Our family went camping at Parker Dam State Park over the weekend, so we took both Gareth’s bike and my trike, allowing the entire family to go for a ride.  I highly recommend that park if you’re looking to camp in the central PA area.  It’s incredibly well kept and offers lots of activities.

If anyone out there would like to buy a Hase Pino but save about $2,000, take a look at this listing over at BentRider Online. With only 100 miles on it, it looks like it is in excellent condition, and you can avoid shipping costs if you’re in the Huntsville, AL region.

Our latest ride was last Saturday, 5/5/07. We met up with my mother, sister, and nephew at Tom Tudek Park for a ride around the park trails. My nephew tired out quickly on his single speed BMX, especially once he realized that riding fast downhill meant having to ride uphill on return.

Gareth and I took an extra few rides around the park by ourselves until he was ready to rest.

There’s no update on our twin stand from Hase. Two shipments from Hase arrived at RBR, neither containing our order. Hase apparently has not been responding to e-mail, either. I love the Pino dearly, but let this be a warning - avoid Hase. They seem pretty good on the initial sale but stink at follow-up support.

Gareth and I got another ride in last Saturday (3/10/07).  The ride journal page should be posted soon, just haven’t had enough time to sit down and scan it in.

In other news, I talked to RBR in early February about getting the larger twin kick-stand for the Pino.  They put in the request but hadn’t heard back from Hase.  So, I stopped in at the beginning of this month to follow up and… still no response from Hase.  This is discouraging to say the least.  We focused on the Pino because of the available support for it, but if this is indicative of their response to their dealers, I’m not sure whether or not that support is worth much.

I’m also trying to figure out ways to mount a front headlight.  Because of the size of the front boom (2″ outer diameter), there aren’t exactly any off the shelf mounting systems available.  I’ll probably end up finding a way to fake it with zip ties or Velcro, though a more permanent system would be preferable.

Gareth is scheduled for his pedal fitting tomorrow at RBR. He has been feeling really sick lately, so I won’t be surprised if we have to cancel. I’m obviously hoping we don’t.

One of Gareth’s therapists is coming along to make suggestions regarding harnesses and pedal adaptations. The harness that Gareth has on his wheelchair would be perfect, so I started searching one out. Adaptive Mall has one for a mere $80 (a steal in the world of adapted equipment). That harness would still require a lap belt, but the lap belt can be easily improvised. I’m going to hold off until tomorrow before placing any orders, though, just in case the therapist has some better ideas.

Look for some photos tomorrow. I’ll try to remember to take my good camera along this time.

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.