Schwalbe Durano Tires

Note: Photos of My Schwalbe Durano Tires Below

This is less of a review and more of a preview as I have not ridden these tires.  I just purchased  the Schwalbe Durano's to replace my Specialized Fatboys.  I considered the Continental Ultra Gatorskins, the Specialized All Condition II Pro's, and Michelin WildRun'R Advance.

Why Durano?  Well for starters Schwalbe seems to have a great reputation in the Recumbent World.  I read as many reviews as I could find on 559 Slicks.  Over and over Schwalbe kept coming up.  Continental had only the one option in a lightweight slick with puncture protection.  Unfortunately in the 559 size the Ultra Gator Skins are only available in wire bead.  I read way too many reviews of how hard the Ultra Gator Skins are to mount and how stiff they ride.  The Michelin WildRun'R Advance is new for 2010 so there were virtually no reviews. Michelin also provides very little information on the tire - I suppose they expect you to buy into their Brand Identity.  Plus at this time they appear to only be available in France. And while I've had a decent experience with Specialize Tires in the past I've never had a set last very long.  They seem to start falling apart around 1,000 miles.  There were plenty of online reviews to support this observation.

So after evaluation this left the Schwalbe Kojak and the Schwalbe Durano. I chose the 559 28 (26x 1 1/8) folding tire because of the weight and claims of durability.  Schwalbe states that in circumstances where the tires are not under load and ridden normally you may get up to 6,500 miles!  (This is stated right on the Schwalbe Site). So I figured if I was going to spend $45 on a tire it might as well last!  Plus the tires are only 260 grams so I can still run liners and be light enough for the style of riding I do. I dread flats as it is such a pain to change flat tube out on the road.  I read some great things about the Kojak, but I wanted to go with a narrower tire without a wire bead at a higher PSI to get the rolling resistance down a bit. The trade off will probably be a bit harsher ride, but my bike is suspended and I have a very thick foam seat cushion so I believe it will work out well for me.  If I had a non-suspended bike I would have bought the Kojak's.

The only downside to my purchase is that I had to order the Schwalbe Durano tires online and wait about a week for the tires to show up. I visited about a half dozen local bike shops and none of them had Schwalbe.  Everyone was pushing Continental or Specialized.

When my tires arrived they were stamped Made in Indonesia. While Schwalbe is a German Company like most companies they take advantage of low labor rates in Asian Countries.  I have posted a video in the Parts Section about how Schwalbe Tires are made.

My first impression upon taking the tires out of the box are they are manufactred to a very high standard. The Tread itself feels about the same thickness as the Specialized Fatboy's they replace. The materials in the Durano Tires just feel different, they feel "softer".  One thing I noticed is that after mouting on my bike and spinning the tires they seem to be very true!  I hope this helps any of you looking for 26" 559 tires for your recumbent. I'll probably add a bit more informaiton as I begin to pile up miles!

----------------------------------------------- Update -----------------------------------------------------

I've had a chance to put a few miles on the Duranos now.  In comparison to the Fatboys they don't ride as smoothly, but it's pretty close.  I don't know how much better the ride would be with a 1.35 version.  The added PSI 115/8 Bar doesn't seem to make them roll any better than the Fatboys. Because of the narrower profile and the higher PSI I had hoped for a little less rolling resistance.

The Duranos  are more "sticky" than the Fatboys and in my opinion grip the road better and corner better. They feel very solid underneath me and I'm not afraid to corner.  I have not tired them on wet pavement as I don't like to ride in the rain.

As far as speed goes I haven't really taken a hit per se... seem to ride about the same speed. It's pretty subjective at this point as there was a lot of wind today on my usual route and as you know when you are riding in wind it seems to be into a headwind both ways!  Actually lots of gusty crosswinds today made it hard for me to get up to my usual speeds.  So while not disappointed with the speed, but I had hoped to pick up maybe 1-2mph.

So should you buy the Schwalbe Durano or the Kojak? That's a tough one to answer.  In 559 the Kojak are only available in wire bead.  They weigh an additional 35 grams, but I would bet they do roll better. But I doubt the will last nearly as long and they are about the same price.

FYI:  I'm running tire liners in the Duranos right now.  Kind of self defeating one might suggest to run such a light tire with a liner.  I considered the Durano Plus but then I wouldn't have the option to pull the liner.

It's 6's really.  I'd bet the Durano is a great Trike Tire as it is grippy and offers a better than expected ride.

Update 2: I now have about 900 miles on the Durano Tires and they look almost brand new.  The sidewall is supple and the tread hardly worn.  At this same point (900 miles) the sidewalls on the Fatboy Tires were starting to separate and small chunks or holes were forming in places on the tread.  Durano really does appear to be a durable tire!

Schwalbe Durano Package

Schwalbe Durano Tire Mounted on Rim

Durano Tread Pattern

Schwalbe Durano Tread Pattern Close Up

Take the Pain out of Mounting Bicycle Tires with the Tire Bead Jack

The Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack is an amazingly simple idea put into practice. This is one of those tools that you use once then wonder why you did buy it years ago! I was really amazed at just how easy tires are to mount with the Tire Bead Jack.

Get one and save your thumbs. All you do is mount the tire normally, then when you get to the last few inches you place the tool on the backside of the rim, reach the claw over the top of the tire and with a short pull back towards you the tire slides up and over the rim. And no more pinch flats as the tube doesn't get caught under the tire bead!

The best part is this tool retails for less than $15! I couldn't find one locally so I ordered it online. If your local bike shop has one... buy it. If not just pick it up online. This is one tool you won't be sorry you bought. Plus it's light enough to just throw in your bag and take with you on the road.

Tip:  Costco Sells Nitrile  Gloves in boxes of 100 for about $10.  These weigh almost nothing.  Take a few with you on the road.  When you need to replace a tire or work on your chain you don't end up with grease all over your fingers.

My Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack

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Where to Buy Kojak's in the USA

Since I ordered my tire just 3 weeks ago when Amazon said there was only 1 in stock, they have now been restocked and are showing 3 in stock. And the new price is now $42.48! Blah, isn't that the way it goes; as soon as you buy something you find it very soon after at a much lower price? It's just the way it is I suppose. In any case the Schwalbe Kojak in my opinion is well worth the money because there is no other completely slick folding tire in it's size that even exists.

Here is the "trick" you need to know when buying anything including bicycle components from Amazon.  And I have learned this one the hard way.  Amazon sells products and they promote other people's products. This means that the exact same item on Amazon can be sold for different prices!  This also means that if there is a problem you could end up dealing with Amazon or a 3rd party.  When you are searching for products make sure you search the ENTIRE AMAZON site.  This is easy to do.  In the search bar at the top select "All Departments".  Then you can refine your search from there.  Usually bike parts are in the Sports & Outdoors department.

Amazon Links for Schwalbe Kojak Tire:

Kojak Folding :  Schwalbe Kojak Folding Bead Tire (26X2.0)

Kojak Wire Bead: Schwalbe Kojak Mountain Bicycle Tire - Wire Bead (26 x 2.0)

Kojak All Tire Sizes: All Sizes of Schwalbe Kojak Tires

You may also want to try AE Bike in Michigan as they carry some Schwalbes and have a good track record for delivery.  I bought my Durano's there... they did not have the Kojak's when I checked.

Kojak Size and Weight

The folding version of the Kojak is 460 grams in the 26 x 2.0 size, and comparing that to my existing Continental Sport contact that is only 200 grams more for a much larger tire (The height of the rear of the bike rose about 1.5"! I intentionally wanted the rise because I have recently changed out the front fork to one that is "suspension corrected" to match the height of the suspension fork it replaced (Dropped about 2 lbs off the bike weight). So with the fork swap and the new tire the ride is about the same level. Would a slight rise in the rear vs the front without a fork swap make a difference? I don't know. Every time you change something on your bike it changes the performance or geometry slightly. The handling of bicycle with the new fork has drastically improved the handling of the bicycle for the better! Very happy about that. I'll have to write about that in another review. I also need to do a review on the new wheel build and the Velocity Race Hub. Never seems to be enough time to do everything.

Back on point. The Schwalbe Kojak feels very well made. There are no rough edges and the mounting was surprisingly easy... didn't have to break out the Tire Bead Jack for this one... just a little pressure on the thumbs and it mounted right up. This might have something to do with the Mavic 717's that I am now running front and back, I don't know for sure, but in any case it was very easy to mount and very secure when inflated.

Kojak Ride Quality

The ride of the Kojak vs the 1.4" Conti it replaces is surprisingly similar in terms of rolling resistance. In fact the Kojak may actually roll a little bit better from a purely subjective standpoint (we all like to feel good about what we buy right?). I chose to run the tire at Max Pressure to start to see how it feels. Max pressure is 85 PSI. Recommended pressure is 70 PSI. At 85 PSI the tire does feel a bit STIFF, while still quick, it was not quite what I was going for. So I reduced the pressure to 70 PSI and the ride smoothed out noticeably.

I barely feel the difference in rotation spin up (Acceleration) vs the Conti but that is also likely due to the new wheel I had built up that dropped the weight over the existing wheel by about 10 ounces! So even after the additional 200 grams the new wheel with the Schwalbe Kojak mounted is lighter. And the Velocity Race hub spins very smoothly.

Although I'm not the guy who tries to maximize corners at high speed, this tire does corner much better than the previous tires I've run - the Specialized Fatboy, Schwalbe Durano, and Continental Sport contact - on this bicycle.  I also don't worry so much about hitting a small rock now when I corner.  I have had the back end slide out from under me with small stones in the past.

Hopefully some of what I've written will be helpful in your own decision making choice for your own recumbent bike. I'm hoping to build an electric upright based on a Trek Pure or a Electra Townie and for that bike I'll run the Schwalbe Big Apples... thought about doing that on this bike but even with a light skin (Which they might not be making any more) Big Apple I just couldn't bring myself to risk the additional weight. I'm very happy with the Kojak and I think most people will be as well.

I find it ironic that people will spend a couple thousand on a nice Recumbent then run $15 tires. Tires make so much difference. Do yourself a favor and find the best folding tire you can for the type of riding you do. Less weight can really make a difference. When the Continental Sport Contact wears out on the front I may consider replacing it with a Kojak 1.3, but I have a whole lot of pedaling to do between now and then!

Kojak Tire Pictures

If you click the pictures they will enlarge

Brand New Schwalbe Kojak Folding Version Tire

Schwalbe Kojak Mounted on New Bike Wheel

I think the availability problem is mostly Schwalbe and their limited productions of this model coupled with dealers not wanting to carry these tires as they are more expensive and slow to sell in local bike shops. From the owners that I talked to about Schwalbe most had a negative impression - not of the product - but of the company. Limited availability and hard to make a profit from the Kojak is what I took away from these conversations.

Anyways I finally found one at Amazon and bought it. It was listed as 1 in stock, order soon or whatever language Amazon uses to try and entice you to buy RIGHT NOW. As the product is shipping direct from Amazon I can only hope it arrives okay and I do not have to deal with their customer service people. Amazon is great at taking your money, has good prices, and is pretty good about delivery... you just have to hope that nothing goes wrong because there customer service is less than desirable.

So I should be the proud new owner of a Schwalbe Kojak Folding 26" tire soon. I'll review it when I get a few miles on it. At 460 grams I'm hoping I won't notice the extra weight as much as I'll notice a smoother and more comfortable ride. I recently purchased a new wheel that is about 240 grams lighter than my existing wheel to compensate for the additional weight in terms of rotational mass.

I would have happily purchased a similar Continental Tire, except they don't make one! Come on Schwalbe, end users like your tires... get them across the pond and in the dealers hands. The Schwalbe Kojak seems to be very popular for those who can find them. Ordering tires from the UK is an expensive proposition... but I did find a few in stock at some UK Based Online Shops.

Until recently I was a long term customer of JensonUSA having made several past purchases without incident.  I am absolutely astounded at what they tried to pull on me, and the way they responded to their con. Instead of admitting their guilt, they tried to pass this off as a normal business practice. They sent me used products, blamed me, and never refunded me as promised.  Good thing they are not in the medical equipment business

The Black greasy fingerprints on the INSIDE of the box was a nice touch!

JENSONUSA = FAIL.

I have purchased in the past from JensonUSA without problem.

In fact about 2 weeks ago I ordered brakes for my front wheel. No problem.

I liked them so much I ordered the companion for my rear brakes. That's where it gets ugly.

The brakes they sent for the rear were in a white generic box, they were loose in the box and missing parts.

I immediately wrote Jenson. Their response was they would just credit me for the brakes.. That would seem reasonable. I told them I did NOT want the used brakes and asked them to issue a return call tag. I told them I can afford to buy my bike parts and when I buy parts I expect them to be new parts. I did not asked to be credited, I asked for them to take their old parts back and I would buy new parts from a different vendor.

The very fact that they sent me used parts was appalling and not acceptable.

So what did Jenson have to say about this:

"It is entirely possible that our company will open a box (for example, to photograph an item). That's still new. We also accept New-and-unused returns from consumers. Finally items from our stores could be opened to be put on display."

Repackaged, Customer Returns, and Demos are NOT NEW!!! Pulling parts off of bikes and reselling them is not new. Apparently they believe it's okay to send used parts to customers who pay FULL RETAIL. This was their excuse. If you had seen the way these arrived many people would have been even more upset than I was.

And sure offering to credit the full amount seems like a nice gesture doesn't it?

But that's not what they did. Instead I got an additional charge of $6.95 billed on my statement.

Have not heard back from Jenson about this new charge.

JENSONUSA = FAIL.

If you want to be treated like crap, get used stuff... then go ahead and buy from them.

For me I'm done with them. Again this is not my first purchase from Jenson, I've made several. And this is how they treat repeat customers.

So now I have used brakes and no refund, waiting for the payment processor to make things right.

JENSONUSA = FAIL.

You don't blame your customers for your inability to operate an ethical business.

Installation of the Single Digit 7 V Brake

Installation was a breeze because I chose not to replace the old brake cable and housing.  I just unscrewed the old brakes and screwed on the new Avid Brakes.  I did not change the brake levers either as they work just fine.  I did use the supplied brake noodle and the new dust boot cap (another nice improvement over the Mini V Brakes).  I selected the standard middle whole for the spring mechanism and pushed the pads flush with the rims.  I didn't even have to move any spacers.  I'm running an Mavic 717 and the alignment was near perfect.  I own a Hozan cable puller which makes installation even easier.  Although if I didn't have it I'm sure it wouldn't have been much harder.  Installation of these rim brakes couldn't have gone smoother!

Within 10 minutes I had the Single Digit 7's installed and adjusted.  The Allen wrench adjustment is in my opinion better than the Phillips screw head adjustment of the Tektro's I replaced.  Bottom line is these brakes are easy to install and adjust.  And the power - much better!  These are very grippy and make no noise at all.  I did clean the rims before installing, but still noise free brakes are what we are all after.

I considered the Single Digit 5's, but the price difference wasn't so great after factoring in the free shipping to make it worth downgrading.  The Single Digit 7's are a bit lighter and offer a better stock brake pad.  I also couldn't justify the price of the next step up in the Avid Linear Pull line (SL then Ultimate) to shave just a few grams (20 and 3 grams respectively).

I did read many reviews of the Avid Single Digit 7's before making my purchase and for years these have been the overwhelming choice for solid, strong, reliable well priced rim brakes.  Bachetta Bikes uses the Single Digit 7's on some of their bikes.  It's hard to argue with excellent engineering and quality ergonomics.

To save you the visit to the Avid/SRAM site here are the spec's:

Weight     185 grams (per wheel)
Caliper Design     Forged
Finish     Graphite Grey
Pad     RW2 Cartridge Pad
Adjustment     Screw Style
Special Features     Stainless Steel hardware, Oversized Linear spring, Aluminum pivot bushings
Compatibility     Mountian style levers

Update:  I liked the Single Digit 7 Brakes so much just ordered another set for the Rear.  Be sure when you order to specify front or rear.  It's my understanding the bolt lengths are different so you'll want to be sure they fit correctly.

Here is what you need to know about Bike Motor Kits

Please excuse the rambling thought processes here as I have a lot to write and little time to write and edit it.

Electric Bike Motors come in a couple of flavors.  You have hub motors which encase the motor inside the hub of the wheel, and you have inline motors which attach to the frame and need to be integrated into your chain system and bottom bracket. The advantage to the first is ease of installation, the downside is they are unable to take advantage of your bicycles gearing for more efficient climbing.  Hub motors are generally quieter in operation than a bike motor which attaches to your chain drive.  The chain drive as mentioned is a bit more noisy but can take full advantage of your bicycle gearing for climbing.

For my purposes with the design of my bike frame the hub motor is the only option.  Hub motors come in two style - Direct Drive and Geared.  A direct drive system is basically large copper wires wound tightly with magnets to create a motor. They are heavier than geared motors and they will not freewheel. So if you have no battery power your bike motor will drag against your pedaling effort.  I don't like the idea of fighting the resistance of the motor.  However direct drive motors are very powerful and usually less expensive.  A typical direct drive bike motor will weigh 15-20lbs plus the weight of the rim, spokes, and tires.  A geared hub motor is about half that weight and doesn't look so out of place.  In fact some geared hub motors can be "hidden" underneat disc brake hubs so your bike won't look much different.

In the United States the legal limit for electric bikes is 20mph.  It's my understanding that 750 watts of power driven from a 36 volt battery will be the maximum legal kit combination for the USA.  You can use 48 volts of power to most kits and the speed will exceed the legal limit.  In the UK and most of Europe I believe the speed limit is closer to 15mph, but they use kmh and I didn't bother to check the conversion because I won't be riding there any time soon!

So what should a typical person who just wants a little help climbing the hills buy?  In my opinion a geared hub motor.   The direct drive motors do not have moving parts like the geared motors, but in my opinion unless you want an electric moped and the additional weight, which will change the handling characteristics of your bicycle stick with geared.  But it really depends on you, your goals and your bike.  A good geared motor (more on what good means later) should last plenty long as long as you do not feed it too much power which can  burn up the gears.

Here is where it starts to get frustrating.  Electric bike motors are not made in the United States, or at least any that I could find.  They are all coming out of China, so there really isn't much way to know what is good and what is not good unless you find an experienced dealer who is willing to stand behind these Chinese bike motors with a warranty and service program.  And for me that is a problem, because I don't want to throw money at a no name Chinese product only to have it fail.  This is an even bigger issue with Battery Technology which also comes out of China.

I can not recommend any specific brand but BMC, Bafang, Ezee, 9 Continent, etc. are names you will see most often.  You can purchase complete kits from Bionx which is a Canadian company, but they do not make a geared hub motor.  And the Bionx kit doesn't play well with those who want to mix and match parts - batteries, controllers, etc.  The Bionx system is proprietary... you wear out the battery then you replace it with one of theirs.  There are pluses and minuses to this arrangement, but I don't have any plans to get into them here.  I should note that Trek Bicycles has an agreement to use Bionx systems on their electric bikes.

For my purposes I'll be going with a front drive kit.  The rear drive kits are usually not dishable (This means the axles may not center in your back drop outs).  So what do you do then?  How do you adjust the brakes on your bike if you have V-Brakes?  Dishable wheels are important to bicycles if you want them to perform correctly.  You'll also not have enough space to use much more than a 5 sproket freewheel, so you lose a lot of useful gears for cycling purposes.  If you only plan to ride electric this is not such a big issue.  But on a front wheel dish is not important as there is no sproket to consider.

Further considerations for electric bike motors are the rims and spokes.  Because these wheels can generate a lot of torque you'll need to use a heavy duty double walled rim (550g is about the lightest you can go) with heavy duty 12-13 gauge stainless steel spokes).  Some of the better heavy duty double butted spokes from DT Swiss, Phil Wood, Sapim will work as well.  But here is the kicker - you won't find name brand spokes or rims from any of the Chinese companies.  You find whatever brand they happen to be using... and the tolerances and spec's are pretty crappy for bike components.  You roll the dice and could end up with a wheel that isn't very true and spokes that are not properly tensioned.  Some distributors like e-Bike Kit will rebuild their kits in the United States which helps with these quality control issues.  This is a big deal if you are using V-Brakes as an untrue wheel is a huge problem.

Should you want to actually stop your electric bike motor while riding (I think most of us do), you need to make sure the braking options (disc or v-brake) will work with your bike.  This can be tricky with some Recumbent Bike handlebars which are not ideal for the brake cut off handles that ship with most kits.  Again these brake handles are of much lower quality than most of you will expect.  But when you are going down the road you should have an option to tap the brakes to disconnect the motor.  It's a safety problem if you do not have a way to cut off the brakes - your motor will be running while you are trying to brake!  This is a recipe for crashing.

Mounting your wheel to you bike is another potential problem.  Many ebike motor hubs are machined with axles that are larger than the drop outs on your bicycle.  You may have to file your drop outs a bit to get the axles to fit.  I do not like the idea of filing rear bike drop outs - you mess up and you ruin the frame.  Another reason to use a front wheel drive system.  You ruin a fork drop out and you can easily (and for much less than a frame) replace the fork.

If your bike has "Lawyer Lips" (The notches on the sides of a lot of front forks which prevent the wheel from falling out if the quick release is not properly secured) are a problem for electric bike wheels, because you need a firmly secured axle or the wheel will spin out and damage both your drop outs and the wiring which comes out of the wheels.  Free spinning an electric motor because it is not properly secure is both a safety problem and a financial problem.  You do not want to damage those wires or your hub motor is toast!  So you'll need to make sure you get "c-washers" (Axel Spacer Nuts) so your can torque down your wheel.  But how much torque?  Good question, as I have not seen a specification for torque yet, because I have not selected a kit although I'm leaning towards a custom built Bafang or Ezee hub on a Sun Rim with Sapim spokes.

Controllers and Batteries.  You could write article after article on Battery Technology.  I recommend you head over to Endless Sphere Forms or one of the other forms and do some reading.  Lithium batteries are lightweight and last a long time while delivering constant voltage at low weights, but they are also very expensive and they come in so many flavors.  You want a lightweight battery that lasts and performs over the long haul.  The most well known manufacture that I've found is "Ping Battery".  These are custom built "Duct Tape" batteries and will cost as much as the wheel kits.  You'll also need a controller to make sure the battery is not destroyed by pulling too much current, and to make sure the wheel gets the right amount of juice to propel you forward.  Again there are really no name brands here... you are on your own, so it's best to find a dealer who has a good track record and talk with them.

This is not easy putting together an electric bicycle solution for your needs.  With each turn you find you need to know something else and it's hard to get those answers.  For example:  You'll probably want to use a torque arm, but which one?  And how many washers ill I need?  In what order do I assemble the washers?  What kind of electrical connectors should I use and will my battery connectors match the hub controller?  How long will the wires need to be, what gauge and how will I secure them to my bike?  How water proof are these wires and connectors?  What happens if I get water inside the hub wheel.

It just goes on and on, and it's frustrating.  I wish the the United States of America would FIX ITSELF... start making things here again, take pride in what is being made.  I shouldn't have to look to china to put something as simple as an electric motor on my bicycle, but that is the state of the Country today.  It is what it is.

Sorry for the rambling, I'm sure this is incomplete, but my goal here isn't to offer answers to every problem with electrifying your bicycle, rather to open your eyes to some of the potential pitfalls should you choose to do so on your own bike.

I recently purchased an item from Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK, knowing there had been credit card issues I used Paypal.

Well guess what?  Today I got a spam email (A Phishing email) trying to scam me.  And it's addressed to my Paypal Email account which I have given to no one, but used at Chain Reaction Cycles less than 2 weeks ago.

It's sad, but apparently these guys are just too big for their own good and can not implement security measures to protect their customers.

Buyer Beware.

Finding a head rest if your manufacturer doesn't make one or if you don't want to spend or have to spend $75 to $100 is another story.

A head rest for me is something that supports the neck more than the head.  Some head rests are very uncomfortable when wearing a helmet.  The best way I found to get around this is to simply use a foam roll.  The photographs below are not the best step-by-step guide but I think most people will be able to look at them and get the idea. If you can get to a fabric store and a hardware store for about $10 in hardware, foam, and cloth you can make your own.

Basic Pictures of my Homemade Recumbent Bike Headrest

Recumbent Bike Head Rest Materials

Recumbent Bike Headrest Mount

Recumbent Bike Headrest Cover

What's needed:

1 to 1.5" Wide x 12" or longer aluminum bar.  Once you measure and cut to your specific application you can drill a bunch of holes in the bar to make it super light! You can usually get this as bulk stock at the local Lowe's Hardware.  I couldn't find it at The Home Depot in my area.  I've seen some people using spatulas and you could also use a ruler if it was just right.  This becomes the base you use to mount to your seat if it's a hard shell.  If you have a soft mesh seat you will likely be able to attach either PVC pipe or clamp to the metal frame directly.  You can mount this to your seat using screws or you can just use duct tape.  My preference is for the duct tape that is designed not to leave adhesive on the mounting surface.

Okay so now you have what is basically a stick of thin aluminum mounted to your seat.  At the top of the aluminum you want to bend it over at a 95 degree angle (See Picture Above) leaving around 1" pointing almost directly backwards and perpendicular to the seat.  This becomes the small area you can secure your headrest.  You can either drill a small hole in the 1" part or you can just tie to it.

The headrest itself is very easy to make.  You take a pool float noodle and cut off a section about 6" wide. Most of this stuff is super light weight and about 2.5" to 3" in diameter.  This becomes the interior cross section of your head rest.  Next you wrap this section with any kind of very flexible soft foam.  I took an old 1" piece of camping foam and wrapped it to desired thickness.  You tape this on the ends or tie it off on the ends with a strap or string and you have a nice soft rounded neck pillow.

The next thing I did was go to the fabric store and purchased some soft synthetic velour cloth (Synthetic cloth wicks moisture).  I created a small bag to put my foam headrest in and tied it off.  Then I mounted this to the aluminum rod using 3/4" strap I also picked up at the fabric store.  Simple, easy, and extremely comfortable.  I wrapped it around the aluminum bar and used safety pins to anchor the bag to the foam and to the strap.  This recumbent headrest  flexes nicely as you ride and doesn't transmit road vibration into your head.

There are many variations on this method of mounting.  I chose not to screw to the seat because I didn't need to, tape works fine.  Plus I have a seat bag that hangs on the seat so it would get in the way if it was screwed on.  Duct tape holds firm, and if you get the kind that doesn't leave residue it's easy to replace as it wears over time.  If you don't have a sewing machine you can probably get someone at the local fabric store to sew up a small bag for you.