Did a fun ride with the New York City Cycle club last weekend led by the incredibly strong April Tam who also designed the route. Enjoyed some great hilly roads and some wild hilly dirt roads. Rode a Cruzbike Silvio. There’s nothing quite like taking a road bike on dirt roads. A great group, a great bike club and a great bike.
Go out and play in the dirt roads,
Robert
But first, and most importantly, the overall winner was Mark Skarpohl.
“In the 500-Mile race, top prize goes to Mark Skarpohl who wins both the overall and 50+ categories while breaking the prior 50+ record by nearly 2 hours. His time of 31 hours 24 minutes set a new, and very high standard.” See source here.
Quoting from Jim Parker’s blog entry which he wrote before the race:
The Achilles heel of recumbent cycling has always been climbing performance. Maybe that’s why recumbents flock to the flat races like Bike Sebring and Calvin’s Challenge, but no recumbent racer has yet attempted the epic climbing challenge of the Hoodoo 500 in the eight-year history of the race. The route, 519 miles with 30,000 to 41,000 feet of climbing (depending on your reference source), peaks in thin air at an altitude of 10,600 ft. This is not the typical event that recumbent racers win… or even dare to enter.
Solo Women Recumbent: Maria Parker – 46 hours 30 minutes
Riding: Cruzbike Vendetta
Solo Men Recument: Ben Tomblin – 44 hours 12 minutes
Riding: Cruzbike Vendetta
500-Mile Stage Solo Recumbent: Lief Zimmerman – 32 hours 31 minutes
Riding: Cruzbike Vendetta
Maria Parker, Larry Oslund, and Ben Tomblin hanging out before the start of the Assault on Mt Mithchell, May 2015.
A Cruzbike friend in Boulder, Colorado recently went on her first bike camping trip. She had asked for advice about packing and mounting panniers on a Quest and I sent her my bike touring packing list and blog post about using Radical Design panniers.
I followed up to ask how it went. It turned out the route consisted of single track, not much pavement, steep ups and downs, and generally a roller coaster of a dirt ride. She decided to take her Cruzbike Sofrider, but it sounds like she could’ve taken her Quest 26 if it had more appropriate tires.
She sent me this note and photos. I thought it was a great story about how a 26″-wheeled Cruzbike handles off-road riding.
# # #
She writes:
I ended up choosing the Sofrider because the route was mostly dirt – just a bit of pavement climbing at the beginning. There were some very challenging segments. When I say very challenging, I mean mountain bike material – very narrow rocky/rooty tracks through the woods up and down mountains. That part was not what I’d hoped for at all, but I made it through! Also at the end, there was a long 14% grade descent which terrified me. So, I braked hard. I also blew my rear tube, had to learn to change/patch it on the side of the road. ADVENTURES. Perhaps a bit of a “death march”* by the end, but I’m glad I did it and wouldn’t have been prepared without your advice. [*There’s a tradition at Cruzbike that we go for “death marches” every morning of the bike conventions. So far, Jim and Maria Parker have gone easy on us and I’ve been able to keep up.]
Here are the few photos I took on my phone! We rode the bus out of Boulder to Nederland the first evening, biked/climbed (literally scaled a mountain side pushing/carrying my loaded Sofrider) to our campsite which we reached at sunset then biked back all the way down to Boulder the next day.
As for the mountain bike trails, I think the Sofrider sans 20 lbs of load could have faired even better. The problem I ran into was front wheel slip climbing on very steep, loosely packed surfaces.
# # #
Have fun, think fast,
Robert
One of our customers recently completed a cross-country bike trip on an HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte. He wrote me this nice note. If you’re considering an SMGte, I thought you might enjoy reading it. I included his bike specs, below, after his note. – RM
———- Original Message ———-
Subject: My Cross Country Bicycle Trip
From: “Tom B___
To: “Robert Matson”
——————————————
Robert-
I wanted to send out a message to you for your guidance in helping me prepare for my cross country bicycle trip…which I finished about a month ago now. When I came out to see you…about 2.5 years ago, I hadn’t owned a bicycle since high school. I was then 49 years old… it had been a long time. As I planned my trip, I wasn’t tied to any particular bicycle and thought a lot about the type of bicycle I wanted to ride. I decided that riding that long distance on a diamond frame, on a small seat crammed up my but and staring at the ground wasn’t the posture I wanted. I also wasn’t in a race with anyone and my goal was to ride and appreciate the beautiful country as I peddled across it. I decided that I wanted to ride a recumbent, which I knew very little about. As a matter of fact, even just 2 years ago, there wasn’t much literature on them either. My daughter got your information for me at a bicycle event she attended in NYC. She also knew I was looking for a recumbent style bicycle and when she found you and your bicycles, she was excited to get me your contact information. I called and set an appointment with you and we spend a lot of time talking about how I was going to use the bike. We talked about what was important to me and considered a few options you had. You kept talking about the HP Velotechnik being the Mercedes of the recumbent bicycles. It’s actually the bike of choice for many national, international and world wide bicycle travelers. It’s durable aluminum frame, light(er) weight and plenty of paniers and storage space to accommodate such a trip was beautiful. Due to my error during my first week on the road, I slid off the shoulder of the road and fell down a rut going about 15 mph. I jacknife’d the bike and it flipped head over heals. Outside of a few scratches on the bike, it was perfect and I got up to ride as if nothing had just happened. It’s built like a tank.
It was extremely comfortable to ride. Spending all your time laying on your back, perched up so you can see the landscape as you peddle through different scenes and around new bends…while literally staring at the horizon was unbelievable. It kept me pedaling and wanting to see more. I was never exhausted and my body never ached. Unlike many of the friends I met along the way who suffered from saddle sores, put this sticky stuff on their butts to avoid chafing…. all issues I never had to even think about. No sores, no aches and a fantastic experience.
As you can imagine, we hit some pretty windy weather heading across Kansas, Colorado and the mid west. Since we were heading west, the winds were mostly out of the west and we battled the wind at our faces a lot of the time. The wind at your face is always a factor, but it wasn’t that bad for me. The posture I ride in on the recumbent makes me incredibly aerodynamic and the wind rode over me with significantly less drag compared to the diamond framed bikes, which acted like a parachute….or they had to squat down real low, stare at the road again to get through the rough parts. I really didn’t miss a beat and was present in my trip, enjoying the day and the ride all the way to the end.
The other thing I enjoyed about this bike was just how fast it was. This bike loves to roll down hills and on the flats. I would often have to put my brakes on and hold myself back while rolling down a hill if I was in conversation with someone else….or others would be peddling hard just to keep up with me as I coasted down hills. There is something else I noticed. I call it rolling stamina…. Even as we leveled out at the bottom of a hill…. My bike kept on rolling and slowing down on the flats much slower than any other bike. It would keep rolling and rolling. Often times, I would roll up a hill to the next down hill and laughed to myself while others would be pedaling to climb the next hill I just rolled up. I was asked several times if I had a motor on my bike…. and of course I didn’t.
I think I won over several people that were asking great questions about my bike and conceding they would look into a recumbent like mine. It was such a superior bike and made the trip so much more enjoyable for me. I was able to ride the entire Trans America Trail from start to finish without once stopping to rest or push up a hill. I did have to work a bit more climbing hills on a recumbent, but the low gear ratios helped out significantly and any time I lost during a climb, I more than made up for on the down hills or flats. To give you an idea, my cruise speed on a flat road, no wind was about 20-22 mph. This was cuising. Not pushing…. medium effort and enjoying my ride kind of effort. This bike is incredable. I max’d out at 53 MPH out east, in the blue ridge mountains. The bike wanted to go faster… and I would have let it if wasn’t for the switchback turns.
I had a blast and wanted to thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge with me. We picked the right bike and I’d never ride another bike. I’ve grown fond of my HP Velotechnik Street Machine.
Fondly,
Tom B—
btw, if any one of your readers want to read about the experience, send them to www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/astoria2015
Thanks again Robert.
Tom
If you’re curious, these were Tom’s bike specs. This is a factory build with the standard factory upgrades. We didn’t do anything particularly unique for him.
HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte
Custom color: RAL 1018 Zinkgelb
with derailer tube
Body Link seat
Airflow seat cushion
USS handlebars 60 cm bent ends
Front Suspension: Meks Carbon AC >100 kg
Rear shock: DT Swiss XM180
Drivetrain: Shimano XT 27 speed
Crank set 3 speed Truvativ Elita 30-39-52
Crank length: standard 170 mm
Chainwheel disk light, chainwheel protection
Pedals: Shimano PD-A530 clipless
Disk brake Avid BB7 mechanical
Tire upgrade: Marathon Plus
Light system: hubdynamo SON 20R Disc Edelux
Rear rack
Mudguards: SKS black
Mirror: 2x Mirrycle, both sides
Kickstand: Pletscher, rear swing arm
Hydration: water bottle set
Microbag for BodyLink seat
Recumbent Panniers: side bags Moonbiker
Radical Design Rackbag extended
Enjoy,
Robert
Robert,
Just wanted to thank you for the link to my story about learning to ride a [Cruzbike Quest] bent. It’s bringing in several visitors a month. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but every visitor is of value.
Also wanted to let you know that I’ve been riding more than ever and enjoying it more than ever. Interesting too is that I started with the seat back in the upright most position. A few of months later I moved it to the middle position. This summer I moved it back to the third hole. We’ve gotten a new bike rack that the bikes’ tires cradle into, and a bracket holds the frames. Much easier to secure. Still can’t ride hands-free, but I’m slowing working on it.
Hope all’s well with you.
Best,
OJG
On Thursday, July 30, 2015, F— M—- wrote:
Do you have a recommendation for a flag for the Quest? I am feeling more confident and would like to venture out on the road.
Also I find the padding of the seat is not the greatest. Any suggestions? I have made a pad out of an old Yoga mat which has helped greatly.
– FM
Hi F—,
Flag: I’m assuming you mean a safety flag and not, like, an American flag?
If you mean a safety flag, I personally don’t ride with a flag, so I can’t suggest a solution that I believe in. And I rarely sell flags except to trike riders, where it seems there is more clearly a safety advantage.
If you mean a country flag, I suggest the stars and stripes, man!
My own approach, if I’m looking to be noticed on the road, instead of a flag I wear a high-viz lime green helmet (Bell and Lazer make models) and usually high-viz clothing — a shirt or a highway worker’s high-viz safety vest/jacket and/or a high-viz “Buff” neck gaiter. (Check out these high-viz reflective buffs.) For high-viz gear, here’s a link, though I don’t know these guys.
Seat padding.
It seems that different riders have different experiences with the seat padding on the Quest (and other recumbents). For me, the standard padding is fine but I know others have wanted something firmer or thicker.
Yours is actually one of the better solutions I’ve heard because the yoga mat is probably closed-core foam rubber, which should be durable. I’d maybe glue the old yoga mat together permanently and then cut it to shape, or search on-line for closed core foam sleeping pads that I could cut to shape. Here’s a pad made by Alps Mountaineering. Alps generally makes good stuff. If I was to do it properly, I’d also buy some velcro and attach it to the seat. I have one customer who likes using computer packing foam under the back of his seat. There’s no “official” solution for this one from Cruzbike.
Recently, a customer sent me this helpful note regarding the seat foam:
Robert,
Maybe helpful info concerning your blog entry:
“Cruzbike Quest: Flag? Seat Padding?”
On the Cruzbike forum at
“Silvio 2 seat”
http://www.cruzbike.com/forum/threads/silvio-2-seat.7380/
There is a strong recommendation down near the bottom for Wondergel https://wondergel.com/ for about $100 – $130.
I added my 2 cents, $40 actually, for a wheelchair foam cushion, cut to fit, which works OK for me. Much better than the extreme torture, my experience anyway, of the standard Silvio seat cushion.
I got the wheelchair foam cushion from Robert Jacobson Surgical Pharmacy, across the street from Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, NY. A medical supply company like this has a wider selection than a regular pharmacy.
A Google search or Amazon search will show a lot to choose from too. I suppose that any one would do. There are a lot of gel cushions to avoid, because one needs to cut to a smaller diameter.
Regards,
Jim L—
Have fun and stay healthy,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2015 Robert Matson
Keep it real,
Rob
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2015 Robert Matson
Did you know there are humpback whales very close to where you swim? The NY Bight, our backyard ocean, has the largest density of marine mammals and sea turtles in the US–twenty-one species of whales, dolphin and porpoise that come into these waters, frolicking just over yonder.
On July 22nd, I will be swimming 17 miles across the Western NY Bight to bring attention to the Clean Ocean Zone Initiative, which seeks to create the first-ever federally protectedClean Ocean Zone, or COZ. This COZ would be the nation’s first-ever pollution-free ocean area where pollution sources such as raw sewage and oil/gas industries would be prohibited.
CIBBOWS is partnering with Clean Ocean Action, the creator of this initiative, in order to bring attention to the importance of keeping our local ocean clean and wild. Funds raised through CIBBOWS will go to two charities—Clean Ocean Action and Gotham Whale, a non-profit that tracks the local humpback whale population.
This swim will start in Sandy Hook, NJ–the headquarters of COA–then into the wild blue open ocean, no land in sight–and finish around Atlantic Beach, LI, near the site of a proposed liquified natural gas storage facility that threatens to bring pollution to our waterways.
I’m swimming where no person has swum before to raise awareness of the importance of keeping our backyard clean and swim-able for all.
Please join CIBBOWS and myself in supporting our local charities and consider making a donation for this event to help keep our backyard ocean wild, clean and swimmable.
Follow along on my adventures on Facebook this Wednesday for live updates.
See you at the beach!
-Patricia SenerExecutive DirectorConey Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers
www.cibbows.org
Eat, sleep, bike, swim,
Rob
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2015 Robert Matson
Add salt to water and bring to boil. Add soup mix and boil apx. 3 min. Add pasta and TVP. Then boil another apx. 5-8 min. (until noodles are soft). Do NOT drain off the broth in which the pasta was boiled. Serve with olive oil.
Notes:
You may replace the TVP and olive oil with a can of sardines packed in olive oil. To preserve the nutritional content of the sardines, I would not them. Stir them in at the end or in your eating bowl.
TVP comes in various clump sizes. Use the smallest clumps for this recipe.
If you’re cooking for a group, just multiply all the quantities by the number of people (e.g., for 2 people, use 2 tablespoons of vegetable soup mix.).
To make dish cleaning easier, add the olive oil or sardines to individual serving dishes and not the cooking pot.
I’ve used miso soup mix and ramen noodles with unbelievably satisfying results. Strongly recommended.
For those doing cozy-cooking, this recipe almost works, but you’ll need to change a few things. One problem is that big chunks in the soup mix, like peas, must be boiled to rehydrate. Similarly, the pasta is better if it’s boiled.
To ensure the soup rehydrates, put the soup mix in a bowl with a quarter cup of boiling water, seal the top, insulate it with your hat and jacket, and give it a few minutes to rehydrate and get a head start. You could also pulverize the soup mix in a food processor before you start your trip. This will help it reconstitute faster. (If you’re cooking at elevation, this is even more important.) For the pasta, either “quick” thin ramen noodles or cous cous will rehydrate faster and use less fuel.
I specify boiling the water several times. The main reason for this is to kill anything in the water, on the dishes, or in the food that could make you sick. Remember that if you’re cooking at elevation, water boils at a lower temperature so merely boiling may not sterilize the water and food.
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2015 Robert Matson
New Cruzbike Jerseys
They’re very nice and feature their new logo.
See the email announcement here:
http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=d220aa789bdee9b5ed0705623&id=c131a0077d&e=56bc681e79
Have fun and keep cruisin’,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2015 Robert Matson
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