A smoother ride on my
Black Model "T"!
Ever since my fourth trip to Paso Robles, I have had problems with bladder spasm. This problem has limited, to some degree, my freedom to ride as much as I'd like to. In the last 2 years, for lack of riding (I believe) I have watched my PD advance, & my wellness retreat. On the 2nd day of the '06 RAGBRAI, I rode 88 miles, & was ready to ride the next morning. I'm not sure that I could do that now. I've thought, for quite some time, that the bumps & chuckholes, & the rigid frame of my trike, had to be aggravating my problem. But I kept hoping to find a compatible trike that wouldn't beat me up to the point that I couldn't enjoy cycling. I have a stationary bike which I could use, but it's not the same as cycling. Cycling is my bridge, my bridge to a freedom that I don't have, without it. The last ride I took on my Kettwiesel wound up at only 8 miles. I could have ridden farther, as my strength was not the problem, my bladder was. After only 6 miles, I had been bounced around enough already, that I had lost the ability to control my bladder function,, & had to go home. I was dissappointed, to put it mildly. I knew that as things were, my days of cycling, were over. But Parky was not/ is not ready to quit. I can't really say that "God made me do it", but something led me to contact Dana at Bent-up Cycles. I had purchased one other trike there, & I knew that he was a straight-shooter. I could have also gone to see Jim at People Movers, but something led me to Dana. The only hope that I had left, was to try to find a trike that has a suspension system that would solve my problem, & at the same time, be something that I could afford.
There was a lot to think about ! Like if I bought a suspension trike, & it didn't work for me, I'll have another $3000 - $5000 investment that I can't use. So after conversing with Dana, he told me that he'd be willing to help me with a sponsorship, but first, I would have to find a trike that would allow me to ride, or, find out even if a softer ride would help my problem.
So knowing that my choices were to either upgrade to a smoother ride, or give up cycling, well, that was no choice! So I loaded my Kett. trike in the car, & headed for Van Nuys, CA. After a long 83 miles, through the Los Angeles traffic, I pulled up in front of Bent-Up Cycles. Exhausted from the stress of driving, I was glad to see a couch in their store where I could unwind for a few, before getting down to the purpose of why I was there. The trike I was hoping to see (Scorpion FX) was not in stock, so instead, Dana recommended that I try a "T" model ICE, made by Trice. It has a higher seat than most Bent trikes, & it has rear suspension. So they set one up for me to ride, & I rode out & found a 2 block stretch of the roughest "alligator asphalt" that I could find, & rode back & forth on it for 45 minutes with no negative affects. So I rode back to the store, & brought it home. I wasn't totally sure, at the time, that this was the right decision, but I knew if I wanted to keep riding, it was my only choice.
I brought the trike home on Thursday, & on Friday I rode down to Burger King, to meet with my group, & to give the trike it's 1st 20 mile trial. At this point I wasn't sure that upgrading my trike was the right thing to do, but I was soon to find out. I was able to ride 22 miles with no urinary problems. What a difference a shock makes ! On Sunday, I got brave (or stupid) & rode 30 miles to a bike shop in Temecula to buy a computer for the trike. I felt good riding that far, until I got there. That is because I realized that I still had 30 miles more, to ride, & about 1/3 of the route was a steady climb. It took me 3 hours to get to Temecula, but it took 3 1/2 hrs. to get home. The last 10 miles became a chase for the sunset, as I had no lights to see, nor lights to be seen. So far I have put 157 miles on my Black Model "T", & loved everyone of them.
Parky
