It'll be a cold day when you don't see him on his trike

Trike rider Albert Shaw gets ready to leave the Lilac Mall after doing some shopping on Friday. (Harrison Thorp photo)

ROCHESTER - With Friday’s frigid temps and wind chills, you’d think cyclists would be few and far between.

Maybe they were, but that didn’t stop octogenarian Albert Shaw of Rochester from making a run to the Lilac Mall to get supplies to tide him over with today’s snowstorm fast approaching.

In fact, there’s not many days through the winter that keep the 84-year-old Rochester resident from his appointed rounds on his custom trike.

Shaw, who lives at Chestnut Hill Motorhome Park, says he rides his trike throughout the winter up to the mall and around town to do his shopping.

In fact, the only time he doesn’t use it is if it’s snowing really hard, but that’s not because of his trike’s traction in the snow, he said. Rather, he said with a chuckle, it’s dangerous because of “the idiots out there” that don’t know how to drive in the snow.

Shaw said his trike will do up to 30 mph or so and gets about 70 miles to a gallon on the 2 horsepower Honda motor he put on it himself. He said the motor, which starts up with a pull cord, cost him about a $1,000.

He said he loves riding his trike and even when he’s going 30 mph on a frigid day, he’s plenty warm in his winter coat, hat and gloves.