Big Boys, Big Toys

This article originally appeared on Randy Boyd’s Blocks on 3-27-2010.

My life is now divided into two parts: BT and AT. Before I discovered Trikke and after I discovered Trikke. That’s because my life will never be the same after finding my Trikke, or is that, my Trikke finding me?

It is now 1 AT. One year since I was channel surfing and came upon the joyride of the 21st century. My body calls this last twelve months the best year of its life. My soul calls this last 365 a fantastic journey, highlighted by the best Halloween Trikke ride ever!

This article originally appeared on Randy Boyd’s Blocks on 3-27-2010.

Thanks to my Trikke, I’m in the best shape of my life. And having the most fun doing it. Doing what? Being my healthiest, dream-come-true self.

Many scientists now believe: the first human to live to age 150 is currently living, and now in their 50s or 60s. At age 48, I’ve got a shot at living much longer than I ever imagined, if I’m a good boy and listen to science.

Well, I’m no fool, no-sirree! I’m gonna live to be a hundred and fifty-three! Or more! Even though I’ve got HIV! It can really happen, believe you me!

In 1985, when the virus first became part of me, I was a 23-year-old UCLA grad of one month. Life expectancy was 12-18 months. As fate and science would have it, I’ve been fortunate enough to have now lived more than half a life with AIDS. That’s 25 years and counting.

Nowadays, my part in staying alive is relatively simple: good diet, good exercise, good medical care, good meds. Oh, try my best to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle, emotionally and physically. That’s all. lol

Thanks to my Trikke, I’m having the time of my life staying alive, just one more reason I can say, Dear Magic Johnson, Thanks for Saving My Life.

And just when the giddy little black boy inside me thought his Trikke dreams couldn’t get any better, in rolls my new Happy-Birthday-One-Year-Trikke-Anniversary Present, my brand new Trikke T12 Roadster, the Cadillac Escalade equivalent of every big boys’ carving dreams.

Introducing Ebony Star 2, the latest addition to my personal Trikke garage. Yes, I named my Trikke! If boaters can do it …

In this edition of Trikke Randy: Is the Monster Trikke strong enough for what a UCLA football coach once called, my ‘prototype athlete body?’”

Also in this edition: Because trikking can be educational, I list 10 Things I Learned While Trikking.

Big Boys, Big Toys

It was love at first sight. One year ago, one Trikke infomercial was all it took for me to follow the light. As per the recommendation of the ad, I went with the T8 model. With the help of the instructional CD, I was up and Trikking in a few days.

Right away, I knew I had a new best friend and a new way to get around. I experienced more joy riding a Trikke for a year than a whole lifetime of riding bikes.

It’s a love affair that might have lasted, but along the way, there were a few, shall we say, breaches of trust between my beloved T8 and me. Three times, she broke down on me. Seems she couldn’t handle my aggressive riding and became prone to leaving me hanging with broken parts and a broken heart. Thankfully, my local dealer, SouthBay Trikke, was there for me each and every time, fixing her up, getting her going again.

Still, my faith in my T8 wavered. Was this newfangled bike too fragile for someone six-foot-four, two-hundred-plus-pounds? How long can a passion lasts for something that keeps breaking down?

Thankfully, my visits to SouthBay Trikke exposed me to a Trikke better suited for big boys like me.

One test-ride of my new T12 Roadster was all it took to keep my passion alive. Once again, I’m in Trikke heaven. My new Roadster from SouthBay Trikke was just what the Trikke doctor ordered.

When I first stepped onto my new T12, I felt like Tom Hanks in Big. The foot platforms dwarfed my feet. The T12 far surpasses the T8 in sturdiness and power. At first, the T12 was kicking my ass, not the other way around as it had been with the T8.

Moving up to a bigger Trikke is akin to working out with heavier weights. It demands more of my body, and my body is able to give back without fear of her breaking down on me.

Curves are to be flown off of. Hills are to be raced down. Inclines are to be conquered. That’s the way big boys Trikke. The Roadster lets you do that and more. Rough terrain? The rugged wheels are up for the challenge. More speed? Got that, too. The T12 lets you manhandle the road.

I’m often asked whether or not Trikkes are sturdy enough for bigger guys. The T8 might work just fine, if you’re a dainty cruiser (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). But if you want to own the ground you carve under, go with the Tank, er T12. The big boy inside will thank you.

10 Things I Learned While Trikking

10. A moderate Trikke ride in cold, crappy weather is better than any workout inside a cold, crappy gym.

9. Carving uphill or against a good stiff wind does wonders for the arms.

8. Even though “looks like a lot of hard work” is a comment often heard while carving, riding my Trikke never, ever, ever! really seems like hard work.

7. Even though carving never, ever seems like hard work, riding a Trikke is absolutely the best form of exercise dreamt up by humankind.

6. Most women look at the Trikke and think, “is it fun?” Most men look at the Trikke and think, “is it a good workout?” Most kids look at the Trikke and think, “cool!”

5. The word cool is still the word kids use to best describe something they find really, really … cool.

4. I can’t deny the enjoyment of being in the spotlight for riding on this newfangled, extreme-athlete-looking, 21st-century, three-wheel-bike-thingy in what is still most definitely a bike world.

3. This decade or the next will be the decade of the Trikke. The young kids of today see the Trikke and their eyes light up with wonderment, oftentimes so overwhelming they’re rendered speechless. In a few years, those kids will be able to speak up a little better. Many of them will want Trikkes! Then their friends will want Trikkes!

2. Someday, Trikkes will be commonplace the world over, like bicycles.

1. Someday, I’m going to miss the enjoyment of being in the spotlight for riding on this newfangled bike-thingy.