hase kettwiesel ride report 33 km
With the bike Friday down for repairs a friend (Erik (from the tour aotearoa ride) - has lent? Me the use of a hase kettwiesel 3 wheel recumbent bike so i can keep riding : ) as the bike has not been used in some time it took a few hours of work to get ready including moving the front end of the bike frame In to adjust the size (a bit like moving the seat post up or down to adjust the saddle hight on most bikes) and shorting the chain (Erik is taller then me : )
onice the bike was ready for a test ride and a break in the weather it was time to take the bike out for a ride : ) heading down the driveway of Erik's place I wait for the bike computer to get the gps working before heading down hill with my friend on they Mt bike (the bike they had on the tour aotearoa ride) - about 10 m from the house the front end of the bike slowly turn side ways - I had not done the boxes the hold the front part of the bike tight enough when I changed the frame size (a sliding boom means the bike can be set up for different size rides) a easy fix ( had packed tools in the bag behind the seat for any on the road adjustment that was needed as this was a test ride) taking things some what slowly as its the 2 time I been on a recumbent bike and the first time was a 100 km day ride at cycle queenland ride over 10 years ago on a different design (that one was a greenspeed tadpole - ie 2 wheels in front one behind -
the hase kettwiesel is a delta recumbent - one wheel in front 2 behind) with my friend keeping a eye on me as we made our way though town (rotorua) until we got on to the off road cycle paths that lead though a park when I had a good play getting used to the handing of the bike as we made our way around people and along the trails around the different geothermal hotpools /mud pools until we get to a off road trail that leads on to a pathway the runs next to the old rail line out to ngongotaha including going around (or some times even under : ) the anti-motorbike barriers on the trail -
a good and fun test to get though small /tight places (the bike is around 85 cm wide and maybe 1.5 m? Long with front wheel steering (under seat hander bars linked to the front forks with a link rod) - after going through some more of the path my friend and I noticed that one of the back tires was now flat (the bike had been sitting for a few years so I had just pump up the tires - knowing that there was a high chance that they might be a slow leak on one of the bike wheels) well first up was working out how to get the tire off so I could change the tube - the bike has these odd v-brake set up where the in side break arms move and the out side is a fixed pad mounted on a arm that heald to the frame - I'm not sure how the back wheels do come off? So I end up taking part of the brake a part to change the tube - well after a bit of a battle to get the tube out I get one of the spare tubes - what tuneds out to be to long - yes it's a 20" tube -
after looking at the size and looking at the old tube I work out the issue - it's a 1 1/8 tube (20"-451 size) and the tire size is 1.25 (20" - 406) so i get out the other spare tube and it's 20" 1.25 - yep it's the right size now that's worked out the rim tape causing a issue ( easily fixed) as the value is a car vale on the new tube I change over the pump bits before putting the tube back in and the tire back on (tight fit at the end) before pumping up to around 70 psi and putting the brakes back together : ) then its back to riding in/out of ngongotaha then though the argdoom? On to back roads with the weather being off and on cold showers and wind as we make our way around over rolling hills with a fun climb (finding out just how low the gearing is - it's 7 in the back and 2 in the front (no derailed in front though) (remember the bike is from around 2002) heading up a fun climb before a even more fun Down hill getting up to 57 km/h -
after nearly coming off in the first few bends I soon start getting the hang of it : ) then a bit rolling as we head back into rotorua taking things carefully with Erik riding Besides/in front or behind me much of the time partly as I had some how forgot to put the safety flag back on from working on the bike (it's back on the bike now along with better lights and a few other things : ) I had a Garmin GPS bike computer (will have to find a place for the spot tracker to sit on the bike) on the bike so i was looking at that from time to time : ) -
after 33 km it was time to head back to my friends place - did have a sore knee at times but that also happens on my bike Friday (no other pain like the shoulder and hands pain I get at times (cause by old injuries including getting hit by a truck in 2008) - the ride is a bit rough on rougher roads/trails - handling - soon got the handling down (very stable - there is a kit to use this bike as a hand crank bike for disabled riders - see website ) good turning for its size -
brakes are OK as for the gears I would have to count the number of teeth on the front and back and look a gear chart to see how it compares to my bike Friday gearing - it's a very fun bike to ride (more easily to ride for me then even my bike Friday as it's very stable to ride) after finishing the ride I stopped the Garmin GPS bike computer (edge 500) and put the bike away : ) before uploading the bike computer info on the the tablet and on line (had a upload issue but found a app up date that fixed it : ) and that's the ride report for my first ride on this bike : )
