Phiber

I was riding my normal area last night when i happened upon a gentleman riding a bent. He was one of the nicest people I've met, so far, in cycling. He told me all about his bike and that he had ridden the MS150 without an ache in his body! And he had a HUGE triangle on the rear of his seat. Now I want one!

funbun

Kool. Have you ridden one yet?

Phiber

Not yet; I dunno where I'd go to ride one. And honestly next thing I am getting is a cyclocross bike for commuting. I wonder what kind of practical use a Bent would be.. Any suggestions?

funbun

You can use it just like you want use your cyclocross.

Ritz

Hey, try Stress management recumbents on Grant rd. just off 249. or you could go to Planetary cycles (In the book) either place will let you test ride anything they have. Great folks! I used to commute 12 miles a day for two years on my recumbent, so yes they are very practicle.

Phiber

The problem is the route I will be taking to work requires me to be a bit more manuverable than I believe a recumbent could be. I also need to be able to bunny hop and go up and down curbs.

funbun

No problem, Just get NASA to build you an anti-gravity device. That'll work just fine

Ritz

Ya know, He's right... We do live in Houston after all! I think I need one of those A/G devices just for the potholes!

Phiber

Actually, what would be cool is like on the fly controllable suspension. Where you could activate a spring device to pop that front wheel up over a curb.

Seeker

Hmmmm, a 'bent version of Speed Racers Mach 5. Wonder if any of those art car museum guys would come up with something like that.

erik forsgren

hello Phiber,
I would very much share with you my experience of recumbents. First of all let me tell you that a recumbent is far safer than an upright bike for many reasons. Second the way you handle a recumbent differs very much from the way you handle an upright. On an upright bike you change the point of gravity all the time while biking. On a recumbent you are supposed to lie still relaxed and pedal with some force in order to keep the bike in balance. It is very important that you do not change position while pedalling, because a changed position might interfere with the gyrodynamic force that keep your recumbent in balance. Once you have learnt the technique of riding a recumbent,you will be so much at ease that you will never stop riding and you will certainly leave your upright for good. This is at least my story.

Phiber

I would very much like to own a recumbent bike. Although I believe that I wouldn't stop riding my other upright bikes, it would be a good 'go to the grocery store' commuter with a BOB. Less likely to get stolen, as well. Do they make fascias' for the front of recumbents in order to reduce wind-drag? Also, it definatly looks like an art to riding as opposed to a skill!

Thanks!
-David

bnet1

This spring I switched from a road bike to a recumbent and I've never looked back. I commute some, and part of my route exposes me to some city traffic. Vehicles seem to be more tolerant when I'm on the recumbent. This weekend I completed a nice club ride, starting from my home in Wellington, cycling to Oberlin for the ride, then back home to Wellington. Total distance for the day was 41.5 miles. No problems keeping up on the ride either. And not a thing got sore! That is considerably more distance than I could ever cover comfortably on my road bike. Are 'bents practical? About as practical as any other bike. I wouldn't ride anything else now.

Mueller makes a clear Lexan fairing for recumbents. It is called a Windwrap. I have no experience with fairings but I've read they can add 2MPH or more to your speed. there are other manufacturers out there. Just run an internet search.

'bent Brian