widmn

I am a baby boomer and I just heard of and bought a recumbent Vision R40. Yes I know they are going out of business. That's why I bought it because it was so cheap. What a gas!!!!! I now commute to work everyday. I am having a lot of fun with no pain in the a$$ or elbows!!!!! Is it just me or shouldn't everyone be buying one of these things? What's up???

sch

That is why I spend about half my time on the bent.
Neck, wrist and elbow problems disappear. 3yrs of 7-8k
miles per yr generated bilateral tennis elbow problems
on the regular bike. People wear out, bents acommodate. Steve

N_C

Are you sure Vision is going out of business?

I heard they moved to a differant location and for a while had problems with their phone service. So it was assumed they were closed for business completely.

But now they are back up and running with no more major complications.

bentbaggerlen

NO, its true Vision has closed the doors, they are selling off the company equipment to pay off bills. First Bike E and now Vision...

phill7560

Hi All
I am new to the forum, but i have just brought a redmount roller trike, all hand built. and after a first ride on my trike i was most supprised that after the first 20miles i got off with no pains , only legs like jelly,,
it is great fun and you meet lots of people who say what is that you are rideing??, after a short chat about the trike and a go round the car park they enjoyed it and carnt stop smileing.
i think in years to come when petrol runs out we will see more and more trikes etc on the road.
phill

widmn

HEY!!! Don't hijack my thread with this Vision stuff please!!!! Are they becoming more poplular or not???? Thanks

bentbaggerlen

The sales numbers have climbed over the last few years. So I would have to say yes.

randybrown

Two years ago, my wife and I were virtaully the only recumbents on the Little Miami Scenic trail. Now, I typically ride by at least 2 or 3 others on each ride.

I'd never try to convince someone to switch to a recumbent, but I'll never go back.



{rb}

Canuck1

The number of wierd wedgie saddles on the market with grooves down the middle or holes or a different colored strip...none of which make a wedgie comfortable to ride shows that people are looking for something better. I have tried them all; Brooks hard leather, Terry Liberator, Specialized grooved thing. They all suck. A bent just makes so much sense and delivers where the others don't. IMHO

bentrox!

Amen to that. The only proper riding use of a saddle is on a horse. No bike saddle design can effectively mitigate the serious physical limitation of trying to support upper torso weight on a few square inches of sensitive tissue and bone while an unsupported back is painfully hunched over and a craned neck is gruesomely contorted during continuous physical exertion over a period of several hours, if the ride is long. Distributing body weight along the entire back makes so much sense it's a wonder more cyclists aren't inclined to go recumbent.

Imagery dies hard, though, I guess.

MrEWorm

I wanted a recumbent tadpole style bike, I found one incredibly comfortable on a test ride.
I could have gotten over the fact that it was very low and not greatly visible to traffic by using flags. I could have gotten over the garage floor footprint it would make by storing it upright.
Easy transportation in a car was one issue that I hadn't seen an answer to. There are folding trikes available but from what I've seen, they are not user friendly.
For the price of a properly equipped unit, I could have purchased 3 or 4 nice wedgies.

When the prices come down, I'll try to get over the fact that car carriers are awkward and get a pick up truck to haul it around.

bentbaggerlen

"I could have gotten over the fact that it was very low and not greatly visible to traffic"

I have riden trikes in heavy traffic (Boston) and found that more drivers see me, and give more room. Sure there is still some A-hole that will buzz you. But for the most part they do give you a little more room.

Paul G.

Phil,

Have you ever ridden a Windcheetah? If so, how would you compare it with the Redmount Roller? Also, how would you compare the Greenspeed or other trikes (ICe) with it? Whhat are its strong points and what are its weaker ones?

Best from Paul

geebee

MrEWorm have you looked at the Green Speed GT3? It takes about a minute to fold, remove 1 allen key (screwdriver handled allen key is easier) lift off seat, release 1 clamp & fold. Reverse the above to unfold. Folded it will fit in a compact car without folding the seats down.
If you are lazy and only you are in the car it will fit in a compact car without folding by laying the car seats down.
Riding the trike it is impossible to tell it is a folding trike and I ride pretty hard.
Looks like your last reason not to buy a trike is in trouble.

sbhikes

I just bought a Lightning Thunderbolt this morning. Maybe they are getting more popular.

I have only seen one other guy on the road, or maybe two (can't tell if they are the same guy or not.) But in the parking lot at work today one other woman came out and asked if she could ride it because she had back and neck pain and thought maybe she'd like to get one someday.

I don't have any physical problems, and I'm not very old, either. Younger than a baby boomer. I just thought they looked like fun. And they are! And it's gonna be a great workout for my butt. I'm gonna have buns of steel.

safeway56

If you want a reasonably priced trike take a look at this...It's a British company but the trikes are made in Taiwan and are half the price of the others..I've got one on order and no,I don't work for KMX... https://www.kmxkarts.com/

erik forsgren

I still don't understand why recumbents haven't been more popular in view of the fact that they are so superior in comparison to any type of wedgy. Still I can see a slight difference in attitude over the last years: Three years ago I could hardly ride my recumbent without being ridiculed or being stopped by people who wanted to ask silly questions. Once someone even smashed a plastic bag filled with urine and water on my face. Now three years later people often ask me about the price of the bike and where to buy it.

BlazingPedals

I think it goes without saying that recumbents get more popular every year. My club gets at least 5-10 new bent riders every year, and sometimes a lot more. I occasionally go to club rides where everyone who shows up is on a recumbent. Now THAT'S cool! More work for me to keep up, but still cool.

I think there's three major reasons that more wedgie riders don't want to convert. First, there's the hillclimbing thing. Face it, they ARE slower on hills. And there's a lot of wedgie riders out there for whom it is extremely important that they keep up with their roadie friends on big climbs. Especially the ones who live in mountainous areas where a single big climb can be a huge portion of an entire ride. Second, there's price. For anyone who doubts this factor, just look at all the newbie posts here and on other forums like BROL. Most newbies are interested in Sun, ActionBent, and other CHEAP models knowing they're cheap but being unwilling to pay more for the mainstream sporty models. It's interesting but hardly unexpected that for their next bent, price is way less important - apparently once people are convinced of bent superiority, they're more than willing to pay that extra cost for subsequent bikes. Third is concern over visibility. I know from experience that cars NOTICE me much more when I'm on a bent. Wedgie riders don't have that experience and it's hard to convince them that cars can still see them in spite of being closer to the ground. Other objections, like dorky designs, small front wheels, guilt-by-association with FOGS (fat old guys,) etc, are all additional emotional issues.

One other real factor is racing. This affects a very small percentage of DF riders; but if they have any notions of racing, then uprights are almost the only game in town. It's hard to find races that allow bents, and the ones that do are usually not considered 'big events' in the DF racing world. Ask any DF racer who Sam Whittingham is, and you'll get a blank stare. Being the fastest cyclist in the world doesn't get you any notoriety if you're not on a DF.

Personally, I'm not interested in making recumbents more popular. I was just a slightly faster-than-average club rider on my DF, but now on my lowracer I'm one of the fastest guys in the whole club. If everyone got fast recumbents, I'd be right back in the middle of the pack. The only plus would be if economies of scale brought the prices closer to wedgie prices.

bentrox!

Whoa! And here I thought ORBIT of Birmingham was our top unofficial candidate for bent martyrdom!

Back to the subject... Yes, over the last three years I've noticed a growing number of bent riders in my neighborhood (the central California coast) and I'd like to think that can be attributed to an increase in popularity, but the numbers are still really small in relation to all cylists I see. I'm with Blazing - I like the uniqueness of my bent and the advantages I know I enjoy over most others riding out there. There is some satisfaction in knowing you ride something superior in the world of bicycles, and I'm selfish enough to not let the secret out more than needed. I am happy to share, mind you, and always answer inquiries in a straight-forward fashion. I'm careful not to preach, just simply informing enough to let the inquirer decide whether to investigate further on their own. Sticker shock probably cuts most curiosity short, though. That's okay with me!

erik forsgren

I do not consider myself a candidate for martyrdom. I only mentioned the event in order to point out the change in attitude.