Indoor Handcycle trainer

[cheesecake]

Do any of the hancyclers have recommendations for indoor trainers that you can add to your handcycle in winter months? My new handcycle will arrive in February but I want to do some winter training.

Thanks

[bikerdave]

I use a trainer that I had from my days of road biking. It's similar to these:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_id=4120

Prices can range from less than $100 to around $700. I bought the cheapest one I could find about 5 years ago and I've been happy with it.

The biggest problem is the monotony. You can get bored quickly. I recommend either setting up a television in front of the trainer (not an option for me since I have mine in the garage), using an MP3 player andor varying your routine.

Good luck.

[CapnGimp]

I have a Minoura Mag-850 that I bought from http://www.greenfishsports.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=49

It has a remote so you can change resistance from your seat(ya need it, trust me) You don't have to remove your legrests either. Just adjust the right one down a tad. I have left mine there for normal riding and it is fine(about 5 degreestilt)
Yes it is boring sitting in one place, like already said, get a tele, computer or mp3 player. Not as fun as being outside.

[CapnGimp]

http://www.greenfishsports.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=436

on sale now for 94 bucks don't forget to get the remote for changing resistance with it it will add 5 bucks total of 99.95 ! BTW I use these guys for anything I can and they ship fast.

ps the main page says free shipping on this one not the sale page find out, they are good folks!

[NoLegs1967]

Well this work on the quicky shark?

[CapnGimp]

I can't see why it would not, I'd say get it.

[cheesecake]

Well this work on the quicky shark?

Well I hope it will, that is the type of handcycle I just purchased. As I understand it, just the front wheel is put into the trainer. The Shark has a "kickstand that allows the front wheel to be held up in the air.

Thanks everyone for the feedback as well as the links.

[CapnGimp]

correct, I posted pics somewhere last year, I'll hunt for them and post again soon.

[nick]

Hey, Capngimp.

Thanks for the link to greenfish sports. I ordered it right away with the tension cable.

The UPS truck just dropped it off yesterday afternoon.

I'll be mounting it to my handcycle first thing in the morning.

It will be nice to keep myself in shape over the winter months here in Chicago.

Eddie

[CapnGimp]

ok here is a bad picture of it on the trainer. Note a couple of things... The legrest does NOT have to be removed or changed but about >10 deg from horizontal.
It's on tri-wheels so I can move it around in here easily w/o taking it off the stand (REALLY handy)
NO CHAIN, mmakes riding a breeze, lol jk I was going to replace the badly worn chain with a new one but 161 links is about 10 inches too short. I ALMOST ordered two of them>mentally kicks self in aRse)
It broke on me about 13 miles from home last summer. I stopped, said a prayer, put the chain back on, link back in w/o the side plate, it was broke in half, and finished my ride.
If I had been in FLAT land America, it would have seemed like a small miracle. I live in mountains of east TN, it was an answer to a prayer. It didn't break going up these BIG hills nor come off along the way. I climb hills that able bodied people, kids and adults, PUSH their bicycles up.

It is a lot easier to stay in shape than try to get BACK in shape, get one and use it. SADLY, I am waaay out of shape now. Related to an ongoing hassle with a pressure sore that will be detailed sometime after my next doc visit.

[nick]

Capn'

I just bought the same one. It is sitting on the floor in my room right next to me.

I haven't had time to use it yet. I'm gonna make a hard attempt to get it on my bike tomorrow after I get back from my doctor at R.I.C. downtown.

I think I have a uti. No fever's or chills but it has a fowl smell. Been battling it since summer sometime. I tried to clear it myself with a lot of cranberry juice and other fluids but with no luck.

I like the idea of having the tri-wheels underneath to move it around. It will be one of my many stops tomorrow to pick some of those up.

Wow, broke the link. How did it happen? Was it just wear and tear?
I noticed on my bike that the chain isn't perfectly alligned with the axle to the crank. I tried adjusting the gear and it is still quite out of whack.
I'm concerned that it will cause problems eventually and I will be stranded on a the road with a broken link.

Geez, it could be as bad as the one time it started to rain and I didn't like getting completely soaked and decided to turn around on the trail.
I started a 3 point turn in the trail rolling through the grass and reaching around to grab the back wheel to move backwards and rolled through dog crap and had it all mashed in my fingers.
Had no towels and all the leaves were dried out because of the fall season.
So I grabbed the crank and rode with dog shit mashed in my fingers all the way home!!

(self thought) Alway's bring a towel/rag when riding the bike trail.

Heal that pressure sore soon so that you can get back on the bike for the spring season!!
Good luck!!
Eddie

[CapnGimp]

sorry, laughing HARD at ya and the dog glue, I feel for ya, good thing it wasn't one of those days when your face itches with sweat, eh?

as far as alignment...the only thing you need to worry about here is the derailer, keep it true to the cassette and properly adjusted so there is no noise from 'almost' in gear
mine came screwed up from the factory and I had to buy a new one at less than a thousand miles>my bad< shoulda checked> AND the back right seat brace was flipped upside down(both angle to the left side of frame) can't just take it off and flip it either because of the camber cams require a jig to reseat at the proper angle at least I'M not gonna try it from a wheelchair, I know better. If I was ab I could get it right with try and try again
I just TRUSTED that at 3 grand for a trike, I'd have attention to detail and craftsmanship so I never looked at a thing and rode merrily on. And I am a man who has worked on everything from reactors to gas turbine engines. I KNEW better.
with 9 sprokets on the cassette and 3 on the crank, there is a lot of bind on a chain and nothing you can do. Keep the front wheel square in the frame is about it. And watch which upper and lower gear positions you use as relate to chain misalignment as much as possible. I used to climb steep hills in Big Crank Big cassette which is a major chain mis-alignment . It is better to drop to second crank and a middle cassette that corresponds to that ratio you desire. I did it the other way so I could easily guage strength/stamina improvements.
Having said all that, I got almost 3000 miles out of that chain and no wear on my sprockets that I can discern. Which is where the REAL worry is cause that is more expensive. I just bought 2 IRD 990 pro chains to put together to replace the old one. One just now, the other 2 weeks ago. I forgot to measure.>dumb me again<
The main reason it wore so quick was I failed to CLEAN the thaang. You get a lot of grit on the road and that is where the wear comes in. Wet riding is the worst. I think I took mine off 3 times and cleaned it, and those were last years rides as I started to take note of the wear after a particularly grimy ride.
I guess a good buy would be a chain cleaner tool. I always removed them and cleaned in gasoline, dried then relube. That is a hassle now in a chair,lol.
This was actually the first chains I ever bought in my life. I always wore bikes out long before a chain broke plus kept them clean.

I carry a rag with me all the time but it is because I have a need to get all the ran over animals out of the road. I HEART animals and can't bear to see them laying there. I get more possums than anything.
Also, sorta OT, you will begin to notice a SLEW of butterflies and grasshoppers along the road. I guess they like to lie an the warm pavement when dying. But some of the butterflies ya don't see normally. And I collect tools as I ride,lol, lot of tools on the road.

Don't forget to take a camera with ya, you'll be glad you did.

the cranberries only work on e. coli., but keep drinking it, it's good for ya. I eat garlic cloves with everything, it's a good immune system booster.

[nick]

I wouldn't of cared how much my face could of itched it would of had to wait until I wiped the crap off my hand.

Thanks about the info on the proper alignment and what to look for.

If I get a chance I will go out in the garage today or tomorrow and get a picture of how the alignment is off.

Funny you say about the dead animals. When I drove through Tennessee on my way to Florida last September I was thinking to myself how there were quite a few dead animals on the road. Especially armadillo's in Georgia and Florida. They usually don't bother me but I wouldn't be a fan of getting them off the road and into the grass.

Thanks again. Eddie