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| Our Choice of Accessories |
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Not all the items listed below
were purchased right away. Some we started
out with, and others we added as time went by. The
more we rode our bike, we discovered what we liked and
what we didn't. In addition, as we talked with
other riders (in person and on the web) and learned from them, we started
to experiment, and customized our bike to make it truly ours. The
following are the things we have chosen to add to our
bike. |
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| Pedals |
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We had never tried
them before, but when we got the bike we had them
install clipless pedals. Then of course we got the special
shoes to go with them. We absolutely love them!
From a couple sources, I had heard the recommendation
that they were especially good for the "stoker" (back
seat rider on a tandem). The reason was that if
the "captain" (front rider) needed to stop suddenly, or
hit a bump without warning the stoker, their feet could
slip off the pedals. The other reason for getting
them is that it allows us to pull as well as push and
thus get much more power as we ride (especially nice
on hills). The pedals we chose have a clip for the
shoe on one side, and a regular flat platform on the
other side (Shimano PD-M324, see the picture below). When I ride in a stop and go
situations, like a downtown area, I stay on the platform
side. Once I get out on a longer stretch I clip
in. The stoker stays clipped in the whole time
just as the passenger on a motorcycle keeps their feet
up the entire ride. We did have the same pedals
installed on the back anyway, so when we
give other people rides they could use the platform side
of the pedal. We definitely recommend them!
The shoes we chose look like walking shoes (made by
Specialized). The
clip on the bottom (once installed) is recessed so when
we take a break on one of our rides for lunch or
shopping we can walk around without a problem. |
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| Helmets |
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| We found a particular
bike helmet we really like. It is the
Bell Metropolis. It has a place on the
back to attach a flashing light and is designed
for a rain cover that
just snaps on. The cover is great, not just for
rain but it really helps keep your head warm in
the cooler weather! |
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| Cargo
Space |
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One challenge we
have always faced is just how to carry all
the things with us that we want to take on our
rides (check our "Riding Tips
& Info" page for some of the things we
recommend taking along). When we first got
the bike we included the yellow "tailpack" from
the maker of the bike (left). We soon
found that we needed even more space. We found this
black case on the web
made by a company called
Otivia.
It is a lockable hard shell case that only
weighs two pounds. It was originally
designed for use on recumbents so the width is
the same as our seat. It has a surprising
amount of room inside. On the days we ride
to work, I can even take my laptop computer back
and forth in safety! We are very happy with
it.
I had to do a little bit of modification to get it
bolted on to my particular rack, but not too bad.
It also makes a good place for our web address! |
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| Tires |
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We we not very happy
with the standard tires that came on the bike.
The original stock tires were 1-1/2 inch wide and ran at
100psi, basically rock hard and the ride felt
that way. It was especially apparent with
the 20" front tire. We considered putting
a suspension front fork on the bike to improve
the ride, but I could only find one on the
market that was rated by the manufacturer for a
tandem (others are used on tandems, but not with
the blessings of their makers). The
initial cost and maintenance requirements of
that fork were both high. I was told
before jumping in that direction to try the 2
inch "Big Apple" tire by
Schwalbe
(top right). It has a maximum rating of 70psi,
so it is still quit hard
with good rolling resistance, but when you do hit a
bump they flex much more than the stock tires. We noticed a
substantial improvement on the very first ride! They
also have Kevlar belts to resist punctures.
Ah yes, the other reason for changing our tire
choices... flats. I got so tired of flats,
especially on the back tire, that I went looking
for other options. I found the "Marathon
Plus" tire also by
Schwalbe
(bottom right). It has a foam layer between the
tread and the tube, just in case anything gets
through the Kevlar belts. An object would
have to be quite long to reach the tube.
We chose this tire in a 1-3/4 inch width for the
back tire. It also runs at 70psi, so it
has good rolling resistance. So far, so
good... no flats! In fact, we were
so pleased with its performance on the back, we
eventually put one on the front as well.
We lost a little bit of our soft ride going from
the 2 inch Big Apple to the 1-3/4 inch Marathon
Plus, but no flats was worth it. We still
have a much better ride than we did with the
original 1-1/2 inch tire. |
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| Chainrings |
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We rode with the original factory supplied
chainrings for two years. In most of our
riding there was no
problem. However up steep hills we never
felt like we had a low enough gear. There
were times where we really needed a good "granny
gear." We
would be straining hard and yet unable to keep the RPM
at a decent rate. The standard set of chainrings
(front set of three gears) that comes on the
Screamer are: 55, 44, and 32 teeth. (I
wonder if the fact that the Rans factory is
located on the plains of Kansas has anything to
do with it.) After a particular ride one day with a lot of
climbing, I started looking into changing the
gearing. I discovered that when the
Hostel
Shoppe builds there own version of the
Screamer, they had already figured this out.
For their "Ultimate Screamer" they get the frame from Rans then install their
own list of components. On that bike they use chainrings of 53/38/26 teeth. I copied
that on my bike, and it is fantastic! I
now have the equivalent of about a gear and a half
lower than my old lowest gear. It makes
all the difference on the steep hills. I
wish I would have made this change a long time
ago! |
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| Handlebar
/ Steering |
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I discovered an awesome resource.
It's a company in Portland who makes top
quality replacement parts for recumbent
bikes. Builders of "high-end"
bikes around the globe have chosen to
use their products. |
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I replaced the flex stem on my bike (circled
in blue to the right) with one made by
TerraCycle.
I hadn't been happy with the amount of slop in
the steering column on my bike. After
talking to several people, someone recommended
checking with TerraCycle. Their product is
amazing. The quality is so far superior to
the stock equipment that comes on most all
recumbents. The first ride after I
installed it made me a believer! I
can definitely endorse it.
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I also had TerraCycle do some custom work
for me on a new handlebar configuration. I
never felt like I had enough space for all
the accessories I need to mount.
In the picture to the left, you can see the mast
coming up from the flex stem. On that mast
there is a stem coming toward the rider which
holds the handlebars. Notice that the only
things on those handlebars are the brakes,
shifters and a bell. Above that stem is a
second one which extends to the front which
holds an 18 inch straight section of handlebar
tubing. This second bar is for all the
other accessories. Since taking this
picture I have added a water bottle cage, cell
phone holder, and a new mount for our camera.
For details of that device check our
Camera Equipment page.
I am walking a tightrope here, keeping things high
enough to not interfere with me knees, and low
enough to not block my view of traffic. |
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| Beverage
Holders |
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One thing we talk about on our
"Riding Tips & Info"
page is making sure you have plenty of water
with you on long rides. Most bikes are not
equipped with a sufficient number of places to
install water bottle cages. I have seen
riders come up with some very creative solutions
on where to mount additional cages. On our
bike we have places for 7 bottles (three on each
side and one in front). Even at that, on our longer rides
we have to stop and refill them! In the
picture to the right, two of the cages use
factory mounts on the back of the seats.
The one toward the back of the bike is mounted
on the rear seat support with hose clamps. |
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Okay, I admit this must be a real Northwest
thing, combining bicycle riding and drinking
good coffee! We have always enjoyed
heading to our favorite local coffee shop for a
latte'. Once we started riding the bike on
a regular basis, it meant riding to the coffee
shop and sitting there while we shared a cup.
When we progressed to riding the bike to work,
we wanted to find a way to pick up our coffee
and take it with us! I found these at
The Bike
Gallery in Portland (made by
Trek).
The really cool thing about these cups are that
they actually fit into a standard water bottle
cage! That's the reason for the unique
shape. |
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| Lights |
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| We're all looking for
better ways to make us more visible and safer
while riding, especially in times of poor
visibility, at dusk, or at night. I found
this bike light that is really really bright!
One evening I parked the bike in our driveway
next to our car with the light flashing on the
bike and the car's flashers on. I then
walked down the street a ways. I am not
kidding, the bike light was as bright as one of
the car's tail lights! You can get it
online from
Real Lite. |
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| Horn |
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As well as being seen,
we like to be heard also. There are times
when you need to make your presence known.
We actually have three different "noise makers."
We start out with a nice friendly bell. A
nice little "ding-ding" is usually all it takes
to get someone's attention as you approach them
from the rear on the bike trail. If that
doesn't work, we have a bulb type "ah-ooooga"
horn. If that fails, we use our "Airzound"
air horn. It's as loud as a car horn!
You pump it up with your bike pump, and get an
ear piercing blast. We don't need it
often, but it has come in handy. I once
blasted it at a driver who cut us off, and it
was loud enough that they turned around and
looked back to see what it was! It's
available lots of places, I ordered mine online
from the Hostel Shoppe. |
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| Rack |
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| One problem we had was
just how to transport a bike this large.
Because of this, in the first year we had the
bike all of our rides had to start from home.
Our motivation to get some kind of rack was a
desire to join in some organized rides.
Naturally we had to be able to get the bike to
the starting point of those rides! There
are some bike racks on the market designed for
tandems, but none that I was happy with when
used with a tandem recumbent.
So I did the only thing I could do, I built my
own! |
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I designed it so it could be used in a number of
different types of vehicles, so no matter what I may own
over the years, I can use the same rack. It will
work on top of a car, or in the back of a pickup or van.
For construction I used all aluminum and stainless steel
so I wouldn't have to worry about corrosion. The
frame is square tubing with a channel for the tires to
sit in. The bike is held on with flat bars bent in
a "V" with turnbuckles on each end hooked to u-bolts.
To keep from scratching it, I put pieces of rubber
tubing over the bike frame . The white PVC pipe
thing on top is to hold the seat supports steady while
the seats are off during transport. I also tilt
the handlebars forward to lower the overall height.
You can click on the picture to see a larger one if you
wish. |
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