Recumbents

New Project - Carbon Highracer

Okay, I thought I would kick off my new project - a carbon Highracer.  More details will be posted shortly.  But to get things started here are a couple of site that inspired me:

http://users.skynet.be/benoit.dery/

http://www.jjscozzi.com/

These guys have made some incredible carbon low-racers and have set the bar pretty high.

Dennis Loop (2005 YTD: 60.9)

Long ride today!  This was my first ride in my new Giro Ghisallo helmet - and it felt like I was not even wearing one.  The vents on this thing are huge, and it is so light you forget you are wearing it.  Plus it fits nice a solid on my head - really great buy with my Birthday money from my folks.

This was my longest ride ever, and it felt great.  My legs are sore tonight, but that is to be expected.  I hope to fit in a quick 5 mile ride on Sunday to limber things up a  bit.

I averaged 13.1 MPH on this ride, which I think was great for such a long ride.

Hedge Lane Loop (2005 YTD: 43.7)

Beautiful evening here in KC - had to wear a light jacket, but still wore shorts.  This was a fast 10 mile ride with an average speed at 14.2 mph.

Hedge Lane Out & Back (2005 YTD: 32.9)

I did a quick ride tonight of just over 6 miles.  Nice evening, and a nice ride!

Dennis out & back (2005 YTD: 26.7)

On Saturday I got my new Schwalbe Stelvios installed.  Talk about an almost impossible job!  I could barely get the front 20" tire installed on the rim, but finally did and my thumbs are sore to prove it. :)

I also installed a new mirror, which was badly needed. 

So today was a beautiful day in KC with temps in the high 70's.  It was windier than I thought, but doable.  I went out for a 11.6 mile trip.  The first half was fast and easy, then when I turned around I figured out why.  The wind was at my back on the way out and straight in my face on the way back.

The ride felt good - tires were faster feeling, and the mirror worked great!

In the Seat! - 7.5 Miles (2005 YTD: 15.1)

Nice spring evening here in Kansas City tonight - so I jumped on the bike after the kids went to bed.  It felt great, but I can tell I am not in the shape I was at the end of last year.

I want to ride the MS150 this year, so I plan to be putting some major miles on the old Bentech this season.

I am going to order some faster tires - Stelvios, and a mirror.

Nothing much to report about the ride tonight, other than the fact my battery almost died on my lighting system.  Time for a recharge!

Average moving speed: 13.6 MPH

Persimmon Loop - 7.6 Miles (2005 YTD: 7.6)

We had a beautiful day here on Saturday, so I headed out.  Temps were in the mid 50's and the wind was about 16 mph.  Did a couple of loops around - and it felt great.  But as the day wore on my legs were getting sore.  Gotta go slow to get back in shape this spring!

Persimmon Loop - 8.0 Miles (2004 YTD: 101.6)

WHOOT! I have just broken the 100 mile mark on my Bentech recumbent.  Went out for a quick spin tonight.  Temp was 49 degrees when I left the house and 48 when I returned.  I saw two does on Hedge tonight - this place is a deer haven!  I averaged 13.7 mph tonight with a max speed on 26.2 mph.  On hills that I used to crawl up at 4 or 5 mph I can now spin up at 9 to 10 mph.  Amazing!

Prince of Peace Loop - 14.7 Miles (2004 YTD: 93.6)

Beautiful day here in KC!  66 degrees and light 5mph winds - can't beat it.  I moved my cranks about 1/4" closer and it made a huge difference in my knees.  This is my longest ride to date and it felt great.  I do need to get some type of water system going.  I really need to drink on a ride this long, but I don't have any water bottle bosses on my frame.  I would really like to get a Camelbak system - good Christmas idea!  I did air my tires up to 100 psi for the first time.  I did not realize it but I had been running between 40 and 65 psi (no pressure gauge).  I finally got a pressure gauge, and I was shocked.  It seemed to roll really easy with them at 100 psi!

I did not see another single rider out today, I was really surprised!  Max speed 30.1 mph, and moving average 13.5 mph. 

Persimmon Loop - 8.5 Miles (2004 YTD: 78.9)

Pretty cool tonight - high 40's with some north wind. I wore my fleece lined tights and Izumi jacket. I moved my cleats to the furthest rear position and it felt better than the last ride. I think I need to move the cranks a bit closer to the seat and try that out, I feel like my legs extend just a bit to much.

I rode the loop 3 times. First lap - saw two deer, both does. Second lap - saw a 10 point buck and two does in the same spot. Third lap - saw three does in the same spot. Pretty cool!

Moving average speed: 12.9 mph - Moving Time: 39.44 Minutes