Downtube Folder Upgrade - DEPLOY!

OK, so a set of road bars hanging around beckon... a set of brifters and the SRAM X9 rear DR go up for sale fetching a decent amount to get new levers, etc... a rummage through the parts bin nets some tape and a stem... BOOOOM!

Upgradeitis - a bad disease to be sure for cyclists. This latest bout of upgrade fever netted a conversion to road bars for the Downtube 9FS, and it's pure awesome. With a single bar end for the rear shifting, indexes are crisp and silent friction mode is pure bliss. Multiple grip points are great over the flat bar that came off the bike.

To match with the bar ends a Shimano rear DR was in order, so on went an Alivo M430. Not a very pricey unit, but it does the job exactly as it is supposed to and is a nice build. Not sure there is a reason to go fancier in this department.

For stopping power and hoods for the 'ol hands a set of Tektro RL520's went on the front. These match up great with the Avid disc brakes and have awesome feel. For added stopping in the urban traffic a set of Tektro RL720 cross levers complete the package.

Pop in a Sprintech drop bar mirror - which is "OK" in my opinion but gets the job done relatively well, and the hands are very happy.

Again the Big Apples Win

Nothing like a nice HOT (70's) day in Portland to wheel out the cycle for several loop rides. Decided to take the Downtube out and give it a spin on identical loops containing sections of flats and some nice rolling hills, with a few steep grades but nothing really that requires me to git the largest or smallest cog. The first loop was performed with the Duranos and then again with the Big Apples.

Of course, first things first - my conclusion is that the bike just looks better with the Big Apples:

Ready to ROLL!

The results are pretty clear here. Loop number one returned an average speed of 15.4 MPH. After a swap to the Big Apples, the same routs returned an average speed of 15.7 MPH. Hmmm. And before you think about it - each time I set the computer after a careful roll out of the tires to account for the different widths.

Just like on my recumbents, it appears that hard and skinny tires are not necessarily faster than their wider counterparts. Not only that, but the comfort level on loop number 2 was improved significantly over the Duranos. In addition, cornering was smoother and the overall ride was just better. The Big Apples are just so buttery smooth the bike just seems to roll forever with less effort.

A final observation that follows from my recumbent experience with these wider tires relates to safety. Inevitably there is that one pothole you are going to hit. Most of us after all ride 99% of the time on the streets and not groomed tracks. On the Duranos I never quite felt completely at ease rolling into unknown territory. With the Big Apples obstacles are less a mental burden and hitting that pothole is not near as frightening of an experience.

Looks like again I will be sticking with the "wider is better" mantra even on two wheels.

So there you have it.

Folder in the House!

New steed deserves a new post. Particularly since this is not a recumbent. I have gone to the dark old upright side for this ride - something I would not have believed I would do a handful of years ago.

Less than $150 (good old Craigslist) netted me a used Downtube 9FS. After adding a few upgrades and swapping out a few parts from the 'ol bin, this is one sweet upright ride. And as a bonus it folds down to something I can toss in the back of a small trunk.

So far so good - getting used to riding a small wedgie seat has taken a while, and there is no way this ride will be replacing the comfort of a recumbent for any type of distance ride. But this is a nice bike to pop in and out of town, weave around the 'hood, and... well for the price it is hard to resist.

Front and rear suspension = smooth ride (for an upright folder) and disc brakes = STOP NOW!

The drivetrain of this bike needed a full upgrade - and luckily the parts bin had enough stuff in it to make (nearly) the entire swap - SRAM X9 read DR, X9 trigger shifter, BB7 disc brakes, and a new bar/tape, etc. Upped the chainring to an FSA 50T with a Driveline chain bashguard (bling!) and this baby pedals smooth.

Nothing beats some chainring and pedal bling. When they make the ride smoother thats a bonus! :)

One change that I found necessary was removing the flimsy folding pedals. They were just too slippery. I thought of adding some good old eggbeaters, but decided on nice sticky platforms to retain the "hop on and GO" utility. The package is still compact enough when folded even with these pedals so all is good.

SRAM X9 is crisp and Duranos keep the rubber side down.

Going with Duranos was also an out of character choice here, as I really prefer the cush of wider tires like Big Apples. Short time will tell if the Duranos work, and I plan on a handful of same-route rides with these and then with a swap to Big Apples. Given it has the front and rear suspension, maybe that will be enough.

Origin 8 Pro Uno saddle looks cool and rides nice.

Now, being a recumbent rider I am the last person who should be commenting on the ride qualities of an upright bike, but this thing if pretty comfortable for short to medium distances. I am not quite used to the wedgie seat but the Origin 8 I slapped on seems to do the trick while looking pretty cool.

All folded and ready to go!

So my first foray back into an upright goes well so far. Not as svelte and teeny as a folding Brompton, but for the price of something like that I could have had 7 of these bikes. Not bad at all.

The ULTIMATE Folding Trike!

OK, Via the infamous bentrideronline site, I have fallen in love with what appears to be the next evolution of the folding trike.

Evolve Trikes has built what appears to be the niftiest folding trike in the universe. One of the major concerns and comments I get with out current trike stable is, "how do you carry those around?" Evolve Trikes seems to be solving that problem.

Check out the video below of this trike folding in record time and being placed into the back of a SMART CAR! Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie one!!! Sadly this trike is not in production yet, but I am really hoping it makes the leap soon - this one is a must have for a family of trike riders.

Tent Choice For Cycle Oregon - Home Away From Home

Decided to put a word here for anyone looking at finalizing a tent choice for the week ride. I feel we have now landed on what could be the most amazing tent we have ever seen.

One thing I have learned on all my CO trips to date: the choice of home away from home is VERY important to your overall enjoyment.

Over the weekend ride, we used a new Coleman 6 man tent - the Naugatuck 6 - and we were somewhat disappointed for many reasons, even though it is a nice tent. But it just did not suit the needs for our family.  So it went on Craigslist as soon as it had dried out and the search for the ultimate week long Cycle Oregon tent resumed.

Today in the living room after making plenty of space I did a test setup of our new Marmot Limestone 6. We decided to buy this one after seeing the video at the link. If you are looking for a tent - this is the one in my opinion. It could be the last tent you ever buy. This thing is HUGE due to the design of the dome with vertical walls provided via "brow poles" that sit up top. There are near 3 foot vestibules on each end. This is indeed a first class tent that packs to a reasonable size. It is a Cycle Oregon castle!

There are several words that can easily describe this tent: Simple setup. Massive. Tall. Full fly. Ventilation. Storage. It seems the Marmot folks have thought of everything. Another bonus is that it is a freestanding design that goes up fast - even in the confines of the living room it went up in less than 10 minutes. Given another 5 for fly attachment and staking this tent could be up in 10-15 minutes tops without even rushing. Hot.

We are very excited to give this a shot here in September. Yes it seems odd to post a tent review before its actual use outdoors - but having camped for several years and sampled many tents this one takes first prize and I am sure it will fare well.

Marathons for the GT3

Well after CO Weekend experiencing 7 flats, one of the GT3's has received new rubber. Seven (7) flats on the Greenspeed Scorcher tires was more than I could bear. The Marathons went on without hassle (no tool install - YES!) and looks pretty darned good. Reflective stripes on the sidewalls = bonus.

We will see soon how they fare flat wise and performance wise.

Building Some Sugar Sweet Wheels!

Earlier this month I took the opportunity to get a new skill by taking a wheel building class through Sugar Wheel Works. Building wheels has been the holy grail of skills for me in the cycling world - I just love wheels and find the entire process fascinating.

These are replacements for the single wall stock rims on the B1 (stocks will serve as back up set) and I decided to go with:

Aeroheat 406 rims
SRAM X7 hubs
Black straight gauge spokes
Blue anodized nipples

Instructing the class was wheel builder extraordinaire Jude Kirstein. What a great class! They are small and it is like having a personal 1 on 1 expert session. It cannot get better than that. I have now had some time to roll around on the wheels and have to say - riding around on wheels that you have built yourself is an interesting feeling. I am not sure any other cycling "cycling mechanic" activity has been as satisfying. It's one thing to make a repair - or even build up a bike from a frame, but riding on personally built wheels is really cool. The SRAM X7 rear hub is near silent, which is a very very nice thing to have on a recumbent and when you would rather enjoy the sounds of nature versus the clacking of the hub while coasting. In fact, I am thinking strongly about riding this rear wheel on the QNT for Cycle Oregon as it is soooooo quiet!

The build process was not near as scary as I thought - quite methodical and step by step really. Follow the process. Tweak it down to the fine detail at the end. Don't skip steps or cut corners. Excellent. It was a lot of fun and the tedious portions at the end of the truing process are the best - you can feel the wheel getting dialed to perfection!

Here are some shots of the process and the finished wheels. Anyone looking to gain a new skill should check out the classes offered at Sugar Wheel Works!

GT3 gets the wood treatment!

The allure of wood is strong. I don't know what it is - I just love the look of these beauties, so the GT3 is now sporting a set of Woody's Custom Cycling Fenders to keep the road ick off. Check it:

As with the QNT and the B1, the fenders do what they are supposed to and look cool in the process. The front fenders are mounted to the stock Greenspeed mounts, and the entire setup weighs a smidgen less than the old plastic fenders.

Like the delicious icing on the scrumptious cake - Woody's fit the bill!

Review: Crank Brothers Acid Pedals

I have been using Crank Brothers eggbeater pedals for a handful of years now. Prior to that I used Eggbeater Candy pedals on all of my recumbents.

I originally ditched the Candy pedals due to an inability to get that "instant unclip" on my two-wheel recumbents. A few super steep climbs I did the very sad "stall and fall" as I was unable to unclip in time. Sigh... the issue was my show tread catching on the surround part of the pedal. Well, that and inexperience. Either way, switching to regular eggbeaters caused that problem to go away. But after several years on the minimalist eggbeaters I have noticed that on the really long and steep sections I get a bit of pain in the bottom of my foot. Since I do not ride uber-stiff CF soled road shoes, I decided to get something that would provide a bit more support.

Good lookin' pedals!

Enter the Crank Brothers Acids  2 pedals. It was a decision between the new Candy, Acids, and Mallets. Seeing them in person, the new Candy pedals are really really nice. The Mallets looked huge to me. Larger than even good size BMX platforms. The Acids fell somewhere in-between. As a bonus, they came in red that was a perfect match for the QNT. Sweet bling!

The pedals provide a great amount of support for my shoe. The first ride where I hit any incline made this quite obvious to me. I was able to put a bit more power down without "feeling" the pedal at the bottom of my foot. The clip in and release action is not as clean as the plain eggbeaters, but this is really a non issue on the trike. No stalling. No falling.

Acids: FSM approved!

How about riding without clipless shoes? I tried this, and the Acids really do not fit this use very well. Too slippery and not enough "real estate" for use with the ordinary tennis shoes. Maybe if going down the block... but on a trike it is best to have your feet clipped in anyway to avoid the dreaded "leg suck" should your foot slip off. Maybe Mallets would be better for the non-clip use.

So if you are looking for a bit more support for your feet but not a pedal that looks like a massive fly swatter attached to your cranks, the Acids are worth a try, especially if you already are a fan of the CB eggbeaters!

Manage the CARBS!

Since embarking on the Paleo diet for over a month, one thing constantly on my mind was how to keep tabs on the amount of carbs I was eating. In the movie "Fat Head", an excel spreadsheet appears to be in use to track carbs. That's a bit too old school for me and a real hassle. Surely there must be a modern alternative - designed with a sole purpose in mind - keeping tabs on your carbohydrate intake.

Enter a brief search on the iTunes app store to discover Carb Manager. After taking a leap and using this app all I can say is this - it's the real deal. If you are doing a Paleo, Zone, Atkins, or any other sort of low carb diet this is the app you NEED today. If you are not on a low carb diet the information this app provides is still incredibly useful. If you don't have an iPhone then you need one so you can put this gem of an app to good use immediately.

Now, I have downloaded a slew of diet and exercise apps over a year - designed to keep tabs on calorie intake, calories burned, food eaten, etc, etc, etc. All of them were kind of "meh" at the end of the day. I will call these other apps "single use apps" similar to "single use kitchen gadgets" - in that after the first use to justify the expenditure you never use them again.

Carb Manager is an app that you will go to on a daily basis if you are serious about tracking your carb intake. For $3 you get an app that does just about everything in an information rich, yet simple to use interface. About the only thing it won't do is prevent you from shoving all those carbs down your gullet. Lets be honest - it's hard to avoid carbs in today's modern "we put CORN in EVERYTHING" diet. This app lets you keep tabs and make wiser decisions. Seeing the bar graph fill up to your individually determined "carb max" for the day is a real incentive. If you go over and see the green bar turn red - well you start to think ahead for tomorrow - need to make better choices. Something about keeping tabs and "writing things down" helps immensely in this regard.

Lets take a look at what your 3 bills gets:

The first step is to add your individual settings and set a carb max. Make it whatever you want depending on your goals. The app asks for some basic information and can be edited at any time.

Ready to add what you are eating, or make some choices based on the data BEFORE you put the pie in the hole? Select the "Foods" tab and either go by category as shown above, or do an individual search. There is a LOT of stuff within these individual categories and at first it takes a bit of time to sift through the information to find the right thing. Once you do and add a food item to your log, it shows up under a "recent search" menu. 

Once you find the food you ate (or will eat) you hit "Ate It Today" and are presented with a choice of what meal or as a snack. Forget to add an item yesterday? Just hit the left arrow at the bottom to change the button to "Ate It Yesterday." Keep hitting that left arrow to go back in time and add it on a specific date. Hit the right arrow to "Will Eat Tomorrow" or keep hitting that arrow to set up that food for your future. Slick. Turns out you like to eat this particular item a lot? Hit the star button near the top right to add it to your favorite food list to make finding it again easier.

The great thing about this app is the clear and graphic nature. Hmmm, should I eat this 22g Net Carb crepe? Thats a lot of "green" in that pie chart methinks... Are you close to your carb max? Hit "Log" for a quick look. Does the crepe have any redeeming nutritional qualities to justify the indulgence? Hit "Full Nutritional Info" and then decide - crepe or not to crepe? (Hint: PASS!)

Under the "Log" tab you will have a daily read of your total carb intake compared to your set maximum after you add your foods. Excellent. As a bonus, you get to see all the other important information like calorie intake, total fat, and protein.

Overshoot your max for the day and you get a red graph. Don't worry, no alarm bells go off and your iPhone wont taze you, but seeing your log go from green to red is a bit of a bummer. My May 20 was "Epic Fail" on my goal. It is actually pretty amazing what seeing the graph will do to affect your eating choices. At the top menu you can hit "Food" to be taken a level deeper:

Wonder what specifically you had for dinner? Here it is. If you want to see the deeper nutritional information for a specific item, just tap the right arrow and you will see a breakdown of that individual food. Neat.

Hitting the overall "Nutrition" tab at the top lets you see in explicit detail where you are with all of your vitamins, minerals, fat, cholesterol, etc. There are 32 nutrients here. Are you getting your Iron? Getting your daily allowance of Folate? Vitamin K? Now you will know. This information is very interesting to watch over the course of your meals.

Over time, you can track your carb intake compared to your set max via the "Graph" tab. See what days you bombed and do better next time. Most excellent.

Information freaks fear not - total carb intake isn't the only thing this app graphs. When you fist go into "Graph" you select what you want to see. Carbs is only one of a slew of choices. See also your fat intake, protein intake, fiber, sugar, cholesterol, as well as all the vitamins and minerals! If you are tracking your weight, you can graph that as well.

Three bills goes a long way for all of this information. I think I have finally found an app that is easy enough to use that I can stick with it. Carb Manager is easy to use and packs an impressive amount of information. I highly recommend checking it out.

Idle Me This...

Nothing beats adding some bling to your bike more than adding some functional bling. The kind that not only looks killer but also makes an immediate and noticeable improvement in your ride quality. Enter here the Terracycle titanium tooth idler.

TC Idler = Smooooooth

This is the "premium" version of their idler wheel. They also offer an aluminum cog "sport" version for a bit less money. Before I get into the reasons I installed this, I will say that on nearly all of my recumbents I have installed Terracycle idlers. I feel that in every case they have added a level of smoothness and quiet to the drivetrain.

On the B1, the results were equal to those on my other bikes. Immediately I noticed a much quieter drivetrain through the idler section. The OEM ICE idler is not a piece of junk, mind you, but even after only 300 or so miles it had started to show obvious wear grooves. Nor was it very quiet. The Terracycle idler really made an improvement in this area.

A bit of functional bling goes a long way to creating a quieter ride.

Another thing that was immediately noticeable was a much smoother flow of the chain. Since the idler is a gear - as opposed to just a rubber roller - the drivetrain flows much smoother. Why? Well the chain just goes easier over a gear as opposed to chewing into a flat rubber surface under tension. Some may debate this, but after seeing the wear that results on flat surface OEM idlers on my bikes in the past (a LOT) versus the wear on my older Terracycle idlers (little if any I can notice) I am sold.

Terracycle sells idler kits for a lot of recumbent bike and trike makes. I highly recommend them. For the B1, there was no specific kit, but ordering up the proper size idler for a direct swap replacement was simple and always an option.

Hey, Sweet Fenders!

Over the winter I had the opportunity to give a good test to my Woody's Fenders on the QNT. They work great and as a bonus they look awesome. For many weeks of riding locally in PDX the fenders have had a real share of Portland wet. I am pleased to say they still look like new and are holding up great.

No rain today but looking good for it - just in case... it is Oregon after all.

It wasn't until the recent Monster Cookie ride in Salem, however, that I realized Cody's great fenders are also a real attention getter. Lots of "cool wood fenders!" from people on the approach. Added bling = added visibility I suppose.

The irony is that the weather was clear as a bell, but I decided to sport the fenders for the Cookie anyway. Given that this years Cycle Oregon is on the coast, I want to have some long mileage with these fenders to see how they stay put and to eliminate any rattles, etc. that may arise. Last years CO only had one day where I wished for the fenders (left them at home) but this year riding on the coast = fenders are on the must pack list.

They see me rollin... dry.

One day of riding a trike in the wet rain - leaning into corners only to receive an eyewash with wet road grit is one day too many. Normally on a day ride from home I will go without if the weather is good, but a week ride in Oregon allows too many days for possible rain. Sorry weather guy - can't trust you all on a week out forecast.

So - good to go to date on the fenders. Wood = trick looks and effective. Surprisingly light too. One of the benefits of being on the trike is that I can let go of the inner weight weenie and go in 100 percent style.

Time lapse with the Go Pro HD

I can not wait to use this camera on this years Cycle Oregon. Finally have the time lapse tricks ironed out and will be using this ability to capture a setup of an entire Cycle Oregon camp! That will be a great addition to the eventual 2011 video. :)

Here is my short sample of a time lapse at the beach...

Bell Citi Helmet - The Right One

Finding a cycling helmet that works for you is a very personal thing. It is likely that one brand will fit your head, while another will make you feel like your head has been shoved into a vice. For this reason trying on helmets before you buy is a wise idea. A while back I decided to try out a Bell Citi helmet - and after a few months of use I am glad to say I tried it.

The first bonus of this helmet is its rounded shape. There has been some reports that pointy helmets, while very flashy looking, can increase the incidence of rotation injury in an accident, as the pointy shapes catch on the road surface, etc. See this link for a great resource on all things bike helmet.

A second bonus of this helmet is that I can fit my small ipod speakers right into two of the front vents. In the picture above you can just see one in the vent. Having some inspirational tunes on th eroad without the need for headphones? Priceless. The ability to have this sort of setup right on the helmet to easily go from trike to bike? Icing on the cake!

The helmet I went for is super high visibility yellow. Definitely plus points in the "dork" factor but if that means more visibility then so be it! This helmet has adequate vents without feeling too wide open, and thats even with me clogging up a few of the vents for tunes. the visor is a great addition and goes on and off the helmet with ease and is easily stored. On my past helmets I have usually pulled off the visor and lost it in the toolbox, but for the Citi I decided to leave it on. I was quite surprised how effective it is in keeping the rays (when they are shining!) out of the eyes.

Other notable features are a great head strap adjusting ratchet that works well and a rear mount for a blinkie. It should be noted that this helmet is slated to be DISCONTINUED, so get one now - BUT it is going to be replaced by a model named the Muni, which will have an even better adjustment system than the Citi.

For a closer look at these new helmets take a peeky peek here:

Overall a great helmet for commuting - but good for weekend warrior and or club riding as well. It won't net you any "Lance points" for style, but oh well. Plus, it's much more satisfying to pull up alongside the full kit guys in a bright yellow rounded lid like the Citi before slamming it into the big ring and taking off anyway!

ICE Ergo Mesh Seat & Headrest - Icing on the Cake

The ICE B1 is a great little ride. I was saddened by the news that ICE has decided to discontinue it. A folding recumbent that is very easily adjustable on the fly and ultra comfortable is quite rare. With the absence of the B1 from the market I don't see another easily found commercial recumbent that fits the needs of the "does it all with aplomb" category. That is really a shame. Maybe the future we will see the return of an ICE two wheeler.

Anyway, what better thing to do than make an already awesome bike even more awesome? This is exactly what happened when I swapped my "regular" ICE mesh for the new ICE "ergo mesh"design. Holy smokes it does make a difference - in looks, ride, and utility! To make the seat 100% complete I installed my spare ICE headrest.

The side padding of this new seat mesh truly adds a lot of comfort - it is easy to get centered in the seat and relax. There is a secure feeling that comes from settling into this new seat. You will also note in the image above the holes in the top of the cover - for adding flags. Since this will mainly be going on trikes from now on, that is a nice thing to have. The stress points for the cover where it attaches to the frame are very beefy - I foresee zero issues with wear on this cover.

To add to the awesomeness, the top of the seat has an incorporated pouch, with a waterproof zipper. The pouch is not big enough to swallow the likes of a Road Morph pump, but the smaller Morph pumps would fit for sure - as well as a spare tube, your keys, phone, spare cash, tins of Altoids, energy bar, or other small items. This is a real welcome addition - there are always small things around you need to carry. :)

Throwing the headrest on is a pure bonus - I have been enjoying the seat at the second recline adjustment point, so a headrest is not really necessary. However, when the seat is tipped back it is a welcome addition. Like everything else on ICE recumbents, the headrest is easily adjustable with a simple compact tool. Hard to know what I might try to add or tweak next - this is easily the most comfortable two wheeler I have been on. Full on Zen-cruising comfort - attained.

Northwave Cycling Sandals

Cycling shoes are a pretty personal thing - the fit needs to be just right, especially if you are looking at long days of riding - and especially for multiple days. For many years I have used sandals, specifically a pair of Nashbar Ragsters and recently a pair of Sette cycling sandals. (The Ragsters and the Sette's are basically the exact same sandal, with the only difference being an adjustable heel strap on the Ragsters)

I recently came across a new pair of cycling shoes on ebay. They are the Northwave "Shark" cycling sandal. I had not heard of this brand before, but had actually been on the lookout for something with a closed toe. These seemed to look OK, though I found very few decent reviews on this specific sandal.

I decided to take a gamble and order a pair. After a handful of weeks using this new footwear I am quite impressed. They have a great fit and are of decent quality. They are comfortable to walk in and are reasonably stiff. They have a bit of odd flash to their appearance but not any stranger than some sneakers out there today. I have not had any point pressure issues using Eggbeater pedals with these, either.

One note is that with the Eggbeater pedal cleats I had to use the shorter length mounting screws.

Now, these things are not meant for the criterium, so we are talking casual riding here, or possibly some decent club riding use. The best thing is that they breathe quite nicely, and as sandals with a lot of open area are nice and cool in the summer. I can see that I will be using these exclusively when that (finally) gets here. Durability will be "too be determined" but so far so good.

Bling review: ICE Computer Mount

I had figured my computer mount on the ICE trike was pretty slick - sitting on top of a NOB mount just inside the left handgrip. Occasionally I would bump it though with my leg, which became a bit annoying on long rides. Then one day I came across the ICE computer mount and I had to have one:

ICE Mount as shown on ICE Website

The mount is designed to go on the front boom bottle mount, and can be used in addition to a cage. I ordered one of these up pronto and it works a treat. I only had to re-drill new holes on my aluminum bottle cage, as the cage design had it sitting too low and it interfered a bit with the computer. A standard cage however would not have this issue. Some of the need to re-drill the cage mount holes comes from the specific design of the Cateye Adventure mount design, which sticks up further from its mount as most computers, which are more centrally located on their mounts.

The computer unit fits perfect, and the view of the computer from the seat is better than I expected even though it is a lot further away than I am used to. There is no interference with the sensor (located on the left kingpin) and no more occasional bumping things with my leg on the pedal stroke!

Adventure perched on ICE super-awesome-mount. Note the Adventure is a bit larger and high-positioned than most computers.

Not all of the ICE trikes (or trikes in general) have the front boom mounts for a cage, but if yours does, this little addition is a perfect way to add a bit of bling and get your computer out of the way and in an ideal location.

New: Cateye Adventure Wireless Computer

Have had a few decent rides with the Cateye Adventure wireless computer on the B1 and it is a sure fire winner.

Wireless operation (always a plus) and an easy to read screen PLUS an altimeter and slope function. It is hard to get better than that. The feature set seems to work just great. It is quite nice to have a readout of total elevation gain for the rides!

The setup instructions for this unit could be a little easier to follow, and the buttons are not very friendly - especially when you have to press two at once. But once its good to go the operation is as simple as pressing the base of the unit in with a click to toggle through the screen options.

ICE B3 Recumbent - The Mini Review

ICE B1 - Mini Review

After spending a short time with this new steed - I have to say - I love it. The best I can say is that the B1 is everything I love about the ICE trike, (build quality, finish, comfort, etc) in the form of two wheels. It blends most things I loved about my old Burley Django SWB (low BB, lower seat height, “get on and go” riding ease, disc brakes, etc) and has none of the negatives of what caused me to sell that bike - primarily the insane to adjust Burley seat that made riding position adjustments a real test of patience. 


More miles will tell a more complete story - but lets be honest - first impressions are clearly important. Like when you try on a pair of new jeans - if they don't fit right as soon as you pull them up - they come right off. There is no "you'll get used to uncomfortableness" with other things you wear and use so it should be the same for recumbents. After riding many recumbents one gets to the point where even sitting on a bike may be enough to break the deal, let alone ride it. The B1 is like sitting in your most comfy chair. Riding is is... like riding your most comfy chair!

The B1 is very adjustable and it is done easily. There are plenty of seat angle adjustments (as you can see in the picture) taking only the flick of a QR lever. A quick adjustment of the boom will fix the seat/pedal distance depending on the desired seat angle. In my opinion, this is very handy. Climbing while sitting upright is far more comfortable to me but I like to recline a bit on the flats and downhills. Have a stiff climb ahead and sitting upright helps you relax and generate more power? Take two minutes to adjust the seat and boom of the B1 and off you go. It looks like the front boom of the B1 is the same as the ICE trikes, so a QR set would be nice there. (UPDATE) After an email to ICE, to which they always reply, they have confirmed that the front of the B1 can be equipped with the QR set for the front boom. i will be getting these here soon (thanks ICE!) and will be looking forward to on-the-fly adjustments. I will also add that the flip stem is just as easily adjusted for handlebar angle. The ICE B1 = comfort in any position!

Other features of special note: elastomer rear suspension. Enough said. Having it makes SO much difference. Once you have tried this type of setup everything else will be like riding on a hard washboard. Like the elastomer equipped ICE trikes, the B1 is like riding on a cloud. With a suspended fork the ride would be incredibly plush. I do not notice any pogo or power robbing from the rear suspension either. ICE has figured this out and it is mind numbingly simple in function - perfect!

Another feature of special note: Folding. While I may not use this feature very often, I can imagine times when it will come in handy. Our small car is not equipped with a bike rack. The B1 can simply fold and go in the trunk should I need to go somewhere with it. Folding literally takes 30 seconds or so, as evidenced via the ICE video. It works very well.

This B1 came equipped with the ICE U shaped bars, but I also have the hamster bars to try out at some point. The feel of the U bar on the B1 is great and has awesome slow speed stability. Climbing on the B1 is simple and relaxing with this setup. I have never tried a true hamster bar setup, but plan to try it on the B1 after some time. The U bars however are quite confidence inspiring with calm manners at higher speed as well. With the flip stem, getting on and off the bike is a simple affair, and the arm position is relaxed and natural without any unnecessary extension. While it may not be super aero, it is not “trucker wide” either. Since the B1 is not a race bike, it is refreshing that the folks at ICE have created a setup does not pretend to be something it isn’t. I do have to say though, with a reclined hardshell and hamster bar setup this could be like a sporty "mini-highracer" of sorts.

The mesh seat on the B1 is very comfortable, and is the same seat used for the ICE trikes. Indeed, it can be swapped to an ICE trike if desired. On the B1, the mesh seat is like a perfect cradle to pilot hard leaning corners without worry. Even at full recline, getting the feet on the ground at a stop is easy and there is no real leg interference while pedaling.

The tires seen in the pictures are not the stock Marathon Racers. I have equipped this ride with my favorite - 406 Big Apple Lites. After many hundred miles with the BA Lites on the QNT I can say they provide a very compliant ride and have great road manners. On the B1 they feel just as good, and it has a quasi "crater-hopper" look that I have grown to like. Carving hard angles on the BA’s is no problem as they have great grip. On my hard-n-skinny highracers of old, rough chipseal meant wondering if my fillings were coming out. Lesser-packed gravel roads meant a squirrelly nerve-wreaking ride. With these wide meats on the B1 and the rear elastomer this plush ride flies over the tops of softer road surfaces without worry and the occasional drain grate and constant road imperfections with ease. The 406’s accelerate very quickly, and from what I can tell, the bike holds speed just fine. With the ICE Capreo hub and cassette, there are plenty of gears for climbing and for decent top end.


The ICE rear rack is also a great feature. I had thought about taking it off in favor of a seat bag of some kind, but it is just too darned cool looking to do that. Plus I had a few handy trunk bags around, so there you go. ICE does have additional side bars that can be mounted to the rack if needed for using panniers. 

Only one odd omission exists, however: water bottle access. Sadly, there is none. I was shocked to not find a single location to mount a bottle cage. There are mounts on the front of the DR mast, but that cannot be reached while riding - at least not safely. The trunk bag I am using can easily carry one bottle, but really a stock cage mount within reach of the seat while riding is needed. My 2006 QNT has sweet raised mounts on the front of the boom - perfect for a cage. I would propose this feature be added to the B1. I am remedying the situation by adding a "Cat Cage" and some Elite VIP Bottle Cage Clamps to the front of the boom - similar to the same location as the cage mounts on my QNT.


(UPDATE) I received an email from ICE - they do have a clamp on bottle cage that fits to the back of the mesh seat rail. That should be an ideal placement for a bottle - easy to reach while riding. I will be getting one from ICE here soon. Below is a picture of this bottle cage solution from ICE:

I am very impressed with this little SWB. I was looking for a sporty, comfortable, “hop on and go” bike of artwork quality and the B1 is definitely it. Anyone looking for a compact bike that can still get up and move - while collapsing down to a manageable size for transport or storage - really should take a hard look and give this baby a test ride. The fine folks at ICE have ALWAYS been prompt and thorough in answering any questions I may have and offer excellent customer support - it is hard to find a company better out there!


Check them out!

Helmet Tunes

Every now and then it's nice to have a bit of music while riding. I am not an advocate of wearing in ear headphones while riding though, as it just makes it too difficult to hear other riders and ambient sounds critical to cycling spacial awareness.

I have long used some tiny speakers found on eBay. They are too small to be very loud but enough to get some of that hill climbing inspiration when you need it. After hitting about 17 mph or so they are drowned out by the wind. As such I use them only on occasion while riding or when relaxing on the trike at a rest stop taking pulls off a good cup of coffee.

I have typically had these clipped to my headrest. That meant I had to deal with the cord and the iPod shuffle I use, which was sometimes a pain. Lately I have been using a new setup - having the entire thing contained within the helmet.





The best thing about this setup is this: it's a "zero mod" change to the helmet. No cutting, etc was needed. Some simple Velcro - the hardcore industrial kind - holds it all in place. The tiny speakers weigh virtually nothing. My helmet is a Giro Xen and it has massive vents, so the small speakers fit just right yet do not interfere with the fit of the helmet at all.

The entire giddy up can be removed from the helmet in a matter of seconds. It sounds great for what it is used for and carries virtually zero weight penalty.

Ride (and rock) on!