In Which I Birthday Roll on Three Wheels

 

Aug. 30--Pausing on my birthday to take a picture of my new recumbent tricycle.

A conspiracy was afoot that I caught a few hints of, but didn’t get the whole story of until after the fact. And as a result, my biking life has significantly changed.

Is there anything for a biker more exciting than new bike day? For me, my Aug. 30 birthday this year was that exciting day. Although I had gone to the neighborhood bike shop and helped pick it out, and I rode it home, I was enjoined not to ride the new bike much until it was presented the morning of my 2/3 of a century day.

And “bike” is a loose term, related to bicycle, meaning two wheels. The new bike is technically a “trike,” a recumbent tricycle. Although I think the terms “bike” and “biking” are still broad enough to cover what I do on my cool new teal vehicle.

Sept. 5--Rode to campus where I worked before I retired, mostly to make flower images there and for a restroom break on trike ride. Model of the new trike shown on frame.

Tricycle parked at MMU bike rack.

Trike brand.

Me, reflected in campus building window.

The conspiracy started in January when I had heart bypass surgery. I’m getting up there in years, and while I was in the hospital, or so I’m told, one of my sisters suggested to my wife that maybe a trike would help me continue to roll as I become, shall we say, more mature. My children, my sister and my wife pooled resources to pull this off (a trike is an investment).

I have long been open to the idea of getting a recumbent tricycle. My four-person RAGBRAI group—comprised of my two younger sisters, a brother-in-law and me—has three members who ride trikes. They are slow uphill and fast downhill, and can stay even with this slow biker on the flats. And my teammates can ride all day without feeling the sore butt that bicycle riders must endure. An advantage to trikes.

A three-wheeled trike is, by its nature, more stable than a bicycle. Second advantage, one that grows more important as I age.

There are a few disadvantages, however. A trike is a larger vehicle than a bike, with a more substantial frame—add more metal, more structure, to anything and you add weight. And a recumbent tricycle is lower to the ground, which enhances its aerodynamics, but also means car drivers don’t see you as well. Nor, because you as the biker are lower, do you see them as well.

On balance, whether a tricycle makes sense depends on who you are and what kind of biker you are. I do a significant portion of my riding on bike trails, and a tricycle is perfect for that riding environment. And I haven’t given up bicycles. Just today (today being a loose term for when I first drafted this post, not the day I published it), I went for a bicycle ride on my hybrid bike because I was going to stop at a gym for a while. There is some street riding to get there. For in-town commuting via streets, I’m still going to ride a bicycle.

My sister Cate precedes me on Labor Day ride north on Cedar Valley Nature Trail.

Visiting new bike trail at Cedar Lake with new tricycle Aug. 31.

I parked trike outside during family lunch Aug. 31, when I came out for second ride, I had a visitor on the tricycle.

New trail at Cedar Lake, seen Aug. 31 while riding tricycle.

But I’ve also really enjoyed the new trike. I had decided well in advance of my birthday that, due to my wacky health history this year including heart bypass surgery and a follow-up procedure, I would split my usual birthday bike ride. I turned 67 this year on Saturday, Aug. 30, and I decided any rides Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday could count as birthday rides.

Well, I rolled way over that 67-mile goal, with most of those miles ridden on three wheels. On Friday, I rode my hybrid bike 12.86 miles. Then, on my birthday, I broke the trike for 20.6 miles. Then, on Sunday, I rode twice, 6.59 miles in the morning and 18.34 miles later in the afternoon (there was a very enjoyable family birthday lunch that day, hence the two rides). My sister, who lives in town and is on Team Joe, went on a 32.59 trike ride with me on Labor Day.

Counting all four days of my birthday weekend, I rode 90.98 miles. Just on the new trike alone, I put in 78.12 miles. All in all, a good 67^th birthday ride!

A few bike ride images to show I have not neglected by two-wheel steeds. On Sept. 2, I used my mountain bike to ride the Sac and Fox Trail, including one of the side mountain bike trails--although the limestone trail itself is best ridden with a mountain bike.

My mountain bike parked at south end of Sac and Fox Trail. I rode the Fancy Beast on the trail after parking at north end--after rest I had to ride the 7 miles back to the start. The ride was a bit over 14 miles, due to added distance from also riding a mountain bike trail beside the main trail.

In Marion, there is a side trail east of the Boyson Trail. It's been closed for months due to a large city utility project, but on Aug. 29, on my first birthday ride, I noticed it was again open. Bicycle on that trail. I don't know if I will trike this trail--tricycle may be too wide for a narrow bridge at one end of the trail.

Fixed the chain on my ancient (1970s vintage) tandem bike--wife and daughter and grandson rode a couple of miles with me on my birthday. My grandson and daughter rode this bike, after the derailed chain was put back in place. The biggest part of the project was removing and putting back on the chain guard (not shown, this is just after I fixed the chain).