Wet weather riding

After couple days cooked up at home I could stay no more.

I got my rubber/neoprene riding shoes (Keen Commuters), synthetic REI stretch pants and synthetic long sleeve top, and I was off!

At first I was ecstatic. I was riding, and there was pretty much no one on the beach. Figures, it was still raining, but not hard.

I rode North, towards Malibu.

As I approached Santa Monica Pier, I expected some flooding. Well, "some" turned out to be a lot, and I ended up riding through what I think was up to 4 inches of water. I figured I could just downshift and power through the water. The concrete path was still there, just underwater.

Riding through water feeling was great. There was increased resistance, but I knew where the path was so I was not concerned with road disappearing. Good thing, it did not, and I safely forded the water barrier.

After my water experience, I decided to test my weather resistant disc brake.

BB7 brake has turned to mush. There was no fiction to stop, then the calipers started to drag on the rotors, then the lever would not spring back to neutral.

Slowly, the brake sponged back to semi neutral so it was not making scraping noises, but whenever I tried to use it to slow down the bike, it was pretty much useless.

If I was touring with a load and going downhill, and that was my only brake option, I would be in deep trouble.

So much for "improved wet performance" over rim brakes. On my front wheel I had Avid V brake, and it was still functioning. Granted, it took a moment for the brake to start breaking, but the friction was still there.

My dry lube (right now I had Finish Line dry lubricant, in the past I used Boeshield T9 with good results) got washed out and I could hear sand crunching on my chainring and middle drive chainrings. I stopped at the shower and tried to wash the sand, and that helped for 30 yards, then the sand was back.

I think I pair of fenders would have slowed down the sand working it's way from the water and sand slury into the chain. Also, I will use wet lube for my next wet ride.

What did work extremely well was the Shimano LX derailleur. It did not skip a beat through my shifting, no problem whatsoever. I was waiting for sand induced noises, but all was in vain. Noises were coming for lower bracket/chainring area, but not from derailleur.

Lessons learned:

1. Riding in the rain could be fun. Way better than being cooked up at home in front of the computer!
2. Horses for courses. You have to have wet weather clothes and wet weather lubricants on your bike. Fenders don't hurt either. You have to keep sand laden water out of the drive train!
3. Brakes that work in wet, not only in dry. I always thought of my BB7 disk brake as my best defense against weather. Not so - it has failed to live up to it's expectations. On my next bike I am sticking with rim brakes.
4. I am very impressed by Shimano LX derailleur. I was set to get Rohloff Speedhub for my next bike build, but now I feel I need to rethink my convictions. I still think if money is no option Rohloff is the way to go, but my newly regained respect for Shimano keeps them in the running.
5. My hat is off to all of you in Northern climates - snow and ice are not cyclists friends. I do have a friend who moved from California to New England and was riding his bike (with studded tires and all) through the winter. Go Winston!

How important is weather to riding?

Weather is very important.

When I think about riding and I go outside and it is drizzling, ride is probably not happening.

Luckily I live in Santa Monica, where weather is sunny and mild most of the year.

Today, however, it is raining and I am staying at home. Sure, I could still go out there, but the joy is just not there. Why suffer?

Rainy weather gets me scrambling for a "rainy day" solutions.

I start thinking about fenders and rain gear, but today I will just take bus.

If I was on my "world domination" bicycle tour, I would have to be prepared for rain.

How would I deal with rain?

If it is raining cats and dogs, I would just try to wait it out. A day or two of rest is always good.

If it is just ongoing drizzle, I would ride through it. Bicycle with fenders, waterproof luggage, rain clothes.

Rain clothes for me a clothes that are designed to get me  wet, but still allow to breath. I don't want waterproof clothing - you just get steamy inside and get wet from your perspiration. I like microfiber tops and stretchy pants. They are both synthetic fiber, so the water doesn't accumulate. If it is cold, I would add a fleece top. I am wet, but still warm. I wear a synthetic fiber hat and gloves too. You have to dress appropriately for climate conditions you are in.

In my waterproof luggage, I would have a dry clothes to change once I arrive to my destination (work, campsite, etc.)

The wet clothes should be hung to dry if possible. Not too much fun putting on wet clothes in the morning, but it is possible.

Rear suspension - coil vs. air

The biggest advantage of the air suspension is in weight savings. Second, as the shock is more progressive, there is less chance of bottoming out. Also, it is easier to adjust amount of preload on an air spring - just pump in more air.

Performance wise, coil gives more linear, smoother performance. Bottoming out is more of a possibility.

The bad thing is that if valve in the air shock fails, you are in trouble. There are kits to rebuild the shock, so it is possible.

Bottoming out is more of the MTB issue, where riding and jumping is much more aggressive. On a recumbent, that is not an issue, as long as the spring is in the ballpark of the load.

In my opinion I will stick with a coil shock.

Elliptical chainrings vs. round; standard cranks vs. short

After doing a lot of computer research I came to conclusion that elliptical chainrings either help you climb or help you spin - that depends on orientation.

Old Shimano Biopace was designed to help you climb mashing your feet, on a recumbent that is not a good thing. Your knees will remind you later. New Rotor Q rings are better, they are designed to help you with spinning. But the effect could be also mental, so I will save my money.

Crank length of 170 comes from diamond frame bikes. Longer cranks can help you power up when you are mashing up the hill. That is not happening on a recumbent, so the benefit is lost.

Shorter cranks of 155 will flex your knee less, thus will reduce the wear and tear on the joint. For most of the people shorter crank on the recumbent should result in increased comfort and thus would prolong performance. Sound like a win win to me.

So, I am sticking with circular chainring and adding shorter cranks.

Light solutions for commuting bent

I have multi decade commuting experience between my "safety" and recumbent.

In Santa Monica streets are illuminated enough for you to see without any lights, so the main goal of light is for you to be seen.

I have had a CyGo twin lens contraption years ago with lead acid battery, it was pretty weak but much better than a single bulb 4AA setup I used before.

In LED era I have had my Cateye  for over 5 years. It is not too bright, so you will not be blinding anyone, but enough of a light to get you noticed - especially for casual riding. However, if you want to ride beach path at night, there are spots with no illumination at all, and Cateye just falls short lighting the road at speed.

I have purchased Trailtech HID lamp system 3 years ago. My model only has on/off feature, but the new ones has variable brightness as well. Eventually, the lamp started shutting off after a short time, so it went. What I liked about this light was that it put out a lot of light. What I did not like was that the light was put out in circular pattern and would blind the upcoming riders/drivers. If the reflector was improved, it would be a killer light.

Now I am looking at LED light from Lupine - Tesla is already plenty, but for you who want to thrash down the mountain in the dark, there is Betty. Both lamps put out quite a bit of light, but I wonder how well are reflectors designed?

There are quality lights designed for bicycles too. B&M from Germany have a line of lamps to match their hub dynamo - SON. It sounds good on paper, but with current battery technology I can have a decent commuting light without additional drag of a dynamo. The claimed drag is very little, but there are reports of annoying resonances at certain speeds, so why bother? There are battery powered versions of those lights as well, but I just have not dealt with them.

Looking for a new bent

From research stage I am moving into a locating stage for my next bent.

I am set on a Streetmachine by HP Velotechnik. Recent GT or GTe would do nicely.

The problem is that I have champagne taste and beer budget.

Nicely equipped brand new SMGTe tips scales at $6000 - that is more than my several cars worth combined.  I am more thinking $2000 and couple years of gentle use.

I think the bikes are out there - in peoples garages and sheds collecting dust and slowly rusting away.

I can promise to give them a good home and ride the hell out of them.

Another option is to buy a base model and over time to upgrade it.

However, most of the times when I got a bike, bike stayed the way it was purchased.

So best is to find as close to the desired bike used and ride ride ride!

Impulse Buys

Some folks want something so desperatly, they do not think through their purchases.

I wanted a Westfalia camper van for a long time, but thinking out the scenario where I did not have parking, using the van only seldom I decided against it.


Now my neighbor got an exact van I was thinking about.

He is in the same shoes as me and he is parking on the street. At least once a week he needs to move the van for street cleaning, keep it insured, registered. He needs to WORRY about it.

I want to have the least amount of things on my mind. Everything I bought on impulse I usually regretted later and lost money in the long run.

Now-days I try my best to take time to think through my big purchases.

I don't buy new unless there is a significant benefit to it. New car? No way. New bicycle? Maybe, especially if I want something special and the price is right. But usually, with enough patience, you can always find the same item on the market again and again, and as the item gets older the deal gets sweeter.

Transportation does not appreciate as it ages, and that includes bicycles as well.

So I would advice to hold your horses on that new purchase and wait out for a special deal. I am glad I do, and money in the bank feels so much better than a debt on a credit card.

My yoga teacher kept on saying "No hurry". It is so true in so many ways.

Cycle progression

I have noticed that a lot of people start with a DF bike, then a recumbent bike, and then comes a trike. After that a fast high/low racer might come. I was trying figure out why such succession is popular?

I look at trikes as a very specialized vehicles - not popular for city commuting duties (I have seen no trikes on the streets of Santa Monica for past 20 years), but more of weekend/bicycle path/outside town riding. You could take it on the tour as well, but with our busy lives that is a very small of our total riding time. I did try Scorpion FS & FX, they were fine on an empty streets, but I would not want to be doored or cut off by the car driver with "I did not see you".

CLWB (I have Cannondale bent 1) does make a decent city commuter, and I ride it pretty much every day. Lately I have tried several SWB bents, and liked the way Streetmachine felt the best, so that might be my next commuter. I plan to do touring on Streetmachine as well, but realistically it will be 90% commuter, and 10% tourer. I could justify that.

So my conclusion is that the trikes are mostly a recreational vehicles, while bikes could be more utilitarian.

And then there is a need for speed.

I wish I could go faster when I am cruising on the bicycle path - both trikes with skinny high pressure tires and high racers leave me in the dust. I do like an idea of being able to go faster, but not at the expense of the utility.

I did have a drastic idea of using a trike for commuting, but I think I will come back to this idea after velomobile market matures a little more or oil price jumps to $300 a barrel. Right now there is a flood of innovation on suspended trikes, but that's just a first wave. I am willing to wait it out and buy a more mature product.

In conclusion, when my commuting needs are met, I might experiment with trikes or racier bents, but SWB seems to be the best bent for busy city streets.

Long Trip - a conversation with travelers

Couple weeks ago I was riding on the beach path in Santa Monica.

I saw two cyclists with full camping gear pass me. Later I saw them pulled over talking.

I stopped and asked them where they were coming from. Two guys - Pip and (name to be inserted later, when the brain comes back from vacation) where from Rotterdam, Netherlands. They started about 5 months ago in Toronto, rode across the continent to San Francisco, then spent a month coming down to L.A. They were leaving LAX for home in 3 days. And now they were looking for a motel to stay at.

I was able to recommend a local motel on Pico blvd. and 11th street in Santa Monica. I showed them which way to go. Later I was going by and saw their bikes, so I asked them if they had any plans. They did not, so I offered to show around L.A.. Later we met up, and I took them out for Mexican food (La Playita on Lincoln blvd. near Rose), then drove them around - we went to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. It was at night, so we could not see Hollywood sign, but still my guests were excited. They haven't been in a car for over 5 months!

I was very interested in their trip. I asked them what they would change if they had to do it over again, and first thing they said that they might bring warmer clothes. Also, they would wash their sleeping bags more often - after 5 months they felt very dingy.

They tried budgeting themselves to $40 per day. They camped - outside California costs were about $5 a person per night, inside California the costs doubled. They ate a lot of Top Ramen and hot dogs. At first they bought firewood, but later they started collecting fallen branches around the campsites. Later they acquired a saw to cut more wood.

Pip had 3 flats, Yelle (memory is back) had 7. One broken spoke. Because they were running ahead of schedule, they were cycling slowly. Some days they rode only 7 or 10 miles - from one campsite to another.

They said that their trip was not hard. Most important was to find a place to camp. Then, to get fire going - it was getting dark pretty early, and you had nothing else to do if you had no fire. Last, get the food going on the fire you started. Everything else was non essential.

So, what did I learn from their experience?

You need to have a clothing to protect you from the elements.
You need a roof over the head (tent + site).
You need food.
You need transportation.
You need destination.

Everything else is optional. Yellu and Pim did not have laptops, hell, they did not have cell phones. They had no gps, they were traveling "old school". Their bikes were just simple 24 speed mountain bikes with fenders and racks. They did have some maps and guidebooks, but most communications were done through internet at local libraries. They were living "off the land".

I feel they were living at most basic level, yet it was very satisfying. Sometimes, less is more.

To trike or not to trike?

On BentRiderOnline there was a post for a HP Velo Scorpion for sale.

The trike offered was a base model Scorpion with some options - airflow seat cushions, 50 tooth rotor Q-Ring, Crankbrothers Eggbeater pedals, four sets of various tires. Although SRAM DualDrive is not my favorite, I was intrigued. I exchanged quite a few emails with the owner, and made an offer. I figured if I did not like the trike, I could sell it later, meanwhile I could have some fun on a beach path. If the trike grew on me, I might consider upgrading it to a full touring trike, but then again I might not, especially after I liked testriding Streetmachine so much.

Well, it seems that the trike deal is not going through - somebody else local offered little more money than I felt comfortable with. I didn't want to overextend myself financially and I feel very comfortable with or without a trike.

This is working out to my advantage - if I can not get the trike at the price I am comfortable, I could use the money towards a bike that I really liked - Streetmachine GTe. Now all I need is to find one in good condition. New price still makes me cringe, but next year is my 40th birthday, so maybe I will splurge...

Thanksgiving Day Ride

Yesterday was a nice day in Santa Monica for a beach path ride. The weather was in the 40s to start, and it warmed up nicely into low 60s in the mid day.

In Santa Monica beach path was fairly sand free. Once I got over to Venice area there were many sand drifts on the path, you had to be careful not to wipe out.

When I came to L.A. river, I rode inland (I was meeting my buddy for a ride, he comes from that direction). Once I ran into him, we turned back and rode west, then south towards Redondo Beach.

Once we reached Redondo Beach, we turned around and went back. My buddy had an early lunch engagement.

While on the path, I saw several 'bents. I saw 2 gentlemen on Rans Rockets, I saw a guy on a trice trike, and a couple on an eBike tandem. I talked to them for a moment, wished them happy Thanksgiving and pushed back towards home.

There some ride stats according to B.icycle app for iphone:

Trip time: 02:36:24
Distance: 27.8 mi
Average speed: 10.7 mph
Max speed: 19.2 mph
Climbed altitude: 778 ft
Total experience: Priceless

Visit to Zach Kaplan's bent shop

This weekend I drove almost 700 miles from Santa Monica to Oakland to check out some recumbents at Zach Kaplan's shop.

Luckily, my wife supports understands tolerates my strange behaviors, so we made a two day trip to the Bay area with a visit to old friends we don't get to see too often.

Zach's shop is located in a very nondescript building - very low key. If you don't have the address, you be hard pressed to find it. The only clue is a bicycle tire mounted above the entrance, way up by the roof.

But that's just the way I like it. The service is one on one - Zach will make an appointment, then will spend whatever time it takes to help you out. He charges $25 per hour for his consultation (he has a stopwatch to be precise), later if you buy a cycle from him he will subtract the money you spent on a consultation from the final price of a vehicle. I found out his services to be totally worth the money.

Zach is very knowledgeable - he rides a Grasshopper FX himself (amongst other 6 bents). His Grasshopper FX with Above Seat Steering (ASS) is also equipped with Schmidt dynamo hub (SON). Although not as bright as my Trailtech HID lamp, he doesn't need to worry about dead batteries and the way HP Velotechnik integrates all the wires into the frame and rack is really really clean.

Zach's shop is full of bikes and trikes. I saw on his workbench bikes in various states of assembly.

When you talk to Zach, you are talking to the main guy. There is no one else. Which is good, as you cut through all the layers of uncertainty and deal directly with the source. Any more closer, and you would be talking to the manufacturer.

So let's get down to to business of checking out and test riding the bikes.


I wanted to check out the Grasshopper FX, and I sure did. Zach had two versions in stock - ASS (above seat steering) and USS (under seat steering). Honestly, neither bike impressed me. Maybe because that was a second time I rode a SWB recumbent (first being Barcroft Virginia, which I thought was quite a fun but had a harsh ride) or just the way the bikes handled - I don't know. I did not like indirect USS, it felt quite twitchy and disconnected. ASS was better, but still did not make me feel anything special. Certainly, I will not be investing my money into a Grasshopper FX. That's done.

Next I tried was my other highly anticipated bike - Speedmachine by HP Velotechnik.

Again, this bike failed to impress me. It just did not see something in it that I would like to ride every day. The bike did roll nicely, but I was afraid to turn it too sharply due for my lack of experience. No special feeling. Again, back to the drawing board.

I was getting crushed - my dream of a fun 2 wheeler was quickly coming to an end.

Alas, there was the last contender, Streetmachine GTe.

This bike felt right from the first stroke. The steering was nimble and quick, I felt quite connected to the bike. I tried 3 different positions for the seat, the most upright felt most comfortable. The headrest might have worked, but the helmet was getting in the way. The hand position just felt so natural and comfortable. The bar end shifters where in a just a right position too. The bike also felt quite lighter compared to my Cannondale Bent I. Now that's the bike I could become good friends with!

Not all was perfect - turning circle at slow speed is quite large due to the limited range of handle bars, the mounted shifters somehow just didn't feel like super precise levers carved out of metal - I wonder if there is another "level up" of those little shifters?

 So now I have to figure out if I want to go Streetmachine GTe or Scorpion FS route.

For the practical city riding I am leaning towards Streetmachine - higher seat, easier to park at work, plenty of cargo options available.

Scorpion FS is a cupcake too - smooth and slick, but taking a lot more space. I would get used to riding it on the streets (especially in a bicycle lanes) but it is more of a "car" feel vs. "bike" feel of a Streetmachine. I don't think I would be jumping curbs on Scorpion, but that should not be a problem on a Streetmachine.

Also I wonder if the Streetmachine can be made really bulletproof - all the bearings on it should be sealed type (if they are not already) - best quality for longest life and least resistance (and no maintenance). And then there are the options for the drive train, brakes, suspension, etc. I don't want to go overboard, I'll try to stick with KISS (keep it simple, stupid) concept.

As I am leaving for India in a month and a half, I don't think I'll be bringing my new bike with me. The decision will probably wait till I am back in the Santa Monica in February. That should give me plenty of time to ponder.

Again, if you are in Bay area and not sure which bent you want, make an appointment to see Zach.  He can be reached at zakaplan@sonic.net.

Which bent is right for me?

My current Cannondale Bent I is a smooth gliding bent. I just took it out for a 20 mile ride this morning, and that dual suspension soaks up road bumps with aplomb. I love the "cushy" ride. I am only wishing for something a little faster - I am cruising with Cannondale at average of 10 mph on a fairly flat bicycle path. Also, stability won't hurt it either - on a sandy patches on the beach bike path I had that "slipping" feeling couple times, it is quite unnerving.

I started thinking about Grasshopper FX - on paper it makes good sense. The 'hopper FX folds for transportation, should be fairly comfy and reasonably stable. Also, I hope it would be little quicker than my Cannondale.

My first attempt to try Grasshopper FX in SoCal turned out fruitless.

I went into Bentup Cycles wanting to try a Grasshopper FX, but they no longer carry that model. Hence I took couple trikes for a spin. I have tried Scorpion FX and Scorpion FS by HP Velotechnik, and they both felt smooth and nice,  FS even more so plush, especially when I was riding over the uneven ground.

This could turn out to be very dangerous to my valet.  But there were downsides as well.

What I did not like was inability to lean in while turning - that's what makes 2 wheelers so special.

This weekend I am going to Oakland to see Zach Kaplan who has Grasshopper FX and other SWB bents in stock to ride.

I'll be trying out Grasshopper FX, Streetmachine GTe and Speedmachine and see if any of them "talk" to me. If not, I might start saving for Scorpion FS.

Am I setting myself for a trike? Sure looks like that to me. If I go the trike route, there is a whole bunch more to try - Ice has a fully sprung machine (I got spoiled by a smooth ride, I don't even want to try non suspended bents anymore). Also there are deltas for Hase and Greenspeed - Kettwiesel and Anura. From looking at Deltas are kind of ugly, but I have to look beyond looks. It is all about what feels right.

Also, there are fully suspended Velomobile - one from Greenspeed looks interesting, but I think it is an overkill for SoCal "weather".

Most important is to try as many bikes, trikes and quads as possible.

So I am thinking with my brain, but going with my gut.

Daylight saving time is adjusted the wrong way!

I am in Santa Monica, and as of November 7th, it has gotten dark around 5 o'clock.

That puts another disadvantage into a riding a bicycle to work - I have to ride bike with traffic in a dark.

Riding a bike with traffic is hard enough. I was going to work (I work an afternoon-evening shift), then coming home for dinner around 6 (still some light) and then taking bus back to work in the dark. Now I get an extra leg of a journey - going home from work at the rush time in the dark.

The time should have been adjusted to PROLONG the daylight, not to make it shorter.

Combatting "Recumbutt"

After couple hours in the saddle of my Cannondale Bent I, my butt started to become uncomfortable. I would try to shift it around, but the dull pain feeling kept on returning. I developed a "recumbutt".

Next day I went for a ride, and a recumbent butt returned in about 45 minutes. Wow, sore butt is back so quick!

Next day I just rode around town - quick runs to work, home, to the store. Not enough time for sore butt.

On the fourth day I went for a longer ride again, and sore butt was back, but it took more than an hour to occur.

Eureka!

I think it is all about conditioning your butt. More riding will make your butt muscles stronger, and you will be able to sit in a saddle (or on a piece of foam in my case) longer.

I also look forward to a lower, more weight distributing seat in a future. Like a BodyLink seat from HP Velotechnik...

Dream machine?

Lately I have been investigating different bents. I am seem to be on the mission for an "ultimate" bike. I want to take it on a world tour, I want to commute on it. I want it to be reliable. Hp velotechnik grasshopper fx? Maybe.

Also, I am writing this from my iPhone, just to see how blogging from the road would work. I do no see a way to add images, that link seems to be gone. It would be cool to be able to add camera photos to the blog.

Day at the BentUpCycles

Today I went back to the BentUpCycles and spent couple hours test riding bents.

I rode HP Velo Scorpion FX and FS. There is my take on them:

Both are good trikes, but as I pedal they seem very sensitive to steering. I had to constantly work on keeping them going straight. That was not fun. On a smooth surface, FX is just fine until you tried the FS version. It is very smooth on the any suface. Pretty amazing stuff once you compare it to a non-suspension trike.

I also rode SWB steel frame Barcroft - owned and manufactured by BentUpCycles.

Barcroft is a fun bike, but I am spoiled by my rear suspension on Cannondale. I would not own a bike without a rear suspension on a recumbent. Barcroft, as zippy and fun, was hard on my tush riding over the hard stuff. Also, I was not in love with the handlebars - they were way too close and just after 10 minute test ride my hands were already little tired. There is an aero bar option for the Barcroft, but I still would want a rear shock on my bent.

Dana (guy in a red shirt) and Kate were super helpful and informative, too bad they did not have a HP Velo Grasshopper FX on display to try. And, according to Dana, they will not carry it anymore. The Grasshopper just did not sell well. He said that many dealers are not carrying the Grasshopper FX anymore because of that. And, even with the wheels off Grasshopper does not fit into a suitcase. It is just too bulky. So much for my "suitcase bent".

BentUp folks were building up a HP Velo Streetmachine GTe for a customer, but they did not have one to ride. So I could see it, but I could not experience the ride. Hence, I played with the Barcroft.

The Keen cycle shoes work well in cool weather. They keep feet a little warm, but while riding there is enough ventilation through the slats. My feet were comfortable. To put them on and off is also a cinch - thanks to the stretchable construction. Thumbs up so far, but let's see how long they will last.

So I am starting to lean towards a Streetmachine, especially if I could figure out how to transport in my car. Grasshopper folded should fit in a trunk. Again, more testing is required.

My take on bicycle shoes

I found out that riding bicycle for more than couple miles with soft soled running shoes quickly transitions into a foot pain.

I have purchased single sided Shimano PD-M324 SPD pedals for my Specialized Allez. I tried two different shoes - Sidi road shoe (over a $100 in 2008) and Cannondale mountain bike shoes ($40).

Sidi road shoe was a road shoe - on the bike they were ok but not comfortable, eventually giving me a knee pain. I tried riding them for about a month, after that they went back to REI.

Cannondales were more practical, but not that useful. Their soles were not stiff enough and after riding for a while my foot would start getting sore. So after another month, Cannondale MTB shoes went back to REI. I decided to continue using my Chaco Z1 sandals.

Chaco Z1s have pretty stiff soles so the pressure from the pedal gets distributed evenly and I would not get sore spots in my feet. They work very well in dry weather. When the weather got wet (doesn't happen too much in Santa Monica) the rubber becomes slippery, and you have to be careful not to let the foot slip off the pedal. Because my pedals are not that high on Long Base Compact recumbent, I did not have too much of a problem. But I realized that one slip could be my last, so I started looking for a better solution.

This is what I want: I would like to have Chaco sandals, but with SPD plates. Too bad Chaco doesn't have a product like that. Other sandals were made by Shimano ($99), Nashbar ($50) and Lake ($77) and Keen ($70).

I tried a pair of Lake sandals at BentUpCycles, and I did not like them too much. They were pretty hard on the top, just didn't feel super comfortable.

I did research on the net, and ended up ordering Keen Commuter Shoes.

Today they came in, and I was glad to notice that their soles had good traction and stiffness. I rode my Cannondale Bent to work and the soles almost felt glued to the pedals, even before SPD plates were attached. They were OK for walking too - I am sitting with them at my desk right now. On the downside they do not have the ventilation of Chaco Z1s- I can feel my feet getting clammy inside. I think I will wear them for riding, but will have a pair of real open sandals for walking and work.

I will take Keens on a longer ride on Saturday and see how they feel with SPD plates attached.

11-14-10 Update:

I have been using Keens all the time for commuting. So far - great cycling "shandal" - it is not quite a sandal due to closed toe box. But now as weather is getting colder, that is a benefit.

Life journey on a cycle - introduction

I have been riding bicycles since I was 5 - I remember having a blue bicycle with fat red tires. There were red training wheels too, but soon I did not need them, and I was zipping around our summer house near Vilnius on my red wheel terror.

Two summers later my Fat Red has been retired - I just simply outgrew it. The next bike was Russian made "Shkolnik" - student. That bicycle did not last too long either - by the next summer somebody swiped it.

Then came a blue "Ereliukas" - Little Eagle. It was manufactured in Siauliai by Vairas company. Since my youth the manufacturer has been privatized and sold to some foreign consortium, but to me my Ereliukas was my best buddy for number of years. Trips to outside of the Vilnius to our summer house on Nemencine's road, to the lake further up the road, and around Vilnius - those were great days of my childhood. Eventually somebody stole it, but by then I was outgrowing it anyways.

For couple years my father got me a folding Minsk, similar look to 20" Dahon. As all bikes before it, there was only one gear and rear drum brake (activated by pedaling backwards). Again, I rode it around town and beyond. That bike stayed around, even when I got a brand new golden metallic "Turist" - tourist. Turist had a friction shifters with gears, and center pull caliper brakes (I think). It had big size wheels and was my "adventure" bike. I still remember going to Kirtimai store to pick it up, then I rode it back home to old town Vilnius. It was a beautiful spring day, and it was just me and my new bike. Perfect!

There were more adventures with my Tourist - I did a trip to Moletai observatory - my classmates father was an astronomer there. I took a train to Utena, then rode bicycle to Moletai. I did not have much "gear" - just my tools that came with the bicycle. Fortunately, I made it in one day and spent a night in a canvas tent, and a horde of mosquitoes. Next day my face started to swell from bites, and when I got back home to Vilnius following day (my classmates came by bus and the bus took us all back) I hated mosquitoes even more. Still, this is my first "un(der)supported" bicycle tour. I think I was 11 or 12 then.

At ripe age of 16 I relocated to Santa Monica with my family.

I inherited an old Nishiki 16 speed (I think) and rode it to school and to my first job - McDonalds. After summer of "cleaning and not leaning" I bought a silver Raleigh Technium. I think it had a Suntour components, and cost me $600. It was a non-suspended mountain bike that I only rode on the streets. But it sure looked cool! Eventually I left it overnight by my current job locked to the parking meter, and next day I only found a piece of the lock. I think they used a rotary tool to cut through the lock.

At those days through the circumstances beyond my control I inherited a blue Specialized Allez. It had Shimano 105 components (which some of them I still have and use on a new carbon fiber fork Allez) and I rode it for number of years around Santa Monica. Eventually one of the chain-stays broke, and Specialized replaced the old frame with the new one. I moved the majority of components to the new bike, but was never too fond of the new Allez. Eventually I started getting wrist and neck pain on it, and I knew it was time to move on.

I found a silver Cannondale Bent I at my local bicycle shop. They had it for over 3 years and it was not going anywhere. So I got a good deal ($1000) and have been riding it around town for past 3 years. The wrist pain is the distant memory, I ride 3-4 miles to work and around town. It has been great, but with approach of my 40th birthday, I have been bit by a touring bug again.

As good as Bent I is around town, I don't see it as my ultimate tourer. My intention is to acquire an ultimate touring bent suitable for quick tours around L.A., and eventually cross country. Also, I would like to make it down to Cabo. Ah, dreams...