Laurel Lane

JerriAnn, my roommate in college once stopped a burglar who broke into the kitchen pantry where she was hiding with a can of foaming hornet and wasp spray. He was hospitalized for several days. Cops in here town gave her a certificate for bravery. She was 12 years old at the time. This happened in Upstate New York.

You're only as helpless as you want to be.

bsut

I strongly concur. Many women find it an empowering experience. Then they drag their men along to the next class - a refresher for her, and enlightening for him if he's willing to learn

While you're waiting for the next class in your area, you can learn a lot by reading Street Smarts.

Ajenkins

Jerri,

You would really benefit by taking one of the Smart Cycling courses offered by League of American Bicyclists instructors. They will teach you what you need to know to ride the road confidently and safely, and integrate your vehicle with automobiles and trucks on the road.

Go to their website to find an instructor near you, and contact them for course information.

claire

Back to the original topic... I just bought a Performer HR a couple of weeks ago. So far I've been riding with a friend of mine out in the countryside. My BF does ride but he doesn't have a lot of time right now, anyway he doesn't mind me being away all day on my bike, which is cool. I used to ride my "normal" bike a lot (cyclocamping, commuting, long distance) and the main reason why I came to getting a recumbent is that in France, the 'bent crowd is much nicer to women, much less macho than the "normal" bike crowd. Also, I know a lot of couples who both ride bents (much more than upright bikes). That might have to do with the fact that the fastest female HPV athlete in the world is our own Barbara Buatois, many times world champion and who collected an impressive series of records this year (for example 75.458 mph in Battle Mountain in september)!

BlazingPedals

I think recumbent riders in the U.S. tend to be more laid-back (in more ways than one) too. That's great if you're not into competition. But I've lost count of how many upright riders think all 'bents are slow and look down their noses at us because they've never seen a faster rider on one. In fact, didn't we have a few of those in a recent thread?

nwmtnbkr

For those of you who ride your trikes on the road, do you feel cars see you? I'm considering getting a longtail bike next year but have added a trike to the list of possible candidates now that TerraCycle has brought out an Xtracycle kit for recumbents. The one thing that has always worried me about recumbents, especially trikes, is how low they sit. Also, if you ride in a more rural area, do you have problems with wild life seeing you? I'm always on the look out for wild life here, they out number the humans, and can dart out in front of you in an instant.

BlazingPedals

The lowracer in my avatar puts me right down there with the lowest of the tadpole trikes, and I've never had a problem with either cars or wildlife seeing me. Besides, I could go right under a deer. A lot of trikers seem to have a height inferiority complex, so they use flags. I note that lots of uprights get hit because the drivers didn't see them, so height apparently doesn't matter as much as being where they are looking.

altozwei

I have found that vehicular traffic gives me more room on my trike than they ever did on my bike. Instead of squeezing past me in my lane they will slow down and pull way over to pass me. I also use a flag, not because I have a "height inferiority complex" but because it is the practical thing to do. I don't race so I'm not concerned about wind resistance. The flag is important when I am stopped in traffic, in between cars. It is easy for motorists to forget a smaller vehicle, be it trike, bike or even motorcycle, in that situation. It also helps make me more noticeable to vehicles in parking lots, where cars are likely to be backing out with large blind spots. However, I must point out that the only serious close calls I've had on my trike were two cases of drivers who were not paying attention. They wouldn't have seen me if I had been a Hummer, much less a trike. One was my own neighbor who came right down the street at me (driving on the WRONG side) while looking at himself in his rear-view mirror. In addition, I have an AirZound horn. The horn is amazingly loud and can startle a driver who is otherwise occupied on their cell phone. It also serves the dual purpose of discouraging animals that get too close. Living in an urban environment, I don't have as much of a problem with wildlife as I do roaming dogs but I haven't found one yet that didn't run from my horn.

John C. Ratliff

I have seen the recommendation for a flag on a pole above. Well, I did some informal experiments on my Rans Stratus, and found that when I hoisted an American flag on the pole, verses the smaller orange triangle flag, that motorists passed me about a foot further away on average. I have mentioned this on the Advocacy and Safety forum, but thought you'd like to see it too. It may well be better in cities such as Dallas than here in Beaverton, Oregon too (regional differences). You can get a good, small American flag for your bike at a Harley motorcycle shop; the others tend to get frayed in about six months of riding.

John