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Multi-day ride: New York City to Martha’s Vinyard

Recumbent rider Shelly Mossey leads a multi-day trip from New York City to Martha’s Vinyard. He piggy-backs it onto the “Ride to Montauk,” which is a nice idea because the Ride to Montauk folks will carry your panniers to Montauk.  More than anything, it sounds like a nice ride for bent riders who prefer flat terrain.

Vinyard Ride
http://www.urbanmobilityproject.com/vineyard/

Ride to Montauk 2012
http://www.ridetomontauk.com/Ride_to_Montauk_2012/Home_Page.html

Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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New Greenspeed Magnum – 2012

Had the privilege of building and riding the new Greenspeed Magnum.  What a cool trike!

Rode the “Mag” for about 15 miles and, as with all Greenspeeds, nothing but smiles, tight turns and smooth handling at speed.

Most immediately impressive — because it’s unusual — are the three 20″ x 2.35″ Schwalbe BIG Apple tires.  Results in a wonderful fast smooth shock-absorbin’ ride.  Also kind of neat to see a GS w/ 20″ wheels in front instead of 16’s.  Still has that great Greenspeed cornering though and good front-to-rear and side-to-side stability.  By my measurements, has 28″ track (width at the front wheels), 42 1/2″ wheelbase and 13″ seat height at lowest setting.  So, this is a large trike.  Has drum brakes, as usual for GS (love them).  And, of course, it has high quality indirect steering.

Seat is height adjustable.  Now THAT’S cool!  13″ is lowest.  Can be raised another 2″ – 2 1/2″.  So this is could be a great trike in traffic.  Seat back is angle adjustable, so you get a very versatile machine.

Get this: the front wheel axles have single push button releases.  Wheels can be removed with a single button, so…seat comes off, wheels come off, bike folds up in a tiny package…all in about 30 seconds if you’re taking your time.  The production version of the axle will probably be even more refined.

This is a prototype and components will probably change for the production model, so no point mentioning specs and weight.  Anticipate good specs though and a price in the mid-2K’s.

The ChroMo prototype here, colored dark glossy purple with chrome boom and steering rods, reminds me of a Harley Davidson — I kid you not — especially with these massive 20×2.35″ tires.  I like what they’re doing here.  Will be interesting to see what colors they settle on.  But purple and chrome is good.

The height adjustable seat makes this a particularly good trike for riders who are mobility impaired.  I also think it’s a neat extension of the Greenspeed line, like they’re adding to their classically nimble and fast trikes with a more “every dude” model.

Watch for it.

Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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Crash Statistics websites

This page comes from Transportation Alternatives:
http://crashstat.org/sites/default/files/splash2011.html

Here is a heat map of crash stats.

 

Data Source: NYC Open Data / https://data.cityofnewyork.us

 

This page from Hecht Kleeger has some good graphical representations of crash data.

 

Say no more. Get involved.

Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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24-hour overnight bike camping trips from NYC

I’m in the process of gathering a list of the best 24-hour overnight bike camping trips (aka, “S24O”) in the New York Metro area. If you have a few favorite spots that you’re willing to share, send them in.

Like me, however, you probably don’t want your favorite bike-camping spots overrun by self-centered yahoos (the kind that write comments calling me a “douche” for not publishing a list of good bike camping spots near the city, or who ask me “what the point” of a blog is if I don’t share secrets, as if I owe them something).  Like most people, I go bike-camping to get away from bozos, not to encourage them to join me.

Here’s the deal I’m offering.  If you have a favorite 24-hr. bike-camping trip from NYC, send me the route and destination. After I’ve checked it out to see if it meets my totally subjective criteria for “good,” I’ll send you one in return. That’s all there is to it. The result is we both multiply our 24-hour trip options but haven’t ruined them by inviting the whole world to our favorite spots. Ain’t that cool. If I think your destination is only so-so, I’ll send you one of my so-so destinations.

For more info. about what makes for a good 24-hr. bike trip, see this article published by Rivendell Bicycle Works. (Let me know if the link is broken; they seem to move the article from time to time.)
http://ctxtv.wmppt.servertrust.com/kb_results.asp?ID=36

For those who think I owe them routes, without offering me anything good as a trade, here is your route:
ride north on Bike Route 9 (9W, etc.) till you can’t go any further.  Sleep in a ditch next to the road.  Ride back home.  Touring is easy.  Just go out and do it.

Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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New /Gekko/: what the heck is the price?

HP Velotechnik has announced a new /Gekko/.  This /Gekko/, instead of folding, has a separable frame.  This is a nice solution for riders who don’t expect to benefit from the easy and fast fold.  Also, it enables a still lower price point for the USA version, with savings provided by having no folding technology.

I haven’t yet seen the trike in order to know how the chain is managed when the trike is separated but, in their usual way, I expect HPV will have a clever solution.

Pricing.

There will be a European version and a less expensive USA version.

The European version /Gekko/ will be $2,590.
The USA version /Gekko/ will be $2,190, with a faster delivery time for New York riders.

If this is planned out like the Gekko fx, this means the European version will have a higher-end spec and a choice of the full range of options and accessories.  The following are the differences between the European Gekko fx and the USA Gekko fx.  If the /Gekko/ follows this pattern, I would anticipate similar differences.  I would also anticipate that the difference in cost will be partially attributable to reduced customs duty and shipping.

In the USA version Gekko fx:
– no snake seal
– no chain guard
– slightly different bolts
– Isoflow cranks
– different rear hub (cheaper)

Same with the USA /Gekko/?  We shall see.

Best,
Robert

————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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Gekko fx: differences between USA and European models

Riders of HP Velotechnik’s Gekko fx often want to know the main differences between the USA and European Gekko fx models.

On the USA version, the differences are:

– no snake seal
– no chain guard
– slightly different bolts
– Isoflow cranks
– different rear hub (cheaper)

Additional savings comes from reduced customs duty and shipping.

The other main difference is that if riders want most of the upgrades and special options listed on the HP Velotechnik website, such as light systems, custom colors, upgraded brakes, etc., then we have to build up from the European model.

The price confusion is more psychological. I use the German model as my demo because I like to show the top of the line features. Riders shouldn’t worry too much about the difference in price. Just buy the trike you want. After several years, you won’t think about the difference in price, but you will notice whether or not you own the right trike for your purposes.

Best,
Robert

————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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Good lightweight camping food – it exists

Better pre-packaged lightweight camping food.

(This entry is as much a “note-to-self” as it is a note-to-readers.)

First of all, the nutritionally conscious will buy a dehydrator and make their own dehydrated meals (which are generally considered more nutritious than freeze-dried meals.)

Or, if you want someone else to do the work for you, here are two nice options, recommended by reliable sources:

Hawk Vittles
Lightweight gourmet meals made by a chef.  Nutritious, creative recipes.
(Post trip review: good taste and looks good, but doesn’t thoroughly soften and bag shape makes it difficult to stir. Quantity size: okay.  Those who need more calories may want to buy double-sized meals.)
http://hawkvittles.com/order.html

Pack It Gourmet
Haven’t yet tried it.
http://www.packitgourmet.com/

This one is an internet discovery.  Haven’t tried it.

Pack Lite Foods
Try it and let me know how it is.
http://www.packlitefoods.com/

Wise Company
http://wisefoodstorage.com/

But better than what?

Alas, both these brands have carried me through hundreds — maybe thousands — of miles.  But, I’m simply no longer enthused by their offerings.

Backpackers Pantry
http://www.backpackerspantry.com/

Mountain House
http://www.mountainhouse.com/

Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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Riding with weight

The other day, an ex-standard frame customer looking to save a buck or two, asked whether underseat racks are really necessary.  How weird looking they must appear to SF riders.

Yes.  On bents they are.  Even more so than rear racks.

In fact, I’d rather have only underseat racks if I could only figure how to put two of those dippy bike baskets — the best/worst of which I have on my rear rack — on the sides.  Maybe someday soon I will (w/ apologies to my fashion-conscious friends).  But since I like having a bike basket w/ bungy netting for fast and easy storage, I’m looking at spending more time w/ a rear rack.  (Tempted to get a still bigger basket on the back, in fact.  Shelly Mossey and his NYC bent-based courier service better look out.)

My knock-around city bent is an old Rans Rocket.  Great urban bike, but serious balance problems if I load up the rear rack, most of which is actually outside the wheelbase (beyond the rear wheel), causing the front wheeeel to elevate if you have something heavy back there, like a heavy lock and a couple laptops.  Normal stuff, in other words.  But makes for some scary sh*t when you hit construction zones at speed, w/ that front wheel leaving the ground every time it hits a fresh bit of asphalt laid New Yawk-style.

Problem solved: put the weight in side panniers on my bent — I mean scratched and bended, not recumbent — underseat racks.  There are times I’ve considered stripping off the rear rack, but I like the rear light bracket (making it all one heck of a large and heavy light bracket!) and I can put big, puffy and light things back there in the basket like…boxes of salad greens, swim gear and warm jackets.

All that to say, I’m all for saving money.  But not by trying to go w/o the underseat rack.  (Less aerodynamic than a rear rack?  Well, I suppose so.  Who cares, I’m in traffic.)

Yers,
Robert

————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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Another nice testimonial

This customer wrote me a nice note:

# # #

———- Original Message ———-
Subject: Gekko fx, testimonial
From: “Greg G.”
To: “Robert Matson”
——————————————

It’s fantastic to have a local NYC recumbent dealer. There are ways to buy new and sometimes used as well. I can test the bike and ride it home instead of renting a van and spending the weekend driving back and forth!

Robert is knowledgeable, passionate, painstaking, patient, and honest as the day is long. He’s a good listener too, soaking up details about my tendonitis, knee surgery and other biomechanical issues.

I purchased an HP Velotechnik Gekko from him, and he pointed out how it is a newer model for the German domestic market, with a few better details that are unpublished.

Robert lives it. He really knows the brands he carries (and many others besides). He’s got a huge fund of general recumbent lore at his command as well.

What I like best about dealing with Robert is this – not only does he go all out to help you, but he gives you the straight scoop. In the hours of talking about recumbents, I never once felt I was getting sales spiel. I’m now considering a RANS or Volae, and would buy from him with peace of mind.

– Greg G.

# # #

Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson

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Camping food: No-cook Trail Brownies

On a recent trip, Brian T., appeared with the following “Trail Brownies” recipe. On that trip, the brownies made their appearance in the form of my birthday cake with a match as a candle.

No-cook Trail Brownies
Serves 4 – 8

In a quart freezer bag put:
1 package graham crackers, reduced to crumbs.
1/4 cup broken pecans (toast them first for best results) (optional)
2 Tbsp powered sugar.

In another bag put:
3 oz (about 3/4 cup) chocolate chips and
3 Tbsp powered milk

In camp: Add 1/4 cup water to the chocolate. Bring a pot of water to boil and dip the bag to melt the chocolate (the higher-quality the chocolate, the better it melts and the better it tastes). When melted, add the graham cracker crumbs and knead to mix thoroughly. How you eat it is up to you. You can let it cool and break it into chunks.

Tips: Use mini morsels, which tend to melt faster than regular chocolate chips and take up less space in your food bag. Use about 3/4 of a cup of “minis” because more mini morsels fit into a cup than bigger chips. If you add too much chocolate it tends not to harden completely.

Best,
Robert

————

Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson