Triking in the rain

Well, not really.

Now that the rain has been kept me indoors, I haven't been able to ride the trike much at all. I never really believed in trainers. The only thing worse than riding a stationary bike indoors is driving your car to the gym to ride a stationary bike.

Unfortunately, I really need to build myself up and with my gym membership canceled, a trainer may be my only choice. Most bicycle trainers require the rear drive wheel to be secured to the device. Since I have a smaller wheel size (20") than the typical 26" or 700mm of road/mountain bikes, I can't use those.

Rollers will be my only choice. Can you believe this one made by Sportscrafters is the cheapest one and it's still priced at $165 + tax + shipping. That's close to $200 for two metal bars and "rollers."




Time to look at the used market to see if I can get my hands on one of these. Even previously enjoyed models are still $100. I might have to make one.

UPDATE: 3/18/11
I got it! The Hostel Shoppe has their own classified ads. Someone from the forums referred me to this site and I eventually got in touch with Owen who sold me the roller. After receiving it well packaged in the mail, I now realize why it's $100. I have to admit the quality is pretty good. No regrets on the purchase. I'm really glad I got this small version so it can store away while I'm not using it.

Juice me up on the road

The Aids Life Cycle ride doesn't provide power for riders or roadies to charge their personal equipment like cell phones or laptops. Although I'll be saving my blogging for my return to the City and therefore have no plans to bring my laptop, I don't want to be w/o my cell phone. That's where the solar powered battery comes into play.

My first source of research and availability for these units was with my friend, Ebay. For new technology (new to me anyway) devices, I'm a bit weary of the worthiness of products sold on Ebay. No offense to my fellow Asian brethren just trying to make a living in China, but I've heard too many times that some of these gadgets simply don't work or worse, cause fires!

After doing a quick search on the net, I found people have been raving about the Arctic Cooling C1 solar battery charger. The Youtube reviews were great and at the retail price of $25, it's perfect. None of that $50+ stuff from Staples for me thank you.



I found an ebay seller who ships these units out of Hollywood, so that sounds fairly reliable. I like that he's domestic so I won't have to wait 3 weeks for something to be shipped from overseas. With a feedback of 99.7%, I couldn't ask for more. My order for $20.80 is being submitted.

UPDATE:
The package was lost in the mail. USPS confirmed it was delivered but it never showed up! After seeing the mailman this afternoon, I asked if remembered the package which supposedly was NOT left on the doorstep, but was put into the mail slot. The mailman then held up the package and said, "It's right here!" Awesome!

The unit is much tinier than I imagined. Wow, this thing is tiny. I'm charging it by the window before even opening the package! Waiting to test it tonight. Can't wait.

Shipping the trike

Apart from the gearing, this is one of my biggest fears. Hahah, yeah. Really! My fear is not being able to ship the trike back from LA to SF.

If trikes had cool boxes like this, then maybe shipping wouldn't be such an issue. I could simply take it with me on the plane like regular luggage.





Even if the trike did fit assuming I learned how to take the thing apart, I would have trouble parting from my $750 to buy this plastic box. It looks cool, but I'm not paying more than $50 for a plastic box and my cardboard ones come free from retail stores. This bike box is just waiting to be stolen. Even if it was empty, I can imagine a thief would take it in seconds from coming out of the airport luggage carousels. Looks like I'll need another option.

I just got off the phone with Tim, my ALC rep and he's doing some research for me to see what others have done in the past. I hope to hear good news soon.

....

Wow, Tim Schneider got back to me really quick! I think it's been less than an hour since I got off the phone with him. The trike is registered for transportation from LA back to SF!

Good news is I don't have to take the bike apart and it won't need a box! There's nothing like the old school method.

I just need to roll it up the ramp to the truck they're using and that puppy's coming back to SF ready to be picked up on 6/13 or 6/14. Perfect.



The cost isn't too bad - $55 preregistered vs $85 for walk-ups. I'm so relieved!

Biggest bike in the world?

That's just crazy

Alternatives to the CS-RK3

Perhaps the SX-RK3 will work from SJS Cycles in the UK. I'm not understanding the specs from the website very clearly, but it sounds like it's compatible with a freehweel and a disk brake! Sounds good to me! A price of $188.33.

There's a TF-RS3 that is designed for trikes! Sounds like it takes a freewheel but no brake. Hmm, at $134.27, I think I'm willing to sacrifice the rear brake.

With all these hubs, I'll still need to purchase a new wheel though since the mag ones aren't hub interchangeable - or least I don't think they are.

CS-RF3 accepts a 8/9 speed cassette but is not disk-brake compatible. This is from the Sunrace blog. Same as the ideal CS-RK3, but it's not disk brake compatible.

The search for a Sturmey Archer CS-RK3

I called up Bike Stop and what a friendly company! Jeff, the rep who answered my call was super nice and look for some alternative products that may satisfy my need for a 3-speed hub that allows a disk brake and is also cassette ready. Unfortunately nothing. Jeff had a great attitude though and was friendly even though his company wasn't able to get me what I was looking for.

I did learn from him though that Sturmey Archer commonly releases only certain products in certain parts of the world. I may have to contact their Netherlands office to get what I'm looking for.

Good news! I came across the Sunrace blog and they have a picture of the CS-RK3! It's a shot from the 2010 Taipei International Bike show.



There's a guy on another forum that has his own shop that sells these! I'm contacting him ASAP. The source is here and I'm getting if my BROL deal doesn't go through.

More Shimano Nexus info

I'm looking at alternatives to the Sturmey Archer CS-RK3 and found the Shimano Nexus Inter 3. Problem is that this unit nor any of the other internal gear hubs in the Nexus lineup have the ability to include a cassette. I just got off the phone with one of their reps and they unfortunately were able to confirm that. Too bad. Looks like Sturmey Archer's the only company that allows an internal gear hub to be mixed in with a cassette. Brilliant.

I'm continuing my quest for a supplier than can get me this unit! Worse case scenario is that I'll have to sacrifice a rear disk brake for a coaster brake. At least I'll have a rear brake though.