I’ve owned a Road ID for a couple of years now, only wearing it when I ride. I’ve used the sport model (pictured below on left) which is durable and attached with a Velcro strap. I’d really would like something for everyday use, but this one is a little too sporty for days I’m at work in shirt and tie. Checking the Road ID site I found they now offer a slim silicone model, so I ordered it. Picture below shows the difference.
If you are not familiar with the Road ID, it is a great way to list either your name an contact information or, for a yearly fee of under $10.00 you can get the interactive model where health care providers can easily call in or log-in via a website and see all the pertinent information you provide. For example, I’ve listed all my meds, past surgery, medical history, insurance information, and family members that should be contacted in case I’m injured and not able to provide it myself. It really provides a lot of peace of mind to me and my family.
Anticipating cooler, wetter weather for my bike ride across Nebraska (BRAN), I’ve been searching for and researching the appropriate recumbent rain gear. My previous rain jacket, which I bought at Sports Authority, was not designed for biking and although it did do a great job of not letting water in, I perspired so much during exertion that I was nearly as wet inside as out. From what I have read on forums and reviews, one needs the jacket to be lightweight, breathable, waterproof and wind resistant as well. Most of these types of jackets are well over $100, but I think I found one by O2 for a fraction of that. It’s the Rainshield O2 cycling rain jacket.
Last year on BRAN I chose not to wear any rain gear below the belt, but quickly found out on a long wet ride that is not a pleasant option. Talk about chaffing! I have a pair of long rain pants, again not for cycling, and have never used them but fear they are going to be way too hot as they are not breathable. This year I’m going to try some breathable waterproof biking shorts I found at Pro Bike Kit (In the UK of all places, but free shipping) . The only downfall with shorts for a recumbent rider is that your leg openings are parallel to the road or higher, so rain will naturally fly into the openings. These shorts, however, are just slightly baggy and extend down a couple inches below the knees. They also have Velcro to keep the leg portions tight. These are not padded bike shorts, but that’s okay as I wear a Andiamo thinly padded bike short liner under all my shorts. Half the price of normal recumbent bike shorts and you can wear any type shorts over top.
And finally found a longer style helmet rain cover from J&G Cyclewear that would fit my helmet with the visor on front. I really like this helmet cover as it is bright yellow, has reflective material on front and back, plus a loop in back to attach a red blinking light for extra visibility.
I’m still not sure what to do about the feet, as I wear Keen bike sandals and socks. I do have some shoe covers I can put on if they get cold, but I doubt much is going to keep the rain out.
I’ve been collecting parts to do this major overhaul for some time and today, rather than ride in the rain, I decided to do the overhaul on my recumbent that I had been putting off. The crank set I got on ebay and is a match for the original one on my Burley Canto recumbent. The chain and cassette I ordered from one of my favorite recumbent shops, Calhoun Cycle. With the help of several utube videos I figured out how to replace everything and all went well except for the cassette. Somehow I ordered a 7 gear cassette instead of the 8 I needed and I was missing the 11 tooth gear. As it turned out, my old 11 tooth gear was in good shape and removable so I added it to the 7 gear cassette and all seems to work fine.
Replacing the chain was quite a challenge. I was going to use a SRAM super link but found a video that showed how to carefully pull the post out on the chain link, then press it back in so it is all original chain without any link units. Seems to have worked. The one piece of advice I give anyone doing this is take some photos before you start. Otherwise figuring out how it goes through the derailleur is quite a challenge.
My chain had at least 3,000 miles that I put on since buying the bike and I have no idea how much it had from the previous owners. I figured it was time to change the chain and associated crank set and cassette. Riding the bike after it was all done, I could really tell the difference. Examining the old chain against the new chain it was obvious the old one had lots of wear.
The new crank set, bright and shiny
New cassette
I’m not an expert and have learned from my own experiences, but my favorite riding shoe on a recumbent is actually a sandal. I have a wide foot and finding biking shoes that fit is very limiting and often expensive. Biking sandals seemed the right choice right from the start and I’ve been happy with their performance and comfort. Regardless of the weather I always wear a good pair of wicking socks to help move the moisture away from my feet. The other reason is to prevent rubbing of the straps and avoiding blisters. For the money, my choice is Keen sandals and the ones I have really liked are the Keen Commuter II. They have a SPD compatible plate and padded straps for comfort. Most sites say they run a 1/2 size small, but I bought my normal size and they were perfect.
The only problem I had was that a rear strap stitching came loose after about 1,000 miles on my bike. Their warranty assistance was the best I ever experienced. I submitted a support ticket and received a prompt reply simply asking for an image of the defect and a photocopy of the receipt. They shipped out a new pair immediately. That attention to service will have me back as a customer over and over.