Snobbery?

[Bikes-N-Drums]

I posted in another forum that basically I was giving up road bike rigs for recumbents due to some back injuries.

The primary response, paraphrased?: "Recumbents are lame".

Upon informing my girlfriend's father on the idea: "Oh, you're getting an old-man-bike?", said with a smirk.

"You have to have a Santa Claus beard to ride a bent" is another common one.

Another one paraphrased: "Try drafting me on your bent and you'll deserve my spit".

Amazingly, people tried to talk me out of the idea of bent riding, as if I were joining the Communist Party. A new seat, new bars, a new fit... ANYTHING but a bent. Yet I've never heard of an unhappy bent rider beyond whatever mechanical trouble they were currently having with the bike.

Most groups tend to have another group that seems worthy of disdain. Some mountain bikers dislike roadies and vice versa. But why or how did 'benters become the bane of the entire cycling world? Have you ever personally enountered this outside of the online ribbing and jabbing? What can be done to eradicate this seemingly irrational condescension from our diamondframed brothers & sisters?

[Olebiker]

It is a response to bent riders' insistence that we "wedgie" riders are really miserable on our upright bikes.

I wonder, does anyone promote mass start, road races for recumbents? I know that there are time trial types races for them but I would be curious to see how a pack of bents would do in a race.

[cjs1948]

I posted in another forum that basically I was giving up road bike rigs for recumbents due to some back injuries.

The primary response, paraphrased?: "Recumbents are lame".

Upon informing my girlfriend's father on the idea: "Oh, you're getting an old-man-bike?", said with a smirk.

"You have to have a Santa Claus beard to ride a bent" is another common one.

Another one paraphrased: "Try drafting me on your bent and you'll deserve my spit".

Amazingly, people tried to talk me out of the idea of bent riding, as if I were joining the Communist Party. A new seat, new bars, a new fit... ANYTHING but a bent. Yet I've never heard of an unhappy bent rider beyond whatever mechanical trouble they were currently having with the bike.

Most groups tend to have another group that seems worthy of disdain. Some mountain bikers dislike roadies and vice versa. But why or how did 'benters become the bane of the entire cycling world? Have you ever personally enountered this outside of the online ribbing and jabbing? What can be done to eradicate this seemingly irrational condescension from our diamondframed brothers & sisters?
I'm not sure how to fix the dissention, but I just sold a trike, ICE S, to a 28 year old who was anything but decrepit--a post military engineering student. I have been told by more than one roadie that they had trouble catching up to my trike which is powered by a 57 year old engine. Generally, DFers have been a friendly lot although the ones who are most likely to avoid eye contact are those who are shaking the numbness out of their hands. Perhaps they are worried that they will be required to ride a rig as comfortable (and fast) as mine. And lucky they would be!

Find your favorite bent and have a GREAT time. You already know that the grin per mile rate is much higher on bents.

Chip
recumbenttrikestore.com

[Olebiker]

I'm not sure how to fix the dissention, but I just sold a trike, ICE S, to a 28 year old who was anything but decrepit--a post military engineering student. I have been told by more than one roadie that they had trouble catching up to my trike which is powered by a 57 year old engine. Generally, DFers have been a friendly lot although the ones who are most likely to avoid eye contact are those who are shaking the numbness out of their hands. Perhaps they are worried that they will be required to ride a rig as comfortable (and fast) as mine. And lucky they would be!

Find your favorite bent and have a GREAT time. You already know that the grin per mile rate is much higher on bents.

Thank you for proving my point about bent riders.

[aikigreg]

ehhh, the ones I ride with are only disdainful until I blow their doors off. Then it's pure envy.

But otherwise, I'd say cyclists are the same as anyone else - anything different equals stupid.

[twahl]

Dude, you need to get over yourself.

1 guy made the beard/snotrocket comment.

1 guy was a general ass, enumerating your problems. He's usually an ass, although his rants are usually on target. I don't think he was this time though.

1 guy said lame.

several mentioned fit issues, almost all before you mentioned your back problems.

I counted no less than 15 "good luck with your bent" or "sounds like a good plan for you" or other positive comments.

I think you look for negative attitudes and create them when they don't exist.

[Olebiker]

ehhh, the ones I ride with are only disdainful until I blow their doors off. Then it's pure envy.



I keep hearing lines like this from bent riders, but none of them have ever taken me up on my invitation to come to one of our club rides and demonstrate how fast they are.

[Sir Lunch-a-lot]

Not all cyclists are against bent. Heck, I'd love to have a nice one myself, but actually getting one... that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish (I've only ever seen one up close and personal, and it was one that was pedaled by the hands and steered with the back).

You'll get frowned at by someone for anything you do, whether it be riding, driving, walking, crawling, flying, swimming, recumbermenting, eating, sleeping, breathing, not eating, not sleeping, not breathing, making enough money to get by, not making enough money, being kind, getting married, not getting married... Try not to lose too much sleep over others dissaproval over what you feel is right for you.

[Bikes-N-Drums]

Dude, you need to get over yourself.

1 guy made the beard/snotrocket comment.

1 guy was a general ass, enumerating your problems. He's usually an ass, although his rants are usually on target. I don't think he was this time though.

1 guy said lame.

several mentioned fit issues, almost all before you mentioned your back problems.

I counted no less than 15 "good luck with your bent" or "sounds like a good plan for you" or other positive comments.

I think you look for negative attitudes and create them when they don't exist.

Wow. You know, you are 100% correct. I was really just stirring up conversation and maybe finding out a little about other's experiences. You know, just see what I was getting into. Scout a territory with small pockets of vocal hostiles before I charge down the hill. I guess next time I'll preface my topic with the events in the other thread which lead to my question to the riders in this forum.

[twahl]

My problem is that in scouting out other's experiences, you skewed the experience you had after you posted what you eventually admitted was an inflammatory post. You created a negative atmosphere, then exaggerated it when you brought it here. I don't think that's good for the forums.

I read this forum because my wife rides a bent and I'm vaguely considering one. I've found a lot of good information here. I contribute when I can, although my personal experience is limited to second hand, mechanics, and a tiny bit of riding. I rarely see the animosity that you've managed to create.

My wife has suffered from carpal tunnel, bad enough to have required surgery. A bent has provent to be the perfect solution for her, and I suspect (and hope) that it might work out well for you as well.

[blknwhtfoto]

The only people I ever get **** from are people who aren't even on a bike. At the end of the day, each time I get on my bike instead of driving my car is one thing I've done better for my world.
I'm having a good time and I'll take a bit of advice from my grandma on this, "F*ck em' if they can't take a joke"

[Ebt racer]

[QUOTE=Olebike
I wonder, does anyone promote mass start, road races for recumbents? I know that there are time trial types races for them but I would be curious to see how a pack of bents would do in a race.[/QUOTE]

I am a racer from the energy breakthrough. We dont do road racing but we do do curcit racing. Theres usually about 60-70 vehicles on the track all going at an average speed of about 45-60kph. Great fun. You race to see who can do the largest number of laps in 24 hours

[Wheelchairman]

I am a racer from the energy breakthrough. We dont do road racing but we do do curcit racing. Theres usually about 60-70 vehicles on the track all going at an average speed of about 45-60kph. Great fun. You race to see who can do the largest number of laps in 24 hours
Great to see another breakthrougher on the site :D . Ive done 5 energy breakthroughs, including 2 with Bendigo Senior. Its a great experience, doubles the towns population for 3-4 days in fact ;) . Its gets alot of positive feedback in the media, then quickly fades when its all over :( . There are many similar races held around Australia, and I think these communitys are the ones who know and respect bents the most. It doesnt stop people asking wat the hell Im riding though :mad:
The races are bascially organised by the same organisation, heres the link;
http://www.racvenergybreakthrough.net/

[BlazingPedals]

I wonder, does anyone promote mass start, road races for recumbents? I know that there are time trial types races for them but I would be curious to see how a pack of bents would do in a race.

The truly fast bents don't need packs, they can go fast by themselves. Since you're in Florida, you should be aware that a recumbent WON Bike Across Florida this year.

Last year, at the Avita Water Black Bear race, a 100 mile road race in northern Michigan, a recumbent won handily; his margin of victory was greater than the margin for the next 42 places *in spite of missing a turn and doing an extra 24 miles because the race officials hadn't set up on the intersection yet when he went through.* The same recumbent rider also won it the year before, by an even greater margin, finishing the 106 miles that year in 3:38.

[BlackSwan]

I've only met one road racing snob (at work) who made obnoxious comments to me that I should get a "real" bike when I got my bent this spring. I tease him a lot about being a snob and he has since admitted that at least I'm riding! :rolleyes: I still ride my road bike AND my mountain bike sometimes.

I mostly could care less what other people think. I just wanted to cycle and have fun on a really cool bike, not be practically paralyzed when I get done with my 30, 50, or 100 mile rides. And if I make the roadies pedal that much harder because they don't want to get passed by a chick on a bent, well then, life is good. :p

[jeff-o]

I've ceased caring about what most people think, except perhaps my wife. She's the only one, whos advice I will take into consideration.

That's the only reason I don't ride a velomobile right now. ;)

[Johnny Payphone]

Some recumbent riders, like Macintosh users, enjoy cultivating the idea that they are a persecuted minority.

I'd suggest that it was the other way around, that recumbents get a bad rep because the people who ride them often have a smug sense of superiority.

Remember, those aren't rocks being thrown AT you, they're just coming up from folks' tires.

[paul2]

When I tell people in my bike club that I got a bent, overwhelminly the response has been, "Wow, cool." But there have been a small number who have said, "Whu would you want to get a recumbent." and implying that recumbents are for wimps. I just laugh their comments off.

[aikigreg]

Well, while I mostly being facetious, I will mention that I doubt anyone wants to take a 1000 mile road trip just to race your club. However, if you make it out this way, I'd be happy to let you give my bent a go so you can see for yourself. I ride both and compete in triathlons on the road bike, and in my most recent tri out of 500 semi-serious racers, I placed in the top 20 (in the biking leg) on just a trek pilot versus a bunch of TT bikes. If I had been on my bent I'd have been top 5, EASY. and I'm nowhere near as fast as many of the benters I've ridden with.

Admittedly, I have a racing style bent.

I keep hearing lines like this from bent riders, but none of them have ever taken me up on my invitation to come to one of our club rides and demonstrate how fast they are.

[aikigreg]

I've got to say, I can't think of a single negative comment ever thrown at me by any biker, unless some of the jokes they've thrown my way (hey, he's laying down on the job!) were meant to be derogatory instead of just funny. I've met with either people grooving on the coolness factor, or the curious, or the downright astonished when they'd catch up to me at a rest stop. But never any persecution.

However, I am aware that many people give benters hell - but I think that's more from us being a bit unique. Either way, when I ride - whichever bike it is that day - it's a grin that lasts from start to finish, and any negativity from others falls away.

Some recumbent riders, like Macintosh users, enjoy cultivating the idea that they are a persecuted minority.

I'd suggest that it was the other way around, that recumbents get a bad rep because the people who ride them often have a smug sense of superiority.

Remember, those aren't rocks being thrown AT you, they're just coming up from folks' tires.

[FLYBYU]

I used to ride diamond frame bikes and I never really thought I would buy a bent. But at least I kept enough of an open mind to try one a fellow rider owned. What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't judge something that you have never tried. As far as you getting a bent, I would say go for it. Originally I thought I would keep my diamond frames around because I thought there was no way a bent could take the place of them. Turns out I was wrong, I've sold them all and I'm really happy I did. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to ride a bent, it has all the fun (and more) of cycling and none of the pain.

[LandLuger]

To the original poster,

It is good that you are expanding your bicycling experience with a recumbent. Unfortunately, I hate that you had to discover recumbents as a "give-up" bike, and not by choice. These things are a blast and add fresh flavor to cycling.

Why not the best bike for the situation? Living in the flatlands, my bent is my bike of choice; however, were I to find myself in the mountains, I might prefer to put more miles on an ultralight DF. Presently, I actually put more time in the saddle of my DF bikes, but more miles on my 'bent. So there is no doubt in my mind which is faster for my purposes. What I'm waiting for is a folding Baron that I can fit in a suitcase then I would go totally 'bent!

[Olebiker]

Last year, at the Avita Water Black Bear race, a 100 mile road race in northern Michigan, a recumbent won handily;

How do you "win" a tour? It is not the Avita Black Water Race. It is the Avita Black Water Tour. The web site states that it is a tour and not a race.

[mobilemail]

I don't ride a bike because I'm old, young, fast, slow, whatever. I ride because I love it, and I ride the bike that fits the kind of fun I want to have on a bike. The only requirement in buying a bike is what I think is right for me, not what others think is right for me. I own a (nice) hybrid and a Vision 'bent, and they are both perfect in different applications. There is no such thing as a bike universally perfect for every application.

[Sir Lunch-a-lot]

I'm having a good time and I'll take a bit of advice from my grandma on this, "F*ck em' if they can't take a joke"

LOL!

[HenryL]

As someone relatively new to cycling (4 years) I do notice there is a sub culture. Mine is lighter than yours, when are you going to get a real bike etc. Can't quite figure it out and most of the time I don't really care. I am very pleased with my bent and don't care to try to beat or catch anyone. Am also pleased with my new road bike and now I hear "it's about time you got a real bike". Both work for different purposes.

To quote one of the guys at the bike shop "cycling should be fun" That works for me.

[Doug5150]

I haven't had much negative remarks except from non-bicycling people who are amazed that I'd spend $1000+ on a bike (which ain't hardly upper-end, for either uprights or bents).

It is a response to bent riders' insistence that we "wedgie" riders are really miserable on our upright bikes.....
You are. I was. :D

I don't like discussing bicycles much with most people because they see me on a bent, but want my opinions on uprights--usually they balk at the $500 entry price and say "they just want something normal" (and cheaper!).

As I've seen it, upright bikes are normally uncomfortable to ride, it doesn't matter if you spend $200 or $2000 on them and I say that's why I don't have any now--but they cling to the idea that if they spend enough for a "new" racing-style bike, or buy the magic accessory ("What's a good seat?"), that it won't be. MTB's are still best for technical off-roading, but I just don't have any use for upright on-road bikes anymore and many people seem to understand that too (-because every bicycle they've ever rode was uncomfortable the same way-) but they to want me to recommend one anyway.
And I won't do it.
So perhaps I am a 'bent snob.

-----

The RANS CF bikes are a possibility now that look somewhat "normal" but most people make "that face" :eek: when you mention the prices. The possibility that it might be much more enjoyable to use, and that the tires might actually get worn down rather than go flat from dryrot while sitting in the garage seems to get lost on them.
~~~

[cjs1948]

I keep hearing lines like this from bent riders, but none of them have ever taken me up on my invitation to come to one of our club rides and demonstrate how fast they are.
I stand corrected on the many and numerous thoughts I have had regarding recreational riding that I have had. I was quite unaware that the only criteria was speed. Hmmm. Seems a bit limiting. But perhaps the only limit doesn't always dwell therein. Relative wisdom is so darned elusive. Must come earlier for some...later for others.

Chip

[Olebiker]

I stand corrected on the many and numerous thoughts I have had regarding recreational riding that I have had. I was quite unaware that the only criteria was speed. Hmmm. Seems a bit limiting. But perhaps the only limit doesn't always dwell therein. Relative wisdom is so darned elusive. Must come earlier for some...later for others.

Chip

Nice straw man you built there. Read the whole thread.

[Olebiker]

You are. I was. :D

As I've seen it, upright bikes are normally uncomfortable to ride, it doesn't matter if you spend $200 or $2000 on them and I say that's why I don't have any now--but they cling to the idea that if they spend enough for a "new" racing-style bike, or buy the magic accessory ("What's a good seat?"), that it won't be.

Just because YOU and a few others could not get comfortable on a road bike does not mean that I am not comfortable on my road bike. My new titanium frame was not bought to make me more comfortable. It was to make my ride more fun. Plus, it was a great deal.

[megaman]

I really don't think bent riders are snobs, but I've run into some cyclists who look down on me. When someone sees me on my trike and starts talking about it loud enough for me to hear and acts like I'm not to be involved in the conversation, I consider that snobish. Especially when what they are saying isn't true or are putting my trike down. :( That happened today. But then they complain that they were going to have a hard time finishing the trail(an easy one). Maybe it was due to the first warm humid day we've had around here.

[megaman]

Just because YOU and a few others could not get comfortable on a road bike does not mean that I am not comfortable on my road bike. My new titanium frame was not bought to make me more comfortable. It was to make my ride more fun. Plus, it was a great deal.

If that's what you like more power to you. But if I'm not comfortable when I'm riding then I'm not having any fun.

[Trsnrtr]

Just because YOU and a few others could not get comfortable on a road bike does not mean that I am not comfortable on my road bike. My new titanium frame was not bought to make me more comfortable. It was to make my ride more fun. Plus, it was a great deal.

Recumbents come in Ti, too. :)

Seriously, I was a die-hard roadie for 21 years racking up over 120,000 miles on DFs. I was a Cat 2 for 6 years and raced for 9. Medical problems in 2003 caused me to ride a bent for a few months. I had every intention of sell my "temporary" bent after I recovered but instead, my Serotta and Eisentraut hit the road. I had no idea before getting into bents that there were fast sleek machines out there, simply because virtually no one in my area had one.

My wife still rides a Trek 5200 and looks down her nose at me, but that's ok. Whatever turns your crank, pun intended.

Dennis

[BlazingPedals]

How do you "win" a tour? It is not the Avita Black Water Race. It is the Avita Black Water Tour. The web site states that it is a tour and not a race.

Not everyone does the entire route; some just do the first half, or they do a loop. For them, it's a tour. But it has a LeMans start with a starter gun, and chip timing. Intersections are staffed by route marshalls, and on Highway intersections, cars are stopped to let the bikes through. It's a road race in the classic sense. How many tours do you know of that keep track of your time?
http://tinyurl.com/zsouz

[Olebiker]

It's a road race in the classic sense. How many tours do you know of that keep track of your time?


Well, I did the Six Gap Century in Georgia last year and they used those timing chips. That's the only time I have ever seen them used.

[Doug5150]

I've had some nice upright road bikes, none Ti but a few $1500+ jobs, during the 1980's and 1990's.
Some were more tolerable than others (the full-suspended MTB with slicks was the last upright bike I kept, it was not the fastest or lightest but was the most comfortable) but none were anywhere near as physically comfortable to ride as a $500 [unsuspended!] recumbent is.

About the only advantage an upright road bike has is that it's UCI legal--and that matter has no value to me anyway.

Also [upright] roadies tend to foster a "pretend racer" mentality, riding short courses at high speeds, and ignoring the scenery. On a recumbent I tend to wander more and ride slower but longer, just because it isn't painful to ride. You'd be surprised how much riding a comfortable bike can alter one's riding habits.
~

[Olebiker]

About the only advantage an upright road bike has is that it's UCI legal--and that matter has no value to me anyway. ~[/QUOTE]

I beg to differ with you about the advantages of upright bikes. Upright bikes are more visible to traffic. Upright bikes are more efficient climbers. Upright bikes are much less complicated than bents. Upright bikes are usually easier to transport, when necessary, on or in a vehicle.

Also [upright] roadies tend to foster a "pretend racer" mentality, riding short courses at high speeds, and ignoring the scenery. On a recumbent I tend to wander more and ride slower but longer, just because it isn't painful to ride. You'd be surprised how much riding a comfortable bike can alter one's riding habits.
~

Perhaps that was YOUR experience with an upright bike. It certainly isn't mine. I am content to piddle along at 15 mph, chatting with my friends and stopping to take pictures of anything along the roadside that interests me.

[megaman]

I beg to differ with you about the advantages of upright bikes. Upright bikes are more visible to traffic. Upright bikes are more efficient climbers. Upright bikes are much less complicated than bents. Upright bikes are usually easier to transport, when necessary, on or in a vehicle.
Perhaps that was YOUR experience with an upright bike. It certainly isn't mine. I am content to piddle along at 15 mph, chatting with my friends and stopping to take pictures of anything along the roadside that interests me.

I ride a Catrike Road. I'm given more space on the road with my trike than I ever was on my two wheeled bent or hybrid. I can climb any paved hill. The ride down is awesome.:D My trike rides in my van. My hybrid I put on a rack which I had to mount on the back of my van. In a crowd park I already have my chair with me. It was neat a couple of weeks ago to happen upon some civil war reenactors. I just stopped, sat and watched.
I'm not a fast rider either. Although I'm 1-2 mph faster on my trike than I've ever been before.

[Doug5150]

...I beg to differ with you about the advantages of upright bikes. Upright bikes are more visible to traffic.
Upright bikes do tend to sit a bit higher than typical recumbents, but the riding position is not conducive to keeping one's attention focused on much more than the front wheel of your own bicycle.
Upright bikes are more efficient climbers.
Yes, but they're slower everywhere else. Until all racing organizations allow all bicycles, we can't really know how much that would matter--but what we do know from the rare times when they were allowed, recumbents weren't banned for being slow.
Upright bikes are much less complicated than bents.
-Well yea. And a unicycle is less complicated than an upright bike. But if you rode a unicycle instead, you'd be giving up a lot of speed and comfort, wouldn't you?
Upright bikes are usually easier to transport, when necessary, on or in a vehicle...
This is often true, but if you're avoiding riding because it's painful then the advantage of easier transport isn't that useful. And the total time you spend riding compared to transporting is pretty large anyway.
Perhaps that was YOUR experience with an upright bike. It certainly isn't mine. I am content to piddle along at 15 mph, chatting with my friends and stopping to take pictures of anything along the roadside that interests me.
So you're saying you stop and get off the bike frequently? :D

When I had uprights, I told myself for years that "it wasn't that bad".
Then I test-rode a BikeE for an hour or so and realized that it was that bad, and had always been that bad.
Most of the main things I disliked about riding an upright were things that the BikeE didn't do at all.
~

[Paul L.]

Don't want to be a bent snob but here is my experience. Anything over 150 miles used to give me aches in the back, neck, and arms on the upright and after switching to the bent I just finished a 600k with some hotfoot and some lingering fatigue. The other riders I communicated with a few days after could hardly lift their heads still. I think at ultra distances bents have a noticeable comfort advantage and stress the upper body less. I will say that when I need easy transport I ride my roadbike. When I want a good long enjoyable ride I take the bent. One thing I do find is I work harder on the road bike and therefore burn more calories, the bent lulls me into a comfort zone so I go faster than I would on the roadbike but I dont get as good a workout. Maybe I should start wearing the HR monitor again. hmmmm.

Incidentally I fought a cough and cold all spring and if I had tried the Brevets on a normal roadbike it would have been a complete no go but the bent let me ride easy enough to finish in time but still not stress my body too much and get sicker.

[Olebiker]

When I had uprights, I told myself for years that "it wasn't that bad".
Then I test-rode a BikeE for an hour or so and realized that it was that bad, and had always been that bad.
Most of the main things I disliked about riding an upright were things that the BikeE didn't do at all.
~

I have test-ridden a few bents and find that they are a lot of fun, but the negatives outweighed the positives for the kind of riding I like to do. If I had the disposable income I would love to have a Bachetta, but the budget won't allow it right now.

[blknwhtfoto]

Olebiker,
I am a student at the University of Oregon. You can take this to mean that I am broke. With that in mind I just bought my first bent, its an actionbent and was 620 brand new. On top of that, you can find cheap used(but usually taken care of) 'bents for cheaper than my a-bent. Don't let money get in your way, we all know that it's just an excuse. If you really wanted a bent you'd find a way.
Mike

[bentrox!]

How do you "win" a tour?...it is a tour and not a race.

Well, there you have it. I retired when Dick informed me I can't win a Tour.

Best Regards,
Lance Armstrong

[BAH]

Nothing can be done. There is always going to be morons, that think that any way that isn't their way is dumb :) I don't ride a recumbant but I commute on this.
Everybody loves it except the roadies haha. I wave at em anyway. Kill em with kindness ;)

http://www.bikerubbish.com/ratfink/images/gallery/ratfink.jpg

[markw]

I have test-ridden a few bents and find that they are a lot of fun, but the negatives outweighed the positives for the kind of riding I like to do. If I had the disposable income I would love to have a Bachetta, but the budget won't allow it right now.

If you get a Bacchetta, you'll imediately be slower on the hills. However, with time, you'll equal or match your upright climbing speed. Since you're into Ti, they make a Ti one, but the new Carbon Fiber ones are much nicer and lighter. I've ridden one and now I'm not even considering a Ti one. I currently have an '05 Corsa which is a blast to ride. I'd join your club ride, but I'm in CA. During the Davis Double Century a week or so ago, we got quite the paceline going with myself on a Bacchetta, and 2 tandems pulling about 20 bikes on the flats at the end.
Race results are there to show the speed. The climbing I think is more myth than anything, and boils down to old guys and guys who haven't got bent legs yet on heavy bents trying to climb. It's all about power/weight, and a lightweight sub 20lb Bacchetta climbs just fine with the right motor. If someone asks about a bent nowdays, I just refer them to Bacchetta's site and my local (LA) dealer. It will be interesting to see the results of this years RAAM, Jim Kern is going out solo on a CF Aero that is in the 18lb range. I think he can pull a top 3 finish, and he'll definately be fresher towards the later half of the race. For more info on Jim, http://www.jameskern.net

I got my Bacchetta for the speed potential of a bent. I was immediately faster on the flats and I'm constantly improving everywhere. Here's mass start racing at it's finest, the American Crit. This thread is by Jim Verheul who was a Cat 2 racer that had a back injury and almost gave up riding until he found high performance bents. He's a member of Team Bacchetta, and does really well in Crits in LA, where he spends most the time off the front. http://bacchettabikes.com/forum2/tm.asp?m=8494 Again, it's all about the motor, and when your putting out 280watts and your upright buddy next to you is doing 350+ to maintain the same speed, you know where the advantage is. Good read, Jim is a great guy and very fast.

[bkaapcke]

If they don't want to hear that bent riding is pain free, don't tell them. bk

[nedgoudy]

I really don't think bent riders are snobs, but I've run into some cyclists who look down on me. When someone sees me on my trike and starts talking about it loud enough for me to hear and acts like I'm not to be involved in the conversation, I consider that snobish. Especially when what they are saying isn't true or are putting my trike down. :( That happened today. But then they complain that they were going to have a hard time finishing the trail(an easy one). Maybe it was due to the first warm humid day we've had around here.

Bent riders aren't snobs! They just have
the common sense to understand a better
piece of equipment when it arrives on
the scene.

I am here to say that most roadies would
enjoy their rides, go faster and feel NO
pain if they too rode bents. With all due
respect to those of you who ride in your
little penis pinching pants and brightly
colored shirts that look like you are a
horse jockey, I think you are the ones
that belong to a cult. Riding a bent
doesn't require a uniform, or a helmet.

Comfort is the keyword. And Freedom!

I know I put the picture up a lot, but here
again is a link to a bike that any of you
would be proud to have in your stable
and it would quickly become your ride
of choice. I would bet on it!
http://www.lightningbikes.com/p38.htm

Or the Bacchetta Aero for those of you who
prefer two 26 inch wheels.
http://www.bacchettabikes.com/recumbents/bikes/aero.htm

But the Lightning is probably a better bike,
and certainly at almost $1,500 cheaper, it
is the better buy and better ride IMHO.

[Wheelchairman]

Well, there you have it. I retired when Dick informed me I can't win a Tour.

Best Regards,
Lance Armstrong
LMAO :D

Its obvious this is gonna keep going on.....I dont want anyone to mysteriously die due to their beliefs :) .

Its obvious Olebiker's happy with his DF. Why keep pestering him with reasons why he should ditch his DF? If he is not already convinced, then why keep it up? I just dont wish this to b an irony of the topics title. People hav choices, and we should respect their choices. Thats wat it comes down to. Thats all I hav to say ;)

[Trsnrtr]

I just dont wish this to b an irony of the topics title.

It always does when comparing bike types, the different camps start fighting. First it's snobbery and then it's reverse snobbery, back and forth and so on.

Let's face it, if bents are less than 1% of total bike sales, then it's safe to say that we are the odd people out here and I can live with that. :)

Denny

[BlazingPedals]

If someone genuinely likes their DF and has no problems with it, they'd be ill-advised to give it up and go to a recumbent. Face it, 'bents are heavier and more expensive; and unless they commit to the change, the 'bent will never perform as well for them as a DF. So to restate it in another way, the best candidates for 'bents are those who are having 'issues' with their DFs. That may include most of us on this forum, but it doesn't logically follow that most DF riders are like us.

OTOH if someone complains about some aspect of their DF, and a 'bent would be the solution, I don't have a problem pointing that out. Often, the solution is worse than the problem, at least in their eyes. That's OK, I don't WANT to see everyone else on recumbents!