# London on a KMX



## tdr1nka (9 Dec 2007)

After a nasty incident with an angle grinder and my left knee, uprights became increasingly uncomfortable to ride.
After some searching and advice I decided to take the recumbent route to a happier knee and see what a man of small means might get for his groats.

All the bents I looked at were very different in design and mostly about 2k above my budget but by this time I had set my heart on a tadpole trike of some description. And then by fluke, in the same week that I seriously started my search, I found an ad on Gumtree for a KMX-X, used once and for about a quater of the full retail price. I arranged a test ride with the seller who had taken a serious spill while riding it off road and had been too scared to ride it again. I left my friend as deposit and took the KMX round the block several times before I noticed everyone was getting bored waiting for me. So I threw caution to the wind and bought it!

Apart from the school run(a tag-a-long tandem and my trusty old MTB)I go everywhere I can by trike.

It IS heavy, it is on average a noticeable 2-4 mph slower than my MTB(come the spring I intend to upgrade the chain set and get it better set for road riding).
At present, and as from new, the KMX is geared for off roading although the 'granny gears' are great for long hills which you can slowly, if not a bit surrealy, sail up grinning in anticipation of going down the otherside.

It is hilarious fun, I ride it in South London traffic and have found I get much more space and respect from car drivers. Mainly because they haven't got a clue what they're seeing or possibly the bright orange flag leads them to belive it to be a disabled chariot of some kind. Either way it's good to feel noticed on bike, something that doesn't apply to uprights. 

Anyway, thats my burble, I'm new to this, I've achieved a lot on a low budget and I love it!

Best Wishes,

Tdr1nka x


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## yenrod (9 Dec 2007)

This sounds interesting - any pics ??????????????????


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## ufkacbln (9 Dec 2007)

Welcome to the dark side o the DARK SIDE.

One warning............................























The Trike grin is permanent!


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## mickle (9 Dec 2007)

Keep an eye open to the upcoming events page of our website tdr1nka, starting around March every year we run Public Try-Out Roadshows which often have a Free Cycle-Surgery attached. We use KMXes in our roadshows and have about twelve of them at any one time. Because they are so popular with the public they get a lot of (ab)use so we have become adept at running them and servicing them. KMXes have their own particular foibles and we would be happy to advise you how to keep it running at its best. Spandex our Workshop Manager used to own one himself and I'm sure he'll be along in a bit to tell you all about his experiences with his. 

The first bit of useful advice I can give you is to turn it over and check around the frame clamps for cracks, if they are badly abused they can fail at the point where the rear sub-frame tube telescopes into the front frame section under the seat. 

www.companyofcyclists.com


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## BentMikey (10 Dec 2007)

Nice one mate! I wouldn't mind adding a trike to my stable, but I fear I'd want to go for a Quest velomobile.


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## tdr1nka (10 Dec 2007)

Dear Mickle,

Many thanks for the advice, I've heard tell of poss frame failue and have toyed with the idea of drilling thru the section and having a locking pin as backup?

To everyone else, thanks for your replies and I'll post some piccies soon.

Nice One!

Tdr1nka x


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## BentMikey (10 Dec 2007)

What's your route, roughly? I ride Biggin Hill to Hyde Park a few times a week, either going via West Wickham, Crystal Palace and Clapham, or via the A21, Peckham, and the Oval.


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## Arch (10 Dec 2007)

Hey, welcome! Yeah, trikes are fab - if I had somewhere nearer my flat to store mine, I'd ride it much more! 

Note to self: New Years Resolution, get out on trike more.


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## tdr1nka (10 Dec 2007)

Dear Arch,

Somehow Mrs.Tdr1nka and I have shoehorned 2 MTB's, 2 KMX's and the tag-a-long tandem into a one bed basement flat!
The trikes stand up flat against the wall with the back wheel locked and take up less room than the MTB's, then what I've lost in barking my shins against pedals in the hall I have gained in oppertunities to hit my head on them them instead!

There does need to be a certain amount of planning when leaving the flat with the trike aside from the fact it scares the cr*p out of the cat.

In answer to BentMikey, that's a good old run you do, so far I've not strayed much more than a 5 mile radius of New Cross on and around the A2.

I know the run thru Peckham to Victoria all too well, although the stretch of road between Peckham and Camberwell Art Collage is my least favourite in London and for any rider has lethal pothole potential. This is where I'm glad the KMX is so solid, I always dread that run on upright or trike!
Thanks to the bus lane Camberwell Green to Vauxhall can be great for a sprint but I always seem to get either Taxi's up my ar*e or busses that want to overtake just to pull in and stop right in front of me again.
There's a cuppa for you BentMikey if you want to refuel sometime.


Pedal Fast Die Young!

Tdr1nka x


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## BentMikey (10 Dec 2007)

Cheers for the offer of a cuppa! I may take you up on that some time. That bus lane is a goodun, isn't it? I don't like the lumpy tarmac section to Peckham either, horrible stuff.


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## tdr1nka (10 Dec 2007)

*Qwik pix for Yenrod*

Sorry for the mess in the background and my phone camera which hates sodium lighting!


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## mickle (10 Dec 2007)

Glad to see you've got the wire wheels rather than the placky ones. Get some skinny tyres on it! It'll fly!


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## tdr1nka (10 Dec 2007)

Yeah, the wire wheels are lovely, Mrs. Tdr1nka has a standard KMX which has the plastic wheels and only 7 gears, but then she doesn't use it on the road either.

I need to do some saving as I need a complete block and chainset for the MTB and a street or hybrid chain ring set for the KMX.
I will ask Santa for a set of real skinny slicks. The tyres that come with the trike give terrible drag and do need ditching, after the wet weather maybe.

Up next I intend to fashion front mudguards from 3lt. plastic milk bottles!
Stay tuned.

Tdr1nka x


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## Arch (11 Dec 2007)

tdr1nka said:


> Dear Arch,
> 
> Somehow Mrs.Tdr1nka and I have shoehorned 2 MTB's, 2 KMX's and the tag-a-long tandem into a one bed basement flat!
> The trikes stand up flat against the wall with the back wheel locked and take up less room than the MTB's, then what I've lost in barking my shins against pedals in the hall I have gained in oppertunities to hit my head on them them instead!



That's impressive. There is a nice landing outside my (one room plus bathroom) flat, but being two floors up, I'd never get the trike up and down without tripping over and falling down stairs, or impaling myself on some bit or other. I keep my day to day bike downstairs in the lobby, but there just wouldn't be room for the trike down there. So it sits, probably sulking, in a lockup across town.


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## tdr1nka (11 Dec 2007)

I hear yer Arch,

What trike do you have?
Space was a secondary factor when I bought the trike but thank God I went for three wheels and not two as there would be nowhere practical to store a two wheel bent.

There are friends that I visit that live on 2nd floors and above and when lifts aren't working it is crazy carrying the KMX up and down stairs, like I'm lugging around my own crucifix or an enormous kite. As yet I haven't left the trike locked up anywhere not just for fear of it being stolen but more it being meddled with or broken.

The KMX has brought me kudos with the local hoodies as they either think it is incredibly cool or I must be a psychopath to be riding one in London!

A couple of nights ago I was waiting at some lights a Lotus Elise pulled along side me, the lady passenger was very interested in the trike but the driver looked a bit hacked off, probably as my riding position is a good 3 inches closer to the ground than his!!

Tdr1nka x


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## ufkacbln (11 Dec 2007)

tdr1nka said:


> Yeah, the wire wheels are lovely, Mrs. Tdr1nka has a standard KMX which has the plastic wheels and only 7 gears, but then she doesn't use it on the road either.
> 
> I need to do some saving as I need a complete block and chainset for the MTB and a street or hybrid chain ring set for the KMX.
> I will ask Santa for a set of real skinny slicks. The tyres that come with the trike give terrible drag and do need ditching, after the wet weather maybe.
> ...



At this time of year it is worth having something chunky on the rear as slicks can "spin" on wet leaves or ice. Trikes are superb in these conditions as you simply slide rather than fall off, but as the force you exert can be much greater a grip in bad conditions is more inportant than speed.


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## tdr1nka (11 Dec 2007)

Dear Cunobelin.

The KMX came with Hookworm fat semi slicks but the previous owner put a wide knobbly on the back and I have balanced the breaks so the rear wheel no longer locks or drift out to the right as it was doing when I first got it!
The tyres at the mo are ok for the wet and will see me thru until next spring when I fully intend to start getting the miles up again and will replace the set with some tyres that give just a little less traction.

Thanks again,

Tdr1nka x


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## ufkacbln (11 Dec 2007)

Must admit after some years of experimenting I settled on Schwalbe Marathon all round on the Trice, and have upgraded to the Marathon Plus on the Catrike

A good compromise between speed, grip and puncture proofing.

The guys who make KMX are local to here (Portchester) and I have photos of my Niece on one ofthe prototypes.


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## tdr1nka (11 Dec 2007)

I've spoken to the couple who started the KMX and they have been very friendly and helpful. They were quite astonished to find I was road riding it in London!

T x


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## BentMikey (12 Dec 2007)

tdr1nka said:


> I've spoken to the couple who started the KMX and they have been very friendly and helpful. They were quite astonished to find I was road riding it in London!
> 
> T x



They are really nice people! I bought miniMikey's KMX K class at the cycle show a couple of years ago, and they were great, even cut down the boom for me and sent another one free for when he gets taller.


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## tdr1nka (12 Dec 2007)

While researching trikes I was always drawn to KMX, not only because of my budget but they had a sense of really enjoying their product whereas superior machines, for all their beautiful tech spec, mind melting geometry, choice of colour etc, are being sold to me much in the way cars are.

Plus the fact they are astutely business aware, British and very friendly!

Tdr1nka x


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## Jacomus-rides-Gen (12 Dec 2007)

It is all about going for what you are drawn to - if your heart doesn't like the machine, you will never get the enjoyment out of it, no matter how good it is.


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## tdr1nka (12 Dec 2007)

Don't get me wrong Jacomus, I'm sure if I had enough funds I would be screaming around on a maybe better machine.
Still, today I rode the trike to my daughters Nativity play at school and had an impromptue Q&A in the playground afterwards the gasps of amazement when they see me out riding on the KMX are worth it.

T x


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## Arch (13 Dec 2007)

Cunobelin said:


> Must admit after some years of experimenting I settled on Schwalbe Marathon all round on the Trice, and have upgraded to the Marathon Plus on the Catrike
> 
> A good compromise between speed, grip and puncture proofing.
> 
> The guys who make KMX are local to here (Portchester) and I have photos of my Niece on one ofthe prototypes.



Yup, we met them when we did a roadshow in Portsmouth a the end of the epic "9 shows in 9 days in 9 cities" Bikeweek of 2001. We'd been frustrated in some places because little kids couldn't use our adult recumbent trikes, (mostly for safety reasons, they couldn't reach the pedals enough to get a good grip) and these guys were doing a demo and said "can we put a couple of our kids trikes on your track?" and we were really pleased, coz it meant loads of kids could have a go. At the end of the day they said "We're hoping to go into production, do you reckon it's a good idea?" We certainly did...

Tdr1nka, I have an old Trice, from the Crystal Engineering days, pre-ICE. It's been tinkered with a bit to suit me, and needs a bit more tweaking really, but it got me 300 miles through France two years ago, and hopefully, will do double that again this summer.

A few pics:
The trike:






I'd just fitted the SPDs:





I like this, it makes me look fast:





With a borrowed Down Low Glow, doing my best to do donuts in a pub carpark:


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## tdr1nka (13 Dec 2007)

Arch,
Great pics!
Love the down low glo, I have wanted one to match the blue LED valve caps that I have on all 3 wheels!

I'll ask Mrs. Tdr1nka to take some action pix of the full illuminated KMX!

T x


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## tdr1nka (13 Dec 2007)

p.s. Looking at your lovely Trice has made me realise I have work to do on the KMX, namely some fixed front light/lights at the end of the pedal boom and some extra padding in my seat to set my riding position up just a little more!

This summer had been mainly about gently building my ouched knee back up to speed, so no long runs, holidays or commuting.
The main thing is that the trike has definately improved the use of the knee, whereas the MTB was becoming miserable to ride and was seriously putting me off cycling.

I can't wait to put the trike on a train next spring and get out of London and onto some open roads again!

T x


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## tdr1nka (13 Dec 2007)

*More pics*

View attachment 254


As space ran out in the house, everyone was climbing the walls.........

View attachment 255


A 6' tall man on a trike setup for 5' tall man.......

View attachment 256


I was asked on a U.S. trike forum if I'd taken the KMX off road, I sent him this picture!


T x


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## ufkacbln (13 Dec 2007)

Two things ....... 

Arch - was that the one at "Gunwharf" if so - one of your guys borrowed my Street Machine to play with on your track, and I think we had a convertasion about the kids in Paulsgrove or Cosham....


Secondly there is a guy called "LeeW" who frequents BikeRadar - he had a KMX which he heavily modified. It might be worthwhile pinging him for ideas


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## NickM (14 Dec 2007)

tdr1nka said:


> ...A couple of nights ago I was waiting at some lights a Lotus Elise pulled along side me, the lady passenger was very interested in the trike but the driver looked a bit hacked off, probably...


...because _he_ suspected that _she_ suspected that _you_ have bigger cojones than him


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## Arch (14 Dec 2007)

Cunobelin said:


> Two things .......
> 
> Arch - was that the one at "Gunwharf" if so - one of your guys borrowed my Street Machine to play with on your track, and I think we had a convertasion about the kids in Paulsgrove or Cosham....



Yes it was. I wonder which of our chaps it was. Do you remember what he looked like?

I remember when we turned up the centre manager was really snooty, think he thought we were scruffy hippies, made us park our van on a tarp so as not to make oilstains, kept trying to tell us how to set up, until Tom told him we'd done it 9 times in 9 days, and knew what we were doing, whereupon he stalked off, looking like retired military, and muttering a bit.

End of the day, he came over and said he'd been watching us on CCTV all day and was amazed how hard we worked, never stopped for lunch or anything. We were quietly pleased...


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