The events of the past week found me and mine shedding the bonds of rural northern Illinois in favor of the sunnier - and mostly warmer - embrace of central Florida.
This was a family trip, and as such was primarily centered around what you’d expect of a trip to the Orlando area. While we aren’t, as a rule, fans of the corporate mouse, we do all enjoy the creations of George Lucas and of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and crew; and there is a significant subset of the family partial to the Potter that is Harry. But all that being the case, it seemed like there should be some opportunity in the week to squeeze in a ride.
Several years ago I’d realized, in part by chance, that there are often places in well established communities that will rent you a bike if you are looking for a ride and did not happen to bring one along. That first opportunity was in Arizona - Scottsdale, specifically - and was prior to my triking days. But I figured since I was heading to the homeland of Catrike there was a fairly good chance that I could find someone to rent a trike once I got there.
We drove for this trip (in fact, we are on the way back as I started writing this post, tapping away in the passenger seat as LB pilots the Mobile Trike Garage), so I did consider the option of simply taking my Expedition along for the trip. The Outback handles the trike just fine on the roof, and I could have pulled off the seat mesh and bags to improve mileage on the drive. But I was less concerned about getting it to and from, and more with what to do with it during. This was a week-long trip, and the riding was incidental. I love my trike, but they are somewhat cumbersome. I wasn’t sure if we’d have space for it in the room at the resort, and I didn’t want to leave it exposed on the roof for the week. I suppose I could have stored it in the car when we weren’t using it, but I suspect that would have involved a lot of moving it back and forth like, say, every time we wanted to carry people the car.
So: Rental.
I tapped into the Recumbent Trikes Group on Facebook for thoughts on places to try, and helpfully got a couple of options. I went with Trailside Bikes in Floral City because it is right beside - and I mean literally right beside - the Withlacoochee Trail, and also because Trailside Bikes did not require a deposit. They also did not take reservations, so I was taking a chance that they wouldn't have anything for me. I timed my arrival to just before the shop opened and crossed my fingers.
The trail was about an hour and a half from where we were staying in Kissimmee, and the route the map gave me was almost entirely two-lane roadways. I quickly began to realize that absolutely no one in Central Florida appears to be in much of a hurry to get anywhere. Fortunately, things did move along at something approximating the speed limit, and I got to the shop a couple of minutes before opening time.
The shop was already open, getting things set up for the day, and there was already a line for rentals (three groups, including me) - and this was a Tuesday morning!
Trailside was very much like any small bike shop, making it familiar territory, with the exception that it was literally full of trikes. Catrike, HP Velotechnik, Ice, were represented in the shop, as were a couple of other brands.
The rental group was small, but with some choices - the gentleman ahead of me, for example, was specific about wanting to rent a full suspension trike and wanted an ICE, which wasn’t available for rental, but chose an HP Scorpion FS instead.
I was offered an HP Gekko. There were other models to choose from, and it was clear I could have asked for something else, but I was looking forward for the opportunity to try something different from my usual.
Once selected, there was a brief set-up - mostly sizing - that I was assisted with, and I was ready to go. I had brought along my SPD sandals in anticipation of needing them, but all of the rental units were set up with flat, heel-sling supported pedals. I am certain someone out there will know what specific model of pedals these are:
While it wasn’t what I expected, it immediately made sense to me. If you are renting trikes, you can’t count on the average, curious weekend or vacation explorer bringing along foot retention. The pedals lacked the top of the foot retention that I use on my Expedition, so you only get to push, not pull. All-in-all, though, it seemed a reasonable compromise for a rental.
Renting also meant that I didn’t have mounting points for my phone (for ride tracking), nor were there pannier bags and such. However, many trike models, if not all, typically have some sort of storage built into the seat. On the Gekko, it turns out, there is a zipper pocket right at the top of the seat, and it was more than large enough for my phone, wallet, and keys.
The Withlacoochee Trail
Once I was all set up I hit the trail, which is, as previously mentioned and as implied by the name on the sign, quite literally right beside the the shop.
My time on the trail was limited - I was squeezing this ride in ahead of going to see the Star Wars exhibit at Disney Hollywood Studios, and I needed to get in, and get back, by noon. Ultimately this gave me just over 50 minutes and 12 miles of experience with the trail itself. In order to keep myself cognizant of the time without my phone easily accessible I set a timer for the halfway point in terms of total time, and wore a single Apple AirPod Pro so I’d be sure to be able to hear it when it went off. Yes, I hear you saying, a watch would have been a simpler solution, but I don’t own one. Also, I was more concerned about getting lost in the enjoyment of the ride and forgetting to check the time. I probably would have set the timer even if I’d had the phone mounted in front of me.
I started out riding south of Trailside Bikes for a little over five miles. This direction, as indicated by the helpful folks in the shop, was more rural, while the northerly course was through more settled area. The trail itself was asphalt, and in excellent condition (a very different experience from the asphalt trails - or roads, for that matter - in Illinois). The Withlacoochee is a rail-trail, so it bears the familiar signs of that type of setup - it is flat (although, so is most of Florida), and runs mostly in a fairly straight line. It’s separated from the roadway, and has vegetation barriers on each side, giving it a somewhat isolated (in a pleasant fashion) feel.
The vegetation is, of course, Floridian in nature, with Spanish moss in the trees, and other items of a rather tropical nature...
The sign for the trail indicates there are no horses allowed on the pavement. There is a grass strip down each side of the trail, however, which would imply that equestrian use _is_ allowed along that portion of the trail. I did not encounter any horses on the trail itself, but I was treated to this sight along the way:
My alarm went off just a little past the five mile mark, so I turned around and headed back. Looking at the map, this meant that, while I was in a fairly rural area, I didn’t reach the Withlacoochee State Forest, nor had I come across the portion where the trail runs along the Withlacoochee River. This was ok, and consistent with what I had expected, given my limited time. Still, if a future opportunity presented itself, I think I’d set things up to ride further to the south.
When I got back to the starting point, however, I found that I still had a little bit of time to work with - I was riding pretty vigorously, trying to make the most of the workout opportunity. So I set another, shorter timer and rode about a mile or so to the north of Trailside Bikes.
This area was more settled, and in fact there were a few businesses along the way:
In addition to the Fruit Stand there were a couple of taverns just off the trail with varying levels of entryway from the trail to the parking lot. If one were taking the time to ride the entire trail one could probably find a stopping point for some lunch and a beer.
This was an active trail. As I noted above, I was riding on a Tuesday morning, and there were multiple cyclists on the trail, as well as the occasional walker and/or jogger. Most were pleasant and returned a wave or a "good morning". Especially fun and interesting for me was the one thing, aside from the vegetation, that made it clear that I was in Florida: the sheer number of trike riders I encountered.
Some of this was to be expected, given that there were folks renting ahead of me, and I did encounter those folks. However, I also came across at least a half-dozen other people out on their trikes on this lovely morning.
This is a special delight for me, given the number of trikes I typically encounter when riding in rural northern Illinois (for those playing at home the number you are looking for rhymes with "Nero"...).
All in all it was a good ride, and a pleasant trail. It’s a little away from the Orlando area, but worth fitting in to a family trip. To be clear, a look at Google Maps with the bike trail settings turned on will show many bike routes available closer by Orlando. However, none of these are nearly as long, and most, if not all, seem to have an urban or suburban orientation, with several running at least part of the time on City streets. Good enough for exercise, but not what I’m looking for from a trail. Plus: Bike rental appears to surprisingly limited in the Orlando area, and trike rental even more so. Having a shop renting right on the trail is a major bonus. If you are going to be in the region and want to ride, I’d suggest checking it out.
The Gekko
My steed for this brief journey was an HP Velotechnik Gekko - I believe with a 26" rear wheel. My usual ride is now a Catrike Expedition, and previously a Catrike Pocket, so those are what I have to compare the experience to.
The Gekko seems to sit a little higher than the Catrikes, though not to a disorienting degree. The spec sheet on HP’s website indicates it’s about two pounds heavier than the Expedition, but given that it was bare - no rack or bags or cargo of any kind - I suspect it was comparable to my Expedition as it is currently kitted out. The Gekko has grip shifters instead of bar-ends, which was a nice change - I had them on the Pocket, and miss them a bit on the Expedition, though I’ve since adjusted.
Overall, it was a very familiar experience. I was cautioned to stay out of the little ring when it was being set up (I suspect to avoid dropping the chain), which was not a problem on the flat trail. It spooled up quickly and was a comfortable machine. I did find myself leaning in to turns more, I think as an artifact of the increased ride height. This was a felt need - at no point did the trike tip. Speed was good - my average speed for the ride was 14.42 mph over 12.31 miles, and my top speed was 26.31 mph. These are good numbers for me, and comparable to my summer speeds over... similar terrain. I say similar here because I don’t often ride trails, and those in my area are neither as smooth or as flat as the section of the Withlacoochee Trail that I rode. People think Illinois is flat, but Florida could teach Illinois a thing or two on that topic... in any case, the trail conditions abetted higher speeds.
Probably the only area of noticeable difference was the steering. Catrikes have direct steering, while the Gekko has indirect steering. This seemed to allow for a tighter turning circle, which I appreciated when I did need to turn around. Otherwise, it also seemed a bit more disconnected and less immediate, and on occasions where I had to take my hands off the handlebars while moving, it shook a bit in a fashion that doesn’t happen on my Catrikes. I don’t know if this was an artifact of this particular trike (maybe something was a little loose) or more broadly due to the type of steering, since I’ve never ridden an indirect steering trike before. However, I found the difference to be minor. Overall, I was glad to have the experience - the relative paucity of trikes in my area limits opportunity.
And that was my Florida ride. People sometimes bemoan returning from winter vacation to the cold northlands. For myself I’d normally write here about how I enjoy winter - and I do - but it’s 43° here in Northern Illinois now, working its way up to a high of 51° (F). We had a beautiful week during most of our stay in Florida - highs in the 70’s and 80’s, including the day of my ride - but our last two days were in the 40’s, so coming home wasn’t much of a transition at all.
And - of course - a high in the low 50’s along with sunshine means today is a great day to ride...