The Cold Commute - How to cycle a recumbent trike to work

[WebDogZcom]

Very inspiring video. Thank you for sharing this.....

[syscam1]

Where did you purchase the LED lights that are on the side and underneith your trike?

[dregerclock]

@syscam1 The glow lights that I have shining under the trike and on my rear wheel are called BikeBrightZ bikebrightz [dot] com

They have four different colors... I only bought the red and yellows. for whatever reason I found that for some reason the red lights have longer battery (AAA Cells) life than the yellows. So I have really only used the red ones. But in fact all of them seem to burn up batteries fast. have to use them sparingly only on the street sections of my ride and when dark.

[XRayCam]

@dregerclock you could actually get a 12V house alarm battery and mount somewhere (non acid type is best) and just find the proper "resistance" to drop the voltage down to a safe level for your diode "lights" and drive for VERY long times...then charge up the 12V :-) For nearly NOTHING in cost.....then you can have ALL the lights you want. What us the FLASHING White Light up front? I like that for safety!!

[dregerclock]

@XRayCam - thanks for the idea... with winder coming along I will be thinking about lighting more. I always run the tail light and the head light on streets even in the daylight. Which requires some bright lights. The headilght and the taillights are both the same (other than the color of course). They are the Dinotte 400L units - Lithium Ion battery pack versions.

[XRayCam]

@dregerclock Thanks for the Update.

[Trikesalot]

I really enjoy your "training films.". Almost make me WANT to get out into traffic! :-)

[va3ks]

Just got a Catrike Road and what a BLAST to ride plus I can ride it with a broken collar bone. Tomorrow wil be my first commute with it to work!

[dregerclock]

@va3ks -wow, congratulations! The Catrike Road is a very nice trike. I am thinking about a Road or an Expedition as my next one. Be safe out there. One thing I found about street riding on a trike is that you want to follow the rules of the road to the tee... be in the lane or along the side where you are most visible, take the lane if there is not safe room for cars to pass in the same lane. Drivers usually will respect your space if you are were you are seen and driving predictably. Congrats!

[va3ks]

Damn, your Trike vids are evil cause I now want to get one! Tomorrow I am off to test drive one. I have a 14km commute on my DF but crashed the other day and now have a six week wait until my coller bone heals.

[dregerclock]

@va3ks - LOL! ... got you hooked and you haven't even ridden one yet! Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you heal up fast. I went over the handlebars on my mountain bike twice before I got my trike. Thankfully I only got cuts and scrapes, nothing broken.

[ZarocLow1994]

Hi. Is this the trail that starts near the 91 Freeway? thanks

[dregerclock]

@ZarocLow1994 - The Santa Ana River Trail starts at the Green River Golf Course (near green river exit of the 91 at the OC border) on the upstream side... and follows the Santa Ana River to the beach ending near Brookhurst Street between Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. Yes, it does parallel the 91 until the 91 meets the 55 freeway. It also parallels the 57 freeway near the Honda Center and the Stadium.

[CullyJ]

Where do you work?

[CullyJ]

Do you find it more dangerous to commute on a recumbent trike? Good thing you have a flag!

[dregerclock]

@CullyJ - Actually, I have not found it more or less dangerous... if anything I think drivers see me better on the trike when I am in the lane where they can see me. I have been buzzed and yelled at on my bike... but rarely on my trike. cars generally change lanes with good distance when they see me on the trike. See my commute home video, entitled: "Race the Sun Home" which shows a little more street riding. ;-)

[CullyJ]

@dregerclock Thanks for your quick reply. I'm a recumbent tricyclist myself. Sometimes, I'm a little paranoid that I'm so low to the ground.

I think the "weirdness" or trikes is very attention-grabbing.

[dregerclock]

@CullyJ - I agree. the "wierd bike" factor, and although a trike is only slightly wider than someone's shoulders on a standard bike... the ground footprint and the PERCEIVED TO BE WIDER factor often make drivers give you more room on the street which is nice. But I still do not move all the way to the right against the curb in the gutter and make a driver THINK he can squeeze by in the same lane if it is not really safe. Better to take the lane and make them change lanes around you.

[ponypruhest]

I would suggest turning the music a little down when you speak to us so we can hear it.

[paulw1365]

were did you get that red light you have on the bottom of trike i like it cool i want one for my trike lol got to love this bike your ride to work is cool

[dregerclock]

@paulw1365 - The glow lights that I have shining under the trike and on my rear wheel are called BikeBrightZ bikebrightz [dot] com

They have four different colors... I only bought the red and yellows. I mounted the yellows under the cross arms, but I found that for some reason the red lights have longer battery (AAA Cells) life than the yellows. So I have really only used the red ones.

[krllyy]

Glenn, don't know what happened to my other comment...(?) Nice vid though, THANKS. Hard to believe he does it all in the 2nd chainring (ALL the damn time !!) and with a wooden leg.......

[dregerclock]

I will be adding CC to this video for my hearing impaired friends.

[krllyy]

@dregerclock Nice vid, thanks. Hard to believe he does it all in the 2nd chainring AND with a wooden leg !!!

[jimmo]

Hello "Dreger Clock",

How are you?

Very nice made video.

Have you ever met Jonathan (NME rider)? He lives in your neigbourhood (relatively seen from my place) and rides the SART too.

Greetings from freezing (21 Fahrenheit) and snowy Holland (The Netherlands) from Jimmo.

[dregerclock]

@jimmo Thanks Jimmo! I have never met Jonathan face to face, although we have chatted by email and talked about meeting up. It has just never happened -- yet. ;-)

[sneakybeaver13V2]

i wish i could ride with you dude!

[oratwi]

Looking forward to the sequel.... Do you trike to work everyday?

[dregerclock]

@oratwi - I usually ride to and from work twice to three times a week. would like to work up to doing it daily... but have not yet.

[DavidCousins]

Thanks for sharing your commute. Nice vid. As usual, great editing job.

[dregerclock]

@DavidCousins - Thanks! It was fun working with two days of video (I shot Monday and Tuesday as I rode in, and used video from both days. Probably have well over 45 minutes of raw video that I edited down to the 10 minutes you see.

[hauserkaspar]

@dregerclock 45 min for a 10 min video. No wonder you're always late for work. If I were you I would send that stand-in when you were filming at 4:49

[dregerclock]

@hauserkaspar - actually it was 45 minutes (a guess) over two days of shooting. and I am going in an hour early these days so I don't have to ride home in the dark with more traffic. Morning traffic in the dark is not as bad.

[hauserkaspar]

@dregerclock If there is one thing I hate it's cycling in the early morning. Especially when it's cold. Back home though it's a lot nicer then driving a car. I can see in your video why you want to avoid to much traffic on those dangerous crossings. I hope you have a neck rest at work after turning your head a million times to look out for suv's. Once on the trail it's nice though. An hour well spent.

[dregerclock]

@hauserkaspar - My helmet mirror is my best friend. It saves my neck in more ways that one. (HA!) I use it and my side mirrors a lot... but before I cross lanes to a center lane for turnouts I do usually turn my head too after checking mirrors. But it is not bad. I love the neck rest on my trike seat! On the way home I take a narrower but less trafficked street that parallels the one you see in this video. When the sequel comes out you will see it... Stay tuned for THE RIDE HOME!

[hauserkaspar]

@dregerclock Can't wait! Don't forget to rotate the mirror 180 degrees on the way home!