Bicycle Technology and Patents

The temperature here in Boise has been around zero degrees F for the past week, and I have been riding my Catrike Speed to work everyday.  The combination of clothes I have keeps me warm all the way, and my only problem is my glasses and ski goggles fogging up sometimes.   My clothes are an example of the layering system.  The first layer is thick wool blend socks, polypro long underwear top and bottom, and thin polypro liner gloves, as shown below.

The next layer is an insulating layer, which is added to the base layer.  This includes Keen cycling sandals, North Face cross country ski pants which are windproof, fleece gloves where are the inner part of a pair of winter mountaineering gloves (Chouinrd winter gloves), fleece neck gaitor, head covering by Pearl Azumi, and Expedition weight Patagonia Capilene pullover. I have a down coat I could wear, but at around zero degrees it is just not needed.

The outer layer is made up of Marmot uninsulated goretex wind pants which zip all the way up the leg, Sidetrak neoprene boot covers which leave the cleat on the bottom of the shoes exposed, the nylon outer gloves of the Chouinard winter gloves, an REI goretex raincoat, a cycling helmet, and a waterproof helmet cover. Not shown are my ski goggles, which I wear over my glasses unless they fog up.

I was wondering how to move my tactical flashlight so it would be in front of, under, or on top of my fairing.  The light is usually mounted on the front deraileur post, but with the fairing on for the winter the light really lights up the inside of the fairing, and that blocks a lot of light from hitting the road ahead.

A helpful email from Pat Franz of Terracycle suggested the Terracycle Accessory Mount would probably do just what I wanted.  The unit arrived in only about two days after the internet order!  I put it on, and it does get the flashlight above the fairing nicely.  I’m going to ride it a few days like that, and I think I will try it mounted lower on the fairing frame, maybe even poking through a hole in the fairing.  Here is what is looks like mounted over the top of the fairing. It is a bit distracting having that in my line of sight, but I might get used to it.

I have been using this light for two years now, through two winters commuting every day in the dark, rain, and snow.  I thought I would post an update on the light setup and where to get the components.

The flashlight is a Surefire 6P tactical flashlight.  It is very solid aluminum, water proof, and a bit pricy at around $50.  Mine is a Surefire 6P, and other Surfire models would work such as the SureFire 6Z, C2, M2 and G2 or Cabela’s 6 v flashlight made by Surefire ($32).  These models are available from Surefire, Amazon, ebay or Cabela’s.

The flashlight comes with an 80 lumen incandescent bulb, which is very fragile, and for my system you take out the factory bulb and replace it with a Malkoff M60 insert.  This is an LED bulb with a plastic lens, which boosts the output to 240 lumens, and is apparently an indestructible bulb.  My flashlight has hit the pavement at 20+ mph many times, and the bulb is fine.  I have a flashlight like this pointing rearward with a red lens, and one pointing forward with a clear lens, and people tell me I’m very visible.

The Malkoff M60 insert is available from the inventor, Gene Malkoff, on his website.   Many police use a Surefire flashlight with the Malkoff insert.  They say “It will easily illuminate objects at 350+ feet and will blind opponents within a 100 foot radius.”  It is very visible in the daylight or dark.  I take the flashlight camping, and it will light up a mountainside 50 yards away.  The insert is $49.95 alone, but this thing is indestructible, and is truly a lifetime flashlight.

I have been using the same 17670 AW Protected Battery, one for each flashlight, everyday for a year.  They seem to wear out after a year, and I’m on my 2nd set.  They are  available from Lighthound for $11.  I get about 2.5 hours from each charge, and I turn them on day or night, summer and winter, and I charge them twice a week.

This is the Malkoff insert, which goes inside the flashlight.

I use either a Fenix 360 Bike Mount light holder, $15, this is high quality in fit and finish, but rattles. A small rubber band between the top half and bottom half stops the rattle. A no-name brand is also pretty decent, on ebay for about $10, search Ebay for “New Bike/Bicycle LED Flash Light Mount Clamp Holder.” These are a little loose on the Surefire, so I put a section of inner tube around the flashlight body, for a tighter fit.

Charger: Ultrafire WF-139 Charger for 3.7 volt Lithium Battery Charger, from Lighthound.com, $18.00 (charges two of the 17670 batteries).

I had a friend get this setup, and on a long bike ride through an old railroad tunnel in northern Idaho,  his light was the monster of all the lights in the blackness of the tunnel.

I commute on my trike about 355 days a year (all days except when snow is plowed onto the shoulder of the road), and I need to pick up mail, and have sufficient storage to carry my cold weather gear home, on days when I don’t wear it on the ride home.  I had a rack, and panniers, and they worked fine, but I wanted something lighter and that didn’t make the Speed look like a utility truck.  I got the $14 Nashbars triangular frame bags at Bruce’s suggestion, and they are great for summer commuting.  I still needed a little more storage for winter use.

I saw all the room under the seat and thought I could use a PVC pipe to use that space.  But I found a Pickett blueprint carrier which is very light, and with its screw top lid is totally waterproof.

It can carry my rain pants (in stuff sack), my rain coat, gloves, and head covering.  They also have extension sections, so I can add another section for longer loads.  it would also be perfect for carring lunch, as long as its a round lunch, like bagels, hot dogs, donuts, etc.  This tube setup seems light and aerodynamic, and is working well.

A stuff sack in the tube. It holds about 3 stuff sacks like this.

The Wright brothers’ Van Cleve mark lives on in a modern namesake, the Van Cleve bike built by Cycles Gaansari of Springboro Ohio.  Here is what Gary Boulanger of Cycles Gaansari adds:

Much is known about the Wright Brothers’ aviation results, but little has been told about how the men designed and tested their theories, and how big a role bicycle technology played in their research and development. Like most self-sufficient and frugal bicyclists, the brothers scrounged discarded bike components to make something useful out of something lying around the shop. In this case, it wasn’t a fixed gear or townie bike, but the airplane that was created, born from Wilbur’s vision for flight in the 1890s.

Cycles Gaansari was born from the need to provide reliable service, durable goods, and exciting products to the Greater Dayton cycling community. We’re housed in a former livery stable/barn built in Springboro in the 1850s, just three miles south of the Wright Brothers Airport, and across the street from the Jonathan Wright House, now a popular bed & breakfast, built by the founder of Springboro in 1815.

To many, the bicycle is a tool for transportation, adventure, freedom, and recreation. Little did the inventors of the bicycle know what impact they’d have on millions of people. Then again, little did two bicycle manufacturers from Dayton, Ohio realize where their dream of manned flight would catapult both them and the fruit of their labor.

Catrike Maintenance and Repair topics are listed below. If I have a blog post on one of these topics, this contents list will serve as a link to each topic. These posts are authored by participants in the Catrike Message Board. Submissions of posts by any Catrike rider for inclusion here are welcomed. FYI, Catrikes are recumbent tricycles, with more information available at the Catrike Performance Trikes site.

Basic Setup and Maintenance”

Catrike Performance Trike Official 2004 Manual

Catrike Performance Trike Official 2005 Manual

Catrike Performance Trike Official 2006 Manual

Catrike Performance Trike Official 2007 Manual
removing the master link on the chain, and replacing it (page 18 of the above manual).
checklist of initial setup items
removing a front wheel
replacing front wheel bearings
replacing rear wheel bearings
adjusting rear derailer (link to Sheldon Brown’s instructions)
adjusting disk brakes (link to Park Tool page)
replacing disk brake pads (link to manufacturers or Park page)
Bruce’s advice on adjusting Avid BB7 brakes on Catrikes
installing front fenders
fixing a flat tire in front, rear wheels
installing teflon bushings
cleaning a chain, and lubrication

Troubleshooting section:

rear wheel squeek: lube rubber weather seal
Bottom bracket not horizontal when trike is on flat surface: loosen boom clamp, reorients boom, or file guide tooth
after removing a front wheel, my brake pad rubs: adjust brakes, per this link:___________
shimmy in steering: check x, y, and Z, and purchase teflon bushings from catrike
chain routing
brake cable routing
shifter cable routing
setting toe on front wheels of a trike

Upgrades:

Facing the bottom bracket edges

Discussion of After market items and FAQs:

Jerry’s flags
Locking brake levers. These are great!
What is Schlump and other drives?
what would Schlump or Roloff give me over the stock gearing?
Terracyle idlers discussion
Super bright (240 lumens) flashlight for use as headlight, tail light
what size bearings does my (year) (model) Catrike use in the front, rear wheel?
where does one get replacement steel or ceramic bearings (link, or part number)
ceramic bearing vs other bearing experience
options for mounting both a light and a speedometer
list of all tools needed
chain guards, bash guards: Purely Custom, with Catrike Logo available, and many colors, Trice (Utah Trikes) Chain Guard Ring
- Cables: how to order replacements, how to cut to length, how to install end pieces on housing and cable, what tools are needed
- Chains: how to order (how many chains needed/length), brand, types
- Articles on component upgrades (brakes, shifters, derailleurs, etc)
- Common accessories: what has worked well (lights, racks, bags, pedals, mirrors, etc)

- Arizona Whip lighted flagpole

- Tactical Flashlights for lighting system

Bruce went crazy with his drill press, and removed, if I read his notes correctly, about 13.7 pounds from the normally 30 pound Catrike Speed!  This is Catrike #CS754, named Holey Spokes.

Now we need to see that thing assembled, a final weigh in, and a test ride to see if it whistles.  Its just remotely possible that Bruce has too much time on his hands. One last picture:

One way to provide some suspension to a bike is to have a seat post with a spring or other shock absorber in it.  Joseph Smith patented one such device in 1899. 

Recently my 15 year old daughter has "adopted" my wife’s nice road bike, and has been doing some great rides around town on it.  So I thought I’d look for another road bike of about the same size to have a road bike available for both of the ladies in my life.  I thought I’d go check out a thrift store bike yard, because my partner Steve found a great mountain bike out there.  I went to the bike enclosure of the thrift store, and ran into Steve and his wife Jody, who were scouting for a kids bike.  We prowled around together looking for gems, and seeing mostly junk. 

Steve and Jody left with a nice kids bike, and I saw an aero brake lever on a handlebar, under a pile of nasty bikes.  I unraveled the stack of nasty bikes, and got more and more excited as I freed the bike at the bottom of the pile.  I saw a Campagnolo brake, then finally got the entire bike free to look it over.   

It was a Fuji, with double butted steel tubing, and about the right frame size for  my wife.  It  had Campy hubs, cranks, brakes, headset, shifters, bottom bracket and skewers, and Cinelli stem and bars.  The saddle was suede, and it had Shimano pedals.  Since one tire was gone, and it was pretty dirty and greasy, the lady at the gate of the bike yard put a price of $5.00 on it.  I tried not to jump for joy, paid my $5, and took the bike home to clean it up.  It was like Christmas in July, and with new tires and a little soap, the old bike looks pretty decent.  This bike was the JACKPOT!  Judging from ebay prices, any of the Campy parts would go for $75 to $125, and the whole bike might run $500+ on ebay. 

These pictures show the whip in daylight, and the clamp attached to the frame.

I ran a switch forward to the left hand grip, so I can turn it on
and off from the seat. It runs off a 9 v battery. I have not ridden it to work yet, so I don’t know how long the 9 v battery will last.

The picture below is how it looks at night, from the rear. The bike is facing not quite straight, and the bag on the rack is blocking one of the LED lights. The headlight is shining across the street at an angle, and provides lots of illumination.

This sucker is not cheap at $150, but if I can get noticed by a car either ahead of or behind me, it will be worth it.