Velofix 2 - more value from my outdoor gym membership ;)

When Tom from velofix halton was by last week, he said he thought the trike had the fittings to complete a working set of gears. So he came by this weekend to put them on. Took the trike for a test ride with new gears on Sunday. It worked out just as tremendously as I had hoped!

The trike already had sprockets on the back. But the shifter seemed to have been replaced by the twist throttle. Also there was no derailleur. Which would help with the slipping chain problem.

When the temperature dips, and the roads get low-level frosty, slushy or snowy, I can still get out on the trike because it's so solid. With the three wheels and its weight, i don't really worry about slipping. That means i can enjoy a longer cycling year. But since the trike didn't have gears, I was left with one fixed tension (or not so fixed since the chain kept slipping), basically, and the motor, and so a more limited workout. Now with gears, I can increase the amount of pedaling time on a ride, especially important during cabin fever season.

This is a game changer. It wouldn't have even been possible if Tom hadn't been able to come out and have a look at the trike and consider it a work in progress. Now there are only about 2 months of the year that I may not be able to fully access my al fresco cycling gym. For that I am very thankful.

New fave bike service - Velofix

This fall I HAD to do something about the trike. The chain kept slipping off and the brake i favour was getting weaker.

I took it in to my fave local bike shop. New local gal has been great, but the trike had her stymied. She felt it needed a shift system, but didnt know quite how to approach it. When i checked in, the trike continued to be not even worked on.

I used the big blue for 2 weeks. Which was fine. But on one visit to the P.O., I didn't have a way to get my 3 large boxes home and ended up taping them to the  carry basket frame with tape we had just bought. And the weather is getting colder, which the trike handles better. I needed it back.

Then it came to me - have the shop come to me. I recalled Velofix had been at a town event or 2, so obviously they come out here. Sent out an inquiry email, exchanged a few more with Halton franchisee Tom, and  had a booking in under a week.

He backed into the driveway with his big van at lunchtime.  On changing the brake cable, he found it was broken on the inside. So glad that got dealt with.

He was able to move the rear axle back to reduce slack in the chain on my preferred gear. The chain, it turned out, wasn't in bad shape.

He discovered there are places to mount a derailleur on it and will send me an email with options.

The visit, which included a general tune up, replacing break pads, etc., was $105 before tax. He has a wifi card machine on board so I could pay with plastic. He says he doesn't like to have a lot of cash in the truck.

It was a tremendous experience from start to finish. If anyone has a weird awkward bike or unusual problem, don't hesitate to call Velofix.

Thus endeth the endorsement :)

Anatomy of a thanksgiving paddle

on the Sauble River. Took #wike bike kayak cart to in law's cottage. It's such a short distance that it's a pain to load canoe thats already up there on the van roof.




Other half towed canoe to base of falls starting point using bike. Then we drove down and locked all our bikes at boat launch end point. Drove back and parked at campsite at falls and got into canoe up there.


Then just paddled downstream! At river mouth, all got out, boat got hitched, dad and kids biked canoe back to cottage. I zipped back to falls on folding ebike that we outfitted with a Solorock wheel kit, and picked all up later in van.



Takes a bit of logistics. But was possibly the easiest time on dad's back getting the kids out in canoe up there. River is flatter- no Lake Huron swells. Going whole way with current, they really liked. Mergansers flew in. Tons of fish doing acrobatics. Sauble is a nice place to do this because the nodes are all a short bike ride away. 


We also found last time there's a $20ish parking fee down there. No guarantee of a close spot. There had to be a better way.

Highly recommend!

Ps - i posted a few more pics in this series on my IG account.

Folding ebike goes camping & canoeing

Having a folding ebike has really changed our camping game.

You head off to your fave campsite, and try to book a site that's not too close or too far from the kibo. But that can be a guessing game. And if the distance ends up being too far for one's gimpy abilities, that has left me having to start up the van for each bathroom run.

I had a Schwinn commuter folding bike. Then a few years ago, we added a 20' ebike wheel kit to it. I happened to get this one from Green Cruiser/Solo Rock in Toronto, since Clean Republic didn't have this wheel size at the time. They have kits for the 20' wheel now.

Now I can just rotate down and fold the handlebars and flip down the pedals. That gives the bike the footprint of a kid's bike with nothing sticking out. Even with my bum arm, I can leverage the back wheel up onto the rear of the van, then follow with the front wheel and roll it back. I can get 2 @ 8' kayaks in beside it with room to spare.

I'll admit the ebike is heavy, even this small one.  But no heavier than electric scooters that I looked at. And you have a bike.

I had a small powerful torchlight (note to self - it needs to be replaced) on the front for nightfall bathroom runs. 

As well obviously I use it to take park roadways to meet the guys at the waterfront.

In this scenario, I compress my walking poles and stow in the carry bag.  Even short, the poles are too long for my carry basket or panniers. So have attached a long braided strap to the bag so that i can ride with it cross body. I have in a pinch stuffed the compressed poles under the 2 bungies that are around the battery on the rat trap. They stick out funny, but are pretty solidly on there. That way after I lock up the bike, I have a way to walk around.

In addition to camping, I pack this little ebike for daytrips to visit relatives where we might want to go to a neighbourhood park, etc. Or if the young lad and I want to go to an outdoor conservation area type location. It's definitely something he and I can manage from loading to unloading.

I'll try to share a few pics of the small bike in situ in coming weeks.

For now here's one of the other half and I doing reconnaisance at the Sauble River. Back story - we took our old canoe, a solid fibreglass barge of a thing, back to his mom's cottage. Getting it down to the river involved the painful procedure of loading it on top of the van for what ended up being a lame paddle where the kids where too hot and wanted to bail early. In addition, the boat launch was packed with trucks, people queuing up to put in their boats and jet skis, etc. And you can't park nearby. And there's a parking fee and a computerized meter. It would sure be a lot easier if we biked the canoe down.

At home we use our Wike Bikes kayak cart to get down to the little lake in town. Saves loading the canoe on top for sure a short 'portage.' With this in mind, we have a couple of options for making better use of the old canoe up there.

1) We can put in up near the falls. If we lock up the ebike near the dock first, one of us can ride back up to the falls and bring the van down. By using the ebike, it can be a fairly fast trip and the boaters wouldn't have as long a wait.

Or 2) We can tow the canoe with bike straight from the cottage, lock up all the bikes when we get to dock, and hop on the bikes and tow back when we're done. It really depends on where you want to start and end up.

We have a 2nd seat post hitch. We supplied a small portage cart when we brought  the old canoe back. We can buy another tow bar from Wike, and have a 2nd towing arrangement up there.

I did find in the past that pulling the old canoe behind the folding bike was hard.  The small bike frame didn't have the heft of the trike to resist sway of the canoe. It threw my stability off. I'd have to try it again. My stability may be a bit more solid in the past couple of years. We have a different way of attaching the canoe to the tow bar. As a fall back, the other half can tow the canoe quite easily with his un-motorized bike.

But as you can see, there are a number of options that make using the canoe an added bonus to the trip, rather than regretting that you can't use it.

So just sharing the evolution of our thinking and practical findings on summer tripping with the bikes.

Cheers!

Dynamite customer service from Clean Republic

Easter weekend 2017

Just want to post a quick note for the record about a recent terrific customer experience I had with Clean Republic.

As you know, I love the trike. It was given to me by my brother. He didn't need it any more after his knee surgery. It's kind of big and weird, and i didn't know how much i would really use it. Answer - ALL THE TIME!

The one problem with the trike is that the battery is super heavy. It's 3 cells in a sort of plastic shark egg case. My friends over at Cycle Electric were great about testing the electrical, and recommending a new controller and charger when I was first getting it back on the road. I have a couple of other bike batteries that are lighter. CE said he could make me an adapter from the trike controller to my Solo Rock battery - which he felt was compatible with the trike - if i brought him the parts. I know right, I was a bit bipolar with that news. Complicated enough solution that, suffice it to say, I have not procured the parts.

I wrote to a couple of other local-ish outfits companies asking for help and advice. I actually did not get an answer back. At all.

After more mulling, I wrote to Clean Republic with my question. Exchanged a few emails with attached pics of the machine with Mark, who seemed to take the problem seriously.  His workaround is that CR has compatible a lithium battery that would cut the weight in half. Ok that would be more money than a patch cable to the batteries I already have. But it's a good option for when these batteries kick the bucket or  i just can't deal with the weight any more. My bro had said you have to be careful with patching in the electrical or you can blow the motor, etc. So likely the patch was a long shot anyway.

But I felt really positive after this experience. Sometimes you invest in something a bit weird and wonderful like an electric bike, and you don't know where you will get help when it might break down.

I try to source local. But in all honestly, I have to tell you that having people to go to who take the time to look into your problem and help find a solution in  timely manner is golden. It makes you feel like you're not alone out there. The ebike won't be left gathering dust in your garage with the first electrical problem.

So I feel confident that if anyone asked me where to get a trike like mine, I could in fine conscience say, get a basic trike from Can Tire and add a CR Hilltopper Kit to it.

I see the  current price on Can Tire's Schwinn Meridian trike is $479. I've seen it on sale, so put it on your sale alerts. O keep you eye peeled for it at yard sales. Or police bike auction? And go ahead an get the 26" Hilltopper kit. The 26" kit with econo battery is $499.

So I know the cost feels like it's like it's getting up there. But there are 2 great things about the trike. The huge basket means you can carry a ton of stuff - like the kid's softball gear, a couple of planters from the garden centre, your empties from the Beer Store, maybe a pet if you put down some plywood, a dog bed and fasten a harness (you've gotta know your pet) - you name it. The other thing is, the stability of this bike gives you a longer cycling season.  So when the hardtop is clear but slick after a shoulder season pass of the snow plow, I have no hesitation at all about taking out the trike - I never worry about wiping out. 

I talked to my bro when the other half and I needed to get a new vehicle. A small truck was one option. Bro says, do you just want a little grocery getter. I said, I don't need a grocery getter - I've got the trike! It's a solid machine that basically replaces a car for running errands around town. It's not light. So I take the Schwinn Tango folding bike with the SoloRock ebike kit camping. It lifts up decently well into the back of the van. It's heavier than you'd expect, but tons lighter than the trike. Ultimately the trike serves it's purpose, and I think putting an electric kit on an adult trike is a good option and worth the money.

I'm not just schilling here. Because I feel that with the kit comes a support team that doesn't leave you stranded.

Thus endeth the lesson. Peace out and ride on :)

PS - One more reason I like the trike. This won't be a common usage for most people. But our town has a little lake (basically a reservoir or mill pond that's been there for 100 yrs.) It's less than 10 mins by bike. Last yr we made a lot of trips with our Wike Kayak kit. This is a set of wheels and tow bar for hauling a kayak or small canoe by bike. I like the trike for this. Taking the bike means i don't have to load a boat on to the top of my van. And taking the trike means that if i feel a bit overextended after paddling, I can coast home with no worries.

Cool job opp for outdoorsy ppl!

Anyone interested in this?!!!

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