I find it beneficial to understand the person behind a blog. To that end, I have published this page. Like most of us, I find talking about myself uncomfortable. Hence this is only the bare bones explaining my interest in recumbent trikes. Feel free to ask questions below if you want to know more. Not sure why you would 🙂
In the Beginning
In 1989 I was involved in a motor vehicle accident that left me with mobility problems from my right leg. It makes exercise challenging and often painful.
In the early days, I tried swimming – with my arms only. In the colder climate of Canberra, there were heated pools. When we moved to Queensland, I found it too frigid to swim in winter. Besides, swimming is boring.
I spent a few years playing golf – improving from atrocious to just plain crap. Walking the terrain was damaging to my arthritic right knee – to the extent I required surgery.
My next experiment involved riding a bicycle – using electric assist to make up for my leg weakness when faced with hills. My right leg does not bend as far, so I used a crank shortener. Even with the shortener, I had to put my seat so high that stopping involved a drop to the ground. Apart from these problems, I don’t know how anyone can ride long distances on those silly seats – and I tried a variety of types.
My Venture into the World of Recumbent Trikes
My move to a recumbent trike was triggered by my partner. Mary-Anne had a couple of minor spills that could have been worse. I wanted to find a way to solve all our problems. In my research, I found articles on recumbent trikes. The downside was that there were no suppliers in Brisbane.
We had a holiday at the Dubbo Zoo coming up. It is a giant zoo that allows you to ride around. I wanted us to ride it together.
We flew to Sydney, and both tried a few models. I chose an HP Velotechnik Gekko fx at an exorbitant price. Mary-Anne refused to double that figure and get one for herself. Fortunately, a Catrike Villager was advertised on Gumtree at a very reasonable price. We were all set to go.
On a ride in a small town along the way, Mary-Anne experienced the horror of leg suck. We both quickly moved to clipless shoes. Now that I know more, I realise that the boom length was too long for her – even at its shortest setting.
I found the hills hard going. I was puffing like a steam engine riding up to the university in Armidale. In contrast, Mary-Anne, at half my weight, had no difficulties at all. I correctly surmised it was fitness, but there was another factor. The gearing on the Gekko was for a lean, fit twenty-something, not an overweight, partially disabled, much older rider. Only 8 years later, when riding and comparing the two trikes, I understood the difference.
Improving My Trikes by Experimentation
After an ankle operation and a pulmonary embolism, I was back in Canberra for a contract. A “PE” takes a long time to recover from. I struggled to ride to work. I chose to electrify both bikes – using Bafang crank mounted motors.
The eAssist system worked a treat. I was able to ride for two and later three hours a day commuting. It was some exercise, but not much compared to muscle-only pedal pushing.
More illness ended my time in Canberra. We moved ourselves to Toowoomba. Mary-Anne is still working while I needed to find my path. After a couple of false starts, I began riding again – and looking for a way to improve my rides.
A Greenspeed Magnum BW purchase allows me to experiment on a stock recumbent. I changed the pedals, cassette and crankset to make riding easier. The Bafang driven trikes can be more easily ridden without power by restoring the front derailleur – even with only two crank rings.
I hate information loss, so I am recording my discoveries here in the hope that they will help others.