Or rather, it’s at RBR. Rob left a message at home saying the Pino was in the shop, so I scurried over after work to check it out. It is already almost entirely assembled, and it is very, VERY green. Nobody will be able to miss us as we’re out riding.

Sometime next week, we’ll get over to the shop for Gareth’s fitting – placing the pedals at the right spot for him and then shortening the chain accordingly. After that’s done, I assume the bike is ours to take, though I need to call Make-A-Wish and see if there’s anything they want to do regarding presenting it to Gare.

We’re putting the trailer hitch on the van tomorrow, and the Draftmaster rack is now paid for and ready for pickup as well. It has all come together nicely!

If the weather holds up, we could actually be looking to ride within the next two weeks.

Apologies for the following low quality photos.  All I had on me was my cell phone.

I stopped by RBR today to finalize the details on the purchase of the Draftmaster.  It will be $477 when all is said and done.  Compared to some online retailers, this is a savings of only about $30.  However, we don’t have to deal with shipping, and we have a local resource should we need anything serviced.

While there, I asked about the status of the Pino.  Rob didn’t have much news for me other than that the payment went through.  We should still be on track for the end of January.

Just wanted to post a thank you to Gareth’s grandparents for purchasing the trailer hitch we need for the Draftmaster rack, and an extra thanks to his grandfather for gifting us a fifth of the cost of the Draftmaster itself!

We’re very fortunate to have such supportive family!

Gareth’s grandparents have generously offered to each go half on the cost of the trailer hitch. Now they’re official sponsors.

The Team Hoyt website has received a small makeover. Part of the change was the posting of some new photos, one of which clearly shows a semi-recumbent tandem configuration. That’s pretty amazing. I’ve written to Team Hoyt to ask them a few questions about any balance issues they might have encountered using that setup. I don’t really expect a response, but it was worth a shot.

The local Barnes & Noble had a copy of the Pennsylvania Trails & Ride Journal publication. I picked up one so that Gareth and I can plan our rides and then talk about them afterwards while we update the journal. I’ll be making picture words for Gareth so that he can recap the ride in his own words.  Assuming that doing so doesn’t violate copyright, I’ll post individual images of all the picture words here so that others can print them out and use them.

The search for a suitable trailer hitch has begun. The Draftmaster rack that we’ll be purchasing requires a hitch with a 2″ receiver. I’ve found a few models that will fit a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan, but Gareth’s grandfather is pretty sure he can get us a better deal than the $120-220 prices I’ve been finding.

Why mention this stuff? Just to give an idea of what extras are needed should other families wish to add a semi-recumbent tandem to their lives. The rack linked above, when configured to carry just one tandem, typically sells for $500.