Whoo Hoo...Hyperbike ordered!!!

[drivin*me*buggy]

I spoke with Bob at Grahams Carriage Works today and placed my Hyperbike order! I can't wait...it should be so much fun. After I got off the phone I went out and drove Buck, chatting with him the whole time about what a lucky little guy he was getting a new cart. He's such a good boy he thinks he deserves it

Here are some pix from our drive today in the old Frontier....he is such a wooly bear right now. It was cold and windy here today, but he was good as gold.

I can't wait to share pix of us and the 'Bike

Angie

 

[BannerBrat]

 

[CZP1]

I have a hyperbike jar savings account started!

 

[Miss Gracie]

AWESOME!!!!

I ENJOYED viewing the pictures of you and Buck.

Have FUN with your Hyperbike!

Carol

 

[REO]

OH COOL!!

 

[shorthorsemom]

wow, that is great, I want one too. I also have a hyperbike savings money jar started. It may take awhile but I am saving too.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Yay!!! You're going to have so much fun. Buck looks great too, jammies or not. I drove Kody in his Frontier today too and it always makes me grin to look down on all that fur. (I would have used the 'Bike but we were ponying Turbo.

)

Leia

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Thanks guys. I know Ash is anxious to give it a try. I think it is going to make my driving space seem bigger since I can turn tighter....not to mention the new places I can go.

Leia, thanks for the mompliment on Buck, Although we havent driven a ton this summer due to my Fjord time constraints, everytime we drove I felt we both were learning....my main goal for him this summer was for him to have no check and he has done very well without it. It was only used to keep him from sneaking a snack before.....

Angie

 

[shorthorsemom]

Are they difficult to measure for? Can you order and then make payments? Do they take 4 months for delivery? Do they accomodate people that are not quite as bendable? Do your knees get sore? I noticed some riders have knees bent and some have legs straight out. Would really love some more information, no matter how quirkey on these hyperbikes.

I am training in a meadowbrook. Winter is coming, I would love something light and easy to tool around solo in. Some of our paths are so uneven, I think a hyperbike would make for more trails to enjoy since I avoid some now because the right and left wheels would not be level enough for the meadowbrook. I also was thinking that my boy could more easily do hills on the farm if he were in a lighter cart. Pulling me and the meadowbrook would be a struggle on a couple of our hills. Can you tell I am asking somebody to tell me that I really need one of these?? hahaha.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Are they difficult to measure for?

No, the Hyperbike is just like other carts as far as the shafts and such. The real difference is that the seat is sitting on top of the singletree instead of back behind a basket! Bob will ask how tall your horse is, how big you are, etc. and discuss everything with you.

Can you order and then make payments?

Bob does not take credit as far as I know (he hates the concept of buying on credit) so I believe you'll need to have a check ready when you order. You can always call and ask him about payments; I know the price is going to go up at the beginning of the year to match the rising cost of materials so it might be better to order now if you can.

Do they take 4 months for delivery?

Hmm, Angie? I don't know what current delivery time is running.

Do they accomodate people that are not quite as bendable?

I've had a few stiffer folks say it's a little hard to get into but I can tell you it does get easier with practice. It's also easier if you have a smaller horse as they don't fill quite so much of the shafts!

Do your knees get sore? I noticed some riders have knees bent and some have legs straight out.

Like driving in an easy entry, you get a little sore until your body adjusts and then you're fine. You can always take your foot out of the stirrup for a few minutes to stretch.

I keep my stirrups at what's an uncomfortably short setting at a walk because when Kody and I get going for marathon suddenly there's a whole lot more room!

I need to be able to brace against those stirrups and stay really secure in my seat and I can't do that if the stirrups are too long. Bob is the one who helped me set them when I first got the Hyperbike and he told me you want to be able to use your knees like a snowboarder on fast turns. Those who have their stirrups way out there probably do so for physical reasons or because nobody told them they should do otherwise.

Some of our paths are so uneven, I think a hyperbike would make for more trails to enjoy since I avoid some now because the right and left wheels would not be level enough for the meadowbrook.

Do you have a sliding backband on your saddle? That would help a lot.

Can you tell I am asking somebody to tell me that I really need one of these??

You really need one of these.

Leia

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Bob has a few in stock I think. The seat colors I could choose from that he had in stocl were sand, light blue, and red. I chose red becuse I liked the visibility factor. I think he said the other seat colors would just take a few weeks.

He doesnt take credit cards, but if you read his policy page he has ways to help you save for it.

He was great on the phone, totally answered all my questions. I am totally confident that I am buying a well engineered quality product with a real human being standing behind it. I plan on keeping him updated on our adventures with it.

I'll be sure to post about mine when it gets here

 

[shorthorsemom]

Leia, can you tell me what is a sliding back band on my saddle? I wouldn't know if I had one or not. I inherited my harness with my mini, I have heard this term mentioned but never actually saw one. My boy is fluffy and short, about 32 inches. I didn't want to buy it on credit, but thought that it would take me a few months to save for it, and then if it took 4 months to make it, it would be a long time in arriving. I am also hoping to sell a horse sized meadowbrook to help offset the price of the hyperbike. I wish I could try one out on my boy before ordering.

thanks for your answers!!! very helpful

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Shorthorsemom, what part of the country do you live in? Maybe there's someone near you who has one. Bob would know.

As for a sliding backband, it's just what it sounds like.

On most saddles the tugs and shaft loops are separate straps which are hung beneath the terrets from two rings. Those are called "fixed tugs." Another method of construction is to have the shaft loops connected by one strap which runs through a channel in the saddle behind the tugs and can slide freely back and forth. What this does is make it so when the vehicle is on uneven ground one shaft can move down and the other up without pulling on the saddle so the horse stays comfortably upright in the middle without pressure against his spine. When the cart reaches level ground the tugs level out again. This is considered almost a requirement for driving with a two-wheel vehicle in England but wasn't very common in America until recently.

Leia

 

[RhineStone]

Leia's description is accurate, but I thought for clarification's sake I would include alternate names for the parts Leia is referring to. (Depending on what part of the country/what discipline you participate in, etc., parts can have different names.)

We refer to the straps that hang from the saddle as tug bearing straps. In your typical harness, those straps are underneath the top layer of leather and are attached by two holes in which the terrets and the screw go through. If you remove the terret and the screw, the tug bearing strap slips out (which is really nice if you just need a longer or shorter strap so you don't have to buy a completely new saddle). Tug bearing straps can also be attached via ring like Leia says.

In a SBB saddle, the tug bearing strap is one continuous strap that is behind the terrets, but still underneath the top layer of leather and moves freely back and forth as Leia describes. The "tugs" ("shaft loops") are attached to this strap.

Some people also call traces the tugs, I suppose because they "tug" the vehicle, but we use "traces". If you have a carriage horse, they are traces, but the draft people call them "tugs", which we use to refer to the shaft loops that hold up the cart shafts. For some reason, some people also call shafts "fills". Yup, I know, confusing.

The important thing is to get the right termininology for the sport in which you participate.

Myrna

 

[hobbyhorse23]

In your typical harness, those straps are underneath the top layer of leather and are attached by two holes in which the terrets and the screw go through. If you remove the terret and the screw, the tug bearing strap slips out (which is really nice if you just need a longer or shorter strap so you don't have to buy a completely new saddle). Tug bearing straps can also be attached via ring like Leia says.

That's interesting! Every mini harness I have seen has had the tug strap attached by a ring. Only the lower-quality synthetic Amish harnesses had a screw and I never knew that could be removed to change the tug strap length. I always thought that was a sign of a poorly made harness as it stressed the tug strap material when the shafts swung forward or back as they will in a wrap strap arrangement like I used to have.

The "tugs" ("shaft loops") are attached to this strap.
Some people also call traces the tugs, I suppose because they "tug" the vehicle, but we use "traces". If you have a carriage horse, they are traces, but the draft people call them "tugs", which we use to refer to the shaft loops that hold up the cart shafts.

Hmm. I was going to say that the tugs and shaft loops are not the same (that the strap was the tug) but now that I think about it we have "open tugs" and "French tugs" and such, which means the so-called "shaft loops" must really be the tugs and the strap that holds them up is, as you say, the "tug bearing strap" rather than being the "tug" itself. You learn something new every day!

Leia

 

[RhineStone]

That's interesting! Every mini harness I have seen has had the tug strap attached by a ring. Only the lower-quality synthetic Amish harnesses had a screw and I never knew that could be removed to change the tug strap length. I always thought that was a sign of a poorly made harness as it stressed the tug strap material when the shafts swung forward or back as they will in a wrap strap arrangement like I used to have.

I can see where having the ring would reduce the stress point, but I doubt that it is a sign of lower quality. All of my Driving Essentials saddles are built this way, as well as our Smucker's Better Fit Deluxe saddle. Granted, they are both Amish made, but I also have seen some Freedman's harness built the same way, too.

Hmm. I was going to say that the tugs and shaft loops are not the same (that the strap was the tug) but now that I think about it we have "open tugs" and "French tugs" and such, which means the so-called "shaft loops" must really be the tugs and the strap that holds them up is, as you say, the "tug bearing strap" rather than being the "tug" itself. You learn something new every day!

I learned the name of that part from Jan at Driving Essentials. I was going to order an extension strap from the tug bearing strap to the girth to replace the tug for tandem. She said that all I needed was longer tug bearing straps that would buckle directly into the overgirth. Although not strictly "correct", we didn't have to buy a completely new saddle to drive tandem in competition. (I only change out the bearing straps for shows, and just use the tugs for practice.) Jan knows all sorts of names of parts I never knew! Scouring (and wishing) the DE catalogs and website also helps me learn my harness parts!

They have them broke out pretty well.

 

Myrna

 

[shorthorsemom]

I have met Jan at driving essentials, she is so nice and very helpful, I should stop by there and get some instruction on "what is called what" on my harness so I can stop the rookie lanuage of calling something a "thingy"..

Oh dear, I have so much still to learn. I am just tickled to finally be riding in a cart behind my horse in a lesson, I have spent so much time on my feet walking behind.