Well it's been a long time since I last updated this blog.  The Rover is still doing well, no equipment failures.  I did have a case of vandalism in which while I was home on R&R someone (with really strong hands) forced the handle bar gear-shift grip past where it was designed to go, tearing loose all of the rubber teeth.  On the plus side, this forced me into installing the 8 speed nexus internal hub I have.  Wasn't pretty, for some reason the folks I ordered it through sent me the hub designed to work as a coaster brake, and the lock washers fit 90 degrees out of phase.  I scrounged some metal, bolts and nuts and came up with a way to install said hub.

Having 8 speeds is like 5 times more fun to pedal than a 3 speed!  Of course, now I have to look into one of those posts that you can mount to the front of the trike, that allows you to mount a derailer.  Then I could have a 16 or 18 speed trike.  I appears to me there is no such thing as too much top end cranking power when you spend the majority of your time riding on fairly level roads and paths.

A really nice (and long over-due) shout out to the kind people at TerraTrike!  One of their folks saw my trike on the bentrideronline.com forum and sent me some nice t-shirts, which I do wear quite often while riding the trike about Kandahar Air Field.  I enjoy telling people about my Rover, and quite often am asked where they can get one from.

My riding has become a little more limited, as I work the 12 noon to midnight shift, and riding around to the other side of base to go to work at noon means I will have sweated so much that no one is going to want to have to work anywhere near me (no shower facilities on the side of the base I work on).  So the only opportunity I get to ride is when I have time in the early morning hours sometime after midnight.  You wouldn't believe how many people are up and about their business that time of the day here at Kandahar.

So what next?  Well the cardboard box I used a few years ago to mail the Rover to myself from El Paso, Texas to Kandahar is long gone.  I need to start thinking how I will mail this thing back home, because it is much to nice to leave behind.  Also, my newest mod.  I want a small 12 volt motorcycle battery tray bolted to the frame.  It can run lights so I'm better seen at night (MUST HAVE PURPLE GROUND EFFECTS LIGHT!!!!) and a good sound system.  I figure I can recharge the battery as needed, I think I could use it an hour a day and not have to charge it but two or three times a week.  I guess I'll be finding out.

So what's my favorite thing about the Rover?  Tinkering with it, adding things to it, customizing it to make it my own.  Rats, rocket attack, I have to go.