4 wheels bad, 2 and 3 wheels good!

If you would like to try our Greenspeed GTT with Terri, let me know.  Vicky and I sure enjoy riding it.  I find riding a 3 vs 2 wheel tandem and not having to worry about it tipping over, really reduces my stress.

I'm 65 now and still ride 5,500 miles a year. It's strictly two wheels for me. I'm not considering anything else. Perhaps one of these years....

Well, I've borrowed the 700 from Doug, and took it down to WRL last night...  Only had to move the boom about 1/4", and had to remove the rear rack to be able to fit it into the Prius with that big 700 wheel on the back.  It's a bit longer than the Tour II, but still fits!
 

 
Doug's got a high-performance 808 carbon wheel on this machine, and high quality ceramic bearings... these wheels roll FOREVER...  but that carbon wheel is LOUD...  one problem with having your head only a few inches away.
 
There's no computer on it, so I used my phone RideWithGPS tracker for after-the-fact data.  I did one "casual" lap, testing out the feel, and rediscovering the pedal steer that I encountered when I rode Bob Millay's 700 a few months ago -- which seems to be from transmitting the leg push up through my shoulders, because if I sat up somewhat while still pedaling, it mostly disappeared.  Found that I could mostly ignore the random road crack or imperfection, with only minor jarring - so that was a plus...  but as Phantom just mentioned, it IS a bit of a boneshaker - but it's the nature of the beast, with skinny 100psi tires and no suspension.
 
I then did one "serious" lap, clockwise for 8+ miles, and averaged 19+ mph, with a high of 26... was running 18-22 mph along the East side,
 

 
Had a couple DFs pacing me at 22-25mph for a while on West Lawther, until I slowed down for a car and they went on around..
 

 
 
So, it's a couple mph slower than the Xstream, but that's no surprise, especially with me being new to the 700.
 
Again, the reduced need to worry about road imperfections so much was an interesting mental change, and the handling was superb, as expected -- no brake steer whatsoever, and very stable in quick turns.
 
Of course, Terrie has now started quizzing me on why I'm trying a trike...  So I had to reassure her this morning that I'm not in "purchase" mode...     I'll probably take it on the GDB Airport ride, tomorrow.
 
PB

Quote from FlyingLaZBoy on Aug 5^th, 2016, 2:37pm:

 
   Forget what I said about bringing my VTX+ trike to WRL next Tuesday night.  

Cat700 Self-evaluation #2 -- The GDB Airport Ride.
 
Took the 700 out to experiment with the GDB group this morning.  The Airport Ride is 22+ miles out, then either around and back for 63 total or just back for 42+ total, and typically rolls between 18 and 22 mph, with a sprint zone in the last two miles of the first leg out to the Shell station at Royal/635.  This is not a "hammer" ride, but it DOES roll at ~20mph.  I was planning to do the out-and-back.
 
Today's group had about 25 riders, and there was lots of good-natured kidding in the parking lot before the rollout...  but I could see the fear in their eyes...    I reassured them that I'd stay in the back, and not mix it up in any pacelines (such that occur in a GDB ride) -- and I did just that, hanging at the back of the group all the way out for the first 20.  You can see from the mph chart that the ride mostly stayed between 18 and 22.  We hit a LOT of red lights, today, so there were lots of stops.
 

 

 
I was pleasantly surprised by the trike's ability to hang tight in the 18-22mph range when needed, without having to just exhaust myself.  I felt good enough to start considering doing the whole 63+ miles...
 
When we got to the 2 mile "Sprint Zone" industrial section, the pace picked up a bit, but we were still rolling at only 22ish.  I hung at the back for a while, then kicked out left and started to make my way to the front of the group...  hearing "Uh, oh, there he goes!" from a couple people       Reaching the leaders, I said "I thought maybe you had forgot about me, way in the back..."  That got a laugh...  I then kicked it up to go ahead, and only one rider latched on for that half mile or so.  Neither one of us had a computer, so I when I checked the RideWithGPS tracker, I saw we hit a high of ~29mph in that section.
 

 

 
It was apparently hot enough that nobody wanted to go around the airport, so everyone went back from there.  I stayed with the group for the first 10 miles, then fell off the pace to accompany a couple other riders who were starting to struggle with the morning heat.  I also started to get some heel pain, like I was wearing a blister on the back of both heels -- I've had this happen before, on bikes with high pedal position; apparently my shoes rub differently in that situation.
 
Overall, I'd say that the 700 is about 10% slower than the Xstream, regarding "cruising speed" and "top end" -- not too surprising, overall -- but it was good to confirm that I could stay in the 20mph range on longer group rides.
 
Mentally, I never thought ONCE about falling, due to cracks/holes in the pavement -- so that's a definite plus for three wheels.  Granted, it IS like playing Space Invaders, trying to maneuver three different wheel tracks through road imperfections!
 
Thanks again for the loaner, Doug -- good fun!    
 

'Performance' isn't really the right word. I was honestly curious if I could keep the airport ride pace for the entire distance, and it turns out that I could. Granted, the high quality components of this particular 700 certainly contribute!

I went down on the Stratus that I got from you one time.  Didn't stop me from riding it.  But I can say that my Speed, 700, and now my Quest have been the most fun of all the cycling I've done since I was 2 years old riding my mom's bike (then they got me my own!)  I've never really gained much speed difference from those first days on a bent, when I was actually worried about those things.  I'm still in the 12-14 mph range on the 700, mostly because I ride with others and enjoy the ride.  On occasion that I do go out to really give it what I've got and have some fun I'm in the 18-22 mph range.
 
Then add the velo fairing...oh man that's just too fun, but my average speed is around 20-22 mph in the Quest.  Of course it's a 70 pound trike, and I hate climbing...I just enjoy the ride.  Who care what others say!  And I passed you on a ride once, so my life is almost complete.   Don't tell everyone else it was on a group ride and Terry was on the back of your bike...
 
This is the latest update to my Quest: