After posting the pictures of Cornell's and Jim's beautiful trikes I began wondering why it was that I had a completely cobbled-together, eternally loose and un-embroidered neck rest...in fact I'm still using the original prototype.  Sure it says something about durability, but it's not very good advertising.  

 
So I'm removing the stock neck rest hardware with its bored out spacers and oversize fender washers and replacing it with one of the Jimali-inspired kits.

The embroidery is inspired by a scar on my forearm...a reminder of one (of many) of the stupider things I've done in my life. I tried making a jam nut by gripping a regular nut in a pair of vice grips and then holding it against the belt sander. When the nut was red-white hot it popped out of the vice grips, performed a slow arc through the air and then settled neatly on my forearm, searing a perfect image of a 1/4-20 nut...and a reminder that thinking isn't necessarily a time-waster. 

One piece of really good news is that I should finally be able to clear up my backlog of orders very shortly.  The mountain bike stems I use in the kits have been out of stock for more than a month, and one drawback of being such a small business is that my sources for parts are limited.  I just can't afford to order inventory in the quantities many suppliers demand.  Today I got notice that my parts have finally been shipped.  This means I should be able to ship kits within the 7-10 days to some really nice folks who have been waiting patiently...actually more than patiently.

Here's a new image just finished today that's ready to go off to be digitized and then embroidered.  This will be one beautiful neck rest!

Boy time sure moves with ever increasing speed as I get older.   Even though I swear to hang on to each precious moment time just seems to race by. Now it’s mid-July, this weekend is Strawberry Festival on the island, TOT2011 is history, and lots has happened since my last post.

Thomas’ unexpected passing has been widely reported on BROL. His tenacious will to live and continually test himself in the face of a horrendous traumatic brain injury was a marvel to all who knew him. And since he was such a prolific forum poster, his passing has left a huge empty space. He was thoughtful, friendly, inviting…and at times for me, abrasive.  But even in THOSE moments it was hard not to admire the intensity with which he lived, and all the time and effort he put into being a friend to others. He is most definitely missed, which in my mind is how people live forever. Jim is tuning up ROA, Thomas' trike, and at the request of his brothers it is being auctioned off with the proceeds to be donated to BROL. I'm donating a new CURVE kit embroidered with a lighthouse, one of Thomas' favorite images, to mark his Catrike Road's special history.

TOT2011 was a blast...definitely the best one ever for Pen and me. Good weather, fun rides and great times gathered under the portico outside the hotel. Dave Hansen grilled some outrageous grub one evening, and people brought enough food to the potluck to feed most of Kellogg. The day we all had lunch in Wallace the dozens of trikes and velos were a gawker’s paradise. “What’s it like to ride one of these?” “How hard is it to pedal?” “Is it comfortable?” “What’s one cost?” and a dozen or so other questions were answered over and over with patience and grace. Everyone was a super trike ambassador, and I think that for the couple of hours we spent having lunch there and clogging the streets we were the talk of the town.

While Penni and I enjoyed the riding and laughter with friends, Travis especially loved the ice cream shop in Harrison where, according to the owner, dogs ate free. He had a huge dish of homemade vanilla ice cream…his favorite. A bunch of us rode from Kellogg to Enaville for our annual dinner at the Snake Pit. It was dark on the ride back, and with our wild assortment of lights all on, we snaked back along the bike trail like an electric Chinese dragon.

I wasn’t sure how well my back and knee would hold up to the riding so the day 15 or 16 folks decided to ride Dobson Pass I elected not to go. It was a tough decision…I’d been looking forward to doing the climb all year but I was afraid I’d blow out my back or knee and that would be the end of riding for me. But on the last day…which was overcast, cool and threatening to shower, I decided to try the Pass on my own. When I got to the pass I took the required, "I made it" photo, and spent a nice half-hour talking with a couple of guys from the county road crew. They were both curious about the trike, and one of them tried riding it all geared up in his heavy boots and jeans. Then there was the rocket ride downhill back into Wallace. What a rush! Definitely a whole lot faster than the climb up! The road from the Pass all the way to Kellogg was into the wind. It didn’t matter much on the rocket ride down into Wallace, but from there to Kellogg the downslope was gentle.  Because of the wind I missed out on would have been a nice coast and ended up pedaling back to Kellogg. I’m proud of myself for waiting till the end to try climbing the Pass, and even prouder that I made it up. I felt smooth and pretty strong, and delighted I’d decided to leave Travis with Penni.


As for neck rest news, here’s Cornell’s BlueCoyote, a Catrike Expedition…definitely elegant in its simplicity. Cornell supplied the original art for the embroidery and we had it digitized – meaning it was converted into language the embroidery machine understands. So if you are interested in embroidery for your new neck rest, remember you’re not restricted to stock images. Give me some ideas and I’ll search our stock image sources and offer you some choices. Or if you have a piece of original art, the digitizing is only a small extra charge.

Jim’s two Catrike Speeds sport the optional stub on the “L” tower allowing him to mount a pair of tail lights alongside the neck rest in a high and visible location. If you’d like the extra stub on your tower just ask…there’s no extra charge. In fact I may start making them all like that. Folks who don’t want the stub can simply cut it off.

If you’re looking for tail lights, we have the PlanetBike Superflash Turbos at really great prices when you order your neck rest. Don’t forget to ask. These 1 watt tail lights are definitely for riders who want to be seen.

From Virginia, here’s Henry’s new kit on his ICE.  The "L" tower's a great place to mount Topeak bottle brackets.

And from the Netherlands, here’s Roelof’s new CURVE on his Catrike Speed.  I looked up his address using Google Earth so I now have a pretty good idea where this Catrike lives.  It looks like great riding!

I've had a number of questions from folks having a problem with stripping the threads from either one of the two spacers in the stock Catrike mounts, and also with struggling to keep their neck rests from moving once they'd found the sweet spot.


Regarding the stripped threads, one choice is to contact Catrike and see if they'll just sell you a new spacer.  A second relatively easy fix is to remove all the threads inside the spacer by drilling clear through it, then inserting a 10-24 threaded rod with two lock nuts in place of the original two cap screws.  A third choice is to replace the stock neck rest tower with a kit - mtb stem, "L" tower and shim.  This a strong and rigid mount, and I can pretty well guarantee that it will not move.  In fact I've seen Jim lift his Speed holding the neck rest.  Keep in mind that the brackets on the CURVE for the stock Catrike mount are not interchangeable with the circular clamps on the CURVEs that fit the kits.


Here's an update regarding CURVE mounting systems for TerraTrikes, including the Rover, and for the ICE hard shell seat.  I know I've said before that a prototype for the TerraTrike is done.  I've been kinda stuck at this stage for awhile.  It didn't seem right that TerraTrike owners would have to pay more for a CURVE kit because they would need an extra mount adapter in order to attach the kit to TerraTrike's unusual double seat tube brace.  Those two seat brace tubes coming together means a standard mtb stem can't be directly attached, so an additional mount adapter is required.  But as more TerraTrike owners have requested neck rests I've decided to make a few of the mounting adapters, keep the cost low, and see if people like them.  At the same time I'm working on an new mount that would eliminate the mtb stem and "T" tube entirely.  It'll be a while before I know if this will actually be as sturdy as the current kit.

As for the hard shell seats, I made a mount using a drawing (actually a rubbing) I got from Izzy a while ago.  I took that bracket to TOT figuring there'd be some ICE hard shell seats on which to test the bracket.  What I discovered is that Izzy's original seat back, the one I used for the prototype, is flat.  The new carbon seats have two deep ridges running the length of the seat...and a result, the bracket is too wide to fit between the ridges.  Arrrrggggghhh.  For such a simple product, the learning curve seems at times extreme.  Or perhaps I'm just an idiot.

Speaking of learning curves, for a long time I've been interested in learning how to do simple machine fabrication.  I'm a moderately skilled woodworker and metal worker, but in NO WAY am I a machinist.  I've a friend who is letting me use his old hand-operated mill, and he has been pretty helpful with learning tips.  What I'm discovering is both exciting and frustrating.  It's exciting to be learning something new...a craft I greatly admire and skills I covet.  What's frustrating is that even the simplest things are difficult at the start.  I imagined I'd immediately be able to cut slots in aluminum that were smooth and as slick as a warm knife cutting through butter.  My first slots look like they were nibbled by metal-eating termites...and then I snapped off the cutter.  So now I'm watching YouTube milling videos.  My hope is that before very long I will at least be able to produce reasonable looking and working prototypes.  Before long...I hope.

Here's something that's working really well...the side mount kit for Catrikes.  I've  been using it for a couple of months and like it more all the time.  What a treat to be able to get to stuff like gum, lip balm, a snack, phone...even my gloves, while I'm riding.  The kit will accommodate just about every handlebar bag.  

The side mount kit includes a 130mm stem, shim and "L" tube of 6061 aluminum with end caps.  I have it on Msafiri (my Catrike Expedition) but haven't tried it yet on other Catrikes.  What's especially nice is that the kit is adjustable so the bag can be raised both up and down, as well as its distance from the seat.

I found the Avenir bag on Amazon.  It was well-reviewed, and since it was less than $40 I figured I'd try it.  It has a lot of nice features including a built-in map case, and for the most part I'm completely satisfied.  The mount's quick release is a great feature that allows me to take the bag off easily while not disturbing the mounting bracket. 


The one feature I'm not thrilled with is that the Avenir mounting bracket is plastic.  In tightening the clamp it didn't take long to drive the cap screws through the top of the bracket.  A couple of stainless washers solved the problem, but it'd be nice if the clamping mechanism was a bit more sturdy. 

And finally, to wrap up this entry, here's Travis in one of his favorite TOT poses - hanging out in the cool tall grass on those sunny and very hot days.

Here's part of the new Spring wardrobe at the Finer Recliner.  

Blessedly I'm almost caught up with back orders...just a couple more to get out and then at least for the moment things should be quieter around here.


One of the best parts of this micro-business is when I've got a batch of finished neck rests sitting here ready to be mailed...especially the embroidered ones.  I love how they look.  If anyone's thinking about a new neck rest this would be a good time to order...before the next rush.  And as for embroidery, if I can't find a stock image you totally love we can also use your original art.  Just about anything can be embroidered so use your imagination.

Tuesday I sent out the first order for a Catrike side mount handlebar bag kit and I'm anxious to see whether folks take to those.  I really like mine...it's the perfect easily-accessible spot for snacks, maps, my phone and camera, the velcro brake strap, and until recently, my gloves.  What's especially nice is that just about any of the new handlebar bags will fit so you can choose exactly what you want.  And by using a mtb stem for a mount, the kit is adjustable up/down and in/out so each person can put it right where s/he wants it.  All the aluminum tube I've been using to this point has been unfinished.  I'm learning more about anodizing, so this may be the next addition...perhaps it might even be colored...how cool is that?


Last night Travis and I went out for his first run using the WalkyDog/Krispysteve attachment.  It was just about a perfect success.  Now I'm looking for a harness that either has a side attachment point, or could accommodate one being added, so the harness wouldn't be pulled over to the side when Travis runs.


Okay...time to head to the post office.

Well it's ready to test the new WalkyDog rig with Travis, but the weather's more suitable for an Ark.  Undoubtedly he'd be fine out running around but on a trike I'd probably have a mid to large-size puddle in my lap.  I think I'll wait a bit.  

Hopefully this will work really well.  It'll be great getting to ride with two hands again.  Stay tuned.

It's probably a strange Mothers' Day present.   

Both my sisters have said they wanted trikes, but these are tough times for luxuries (I should probably pay more attention to my own observations.)  And then yesterday I came across a listing for a Mantis on Craigslist...and it was only a few miles away in Tacoma.  Turns out it's essentially brand new and was available at a great price so now we're a 3 trike family.  True Andie and Carole are going to have to figure out how to share, but I'm sure they'll work it out.

The Mantis has a Dual Drive which I may pirate for Msafiri.  And it's a folder which is really exciting.  When I first began looking for trikes I just liked how this one looked.  It took a couple of years but now I have one...yea!  I'm looking forward to tinkering with it.  Actually the tinkering's already begun.  There are two quick releases locking the seat onto the frame.  The welded tubes the QR's go through are bigger enough than the QR bolts that it seems impossible to keep the seat solidly locked to the frame.  Tomorrow, I'll try shimming the steel tubes with brass model makers' tubing.


I took it out for a short spin - I've never used a Dual Drive before and I can quickly see how much I'm gonna like it.  It feels like a lot lower geared than my Expedition when I have the Dual Drive in its lowest gear.  And I'm thinking I can make it even lower by going to a 24 or 26 tooth granny.  Riding the trike, it feels a lot more spidery than my Catrike, and surprisingly even more spindly than Penni's GS GT3.  I'm curious to see just how solid it actually is.  

The neck rest is already in the trash...it's really just junk.  The seat back is so high that I'll just make a new neck rest from some scrap memory foam and rest it on the top of the seat with velcro...no need for any hardware to raise it higher.  And the trike needs at least a rear fender. 


I've never used twist shifters on a trike before.  I'm surprised that I kinda like them.  What I don't like is that there's no real place to rest my hands.  So I'm adding bar ends at the tops of the handlebars to use as hand rests and mirror mounts.  Now if I can just get the seat firmly locked down.  Stay tuned.

Its been over a month overflowing with surprises, excitement and sadness since I posted to this blog.  For Capricorns like me who generally imagine the worst there's been plenty of news to feed on - multi-disasters in Japan, the floods in the US, the confusing Spring uprisings in the Middle East, the fighting in the Ivory Coast and in Libya, the noxiousness of US politics, some pain in my own family...it just goes on. 

Gratefully, the change of seasons has arrived on this lovely northwest island...at night our pond is a croaking frenzy of a million frogs desperate to find a date...it's like matchfrog.com; daffodils and cherry blossoms in bloom, trees leafing out, the grass lush and getting to shin-high...and best of all, it's still light at 8:30 pm.  I love this time of year...alive with re-birth, hope and new possibilities.  Last Saturday felt like mid-July...warm, sunny, deep blue sky without a cloud in sight.  So we gathered up Travis, hooked his trailer to Msafiri and rode off to wander.  This was his first trike time out this year and he was off like a sled dog, in a shot quickly pulling me, the trike and his trailer up to 20 mph.  He ran happily up and down hills only getting into the trailer when I insisted because I thought his heart would burst.  We meandered for a couple of hours, stopping to lie in the grass and play ball with Travis...and take pictures of Penni.  It was an absolutely perfect afternoon.

The Finer Recliner has had its own special moments in the past couple of months.  We've had more orders than ever before.  And while that's great news it's also stretching this micro-niche industrial complex to the limit.  John is welding "L" and "T" tubes in every spare moment; there's been a burst of requests for embroidery so Cara's very busy; and Zubin is sewing covers when most other folks are sleeping. 

The first two Trident neck rest kits shipped.  Both are embroidered and look great.  Plus I had my first kit orders for a Hase delta and a TerraTrike Rover.  The TerraTrike needs a special adapter bracket to mount the kit's mtb stem.  TT seats' horizontal brace tubes are a pair of side-by side-tubes each 7/8" OD located ed pretty far down from the top of the seat.  Jim and I took an afternoon to drive to Mike's Bikes in Sequim so we could try out the prototype bracket.  It fit fine although re-designing the shape somewhat will move the mounting tube up higher, making the kit a lot simpler to mount.  I'm fabricating the new bracket from aluminum and will send it and a CURVE kit to a Rover owner for testing.  I'm hoping he'll be delighted.   

And now there may be a totally new FR product.  I've been really impressed by the ICE side mount bar for handlebar bags.  I think it's a terrific idea.  Having a handlebar bag right at your arm seems like the perfect place to store things within easy reach, without having to get off the trike.  And it's also a great way to get rid of all those little ditty bags.  

The challenge of applying this concept to Catrikes is the lack of horizontal seat brace tubes.  At first I thought about a bar mount clamp on the main tube, but that involved (duh) fabricating a large clamp, and also meant the tube on which the bag would mount would be unsupported and fairly long.  

Having so many mtb stems sitting around for the neck rest kits probably helped, because pretty soon it dawned on me that my Expedition's chainstays were 31.8 mm, a perfect match for a mountain bike stem.  And so my design for a handlebar bag side mount was hatched.  It's a 130 mm stem with a 6 degree rise, an aluminum "L" tube and a shim.  What's especially nice about it is that unlike bars clamped to a horizontal seat tube, this set-up is remarkably adjustable.  The handlebar bag can be adjusted up and down, and can also moved closer to and further away from the seat.  The Avenir bag was a great bargain on Amazon, has an enclosed map case and pockets inside, and mesh pockets on both ends...perfect for stashing my velcro brake strap.  I'm riding with it now, and so far I love it.

Here's something else that's been in the Finer Recliner workshop for a while...a dog walker.  What inspired this?  Well... 
-  I've been holding Travis on a leash when I ride and he runs, and I'm kinda done steering and braking with one hand...it's not especially safe; 
-  I bought a WalkyDog, but there's no great place to mount it, particularly because the seat stays on the space frame tail in towards the rear dropout.  Mounting the WalkyDog there points it down towards the ground; 
-  I'm consumed with thinking of mtb stems as a universal building block for just about everything.

- ...and I'm feeling really good about the strength of the Catrike chainstays. 

So here's my latest piece of stem-inspired craziness.  The 130mm stem lets the vertical tube clear the seat stays.  I'm adding a piece of bungie to the end of the rope to let him move further away from the trike, and also to take up the shock of his lunge when we get started.  This is ready for road testing, and I'll keep you posted.  My guess is that it'll work just fine. 

Finally, with May just a few days away, the 2011 TOT gathering in Kellogg, Idaho is less than 2 months from now.  Trying to reign in the garment craziness of last year's event, this time we're just doing caps and patches.  Andie Styner (my sister, www.roobiblue.com) re-did last year's logo to add a velo and to change the color to honor Gregg McLean.  This logo on black ball caps is going to look great.  

Anyone wanting a cap or patch just go to the thread on BROL(http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=70860) and post your order.  I'll be delivering everything at TOT unless you won't be able to make it.  In that case I'll be glad to mail your order to you.  And I still have a couple of TOT2010 caps and patches in case you missed your chance last year.

By the way, someone asked about the difference between the mens' and womens' TOT caps.  It's pretty subtle.  See for yourself.

And so to wrap this up it seems like rolling with the Earth's natural forces and the universe's unending fickleness would be enough of a challenge for most people.  But nope, we still have to endure the horde of humans behaving like they have no resources beyond their amygdalas.  And then there's American politics with the current clown king, the exemplar of narcissism, Donald Trump.  How encouraging to have the bar set so low...just about anybody could be President.  But then he's not special, just following in the footsteps of other infamous underachievers.

It’s still rainy, but colors are beginning to appear.  And the timing’s perfect because the gray is beginning to wear on me.

Along with the crocuses, daffodils, buds on the trees and bushes, and the crescendo of a million little frogs out in the pond in the evenings, there are some other bits of good news. 

CURVE kits are now available for all Trident trikes – Stowaways, Spikes and Chameleons.

Kits are also available for ICE trikes with mesh seats. 
 
And we’ve just finished a prototype kit bracket for Terratrikes so CURVE kits can be fitted to all TT’s including the Rover.  Terratrike kits should be available shortly.  

The custom kit for the Actionbent T1X was finally finished and shipped to Michael Clark recently.   Making a bracket without having the trike and just relying on photographs and emails was a challenge, but Michael was great to work with.  Here’s some of what he had to say after he installed the kit with the new adaptor bracket. 

“The curved neckrest that Steve fabricated for my 2010 AB T1X arrived today in the mail. The excellent news is that it fit like a leather glove and is PERFECT in every way how it works with my mesh seat. I am so excited and now I'm praying for a little better weather so I can make some miles since my melon sized head/neck is supported.  The way this looks on my T1X is like 6 million dollars. His neck rest is like the fancy icing on a wedding cake. My trike is red and the neck rest cover has large red block embroidered lettering that says "HOTROD" on the black cover.  ...All good things come to those who wait!!!!!”

I don’t generally do this, but I’m feeling proud and want to share some of what customers have been saying.  Here’s some recent comments.  Thanks to you all.

“Looks great, fits perfectly.  …Enhancement idea: add a small waterproof cloth roll up pouch and end caps for the top tube, so people can use it to stash a spare $20. That's what I'll be doing.  Just a thought. It's already a very nice product. Thank you, Steve.”  - Avery Jenkins.  

Thanks Avery.  All kit tubes now come with end caps like Hotrod's.  You have to supply the $20!

“Thanks so much.  The neck rest is great!”  - Walt Ebbert

“Thank you for the beautiful new headrest.  I think it will be a great addition to my Road.  The quality and workmanship are excellent.”  - Patti Erickson

“Thank you so much for a great job!  I love it!  - Dean Vesey

“Awesome job on the neck rest.  Looks really great on my “Hot Rod.”  I’m sure it will make me go faster.”  - Bill Lewis

And here's the cover for Cornell's new neck rest that will go on his beautiful blue Catrike Expedition...the Blue Coyote.

When you order your new neck rest ask about embroidery.  The possibilities are nearly endless, and in a rainbow of colors.




It seems surreal to be writing about neck rests while a madman and his army are slaughtering his own citizens and an island nation already reeling from devastating natural forces is trying to cope with the unimaginable horror of a nuclear catastrophe.  The neck rests are something small I can control, a center that helps me anchor when so much that's indescribably powerful is totally out of my control...or even influence.  Be wary of business interest and their minions who tell you that blue is green, that nuclear energy is safe and what's happening in Japan could never happen here.  

And while I'm clearly off the neck rest subject, question leaders who tell you that basic quality health care for all Americans is socialism and un-American because it requires that all people have health insurance.  T.R. Reid wrote a really fine book entitled, "The Healing of America.  A Global Quest For Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care."  Here's an interesting quote.  "Perhaps the most tragic indicator of America's troubled health care system is the number of newborns who die each year.  ...Surely any decent health care system would develop effective mechanisms to avoid neonatal death.  But out of twenty-three wealthy countries, the American health care system ranks dead last when it comes to keeping newborns alive.  Our rate of infant mortality is more than twice as high as the rate in the top-ranked countries, Sweden and Japan."  Maybe if more families could afford prenatal care this wouldn't be true.  Here's another interesting quote.  "When I was traveling the world on my quest, I asked the health ministry of each country how many citizens had declared bankruptcy in the past year because of medical bills.  Generally, the officials responded to this question with a look of astonishment, as if I had asked how many flying saucers from Mars landed in the ministry's parking lot last week.  How many people go bankrupt because of medical bills?  In Britain, zero.  In France, zero, In Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland: zero.  In the United States, according to a joint study by Harvard Law School and Harvard Medical School, the figure is around 700,000."

Resist sound byte truths, question authority, be wary of anyone selling "THE truth," and then go take a nice bike ride.  Spring's nearly here...and for the moment, the sun's out.