Several years ago, I made the big decision to return to college to finish my Bachelor's Degree. Continuing my studies while holding down a full-time job meant that sacrifices must be made. The first thing to go, as you've likely surmised, was my blogging. I continued to Trikke during the early days of college, but as the classes grew harder and my day job required overtime, I reluctantly parked the Trikkes for a few years.
The sacrifices paid off as I recently achieved my long-time goal of earning my Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology. My capstone project offered me the freedom to choose my subject matter, and I used the opportunity to circle back to two hobbies I love so much - Trikking and writing. As part of this project, I rebuilt the Trikke Universe website with the hopes of it becoming the premiere Trikke community site on the internet.
In order to commit my full energy to the new website, I have migrated all of my Lehigh Valley Trikke posts to Trikke Universe to give it a running start. I will leave this blog here, as many have linked to it and found the posts useful, but the post you're reading now will be its last. I want to thank all of my fellow Trikkers for sharing this journey with me, and I hope you will join me in building an even bigger community on Trikke Universe.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Pennsylvania Trail Review: D&L Trail and Palmer-Bethlehem Township Bikeway
The D&L Trail is one of Pennsylvania’s longest and
best-known rail trails, stretching 165 miles from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol. It follows the route that canal boats once
used to deliver anthracite coal from mines to market, and it offers stunning
views of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers.
There’s only one problem for Trikkers . . . most of the trail is gravel. Fortunately there is a small section near Easton, PA that is
a Trikker’s paradise. Several miles of
wide, flat asphalt run alongside the Lehigh River and the D&L Canal. Riders can park in four locations:
- Long driveway at the end of Hope Rd, Freemansburg, PA (Boat Launch)
- Riverview Park, 25th Street, Easton, PA
- Hugh Moore Park, south of 25th Street, Glendon, PA (National Canal Museum)
- Hugh Moore Park, north of 25th Street, Glendon, PA
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| Scenic overlook at the Lehigh River chain dam |
My preference is Riverview Park because it offers easy access
to all parts of the trail and also has restrooms. The most Trikke-able portion of the trail
runs southwest from the park to the boat launch. Here riders can enjoy 2 1/2 miles of wide and
nearly flat pavement alongside the Lehigh River. When I was first learning to carve, this was
one of my favorite spots due to its short distance and relatively light
traffic.
Near the boat launch, riders will find a fork in the road
that leads them to the Palmer-Bethlehem Township Bikeway. I like to call it the “Two Mile Hill.” It’s not the steepest climb I know of, but it
is the longest. It’s a narrow stretch of
aging asphalt that hooks under Route 33 twice as it heads back towards
Easton. The grade is only 1 degree for
most of the run, but there are no breaks in the climb save a slight dip as it
crosses a driveway near Hope Road. The
summit is a metal bridge spanning Freemansburg Avenue. The hill’s dense tree cover makes it a haven
in the summer, but be warned that climbing it in the fall can be treacherous
due to debris.
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| Climbing the "Two Mile Hill" |
Beyond the summit, the Palmer-Bethlehem Township Bikeway levels
out and heads northeast another 2 1/2 miles back toward Easton. Although it remains paved, there are numerous
road-crossings, and pedestrian traffic through the neighborhoods can be
problematic. I was frustrated the two times
I biked it, and as a result I never went that far on my Trikke. But with enough determination, it could
certainly be Trikked.
Returning to Riverview Park, there is a short ¼ mile section
heading northeast that ends in a winding decent to Lehigh Drive. Crossing the truss bridge along Hill Road
leads to the two parking areas of Hugh Moore Park. The southern parking lot is the largest, and
leads to the National Canal Museum and the canal boat ride.
The trail itself continues beyond the northern lot, this
time snaking between the Lehigh River and the D&L Canal. This portion of the trail has some small
hills which are quite challenging due to the narrower trail width. The first 1 ½ miles of trail are reasonably
Trikke-friendly, but beyond a small bridge near an old canal lock the asphalt
gets crumbly and I consider it too risky to Trikke. Riders with slightly more fortitude than I
can continue all the way to the convergence of the Lehigh and Delaware
Rivers. I’ll offer one final warning;
the bridge below south 3rd Street (Route 611) is prone to flooding
and may be impassible unless your Trikke sprouts pontoons.
Beyond 3rd Street in the northeast and the boat
launch in the southwest, the D&L reverts to gravel. In between is enough asphalt to put a smile
on the face of Trikkers of all skill levels.
Beginners can enjoy the flatter portion on the north bank of the Lehigh,
while more experienced riders can brave the Two Mile Hill or the narrower,
hillier trail on the south bank of the Lehigh.
Numerous photo opportunities appear along the way, and wildlife often
peek out from the trees to marvel at our three-wheelers.
I have created a map of the trail with Trikke-related color-coding
and notes. Click on any trail segment,
shape, or icon for complete information.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Meet the “Trikke Riders of Pennsylvania”
The carving movement has been gaining momentum on the east
coast with an epicenter in southeast Pennsylvania. A passionate group of riders has overcome the
challenges of hilly terrain, brutal winters, and sweltering summers to put
Trikking on the region’s map.
Founded in 2009 by Norman Lazarus, the Trikke Riders of
Pennsylvania uses Meetup.com
as its base of operations. Yours truly
stepped up as Assistant Organizer in 2012, and Susan C rounded out our
leadership group in 2013. Having three
ride organizers enables us to cover a large geographic area, with Norman in
southeast Pennsylvania, Susan near the Pennsylvania/Delaware border, and myself
in the Lehigh Valley.
Our membership stands at 50 as of this writing, and a
typical ride draws in half a dozen or more Trikkers. We welcome riders of all skill levels, and
are especially friendly to beginners.
Our early season rides in particular offer spare Trikkes for beginners
to try, and experienced riders stay near the parking area to give lessons. Some riders also bring their children and
spouses, even if they are riding on roller blades or bicycles. We’ve even had a small dog run alongside us!
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| May 2014 LSM - Philadelphia Art Museum |
We are committed to hosting LSM rides (Last Saturday/Sunday
of the Month) from April to September, and will consider them other months if
Mother Nature cooperates. We’ve had a
strong turnout for 2014’s LSM’s so far:
- March LSM: 6 Trikkers at Warminster Community Park
- April LSM: 13 Trikkers at Warminster Community Park
- May LSM: 11 Trikkers in Philadelphia (Art Museum, Martin Luther King Blvd, Kelly Drive)
- June LSM: 7 Trikkers on the Horsham Power Line Trail
Although we are still working out the locations for the year’s
remaining LSM’s, you can pencil in the following dates: Sat. 7/26 morning, Sun. 8/31
afternoon/evening, Sat. 9/27 morning, and Sat. 10/25. We are hoping to branch out geographically with
some of these rides, and we are looking at Jersey City, Delaware City,
Lancaster, and the Jersey Shore as potential destinations.
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| Chester Valley Trail |
In addition to the LSM’s we host 1 or 2 Friday night “Happy
Hour” rides at each month on the Chester Valley Trail in Malvern, PA. This trail is 15 miles long and growing. The western end is flat and beginner-friendly,
while the central and eastern segments feature some gradual but long hills. We typically choose a 5 mile segment (10 mile
roundtrip) for the ride and rotate through the sections to keep things interesting.
You can find more information and ride schedules on our Meetup
page at: http://www.meetup.com/TrikkePA/
We also have an expanded group of “Trikke Riders of Delaware
and Southeastern Pennsylvania” on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/TrikkeRidersOfDEandPA
Our rides post to both locations in hopes of reaching a
larger geographic area. We hope you will
join the carving action on one of our rides soon!
Related Articles:
Sunday, May 4, 2014
T12 Foot Deck Replacement
The T12 Roadster is the Trikke of choice for many riders,
but the pre-2011 model lacks some of the comforts and amenities found on the current
model. The old sandpaper deck grips are
the most glaring deficiency and are likely the first thing that will need to be
replaced. They wear out quickly, and
once they are smoothed down your foot will easily slip off. Furthermore, they transmit all the road
vibrations directly to your sole, and your feet will likely be burning after
just a few miles.
Fortunately, there are several easy and inexpensive upgrades
for the deck grips. The first choice is
to replace them with Trikke’s own laser-cut grip tape (approx. $13) which
reportedly will last 20 times longer than the stock grip tape. The second is to upgrade to the same rubber
foot decks that come standard on the current T12’s. Although they cost substantially more (approx.
$35), the increased comfort and durability makes it worth the expense.
The rubber decks are curved at the back to match the
curvature of the new T12 fenders, but they will still work against the older straight-edged
fenders if you don’t mind a small gap at the rear. Your feet should not be this far back anyway,
so the gap will not affect your performance.
Although I have been planning this as a future upgrade for
my copper T12, I got a chance to do the work first on my friend Megan Hanley’s
black T12. Megan is a new Trikker, and
she bought this Trikke secondhand off of Craigslist. It needed numerous repairs and upgrades
before she could safely ride it, and I thank Megan for letting me photograph the
deck upgrade for my article.
To remove the old decks without scraping and marring the
paint, you will need a hair dryer or heat gun to soften the adhesive. At the time I began the grip tape removal on
Megan’s Trikke, it had been sitting in the sun for two hours which also
helped. Begin the removal by heating one
end, and gently use a flathead screwdriver to begin the removal. Once you’ve got it started, just pull on it gently
by hand as you continue to heat it.
Unfortunately, there may still be some adhesive residue on
the metal deck even after the grip tape is removed. I have read of people using a variety of
solvents to remove this, but as I had nothing handy (and quite honestly was
being too lazy to go shopping and play trial-and-error with things) I continued
to heat the adhesive with the hair dryer as I rolled the adhesive off with my
fingers. This does take some patience,
but the adhesive will roll up much like rubber cement.
Before applying the new rubber decks, wipe down the metal
decks with rubbing alcohol to ensure a clean surface for adhesion. Test fit the new rubber decks to be sure of
their position before removing the paper backing. Now you’ve reached the easy part; carefully
line up the new decks and press them into place. And just like that, you’ve got an old T12
with all the comfort and grip of a new one!
I again thank Megan for letting her T12 be the guinea pig
for this work. We are both delighted with
the results, and I will be doing this upgrade to my copper T12 in the very near
future.
Related Articles:
Sunday, April 20, 2014
The Spring Thaw – Take 2
Everyone knows the old saying, “if at first you don’t
succeed, try and try again.”
This spring has certainly put our resolve to the test as
rainy, windy, and even snowy conditions have delayed many of our spring riding plans. The first casualty was Trikke Riders of
Pennsylvania’s LSM scheduled for 3/29 in Warminster Community Park which was besieged
by heavy rains. The rescheduled ride for
4/5 saw only half the riders able to make it, and even they braved strong
headwinds as they taxied up and down the runway on their three-wheelers. (Yours truly had another commitment that
day.)
Several of us met for an impromptu LMM (Last Monday of the
Month) ride at Glasgow Park in Delaware.
We were also plagued by raging winds, but enjoyed exploring the park and
getting to know each other better.
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| Norman, Ken, Jamie, Megan, Susan, and Pam at Glasgow Park |
I followed this up with a solo ride at Rodale Fitness Park
when Tuesday gifted me beautiful weather and an unusually easy commute
home. But this ride was also a reminder
of why we must ease back into our fitness regimens, as it left me with sore and
strained muscles and a recovery of nearly two weeks.
I rode the electric Pon-e Lite last Monday as I explored the
new Michael N. Castle trail in Delaware with Susan, Megan, and Cassidy. Again, high winds were a constant, but they
joy of being outdoors and exploring a new trail with friends gave me the
determination to push forward.
Yesterday’s ride on the Palmer Bikeway with new Trikkers Jim
and Val finally set me back on the path to recovery, both physically and
emotionally. The weather was as
picture-perfect as a day can get, and it was a joy to help my new friends improve
their riding skills. I extended my ride
with a solo excursion to the northern end of the trail and back racking up a
total of 6 for the day, and 27 for the season so far. While that may not sound like much, it’s
quite an achievement after a solid 5 months of inactivity during the harshest
winter in recent memory.
Looking forward, the Trikke Riders of Pennsylvania have
scheduled April and May LSM’s in some of our favorite locations. We will return to Warminster Community Park on 4/26, and Trikke on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Philadelphia on 5/31.
I hope to see both old and new friends at these rides, and
as we head for another beautiful mid-60 degree day here, I hope we can now safely
say that winter is behind us.
Related Articles:
Sunday, March 16, 2014
The Spring Thaw
It’s sunny now, almost warm, and there’s this funny green
stuff poking through the carpet of white in my yard. My cats are watching the birds flutter about
in the bushes beside my window, and the itch to ride my Trikke has become
unbearable. This can mean only one thing
. . . IT’S FINALLY SPRING!!!!
If you live in the northeast, my mind’s eye sees you nodding
in agreement as you read this. If you
don’t, I can feel your deep sigh of relief since you’ve no doubt heard our
horror stories about one of the harshest winters in decades.
As I re-read my last few posts here, I realize my winter has
not been as productive as planned. My
dreams of writing and web designing were replaced with almost daily shoveling,
snow-blowing, and ice-breaking. My
aching body decided it wanted to do nothing more afterwards than to curl up on
the couch with my cats and read “Game of Thrones.” Winter truly did come (I love you Ned Stark,
but did you have to be right about that?!), and I suppose I picked a great
season to read the series as the weather outside set the mood and atmosphere to
bring Westeros to life. But now it’s finally
time to snap myself out of my winter slumber and march myself down the Kingsroad
to my stable of Trikkes.
 |
| Spring ahead . . . |
Luckily all has not been lost this winter. The Trikke Riders of Pennsylvania picked up several new members during the deep freeze, bringing our total to 45. And we have set our first LSM ride for March29 at Warminster Community Park. As of this post we have 12 riders signed up,
and surely more will join us with the ride still two weeks away.
If you haven’t ridden with us here before, please consider
joining us. This is one of our most
popular ride locations, and it is well-suited to riders of all skill levels. The entire concrete runway is open for
riding, as well as paved trails around the park’s perimeter and across the
street at Northampton Municipal Park.
Whether you are looking to carve your very first mile, sweat
out an epic 20-miler, or do something in between, this park will give you the
ride you’re looking for. I am eagerly
joining this ride, although I may only be able to do a few miles as I seek to
reclaim the energy and fitness I lost over the winter.
I am also considering this blog “reopened” for the season,
and I still hope to launch a companion website soon. Elise Bennett’s Trikke Universe has grown well over the winter, and you can read my Keystone Karvers blog there as well.
Winter may have gotten us down for the count, but it’s time
to spring back into shape. I hope all of
you are done digging out of the mess and heading for the trails soon too.
Related Articles:
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
New Year, New Universe
I’d like to interrupt my winter slumber to wish everyone a
very Happy New Year and to share some exciting Trikke news. 2013 saw the end of an era as Trikke World
Magazine folded unexpectedly, but 2014 has already built a new home for our
carving community.
I’m thrilled to announce today’s debut of Trikke Universe, a site built from scratch by Elise Bennett. The site will form the new hub of the Trikke
community, complete with articles, blogs, links, and a new forum.
I’m also happy to say that one of the site’s blogs is my own
new “Keystone Karvers.”
Here I will share the best articles
from this blog, as well as updates on the carving scene in Pennsylvania and the
east coast.
Please join me in thanking Elise for her hard work to
establish the site. There is room for
others to be involved too, so if you have an interest in helping out please let
Elise know.
Here’s to wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year, and
lots of joyful miles of carving.
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