Recumbent - Why are bicycle riders so stupid?

I had a real good friend who I work with stop by work on his off day to show off his new Lance '5500 bike with him all decked out in the latest Lance fashions.
Man the bike is cool but my bud is a dweeb. Nice guy and all and boy has he droped the weight but I checked out his computer and he had a 14.5 mph average speed on his super duper 5500 trek speed machine.
Any fit guy could drop him like a rock on a one speed Mountain bike. But hey it helps to have 5 G's for a bike and a few more bills for some Lance dud's.
I see some popular forums on this site on why people ride recumbents. Any one of the performance model 'bents would give a faster average speed than this guy got on his fancy trek bike. It is nothing more than hype from a less than steller company.
But trek and Lance's seventh victory in France will sell many more of these high end bikes for trek to fat old guys with money. I have always charged recumbancy with the most F.O.G.'s with money but I am wrong. It's trek bikes and fat old guys living the Lance fantasy through the bike they just bought.
Just wait a year or two for things to get back to reality.
Hurting arms, wrists, necks and backs from the trek torture machine.
Viva la Lance and good ole trek....

Magilla

after a number of years riding recumbents I finally got a trek 5200 with brooks saddle to fit me. Can go 50- 100 miles with no discomfort. Heads up position on recumbent is still an advantage. I do like to fly up the hills around here rather than grind up em.

also, trek 5200 full ultegra full carbon super light wheels etc..... goes for around $2000 this time of year. Can also do very well in used market. What do you get in the recumbent world. I know as I also have a P 38 and GRR.

My, my. Feeling superior today, aren't we? Who's to say he won't enjoy his purchase? Speed isn't the only justification for buying a nice machine, ya know.

well said, the average age of a corvette owner is over 50 years old. at that age you appreciate a good machine and have the coin to buy without hurting the family.

Nice guy and all and boy has he droped the weight but I checked out his computer and he had a 14.5 mph average speed on his super duper 5500 trek speed machine.
Any fit guy could drop him like a rock on a one speed Mountain bike.
Magilla

It must be awesome to be you. To be able to judge others and decide what they should and should not ride and how fast they should be riding it. If your *friend likes the way the bike looks, feels, rides....why should you care?

*Definition of the word friend.....someone who you know like trust AND SUPPORT!

What's the matter... jealous? ;)

Hurting arms, wrists, necks and backs from the trek torture machine.
Viva la Lance and good ole trek....
Magilla

Look at the good side, soon, many of these fine bikes will be for sale on E-bay at fraction of their list price. :)

It's the same with most any sport; many people are more into the paraphernalia than the sport itself. In the case of cycling, I say more power to them. If their fascination with whatever equipment they choose keeps them cranking the pedals, hey, however goofy we might think they look, they are doing themselves a world of good, healthwise.

I bet you're not even a real gorilla.

:(

Holy **** Kevin got a case of testosterone going or what? I would even give up some hunting season to see this contest.

YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I was once out on a ride with one of those "fat, decked out in USPS riders." We were on a Century and there was a brutal head wind. My buddy and I had been taking hard pulls at the front of this 7 man group for about 1/2 an hour. We had dropped the group down to 4 people through the punishing pace. I finally cracked and Tony had nothing else to give either, when suddenly this heavy set fellow decked out in Postal stuff pulls around me and says "hop on, i'll take a turn."

In my (shamefully) judgemental haste I imagined to myself "sure thing buddy, have a crack at it, this ought to be nice for a minute or so." He proceeded to dang near pop my legs off for about 20 minutes.

Be carefull about judging riders until you've been in a pack with him.

Also, if he's a good friend of yours, don't you ride with him? Why did you have to spy on his computer to see what his avg. was? Maybe that was from a commute to the grocery store?

I checked out his computer and he had a 14.5 mph average speed on his super duper 5500 trek speed machine.
Magilla

If I averaged 14.5 mph on my rides I doubt if 1 in a 100 would pass me. Of course I don't ride roads either. I average around 11 mph on paved trails and 10 on limestone trails. So I'm not fast and I don't care to be, but hardly anyone passes me.

I checked out his computer and he had a 14.5 mph average speed on his super duper 5500 trek speed machine.

Magilla

hmmm...Don't be so quick to judge.

His computer doesn't mean anything unless you know the length and intent of the ride? Was it a 10% grade hill? Was he training withing a particular heart rate range? Or was a simple recovery (slow ride) cuz he over did it yesterday.

His money, his deal, don't rain on it

hardly anyone passes me.

Like driving ...Depends on where it is. Sometimes, it's unsafe to swing into traffic pass. Othertimes, passing is stupid cuz you'll both be stoppng at the next light in 30 seconds. Or maybe a trail is just too narrow...or the person ahead of you is just too cute to pass up :p