| A terrific day trip from the Denver area is the Mineral Belt Trail around and through Leadville. You get 12 miles of wide paved trail at an elevation of 10,000 ft. It's peaceful, informative, and scenic. Not to be missed. |
| A new Q ready to go with lots of extras. The Big Apples give it the expeditionary look. The new owner wanted maximum comfort. |
| Friends, Rex and E. A. from Amarillo, are enjoying the Mineral Belt Trail for the second year. I predict they will be back again. |
| A frequent question is how do you take along a big dog. Sebastian is 80 lbs. and likes heading out in his trailer. The trike is a Q with a custom hitch mount for the Cycletote trailer, the hauler made for BIG doggies. The Trike Store now carries Burley trailers for doggies/equipment up to 75 lbs. |
| This is Gus. He is a brand new triker. Formerly a resident of the Dumb Friends League, he has been with us about a month now. |
| Janet, Gus, and E. A. on the Mineral Belt trail with an example of some of the historical scenery along the trail. This is near the end after a glorious descent. |
| Links: |
| Local ride weather: |
| Here's a nifty product that is useful well beyond triking. Wraparound sunglasses with built-in magnification for those of us who are at a disadvantage once we put our bifocals in a pocket. Takes the numbers on a bike computer--car dashboard, too--right out of the fog. (The diopter cuts do NOT show.) Available here: http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/andmore_home/andmore_toolsofprotection/82 383.aspx?feature=Product_66 |
| A car top rack is a secure method with a reasonable cost. One of the best examples I have found is the one shown here. The rails attached to the car can be Thule or Yakima. The trays are by Rocky Mounts (links underlined) and use the following parts: |
| For a single trike: 1 60" tray 60" tray 2 43" trays 43" tray 3 wheel straps wheel straps 6 bar clips bar clips |
| For two trikes: 4 60" trays (5 for shorter load) 6 ratchet wheel straps 8 bar clips (10 for five trays) (Requires the rack bars to be 36 to 40" apart. The four/five tray method is NOT shown in the pictures.) |
| This is me on the Leadville trip. Phoebe is right where she expects to be--on the trike with me. |
| This is the Trike Store. All models of the ICE trikes are always available as are most of the factory parts and accessories. Trike specific parts and accessories of various kinds are in stock. Direct trail access starts at the front door and can include a hill climb, 30 mph descent, and dirt surfaced trail. |
| With a little planning, trike transport is easier than you think. |
| We use one of these, but almost any vehicle with a rear hatch will work. The ICE trikes can be partially or fully folded when necessary. |
| Specifically designed hitch mounted trike carriers are available such as this one from: http://www.colliertechnologies.com/trike_main.html |
| Hitch carriers such as these also work well with a trike if you make a yoke, wood or metal, that elevates and supports the front crosstube. These are relatively inexpensive and versatile in that they can be used to transport other items as well. |
| Tips, Hints, and Miscellaneous Information Best way to improve hill climbing on a trike: work on yourself rather than the trike by doing lunges three or four times a week. Here is one example: LUNGE The chain on your trike will last for several thousand miles--IF you lubricate it regularly. The number one reason why riding a trike may be safer than a two-wheeler is that, since you essentially don't have to watch the road surface you are free to watch everything and everyone around you. At the very least an enjoyable read, another reason may be found here: The Theory of Big If you must lock your trike for a relatively long period of time in an area not considered entirely safe, consider taking the seat or rear wheel with you. A would-be thief certainly wouldn't be able to ride it away. |
| This is the custom hitch for the Cycletote trailer. |