Should my next bike be a recumbent?

D.M. Procida <[email hidden]> wrote:

Ref the subject, but of course!

Quoted message said:

There's something appealingly Apple Macintosh-like about recumbent
bicycles, and the thought of having something else to be a bore about is
also attractive.

Not that I'm typing this on a Macintosh at all, mind...

OK, maybe I am.

Quoted message said:

Where do I start looking, and for what? The DIY kit from
<http://www.dutchbikes.nl/uk.htm> looks fun, and cheap. But now that I
understand that I might be able to get 50% of the cost back from the IR
thanks to a government initiative, perhaps I could afford something a
bit more ready-made.

Visit your friendly neighbourhood bentmonger, or one of the cycle
rallies. Recumbents are al different, esecially the bikes. Lots of
people can ride my Stinger more easily than other bikes which logic
indicates should be easier.

--
Guy

D.M. Procida asked:

Quoted message said:

Where do I start looking,

I have a list of retailers and manufacturers. It's out of date and not
comprehensive, but might be useful:
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/index.html>

Quoted message said:

and for what?

The Recumbent FAQ is a good place to start:
<URL:http://www.ihpva.org/FAQ/>

Then get yourself to a bentmonger and try a few out. You'll never know
which bike is right for you just by looking at the specs.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

D.M. Procida said:

There's something appealingly Apple Macintosh-like about recumbent
bicycles, and the thought of having something else to be a bore about is
also attractive.

Its a no-brainer, but make sure you go for three wheels ;-)

Quoted message said:

Where do I start looking, and for what?

Someone will come along with a list of links.

John B
PS: I've just got a new Powerbook and case that fits snugly on my trice :-))

Daniele said:

There's something appealingly Apple Macintosh-like about recumbent
bicycles, and the thought of having something else to be a bore

about is

Quoted message said:

also attractive.

By curious coincidence, I'm also an Apple user. I'd be wary of
transporting my Powerbook on my trike though - I'll maybe wait until I
have suspension for that. Not that a 8 year-old pre-G3 with an iffy
screen is actually *worth* much these days...

Becky
--
Windcheetah 202

JohnB said:

Quoted message said:

There's something appealingly Apple Macintosh-like about recumbent
bicycles, and the thought of having something else to be a bore about is
also attractive.

Its a no-brainer, but make sure you go for three wheels

Why do you say that? I hadn't considered a trike so far. I think a bike
will fit better into the garage (alongside four other bikes, a
motorscooter, several cubic metres of old computer equioment and general
mess) and will probably be easier to manage in traffic.

Anyhing I buy will only make sense for me if I'm able to use it on a
day-to-day basis, as otherwise a dim view will be taken of it.

Daniele
--
Apple Juice Ltd
Chapter Arts Centre
Market Road www.apple-juice.co.uk
Cardiff CF5 1QE 029 2019 0140

D.M. Procida said:

Where do I start looking, and for what?

Start with the British Human Power Club homepage:
<http://www.bhpc.org.uk/>

Bo
("Hi, my name is Bo and I'm a Mac and 'bent addict..."😉

D.M. Procida said:

JohnB said:

Quoted message said:

There's something appealingly Apple Macintosh-like about recumbent
bicycles, and the thought of having something else to be a bore about is
also attractive.

Its a no-brainer, but make sure you go for three wheels

Why do you say that?

Perhaps because you can get on a recumbent trike and just ride it,
rather than having to relearn how to balance as many (most?) people do
with the two wheeled versions.

Quoted message said:

I hadn't considered a trike so far. I think a bike
will fit better into the garage (alongside four other bikes, a
motorscooter, several cubic metres of old computer equioment and general
mess) and will probably be easier to manage in traffic.

On the other hand, three wheelers tend to get a bit more space from
drivers (IME anyhow) - they can see the width more easily and tend to
treat you like the vehicle that you are. And if you do get one of the
"skim past the handlebars at warp speed" brigade, you're stable enough
for it not to be much of a problem.

Greenspeed now do a folding trike which might help with the space
problem.

I am of course severely biased though, being the UK dealer for
Greenspeed and Stein trikes.

But seriously, try as many machines as you can get your paws on, it's
the best way to find the one that really suits you.

BTW, we're both Mac users here too :-)
--
Carol
Westcountry Recumbents
http://www.wrhpv.com
Feet first on three wheels.

On 29/8/04 11:10 am, in article
[email hidden], "Arellcat"

Quoted message said:

Daniele said:

There's something appealingly Apple Macintosh-like about recumbent
bicycles, and the thought of having something else to be a bore

about is

Quoted message said:

also attractive.

By curious coincidence, I'm also an Apple user. I'd be wary of
transporting my Powerbook on my trike though - I'll maybe wait until I
have suspension for that. Not that a 8 year-old pre-G3 with an iffy
screen is actually *worth* much these days...

My 4 yo Powerbook g4 does just fine being dragged around on the bike.
Usually it is either over my shoulder or in a rucksack but it goes quite
happily in a pannier or briefcase.

Any laptop I use has a hard life but seems to survive.

...d

D.M. Procida said:

JohnB said:

Quoted message said:

There's something appealingly Apple Macintosh-like about recumbent
bicycles, and the thought of having something else to be a bore about is
also attractive.

Its a no-brainer, but make sure you go for three wheels

Why do you say that? I hadn't considered a trike so far.

In a word FUN.
They are easy to ride, totally stable, exhilerating (and fast fast fast)
downhill, and of course the massive grin factor...
....everything a 'bent bike is, but 50% (at least) more ;-)

Quoted message said:

I think a bike will fit better into the garage

Possibly, although hanging them up from the rear wheel saves a *lot* of space.

Quoted message said:

and will probably be easier to manage in traffic.

Arguable. You just stop at junctions, lights, etc with no need to even
unclip. Starting off is simple. Hills are a doddle and if you get tired
just pull in and take a breather.
They are probably seen better than two-wheel versions and the notice
taken by other traffic certainly exceeds that of normal bikes.

There is a slight downside if traffic is *very* heavy, but even that
doesn't bother much.

Quoted message said:

Anyhing I buy will only make sense for me if I'm able to use it on a
day-to-day basis, as otherwise a dim view will be taken of it.

Just walk out the front door, sit in the seat and you're off.

John B

On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 14:59:53 +0100 someone who may be
[email hidden] (Carol Hague) wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

Greenspeed now do a folding trike which might help with the space
problem.

Blast. £1900 is too tempting:-)

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

JohnB said:

There is a slight downside if traffic is *very* heavy, but even that
doesn't bother much.

I would expect even on a two-wheeled recumbent that progress through
stalled or slow traffic couldn't match that of a traditional bike, but a
trike will surely be slower. One of my pleasures in cycling is scything
through city traffic.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Anyhing I buy will only make sense for me if I'm able to use it on a
day-to-day basis, as otherwise a dim view will be taken of it.

Just walk out the front door, sit in the seat and you're off.

If I can't leave it parked in the bike racks while I'm at work, or in
town when I go to the bank, or at the cafe where I buy a sandwich at
lunchtime, or at the various lamposts and railings I need to leave mine
on a daily basis, it will be that much less useful.

Mostly this is about physical size - a recument and a trike are both
going to be less easy to slip into places than an ordinary bike. After
all, when I forget my lock when I go to work I put my bike in the post
room, and I don't think I'd get away with putting a trike in there.

Maybe I should sell my motorbike. Does anyone want to buy a BMW C1?

Daniele
--
Apple Juice Ltd
Chapter Arts Centre
Market Road www.apple-juice.co.uk
Cardiff CF5 1QE 029 2019 0140

Carol Hague said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Its a no-brainer, but make sure you go for three wheels

Why do you say that?

Perhaps because you can get on a recumbent trike and just ride it,
rather than having to relearn how to balance as many (most?) people do
with the two wheeled versions.

Yes, that can take as long as several minutes ;-)

Honest, I rode the Stinger within minutes of first sitting on a
recumbent. And that has tiller-type OSS, which is supposed to be the
hardest to learn.

It is also much easier to store and can be carried on most trains no
problem (hangs off a Voyager hook just fine and the Adelante hook by the
rear wheel).

I still want a trike as well, of course...

--
Guy

JohnB said:

Its a no-brainer, but make sure you go for three wheels ;-)

Note the smiley, everyone. Nothing to see here, move along now...

--
Guy

Just zis Guy said:

JohnB said:

Its a no-brainer, but make sure you go for three wheels ;-)

Note the smiley, everyone. Nothing to see here, move along now...

Eh?

John B

Just zis Guy said:

Carol Hague said:

Quoted message said:

> Its a no-brainer, but make sure you go for three wheels
Why do you say that?

Perhaps because you can get on a recumbent trike and just ride it,
rather than having to relearn how to balance as many (most?) people do
with the two wheeled versions.

Yes, that can take as long as several minutes ;-)

Depends on the bike and the person though - I never managed to ride the
Oke Ja we used to have.

And Rob once rode his Flevobike to work (about three-quarters of a mile
at the time) and then had to have a lie down in a darkened room for a
bit to recover :-)

Quoted message said:

Honest, I rode the Stinger within minutes of first sitting on a
recumbent. And that has tiller-type OSS, which is supposed to be the
hardest to learn.

Showoff ;-)

Quoted message said:

It is also much easier to store

Point taken.

However, if you have a suitable garage wall, there are two-armed bike
racks (used to be about a tenner from Argos -the catalogue shop, not the
framebuilder) from which you can hang a trike neatly by its crucifix,
such that it takes up comparatively little space.

Quoted message said:

and can be carried on most trains no
problem (hangs off a Voyager hook just fine and the Adelante hook by the
rear wheel).

Rob used to take his trike to the races by train (including those silly
little Sprinter things) until a couple of years ago. It was the
unreliability of the trains rather than the difficulty of getting the
trike on them that caused him to give up and buy the van.

Quoted message said:

I still want a trike as well, of course...

As any sensible person would :-)
--
Carol
"I was just being a little teapot. It's a bad habit of mine"
- Wyvern, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased).

Carol Hague said:

Perhaps because you can get on a recumbent trike and just ride it,
rather than having to relearn how to balance as many (most?) people do
with the two wheeled versions.

Up to a point, Lord Copper. Seeing a couple of first attempts on a
Windcheetah on Saturday, there was a fair bit of veering from side to
side on those as well as the two wheelers! There is also the basic
problem of trikes for many bike users that you have to unlearn leaning
and relearn purely mechanical steering.

Quoted message said:

But seriously, try as many machines as you can get your paws on, it's
the best way to find the one that really suits you.

Very good advice. The paper specs and pictures don't really tell you as
much as you might think. Roos' first reaction on seeing the bike she
eventually bought was it was far too low to be practical, and we've
recently done a week's tour of 300 miles where it was fine, including
quite a bit of off-road track.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Carol Hague said:

Perhaps because you can get on a recumbent trike and just ride it,
rather than having to relearn how to balance as many (most?) people do
with the two wheeled versions.

Up to a point, Lord Copper. Seeing a couple of first attempts on a
Windcheetah on Saturday, there was a fair bit of veering from side to
side on those as well as the two wheelers!

True, there is a tendency for novices to pull too hard on the steering
and "fishtail" from side to side. But they're most unlikely to fall off.
No doubt *somebody's* managed it though - there's always one, innit :-)

Quoted message said:

There is also the basic
problem of trikes for many bike users that you have to unlearn leaning
and relearn purely mechanical steering.

I don't remember doing that, but then maybe I was pants at leaning in
the first place - I certainly couldn't cope with being on the back of a
conventional tandem - I got off after about half a mile and refused
point blank to ever get on the wretched thing again :-)

--
Carol
"I was just being a little teapot. It's a bad habit of mine"
- Wyvern, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased).

On 30/8/04 10:29 am, in article [email hidden],

Carol Hague said:

True, there is a tendency for novices to pull too hard on the steering
and "fishtail" from side to side. But they're most unlikely to fall off.
No doubt *somebody's* managed it though - there's always one, innit :-)

Mark gave a convincing impression of someone about to tip a windcheater in
the carpark at the top of the hill..

The funny part was when John Senior and I had set off on the two
windcheaters, thought we had the hand of the steering and then both applied
extra power at the same time, simultaneous wobbles and simultaneous cries of
'Eeek!' (OWTTE).

Does the steering self center if you just let go?

...d

Carol Hague said:

True, there is a tendency for novices to pull too hard on the steering
and "fishtail" from side to side. But they're most unlikely to fall off.
No doubt *somebody's* managed it though - there's always one, innit :-)

At least it isn't too far to the ground! ;-)

[steering trikes]

Quoted message said:

I don't remember doing that, but then maybe I was pants at leaning in
the first place

My first go on a trike since I was a sprog was on a Kettwiesel a couple
of years ago. I /told/ myself I would need to steer everywhere. I got
on and set off, remembering I wouldn't be able to lean around the bends
like I was used to. I forgot about the road camber though, which is
quite pronounced just outside Kinetics (or seemed to be!), and
accentuated with the right wheel drive on the Kett I drifted straight
into the kerb! Did that a few times before I got into the hang of
steering slightly right with the bars just to go in a straight line.

M&D and sister were staying at Centre Parks a while ago, along with a
couple of friends, one of whom can't ride a bike. So the friend rented
one of the trikes, and got on fine with it. Everyone else who had a go
couldn't manage it at all, kept on trying to lean round corners as you
do on a bike, and as had been ingrained by decades of bike use.
Straight lines were no problem (not necessarily the case on a first go
on a 'bent bike!), but cornering is /very/ different.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/