I may be BENT...but I ain't broken!
 

I'm a newbie to this forum and bent bikes. I just ordered my Sun EZ Sport CX (Cro-Mo frame) today and should pick it up this Wednesday. To say that I'm stoked about the new bike is an understatement. I used to race DF's back in the early to mid-eighties (Ross Paragon and a custom-shop Jim Redcay Ross) and really liked the comraderie and friends I made in cycling. Somehow along the way, the fun just went out of the whole riding experience for me...it got to be more about winning races, riding the 'right' bicycle, etc., and I just got fed up with bicycles and quit riding.

After twenty or so sedentary years working behind a desk, just climbing a set of stairs became a 'workout'! Wanting to recapture my fitness before my health went to hell, I decided to get another bike. Of course, I looked at all of the DF variations out there, visited all of the bikeshops in town, and began to get back all those feelings of disgust and almost gave up on cycling again. The whole 'you've got to be riding the right bike' snobbery thing really got to me.

One day I was driving across the Jackson, MS metro where I live and I spotted a small bike shop back off of the road a bit and stopped in on a whim. WOW! There was only a handful of DF bikes, but a showroom full of recumbents! I suddenly remembered talking to a couple of Tour Easy riders that I happened upon back in Oklahoma when I was still riding and racing, and thinking at the time how ridiculous the whole recumbent thing seemed.

The owner of the shop, Ride South Bikes and Boats (they sell kayaks, too!) spent well over an hour with me talking about bikes and showed me a Sun EZ Sport CX and let me ride it around the block by the shop. I was a bit tentative at first since I'd never been on a recumbent in my life, but was amazed at how stable it was even at walking speeds! That short ride was the most fun I've had in years. Never an impulse buyer, I came home that evening, hopped on the web and started researching recumbents. Turns out that Jim's recommedation of that particular model is perfect for what I want to do with the bike and it should serve me for some time to come. I'm REALLY looking forward to recapturing some of my lost youth, my fitness, and some fun. I am also looking forward to making new friends and, God willing, enjoying biking on my recumbent for the rest of my life!

Well fellas (and fellowettes), I didn't mean to rave about what all of you already know, but I just HAD to share my excitement and enthusiasm with folks who would understand. I'll keep y'all informed of how things go with the new BENT...I expect nothing short of spectacular! BBJ

Hi BBJ, welcome to bent riding. The Ez-sport is a stylish bike. I took one for a test ride once and it was fun, comfortable, and stable. Good choice! Since you're new to bents you might want to check out www.bentrideronline.com also.

Welcome to the group, BigBad! I always enjoy hearing from recumbent noobs. It always makes remember my first recumbent experience, which was, like yours, loads of fun. I've been riding them for 8 years now, and they're just as fun as ever! As one bent rider in my club says, "I go fast, I go slow, but I'll never go back."

I predict that first bent won't last as long as you think it will. I give you a year and a half, max, before you're pining for your next one. :)

Amen to that brother. Hey John, keep me posted as to when you guys do a sunday ride. Let me know if the catrike guys get together. My first few rides in the spring will be on the catrike.

Hey lowracer1: Are you near the Jackson, MS area? I checked out www.promocycle.net and it looked to be a Canadian site? If you're near the Jackson metro, maybe we could get together for a short ride or two and you could give a newbie a few pointers. BBJ

Welcome to the forums bent man! I've got an EZ Sport. I haven't gotten tried of it yet. This is my third full season on it.
Ridin' a bent means you break away from the crowd and you'll standout. You'll find plenty of people on DF's that will want to ask about your bike and drool over it. So that means not only will the ride be fun, so will the stops.

Chris lives in Flint Michigan. I live closer to Lansing. Our club has over 100 recumbents.

Drat! I was hoping to borrow it for a ride! ;) I'll let you know when. Fair warning, they average about 13-14 mph, mostly because they're too busy talking to ride hard. Are you open for Saturdays, or just Sundays?

Big Bad John, enjoy your new bike and welcome to the growing bunch of 'bent riders. As the old Western Airlines ad says "it's the only way to fly".

Yeah, its no big deal if thats all the faster they go, in the early spring. I've found that the trike gives my legs a tougher workout anyhow. I'm going to keep the baron on the trainer as long as I can and must build up the new bike anyways.

Hey, John you might be able to keep up with me if I ride the trike too! snicker snicker
Also, John, are you sure you can't do the Horsey Hundred, Don Smith says we are going to the HOrsey Hundred. Don said he's driving . Something about a new van or something.