my knees.

    Since going out on the road regularly doing 4 mile uphill slogs I’ve turned into a ‘spinner’. It does feel uncomfortable at first moving your legs at >60-70 rpm, but everytime I do it I can feel (and see via speedo) that I’m going faster. I still pump up some hills to give my muscles a workout, but not as oftern now.

    Reply
15. 2005/10/08

    Stephen Usher

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    Hmm, I’m not sure that I pump either, I always drop gears to try to keep in the 50-60rpm range and never stand on the pedals.

    When starting off from traffic lights I whiz up through the gears and often out accelerate cars until I run out of my power curve in top gear. (With my current bike’s gearing, that’s probably about 16-20mph in 8th gear, I don’t have a speedo.) Up hills, again, I keep my legs going about the same rpm but just drop the gears.

    Reply
16. 2005/10/10

    Jander

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    Am I reading that right – you can only get around 16-20 mph in top gear on your bike ?!

    Reply
17. 2005/10/11

    Stephen Usher

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    Yes. I need a bigger front cog. The bike was designed for short-distance commuters in Holland, I imagine. People pootling rather than going at any great speed.

    Out of the 8 gears I only use 6 ‘cos the bottom two are just way too low geared.

    Reply
18. 2005/10/11

    Jander

    re: Trice XL – On Order!

    Should have bought a mountain bike 🙂 Woukd have cost the same, weighed less, a better range of gears, better suspension, designed to take the knocks of potholes.

    I won’t continue that list since we’ve done this argument a number of times 🙂

    Reply