Recumbent - POLL: Age of Bent Riders?

Just curious, what the age demographics are of readers here who ride recumbents.

I'm now 41, but I built my first bent when I was 18. It was a LWB very much like a Ryan Vangaurd. It was not perfect, and handled very poorly when loaded up for touring, so untill I was 37 or 38 I used an standard bike for touring. But I really liked the view from a bent, so I bought a Vision R40 for touring solo, and a Rans Screamer for tandem touring. The Vision has been retired, and replaced with a Longbikes Slipstream. I do very little solo tours anymore, so the tandem see most of the milage.

I just turned 54 on Saturday and my birthday present to myself was a new bent (EZ1 Lite). I had to replace my '71 Schwinn SuperSport to be able to keep up with my 11 yo daughter on bike trails.

I've only had a chance to ride the EZ1 3 short times but love it so far.

Btw, the EZ1 Lite was very hard to find in the Phila area. Had to go to Bristol PA where I found the most interesting bike shop -- more like a museam. I've never seen such an unusual collection of bikes: 3 wheelers, side-by-side tandem, electric bikes etc. If you are in the area, give yourself a treat and go to:

ABC BIKES
443 Mill St.
BRISTOL, PA 19007
215-785-2779

- Rod

:beer:

Just wanted to post here! :)

I'm 29, and happily married btw!

I also have an SC-1 Lite and I love it!!!!!!

I've been riding a 'bent trike since 2002 - loving the ride since! - 38, happily married. I enjoy long rides in the country.

Been riding a customized Bachetta since March - managed to get from St.Louis to Council Bluffs this summer on the Lewis and Clark trail and continue to commute up here in Fargo, ND.

I see so far by the poll that most riders are 50-59, followed closely by the 40-49 goup. I wonder if that's the age we can more afford one or by that time we figure why can't I be more comfortable on a bike or both?

I've been riding recumbents since July 1983 (I was 33 years old). I started with an Infinity LWB/USS. I now have a Vision R-44 and a DoubleVision recumbent tandem (we've been tandeming the same amount of time, I talked her into the recumbent tandem 3 years ago, she loves it).

Started this year right before my 43rd birthday. Bought a used Vision to get my legs in shape (diamond frame my whole life) for my enclosed bent trike.

I am 42 and bought my first bent this year, an EZ sport lmtd. I loved it so much I bought my wife the EZ 3 for our anniversery and then my soon to be 12 year old asked for a SWB for her birthday this year. She's now riding a Lightning Thunderbolt. The next purchase will be the EZ Tandem so my 9 year old daughter can join in.

I've seen other similar polls that always seem to place American bent riders typically in the 50+ age group (I'm 51). In contrast, European bent median age appears to be 20 years younger, and in Japan, under 25 is the typical bent rider age. I've not seen polls from Europe nor Japan, mind you, but my conclusions come from numerous comments from bent folks in those regions that post their thoughts on other recumbent message boards.

Perhaps, our cultural heritage for adventure and independent thinking carries on into latter years more so than in the "old countries"? Then again, if we Americans are so fun-loving and free-spirited, why aren't our younger folk more inclined to recumbents like their breathren elsewhere seem to be? Some interesting subject matter for cultural-sociological research, no?

I was curious about this, too, esp since when I was shopping for a bent bike I noticed I was always the youngest in the store (32), besides when I took my kids with ... I don't think most bikers my age are ready/willing/motivated to make the leap to a bent. Looks like there's some others in my demographic out there, though. I'm a dedicated (decent weather) commuter, and switching has been so much more comfortable, and probably better for my physical health than a DF in the long run.

I purchased my first bent, an EZ sport that is supposed to be a 2006 model at a yard sale 2 years ago on the fourth of July. I will be 39 this september. I had been looking at them for a while because I have a bad gut (Chron's disease) and I was starting to get sick leaning forward riding the mt. bike I have.

I bought my first 'bent at 37 years of age and just turned 40 12 days ago. I have a new lowracer to celebrate my new decade.

Why do you need a poll? Can't you just tell their age by the length of their beards? :D

Why do you need a poll? Can't you just tell their age by the length of their beards? :D

But my beard is only a seasonal thing. Does that mean I get younger in the spring and summer?:twitchy:

Oh and I'm 32 and have been riding 'bent for 3 ½ years.

50 now. Started riding bents a little more than a year ago.

In just a few months I can change that zero in the 70 age group to a 1. I got a ez3 sx to keep my rans rocket company. I like the ez3 a lot better. No balance is not a problem but the rocket is a little touchy.
recycled55

Want 'bent about 4 years ago at 44. I never considered a recumbent until lower back problems made df bikes unbearable.

Why do you need a poll? Can't you just tell their age by the length of their beards? :D

Most of us women don't have beards :lol:

I havn't had a beard since about 1977. I made an Easyracer from their plans in 1983. I have not looked down since.
Mark

Looking at the original poll, I see zero bent riders 70+. From which I conclude that if you ride a recumbent, you won't live past 70. Sad. :(

I had to vote honestly and that put me in the 60-69 bracket, but next month I will be 70:p. Have been riding bents for 5 years since switching from DF. Every time I ride I ask myself why I didn't switch sooner. Maybe I finally got wisdom?

Why do you need a poll? Can't you just tell their age by the length of their beards? :D

Hmm... my cheeks and chin are baby smooth, yet I some how doubt I'm under the age of puberty. I think that would shock my hubby.

I was 36 when I got my 'bent.

Yet another LONG DEAD post has been revived. This seems to be the going thing nowadays. This one was dead and sleeping for 5 and a half years!

In fact, some of the people who responded to it in 2003 may no longer be with us.

Looks like we need to poll again in several months to change the demographics.

I built my first bent in the late 60's early 70's after I saw the "Groundhugger" in a magazine. It was heavy angle iron but was the cats meow for me. I took it to a low rider show in 1996 + or - and one gal really liked it... had it in a 4th of July parade several years ago with blue and white streamers, after I painted it red, and got 1st place in the bike division. SO I have had fun with it. Sorry no pic on the computer,,,that means I need to get busy.

Looking at the original poll, I see zero bent riders 70+. From which I conclude that if you ride a recumbent, you won't live past 70. Sad. :(

:lol: On the other hand, maybe it just means that if you're over 70, you don't spend time in forums? :)

This is roughly what the population pyramid looks like in the U.S. So, one could conclude that recumbent riders are right in the norm.

http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/idbpyrs.pl?cty=US&out=s&ymax=250&submit=Submit

http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/idbpyr.pl?cty=US&yr=2000&maxp=14472339&maxa=85&ymax=250&color=1

Most of us women don't have beards :lol:

Thank goodness!

Yeah, I'm 57 but I got my first Tour Easy in 83 when I was 32. I didn't see another recumbent rider until I got my wife one in 85! The thing I've noticed about recumbent riders is that they have enough sense not to worry about what the main stream thinks! Their popularity just keeps slowly growing instead of a flash in the pan like a lot of things.

Looks like we need to poll again in several months to change the demographics.

I built my first bent in the late 60's early 70's after I saw the "Groundhugger" in a magazine. It was heavy angle iron but was the cats meow for me. I took it to a low rider show in 1996 + or - and one gal really liked it... had it in a 4th of July parade several years ago with blue and white streamers, after I painted it red, and got 1st place in the bike division. SO I have had fun with it. Sorry no pic on the computer,,,that means I need to get busy.


Please do "get busy" -- I'd like to see your Groundhugger.

adrienne

I'm 48, but started riding a bent in my 30's.

Hi all. New to the forums. I don't have a recumbent yet, but have been investigating them after my low back started giving me problems this summer. I am interested in a tadpole trike but have only seen one older lady riding one around here. I was just curious how out of the norm I would be by riding one. I am 41, btw. I see there are a few others my age riding the bents. I'll come back and post here if I end up getting one.

I am 49, and just started riding a Catrike this season. I had not ridden since I was 20 due to bad balance.

wouldn't put a lot of faith in the significance of the poll data since the thread started six years ago.

I started riding a bent a few years ago at age 58 and am now about 44.

25 year old dude here...

I just turned 69 last month, and have been riding bikes since 1950, and bents since 1996. I now ride about 100+ miles per week.

Wow! For once I'm right in the middle of the bell curve! Age 55 (and a half), been riding since I was 8 yo, df's until two years ago. In retrospect, I woulda switched to 'bents sooner if I'd had access to one to try.

SP
Bend, OR

Im 71 and have been riding bents since 2005. In just a few more miles I will have ridden 2000 miles this year I ride a RANS Stratus LE, probably the best recumbent for the bucks on the market.

Probably due to cycling almost all my life, the BP is around 122/67, resting heartrate is around 55, and colestoral sp is 115. However I do take Lipitor. RIDE OR RUST