The Quest is Down

The Quest is Down

It’s January and it is winter in Winnipeg. There are frozen cars. Massive ruts in the snow covered roads. Roads that are more slippery than a politician. Broken down buses. Downed traffic lights. Wind chills of -47. And when it does warm up we get 10 cm of snow and 70 km winds.

             I had to stop riding the Quest. The shock sticks and has to go back to Riss. Even with the studded tires it has been hard to drive. I can dress to stay warm at -32 but the roads are too rutted to ride safely on. I am sending the shock in and I might ride the trike if the roads improve.

           

Waiting to start the ride.

I have been training on the trike for the race in February. Pete McAdam of Peterbuilt Bikes machined up another set of rear drop-offs for it. It now works great. As well as I have laced up the 3 speed Strumley-Archer hub to the rear wheel. With the 9 speed cassette and the 3 front chain rings I have 81 ratios to use. The rear hub has a .75, a 1.0 and a 1.25 ratios. I mostly leave it in the 1.0 ratio, but the .75 comes in handy on some hills. I think this hub would be great on my Quest for the hills, if one could figure a way to mount it.

            Despite the large tires on the trike I have run into places where I get stuck in the snow. I have found I can get moving by using my hands on the front wheels like a wheel chair. I call it 3 wheel drive.   
         I went on a pre-ride on part of the race course. It warmed up to -18C but there was a good wind. It was fun but I had a rear valve leak and had to stop and pump it up several times.

A rough rocky section and a tip over.

I had a tip over in one spot where there were uneven rocks. Nothing hurt just my pride. My friend Gregory C. McNeill took these pictures. More of his pictures can be seen here This was a good test and I have learned a few things and will make some changes before I ride again. The skis I made I didn't have to use. The tires float very well if I have to pull it.

I don't think they are worth hauling the extra weight around. More commuting and testing before the big race on February 15th. 

Until next time keep warm and have FUN.....

The First Year with My Quest XS!

The First Year with My Quest XS!

Along the Frozen Red River

 December 01, 2012    I got to unpack a crate containing my new Quest XS. It had been a long wait. Now a year later I look back and think what a great ride I have been on. There have been a lot of fun km's ridden this first year. In fact it's the most distance I have ever done in one year.

 I have to say it's the best money I have ever spent. The year has been full of a lot of firsts for me. Thanks to the Quest, I have finished my first 400 km Brevet and my first 600 km Brevet. I have gone from being the old guy that finishes last to the guy that can finish an hour ahead of everyone else in a 200 km Brevet. My picture has appeared in 3 newspapers that I know about. I still get my picture taken every time I ride. I no longer look at the wind forecast, I just ride to work anyway. The list goes on and on.  It's been a great first year. The most important thing is I have had FUN...

Crazy Winter FUN!!!

Crazy Winter FUN!!!
Well as a Canadian I am not the most crazy person around these parts. This year in the Quest I have dine some long rides. And it's been a real fun time for sure. My fitness level is better for all the extra km I have ridden this year. The snow is here but that won't stop the Quest. Bring on winter, I'm ready!
           With those words said, my fellow rider  said to me: "You should race that Quest this winter!"
            And I replied: "What race would take me?"
            Pete said: " The Actif Epica. "
            "It's a 135 km endurance event with no bike rules."
            "It takes place in February. I ran a Recumbent in it in 2012."
Well that sound great to me. No bike rules! Well I checked it out. Most of it runs on roads and bike trails, but some of doesn't. Part of it runs on a snowmobile trail. How did he run a recumbent? This is how!

Monster Recumbent of Pete Mc Adam.

 I checked out the rules on the website. Actif Epica 2013 site. and sure enough I could run the Quest in it if I was crazy. Well I'm not quite that crazy. The real crazy people are those who run the race instead of riding. I found a video on YouTube about the race and that made me think.
Here is a link to the Video: Actif Epica 2012. I could do it but not in a Quest. You need a bike that you could carry or drag though the deep snow but could be fast on the roads. Something that could handle the rough trails. So I got on the internet and this is what I bought myself for Christmas.

The Trike was built for me with some extra changes. Larger front wheels for the off road portions of the race.

Notice the two twist shifters for the 9 speed cassette and the triple up front. There is also a small shifter on the left bar for the extra 3 speeds in the SA hub. This setup would give you 81 possible ratios. Of course some would be duplicates. But this gives me some really low gearing to push the bigger rear tire I want to run for the race.

 Now you will also notice the rear wheel has a brake on it. Well in a race with no rules why can't I build some skis to put on the front wheels for when I have to run on snow. Of course with skis on the front I need a rear brake to stop. The bike is being shipped right now so it won't get here for at least a week. That gives me a couple of months to modify and test every thing. I have to also mount a rack to carry the skis and other stuff I need for the race. I will report as this crazy project goes on.

Snow, Snow Tires,and Winter shoes

This week the snow came to stay.  Monday was the start of my winter cycling. I say it was the start because it was the first day commuting on the studded snow tires. With the heavy tires I am slower and working harder. I also find the noise from the tires is very high now.  The good side is I am getting more exercise and the legs should get stronger.

            After reading about Adri's Crash , it reminded me of my crash last winter. I was lucky as the snow bank was softer than what Adri encountered..   Slow DOWN!          Never to repeat that, I am trying to drive slower.

            

 Even though Adri and I have an ocean between us, unknowing, we have both bought new winter cycling shoes to test this winter.. The shoes are Celius Artic GTX and today was the first ride for me with them. It was -14C this morning and I found the shoes warm with just one pair of this wool socks. I will have to adjust the bottom bracket as the shoes are thicker than my summer shoes. I also found the adjustment cord too long and it has to be tucked under the Velcro. The important thing is they are warm so far. I will post more on these shoes as the winter goes on. 

For a few months now I have been putting in some long hours at work. The Quest seems to only get ridden in the dark lately. There has not been much time for fun, just work. But now that winter is here the fun should begin. There may even be some racing for the Quest this winter. There will be some dog sled races too. Tonight I will hook up the Huskies and we get a dog sled run in. That’s another way for us to get some more winter FUN…

Dogs, Polar Bears, Tundra Buggys and Snow

It's winter up north. In the north part of our province of Manitoba winter has arrived. Down south where I live there is no snow yet. Some friends just returned from a visit to the northern community of Churchill. To get to Churchill from where we live in Winnipeg, you either have to fly or spend a couple of days on a slow moving train. Churchill is Manitoba's only port and a lot of grain is shipped out of there. The season is short because of ice conditions.
             Being sled dog owners they had to check out the local sled dogs. 

Sled dogs in action.

 Polar bears congregate every year along the shores of the bay, waiting for the freeze up and to feed on ringed seals. The safest way to see these large bears is from a  Tundra Buggy . Our friends went on a tour and got to see these bears up close from a Tundra Buggy. The average Polar Bear is about 8 to 10 feet tall standing on it's hind legs. For that reason the Tunda Buggy  has very large tires and is built very tall. Most Tundra Buggies are 4, 6 or even 8 wheel drive. The latest Tundra Buggy was built is Winnipeg and shipped by train to Churchill. Check out the link for more Tundra Buggy information..

The bears in the pictures don't look very big or dangerous but they are. They are not something I would want to meet riding my Velomobile. Fortunately they don't migrate down south where we live. In the town of Churchill they have an alert system and armed conservation officers to handle any bears that might stray into town.  
           It's getting cooler out and in a weird way I am kind of looking forward to some winter fun in my Quest and with the dog sled.  It makes the winter go by faster if you are having FUN....

Winter is Coming

Winter is coming!

We had some snow this morning on my commute into work. It melted as soon as it hit the road, but at -3C it looked white in the lights. Snow warning of 25 cm for an area north of our city for tomorrow. If stays to the north by the lakes all is good. If it changes direction, I will have to get the snow tires and the dog sled out of the shop attic.
. I have to say its too early for the snow to stay. The ground is not cold enough yet.
         With "Da Hood"  I can still commute to work is a pair of shorts and a cycling Jersey at -3C. The Durano tires are doing great so far with no flats yet. I have over 4000 km so far on this second set and they wearing better than the first set. I already have 4 new front tires and 2 new rear tires for next year in my shop. Now I wonder if they will last until Winter gets here...

Freedom Trike

Maurice and his Freedom Trike

Freedom Trike.

This blog is about someone else today. This blog is about a recumbent Trike instead of a Velomobile.  Most of us reading this blog take our personal freedom for granted. When we want to do something, we just go out and do it. When we want to go somewhere we just get up and go. This is not the case for people in wheel chairs. They must have someone else take them places or travel by bus. This limits them as to what time they go or where they go.

        I met Maurice this summer on my way home, one nice sunny afternoon. He had his trike loaded with bags, lights and a bright flag. He explained he lives in the same area as I did and was on his way back from the Fort Whyte center. Up until this spring when he got his trike, he was wheel chair bound. Now he is building up his legs and going further and to places he could not go before. And going when he wants to go. But taking off his front fenders he can take his Trike right into his apartment. He stores it in his living room. He has been on two of the rides with the recumbent group that I have been on. Both times he traveled the furthest to get there. Maurice  has shot a couple of videos showing how he goes from wheelchair to his trike, and on to the great outdoors.

Getting Out 

 

The second video is his trip to the store to buy food. He rides right into the store with his trike where the store gives him an electric scooter to shop with. This is all stuff we do without thinking. I have to admire him for his new independence. He is a great example to all of us.

 On the trail