magid

Last night I got to go for a real ride with the Electric Truffle Roommate on the tandem recumbent tricycle. Once the seat was adjusted and CamelBak bungee'd to the back, we were ready to roll.

It's such a different experience than biking. Being so low to the road gives a very different perspective. Yes, there were moments in traffic that were a bit nervous-making, but the trike's rigged with multiple lights, fore and aft, and the ETR is a careful driver. We went out the bike path, and I felt younger, seeing the greenery from a height I haven't been in years. Since I wasn't in front, I had plenty of time to look around, too, which meant that I could see people's reactions as we rode by. Little kids pointed, other bikers smiled, an older woman laughed in surprise, and there were lots of short conversations with random people (and not so random... *wave to Toyb*). I felt like half of a two-person parade. (Plus, riding a tandem is more fun just because it's shared.)

It felt different, too. My legs were working, but not quite the same muscles. I was sitting back in a chair, so no twinges from my lower back, and my wrists weren't jolted. I could feel it as we went over potholes and such, but much less than with my skinny tires, and in less painful areas. Since the gears are in the back and the shift is in front, I had to learn how to pedal without force whenever the ETR called for a gear shift. Having my hands free of other responsibilities also meant I did a lot of signaling. And this was the first long ride I've had with the clipless pedals. I'm used to leaning into turns with my torso and my knee, but I could only use my torso. It worked, keeping us on all three wheels (well, except for once when there was some quick zigzagging for fun).

I'm not used to being as wide as this is; I kept automatically pulling my elbows in as we went through the posts at intersections on the trail. We definitely 'took the lane' a lot more than I do on the bike.

We went through all the gears available; coming back on the Minuteman Trail speeding in highest gear was great. I don't know how fast we were going, but it felt very fast (and being in back, it made me think of riding a go-cart in a race). I'm not used to how fast it slows either (much faster than I do on the bike). I'm looking forward to another ride, hopefully soon :-).

Plus, I got to see a firefly! They're rare in my life, so that made me happy, too.