Recumbent - Why did you buy & ride your recumbent?

Recumbent riders why did you buy and ride your recumbent?

Sorry but this is for those that only ride 'bents and nothing else.

(But what the heck if there are those of you out there that still ride a wedgie too for what ever reason you can vote too. Just please state that you do so.)

I go both ways.

I ride my wedgie for stop&go neighborhood rides (OK, up to 35 miles), especially hills. I ride my lwb when I want to go. I got my recumbent after I tried consecutive day 50 milers on my wedgie, and the last 20 miles I just didn't want to do it any more despite not being tired.

I expect this will turn out to be a very common tune.

I had a radical perineal prostatectomy on May 1st and my doctor finally gave consent for me to ride a recumbent on June 13th. He would not consent to me riding a wedgie, yet. Anyway, since June 13th, 27 days ago, I've ridden 600 miles on my new V-Rex. I may return to a regular bike after my doc gives me the ok; I haven't decided yet.

I put a riser stem in my mountain bike two years ago and that helped some. But a recent injury - herniated disc between my shoulder blades - forced me to quit riding the mountain bike. So I had read about bents and thought I should switch.

I have only put 74 miles on my new bent so far but no pain in the back or neck which feels great. Now I'm working on building up my thigh muscles.

I like wedgies as well as my bent.

I ride the bent cos I built it and someone has to do it...:D

It has quickly become my prefered ride though.

I ordered an enclosed recumbent trike (http://www.hazbro.com/mango). I had been commuting on a mountain bike and wanted to get my 'bent' legs in shape, so I picked up a used Vision R40 and fell in love with it. I have only commuted on my mountain bike two days since I got the R40 and this was only because the R40 was in the shop being converted from USS to OSS.

When I was in college, I used to ride my bike to and from home, work and school, between 8 and 16 miles daily on a regular basis. It was a mountain bike that I later found our was not properly sized and fit for me. I also drove CAMBUS, at the U of Iowa..... Between the biking and the bus driving, I got what my doctor called a permanent bruise on my tailbone. He reccommended that I stop riding bike, which I had to do because it was too painful anyway. I went to the local bike shop also, and they helped me adjust my bike, change the seat and handlebar positions, but that only worked for a while and then I had to stop riding completely. After 5years off of my bike I wanted to ride again, I did a little internet seaching on recumbents when I remembered that my friends dad had one.... I was hooked. I got an Easy Racers SC-1 Lite just over 2 years ago and I love it!!! I still get the pain when riding and driving my car ( I haven't driven a bus in 3 years now) but it is no longer so painful that I can't stay on the bike. It used to be so bad that I couldn't even sit in a chair! Thanks for giving me a place to tell my story!

Actually my wife gets on the recumbent soap box quite a bit and had to do a lot of talking to get me to try one. In fact when we first bought bikes, she got the TREK R200 and I got the Softride Roadwing (upright). Later we purchased a Trek R200 for me and then she decides to get a Barcroft Virginia GT. She really loved the bike but because she bought it over the internet, she didn't get fitted well and it turned out to be too large for her. Well now, I've got the Barcroft Virginia GT, and she has a new Lightning Phantom. (i know that's a lot of money for bikes, but I could be boating.....)

She did her maiden voyage (8 miles this morning), while I rode the Barcroft 30 miles with another upright rider. She's sore, I'm sore, but we both loved it. I pushed a little too hard for my second voyage on the Barcroft and now the knees as well as the thighs are a little sore. But I managed a 14.2 average with flat to rolling hills type terrain--not too bad for a newbie.

It will be a while before I try any 60 rides with the club, but some day it will happen.

One thing the poll didn't mention was hand numbness. And though I got used to my rear end being uncomfortable, it was so much nicer to not have to get off every so often to prevent a sore rump. Also the hand numbness left to not be seen again. Almost everyone who has asked about my bent seems to have an ulterior motive. They are hurting one way or another from riding a wedgie. Poor souls, if only they really knew. Ah! the comfort.

I'm still waiting for my hybrid recumbent, a cross between a recumbent and a DF, to arrive. My reason for buying - I think they look fantastic! I also like the idea of sitting in a relaxed position. With all of my DF bikes, I occasionally have pain in my neck and back and I have to consciously relax my shoulders. Numbness in my hands is also a reason I'm switching.

http://members.home.nl/davehorne/images/easyglider.jpg

Re wedgies, i've seen seats that have an independent pad on each side, nothing in between & no "nose", which should eliminate any tailbone or prostate probs. Don't know how they ride tho.

Hand/arm probs may be caused by bars being set too high.

Saw the basic BikeE at a shop for $800, NOS, i think a 2001 or 2. Decent price?

Are any slicks made for these?

Dave,
A Bike-E CT N.O.S should sell for about $400. If your looking for one, I have a CT for sale $300 includes the Bike E Seat bag, and a spare front tire. I'm also in CT

Bike seats like this http://www.tesco-shopping.com/bikeseat.htm have been offered for sale for better then 100 years. If they did everything the makers claimed I'm sure they would be on almost all bikes by now.

I pruchased and ride a Trice Micro. The main reason is its fun to do so. I ride 100 or so miles per week and ride the Seattle to Portland Bicycle classic (2003 was my second year riding the STP and second year with the Micro). The advantages with the trike are many - stopping and not having to unclip, going as slow as you need to up hills are just a couple.

I've been riding since 92, but I finally got tired of my butt, wrists, and neck hurting, so I bought a Bacchetta Strada. Now I'm wondering why I waited so long. It is the greatest thing since sliced bread.:D

Ya'll keep the sunny side up and the blacktop down.

Michael

My last ride on an upright was the 2002 Ragbrai - I was tempted to the dark side -as one trike rider called it - and haven't looked back or regreted the decision. I too like the Bacchetta and have really appreciated the bent even more since meeting and talking w/ the crew from Bacchetta at Calhoun Cycle the day before I left for L/C trail ride this summer. Really terrific people!

After a twenty-five year hiatus, I decided 2-1/2 years ago that I wanted to return to regular biking for the benefits of physical conditioning. I knew I wanted something more from my bike than just exercise, though, and I sure didn't want to buy an expensive bike I would grow bored with or tired-out on. I wanted something that I would be more likely to stick with as a regular activity. I'd never seen a recumbent until I saw one in a small magazine ad and subsequently on the internet. Having read so much overwhelming testimony as to the comfort, fun and performance of these wierd bikes, I began to realize this might be the very thing that would keep me hooked on riding. I'd never ridden a recumbent, but I sure wasn't a confirmed roadie and I had an open outlook, so my leap of faith was easier to make given all the information favoring recumbents.

5000 miles later, I'm still elated with my SWB and ride it regularly. Many times I end up going further than I'd planned to because of the sheer pleasure of riding it. I didn't settle on a recumbent because I had a physical reason to, but I know had I chosen an equally expensive road bike 2 1/2 years ago, it might already be gathering dust in the garage.

I took a ride on one at the local 'Bent shop and was hooked, then I won one at a reduced price, an EZ-1 (allthough I haven't recieved it yet) I'm really looking forward to it!

I like building things and I am an avid cyclist so I thought I would build a bent. The first one was a LWB back in 1990. The problem was that when it was finished I couldn't ride it...just couldn't get going. The frustrating part was that my 2 sons could ride it before I could.

Since then I have gone back and forth between wedgies and bents. Last summer I started to have real discomfort in the crotch area on the bent so I am bent all the way from now on.