So, I'm riding home in the heat of a Georgia summer afternoon on my bent, seeking out shady streets. I'm taking it especially slowly so I can recover a bit for the ride tomorrow and the day after. I crawl up to the top of a shadeless hill, and start down, not even caring what traffic is behind me or if they want to pass. Now I'm over the top and starting down and into the shade, and the cooler breeze that I begin to feel as my speed picks up. I'm still not riding hard, but downhill in this shade I can sort of push it a little, it's ok. I even feel my balance a little twitchy, probably because I'm tired and it's hot. I'm really sliding down this hill kinda fast, but like I said, I'm not really hammering. All of a sudden I look in my mirror and almost jump.
There's this guy sucking my wheel, but he startled me because I didn't know he was there, and all of a sudden, there he was, right in my mirror, as if he was standing behind me. Well, I was ok, and I figured I'd wave him on, but he stayed on my wheel. So I pushed a little when I hit the flatter part, then slacked off and waved him on again. Immediately, he began to overtake. I eased up some more, and he pulled alongside.
"I like it," he said, referring to my recumbent. I wanted to say I liked my recumbent too, but I just laughed. Nice day. :D
oilfreeandhappy
06-29-06, 04:10 PM
You really didn't say - what was he riding? Or was he in a car?
LittleBigMan
07-03-06, 08:30 AM
Oh... :D
He was riding a DF.
oilfreeandhappy
07-04-06, 12:23 AM
My bent is faster than my Mountain Bike, but not faster than most of the Road Bikes. Many Road Bikers remind me of this, in subtle ways, like blowing my wheels off! Of course, my model wasn't built for speed - Bike E.
LittleBigMan
07-05-06, 09:04 AM
Jim, I just noticed you're from Fort Collins. Isn't that near Boulder? That's Mom and Dad's neck of the woods--Mom born in Boulder, now they are retired in Estes Park. Man, that's some beautiful country.
Hey, don't give up on going faster on that bent, practice spinning up hills as fast as you can. Then try going to the next higher gear and doing the same thing. One strategy I've found that increased my average speed is to spend my energy spinning as fast as I can up hills, then taking it easy on the way down. Most of my improvement lately I think is from hitting those hills.
Anyway, speed isn't everything. The main thing is, are we having fun?
:D
World Tour
07-07-06, 11:50 AM
Bents ARE fun! It's a couple months now since I bought mine. How long before one gets bent legs? :-D
blknwhtfoto
07-07-06, 03:34 PM
Are you riding every day? It took me about a month at 10 miles a rdt. RIDE MORE!
JanMM
07-07-06, 07:10 PM
I got my 'bent (my first) in mid-March and have put around 700 miles on it. Starting to feel perhaps faster (much of the time) than I was on my hybrid. Had some knee issues early on but those have passed.
Sandwarrior
07-08-06, 12:11 AM
Jim, I just noticed you're from Fort Collins. Isn't that near Boulder? That's Mom and Dad's neck of the woods--Mom born in Boulder, now they are retired in Estes Park. Man, that's some beautiful country.
Hey, don't give up on going faster on that bent, practice spinning up hills as fast as you can. Then try going to the next higher gear and doing the same thing. One strategy I've found that increased my average speed is to spend my energy spinning as fast as I can up hills, then taking it easy on the way down. Most of my improvement lately I think is from hitting those hills.
Anyway, speed isn't everything. The main thing is, are we having fun?
:D
Question from a NUBE. What is "spinning"? There is this hill on the South side of 225 that goes up past the dam to Parker road. Haven't made it up the hill yet without walking (yeah, I'm that outta shape). I really want to beat this hill.
LittleBigMan
07-10-06, 11:03 AM
Question from a NUBE. What is "spinning"? There is this hill on the South side of 225 that goes up past the dam to Parker road. Haven't made it up the hill yet without walking (yeah, I'm that outta shape). I really want to beat this hill.
I've seen some of those hills y'all have in the Rockies, very very steep.
Anyway, from Wikipedia:
Spinning on a mobile bicycle refers to the technique of using a range of gears to maintain a constant rapid cadence of 60-110 rpm in controlled, even pedal strokes.
JanMM
07-10-06, 05:07 PM
"rapid cadence of 60-110 rpm" ??? Anything below about 80- 90 isn't really spinning, is it?
LittleBigMan
07-11-06, 07:12 AM
"rapid cadence of 60-110 rpm" ??? Anything below about 80- 90 isn't really spinning, is it?
Ya, I was thinking about that this morning. If I got as low as 60 rpm's, well, let's just say I was easing off quite a bit, probably downhill in a higher gear. (I really didn't notice that at first, but 60 is very slow.)
JanMM
07-11-06, 02:30 PM
Wikipedia is usually pretty close to accurate, but it's not guaranteed.
Sandwarrior
07-11-06, 04:35 PM
I've seen some of those hills y'all have in the Rockies, very very steep.
Anyway, from Wikipedia:
Spinning on a mobile bicycle refers to the technique of using a range of gears to maintain a constant rapid cadence of 60-110 rpm in controlled, even pedal strokes.
Well thank you, all of you for the information. Now I have a reason to use that cadence thingy hanging from my computer, instead of cutting it off:eek: .
BTW I took a fall on Sunday. Didn't think it was possible on my bent, but I have a very nice large patch of road rash on my right knee. I took yesterday off, but I will try and get at that hill tonight after the temp drops below 80.
Bikes-N-Drums
07-13-06, 02:20 PM
I've found that kids really dig the 'bent (for the most part). Last night I passed a little boy, mouth gaping, and once I passed I heard him say "Now THAT'S what I call a BIKE!". :)
There's a boy in my neighborhood at the bottom of a hill. I rode by him once and he yelled "Man, that bike is TIGHT!". He's got a little mini-bike. And since then everytime I come down that hill at 35mph and he sees me, he drops everything, gets on the mini-bike and goes roaring around the streets trying to find me. I should probably take some time to really show him the bike.
LittleBigMan
07-14-06, 10:06 AM
I've found that kids really dig the 'bent (for the most part). Last night I passed a little boy, mouth gaping, and once I passed I heard him say "Now THAT'S what I call a BIKE!". :)
I had a funny one yesterday afternoon. I passed a bunch of teenagers, some in a parked car, some outside the car talking to them. They all turned their heads as I went by.
"White folks's crazy!" they said. :D
What can I say? I do look kinda strange riding a two-wheeled lounge chair 'round town...
Bikes-N-Drums
07-14-06, 11:12 AM
"White folks's crazy!" they said. :D
Feh! They said the same thing about son of sam. What do they know?!
:D
Tourezrick
08-01-06, 04:55 PM
We all get road rash, sooner or later, even on a bent. One guy I ride with, we got to calling "Artie Johnson", after the character on "Laugh In' (requires a certain age to know about Laugh In). Fell over almost every time he started or stopped. Have yet to get road rash on my trike. Not looking forward to it. Now, as amazing as it may be to some, on bents there are lots of Black riders, Mexican riders, Chinese riders, Gay riders, Lesbian riders, Sex change riders, Fat riders, Thin riders. Not too many young bent riders. Being a chauvinist, I have gotta see this - cute 20 something young ladies in jog bras - I'll be glad to let you try out one of my bikes. Have yet to meet a First Nations rider, but I'm looking forward to it.
Happy trails, tailwinds and long downhills!
Tourezrick
Dirty old man? Nah, I shower often and use soap and deodorant.