After my training ride, truncated by the pedal fix talked about below, I stopped in at the Apple store to take a look at the iPad. And whoaaa Holy Kowabunga Batman, I have to wonder why I've not been following closer. This thing is major hot. On my way over I was determined to ask them how I could track my ride w/o making my iPhone otherwise useless to me. In other words, they agreed that all the iPhone GPS software that was out there had to run in the foreground as Larry Magid also pointed out on my Facebook wall in his Huffington Post piece. And that that should change soon. But not before my ride.. And until it does, if I run a route tracker, I can't take voice notes, text message or run email or the internet .....
iPad to the rescue. At 1.5 lbs, and 10 hours of battery life, I can wear a light back pak as it tracks my route during the day. And then use it as a computer to capture all my iPhone pictures for the blog I will be creating at night . The 3G version that will let me do all this is due out at the end of this month!!
The iPad also has auto correct so that it picks up most errors and fixes them right as you type. Photos enlarge with finger tips, And reading books looks amazing. I predict that it will make all other readers look silly. I mean you can turn pages by dragging them with your fingertip. If U need the print bigger, you tap a barely visible icon. And there is no keyboard in the way......
This looks like a crucial tool for my ride. With it, there is no need for my glunky, power hungry a/c dependent iMac that will get thrown around on the bus as we move about.
Now I just gotta buy one. Anyone feel like being Official Tracking Mechanism Supplier of the 2010 Mayors' Ride? $499 :)
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For those of you who saw me talking Tow Hitch for the bus/Busycle, John Oleary hath reappeared with more of his magic. Look at this hitch idea and tell me this guy is not other worldly. John always hits the nail where it needs to be hit. With results producing traction. On the head:
He found this on the Internet -
Tow Hitch Installation 
Here's a simple / easy / safe way to add a tow hitch to your RTSThe DrawTite Part# is 5350 - The Uhaul # is the same - $139This a universal RV style tow hitch. It comes with adjustable side support arms that slide along the horizontial axis of the tow bar via a square bushing on the support plates. The 2" receiver tongue comes out flush from the horizontail tubing for 6". I mounted mine by drilling two 3/4" holes 37" apart and mounted the horizontail bar directly under the two rear tow hooks. On all RTS's - they are extrememly strong. I used 3/4 pipe nipples to take up the slop in the big center holes of the tow hooks. Used 2 thick 3" big fenders washers and grade 8 bolts with nylock nuts. It is my understanding that all RTS's (96 & 102) rails are the same distance apart, the mounting brackets get flipped in the back when going to either width bus. The adjustable side plates can be slid against the frame rails and holes drilled for mounting. You can use an installers trick of passing bailing wire thru the mounting hole and then out an open portion of the frame rail, wrap the screw end of the mounting bolt with the bailing wire and withdraw the wire back thru the new mounting hole. This will put the 2" square receiver opening directly under the bumper and about 2" behind the face of the bumper. Most hitches will work just perfect, if your hitch requires a longer tongue, just buy an extention. --- note - Yep - it's comes out under the bumper - which is just perfect for my tow needs - exactly level with my load - do I have a problem scraping on driveways - Hasn't happened to me yet P.S. - guess what the tow hooks are "NOT" dead center on the bus - don't be fooled like I was - the moumting holes that will be drilled into the tow bar should be off set to put the receiver dead center - or off set if that's what you prefer
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And Jeff Kistler helped me bend my pedal arm so that the inside of my right foot does not hit the crank as it goes around. It still grazes it, especially when my leg gets tired, but it is a lot better. Will have to keep tweaking...
Above is Paul Gregg who rode over there with me. Paul is our Busyscle escort and the man who saved my Acer netbook by putting Linnux on it...
THX 4 all of U!!
Perfect love drives out fear - John 4:18 Martin Krieg "Awake Again" Author
'77 Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor
'79 TransCon Upright, 86 TransCon Recumbent
2010 first to pedal Eagle HiWheel TransCon
http://bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2010
National Bicycle Greenway Founding Director
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