In this forum we've all experienced that epiphany in our cycling lives when we realized the pure joy that recumbent-riding provides. Sometimes in our ecstacy some of us become overly effusive in describing the virtues of recumbent bikes, giving testimony to its superiority over more popular methods of cycling and quoting from the Recumbent Bible to convert traditional, heathen bicyclists. I plead guilty; I once was an evangelist of recumbency, too.
Once I stopped trying to make converts, though, I found that unsolicited interest in my recumbent bike began to grow. Two traditional cyclists I had been riding with for a short time actually bought the same brand of recumbent I rode because they themselves could see how much fun I was having. One of those has since moved on to a trike! Just recently, a close friend of mine who had been away from cycling for a number of years saw me riding my lowracer and decided on his own he wanted to ride one. I obliged him, of course, but also let him know the few downsides of such a decision (price, availability, learning curve, climbing performance, etc.). He wouldn't listen to me and I'm now his mentor as he learns the ropes on his own lowracer. I'm glad to help him avoid the problems I faced learning on my own. He's yet to crash, knock-on-wood.
Recumbent bikes are jewels. Let those who can see their worth discover that for themselves. We can be there for them as mentors, if needed. I like that role.
(edit: I should add that there are some here and at other websites that have been a sort of mentor to me as I've matured into recumbency. My thanks to them all.)
LittleBigMan
01-31-06, 10:22 AM
...I found that unsolicited interest in my recumbent bike began to grow....they themselves could see how much fun I was having.
Believe it or not, when I was riding my bent downtown (only the fourth day of ownership) I had a Georgia Power Co. man call out to me, "Is that thing hard to balance?" which led to a brief discussion, and a construction worker on a roof waved at me and started clapping! :eek: (I'm not sure I want that much attention!)
It might be that other roof-dwellers have been waving at me all along, but on my upright, I haven't seen them. :D
BlazingPedals
01-31-06, 10:46 AM
I too was a bit of an evengelist when I first started riding bents. But then I realized that my bent was such an advantage over my buddies that I wanted to keep it for myself. I've since graduated from sport bents to lowracers, so I don't mind if others get recumbents; but then if they do they're one step closer to having a lowracer of their own and then I'll once again be just another face in the middle of the pack. I kind of like winning all the sign sprints!
So now I answer questions that come to me, and even recommend a bent as a solution to a specific problem, but I'm much more selective and restrained about preaching the gospel. Strangely, I now seem to be converting more people than before - my bent-friendly LBS is constantly getting bent customers whose story somehow goes back to me.
Mars
01-31-06, 01:30 PM
I get approached a lot about my bent and it is easy to carried away by my enthusiasm. People seem to think I'm some sort of mad scientist, so seeing me on my bent is probably like seeing that guy from Back to the Future in that DeLorean. No matter how cool or fast it is, it is still a crazy contraption the lunatic fringe rides.
So, needless to say, no converts here yet. ;)
Paul L.
01-31-06, 01:42 PM
I get approached a lot about my bent and it is easy to carried away by my enthusiasm. People seem to think I'm some sort of mad scientist, so seeing me on my bent is probably like seeing that guy from Back to the Future in that DeLorean. No matter how cool or fast it is, it is still a crazy contraption the lunatic fringe rides.
So, needless to say, no converts here yet. ;)
Same here. Except one guy down the street that saw me holding my own in traffic and thought my bike looked a lot like something he had thought of a long time ago when he was frustrated with his upright bike. He hasn't converted yet but said he would like to give mine a spin around the neighborhood sometime.
bkaapcke
01-31-06, 04:43 PM
I get some strange questions about my Sun EZ Sport. One guy thought I bought it for the 'chopper look' and couldn't understqand why anyone would do that. No amount of discussion could convince him it was way more comfortable than a df. I guess people don't listen to what they don't want to hear. bk
Paul L.
01-31-06, 05:18 PM
I get some strange questions about my Sun EZ Sport. One guy thought I bought it for the 'chopper look' and couldn't understqand why anyone would do that. No amount of discussion could convince him it was way more comfortable than a df. I guess people don't listen to what they don't want to hear. bk
yeah I can't figure that one out because usually those same people have a Lazy Boy at home that puts them in that same comfortable position! :)
LittleBigMan
02-01-06, 07:53 AM
People seem to think I'm some sort of mad scientist, so seeing me on my bent is probably like seeing that guy from Back to the Future in that DeLorean.
My wife said I look like I'm riding some wierd invention from the 19th century. I was thinking, maybe, Artemis Gordon in the Wild, Wild, Wild West movie.
Avanti!
Mars
02-01-06, 10:01 AM
My wife said I look like I'm riding some wierd invention from the 19th century. I was thinking, maybe, Artemis Gordon in the Wild, Wild, Wild West movie.
Avanti!
Yeah! Or that guy from "Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne.
megaman
02-01-06, 06:45 PM
So, needless to say, no converts here yet. ;)
I'm not sure for myself. I had one guy stop me and look pretty closely at my EZ Sport. He was in the shop where I got mine shortly after that. Not sure if he bought one. But I've had a fair number say that's the type of bike they would ride if they could afford it. But it keeps going through my mind, that if you ride much it would be sooooo much more comfortable that you just couldn't help but want one too.
Grampy™
02-01-06, 06:51 PM
My wife said I look like I'm riding some weird invention from the 19th century. I was thinking, maybe, Artemis Gordon in the Wild, Wild, Wild West movie.
Avanti!
Really? My wife said I looked like I belonged in a Sci-Fi movie.... :D
MaxBender
02-01-06, 07:18 PM
I ride with a DF'er. It's funny when we stop for a break. He jumps off his upright, unkinks his back, straightens out, etc.
I just stop, put my feet down, and chill. I'm already in the best seat in the house. :)
LittleBigMan
02-02-06, 10:54 AM
I ride with a DF'er. It's funny when we stop for a break. He jumps off his upright, unkinks his back, straightens out, etc.
I just stop, put my feet down, and chill. I'm already in the best seat in the house. :)
At first, I thought, "This seating position is more like driving a car." But then I realized you can't see the sky in a car (unless it's a convertible...) So there's really nothing better.
bobkat
02-03-06, 06:47 AM
I get stopped and asked a lot about my LWB Burley bent, and I've let a number of people ride it. Almost to a person, they love it and the only objection they ever have is the price tag! People are used to buying Wal Mart Huffies for $87.32 and they tend to balk at the entry level price. Even people with $500 price range bikes still hold back at $800 - $1000 for a reasonable bent.
I still maintain that with the boomers getting older and retiring fatter and out of shape there would be a great, possible huge, market for a mass produced reasonable componented easy to ride bike in the $400 to $600 range. Some of those newer comfortable semi recumbent ride through the park types might fit this category.
I've found the bent sells itself, but the price tag is the only negative factor.
MaxBender
02-04-06, 03:56 PM
...the only objection they ever have is the price tag!
An expensive Bent is still cheaper than Golf, and less hassle than cardiac surgery down the road...
Oh, yeah, no green fees either! :)
sbhikes
02-04-06, 07:42 PM
AA and the other similar groups learned a long time ago that preaching doesn't work. You have to be attractive to others and let them come to you. If it looks like you have want they want, they'll want whatever it is you have. Otherwise your words will fall on deaf ears.
Dr.Deltron
02-24-06, 12:08 PM
In this forum we've all experienced that epiphany in our cycling lives when we realized the pure joy that recumbent-riding provides.
Ah Yes! After about 20 miles on my first recumbent (a used Challenge Hurricane) I didn't want to convert cyclists one at a time. I wanted EVERYBODY to try a recumbent!!!! Soooo, I started a recumbent only shop! And not a retail deal either, a RENTAL shop. You could try all the latest bents, side by side for extended rides. At the time I had the largest 'bent shop in the country, and about the only one with bents for rent. Hence, I called it A Bent 4Rent! And I didn't just have "entry level" bents, the fleet went all the way up to a Windcheetah. Of course, the Greenspeed (with its Schlumph crankset) was by far the most popular.
UNFORTUNETLY, an errant highschool driver, behind the wheel of a HotRod '68 Camarro, didn't have the experience to execute a tire-burning hard corner and ultimately slammed into my new shop truck. To make a long sad story short, the resulting legal wranglings left me hi-and-dry with apparently no recourse. So, the end result was the demise of my bent shop.
So, a decade later, I still have some bents in the stables but I no longer have the desire to try to convince anybody that they are the ultimate in human transportation (along with rollerSKATES!). I just ride them and enjoy them. It's all "water-under-the-bridge" and I'm returning to my true cycling love; PAINTING!
As a note, the above mentioned HotRod driver is no longer with us. He met his end by mysterious, self inflicted means (not driving or firearm related) about a year after my encounter with him. Poor *******!
ALL I can say is this;
TRY A RECUMBENT! Try many, especially TRIKES. Spend as much as you can afford and get more than one. Always good to have a "loaner" handy. You won't be sorry! Budget? Try eBay! (but try the bent you want before you place a bid)
There it is...my $.02 worth. Viva Recumbency!
Dr.D
dogbitteneear
02-28-06, 08:50 AM
I've had pretty much the same conversation about balancing my te clone.
I tell one and all that the hardest part is always the start. analogy--A big heavy
truck with a big transmission still has to labor to get started. So the same goes
for me. Initial start and away I go.
Bianchiriderlon
02-28-06, 09:46 AM
Really? My wife said I looked like I belonged in a Sci-Fi movie.... :D
Interesting. In the movie "2010 The Year We Make Contact" Roy Scheider's character's son is briefly pictured riding a bent.
Charles
hartlean
03-29-06, 08:09 PM
In this forum we've all experienced that epiphany in our cycling lives when we realized the pure joy that recumbent-riding provides. Sometimes in our ecstacy some of us become overly effusive in describing the virtues of recumbent bikes, giving testimony to its superiority over more popular methods of cycling and quoting from the Recumbent Bible to convert traditional, heathen bicyclists. I plead guilty; I once was an evangelist of recumbency, too.
(snip)
Hey bentrox,
thanks for the note; I admire your humble spirit about that.
As a lifelong DF'er, I am just now learning about bents & want to get one as soon as my 20-year-old 27 inch roadie commuter/touring machine is too expensive to maintain. In the meantime, however, I would just encourage you to spread the word about benting in general if it will get anybody else riding bicycles at all.
You may have seen the recent news (CNN, Time magazine. . .) about how global warming is no longer in doubt (except among fringe scientists). Whatever we can do to decrease smog would be a good thing, I'd guess. . .
Side note: You mentioned disadvantages of benting: learning curve, parts availability and slower hill climbing, etc. What's the "etc.", plz?
bentrox!
03-30-06, 11:46 AM
deleted - double post!
bentrox!
03-30-06, 11:48 AM
.... Side note: You mentioned disadvantages of benting: learning curve, parts availability and slower hill climbing, etc. What's the "etc.", plz?
The learning curve is not that great, of course, but balancing on some bents, say a lowracer model, is trickier than others, like a more-upright compact long-wheel base.
Parts availability is not a problem. Except for their seats and handlebars, bents use commonly available bike components. Its the availability of the bents themselves that's problematic - they are few and far between, making test rides difficult to do. There are very few places nationwide that stock bents - your local LBS is not likely to have any models, or interest for that matter.
If you are a strong climber on a lightweight DF, you may be sorely disappointed in the climbing performance of most bents, though some models are better than others (P-38 for example, is a legendary climber.) Performance will improve with conditioning of bent leg muscle groups though.
The "etc." are mostly minor mechanical nuisances: When it comes time to replace a chain - you need three of them! Most bents cannot be held up on a common bike workstand. Even with a custom workstand you can't spin the cranks with one hand and adjust the rear derrailleur with the other unless you've got the arm length of a gorilla. Brake, derrailleur and odometer cables/housings/wiring have to be extra-long over that of a DF set-up. Most bike accessories (lights, bottle cages, bags) need modified mounts requiring some tinkering on your part. Many bents use different sized wheels/tires/tubes front and rear. That's most of it.
Other "etc.": You can't stand off the saddle (there isn't one) so you can't use gravity/bar pull to hammer up a hill or bunny-hop a curb. It's awkward to look behind you so many bent riders resort to some kind of mirror set-up. Some "serious" cyclists may let you know their disdain while many others are just curious and may cause you to be the center of unwanted attention. It's harder to transport some bents in or on a vehicle - it's almost impossible to carry a bent on public transport (bus, subway, et. al.) and good luck if you live in a high-rise apartment or condo. It may be more difficult to re-sell a bent - the market is very small.
That's a lot of "etc." but I love my bent anyway.
blknwhtfoto
03-30-06, 02:14 PM
WooooEEEEE! I am excited to get my bent put together! It is 100 miles away(I'm staying at my moms over spring break). I had a dream about riding it. Man o' Man do I feel like a nerd.