Helmet - Easy to open/close buckle

TrikesterHal

Schwinn makes an adult helmet with a magnetic type clasp that is easy to open/close.  The helmet model is called the Adult Form + Fit EZ Magnetic Snap Buckle.  I found it at a local Sears store, but since Schwinn is such a common brand I'm sure other stores may carry it as well.

Someone who has an issue with hand strength can operate this helmet buckle.  I tinkered with it and it seems to work quite well. ...thought I'd pass on this information to anyone who might be interested.

robbie8800

Sounds like a good thing, but I personally have a gripe concerning helmets designed to protect someone going head-first over handle bars being all that effective for someone riding a trike. It's better than nothing, but I think there should be a trike specific helmet.

TrikesterHal

Robbie,  what do you have in mind?  I'm curious.  Maybe your thoughts can trigger someone to come up with a better design.  :-bd

robbie8800

I don't think flying over handle bars is a major concern. Rolling the trike and getting hit from the back, side and front are more likely. Something with more protection for the back and sides. Obviously a motorcycle helmet would do, but who wants to wear that while riding a trike? Maybe something similar that's lighter with better ventilation. As it stands now I refuse to wear a helmet. Call me stupid and/or crazy.

Florida_bound

They have a skateboarding helmet that covers the side and back of the head.  I looked for one but most are made for kids, not adults.  I don't often wear my helmet.  I prefer to have a hat on that covers my face and ears from the sun.

TrikesterHal

In looking for a better visor I came upon the Giro Feature which I got from Amazon.  It's mountain bike helmet with an adjustable visor.  On a chance I bought it.

I discovered that you can remove the little knob that controls the position of the visor so you can bring the visor down really low...I loved it.  Because it is a mountain bike helmet it has better side and rear protection.  It is amazingly light and comes in a bunch of different colors.

With the hot weather I'm out riding at sun up and into the sun.  I pull the visor down low and it shields my eyes.  I got a white one and I plan to paint the underside of the visor with dark grey paint (you can remove the visor too) to make it even more pleasant.  I wrote it up in my blog under the May group in "My kingdom for a visor" at trikesterhal.blogspot.com.

A word of advice.  Put a dab of sunscreen on the front part of your head lest you get a little square of sunburn or tan from the front ventilation hole!  Combined with my strange finger tanning (from the fingerless gloves) people may think I'm an alien. )

robbie8800

That looks like it would work very well.

PaulNM

I don't think we can really do any better than the "standard" bike helmet, especially as you can get them for only $25/$30. Any more specialized solution would end up being quite a bit more expensive.

Trikes are more stable, but we can still roll over and slide down roads/hills. Even at low speeds. We can also still hit by cars/bike/trees/etc. We need both impact and scraping road rash protection. 

- PaulNM

Florida_bound

Even if there isn't much sun, wear sun glasses to protect your eyes from cataracts.  I already have them and am contemplating having surgery.  Although I wear bifocals, I bought a pair of full lense prescription sunglasses in a large frame.  They cover very well and are very comfortable on the trike.

I also use Neutrogena 70 SPF facial sunscreen.  My prescriptions cause dark spots so I want as much protection as possible.

TrikesterHal

PaulNM, the nifty Schwinn helmet I described was on sale at Sears for $21.  My Giro was $67 bucks and it's a fancy brand, but it works well so I don't mind the protection for my brain bucket. :-)

Florida_bound,  I've had cataract surgery after having worn glasses for 45 years.  The procedure is simple and quick....two hours from the time I walked in the door until I walked out.  They wait two weeks between each procedure.  The upside was that I could now wear nice polarized, UV filtered wrap around sunglasses that made riding much more enjoyable.

Oh, in one eye they place a distance lens and in the other a close up lens.  In short, your brain figures it out and you now have 20/20 vision.  After two years I only need cheap reading glasses when print is like six point.  To bad I had to wait all those years to have the procedure. 

TCEd

Try a hockey helmet for better protection

TrikesterHal

TCEd,  probably wouldn't get sticked or take a puck to the head, but that is a good idea...  )

PapaSkisNTrikes

This shouold do the trick.

TrikesterHal

I don't know maybe trikes should required to have airbags as well.  X_X

gern

@TrikesterHal........Don't say that so LOUD!!!! The nanny state will hear you and we'll end up with roll over protection, anti-lock brakes and emission controls for us old farts. :-O )

Florida_bound

Still won't stop us from getting run over by a vehicle!  I plan on buying larger, more visible flags.  Then, if I live through a collision, I will sue for every penny I can get.

robbie8800

Flags are good, but I think to really be seen lights are the answer. Blinking, flashing, strobe lights that make people say, "What the hell is that thing?" Have the lights facing front, rear and side for the best effect. All in all I think motorists are more courteous to trike pilots than to DF riders in general. I'm not really sure why unless it's because we either look disabled, or the vehicle we're operating looks more like a little car than a regular bicycle.

TrikesterHal

One observation I made when I first started watching videos of trike pilots was that one guy had ribbons and my eyes were drawn to them quickly.  I have since taken loud green (reflective stripe down the middle) ribbon, doubled it, so there were two 18" pieces and attached it to the mast just below the flag.  They flutter like crazy when I'm riding.  I really do think they are easily visible.

I have flags and lights too, but the ribbons help.  I also think that motorists are more courteous to us than to bicyclists.  It could be we appear larger, but I have no clue.  I've not had a problem with vehicles when I ride the four miles from my home to the MUP.  I've written about that in my blog back close to when I started writing.  For one thing I'm very courteous to vehicles and I obey traffic law so that could be part of it.  I especially make eye contact, smile and wave when I am extended courtesy.  They never fail to wave back.

TCEd

Be careful with long ribbons and flags. On a narrow mup a crosswind can move them into the oncoming riders.

TheDuke

I must be asleep.  TrikesterHal, when did you get a Cattrike?  What did you do with the Rover?

TrikesterHal

TCEd,  the flags are normal TT flags.  I have the Army flag and the tie dyed trike on which I had my amateur radio call sign imprinted.  I have two flag masts so there are ribbons on each one.  I have red ribbons where they are 36" doubled around the mast so it's actually a pair of 18" ribbons.  The other ribbons are similar and made out of the lime stripe (reflective strip down the middle) tape that you might sew on a vest or jacket.  The ribbons aren't too long and don't cause problems like taking out riders or bikes on the trail.  )

TheDuke,  you are the first one to notice.  My new Catrike 5.5.9 in electric blue should arrive at the shop tomorrow or Tuesday.  I had been contemplating a different trike for a while and finally decided on the 5.5.9 partly because it folds up, but that's not the only reason.

When I bought the Rambler GT last August I knew next to nothing about trikes and their various configurations.  I rode several models and decided on the Rambler because it had a handlebar configuration like a bike.  And it had grip shifting like my old Trek hybrid.  All that was familiar to me and I felt comfortable with it so I bought it.  

I also didn't know how much I would ride it, but I soon grew to love riding it so much, in fact, that as of this morning the odometer is now at 2,517 miles!  I modified it with the Lasco crankset (shorter pedals arms and smaller chain rings) and a Sram rear cassette with a 36 (instead of the 32) tooth ring.  Together they gave me excellent low gearing for climbing the hills on the Razorback Greenway.  Experience has taught me all about when and how to shift so that riding is smooth and automatic.  I don't have to think about it.  With the heat I'm out at sunrise taking a 25 route every other day.  I've done anywhere from 40 to 55 miles and been out most of the day, but can't do that now with the heat.

Back to the Catrike...  I have been going to the dealer, Dogwood Junction, and hanging out for several hours at a time.  I've helped and/or observed Ben assembling and/or working on trikes and I've learned a lot about the innards of trikes.  Ben carries the complete line of Terra Trike and Catrike models so I've been able to test ride a number of different trikes.  There are so many to choose from that it's mind boggling.

I've done long rides on the 5.5.9 and come to really enjoy it.  The vertical bars don't seem as strange as the first time I saw them and the bar end shifters are not as alien now that I know how to shift.  It sits lower and the seat is super comfortalbe.  I was also blown away by the electric blue color.  So I'm taking the plunge and I'll write it up in my blog.

I will sell the Rambler GT because there is only room in the garage for one trike.  If I had room I'd keep "Tenacity" as he is named.  He and I have covered a lot of miles together and he's never given me one bit of trouble except the one flat (in the garage!) which wasn't his fault.

TheDuke

Don't want to abandon you.  Where should we go for the Further Adventures of the Trikester?  Here. or another site?

TheDuke

Florida_bound

OMG, is hanging at the bike shop what trikers do now?  Thank goodness my lbs only has one trike to test.  I can't afford to buy a new one.  But, I understand why you did.  You put more miles on your trike than anyone I know.  

Florida_bound

I liked the flag lookinup had on the trike she sold.  But, I plan to buy three flags that would normally attach to the window of a vehicle.  They would be 1) the American flag, 2) my favorite MLB team, and 3) my favorite college team.  I plan to connect them all together and they will cover most of my flag post.  Those flags might get me run over but I don't care!

TrikesterHal

TheDuke, I'll be around... I know too many of the characters that hang out here.  \:D/

I hang out at the LBS because I have the time, I'm retired.  Trike shops are few and far between and mine is 25 miles away and along a 65 MPH four lane highway. =P~

Being a teacher I'm always studying, reading and learning.  There's so much to learn and so little time. 

:-?

TrikeBirder

Congrats TrikesterHal on the 559.
I've been thinking that might be my next trike too, but I can't afford a new
trike at the moment... But maybe I could afford a used Rambler for the wife?!

Before I bought my used Rover, I thought that I wanted a
trike tandem so the wife & I could ride together, so I decided on the Rover
so I could simply add the tandem extension. But when I took my wife to the LBS
after a year of prodding and her kicking and screaming all the way complaining
I would never ride it, and neither would she... then she took one for a short
ride. That changed everything. She now thinks she wants a trike of her own. I
figured I'd keep an eye out for a used foldable trike (only one fully assembled
trike will fit inside my Prius). But buying another used trike that doesn't
fold would allow the wife and I to ride together, and just maybe, I could
eventually get a 559 or Traveler so we could easily transport 2 trikes. Then,
before buying a new 559, or maybe (hopefully and preferably - if the cost is
under $4K) the Dumont.

My wife doesn't ride nearly as fast, far or regularly as I
do (we currently share one Rover), so I'm also considering adding (this
winter?) a Bafang electric assist mid-drive for the rover for my wife, and see
if that gets her out riding more frequently, ridding further, and hopefully not
get too far ahead of me just peddling. Then, If I add a tandem extension to the
Rover, it should handle just about any hill we are likely to encounter while in
electric assist mode.

So, TrikesterHal, when might you sell your Rambler, and how
much do you need to get for it, and what state do you live in? I'm in mid-Michigan
and plan to be at RiderFest on August 6. Any chance you'll be there too?

On the outside chance that you, or someone reading this
post, are into wildlife photography and a Nikon owner, I have an awesome lens I
could part with, it's the "Sigmonster" - Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM
APO IF Ultra Telephoto Zoom Lens MSRP $8K The lens is in great shape and
I would give a fair price and or trade/partial trade if anyone was interested. I've owned lens for roughly for 7 years, but my two
artificial shoulders won't allow me to get much use out of it anymore. Check
out info and photos here:  http://wbhunt.com/blog/my-favorite-wildlife-lens/

TrikeBirder

Sorry for getting so off topic - my bad.