Friday, 29 December 2017
Wednesday, 27 December 2017
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New Face book group for Nazca Recumbent owes
NAZCA RECUMBENT OWNERS GROUP
( UK WORLD WIDE)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2063490923938079/
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Monday, 25 December 2017
Christmas eve ride.
The tandem, This bike has to be the most interesting and challenging
bike I have ever owed and ridden, of all the bikes and trikes. And the most eventful.
As you may know from past posts, I brought it and it was a gimbal
on if it would work for me, as I had never been on a two wheeled recumbent, and
had given up riding a conventional bikes as to a loos of confidents in my ability
to be safe on them as to my eye sight condition. So went on to trikes then a
great trike Tandem, and a Velomobile, so as my friends owed two wheeled and its
was somewhat difficult to keep up with them on a trike and the Velomobile well let’s
say I was somewhat hesitant as I may hit them on a ride with it! I did own
a conventional two wheels Tandem a lovely
thorn tandem but could not find any one that wished to come out on it, and I could
not ride it on the back as to being too heavy. So I was looking at a photo of a
recumbent tandem and I decided to get one just like that, Barry was a lot of influents
in what one we went for and a help on that to get as a set up as he is the
recumbent man, and he was to be the pilot. I would not have brought it unless I
had some one I could trust as I brought the trike Tandem with Adrian in mind
and we had some great times on that lasts of good memory’s and videos. However it
was a bit of a beast and on the heavy side, you knew you had been on it after a
ride of 50 or more miles, so eventually it went to a new home in Germany, sadly I have
hot herd much back from them as to how they got on with it?
So getting the Recumbently tandem was a step into the dark. And
as you have seen on the videos it arrived and was put together and what an amazing
bike it is, and was glad I went for this as it was highly recommended as the best , and
is a very well made and designed bike.
However as you can imagine I was very nervous and a little frightened
of it, and had a few sleepless nights as we were still setting it up and so had
not been on it after seeing it, and looking at it in the garage. Ok the big day
cam, Barry finished off the set up and we wheeled it out , and attempted to
ride it and duly we both fell off it!!.
Then only after realised that the from was to short and with
my leg length set out correctly my feet jammed under the pilots seat, How I mist
that I do not know? But I did, so we had to get a spacer to put in the frame to
make it longer, which was supplied by Nazca, very quickly along with the parts
to re set it up, so I was still having some anxiety as you can imagine having fell off with only traveling
a few inches!! Which is quite funny
looking back.
So the spacer was fitted and we finally got on it again and
set off , well getting on tool me a lot of mind control and deep breathing and
we pushed off and with a wobble Barry was in control, so we set off on the learning
curve around the estate road and practising
stop and starts , then OK let’s get out on the main roads and se set off for
the café at Uxbridge, and we made it! In one peace with some laughing, and we
made in back to my Home again. A great first ride, and I felt a lot better
about it all.
We changed the cranks on the front as Barry is used to them and
needs to use short cranks, and we set off on a long ride and did 40 miles without
a problem and I gained a lot of confidents and it was a Fun ride and Barry was handling
it well but it was very evident it was
not working with me with long cranks on the back. I am used to short cranks in
my Velomobile and my trikes, so we thought OK let’s get short cranks, and again
Nazca came up great again and I brought a set from then back and front @155 length,
Barry is used to even shorter cranks so was a compromise for him.
We received the new cranks, but we had a bit of a hitch fitting
them as one spider arm did not have the lugs
to fit the triple rings on only the large and middle ring, so we fitted them on
without the small ring, and Nazca is kindly sending us the new triple arm.
So OK here we are the Christmas eve ride.
The day before Barry had fitted the cranks and pulled out
the inner cables to put some cable magic on them, to see if it made a difference
on the gear changing as it’s got a little habit of
changing its self at the moment Barry is
working on it.
So 9 am all set off
with all set up and Barry had worked out a bag on his seat for a water bladder,
and we st off to ride to Dinton as it trend
out a dead on 60 Mile ride, Fantastic the short cranks for me made a lot of difference
and there was less of a compromise in our cadences. And we got well into the
ride and confidents was up and having great fun, the Tandem was flaying and we
had over 30 MPH out of it, and all was going well as we got into learning curve,
Amazing ride. And all was well.
Then somewhat of a disaster happened right out of the blow,
and of all the years I and Barry have been riding have never encountered such a
happening, and it was Just sods law it was going to happen on this ride. we
were about 30 miles into the ride so confidents was high as we entered into a
rounder bout and as we got into it the next minute we had hit the road and
where sliding on our side!! Astonishing and what a shock! But fortunately the
most important thing the Tandem sustained
some cosmetic damage mostly on the pedals and the back handlebars and all can be
repaired and replaced, Now us ! we both have scuffed and blooded elbows Barry
hers his shin and thigh, and I have a cut and grazing on my thigh and I pulled
a muscle in my back! We put some howls in our jackets and trousers, but we both
got Up OK and waked off the pain and the shock, I went over to look at the
place where we came off and it was like glass a covering of diesel oil and rain drizzle!! A lethal combination
there was no way any bike would have stayed up on it!! We were both winded and shocked
and Barry checked over the Bike, and we both without hesitation decided to
carry on and finish the ride, so we set off again, but Barry was carful from
then on at rounder bouts and I was wincing every time we got to one to, but our confidents was dented but not
shot . and we Got to Denton, and got into the ride again, and completed the 60
miles after without a problem. We were so unfortunate to hit that roundabout it
was no fault on any one but the bastard who dropped the diesel on the road!!! You
just could ne see it.
Barry and I have ordered new jackets from amazon there on
sale there which is great, I have to get my trousers howl fixed, but the main
thing is the bike is OK. And we are both OK just feeling it a little this
morning. We still have a few little rink ale to fix on the set up, but I am
looking forward to the next ride, O and getting the small ring on the crank as
we do need it, although we have only ever had to get off once on a hill!! I was
not supposed to say that as its embarrassing! LOL
OK I am licking my wounds and it’s all part of my cycling
history here is to the new year
Happy new year every one,
This is the rout of the ride that day
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK JUST BELOW
HAPPY NEW YEAR for 2018
Monday, 4 December 2017
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