Second test ride

WHEN I returned from the first test ride I had a look at the trike and confirmed my suspicions regarding the dérailleur. When mounting it I hadn't engaged the lug correctly so there wasn't enough tension. This was a very quick fix with the large allen key, and a spin round the car park proved I now had a the full range of gears.

SETTING up the Cateye speedo was also a cinch, so I was now travelling at what seemed like a more reasonable speed.

SINCE everything seemed to be working well I decided to head off on a more extensive test run. A quick elevator journey to the wharf level proved that I was also becoming more adept at folding the front boom. The boom is held in it's operational and folded positions by engaging a latch into a slot in the main fame and securing with two quick release clamps. At first this seemed fiddly, but I quickly got the hang of it - I am of course a black belt master of the origami-like Brompton folding process from my commuting years in London.

THIS time I decided to head East towards Mission Bay - this is the closest beach to central Auckland and would be extremely busy since it was turning into an unnaturally sunny Labour Day weekend. The huge advantage of this route is that there is a shared cycle and pedestrian path 99% of the way, and since it runs along the coast there are no hills to speak of.

I wound through the crowds in front of the lovely old Ferry Building, carefully crossed the access roads to the airport bus terminal and sped off down the shared pavement along Quay Street. You certainly do get a lot of looks when you ride a trike; once again a mixture of interest, puzzlement, mirth and pity. A lot of the pedestrians on the shared path didn't seem to see me at first; probably because being so low, I am below their eyeline - so perhaps I should consider using the flagpole supplied by Sidewinder. On the other hand, drivers seemed to notice me far more than when I used my upright - eye contact would be made from vehicles on both sides of the road .The first time I came to a marina access road that crossed the cycle route, the pickup (a 'ute' over here) that was already waiting to turn onto the main road actually reversed to let me through.

CYCLE routes in Auckland are a very mixed bag, often they are simply pavements that have been re-designated as shared space, so there are some very odd cambers and tight corners; especially where the drop-curb occurs at road junctions. These little challenges really showed off the manoeuvrability advantage of the rear-wheel steering system. I could nip round these tight and peculiarly angled corners with ease - so much so that my speed resulted often in me lifting the inside wheel. Interestingly this never felt at all dangerous and there was absolutely no indication that the trike would ever tip over; it all just felt a brilliantly exciting part of the handling.

MY speed on this fairly flat route seemed to average about 20kph with no noticeable effort, and I could easily  push to 25kph when I wanted to. On one downward incline I was up to 28kph before I had to make a turn and slow down and so far all handling has proved smooth, fun and predictable. Wind resistance is noticeably lower even than my two wheel recumbent, and I am intrigued to see what it will be like when I mount a nose fairing.

THE eight kilometre trip to Mission Bay went by without mishap. I heard loads of comments from pedestrians as I travelled; the only derogatory one being from four lads in a muscle-car, which considering the source I can also reclassify as a positive remark. I especially liked the one I received when I finally crossed the Millennium Bridge into Mission bay and slid to a halt on the sandy foreshore. A young mauri guy with his 5 year old son walked over - "Hey, way cool bike, bro!"

The Pro-Cruiser at Mission Bay with Rangitoto volcano in the background

THE trip back to Auckland was just as much fun. I really noticed how much more easily you can look at the scenery when sitting relaxed in the recumbent seat. I was so comfortable and in control I even experimented with taking some 30 second video shots with my old Olympus Mju camera - of course these mainly consisted of views of my knees going up and down.

I was quite intrigued when I finished the trip as my upper body was very relaxed, but my legs were finally starting to get tired. When I was travelling it was clear that I was using some different muscles than on my upright - so I would expect this to improve the more I use the trike. There was none of the neck or wrist strain from the forward leaning position of the upright, and I may have been imagining it, but also seemed to have been using my lungs to better effect with my open posture.

SO, everything's going well so far. next I'll see how the trike and I handle my daily commute to work through busy rush-hour Auckland.