Recumbents and bad image [Archive]

ORBIT

12-24-02, 10:03 AM

Why have recumbents got such a bad image?
My wife hates me riding mine,infact she will not ride a bike with me if im on the recumbent.
We have had some new people next door.I went out on my recumbent,and when my wife found out the first thing she said was "No body saw you did they"?
Ill have to admitt,ive been called the most offensive things when out on my recumbent,even had people try to push me off.
It seems to attract the low life like a magic beacon.My wife worries
about this.
Even a good freind of mine said"You have got some bottle riding THAT?.
Recumbents are great but they really do need a image boost.
Even a recumbent rider was asked on another forum what it was like riding a recumbent and he said"Its like riding a fat woman,
lots of fun,but you would not like to have your mates seeing you do it."

bentbaggerlen

12-25-02, 06:59 AM

When I ride mine, people are friendly, wave and ask all kinds of things. Most often its "Did you build that yourself?" Other then a couple of remarks from stick bikers (AKA dicks on sticks, or "look at me I rade the same bike as Lance!" See Zippercheck.com for stick biker info) I have never had anyone say anything negative.

If you wife has a problem with your bent you need to ask her
"Whats wrong with you woman?" :) Yea very non PC

DnvrFox

12-25-02, 07:07 AM

I think there is a "Bent Support Group" out there in eworld somewhere for folks like you (and your wife, especially).

I think they are sort of "cute."

Your wife should be glad you want to get out and have some exercise, rather than complaining.

Poppaspoke

12-25-02, 09:44 AM

bentbaggerlen

12-25-02, 07:43 PM

Thankfully that is true. But I would not call them hardcore, poser is much more fitting. A bike is a bike....

One customer that I see in the shop has told me many times that bents are not bikes, that their nothing but a fad. Every time he came into the shop same thing. Then I ran into him in North Hampton Ma. on my way back from Greenfield Ma. About 120 miles round trip. I was riding my bent and pulling the trailer with stuff that I had bought at a flea market. He asks me "How did you get here?" My anuser "Well duh! On my bike!" He did not know what to say. Now I don't here a peep out of this guy.

Greg

12-26-02, 07:37 AM

Everyone knows that recumbent riders are ill folk. Trouble making nay sayers whos sole purpose is to shake their ankles at solid traditionalists. Either that, or they just have bad backs. ;)

bentbaggerlen

12-26-02, 08:27 PM

Hmmm, my back is fine....

Viva Recumbency!

Long live the laidback revolution!

Let the freak flags fly!...........

Sorry to much suger, holiday candy and all

Arnold Layne

12-27-02, 07:00 AM

Yeah, you're always gonna have the posers and the low-lifes that give you trouble. Most people (young and old alike) give me good comments on my bike. I own a road bike, a mountain bike and a recumbent. They all have their place. Can't take the 'bent off road, at least not intentionally! I don't ride the road bike much anymore but it used to be the only bike I had (lots of memories - wouldn't part with it for anything) and when I first saw a recumbent I knew that was the bike I wanted if I could ever afford one. I was quite young then. My son rides a 'bent and his younger buddies make fun of him for riding an old folk's bike. He just laughs and tells them he hopes he's still riding when he becomes an old folk and hopes his even older dad's right beside him! To me it doesn't matter what you ride, as long as you ride (the same goes for motorcycles, and that's another story).

bentbaggerlen

12-27-02, 05:18 PM

I'll ride anything with at least two wheels. Mountain bikes, road bikes, recumbents, tandems etc. Use the best tool for the job.

izgod

12-27-02, 11:17 PM

While riding through our development, a little girl, couldn't be more than 6 or 7, yelled out at me, "Weirdo." I know she was only repeating what she heard from her parents, probably while riding with the family in the SUV to church.
Most children light up when the see the bike and say things like "Cool bike," and "Can I ride it?" Older folks, especially those who look like they get no exercise, look at you like you have cancer. Most healthy minded people smile and wave and sometimes say something nice. Just yesterday some workmen at the house asked me about it and when it came to "How much did it cost," they looked astounded then said, "Did you bump your head? It's just a bike!!"

bentbaggerlen

12-28-02, 06:55 AM

Yea, right after "Did you build it yourself?" Comes "How much?!?For a bike!" I got this from a customer at the shop when he saw my Screamer at the shop. This was right after he had just ordered his new time trial bike, full out custom Lightspeed all top of the line ($6700) He could justify the cost of his new bike, but not my recumbent. He said it would get ridden more then mine, and it was faster etc etc. Turns out that his new bike was only ridden three times. It beat him up so badly he had bleading. He sold the bike at a huge loss.

jayhop

12-28-02, 07:56 AM

All of the bicycle records for speed and distance are held by recombents, and yes they are bicycles. Two wheels, human powered. I don't own one either, but would like to if I had the room and budget for one. Some people are more interested in defending thier position/stuff by building themselves up than accepting others and thier stuff. Variation is the spice of life. If you don't like so much variation, simplify your life, but don't put others down for going for it. Rock on recombents!

Michel Gagnon

12-28-02, 09:43 PM

ORBIT

01-04-03, 09:32 AM

My wife is more worried about me being attacked.Only today
a car went passed me from behind and a kid hung out of the window,he shouted a loud roar and tryed to push me off but could not reach.
The bike does really seem to have a horrilbe effect on people here.
I also locked the bike when i went to do some shopping,has i waliked past it going to another shop a group of kid were lokking at it and were in fits of laughter,and iwasnt even riding it.
People on a number of occasions have come at me to try and get me of the bike.
I really enjoy riding my recumbent,i am feed up that this enjoyment is being spoilt be the lower than life sub normals that live in Birmingham.

Greg

01-04-03, 01:15 PM

I guess your only choice is to move to the more tolerant "Promise Land".

Reminds me of John Candy in Uncle Buck. "It's the Hat. People hate this hat".

ORBIT

01-04-03, 01:30 PM

I wish.But where is the promised land?

bentrox!

01-04-03, 04:06 PM

Evidently not in Verminham.

Sorry to hear of your hassles. In almost three years of riding a recumbent I've not shared your experience. The worst has been limited to half-hearted jokes or mild derision. Not that I live in the Promised Land, but most folks here are genuinely curious about the bike (comfort, balance, speed, etc.) Most complimentary are the youngest kids and a lot of the teenagers - the ones least likely to experience riding one.

Can you ride with a group? You know, maybe share your experiences with company?

Strain that chain!

fofa

01-06-03, 09:29 AM

ORBIT I guess it would beg one to ask why they even care what you ride? I mean from your posts it almost appears you are the laughing stock of the community, or the village 'Bent rider. So why does the type of wheels you ride bring that on? Just wondering.

ORBIT

01-06-03, 11:58 AM

I really do think its the type of people that live in Birmingham,or perhaps other big citys in England.
People here seem to be like mindless sheep with bad tempers.
If Beckam went out wearing a green dress with purple and pink spots,people would start wearing the same.What im saying if something is fashionable or a star makes something fasionable then the sheep will start wearing it.
But do something different because there is logical reasons for doing it and your a laughing stock.
On a lighter note,a lot of people in our road have got their house
up for sale,my dad said"its that bike you ride,their all leaving".
Such is the bad image of recumbents.

jayhop

01-06-03, 01:08 PM

I too have this reaction from some people in and around Wichita, Kansas. I've lived in other areas that had better bike riding and as a result more bikes on the road. The people in the area tended to be more accepting of bikes and recreation in general. Here in central the work ethic is very strong and I think people just don't understand the benifit of recreating. They just don't get it! The reason I'm here is because of a job. If it wasn't for that I'd move to a nicer place. If you get a chance, move to a place where your lifestyle is accepted more.

jayhop

01-06-03, 01:15 PM

I think that I read Colorado Springs, Colorado has more recreation trails than anywhere in the U.S.A.. :D :D

cycletourist

01-06-03, 01:45 PM

People ride recumbents because they can't get comfortable on a standard road bike. And that is mostly the bike industry's fault for allowing road bikes to devolve into uncomfortable torture machines. A properly set-up road bike is quite comfortable for most people.

But, even tho I will never own a bent I think they look cool and I'm glad they exist.

bentrox!

01-06-03, 03:39 PM

Originally posted by cycletourist
People ride recumbents because they can't get comfortable on a standard road bike..., even tho I will never own a bent...I'm glad they exist.

I'd think that unless you do own recumbent, it'd be presumptuous to generalize about those that do.

I ride a recumbent, but not because I "can't get comfortable on a standard road bike". I comfortably ride all three of my bikes - road, MTB and bent - to enjoy the unique benefits of each. Like cycletourist, "I'm glad they exist" - all three. The bent is not my perfect, everything bike; it has its advantages and disadvantages. Of the latter, ORBIT is the victim of pranks and jokes, perhaps because of the undeserved nerdy imagery bents evoke in some folks. The image of bents seem to suffer more than any other type of bike from many unfortunate myths, including the supposed reason people ride them. I'm often amused how other cyclists that don't ride bents seem to know so much about them. ;)

cycletourist

01-07-03, 11:04 AM

Bentrox,

I never said I haven't ridden a bent- just that I don't own one. I have ridden bents and I have spent plenty of time talking to bent riders, mostly at RAGBRAI and the MS150. The story I got from most of them was that they couldn't get comfortable on upright bikes. I am not being presumptuous at all- if I gave you that impression I apologize.

Guest

01-07-03, 11:30 AM

Originally posted by ORBIT
Why have recumbents got such a bad image?
My wife hates me riding mine,infact she will not ride a bike with me if im on the recumbent.
We have had some new people next door.I went out on my recumbent,and when my wife found out the first thing she said was "No body saw you did they"?
Ill have to admitt,ive been called the most offensive things when out on my recumbent,even had people try to push me off.
It seems to attract the low life like a magic beacon.My wife worries
about this.
Even a good freind of mine said"You have got some bottle riding THAT?.
Recumbents are great but they really do need a image boost.
Even a recumbent rider was asked on another forum what it was like riding a recumbent and he said"Its like riding a fat woman,
lots of fun,but you would not like to have your mates seeing you do it."

Orbit, I'd say recumbents are like experimental autos, electric scooters in offices and electric standing wheelchairs or walking pods. All can serve some purpose and are breaking new ground, yet are unorthodox and haven't found mass appeal. Which, I might add causes pause and even more so fosters fears for those that want to be part of something great, verses getting ostracizing looks because their not.

Personally, I don't like them... They don't foster a vision of exercise, dynamic handling nor speed to me. They remind me of a lounge chair with pedals and windshield out front instead of a foot rest. Almost a wantabe motorcycle, yet held up short in design. To each, their own!

Here's a question...Why is it that I always see some guy with a grey beard, shaggy hair, looks old because, with a protruding gut laying on his lap as he's passed... Here's a steriotype thought...It wouldn't surprise me to find out that most are scientists, engineers or educators of sort. :D

ORBIT

01-07-03, 01:39 PM

Imagine how slow these oldies with beards would be on a upright,if you managed to go past them.
No upright has come near the spped record of a recumbant,and remember they were only banned because upright called not out perform them in the speed stakes.
As for only oldies riding them,iv seen a cycle courier riding a recumbent,and he could really shift.
But this attitude is all part of the bad image of recumbents.
Youve said it your self in a way,to most people they are not cool or fashionable.
The power of fashion is far too strong,look at all the people that bought mountain bike for use on the road,when a road bike is far more suitable for road riding,they were bought for image.
The recumbent is not perfect i will grant you that,as they can be at a disadvantage in real heavy traffic,and when you ride one
you might as well be riding around naked with a chritmas tree on your head from the reactions you get.
But they are a far more superior design for ultimate comfort and speed than a upright.

ORBIT

01-07-03, 01:47 PM

In fact i will go a bit further.How many people by road bikes that cant fit mud guards for commuting?when a touring bike would be better(image again).
I would love to know how many cyclists have tried recumbants
only to stop riding them because of all the hassle they getwhen they go out.

Guest

01-07-03, 02:51 PM

Originally posted by ORBIT
Imagine how slow these oldies with beards would be on a upright,if you managed to go past them.
No upright has come near the spped record of a recumbant,and remember they were only banned because upright called not out perform them in the speed stakes.

I have no idea what the speed record is. It's likely similar to some of the designs they've used on motorcycles at the salt flats, low and aerodynamic. To be truthful, wouldn't care if it's twice as fast as my Titanium/Carbon ride. I am not looking for the comfort of my lounge chair when I am out road training. I am looking for agility and speed. They're not practical in tight situations, nor would I ever want to ride them down a busy road. That said, what's the benefit you get besides the barkalounger affect and being independent? :p

As for only oldies riding them,iv seen a cycle courier riding a recumbent,and he could really shift.

You might have seen such, and what a sight. Must have been a real independent type, riding for a long time...far in! ;) In all my travels, I've not seen one used commercially, and we've used couriers in my business on both coasts.

But this attitude is all part of the bad image of recumbents.
Youve said it your self in a way,to most people they are not cool or fashionable.
The power of fashion is far too strong,look at all the people that bought mountain bike for use on the road,when a road bike is far more suitable for road riding,they were bought for image.

I'll say it in more of a P&L view point... There are many extremely bright creative designers coming up with incredible products, that can be worthy. However, if the majority are not excited about the product (recumbents), they end up setting on the shelf and going by the way of the Edsel, and the Edsel was a neat auto. You can blame societies fashion, clique or team sense. It doesn't matter.

Here's evolution for you. Take a recumbent, strengthen frame, and add batteries, an extra wheel for balance, surround it with some plastic and VOLA... you have a Corbin Motors Sparrow EV.

Mtb's are like SUV's or many other products purchased and never really used in the manner the product is capable of or intended. I have way more technology then I'll ever need in my Fondriest bike, or my entertainment room. My wife has a mtb that never gets use to it's capability, yet she loves the comfort, I can go on. Mtb's are popular because their easier and more comfortable to ride for the average joe and one can configure the mtb for neighborhood touring, verses a high performance bike like mine or a recumbent that has limited appeal. SUV's actually replaced the old station-wagon and are very practical, in-spite of their climbing and off-road abilities.

I was speaking to the owner of the LBS a few weeks back about the 7 new recumbents he's flooring. He can't get anybody to even look at them...so, their going back to the mfg-er pretty soon.

The recumbent is not perfect i will grant you that,as they can be at a disadvantage in real heavy traffic,and when you ride one
you might as well be riding around naked with a chritmas tree on your head from the reactions you get.
But they are a far more superior design for ultimate comfort and speed than a upright.

Never liked riding around neked :eek: or with any type of brush on my head, don't know many that do. Course, there are those few posters here that pref neked riding. I wonder if they've crossed over too. :confused: Oh well... time will tell. :)

ORBIT

01-07-03, 04:02 PM

The speed record is 80 mph now thats going.On a recumbent you can also keep pedalling around corners.So they are great for fast corners.You can really lean over.Its the closest thing to flying.
But back to the main subject.ILL HAVE TO AGREE with you until
recumbents get a better image and may i say ,get much cheaper
people will see them as odd.
Have you ever tried a recumbent?

bentrox!

01-07-03, 08:45 PM

ORBIT, I no longer waste time trying to argue the merits of recumbents to others. We recumbent cyclists already suffer a comic reputation among some cyclists of being overly defensive, as though a lingering inferiority complex drove a desperate need to vindicate the superiority of our choice of ride by quoting speed records or extolling aerodynamic comparison charts. I've been guilty of this same behavior, and let me tell you, it makes no difference to point out any of these things when people will ride what they feel best about riding on. Many, like Garbear, will never choose to ride a recumbent for their own reasons. I ride one for my own and I'm content with that.

Having said that, however, cycletourist, I wasn't trying to bite your head off or anything. I just wanted to point out that people ride bents for other reasons than the one you mentioned. I ask at the risk of sounding defensive, wouldn't it be nice not to characterize all bent riders as incapable of riding any other kind of bike? Furthermore (alright, I'm guilty!) did those RAGBRAI and the MS150 bent riders you spoke to tell you they'd all much rather be riding an upright bike if they could find a comfortable one? In other words, is discomfort the sole reason they all ride bents? Maybe it is among the riders you spoke with, but it isn't for me, nor the other bent riders I ride with. Greater comfort is a benefit but it doesn't keep us from owning and riding other bikes. That's all I'm saying. I'll get down from my soapbax now.:p

Greg

01-08-03, 07:10 AM

Originally posted by Greg
Everyone knows that recumbent riders are ill folk. Trouble making nay sayers whos sole purpose is to shake their ankles at solid traditionalists. Either that, or they just have bad backs. ;)

Greg, I have to take exception to this ignorant statment. I know a lot of bent riders that are not ill, not nay sayers, and have fine backs. Have you ever even riden a recumbent?

Greg

01-08-03, 07:12 AM

Originally posted by Greg

Greg, I have to take exception to this ignorant statment. I know a lot of bent riders that are not ill, not nay sayers, and have fine backs. Have you ever even riden a recumbent?

No, I haven't tried one yet, but I look forward to it.

I am sorry if my statments offended you.

Greg

01-08-03, 07:13 AM

Originally posted by Greg

No, I haven't tried one yet, but I look forward to it.

I am sorry if my statments offended you.

No problem buddy. :beer:

ORBIT

01-08-03, 07:38 AM

:mad: What a country i live in.
It amazes me the price some people have to pay because they dont fit into the" norm".Only today i read about a 11 year old boy
who was a talented ballet dancer.Some bullys found out at school
and crushed the bones in his feet.He now needs surgery which can not be done untill he is 16.His hope for the future is ruined.
They could not stand to see someone that had a different interest
than them ,and probably a brighter future,So what did they do? Destroy it.
Recumbent riders are also different and can be prone to this sort of abuse,and this is my main point about image.This boy did not fit in to the way of acting that the majority of boys should fit ,so he was attacked for having the wrong image.
I suppose the young thugs that did it will be sent on a holiday
which seems to be the way they deal with young thugs like this in England.
No wonder i have such a bad time in Birmingham when in our society it seems acceptable for the idiots to attack people in this way for doing something different.:mad: :mad: :mad:

Guest

01-08-03, 10:48 AM

Originally posted by ORBIT
:mad: What a country i live in.
It amazes me the price some people have to pay because they dont fit into the" norm".

Yes, and it's no different here in the US. What's sad about the human beast is that no matter the culture or continent, he's enabled by an abundance of fears. Among those fears, the biggest cuprits... fear of difference and fear of those who are smarter. What's that say about man?

Recumbent riders are also different and can be prone to this sort of abuse,and this is my main point about image.

You're right... But remember history tells us that those independent individuals that chose a different image or path, by nature, acknowledge the consequences of difference.

It bothers me when those choosing a different path, in the final analysis reach out for some form of broad brush acceptance or support from those choosing the mainstream, and for some reason think they deserve it...NOT! That just isn't going to happen with "man" as we know him.

Lets view this with a more positive approach... When I ride, I "choose" to seek out those with a similar riding style. I find the more common ground the easier it is to bridges social differences. Otherwise, there would be only one category in BikeForums. :)

PS... One can't preach independence, yet expect social co-dependence. :confused:

erik forsgren

10-02-04, 11:16 AM

I have never met any recumbentfan that fall into the category of naysayers or the category of bad backs. On the contrary. Most of the recumbent owners I know of are healthy intelligent people with qualified professions like civil engineers, teachers lawyers and so forth and practically none of them chose the recumbent because of a bad back. They simply chose the recumbent because it is better safer and more comfortable.

beatle bailey

10-02-04, 12:29 PM

that must just be a English problem, as here in the U.S.A., I have lots of people tell me that my bike is the greatest thing they've ever seen and want to know all about it.

ChiliDog

10-03-04, 02:07 PM

Recumbents have been around for a while. Check it out:

www.bicyclemuseum.com

I ride road, bent, and MTB. LOVE THEM ALL!

NuTz4BiKeZ

10-03-04, 02:32 PM

Dudes don't let the jealous types get you down.
I have been attacked in a public meeting by a woman, she started on about my bikes (a variety of homebuilt bents), the more she went on the more I laughed at her, man I thought she was going to pop a vein at one point.
The upshot of her rant is that apparantly I am considered to be the village idiot and bring ridicule and disrespect to the organisation I work for because of my choice of bikes.
You know what... I don't care. Most people I meet (even roadies) have no problem at all with my chosen bike types and damn they are just so much fun to ride.
I look forward to seeing this woman again as I have now built a tadpole trike and riding that should surely cause her to have a stroke.
In the mean time I will just get my pleasure riding past her place frequently, smiling like I normally do when riding.

Hang in there dude... what they think is none of your business anyhow.

NuTz

John Ben

10-03-04, 06:45 PM

This is how I acquired my recumbent. Myself and three friends were riding out in the mountains west of Las Vegas Nevada. We rode every weekend and we rode the best road bikes. We were in very good condition and were in training for an event in Atlanta Georgia. You may have heard about the bomb exploded at that event, years ago.
To continue;
We encountered a very fit and skillful individual who was riding a Linear recumbent and the race was on. None of us ever saw a recumbent and we did not know what is was.

We could not pass him on the hills, he tore away from us on the down hill runs and took the turns like like a race car, and waxed us on the flat straight highway. He waved good by as he left us in the dust. We do not know who he was.

Years later I saw a Linear recumbent for sale, out in Nevada, and I recalled how fast the recumbent was that we raced. I bought the recumbent, thinking I could ride fast,but I am not fast with it. And forget the hills!

I am fast with the road bike, but the recumbent is just a fun bike to ride. I ride them both.

Dchiefransom

10-03-04, 07:12 PM

This is one roadie that thinks recumbents are cool...I always like to see them on the road! So just ignore the jerks that make rude comments, they represent only a hardcore minority of roadbike elitists.

Maybe people are upset because recumbent riders look soooooooo relaxed while riding. :D I haven't talked the wife into getting me one yet.

sbhikes

10-03-04, 07:40 PM

Here's a question...Why is it that I always see some guy with a grey beard, shaggy hair, looks old because, with a protruding gut laying on his lap as he's passed... Here's a steriotype thought...It wouldn't surprise me to find out that most are scientists, engineers or educators of sort. :D

Oh my god what have I done? I just ordered a recumbent. I am a 39 year old woman with long flowing blond hair, living in Southern California, and a web designer (that's cool, isn't it?) Am I gonna turn into some sort of nerd? Did I make a terrible mistake?

I drove up to the factory where they make them in Lompoc, CA. On the way I saw the guy who makes them on his bike which was totally enclosed in some sort of fairing that was part fiberglass and part fabric. I wanted to test-ride a recumbent before I bought one, and this factory, where they make Lightening recumbents, was the closest place.

I don't know why I'm so attracted to them. They do look sort of geeky, but it looks like fun, too. I could barely ride the one I tried, but it was like being a kid again learning how to ride a bike all over again. I figure just learning how to ride it would be fun enough.

I ride a mountain bike to work for exercise and to break up the monotony of working all the time. The only reason I have a mountain bike is because my last nice sport-touring road bike was stolen and when I went to buy a replacement all they had in my price range were mountain bikes. So that's what I got.

I ride twice a week to work. It is fun, but I get really tired of these 22 year old mexican guys riding their bikes to their jobs in rich people's gardens. I come up to them on my creaky, squeaky MTB, they see me coming so they speed up, then they eventually slow down and here I come again, and it's round and round like that. I either want to blow by them on my recumbent so fast they don't know what happened, or I want to look so strange they don't play these silly games with me anymore.

As for the lycra crowd, I just want to laugh at them when they pass me. I'll be all laid back with my cup-holder I'm gonna install, and my diet 7-up and my cell phone or my laptop or whatever else I can do to make my ride to work look like an afternoon at the beach. I just wanna kick back in my chair and daydream through my commute to the Dilbert hell cube farm.

I just hope people aren't mean to me or laugh at me. I would have though people would be curious, not mean.

John Ben

10-04-04, 12:34 AM

I also live in Southern California and when I ride my recumbent no one ever has been rude. This is S. Cal and people are, so it seems more sophisticated. They will show no interest, not wanting to draw attention to themselves as uninformed, or if they do ask about the bike: How much? Is it hard to ride? Where can I buy one? Is it hand made? When I ride around my neighborhood or on our bike paths I hardly get a second glance. I think most people have seen them before. They are fun to ride, but there is a learning curve, so take it easy and do not get overconfident like I did.

bnet1

10-04-04, 05:37 AM

I have never had a bad experience while on my 'bent. As was previously pointed out Most people just ask questions, little kids point and say "wow, cool bike". I ride with a cycling club. At first they weren't sure I could keep up. Now I'm just one of the group having poven that I can easily "keep up". Last month I was invited to give a short talk about recumbents at the club meeting. Needless to say it was very well received. I have a Trek 1000 road bike which I've put many miles on. It has not been ridden since I got my recumbent. The 'bent is my bike of choice. I like the ride and I'm just as fast on it as I was on the road bike. I say keep riding those 'bents, to heck with what others say!

'bent Brian

Krispy

10-04-04, 09:16 AM

It sounds like people's receptiveness to recumbents depends partly on the area where you live. I haven't even bought my first bent yet and I'm already getting some negative reactions from people I'm talking to. What amazes me though is that most of the negative reactions have actually come from the LBS here!

I was in an LBS Saturday and the first words out of the salesman's mouth were "I hate recumbents!". When I asked him why, he acted shocked that anyone would question his reasoning. Once he pulled the dusty bent off the rack for me to test ride he disappeared. It was a slow afternoon and there were 3 salesmen with no customers just standing around. As I continued to look the bent over other customers started coming in. They were looking at $300.00 entry level bikes. Even though I was looking at a $3200.00 Lightning P-38 I still got no help from the salesmen. The shop mechanic is the one who finally came out and tried to answer my questions. It turns out the only reason they had the Lightning in stock was because the customer who special orderd it had returned it for some reason.

In another shop across town they had a little better attitude toward bents. The mechanic/salesman was pretty knowledgeable about the two brands of recumbents they sold. However, he wanted to know what kind of injuries I had that was forcing me to consider recumbents. He looked at me a little funny when I told him that although I had some injuries I was looking at recumbents more from the aspect of how enjoyable the ride is supposed to be and the fact that I would be able to see more scenery while riding due to the different seating position. He then replied "Well, the only customers I have who ride recumbents have injuries that keep them from riding bikes"

At the LBS where I've bought two bikes and referred numerous friends and where I've occasionally seen them stock a recumbent or two they actually laughed at me when I asked them about recumbents. Their reply was "your not serious are you?". When I told them yes they said "Well, we'll be more than happy to order one for you but were still going to make fun of you for riding it!"

The good news is I found an LBS that keeps at least a half dozen recumbents in stock at all times. Everyone there is just as entheusiastic about bents as they are df. Funny thing, they seem to sell more recumbents than all the other LBS.

John Ben

10-04-04, 01:53 PM

In my town of Oceanside, CA we have a bike shop that has a big selection of recumbents. Burleys, Easy racers, EZ Sports, Gold Rush, Sun, Bacchetta and more. They also sell trykes. They sell alot of recumbents and are very excited, explaining that 'recumbents are the wave of the future and will be big! " They are very helpful and friendly. They explain the benefits of recumbents and help the customer make the correct choice.

As usual S. California leads the way.

On my trips around this country in my RV I have noted some big differences in attitudes, in different states, and it is just not about bikes! In some states they will not give you the time of day, and in others they want to know about California when they see an out of state plate.