Trike-urious
If you haven't seen this video,......watch it first.
Okay, now that your interested. You can be jealous of me.
I got an email from Ryan Thompson the other day telling me they were doing one of their Big Wheel Shuttles on Squaw Peak. He offered to let me borrow his rig for a couple of runs. I have heard about these for quite awhile and I had commented on Ryan's Blog that I was really interested in them.
The Big Wheel/Trike/Mario-Kart is actually a Trek Mod. A production big-wheel that's souped up with a pneumatic front wheel, and sealed cartridge bearings in the back. That's where you start. Then most of these guys add high rise BMX handlebars, and since Trek no longer makes the spoked wheel with the freewheel hub, you either have to scavenge a 16" front hub and mount foot pegs, or do a really complicated conversion that involves some machining and patience. Neither of which are on my list of skills/qualities. Since the six inch cranks become completely worthless once you break five miles per hour, I'm thinking pegs are the way to go.
But on to the ride.
I was told to bring a light, it didn't occur to me that this was actually going to end up being a night ride until I was driving there and it was getting dark. This isn't just for fun, it's actually strategic because it makes it easier to see cars coming when their headlights come around the corner up ahead. After dark, the only people driving up Squaw Peak Road are Zoobie's going up there to give each other something to tell the Bishop about. So they're minds aren't exactly on the road.
As Ryan was running a little late, I met up with Randy from Mad Dog Cycles. He had a 15 passenger van pulling a trailer to run people up the road. Since somebody had to drive the shuttle he offered to let me ride his while we waited for Ryan. So off we went.
From the top, the only advice was to lean into the corners. Once I picked up my feet, I was instantly doing like 30 miles an hour. This is not an exaggeration. You accelerate so fast it's scary. The first thousand feet or so heading into a ninety degree turn, were frankly terrifying. And I immediately spun out into the bushes on the first turn. After that I fell back trying to get a feel for it. The best way to corner is to pull a Tokyo Drift, sliding your hind-parts out while leaning hard to the inside. When they brake traction you have to immediately turn into the skid to avoid spinning out. Just like Doc Hudson in Cars. The first run was a little slow, but I made it. The regulars were looking at me like I was an idiot for wearing shorts and a t-shirt. In hindsight, they were right. I know I broke 45 mph with nothing between me and the asphalt but some Old Navy Khaki and a DKM tour t-shirt. At least I was wearing a helmet.
The second run was better. I began to get a feel for the turns, but still nowhere near keeping up with Ryan and the boys.
On my third and final run, I got cocky and actually spun out several times. Oh well. Somebody has to suck to make the other people look good.
The best part of all is the looks you get from oncoming traffic. A mix of surprise, interest, and anger.(Apparantly there was a bit of a run-in with a mini-van refusing to let them pass at the front of the pack).
Now, when Ryan sent that email, I thought I was getting special, preferential treatment, for being pretty much world famous with this blog. After all, I get like 0-10 hits a week. But it turns out, Ryan is trying to raise some money for the LiveStrong Foundation by letting people take a spin on his Big Wheel for a donation on his LiveStrong page. Make an appropriate donation and you too can tempt death on two plastic wheels, three inches off the ground.
I highly recommend it.
Okay, now that your interested. You can be jealous of me.
I got an email from Ryan Thompson the other day telling me they were doing one of their Big Wheel Shuttles on Squaw Peak. He offered to let me borrow his rig for a couple of runs. I have heard about these for quite awhile and I had commented on Ryan's Blog that I was really interested in them.
The Big Wheel/Trike/Mario-Kart is actually a Trek Mod. A production big-wheel that's souped up with a pneumatic front wheel, and sealed cartridge bearings in the back. That's where you start. Then most of these guys add high rise BMX handlebars, and since Trek no longer makes the spoked wheel with the freewheel hub, you either have to scavenge a 16" front hub and mount foot pegs, or do a really complicated conversion that involves some machining and patience. Neither of which are on my list of skills/qualities. Since the six inch cranks become completely worthless once you break five miles per hour, I'm thinking pegs are the way to go.
But on to the ride.
I was told to bring a light, it didn't occur to me that this was actually going to end up being a night ride until I was driving there and it was getting dark. This isn't just for fun, it's actually strategic because it makes it easier to see cars coming when their headlights come around the corner up ahead. After dark, the only people driving up Squaw Peak Road are Zoobie's going up there to give each other something to tell the Bishop about. So they're minds aren't exactly on the road.
As Ryan was running a little late, I met up with Randy from Mad Dog Cycles. He had a 15 passenger van pulling a trailer to run people up the road. Since somebody had to drive the shuttle he offered to let me ride his while we waited for Ryan. So off we went.
From the top, the only advice was to lean into the corners. Once I picked up my feet, I was instantly doing like 30 miles an hour. This is not an exaggeration. You accelerate so fast it's scary. The first thousand feet or so heading into a ninety degree turn, were frankly terrifying. And I immediately spun out into the bushes on the first turn. After that I fell back trying to get a feel for it. The best way to corner is to pull a Tokyo Drift, sliding your hind-parts out while leaning hard to the inside. When they brake traction you have to immediately turn into the skid to avoid spinning out. Just like Doc Hudson in Cars. The first run was a little slow, but I made it. The regulars were looking at me like I was an idiot for wearing shorts and a t-shirt. In hindsight, they were right. I know I broke 45 mph with nothing between me and the asphalt but some Old Navy Khaki and a DKM tour t-shirt. At least I was wearing a helmet.
The second run was better. I began to get a feel for the turns, but still nowhere near keeping up with Ryan and the boys.
On my third and final run, I got cocky and actually spun out several times. Oh well. Somebody has to suck to make the other people look good.
The best part of all is the looks you get from oncoming traffic. A mix of surprise, interest, and anger.(Apparantly there was a bit of a run-in with a mini-van refusing to let them pass at the front of the pack).
Now, when Ryan sent that email, I thought I was getting special, preferential treatment, for being pretty much world famous with this blog. After all, I get like 0-10 hits a week. But it turns out, Ryan is trying to raise some money for the LiveStrong Foundation by letting people take a spin on his Big Wheel for a donation on his LiveStrong page. Make an appropriate donation and you too can tempt death on two plastic wheels, three inches off the ground.
I highly recommend it.
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