A short update on the Trike:
Trice XL, as modeled by the lovely Simon…
I’ve commuted to/from work on the trike half a dozen times now, and it’s going really well; I am settling into a routine of packing/unpacking – the trick is to not close-up the panniers until the last possible moment before setting off – and of the four times I’ve run into soldiers on the Army training ground only once have I been diverted off my route because they were doing demolition training. I was quite happy with this when a few minutes later, whilst riding up the Fleet road, some thunderous explosions went-off about half a mile away.
It was a good call.
How I’ve equipped the trike:
- Crank Bros Candy SL Pedals
- Northwave MTB Boots
- Cateye Mity 8 Trip Computer
- Front Lights: Cateye HL-EL500 and Cateye HL-EL200
- Rear Lights: Cateye TL-LD1000 and Cateye TL-AU100BS
- Vaude World Tramp Plus II Panniers
…plus a honking great Abus chain and an Oxford Aquatex Motorcycle Cover which for a fiver keeps the worst of the weather off it, and shields it from curious eyes.
It’s a delight; I can sling any amount of stuff into the panniers, clip on as many lights as I think the conditions warrant (notice dual/redundant lighting systems front and rear) and set off. The trike handles crisply, and once your confidence is up you can happily separate the three different vectors:
- the direction you are looking,
- the direction you are steering, and …
- the direction you are traveling.
…none of which three have to coincide; on a wet, slick cycleway you can happily be checking the road straight ahead as you steer hard right to compensate for the trike’s slewing leftwards off-of the chicane bend you just took at 25mph. I’ve not yet managed to “spin it out” – somehow it always finds grip and I end up going exactly where I want.
The brakes still need a bit of adjustment – if I’m harsh with them, they go non-linear and asymmetric, which is not fun.
The commute is about 6.8 miles each way – unless diversions are necessary – and takes about 38 minutes; average speed is typically 10.1mph and quickly I’ve gotten back to a level of fitness where I don’t have to stop other than for junctions, and to thread the trike under roadway barriers, etc. Cruising speed is about 15mph, most days I touch 25mph on my favourite bit of road, and peak speed so far measured is 32.2mph; with better road and a favourable wind, I suspect I could touch 40mph, which would not be bad with standard gearing.
The really good bits? People smile at you. People wave. You’re eye-level with the bunnies on the verge, and they don’t know what to make of you, either. You see plenty of birdlife. Deer let you get quite close – I encountered a group of six crossing the road the other evening, and got to within 50 meters before they sauntered back into the forest.
You can take your hands off the bars, uncap a large drinking bottle and swig half of it without slowing. People phone me and we can talk, although a hands-free and a mute button are really necessary for that.
All in all, very civilised and pleasant. Very pleasant indeed.
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