Al's Blog-o-Sphere

A long time ago, I built a stand to make working on my Terratrike Tour easier. It was made out of PVC pipe and fittings and is a popular design I found on the internet. It served me well for many years and when I got the Catrike Expedition, I continued to use it. The spacing between the front cradles was a little too wide, though even after I trimmed the plastic fittings a bit. You’d sit the trike on it okay, but when you went to lift it off, the stand went along with the trike because it was wedged in.

I was also concerned the the PVC might begin to degrade from age or weather. It sat in my garage, so it wasn’t exposed to sun, but heat/cold/dampness was all there.

So then I saw an idea for a workstand online. It may even be a combination of two ideas, I don’t recall completely. Continue Reading…

One thing I wanted to be able to do, just in case I want, is to be able to hook up my trailer to the new Catrike Expedition. I have used it many times with the Terratrike, but the attachment system will need to be different.

The Quick release skewer for the trailer

The trailer, a TW-Bents two-wheeled trailer, has a yoke that attaches at both sides of the bike, a system I like and one of the reasons I chose that trailer. It attaches to the ends of a special quick-release skewer that you use in the back wheel.

Unfortunately, the Catrike doesn’t have a quick-release on the back wheel, because of the internal geared hub.

The problem would be solved by simply buying and installing some bolt-on attachments from the company that made the trailer, but that company is out of business.  So I had to solve the problem on my own. Continue Reading…

I’ve written several times about bicycle lighting on this blog. You may have read them, if not you can go back and see what I wrote.

As with most technology, it is moving forward every year, and bicycle lights are no exception. I’m currently waiting for the arrival of a new tail light for my trike.

The Cateye Reflex Auto is the newest addition to my lighting stable. It’s not the best, or the most expensive bike tail light, but it represents a significant step forward in bike lights for a few reasons. Continue Reading…