Newbie from Central Texas

Good morning,

I'm Doc S, from the San Antonio area of Texas.
Yes, it is hot over here!

I was in the Service for about 11 years (Medic with USMC), before I sustained back and knee injuries during a rescue.

I used to love to mountain and trail bike, but all that ended with my injuries.
After a bunch of surgery and physical therapy I was a lot better, but riding a standard bike hurt. The position caused the slightest bump to travel up my back and cause excruciating pain.

A few years ago, I was introduced to Recumbents.
My 1st Bent was an Action Bent Short wheel Base with Under seat Steering.
It was definitely different for me to get used to, but once I did, I realized I was back into cycling once again!

My wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, so my riding ceased, so I could care for her, work full time and care for our last kid at home.
During that time, I met a woman who loved to bike, but had a back injury, so I told her about my bike. She looked all over for a good and fairly inexpensive recumbent, but couldn't find one, so I made her a deal on mine (which wasn't being used at the time)...

Fast forward a few years and my wife is healthy, we are empty nesters , and my desire to get back on the road has returned...

Initially, I found a good deal on a TerraTrike Rambler with an 8 speed internal hub, 20 inch wheels. I thought I'd be happy with it, but needed a bit more high speed gears. I watched and found a deal on a Scarab Trike, which from what I can gather is about 10 years old...
It was in fairly good shape, so I bought it! It has 2 gears at the crank, a 9 speed cassette and 3 speed internal hub, for a whopping 54 speeds!

I've cleaned it up and am in the process of making slight changes.

Since I've had it ( a few weeks now), I've been averaging between 80 and 100 miles per week.
I've signed up to do the century ride in the Tour-De-Cure in Central Texas, to raise money for Diabetes.
I'm beginning to think it's a lofty goal and should probably change my ride selection.

Anyway, I'm trying to get my wife to ride the TerraTrike (she's fairly weak and has neuropathy pretty bad).

Thanks for letting me be a part of this community!

Blessings,
Doc S

 

to the boards. What a story you have. WOW!!!

I am getting over radiation and chemo and I am doing 20 miles a day 2 - 3 days a week. But nothing like your schedule. Well done!

Glad to have you join us!

 

Barry is retired, but he still answers emails and seems pretty happy to talk about his trikes!

Mine is the model 2026 (20 inch front tires and 26 inch rear). These also have disk brakes

I work full time , 7am to 4pm, so I can't go early. I usually head out between 5:00 and 5:30pm.
From what I understand, Barry was licensed to manufacture / sale the Scarab, but it eventually became licensed by Greenspeed.

Like I mentioned, I got it used, so have cleaned it up a bit and have more to do...
I ordered new tires and tubes that I plan on replacing upon arrival. I need to remove the chain and do a proper cleaning of it and the drive components as well as order a new seat mesh and re-string kit.

I've thought about stripping it down and painting it a really bright fluorescent green

It's been hot here and sitting a couple inches off the ground sure doesn't help! I haven't checked the reflective temperature of the pavement, but i'm sure I could cook an egg...

All in all, I think the Scarab is a pretty well built trike!
We don't have a lot of big hills here, but I've had it up to 35 miles per hour without much of a problem...
Even at that speed, it feels stable.

Blessings,
DocS

 

Yeah...

I spoke with him a couple weeks ago.
He's living in Houston now. Still has one or two by the sounds of it...
After I talked to him, he got excited about his bikes and pulled one out and went for a ride

He asked if I'd send him a pic of mine, but I thought I'd wait until I got it good and clean

Blessings,
DocS

 

Yes, welcome DocS. I don't do many "welcomes" as I am now considered the unofficial curmudgeon for RRI. But your story moved me off-center. A veteran that sacrificed for the rest of us, you've helped with your wife's illness, provide for and raised a family, and gotten into the recumbent business. That covers a lot of ground. Thank you for your service to both your country and your family.

Have fun with your ride. I have a Catrike 700 so understand full well about baking only inches from the pavement. This hellacious weather can't last forever, but we expect a heat index above 105 deg. tomorrow. Meanwhile I tend to ride my Corsa 650 now just to put some more air between me and the bubbling asphalt.

 

Thanks for the welcome Mtwnrocket!

I'm one of Millions of people who have served our Great Country. Many others serve her in different ways and all are important!
Thanks to the Police, Emergency Service folks, Waste Disposal workers, etc.!

I'd love to be in the recumbent business, but I am just a consumer at this time .
Barry was the gentleman who owned Scarab Recumbents and built them under license. He's a very friendly, gracious and knowledgeable man!

I hope to contribute to this forum in some way.

Blessings,
DocS

 

Welcome, sorry I didn't respond sooner. Congrats on finding such a great trike! As a trike rider in the south I can relate to the radiant heat issue. I have sometimes wondered about a radiant barrier under the seat or seat pad. I also changed the 20" wheels on the front of my KMX with 24" wheels which helped a bit. A Ventisist seat pad is the best I have found,allowing good airflow underneath your body.

When is the Tour de cure ride? Has it happened? Remember, the rule of thumb is if you can ride 50 you can ride 100. On a trike you just HAVE to take your time. It would not surprise me if it took you 10 hours with stops. when I get really hot I stop at a store and buy a bag of ice. I fill my pockets and put large chunks underneath my jersey where it stays on my belly keeping me cool for a while. Of course I fill up all of my water bottles with ice as well.

Keep us posted.

 

No problemo...

The Tour de Cure is October 28th. Have more time to prepare

Right now, we're getting ready for this hurricane...
2 of our children live in Corpus Christi. They've come to stay with us until the storm passes, but we have lots of relatives who've unwisely chosen to stay and whether out the storm...

We have a rental property there, that we're expecting to see damaged (praying that it won't be).

We really just pray for all those family's on the gulf coast who won't or can't leave.

The rain would be a blessing, were it not provided within a few hours/days vs. days/weeks...

Blessings,
Doc S