Recumbent Hill Climbing ??

If your the type of rider who stands up for the climbs on your upright bike then blending over to a
recumbent will be more effort. If you climb sitting in the saddle and gear down then it should be a
smooth transition. Light is always good, buy as light as you can afford. Speedy

gcdoss said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- newsfeeds.comnewsfeeds.comOpen ↗ - The #1
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In my opinion, the problem is all the simpletons out there think recumbents are all alike. Its like
people lumping beach cruisers and time trial bikes into the same category.

In hill climbing, they vary far more widely than uprights. The Trek R200 I had was pitiful for any
type of hard pedaling, such as hill climbing or sprints. Between the spongy seat and the pogoing
rear suspension, half your energy was wasted.

My Shockproof with a hard seat and good suspension climbs fine.

"gcdoss" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

I'm one of those 60+ guys who switched to a recumbent this year because of pain in all the usual
places. I have a Volae Club and live in the "Kettle Moraine" area of Wisconsin - i.e. lots of very
steep hills. Once I learned to ride this critter (took about 1000+ miles) my overall average speed
increase nearly 2 mph. Most of that gain comes from faster downhill and flat runs. I never was very
strong on hills because I worry about stresses on my knees. I always did rely on gears and a slow,
steady climb.

I found my Volae to be somewhat more difficult on really steep hills. However, I certainly don't
intent to sell my bike and go back to a DF! Rather, I believe I need to develop some new muscles and
improve my pedaling technique. Also, I changed my front chain rings from 30/42/52 to 24/38/48. The
Volae has 650c wheels and an 11/32 rear cog. I think this is provides about a gear 18 for hill
climbing (haven't measured/calculated it exactly). In any event, my hill climbing is slowly getting
back almost to where it was with my DF.

One month after getting the Volae, I did the MS150 mile Best Dam Bike Tour (2 days) and had an
average speed of almost 15 mph - which is very good for me. That ride has many respectable hills - I
would probably have been slower on my DF. The main thing is that the ride was pain free! On my DF, I
would have been miserable by the end of each day.

If 90% of your biking is up and down really steep hills, even the best recumbent will be a challenge
- I'd suggest that you simply have to make a judgment call based upon how much pain you are having
on your DF. If the pain-free reward of a bent is worth it to you, then you may find this an
acceptable trade-off for a bit less performance going up hills.

"gcdoss" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

It is truth that recumbents don't climb very steep grades as fast as DFs. However as others have
pointed out, some are better at climbing than others. Also the technique is different. And
(something that the 'throw away' guys never learned) it takes more than a few rides to develop 'bent
muscles that are effective in hills. Admittedly, I am a 'flatlander'. But this is only by present
location and not birth. I have spent a fair amount of time 'bent climbing in the Appalachians and
Carpathians. I did 86 miles of 105 in the 2002 Mountains of Misery. I averaged 13 mph. Three other
'bents completed the century that involved over 12,000 feet of climbing. The local people giving you
advice do not have enough bent experience to know what they are talking about. What is a 3000' peak?
Where it it? It doesn't mean much if the valleys are 1500'-2000' ASL Yet those can still be daunting
climbs. The Mountains of Misery Ride is such an example. Except that the highest passes are 4000+
and the valleys are about 1800' ASL

Now to your bike in question. I doubt that few here or elsewhere can attest to the climbing
ability of an Actionbent. I know I can't. Not only that, I can't recommend any other bent in that
price range that has a reputation as being a good climbing 'bent. Before you commit to an Action
bent, consider the other similarly priced recumbents, CycleGenius and EZ-1. While I can not
recommend any 'bent in that price range, I can not discount them either. As I said, I doubt that
few here or elsewhere can attest to the climbing ability of an Actionbent. That holds true for the
CG and EZ-1 too.

I will heartily endorse my Lightning P-38 and Bacchetta Giro as being fine climbing recumbents. I
will say that the LWB RANS Stratus I owned was very slow, especially when loaded with 50 lbs. of
touring baggage. However, unfortunately, none of these recumbents fit into your price range.

Now,I ask you a question. As a 69 y.o., do you really want to 'blow a gasket' climbing mountains or
do you want to take your time, get to the top and have plenty left over to do the next mountain?

At 57, I can safely say that I'll never climb another mountain if all I had was a DF. I try to
manage one long tour a year. Most involve some climbing. All involve carrying heavy loads. I usually
average 10-12 mph including the hills. Unencumbered and on the Katy Flatland century, I averaged
17.5 mph one year for 100 miles and 20 mph for a metric century(62) the next.

Good luck on your quest for a recumbent, Maybe an ActionBent will work for you. Getting to the top
ahead of everyone else may not be so important. But properly geared and properly conditioned rider
will get to the top under their own power.

Keep us posted.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

--
Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

"gcdoss" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

You should never listen to morons at that bike shop

gcdoss <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

Jerry: Sorry to say this, but your friends don't know what they are talking about. I've done some
riding in "hilly" Prescott on a Greenspeed tandem trike--pretty slow--and a Haluzak single bike--
pretty fast. I was able to do the Skull Valley loop (60 miles) averaging about 15 mph. I climbed the
thousands of feet just fine, thank you very much. Most people will find most recumbents slower but
no way over a 100% slower. Recumbents take some getting used to, and one or two rides won't do it.
Think about a few months, really. And after those long rides, you'll get up and walk away instead of
holding on to your sore ass for hours. There are some new, very light titanium "high racers" that
many riders are finding really fast on ALL kinds of terrain. Do some reading in this groups and
others by searching under your subject heading. You'll learn a lot.

Cheers,

Scott

gcdoss <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

Jerry, those guys at the bike shop are giving you the straight scoop. Recumbents are notoriously bad
hill climbers. I am a bit familiar with the Prescott area and I think it is downright mountainous. I
would say get a recumbent only if you have some fairly flat areas in which to ride. I am from flat
Minnesota and so recumbents work well for me here. But Arizona as I remember it is anything but
flat. Proceed with caution!

I am going to predict that you are going to get all kinds of posts to your message from this
newsgroup about how recumbents can climb just as good as uprights. Some of these fools will even
advise you that recumbents climb better than uprights! Listen to them at your peril.

However, you are at the age now where you could really enjoy a recumbent. Are there not some flat
areas along the river valleys there where you could ride I wonder. Even hills are do able provided
they are not too steep. I think if you could find about 25 miles or so of fairly flat riding in or
near Prescott that you should consider a recumbent as it would be fun and good exercise for you. But
beware those hills! Even if you can get up them on a recumbent, it will be no fun.

I think if I could not ride a recumbent I would not be riding any kind of bike at all.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

One of the first comments you get on a bent is either "Isn't it dangerous that low?", "Isn't it
uncomfortable?" or "I heard they can't climb hills?". The answers would be "no", "no" and "Depends
on the weight of the bike".

My TE-clone that weighs a good 50 lbs is tougher to drag up a hill. However I did win a small
hillclimb contest up a gravelcovered road where it went faster than a MTB. (Was stripped of fairing
so lets say 42 lbs)

My carbon Velokraft1 weighed something like 27.5 lbs and I have passed mountainbikes and roadbikes
up hills like they weren't moving. (Before anyone gives me the good old... Dats no hill... I'm
talking about stuff where speed from a previous descent or runup does not help you. Just you and mr.
Gravity duking it out.)

Mikael

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 17:01:35 -0700, gcdoss <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I was even told of one of their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride
with club was ready to give it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid.

Not that they are trying to persuade you to buy a type of bike they don't stock, you understand...

Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

Jerry, It is true that recumbents tend to climb slower than DF bikes. Especially recreational
riders. Why?? Because you can stand on the pedals going up, which you can't do on a recumbent.

But--- the rest of the story is that you can't do really long climbs standing up on an upright
either. Just watch a mountain stage in the Tour de France. Most of the time the riders sit and spin.

Realize that, at first, you will have about the same total time on a given ride that you had on your
conventional bike . Because you can ride more without pain, you should speed up as you ride more
miles and develop bent muscles. With time you will speed up about 1 or 2 mph.

However, a more fit rider will still ride faster than you.

In DF paceline culture, the highest effort is made to accelerate fast and work like crazy on
uphills. This just accentuates the differences between bent and upright even more. Personally, I
steer clear of pace lines. If you want in, you will really have to work at climbing.

It all begins with spinning. ***Gear way down (not less than two gears,preferably more)*** and pedal
as fast as you can. It feels stupid at first, but begin to concentrate on smoothness. With time,
your comfort cadence will move up from 70ish to 80ish to 90ish. (I'm now comfortable at 90ish, after
well over a year of working at it. This is the best way to save your knees and to climb.

Miles of Smiles Tom "gcdoss" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

Jerry - I do a lot of "performance oriented" recumbent riding in the Rocky Mtns. here in Colorado,
including climbs of up to 7000'. With a light and stiff bike, let's say less than 29 lbs.,
recumbents are a match for or superior in speed to DFs on flat to slightly rolling terrain. On big
climbs, for a given rider, at a given level of training, they are definitely slower - no ifs ands or
buts about it - but not as slow as the detractors would have you believe: maybe 10-15% slower which
means that in an hour of climbing you might lose 6-10 minutes which is not that much given the
comfort and scenery tradeoffs. Keep in mind that the high bottom bracket bikes will not give you as
much advantage during a slow climb as they will in the flats where drag is more of a factor. Also
consider that whatever seat angle you are comfortable with on the flats will now be another 7
degrees back on a big climb, i.e. a more upright, lower BB bike may be more suitable for climbing
for you if high speeds on the flats is not critical.

Regards Chris

gcdoss said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS for
tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of one of
their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was ready to give
it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story of a guy that
climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a recumbent and the same
trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said that's the reason we don't
see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were for Florida or Kansas. Now I
am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents would be an easier way to go
with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are few and short. Am I being given
the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part of my Social security check every
month for a year to make the purchase now I am very concerned, as I can't afford to buy something
that I won't be able to use on into the future. Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

"Mark Leuck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<pCKLb.10382$sv6.30202@attbi_s52>...

[...]

Quoted message said:

You should never listen to morons at that bike shop

Wow! That is strikingly bad advice! It is far better that Jerry listen to other neophytes like
himself than to those of us who have been into this for decades. Or do you think that perhaps he is
going to graduate to the kind of nuttiness that prevails on this newsgroup? I also like to listen to
neophytes as I think I get more truth out of them than I do from some who have spent thousands of
dollars on their fancy racing recumbents and have convinced themselves that they are nothing short
of supermen. But Jerry is 69 years of age and so he will not be unduly influenced by enthusiasms
that bear no relationship to the real world of hilly Prescott.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

At the last CycleFest event (Lancaster, UK) the winner of the hillclimb event was Ben Dickenson
riding a Trice XXL. The event was open to any type of bike, including uprights. Ben lives and rides
in Cornwall, which is hillier than most places sensible people cycle.

It's not so much what you ride, but how you ride it.

Cheers John

Cletus D. Lee said:

It is truth that recumbents don't climb very steep grades as fast as DFs.

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (grisoft.comgrisoft.comOpen ↗).
Version: 6.0.559 / Virus Database: 351 - Release Date: 2004-01-07

GC: Ed is just a congenital slacker. In his own words, anyone who seeks out and enjoys hill climbing
is an "idiot." On a decent recumbent with proper training, you'll enjoy the hills/mountains around
Prescott just fine. You will probably be slower than on your old bike, but not by that much once
you've developed the right muscles. Just give this time. For myself, like most on this news group, I
simply wouldn't ride nearly as much if it weren't for the comfort of recumbents. Unlike Ed, I've
ridden in the Prescott area. Bents can handle those hills if you do your part. Note, however, that
you will probably have to set up lower gearing than most bents come with in their stock
configuration. Plan on a 24 front granny and 32 big cog in the back as a minimum. Here is a link to
a narrative
w/photos I put together of a tour I did with my wife on our tandem trike.

crazyguyonabike.comjournalOpen ↗
20trike%20arizona&context=all

We did about 165 mountainous miles starting and ending in Prescott. It was hard, no doubt about it,
but it would have been hard on a regular bike, too. My point is, unlike Ed, I know the terrain
you're refering to; I've ridden it on two different kinds of recumbents and enjoyed it a lot.

If you're just out for the fun and exercise--and not racing other riders on "regular" bikes, check
out recumbents. If I recall, there is a pretty good recumbent dealer down in Phoenix. Take a little
trip and spend some time down there. You'll learn a lot and get to try out some bikes. Just keep in
mind that developing the different muscles takes some time, and keep the gears low and candence
high. Light on the pedals and easy on the knees.

Viva Recumbents!

Scott--Another "idiot" hill-climbing recumbent rider!

[email hidden] (Edward Dolan) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

gcdoss <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I posted this to Actionbent list but thought I may get some answers here as well.. I have been
chomping at the bits to get an Actionbent Jetstream, but today when I had My Mtn. bike at LBS
for tune-up I was told that Recumbents are very hard to climb hills with. I was even told of
one of their workers that had got a Recumbent and after taking a 27 mile ride with club was
ready to give it away. Sold it for 25% of what he paid. Another employee there told me a story
of a guy that climbed over a 3000' Peak road every weekend for years in 3 hours. He got a
recumbent and the same trip took him 8 hrs. He also sold it for half what he paid. They said
that's the reason we don't see many recumbents in our area as we have hills. He said they were
for Florida or Kansas. Now I am having second thoughts as I felt that at my age (69) Recumbents
would be an easier way to go with less pain. We do have a lot of hills but flat streaches are
few and short. Am I being given the wrong scoop or is this really the case? Having saved part
of my Social security check every month for a year to make the purchase now I am very
concerned, as I can't afford to buy something that I won't be able to use on into the future.
Jerry in hilly Prescott, AZ

Jerry, those guys at the bike shop are giving you the straight scoop. Recumbents are notoriously
bad hill climbers. I am a bit familiar with the Prescott area and I think it is downright
mountainous. I would say get a recumbent only if you have some fairly flat areas in which to ride.
I am from flat Minnesota and so recumbents work well for me here. But Arizona as I remember it is
anything but flat. Proceed with caution!

I am going to predict that you are going to get all kinds of posts to your message from this
newsgroup about how recumbents can climb just as good as uprights. Some of these fools will even
advise you that recumbents climb better than uprights! Listen to them at your peril.

However, you are at the age now where you could really enjoy a recumbent. Are there not some flat
areas along the river valleys there where you could ride I wonder. Even hills are do able provided
they are not too steep. I think if you could find about 25 miles or so of fairly flat riding in or
near Prescott that you should consider a recumbent as it would be fun and good exercise for you.
But beware those hills! Even if you can get up them on a recumbent, it will be no fun.

I think if I could not ride a recumbent I would not be riding any kind of bike at all.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

Why has everyone written about how hard climbing those hills is, and nobody mentions the phenomenal
downhill speed a recumbent attains, passing all those DF bikers?

Also, consider getting a trike. I was impressed at Larry Varney's new toy -- don't have his website
URL handy to link you to the picture -- but one can comfortably crank away up the hills, and there's
a picture of him doing it, with his hands behind his head.

I do agree with the above posters who advise not listening to the DF bike shop guys. They simply do
not have the months of experience on recumbents that make the difference in uphill performance. But
a good fast 'bent will cost you.

C.C. (in front of toasty warm imac because it's 7 degrees outside)

[email hidden] (Edward Dolan) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

gcdoss <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Jerry, those guys at the bike shop are giving you the straight scoop. Recumbents are notoriously
bad hill climbers. I am a bit familiar with the Prescott area and I think it is downright
mountainous. I would say get a recumbent only if you have some fairly flat areas in which to ride.
I am from flat Minnesota and so recumbents work well for me here. But Arizona as I remember it is
anything but flat. Proceed with caution!

I am going to predict that you are going to get all kinds of posts to your message from this
newsgroup about how recumbents can climb just as good as uprights. Some of these fools will even
advise you that recumbents climb better than uprights! Listen to them at your peril.

However, you are at the age now where you could really enjoy a recumbent. Are there not some flat
areas along the river valleys there where you could ride I wonder. Even hills are do able provided
they are not too steep. I think if you could find about 25 miles or so of fairly flat riding in or
near Prescott that you should consider a recumbent as it would be fun and good exercise for you.
But beware those hills! Even if you can get up them on a recumbent, it will be no fun.

I think if I could not ride a recumbent I would not be riding any kind of bike at all.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

Thanks Ed, I realize that I have a long way to go and will never be a young sprout again as do you.
I have decided that I can go north to Chino Valley (12 miles)and have many long flat rides with few
or no serious hills. Also as someone else suggested a weekend trip now and then to Clarkwoods
valleys is easy and fun sounding. The local Chaingang Club does a lot of long hilly rides but a few
of the older guys take their time and sorta hang together. I will stay with them for the most part.
Due to the pains I've been getting I know it's not long till I won't be riding mtn bikes at all and
the recumbent should keep me active a lot longer. Test riding will start Monday in Phoenix to find
the right machine. Next year I will try to do the Skull Valley ride and plan to walk/push a lot of
the way.. Thanks again Jerry

Carol Cohen said:

Why has everyone written about how hard climbing those hills is, and nobody mentions the
phenomenal downhill speed a recumbent attains, passing all those DF bikers?

Also, consider getting a trike. I was impressed at Larry Varney's new toy -- don't have his
website URL handy to link you to the picture -- but one can comfortably crank away up the hills,
and there's a picture of him doing it, with his hands behind his head.

That picture, taken by BentDan, is on the Gallery section of the Catrike website
(catrike.comgallery.aspOpen ↗). What really sold me on recumbent trikes - after I got
somewhat used to just how much fun they are to ride to begin with - is how much easier it is to
climb with one of them, than *anything* on two wheels. Sure, I might be going the same speed on a
recumbent bike as on the recumbent trike, but the effort seems less. At least, I'm not breathing
nearly as hard when I get to the top. Toss in the "no worries" business about wobbling and
falling over, and you've got the perfect ride for steep climbs. And weather-wise: it's now 19
degrees here in northern Kentucky. This morning it was 10. I'm sitting here in front of my toasty
Linux machine, dreaming about late April when I head off for a week of triking along the Mosel
and Rhine rivers, along with attending Spezi!

Quoted message said:

I do agree with the above posters who advise not listening to the DF bike shop guys. They simply
do not have the months of experience on recumbents that make the difference in uphill performance.
But a good fast 'bent will cost you.

C.C. (in front of toasty warm imac because it's 7 degrees outside)

--
Larry Varney Cold Spring, KY home.fuse.netlarryvarneyOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

By way, once you get to the top of the hill,

you get to experience an extreme gravity event that you never experienced on an upright bike. The
word plummet will take on new meaning.<

Does this qualify?

"Carol Cohen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Why has everyone written about how hard climbing those hills is, and nobody mentions the
phenomenal downhill speed a recumbent attains, passing all those DF bikers?

Also, consider getting a trike. I was impressed at Larry Varney's new toy -- don't have his
website URL handy to link you to the picture -- but one can comfortably crank away up the hills,
and there's a picture of him doing it, with his hands behind his head.

I do agree with the above posters who advise not listening to the DF bike shop guys. They simply
do not have the months of experience on recumbents that make the difference in uphill performance.
But a good fast 'bent will cost you.

C.C. (in front of toasty warm imac because it's 7 degrees outside)

[email hidden] (Scott) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

GC: Ed is just a congenital slacker. In his own words, anyone who seeks out and enjoys hill
climbing is an "idiot."

I stand by my statement 100%!

On a decent

Quoted message said:

recumbent with proper training, you'll enjoy the hills/mountains around Prescott just fine. You
will probably be slower than on your old bike, but not by that much once you've developed the
right muscles. Just give this time. For myself, like most on this news group, I simply wouldn't
ride nearly as much if it weren't for the comfort of recumbents. Unlike Ed, I've ridden in the
Prescott area.

I was in the Prescott area once about 30 years ago. I do recall walking about the town a bit but I
spent most of my time hiking in the near by mountains. It seems it should be possible to cycle
around Prescott on a recumbent as long as you stay out of those doggone mountains!

Quoted message said:

Bents can handle those hills if you do your part. Note, however, that you will probably have to
set up lower gearing than most bents come with in their stock configuration. Plan on a 24 front
granny and 32 big cog in the back as a minimum.

All this talk about lower gears and more spinning should tell you that recumbents don't climb as
well as uprights. And beware of all this talk of developing different leg muscles too. If and when
you decide to climb a major mountain pass you will be as slow as molasses. Get used to it and learn
to enjoy being slow.

[...]

Just keep in mind that developing the different muscles

Quoted message said:

takes some time, and keep the gears low and cadence high. Light on the pedals and easy on
the knees.

Yep! Here it is again! The usual caveats about different leg muscles, low gears and high cadence.
This should tell you all you will ever want to know. My best advice Jerry, make damn sure you have
got some flat areas in which to ride your recumbent, or you could end up selling it after a few
rides like your friends at the local bike shop because you will quickly discover that recumbents
don't climb worth a damn!

Quoted message said:

Viva Recumbents!

Scott--Another "idiot" hill-climbing recumbent rider!

Yes, follow this Scott character and you will rue the day you ever listened to him! He has most
likely got leg muscles on him that you would only see on Superman! Us ordinary mortals have got to
use our brains!

Ed Dolan - Minnesota