Coventry Cycle Works - West

[Simple Nature]

If you ever wanted to check out those funny looking recumbent bikes and trikes, please stop in at the new Coventry Cycle Works West location at Hall and Nimbus. They have a wonderful selection of some really nice machines.

North-East corner from the Hall/Nimbus intersection. Just look for the bright yellow signage.



I am not affiliated, just an advocate.

http://www.coventrycycle.com/Locatio...tLocation.html

BTW: K-Tesh... you will find a whole parking lot full of dangerous grates that need to be fixed

[wsbob]

Originally Posted by Simple Nature

If you ever wanted to check out those funny looking recumbent bikes and trikes, please stop in at the new Coventry Cycle Works West location at Hall and Nimbus. They have a wonderful selection of some really nice machines.

North-East corner from the Hall/Nimbus intersection. Just look for the bright yellow signage.



I am not affiliated, just an advocate.

http://www.coventrycycle.com/Locatio...tLocation.html

BTW: K-Tesh... you will find a whole parking lot full of dangerous grates that need to be fixed

What's the test ride ops in the area like? If I recall correctly, it's quite a little uphill grade for some distance,on Hall going west, to get onto the Fanno Creek Trail.

[Simple Nature]

No climb to get to the northbound trail. The trail enterance is only a few blocks west. Southbound trail can be accessed by crossing at Nimbus and sidewalk to the trail.

The real hill (also test ride worthy) is west of Greenway Blvd.

Also, don't forget to go by the Washington Co. visitor's center and pick up your Washington Co. bike map!
http://bikeportland.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4006

I picked up the Beaverton bike map at Coventry today. Looks like another nice one.

[q`Tzal]

Ignoring for now Hall Blvd, high traffic highway it is, the light industrial business park also presents some issues.

When I worked and commuted there the traffic in the park was much less predictable: many lot entrances, short block length, large trucks and the rush to find the least crowded exit on to Hall. Quite often I've seen vehicles abandon normal road travel for high speed shortcuts through multiple parking lots and sudden dangerous crossing of road traffic on their way to opposite parking lots. Much like small children would do running through the area but at high speed in an automobile.
All in all I'd characterize it as similar to cycling through a big box mall parking lot on a big sale day at JCPennys.

The westbound downhill from Hall on to Nimbus encourages drivers to not slow down for their right turns; plan accordingly.

I'm sure there is some informal and unimproved access to Fanno Creek Trail from some of the lots adjacent but it has been so long since I rode that trail all I remember is muddy foot paths.

Personally I'd like to take a faired tadpole trike west up Hall to the top of the hill past SW Greenway Blvd. Wait at the top of the hill for the light to turn green and show the muggles what a rocket ship I'm riding

[Simple Nature]

Hall is an absolute nightmare as many of us know. I have no quams in using the sidewalks and pedestrian crossings to traverse the short offsets. The good thing is that we will soon have a mid-street crossing for the trail.

I tend to have more trouble with iPlod'rs on the trail than I do with idiots on the roadways. But you sure need to have your wits about you on Hall in that area, no matter what route you take.

And I didn't see any fared trikes... but some really nice sport models that will get going really nice on the downhill. I've merged into the traffic lane more than once on that hill just to maintain visibility from sidestreet traffic.

[Simple Nature]

...and yes, Nimbus is a dead end street with a set of stairs down to the trail, but I wouldn't recommend it. Nimbus gets a lot of delivery traffic on weekdays ands wrestling a trike up and down the stairs just isn't fun any way look at it.

[q`Tzal]

Originally Posted by Simple Nature

I tend to have more trouble with iPlod'rs on the trail than I do with idiots on the roadways.

That's the main reason I avoid popular trails: pedestrians can change direction much more suddenly than anything other than a butterfly, cars at least have to turn their steering wheel first.

As for faired trikes I really like the Greenspeed Glyde. Alas I don't have the $15,000 to drop on one.
And in reality I keep thinking it would be cool if the fairing could retract in to some very compact form. My cracked skull keeps going back to the sci-fi movie Stargate; Ra's serpent guards had these armored headpieces that would retract in to the collar.

I know it isn't real but I've been tinkering with the idea of replicating the functionality with a rigid frame and thin weatherproof fabric. My spin is to use pressurized air tubes/bladders for a rigid frame member. When pressurized high enough it would provide the same rigidity as solid supports but when deflated a properly designed fabric shell could use elastic to roll up/stow/retract.
Alas this idea needs money because the pressures probably need to be over 100psi and the scientific field of "structural pneumatics" doesn't seem to exist yet. ):

[Psyfalcon]

Originally Posted by q`Tzal

I know it isn't real but I've been tinkering with the idea of replicating the functionality with a rigid frame and thin weatherproof fabric. My spin is to use pressurized air tubes/bladders for a rigid frame member. When pressurized high enough it would provide the same rigidity as solid supports but when deflated a properly designed fabric shell could use elastic to roll up/stow/retract.
Alas this idea needs money because the pressures probably need to be over 100psi and the scientific field of "structural pneumatics" doesn't seem to exist yet. ):

You do have RIBs and inflatable kayaks. The air does provide some structure for them.

[q`Tzal]

Originally Posted by Psyfalcon

You do have RIBs and inflatable kayaks. The air does provide some structure for them.

I've seen those and other low pressure/high volume bladder implementations; they are not quite so good at tensile strength. This is reflected in what happens when an inflated tube is deflected: overall volume is decreased increasing internal pressure while longitudinal tension is greatly increased on the surface the the air form opposite the deflection.

In the past I observed thin pressurized air lines becoming very inflexible when approaching their rated limit. My thought is to use a coaxial kevlar braid (like in those finger trap puzzles) tube with an inner tube like a bike tire's tube. The butyl should be able to hold upwards of 300 psi as long as their is a structure to hold it. The coaxial braid ensures that internal pressure reinforces and distributes loading forces. Kevlar might even be overkill; you might be able to use high end fibers like Dyneema or Spectra.

Unfortunately, even testing this concept requires manufacturing things that haven't been made before. I do expect that for the above described application that diameters in the 0.5"~1.0" range will prove optimal.
That is if it works at all.