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As seen on a local bike trail recently

2K views 29 replies 15 participants last post by  Bikezilla 
#1 · (Edited)
Discuss.
 
#7 ·
xcguy, I saw that guy heading into Marshall Parking lot just as I was leaving about a month ago. He must ride that a lot. I would like to see how he fairs on the uphills, especially Doudy. Funny how he carries he hemet but doesn't wear it. I guess Doudy is too easy.
 
#8 ·
When I saw him coming towards me with the sun gleaming what turned out to be his windshield, for a moment I had no idea what it was...UFO maybe? He was a ways away and I was too stunned to get out my camera.

Suddenly the truth was evident...Recumbant!! There he was laying back, pedaling forward...a very strange sight but especially on a not really flat trail. I was headed up to try out a brand new section near there and what does he say? "You gotta try out that new section of trail!"
A Recumbant beat me to that new section on opening day. That's just wrong.
 
#10 ·
lidarman said:
xcguy, I saw that guy heading into Marshall Parking lot just as I was leaving about a month ago. He must ride that a lot. I would like to see how he fairs on the uphills, especially Doudy. Funny how he carries he hemet but doesn't wear it. I guess Doudy is too easy.
I just wonder what series of events leads someone to ride a Recumbant. Were they ever bikers? Is it a back problem? Just the very ignominy of it would surely dissuade the sane.
Yet there he was, grinning maniacally, pedaling casually, floppy hat flapping in the breeze.
 
#13 ·
My worst injury ever I owe to that recumbent I had. Commuting from work to home, the bike slid out from me on a corner, I was maybe doing 12 mph. I fell from a height of less than two feet, and spiral fractured my fricken femur just below it's head. It really sucked, to say the least.
MTB's are waaaaaaay safer; at least you crash head first.
 
#14 ·
Renegade said:
it's spelled "recumbent", with an 'e'.
Years ago I owned a short wheel base recumbent, for road riding only. The riding position is very comfortable. They pretty much suck for climbing.
Ah, it's getting clearer. Renegade admits to having ridden a recumb"e"nt. Could you tell us all how it came to pass that you ever even threw a ...leg...body...over one to even try it? Besides the comfort, what other positives?
 
#15 ·
xcguy said:
Ah, it's getting clearer. Renegade admits to having ridden a recumb"e"nt. Could you tell us all how it came to pass that you ever even threw a ...leg...body...over one to even try it? Besides the comfort, what other positives?
I first saw a bunch of them at an alternative transportation show in Portland. I tried one out [ along wheeled base one] and liked it for the most part, except that it handled like a truck. The short wheel-based ones are much more zippy in their handling. I allready rode a conventional road bike. The major attraction was the seating position. It's very comfortable; no stress on the neck, shoulders, wrists, etc, and you can take in more of the scenery when you're riding. You can breathe better; if you have under-seat steering, your chest is "more open" to diapragm movement. Drawbacks are they suck for climbing, commuting in a city environment; they are low to the ground so motorists don't see you very well, which is why so many recumbents have those stupid flags on them [I never went that far:rolleyes: ].
One other drawback is that they are NOT chick magnets; recumbents will not help you get laid.
Mine was similar to the one seen below, except that mine had two 20 inch wheels. It also had an intermediate freewheel, located mid-bike, so it had two chains, not one long one. Thr front derailleur was located at the intermediate freewheel, not at the crankset, as seen in the pic.

 
#22 ·
A guy came in the shop this summer that needed some work on his 3 wheeled recumbent. It was like an adult version of the Green Machine, complete with right and left levers for steering instead of a handlebar. I took it for a few hot laps after it was done. The seat was only 2 or 3 inches of the ground. Holy crap, talk about freaking fun. I would be scared as hell to actually ride it on the road, but I can imagine how fun it would be on a closed course. That thing could pull some serious Gs.
 
#23 ·
xcguy said:
I just wonder what series of events leads someone to ride a Recumbant.
They're fun as hell. I test rode one once (a tadpole trike, actually) and it was a blast. I'd love to get one because I HATE (with a passion) road riding on a upright bike and it would allow me to get in some long-duration general conditioning on the road without the discomfort of the upright position.
 
#24 · (Edited)
In college I designed and built a 3-wheel recumbent with 5" of travel at each wheel, disc brakes, 21 speeds, 20mm thru-axle front wheels, a trunk big enough for about a case of beer.....the works. Got school credit for it and won the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) HPVU (Human Powered Vehicle - Utility class) National championship with it. Placed 2nd in the endurance race with a 12-pack up in the trunk and cracked em open at the finish. This thing was a SUV compared to any of the other entries at that time (8 years ago).

Renny, you'll appreciate this, we CNC machined that rear swingarm out of a solid peice of 7075-T6. Probably about a $10,000 part all said and done.

Plus I rallied it a few days on the trials outside of Ft. Collins and aired the 4 sets of stairs at the CSU Engineering building on it multiple times. Good times.

Yes, I'm a dork.

B
 

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