DrIsotope

Are we sure this isn't part of an elaborate timtak scheme to introduce his nutbar riding position to the unsuspecting populace?

corrado33

No, they would not. That video shows the best case scenario for a recumbent. A long, straight, fast downhill. Even then, the pro riders were easily leaving it behind. The peloton makes any aero advantage a recumbent has go away. Recumbents cannot be ridden in groups, they cannot be ridden well up hills. They would get crushed in any professional race that doesn't take place on a perfectly flat piece of land.

Realists will realize this, while recumbent fanboys will constantly rage how they're the fastest "bikes" around.

SpeshulEd 

Look up Alley Cat racing and the Red Hook Crit.

I believe the cycling gear you seek, is a brakeless fixed gear bike.

K.Katso

How about a brakeless fixed-gear recumbent? It would be waaaay faster and win everything

Jakedatc

he's too scared to go over 35mph so he won't win a thing but he goes faster... while riding the brakes

noodle soup

Don't bang on SpeshulEd. He's really fast when he sucks my wheel.

SpeshulEd 

Hey wait a minute, I don't think his comment was directed at me! lol

noodle soup

My bad.

i was just trying to protect you.

k_kibbler

Bents will never be competitive against road bikes. What they gain in low win resistance they give back in lack of goodly flex.

PaulRivers

Ha yeah, if it's a biking-specific pair of glasses, you'll get the best visibility by putting the optical center where you see out of most of the time. (The vertical optical center. The horizontal one is usually already done by the eye place and is related to how far apart your eyes are).

Yeah, mine were ashperical lenses.
I'm not sure if it makes a difference that I'm using a thicker lens material (CR-39) for distortion, it might. Trivex is only a little thinner though. My eyes and brain are not fond of high index 1.67 plastic on the first lenses I tried.

02Giant 

And yet every recumbent I've encountered while riding, putzes along.

timtak

Oh, then I guess I just got lucky. My prescription is -3.5 -2.5 and even in the usual CR -39 or whatever the cheapest material is, the distortion was not too bad.

PaulRivers

That's cool.
With a -6.25 prescription, and my face size, there's no issue with distortion with a 52mm lens width. Bump it up to 55mm and the distortion is absolutely awful. That's side to side though, perhaps there's a lot more room available going up and down.

On a totally different note, I almost like the recumant idea, I just stop liking it when I'm riding in traffic. Being low is more arrow, your view is better, etc - but I don't like not being able to see through/around cars, being less visible to cars, and being in a more dangerous position for being hit by a car because they're lower (I got in an accident with a while a very long time ago and rolled across their hood, which was a lot better than being hit by their grill or running into the side of the car).

In the future it will be all moot. You'll get into a capsule with clear sides inside an airless tube and pedal your way forward, air resistance will become a non-issue.

timtak

I am getting on a bit so I don't think I'll bother but if I needed -6 or so I might be more inclined to consider the Lasic (is it?) surgery recommended earlier in the thread. It is about 2000 USD (here in Japan) and one can throw ones glasses away, I think.

I agree. I was thinking of a "high racer" I think they are called, with 700c wheels which puts you up at a similar height to a conventional, diamond frame "safety bike" but one needs to be at least 5'8" to be able to put ones legs down. And they are not cheap.

Sounds a bit scary, should the capsule puncture, but otherwise, yes, one could got very fast. I wonder how the energy required to maintain the vacuum compares to that required for propulsion.

PaulRivers

Technically it's Lasik, but I did go in for an evaluation on it this summer.
They take a laser and cut your eye - it's a pretty big deal. But all I got from the Lasik evaluation was a scummy feeling that I was being manipulatively "sold" something. They were using obvious manipulative sales words to describe the procedure, for example "it's a cosmetic procedure" and my own eye doctor did a "read between the lines of what I'm saying" thing to say that she's pressured to recategorize issues that happen as a result of lasik being less serious than they are.
I got the same feeling when I bought glasses, and they screwed up my glasses - twice. But worst case scenario for glasses is losing several hundred dollars. Worst case scenario for lasik is going blind. Another scenario is being able to see ok but not great and being left with vision problems for life. I've read scary things about lasik leaving your eyes like you get with contacts at the end of the day - itchy, scratchy, etc. But with contacts you can take them out, with lasik you're sol.

Interesting - it's certainly a more appealing prospect to me. The idea of not being able to see over and through cars - I'm not a fan unless my route is nearly entirely bike path.

Lol I gotta admit...that's not a point I had considered. Damn lol.
Don't know the answer on the second one. I know the "hyperloop" for public transit is based off the principle of running a train through a tube that's nearly a vacuum.

Zippin44

Where are the wipers?

SpeshulEd 

All things considered, this is an excellent first post.

timtak

I am thinking of applying some sort of anti fogging or water repellent treatment such as Rain-X, Aquapel, or an anti-fogger such as "Moon Dog"(?), or household products such as conditioning shampoo, hand sanitizer or shaving cream containing "anionic surfactants."

Shampoo (Pert) for antifogging glasses

Rain-X anti fog, Shaving Cream, Baby Shampoo, Potato, and hand sanitizer, finds in favour of the first two.

I have more of a problem with rain than fog. Has anyone trie Rain-X on their glasses? One is not meant to use it on plastic so it may be a really bad idea.

These two threads are good
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...solutions.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...us-rain-x.html


BTW I sprinted for the first time on previously mentioned Strava sprint segment this morning (till now I had not realised it was there) and improved my time by 13 seconds, without a tailwind and without drafting a truck (as I think No. 1 probably did since trucks go at about 70kmh along this road). 3rd is fast enough for me.

timtak

I eventually did as @wphamilton suggested, and got a helmet with a visor really cheap from aliexpress (it was half price when I purchased it at @35USD) and have added RX lens inserts to the visor. It is a great feel of freedom since I have no wind nor lenses in my eyes and nothing heavy on my nose. I think I'll get a translucent yellow or clear visor for winter. I shall miss my goofy glasses though.


The End of Goofy Glasses by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
Ah, the helmet with visor is on half price sale again. Perhaps 35 is the normal price (but they do occasionally put it up). It is a nice helmet with good anti-insect mesh and a safe looking thickness. No affiliation.
https://goo.gl/bHR4tx

smarkinson

1. You can get rain-x for plastic (motorcycle helmets and visors etc)

2. You can flag the first two riders on that Strava segment if you like as both were clearly done in cars.

3. I know it took a year to respond to these particular questions but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

datlas 

The end of goofy glasses?!? That's like the end of an era.

Say it ain't so! You are something of a legend, @timtak.

rpenmanparker 

RIP, Goofy Glasses. Ride strong, timtak.

Silvercivic27

Nooooooo!!! Well, if it's any consolation, you still look goofy with that visor, haha

timtak

Thank you. Ta.
By way of thanks, a song by one of my role models with goofy glasses.

I am going to have to keep the goofy glasses for rides with tunnels, and order a clear visor pronto.

bampilot06

How did I miss this golden gem?