The Azub T-tris Trike is here!

We first had a chance to see the Azub trikes back in October, prior to the Recumbent Cycle Con. Needless to say, we were very impressed with the Tri-Con we were shown. It rode like a dream with rear suspension and fantastic geometry, and it folded into a tiny package for transportation.

Enter the T-tris. With the same great geometry, minus the suspension and tiny folding option (although it still folds), it should provide a fantastic ride without the $4k+ pricetag. It has delivered. Check out the pictures below and configure your own T-tris trike on our website:

The timeless FSA Gosammer crankset provides great shifting and is lightweight.

We pair the SRAM X9 10s rear derailleur with the PG1070 11-32 cassette for great shifting in the rear.

Red anodized quick release levers through out provide a little bit of extra bling!

Shown here with the complete rack system that can accomodate two sets of small panniers.

Here you can see it with just the rear rack. You can also mount the lowrider rack separately.

The sliding seat clamp and sliding boom give infinite adjustment, and this trike should fit just about anyone. Notice the notched angle adjustment system? This provides precise adjustment that is also very sturdy.

The steering system is also adjustable with a notched system that ensures no slippage.

We shod this trike with Marathon Supreme tires, but the ZR comes stock with Marathon Racers that provide the same flat protection.

New hours!

Effective Tuesday, April 24th, we will be changing our hours. Our new hours will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 2pm to 6pm, Saturday noon to 6pm. What? Shortening your hours as summer is approaching, you say? That's crazy!

Believe it or not, we don't think it is. Rather than being open 40 hours per week for general retail sales, we have decided to limit our time so that we can focus more time on you, our customers. So, while we will be open fewer hours, we will now be available on a scheduled-appointment basis whenever it is convenient for you! What does this mean for you?

When you have a scheduled appointment, you will come in and meet one-to-one with us. Nobody else will be there, the phones will not be answered, we won't be distracted by any other customers. It's just to two of us enjoying an adventure of exploration into the world of recumbent bicycles and tricycles!

Want to go for a ride beyond the loop around our neighborhood? No problem, let's grab a couple bikes and hit the road...we don't need to worry about any other customers, only you.

Don't want to drive all the way from Orange County? No problem...we can bring the selected bikes and trikes to you!

You see, we consider you, our customers, our most valuable asset. And when we have to keep answering the phone or helping multiple customers at once, we don't feel like we are giving you the service you deserve. So, we are trying a new model and hope you will like it.

Appointments can be scheduled at any time (based on availability), and are billed at $25 per hour. Note, however, that all of this fee (except transportation time) is completely applicable to your future bike/trike purchase. No need to worry about expiration dates...there are no time limits.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call or send an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

A fantastic training ride

A busy training schedule often leaves me devoid of fun and memorable rides. It's easy to get caught up into the "schedule" at the expense of enjoyment. Last Monday, however, was different.

The first two nights of Passover had just ended. With four days off of work, I was feeling well-rested and eager to go for a long ride. Surprisingly, I was able to maintain my predominantly plant-based diet throughout the festivities of Passover. While everyone else enjoyed brisket and chicken, I ate huge salads, steamed vegetables and the like.

My normal Monday ride is a loop out to Topanga Canyon via Sepulveda. Sometimes I will ride up Old Topanga, sometimes (if I have a little extra time) I will head up Fernwood to Saddle Peak. Today, I decided to extend the ride a little further and head out to Malibu Canyon and up Piuma to Saddle Peak.



Over the past month, I have lost about ten pounds, and this was immediately apparent as I shot over Sepulveda without using the small chainring. It was windy up at the top, but I laughed as a guy in a convertible passed me on the way down the other side, screaming "41 mph!". I wanted to catch him and let him know that I am normally braking to keep it under 50!

The weather was perfect - mid 60's and little wind (except in the canyon). The ride up the coast seemed effortless, despite my power meter telling me I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I ate dates and trail mix (cashews, almonds, cranberries and chocolate chips) and started my way up Malibu Canyon.




Above, you can see the beautiful view of Malibu as you start up Malibu Canyon. I sped along, arriving at Piuma Road 15 minutes faster than expected.

Piuma is truly a classic Southern California climb. Starting at about 600 feet of elevation, you wind your way up a quiet road with beautiful vistas of the Santa Monica Mountains during the first half, and the Pacific Ocean and mountains during the second half. It is a pretty consistent climb of 5-8% for about 4.75 miles up to the first summit at 2200 feet with minimal traffic.



This is the view down to Malibu Canyon from about 1500 feet.

After the first summit, you get a one mile reprieve as you descent 250 feet down to Schueren Road. Unfortunately, this just means you have to climb that 250 feet and then some, as you ascend to Saddle Peak at 2350 feet. This last section can get hot as you move away from the ocean breezes and hit the inland temperatures.

There are four ways up to Saddle Peak: Piuma/Schueren, Las Flores/Schueren, Fernwood, and Stunt. Las Flores is crazy steep, with extended pitches in the 14-16% range. I usually go up Fernwood and descend back down Stunt (I have never actually climbed Stunt, the tamest of the climbs). Today, I topped out at Saddle Peak and immediately started down Stunt. There is a wonderful driveway about 1/2 mile down where the home-owner has set up a water fountain for cyclists. I took this opportunity to refill my bottles and enjoy an apple while admiring the view into the San Fernando Valley.



I then headed down the roller coaster, back over 7-minute hill (that takes me considerably longer than seven minutes!) towards Woodland Hills. Again I was amazed at how good I felt on this last climb. Usually, this is a tough one, but today it was amazingly easy.

My usual stop is the Corner Bakery at the Topanga Canyon Mall, and today was no different. A few birds joined me as I enjoyed a bowl of Tomato Basil soup and OJ.



I made quick work of the 15 miles back across the Valley to home. Definitely an enjoyable ride that I hope to do again soon. Anyway want to join me?

ICE Vortex ++

We have been waiting very patiently for the new Vortex to arrive from Inspired Cycle Engineering. We were expecting a lower, more laid back, narrower version of the old Vortex. What we received was a beautifully sculptured work of art (that was also lower, narrower, and more laid back than its predecessor). Here are some pictures, with the usual caveat...the pictures just don't do it justice!

Some specs:
Vortex frameset with stock wheels
Air-Pro Carbon Fiber seat with pad
American Classic Aero420 Rear Wheel, spaced to 135mm
SRAM XX 11-32 cassette
SRAM XX Long Cage Rear Derailleur
SRAM TT900 Bar End Shifters
Shimano Ultegra 6703 Front Derailleur
FSA SLK Light Triple Crankset, 165mm
Avid XX World Cup Hydraulic Brakes
KMC X10SL Chain
Schwalbe Ultremo ZX tires

Sara Kay's Furnace Creek 508 Record ride report, really

A nice race report for the new year.
She is the first woman to ride the whole 508 solo, on a recumbent.
45 hours of riding, no sleep!
Happy New Year all!

Link to the race report.

Trike Adaptation for Challenged Athletes

A dear friend of the shop, and Challenged Athletes everywhere, John Elliott posted a great article on adapting a trike, Adaptation of a trike for racing at the San Diego Triathlon Challenge on Recumbent Journal.

Responding to Ignorance on the Road - A Different Approach

Written by Dana Lieberman

If you have spent any amount of time riding on public roads as a cyclist, you have probably been yelled at, called names, cut off and generally been abused by a small portion of the driving population. Spending any amount of time on bicycling bulletin boards, Facebook Cycling pages, and other online cycling forums will reveal that this is not an uncommon issue. Online, posts like these tend to get people riled up, with posters stating how they handle these situations, how they might handle the situations if concealed weapons were legal in their state, etc. Quite frankly, this battle between auto driver and cyclist has become pandemic as cycling continues to become a more popular mode of transportation. States, counties and cities are legislating solutions, but I think we all have to take some personal responsibility for the ways we interact with each other.

I used to spend a lot of time yelling back at drivers, pounding on cars and generally being as aggressive as I perceived them to be. A couple years ago, however, that changed. I was out riding with a friend on an early Sunday morning and a car passed us too close while honking. We caught up to the car and I started yelling and beating on his car. I unintentionally dented it. He took off and so did we.

15 miles further into the ride, as we were pulling into a Starbucks for a snack, the same car pulls in with a police officer behind him. We each explained our sides of the story. The officer gave me a choice...I could agree to pay for the damages to the vehicle or he could haul me off to the police station for assault on a deadly weapon. I was quite embarrassed by my behavior, agreed to pay for damages, we both apologized and went our separate ways. You see, we are allowed to yell and scream our heads off, but the moment it gets physical, it is assault.

I really reflected on this episode for some time. It made me think about how I managed my anger and how I responded to others' perceived anger. While it cost me my pride and a few hundred dollars, this episode was rather an epiphany for me...I didn't have to let the behavior of others on the road dictate my behavior. I now have a new strategy for handling obnoxious drivers...it is one that keeps my blood pressure under control and allows me to turn a volatile situation into an educational one.

(I will start by saying that I take a very proactive approach to cycling as prescribed by the League of American Bicyclists) The first thing I had to realize was that the vast majority of drivers in the Los Angeles are, in fact, paying attention to what they are doing and don't mean me any harm. This is obvious...thousands of cars go past me each week and I rarely have a close call, let alone a collision.

Second, I realized that most drivers don't have good vehicular proprioception. They just don't know how wide their cars are or where they are relative to other vehicles.

Finally, I understand that nobody ever won an argument by yelling at someone who didn't know they were in the argument. When you yell at a driver for driving too close, have they ever come back and said, "gee, I'm sorry about that, thanks for yelling and cursing at me to bring it to my attention"? I'm guessing no...they probably had no idea what you were yelling about...

So, I came up with a different strategy for managing these situations. My hope was that I could turn these into educational moments where both parties left feeling like the conversation was successful. Here's what I do:

It's generally pretty easy to tell the drivers that are oblivious rather than malicious. And inevitably, I will catch the oblivious drivers at the next light. As I am approaching them, I whip out my cell phone and pull up my photo album of my kids. The conversation starts with "Do you have children?"

Most nod yes.

"Me too". And I start showing them pictures of my wonderful daughters.

As I show them the pictures, I explain, "Since you have children, you probably understand that the most important thing for me is getting home to see them again. They way you just (insert reckless driving behavior here), I get concerned that I won't be able to do that. Could you please drive more carefully next time?"

The drivers typically respond with a sincere apology and something to the notion of they didn't realize how close they were, etc.

I end with something cordial like "Have a great week".

I leave feeling like I communicated my message to the driver in a way that was heard. Hopefully the driver leaves with a better awareness of their driving and cyclists rights on the road. It is more likely to be a win-win situation than if I would have yelled, cursed and dented their car! And I don't spend so much time angry...

Securing a carbon seat to a Bacchetta seat plate.

This article applies to the Bacchetta CA2.0, CA1.0, Aero, and the one Corsa I know of (JC) with a seat plate.

I first really felt a problem when the seat on my aero pivoted at the base when I tried to shift my butt slightly in the seat. This was at 53mph on a descent in Oregon in 2003, on the Vine Ride Century. It felt like a low rear tire rolling over onto the sidewall. Scary. This was with the stock hardware stack up: 5mm (3mm hex lens head) bolt, thin fender washer, thin rubber washer, seat, thin rubber washer, seat plate, split ring washer, wing nut. In time I discovered that the only way to really tighten it enough, so the seat would not pivot at all, was to use pliers on the wing nuts. I could not on the drive side as my bolt was under under the idler brace. The 3mm bolt heads could not withstand enough torque to get the seat tight enough for me. Even so, after a few months I discovered that my seat has been moving slowly back, as the threads on the bolts had chewed up the carbon in both holes. I can't seem to tighten the bolts enough to keep the carbon in one place. Instead of holes I now had a slotted seat.

After several iterations, I settled on this, and this is what we do at the shop today. To be honest it looks a lot like what Optima does. Drill out the holes in the seat plate with a 1/4" bit so they will just accept a 6mm bolt (4mm hex flat head). We drill out the seat too with a 9/32 bit, to accommodate the head of the flat head bolt. We have a jig for this that allows us to drill the seat centered and straight every time. The jig has multiple drill guides that can be used depending on seat angle. You want the seat to be parallel to the plate at the point of attachment. We also have holes drilled some multiple of the seat plate pitch, plus half a pitch, apart. This means you are not limited to seat positions every 3/8", but 3/16" of an inch. This is good as currently the way to dial in your position on a Bacchetta with a seat plate is to get close with the fore aft location of the seat and use recline to get your leg extension just right. That, or slot the holes in the seat. The next jig I build might have holes that allow for 1/3 of the stock seat plate pitch seat position. So 1/8" between each seat locations.

We use a washer with an inside diameter just smaller than the flat head bolt. This washer is quite a bit thicker than the stock one, so it does not flare. It has a smaller outer diameter though. The bolt head and washer can pivot relative to each other which is nice too. Then comes a thin rubber washer, the seat, a thin rubber washer, 7 fender washers, the plate, a split ring washer and an extra long nut, not nylock. Nylock bolts have less thread and are easier to strip. The fender washers are not needed on the older M5 seats, likely not on an Optima seat either, as they have enough space between the ribs for the seat plate. With the CCK or VK seat now found on most Bacchettas you need to elevate the seat with something incompressible so that the ribs don't hit the sides of the plate. I am working on a lighter solution for that.

If you tighten the bolts enough, the rubber washer will ooze out the sides of the washer quite a bit. Also If you wheel your bike up to a wall, and put the wheels right in the v formed by the wall and the floor, and now hold the bars in one hand and the seat back in the other and twist, you will find the seat no longer moves independently of the frame tube. Your cornering confidence should improve. You should feel one with the bike. Shifting your self in the seat should not be accompanied by the sensation of a low rear tire. Once the seat is no longer pivoting, the seat struts play no role in laterally bracing the seat. The odds are they will never crack. If you tighten the bolts enough, they will not come loose either.

There is a downside to all this, and this is Bacchettas concern: you cannot go changing your seat angle without first loosening these bolts and you may even have to drill new holes in the seat if you change the seat angle a lot. You need to be bolting the part of the seat that is closest to parallel to the plate. You cannot pull the grenade pins and shove the seat down to fit the bike in a vehicle either. Thats a great way to crack a seat too.

The upside is this: you may find some threads on using RANS struts or some custom brace in an attempt to stiffen up the seat laterally. The seat does not flex laterally, it only moves if the base bolts area not properly secured. Once you bolt your seat base down so it cannot pivot, none of these modification with have any affect on seat movement at all. The issue has already been addressed.  The struts just keep the seat from landing on the rear tire once you sit on the bike.


We do use nylock nuts on the bolts holding the seat struts to the rear dropouts on the frame. These are just to make sure the bolts never loosen, they do not have to withstand a lot of torque. Its our belief that although checking fittings every once in a while is a great habit to have, nothing should require frequent tightening.

Call me at the shop if you have any questions. 

High Baron ZR with U-Bar (Tweener)!

This bike was very popular at Recumbent Cycle Con last Sunday. People liked the sensation of having close to even weight distribution between the wheels, and the lower seat height than most other dual 700c wheeled bikes. The U-bar was more popular than the tiller as it made it easier to sit upright in the seat at stops and get on and off the bike.

We actually have 3 of these in stock now, 2 with a U bar and one with a tiller. We also have low Barons with both bars built up and ready to go. We have a Cougar too!!

JV, Why Do I Struggle in the Mountains?

Here is a table of what happens to humans ability to produce power as altitude goes up, due to lower partial pressure of oxygen:
 

Use the Bassett non-acclimatized column if you have not been training at altitude for over 2 weeks. A rough rule is to subtract 10% of your power at sea level for every 5000' you go up. Also note that the gains from acclimatization are not huge. We used this on RAAM to keep from going into the red through the Rockies. Over Wolf Creek Pass (10,800') my power was down a bit over 20%, but it felt like my perceived exertion was just the same as it had been for the last 2 days. I was breathing pretty hard too, as some of you may have seen in the video.

Note the implication here: if you drop 5000', you will gain power, assuming you are not a non-responder, according to the percentage gain for a non acclimatized person, but from your acclimatized level, due to extra red blood cells! This means you may be at 105% for a while. This effect will fade in a few months.

Aerodynamic drag goes down with altitude, so you may descend faster. Many records are set at 6000' to 7000' elevation because of this.

On acclimatization to altitude:
http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/acclimatization-to-altitude.html
http://www.sportsci.org/traintech/altitude/wgh.html
The take away from this is that unless you can spend a bare minimum of 2 weeks training at altitude, you are better off showing up just before the event and doing it. Roughly a third of the population are non-responders, meaning no amount of training at altitude will lead to any physiological adaptation. My brother is a non-responder, but I have never had a chance to find out if I am.

Also make sure you take care of yourself just like on all your other rides:

• Nutrition (~250cal and hour?), hydration (bottle and hour?), and electrolyte intake.
• Could you lighten your bike and gear up and still be prepared for the event?
• Get some lower rolling resistance tires that will still be durable enough for the event? Here is the data: http://www.biketechreview.com/tires_old/images/AFM_tire_testing_rev9.pdf
• Keep your cadence up in the zone where you are most efficient. don't let itr drop 30 revolutions just because you are climbing. Get more gears if you need them.
• Biggest predictor of climbing performance is power to weight ratio. Shed pounds or get better at producing aerobic power, whichever is easiest.

Hope this helps!

CA2.0 Stock

For those of you still eying my favorite bike: We've got one CA2.0 left in stock. Its a Large 700c Sport Spec, $3199. We could sell it as a frame kit too, or as one of the CA2.0 ZR spec bikes as well if needed.

The new High Baron built up.

So its occurred to me, after I had Matt built it, that a shorter rider, who is after 700c wheels, might want to sit fully upright in the seat. For that reason I expect this model will get the U-bar treatment on subsequent builds for stock.

The red looks really nice in the sun!

Calabassas Tunnel of Trees

This is a short piece of my commute home. This is just after I leave the San Fernando Valley. Its a great place for testing headlights, as you go over 45mph a few times, and the tunnel of trees makes the hot spot of the light very defined all the way around. Note the signs getting a bit bright, thats from my headlight. There really are no challenging turns on this one. The compression right before the sunset can be tricky if you are not ready for it though.

Oh, this is a GoPro HD camera with a RageCams 2.8mm lens set at 720p and 60fps. I thought this camera was toast after I crashed and ground the lens to nothing on the asphalt. This lens is supposed to just about eliminate the fish-eye.

Thanks to Willie for the prototype light, and the RageCams tip!


Calabassas Tunnel of Trees from Bent Up Cycles on Vimeo.

BWR 2011 - Let's bring it home. Part 8

After getting about four hours of sleep, Roland, Hiroshi and I woke up at midnight and hit the road at about 1am. They had oatmeal, I had a sticky pecan roll for breakfast. A group of four riders had left before us, but we were pretty sure we would catch them, given the terrain.

The first 50 miles were just like the last, only it was dark! Traffic was non-existent, and we just rolled along nicely, enjoying the crisp air. At a certain point, Roland left me. I started getting bored and tired and had to make up silly games to keep me occupied. Here are a few:

1. Catch the rider! I could see a couple riders up ahead. Soon, I was passing Chris and Luis. I would get a half mile ahead of them, stop for something, let them pass and get ahead of me, and start the game over! I think they thought I was nuts, but it kept me entertained...

2. Morning services. I sang the entire morning Shacharet service, out loud...or as much of it as I could remember!

3. Walmart songs. As we approached Wasilla, we were supposed to go to a Walmart at mile 70. Well, the Walmart didn't emerge until mile 74. Did I mention Wasilla is just mile after mile of traffic lights, strip malls and traffic (it was morning rush hour at 7am)? That damn Walmart because the brunt of many imaginative and derogatory songs.

4. Remember the 80's. Any 80's song was fair game, as long as I was singing it at the top of my lungs.

With these tools in hand, the traffic faded away and I quickly arrived at Walmart, five minutes before the MacDonald's opened. A group of us waited, had breakfast and tried to get warmed up.

The last 41 miles took us via the scenic route into Anchorage. Glenn highway was pretty when we didn't have to negotiate the 8" of clean pavement between the gravel and the rumble strip. Roland and I were riding together, and pushed through the last couple of climbs over the Eagle River area. The last 5 miles or so were all downhill, and we cruised into the finish line at 11:34am. We have 26 minutes to spare! Hiroshi followed us about five minutes later, claiming the Lantern Rouge for himself. A wonderful ride!