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Disability

The Ataxian arrives

Come out to Davis on Saturday, May 30, 2015 for the Ride Ataxia NorCal ride.

Join Kyle, Izzy, and a whole bunch of amazing people in the FARA Norcal Ride.

All the details right here on the official FARA Norcal website.

Always great food, friends, and beautiful weather.

See you there.

Find out more about FARA here.

Veteran's Memorial Center, 203 E 14th St, Davis, CA 95616 And, coming up soon, the movie...

The Ataxian

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Rohloff lacing for ICE

Left-dished wheel with non-dished Rohlloff Speedhub!

In the recumbent world, we get to rewrite the rules. ICE and Greenspeed have designed trike frames with offset rear forks/ triangles to accept non-dished, left-offset wheels. This allows use of symmetrical lacing patterns with offset hubs, resulting in stronger wheels to withstand tricycles' higher sideways forces.

However, as a recumbent trike customization specialist, it introduces a quirky problem: the super high-end Rohloff Speedhub must now be dished the wrong way in order to line up properly. Dishing the wrong way strikes us as WRONG.

AlphaBENT has been experimenting with wheel lacing techniques to resolve this problem and this answer presents itself:

a Rohloff wheel laced with all spokes left-wise to offset the rim to the left for proper presentation to the ICE rear fork while retaining the benefits of symmetrical lacing...

And, it looks totally cool! You don't see a wheel like this every day.

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New Azub Six arrives in Sacramento

AlphaBENT is now an Azub dealer. The first Azub Six recumbent bike has arrived in the shop and it is SWEET!

It sports full suspension, ergonomic composite seat, and a bunch of cool accessories.

Something about it really appeals... perhaps the colors...

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NeoDrive - German electric-assist for recumbent trikes

22 October 2014, Sacramento, CA: AlphaBENT is shipping its first NeoDrive electric-assist retrofit kits.

For the past 5 weeks, AlphaBENT has been sourcing the German-engineered NeoDrive electric-assist systems to fit onto most of the trikes in the recumbent market. The first two kits have shipped this week for installation on ICE and Catrike recumbent tricycles.

The NeoDrive is the same system promised by ICE for the 2015 model year and is pictured prominently in the 2015 ICE catalog. The NeoDrive is rated at a nominal 250W with peak power output of 600W. Coupled with a high-capacity 15.5amp-hour lithium-ion battery, the NeoDrive is expected to be capable of tremendous distances between charges.

How far that is has yet to be determined and will depend on factors such as boost setting and rider behavior. Distances of 60-80 miles per charge are expected. More concrete numbers will be forthcoming. Pricing for a 250W system with 15.5Ahr battery and associated mounting hardware is approximately $2650. This system is drop-in compatible with standard configurations of ICE, Catrike, and HP Velotechnik recumbent trikes -- meaning that no major changes to other componentry are needed. Unlike other hub-based electric-assist systems, the NeoDrive retrofits can be fitted with quick-release axles facilitating wheel changes and tube and tire repairs.

The NeoDrive is a torque-based pedal-assist system, meaning that the system measures rider pedaling force and amplifies that force without the need for external throttles. Its motor occupies the under-utilized left-side of the hub to reduce rotational inertia. The NeoDrive is made with an external freehub body allowing use of the standard 8, 9, and 10-speed cassettes predominant throughout the recumbent trike industry.

All of these factors weighed into the decision to carry and support the NeoDrive brand at AlphaBENT.

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Shifting Cum Laude

Congratulations, T, C, and J on successful completion of the Shifting Workshop and passing the Practical Exam with flying stars!

There's no fooling you with random adjustment of limit screws and barrel adjusters.

Next time, Alignment. We'll make some nice alignment tools and use 'em.

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Commuting, Exercise

Catrike Folding Trail

New Catrike Folding Trike hits the Trail

The new Catrike model (Trail) announced last year at Interbike is finally in production.

After a seemingly endless wait, dealers will have Trails in stock across the country within a week.

"We're expecting the new addition to our family next Wednesday.", said Hugh Kern of AlphaBENT, California's biggest Catrike dealer in Sacramento. "It's pretty exciting to have this kind of portability in a Catrike."

The Folding Trail has features recumbent trike riders have been demanding, particularly:

  • Self-contained seat: Unlike other folding trikes that require removal of the seat, the seat stays on the trike and folds with it.
  • Self-locking package: With more than one cue taken from the tight-packing Brompton bicycle, the new Folding Trail locks together when folded.
  • Self-standing and rolling luggage: When folded, the Trail stands upright and can be rolled around like a piece of luggage. This makes the Trail's modest weight manageable by anyone regardless of their strength.
  • New seat design: In a look at what might be in the future for all Catrike models, the new Folding Trail sports a comfy-looking set of side-supporting pads for added rider comfort.
  • Same Catrike durability, handling, and efficiency: These hallmark features of all Catrikes stays the same on the Trail.

The new Folding Trail is available in a variety of colors at no extra charge and comes with a complete set of Catrike-signature accessories such as computer sensor mount, sensible flag mount, integrated headlight mount, hand-rests, mirror on mirror stalk, and clipless pedals -- not to mention top-of-the-line components such as a 30-speed SRAM drivetrain, Kevlar-belted tires, and Avid BB7 disc brakes at a competitive price.

More information...

Exercise, Comparison, Transporting, Disability

2014 Friedrich's Ataxia Research Alliance Ride to Cure FA | NorCal

Once again, we had the opportunity to turn out in support of Kyle Bryant and his band of amazing people.

350 riders rode whichever ride worked best for them: 60, 40, 10, 5, or 1 to raise funds for research to cure FA.

An incredible $110,000 was raised as well as the hopes of all.

It was an honor and a privilege to see: Team Sean, Team Lindsay, Team Meghan, Team Izzy, and more. Of course, we all fall under the umbrella of Team Kyle.

Thank you Felicia, Mr. Music Guy, Mazeres family, Outback Steakhouse, and the innumerable others who made this event into a reality.

Links to show your support: rideataxia.org, and curefa.org

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Announcements

Catrike Day 2014

Although Catrike Day was officially proclaimed by Orlando City a year ago, let's set aside April 30 every year as Official Catrike Day.

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Comparison

Fun

Trikes are fun! Everyone loves them. Everyone can ride them.

This means that you'll be looking forward to your next ride instead of dreading it.

These are not your grandfather's trike, though.... Look closer. These are recumbent: which means you sit back in comfort. No pressure points on your wrists or prostate. No cricking of the neck.

Bottom line: "Fun" means this is a machine you will use well.

Take another look: At first blush, they all look the same... but, upon closer examination (and, this is why we encourage you to come in to see and try them personally), you will see stark differences:

  • How high is the seat?
  • How reclined?
  • Does it fold?
  • What steering mechanism does it use?
  • What wheel configuration does it have?
  • Frame construction?
  • Suspension?
  • What brakes?

There are no right or wrong answers, but there is a right answer for you.

We have every commercially available trike that is worth its salt. We'll help you sift through the options. We'll guide you to likely candidates. We'll listen to your feedback.

At AlphaBENT, we are committed to your happiness. We want you to get the right trike no matter what brand, how much you spend, or what options you want... and we won't upsell you and if you are looking at trikes or options that will have you spending more money than you need to spend, we'll tell you so.

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