eBent Recumbent Cycling

I like a longer compression brief under my touring shorts. They must be light, breathable, and seamless. Cotton just not work for me, it holds too much moisture, gets heavy, and rubs. Polypropylene is what I look for with a little spandex.

I am still fine tuning sources but for now my top sites are His Room, they have several brands available, and Champion. I am not sure about Champion yet; their quality seems to have decreased dramatically. The construction on their stuff is still fine but their Double Dry material is a big drop off from the poly they used when they were Duofold.

I usually ride in a pair of aerobic shorts with no padding. They are the best for just riding in warm weather, light and cool. But if I need to get off the bike and walk around pockets are a real plus; some place for my wallet, iPod Touch and cellphone.

I have been using the ExOfficio Amphi shorts and they are good but not the most comfortable. The briefs that are part of the short can rub a little if I am not careful and just aren’t as comfortable as I would like.

ExOfficio has a new short the Nio Amphi short. They are very much like the Amphi, the only short I find with cuff straps, except no briefs and a little looser and longer cut. I wear these with a compression brief  and they feel great no chafing anymore. I love them for touring, lots of great pockets and light. They look good enough that even with my safety green tee shirt  I feel comfortable walking around.

The ExOfficio Nio Amphi and Amphi are on sale now at Rock Creek ($44.95) and REI ($49.83).  The $65 list price for these short is much more than I usually spend for cycling shorts and even on sale they are on the high end of my price range. But I really like these shorts so I stocked up before my size disappeared.

When traveling self contained  keeping your cellphone and iPod charged is always a problem. My problem has gotten worse this year since I stopped reading anything but electronic books.  The nice thing about electronic books is that you can carry as many as you want and they are still smaller and lighter than a paperback book. You can also read them at night in your tent without a flashlight. The bad news is I need to recharge my iPod Touch frequently.

My son suggested I get a solar charger. But I found on the solar site and even more interesting way to charge your cellphone or iPod while cycling … a mini  wind turbine. They even have a bicycle mount.

The claim is that an hour of cycling is enough to charge the 1200 mAh battery that then charges your cell phone or iPod. I plan to try it out this summer and will update you on how well it works. Check out for your self at Sundance Solar.

I noticed a local recumbent rider with a Safety Green T-shirt and was amazed how visible it was. After a little checking, this was the best deal I could find, $6.50 at G&L Clothing. I prefer 100% Poly but can’t seem to find anymore.

UPDate: Found 100% Poly at JiffyShirts.com for $7.48 and reasonable shipping..

Product Description:

-  6.1-ounce, 50% cotton / 50% polyester

-  Seamless double-needle collar

-  Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem

Damm Garrison 1675

First Posting: Shows Route still needs more details

This 35 mile loop ride is mostly along flat, quiet back roads though the oldest settlements in Maine and New Hampshire. It has great views of Cow Bay and lots of houses  from the 1700’s.

Background on the Area

The first settlers to what is now Maine and New Hampshire anchored at Cow Bay in 1623 because it had fresh waters. They were mostly from the Bristol(the name they originally gave to the area) and dispersed themselves around the bay. They weren’t here for religious reasons; they came to make money fishing.

Probably the most famous  building in the area is the 1675 Damm Garrison, one of the only survivors of the Cocheco Massacre and the last remaining Garrison Home. It is one of the oldest buildings in the New England, currently located on our route in Dover behind the Woodman Institute on Central Ave. This is definitely worth a visit.

Portsmouth Harbor

The next biggest town on this loop is Portsmouth, NH, an historic seaport and popular tourist destination. Portsmouth has outdoor dining in the summer and lots of interesting things to see.  Here are a few of the historic homes:

LightLane

Take a look at this new bicycle light … this is amazing if it really works. This is a development I really want to watch. Check it out for your self at LightLane.

This light does what I want a light to do … show drivers where I am.

A video of light in action: LightLane Beta Testing

Here’s what the light may look like:

LightLane

Placement on a recumbent or touring bike with panniers may be a problem but I can see at the very end of my pannier rack, closer to the ground, the lane width narrower but the lines even brighter. I am excited by the concept.

Cycling Instructor Training

My belief is that the best thing we can do to make the roads safer is to get more folks out cycling so drivers get used to looking for cyclists. Data shows that as the number of cyclists and pedestrians increase the accident rate decreases. Here’s a way to help, Teach Cycling.

The week before the Maine Bike Festival the League of American Cyclist will be conduct and CI Certification Course in Fryeburg. These don’t happen very often in Northern New England so if you would like to participate sign up right away.

Here are the details:

Course Description

Becoming a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) certified to teach BikeEd is a great way to help cyclists in your community. Certified instructors can teach BikeEd classes to children as well as adults. Help bring the joy of safe cycling to others. If you are an experienced cyclist and would like to teach others please consider taking the next step towards certification. Road I is a prerequisite for a certification seminar. Instructors are trained at seminars held periodically throughout the year.

The week before the Maine Bike Festival in Fryeburg, the LAB will be conducting cycling courses. They aren’t offered very often in this area and space is limited. So sign up quickly if you are interested.  I’m planning to be there.

The first course will be:

TRAFFIC SKILLS 101 – FACING THE FUN & THE FEAR!

Date: Tuesday July 7, 2009 from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm
Instructor: Charles Laflamme
Location: 52 Bradley St., Fryeburg, ME 04330
Fee: $75.00, $50.00 for BCM members
Description: FUN, is our objective while cycling in this beautiful area along the Saco River with the White Mts. in the background and getting our exercise at the same time. Come learn how to have fun and ride your bike safely. The topics covered will be; The Bicycle, Clothing & Equipment, Basics of Handling, Traffic Law, Cycling in Traffic, Crash Avoidance, Road Hazards, Educating Motorists, Etiquette & Enjoyment

To register for this course, contact:

Charley LaFlamme
Phone: 207-646-0635
Contact Email: chazbikeed@maine.rr.com
Website: bikemaine.org
Signup required in advance? Yes
Special signup instructions: Deadline for sign up June 26 and the first dozen paid enrollments will get into the class on a first come first served basis. Contact Chrley

Equipment required: Fun attitude, Bike in good repair & helmet.

I am working on documenting a series of moderate day rides (30 to 50 miles) near New Hampshire and Maine’s seacoast. The rides are thought some of the oldest settlements (area settled in 1623) in the United States along back country roads with little or no traffic. The rides feature great views of bays and rivers and historic homes.

They are not on the seacoast with all of it’s traffic and wonderful ocean views; but are on back roads that very few visitors to the area would find. I think of them as hidden gems. They are the roads I ride while training.

This is a departure from my emphasis on self contained recumbent touring and I am wondering if this is of interest to readers. They also take quite a bit of time and work to create. Please let me know what you think.

Threaded Headset

Follow up: Front End Wobble Fixed, Threaded Headset Maintenance – Front End Wobble

Tightening the linkage didn’t work for very long. So back to my orginal premise .. loose headset.

Once I loosened the retainer bolt it was obvious that the headset was loose. A quick 5 minute adjustment and things were fine again. I must not have set the lock nut tight enought last Fall.