Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

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Riggsbie
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Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:11 am

On Saturday I went out for a spin on the Musashi, first one for quite sometime as the Vortex has been having all the love of late...... And was feeling guilty as I had not ridden for a week whilst waiting for new tyres for the Vortex.

Where I live it is impossible to avoid some steep hills within 5 minutes of setting off from my house so not good when you're feeling a little wobbly from not having ridden a 2 wheeled recumbent for sometime.....

One really busy road to negotiate, The Great Ocean Road, and then it's onto quiet country roads where you have to keep an eye out for brown snakes basking in the sun on the hot tarmac and lots of roadkill......3 big dead Roos, and countless bunnies and foxes.....

Passed the Geelong Vets (veteran) cyclists, apparently they race around here a bit, which is probably why they weren't too chatty....managed to pass a few and kept up with another bunch for a while !! The Vets category is over 35 years old, so not that old.....

Nice stop after 30km at a place called Moriac (a regular refuelling spot at the General Store) - nothing here apart from the railway, although now there is a new town springing up with lots of new houses - in the middle of farming land and vineyards....

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Good banana & walnut muffin and English Breakfast tea.....refill the big water bottle......

Feeling good so set off for part#2, off to a place called Barwon Heads & 13th Beach, the sun was burning off the cloud by now so it was warming up......all the sunscreen had been sweated off by this point.....

A nice run to the coast with a bit of a headwind when heading south but generally good, one thing I noticed was that since I borrowed my neighbours GoPro and mounted it on the side of my helmet (helmets are law in Oz) the cars seem to give me a load of room, only 2 bad drivers in a 3.15hr ride, so not bad !!

The sun was nice and the sea was really blue, not much good for surfing (poor swell and on shore breeze) but lots of dudes and dudettes hanging out on their boards........

Good cruise into Torquay (6km from home) and kite surfers were out and people milling around and quite a high risk of being doored or reversed into (they have 45 degree parking spots on the Esplanade)....so you have to ride pretty much in the middle of the road, was with an upright rider at this point as well so safety in numbers.....

Then the final bit to head home involves a bit of a hill at around 10 - 12 kph but the end is in sight so just keep plodding on......

Get home have a well deserved shower and cold drink or three.......those Nuun tablets are damn good !

Here's the Garmin track....

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/150338692

Might have a go at editing the video, can anyone recommend some software for a PC user ? preferably free.....

Thanks
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John Lewis
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Location: Albany. 400km South of Perth

Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby John Lewis » Mon Feb 20, 2012 2:48 pm

Looks like a great ride Riggsbie.
I hate you lot though that can ride those great speeds and times. :lol: :lol:
My averages are more like 10 kph. I get there but it takes longer. You certainly have a nice little patch to ride around.


Have a look around this thread for info on Video and editing.
I have used VirtualDub. It works pretty well and is free.

http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... 12&t=37405
Nate has some editing info here. Might be worth a look around on his site rigidmount.com
http://www.rigidmount.com/video_editing.html

John

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Riggsbie
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:28 pm

Hi John,

Thanks for the links, I will have a good look through those when I get home !!

It is mostly flat around the Geelong area and there are some good roads, also some bad ones with nasty coarse chip which is really rough, that's the big thing you notice between the fully suspended Vortex trike and the Moose.....

I think a Velo would work well around here and I can happily maintain a 30 kph average on my trike on my commute (36km each way) so that should get better with a Velo :lol: :lol: :lol:

I really want a Velo......... :mrgreen:
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}SkOrPn--7
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby }SkOrPn--7 » Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:48 pm

Hi Riggsbie your the first Aussie I know of that has the cat bike which BTW is a nice machine and I like your colour. Where you part of the frame recall and if so what did they do to fix the issue or what changes did cat do?

Ricky

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Riggsbie
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:46 am

Thanks, red was not my preference it was just what FF had, I would have preferred a blue but the red looks cool......

Yes, my bike was frame #12 and was a 2010 bike but I bought it last year from FF.

After having had the bike for about 6 weeks I got the recall email, so had to strip down the bike and send the frame back to Canberra to FF before they would send out the new revised frame......

Basically the old frame could develop cracks:

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so the frame was revised to extended the strengthened area....

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FF sent me a new frame and I rebuilt my bike and it feels mostly the same, maybe a little stiffer when grinding on a high gear (which I tend to avoid, I like using the lower gears and generally have a pretty high cadence...).

Have covered about 200km since rebuilding the bike on the new frame and it's all good.

I also ditched the bar ends shifters which I really disliked (they reduced the clearance to your thighs so were a pain when riding at low speed on corners etc..) and have the SRAM thumb shifters fitted now, which work very well on the indexing rear derailleur but not perfect for the front derailleur but workable......

It's a bit bonkers a machine to learn to ride but it's all about relaxing and loosening those shoulders and not hanging onto the bars and then it's very neutral and well behaved, the laid back seat angle took some getting used to and I actually wedged some foam behind the seat for a while to make it a bit more upright. Nice and fast too ! And very comfortable.
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}SkOrPn--7
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby }SkOrPn--7 » Tue Feb 21, 2012 1:53 pm

Ah gotcha Riggsbie they increased the size of the gusset I wondered where this issue was coming from but I guess if I did a little digging I would have found the answer but since I didn't own one it wasn't high on my list to find out. Since you had one I thought it would be an idle time to get a straight answer so thanks for your time and trouble. I take it by your foam padding out of the seat there is no adjustment to angle as it's fixed? How wide is the seat?

Cheers mate

Ricky

william
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby william » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:36 pm

Nice Musashi Riggsbie,

They are a pleasure to ride and for me the best comfortable recumbent I have. Suspension would be nice for the back country roads but I don't ride them that often. Saying that, when I do ride them I wish for suspension and bugger the speed/weight thing.

Here is a picture that caused the recall (if it displays).

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Catrike gave a blanket recall 4 days after this happened to me and shortly after dropped the line of product. Shame really because they are nice to ride and handling is neutral.

william

}SkOrPn--7
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby }SkOrPn--7 » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:56 pm

Hi William I didn't know that you had a cat bike and your the one that started this recall. Well looking at your frame that is a big issue were you hurt badly in that failing mess? Could you explain a little more on what the riding was like for this to tear the frame like this?

Also William was the frame recall just too much of a costly event hence the dropping production for fear of further issues of the cat bike or was this more of a stream lining of there business do you know?

Ricky

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Riggsbie
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Sat Feb 25, 2012 7:00 pm

Oh crikey !

Now that is a catastrophic failure......

I was under the impression everyone did very thorough CAE these days to model & predict fatigue cycles and effect of road inputs, clearly not......

Hmmmmm.....
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william
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby william » Sat Feb 25, 2012 7:09 pm

A lot of issues Ricky,
I heard rumblings that the owner Paulo to'ed and fro'ed the idea of 2 wheels for some time. A manager, Mark, liked the idea and pursued it while Paulo left him in charge of the project. After some time in development it was given to the masses as the Musashi.
Further down the track there was quiet rumblings about "boom" flex but in reality it was the frame so along the line of production evolution a second iteration of the frame emerged with a slightly longer gusset which went even further with the current gusset as you see it.
If you look at the frame side on and then look at the tensioned chain line the top part of the frame becomes an acute bow and is going to be under a lot of tension. The first frame model had the head tube gusset pointing sharply into the main frame and would eventually break no matter how gentle you are.
The latest frames are by far much stiffer and from my perspective handle better. They should have kept production going in my opinion but...
To do this they have to adjust their production away from their mainstream trikes which backlogged their orders every time and when frame failings started to happen with possible law suits (USA) Paulo quickly distanced his beloved company into safety mode.
Presently I know of only 3 Musashi in Aus. Riggsbie, mine and another owner from Darwin. Yes! Darwin. He has plans to come to Melb later in the year to do the Around the Bay ride. I'm looking forward to it.
Back to the broken one and yes! it was a little ouch! A little bit of me left on the asphalt and my clothes looking worst for wear. Realistically it could have been much worse than it was. Both the Aussie dealer and the American manufacturer handled the situation perfectly. Catrike had a new frame sent out the same week and the Aussie dealer set up the new frame for me.
Since then I have put about 4,000K's on it and it just feels better the more I ride it.

william

william
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby william » Sat Feb 25, 2012 7:13 pm

Riggsbie wrote:Oh crikey !

Now that is a catastrophic failure......

I was under the impression everyone did very thorough CAE these days to model & predict fatigue cycles and effect of road inputs, clearly not......

Hmmmmm.....
Don't worry Riggsbie,
I'm very sure our frames will be fine.
See you on Mar 31st.

william

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Riggsbie
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:51 pm

I have no worries about the revised frame.....

And Catbike did the 'right' thing by recalling all the old frames !

Is it true they are still making them to special order ?

Definitely interested in the Audax run, might trike it or I might go on 2 wheels...... :shock: I love seeing the reaction of other riders when I speed past them on a 3 wheeler...... :D
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william
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Broken..

Postby william » Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:43 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 0z07xaFzPA[/youtube]

This is the video of the last moments then the analysis.

william.

}SkOrPn--7
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby }SkOrPn--7 » Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:30 pm

Thanks William for informing me further with the cat bike I learnt more from you short explanation than I ever knew.

Watching that video mate I can't believe I never heard one expletive I think and a failure just as you passed that parked car that could have been real bad, so glad that little incident turned out safer than I would have expected.

Ricky

william
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby william » Tue Feb 28, 2012 1:51 pm

I think a little shock and disbelief froze parts of me including the voice.

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Riggsbie
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:45 pm

Wow, what a video.....

It all actually looks like quite a controlled catastrophic failure and your final moments....

I am amazed that there is no swearing ! What was going through your head at the time ?

Still looks cool, even in 2 pieces on the path.....

Hmmm, glad my frame was swapped !
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Velorossi
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Velorossi » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:11 pm

Nice one Riggsbie, cracker of a ride and great stats... I look forward to getting out there and trying a few of these roads out too. I'm new to the recumbent thing and I've only ridden Geelong to Barwon Heads... still getting confidence with intersections... I've got a major issue with heel strike on the Performer until I fit the new shorter cranks and move the seat forward more. Would be good to get out on a ride one day.
Cheers,

Ross :)

william
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby william » Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:32 pm

Hi Velorossi,

Welcome to the forums and sorry to be late with the reply.
Don't worry too much about the heel strike as that happens with most recumbent 2 wheelers. Hard strike, which is where the cranks hit the wheel is a major concern except for the hardcore racer only types.
you will get familiar with where your feet are in relation to steering in a very short time. Just remember to have the inside foot forward when turning or even drop the foot for really tight turns.

william.

John Lewis
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby John Lewis » Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:50 pm

Took them long enough to post the recall on the Govt site.

http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/index ... Id/1014009

John

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Riggsbie
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:32 am

Wow....

I didn't know there was such a website but good that it did get on it.....

I guess the white Moose that pops up on eBay from time to time must be one of those listed ? (The seller always states there is the revised frame included in the sale....)

How's your new machine going ? More bugs ironed out ? Got it setup the way you want now ?
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John Lewis
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby John Lewis » Wed Jul 18, 2012 12:21 pm

I Notice the announcement in US was only on 27th June. Its in the doc at the bottom of that page I pointed to.

The new machine. It's pretty right now except waiting for the 22T sprocket.

I stuffed up the clamp bolts on the hollowtech crank. Hopefully close to correct tension. Worry about it when I have to undo it.

I'd had it off to tighten the bearings that were way loose. Slipped with the allen key in the torque wrench and now of course it wont hold to either tighten or loosen. May end up a job for an ezy out.

John

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Riggsbie
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Wed Jul 18, 2012 1:10 pm

Oh.....hmmm...not good....

You seem to find a lot of issues with your Velo ? Sounds like a bit of a Friday afternoon build.....maybe it was only built on Fridays.....

At least we now have a good check list and a 'go to person' to get in touch with when other Mango owners have issues....

Most importantly are you enjoying riding it ?
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John Lewis
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Re: Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby John Lewis » Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:43 pm

No problems really. Mainly of my making. All new bikes seem to need a bit of a tighten here and there after the first couple of hundred km. I noticed that while working at the bike shop as a mechanic for a couple of years not so long back. I'd still be there but the new owner wanted "young, vibrant people to fit the image he wished to portray" . Clueless teenagers in other words. Shop didn't last long after it changed hands unfortunately.

John

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Back out on the Musashi.....it's been a while.....

Postby Riggsbie » Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:23 pm

I agree, everything needs a tweak to maintain optimal performance.....

To be honest I love to take things apart to see how they work (spot the engineer) and to get familiar so if the worst thing happens, it breaks, I can cobble a fix on the roadside.....

I have made a lot of changes on my Musashi and I finally think its getting close, must just remove that chain tube and add some helicopter tape on the forks ;-)


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