I came across this video and thought it would be a good one to share with others. This man rides a HP Velotechnik Scorpion FS26 Pedelec trike which is a factory made electric motorized trike rather than an after market add on kit.
In case you had not noticed in many parts of the world we have entered into a season of colder temperatures. It doesn’t take much to notice it around where I live as the trails are nearly void of cyclists and there are very few walkers out. Most definitely we notice the colder temperatures with our bodies, but one thing I have noticed as well it it’s effect on my bell and squeeze bulb horn. In warmer weather both are fairly loud, but in colder weather their volume level decreases dramatically. Fortunately during such weather I really don’t have much need of using either one.
Another effect of colder temperatures I have noticed is that my battery for my electric hub motor loses a considerable amount of it performance range capacity. In warm weather I usually get 35+/- miles out of a full charge. In colder weather I am doing good to get in the low 20s. That is something which I am not happy about although truthfully in the winter time I don’t usually ride much farther than the low 20 mile range.
Of course, as humans we notice the wind chill effect on our bodies when out in colder temperatures. Just riding provides “wind” and if there is actual wind (which we usually have here in NE Indiana) we can really notice it, especially when riding into the wind. So riding along at 15-20 mph is not something all that pleasant in colder temperatures. Oh yes, we can always bundle up as much as needed … at least up to the point we can’t function. 🙂
For me personally definitely Spring and Fall are my two favorite seasons. Summer and Winter not so much. Too much heat or too much cold most definitely effect me. I try to ride regardless of the weather … but only to a point as I like to …
Sooner or later if we ride any kind of a cycle with pneumatic tires we are likely to get a flat tire. Many of us have been fixing flats since childhood so we can handle flats when they happen. However, some riders have never done so and don’t know how and are intimidated by such a challenge. In today’s world there is help as close as our computers/smartphones/tablets. There are quite a lot of tutorials available in the way of videos where things are not only explained, but they are shown making it even easier to understand. Here is one such video which is pretty comprehensive:
One cardinal rule is never use a sharp object such as a screwdriver as a tire lever. Doing so is just asking for problems as one can easily puncture an inner tube. This young person in THIS VIDEO uses two of them.
If you find you have a damaged tire that you are concerned about continuing on riding on there may be hope for it. HERE is an article I wrote on dealing with such tires.
HERE is an article I wrote on rear wheel removal and reinstallation.
One tip I would share here which makes a whole lot of sense, but is seldom mentioned in instructional videos is to use the punctured inner tube to discover the location in the tire where the puncture occurred. Simply carefully remove the inner tube from the tire paying careful attention to its exact positioning in the tire so that you can later place it upon the outside of the tire the same as it came out. Pump the punctured inner tube back up with air to discover the location of the leak. Once you know where the leak in the tube is at you can determine where to look in the tire for the cause of the leak. The cause may or may not be there, but if it is still there it is most important to remove it before installing the new inner tube. Otherwise it will just cause the new inner tube to fail also. Be very careful running your fingers around inside of the tire attempting to locate the cause of the flat as you could get cut or otherwise injured.
When I watch most instructional videos I usually find at least one thing they cover which I take issue with and don’t agree on. That’s okay, I guess. They can do whatever they want and I will do the task the way I want. That is just the way things are in this ol’ world we live in. I guess the most important thing is that we “git ‘er dun” so that we can …
