Great to see Rick realises Flag’s don’t make a difference! A pitty however that the recumbist is stereotyped as the beardy type (with socks in sandals I fear).
Anyway, you should keep your bike (any bike) outside (or in the garage) and get on your feet when joining the party. The only visible give away might be the small mirror mounted on your glasses (aka helmet mirror, but it doesn’r require the helmet to be hooked on).
Roadies only commute in the summer.
Utility cyclists are beardy, non-helmeted, rain-cape wearing car-hating nutcases.
etc.
etc.
etc.
This strips is absolutely jam packed with stereotypes… of *course* recumbent riders will be beardies in the strip – every other kind of rider is stereotyped – why shouldn’t they?
For me, it’s often, “Type, proofread, post, proofread again, find errors, copy, correct, delete, post again, proofread again, hope there aren’t more errors.”
Hate on stereotyping all you want, it won’t change the fact that people fall into predictable niches enough to make them reflective of a truth. While I’m sure there are younger recombent riders out there I’ve personally never seen one under 50, and what is wrong with that?
I started when 22, and at the european championships (a good place to meet other recumbent riders, even if you not intend racing) a month ago there was at least plenty of riders between 5 and 30 years old, both gals and guys
Hey now lol! What if one does rides every kind of bike would that classify them as a Super nutcase?? Where would you classify Armstrong he does MTB and Road? As well I have seen some real hard purists do just about every kind of cycling spread out evenly. Hmm An ALL-Cyclofascist? Good comic tho
I am waiting to see attractive young women riding recumbent cycles, but so far, almost every recumbent cyclist I see is an older male with a beard. The exeptions are younger guys with beards.
And as an older man with a beard, recumbents are looking more and more interesting.
To be honest, I only know a couple of recumbists…but they’re both bearded and sandaled sans socks…lol. Then again, this is the pacific northwest, home of “Socks with Sandals Guy” (I’m the girlie counterpart).
I’m a transplant here, but I have grafter very, *very* well. I have been assimilated, and I love it. I am also crazy over the commercials; be sure to watch Socks and Sandals Guy. They should really profile a “typical” Washington cyclist.
I met a recumbent rider shortly after the Portland Century who was about 35. I didn’t see him ride, so I can’t attest to the socks and sandals thing, but he was definitely not of the bearded old guy type.
=v= When I encounter recumbent riders, I am reminded of Terry Pratchett’s dwarves in the Discworld. They all have beards, even the women. Their courtship ritual is a series of discrete roundabout questions to ascertain which sex the other one is.
In the Netherlands recumbent cyclists have shed their beard/sandal imago.
I know a fair amount of recumbent cyclists in the Netherlands (and some from the rest of Europe), and hardly any of them have either beards, woolen socks or sandals, or for that matter the imago that goes with these things. ‘Bents are cool here, when I pass a bunch of schoolkids on a recumbent there’s always one who shouts ‘Look at that recumbent! I want one, too!’
And yes there are ladies and young men and kids on ‘bents, too. As far as I know, the largest market segment for the sale of recumbents is still middle-aged men and older. Probably because of the relatively high price to pay for an average recumbent? Or because aging men want to keep up with their younger peers in speed, and need a recumbent to attain that goal?
FYI, I do not have a beard, I am not a man, I am not over 50 years old, I do wear wooden shoes now and then (but never when cycling), and I do have 7 bikes of which 5 are recumbents and one is a Christiania bakfiets (great for shopping and kid transport). I used to participate in recumbent racing and rowing bike championships, which is great fun. And very cool and beard-less, probably because beards cause more drag?
When I’m on my ‘bent I’m effectively seen by and given more room by motorists than when on my upright. Being a girlie, my beard-growing skills are limited. Sandals? Not on a cycle.
Doing well Geoff!
Nothing wrong with beards and sandals, but with using it as stereotype. Here in NL recumbists do exist with beard and/or sandals, but the fast majority of our 50,000 bent-riders doesn’t look any different from other cyclists.
PS riding even more will help solving the aerobelly
@Geoff, yeah, I feel invisible when I ride my upright bike. That’s when drivers stop seeing me and stop paying attention. It’s bl00dy scary compared with riding my recumbent.
I’ve thought of getting a flag for my Mtn. bike when I commute… Some motorists have not seen my flourescent green shirt before and I rewarded one of them with a gratifying slide across their hoods followed by a face plant on the street. (Maybe because it’s a Carhart construction worker shirt)
my best friend (hemipalegic from a stroke when he was 11) can finally ride with us because he got a ‘bent…a catrike. I’m here to tell ya, that thing rolls! And he garners plenty of attention with it, too. When we ride with him, we uprights are the invisible ones!
Finally a ‘bent rider! There are advantages and disadvantages to this type of bike.
They are vastly comfortable; many people with back problems cannot ride a diamond frame bike.
On the other hand, they will never have more than a tiny market niche since their size prevents them from being taken onto subways, streetcars and trains. They also will not fit onto most elevators. These problems will prevent ‘bents from ever being more than a tiny minority of bikes.
And I’ve never had any problems taking mine anywhere on trains either.
In fact any issues I’ve had would have applied to regular bikes as well.
As a matter of fact I use the elevator to get my ‘bent from the garage every day …
The only ones that might have problems are the long wheel base recumbents, but short wheel base variants (like my Nazca Fiero ) can fit anywhere a regular bike can.
I ride a ‘bent sometimes. I’m wearing socks and sandals as I type this. I do not have a beard. My wife would kill me if I didn’t shave. :) I also haven’t even hit 40 yet.
If you live and work somewhere without trains or decent bus service, size of the bike is less of an issue. I live in Louisville, 3.5 miles from work, I can ride whichever bike I want.
I wish more bike shops would cater to ‘bent riders. There are a number of ‘bent riders here in Louisville, but none of them carry ‘bents in stock anymore.
I’ve read that that there’s a shop here in Birmingham that specializes in tandems and recumbents, but I’ve never seen a ‘bent on the road. In fact, I’ve never seen one in my life anywhere except in pictures and videos.
Bents certainly may allow people with certain phyical limitations the ability to ride but the posture of virtually all of them is not good for ones cervical spine. Nearly all (I’ve yet to find one that doesn’t – still searching) place the rider in a head forward posture which any orthopod, neurologist, chiro, etc. will warn you against. Traditional upright bikes place the head in retraction which helps counter the effects of a head forward position that most all of us will suffer the effects from as we age. Now I’m not saying don’t ride a recumbent, just that if you ride one you should probably include neck retraction excercises in part of your workout regimen.
I don’t think size matters that much. I’ve taken cargo bikes on trains and subways, and they fit in most elevators (sometimes you have to stand the bike up).
I’ve also seen some relatively short recumbents.
Back problems are weird. A friend tried recumbents, we fiddled some with his upright, he ended up with an ElliptoGO. My back doesn’t like sitting upright-ish in a bucket seat, so a recumbent for me would be dicey, but upright, no problem at all (makes it better, even).
And if excess size prevented vehicles from achieving mass market success, how come I see so many cars on the road?
My bent (20″) has exactely the same length as my old 28″ upright, the uppermost part of the seat has exactly the same high as the saddle, and the bar the same high as the bar of the 20″.
In the transport-system of Munic (Bavaria) any bikes are only allowed in suburb-trains (S-Bahn) and subways (U-Bahn) and not in tram or bus. My bent does cost nothing because of it’s 20″, my old 28″ I had to pay for.
I ride a Volae Team, a “higracer” recumbent road bike. It’s in my experience actually easier to bring on trains than any diamond frame bike – if you remove the wheels and seat (both quick release) it’s basically a stick with fork and steering, and can be tucked behind the seat (possibly if a soft bag) even in trains that don’t have regular bike space. It fit normal bike space without problems too.
If you think of the traditional US long wheelbase bikes when talking about recumbents, I can understand your concerns a bit better – they are equal to a tandem in size (not that I haven’t brought tandems on the train).
Perhaps it’s a matter of culture – perhaps you have slightly more of beard, sandals and LWB (long wheel base) in the US. In europe most bikes are SWB (short wheelbase), and riders are of quite varying age. Ergonomics are of course a big plus here too, but many ride bikes that also are more aerodynamic with higher bottom bracket and perhaps some tail faring. Useful for the fun/racing going-fast as well as beating the headwind when commuting …
I had to look at the comments to understand what ‘Bent meant – I’ve never seen recumbents shortened thus! Thanks for the education!
Is there still an option to “Buy Rick a drink” by the way? Can we have that advertised again? x
Joe and Yehuda made these statements while under the influence. Note the intoxication bubbles around their heads. They won’t remember their conversation when they are sober.
I started riding ‘bents when I was 28. I’m 39 now. All my long distance riding is done on ‘bents, though I use an upright around town. I do sometimes wear sandals with socks, and I currently have a (somewhat pathetic) beard.
I’m leaving in just a few hours to ride from Wisconsin to the west coast. I’d never do such a ride if I didn’t have access to a recumbent… I just can’t personally get comfortable enough on an upright to want to cycle long distances day after day. Niche market or not, I’m much richer for having my recumbent(s)!
Oh, and there’s no flag on my ‘bent. I figure motorists can see the painted lines on the road, and that’s about as low as you get, so they should have no issues seeing me on my ‘bent. Honestly I’m about as tall as a child riding a kids bike with 20″ wheels, so comments about how it’s difficult to see me are bull-pucky in my opinion. If you can’t see me you need a new prescription, or you simply need to hang up your driving gloves for good.
If the bubbles indicate intoxication I wonder how Rick’s Gang will work out the designated drivers for the Cyclist. I’d put the intoxicated in a Bakfiets to drive them home. It would make a good drawing.
Recumbents, and especially trikes, are great for folks with disabilities. I’ve met any number of folks who could not ride otherwise. As for me, give me a fixed gear.
I think recumbents are a great idea-comfortable, fast, efficient-and I would love to ride one but the truth is I would not feel safe in traffic (yes, that does mean I feel safe in traffic at present on my hybrid). My perception is that they are too low and small to be properly visible to other road users, and the little flags are an irrelevance. IMO, if the flag is to be large enough to make a difference, the wind resistance negates the advantages of the recumbent, rendering the whole thing pointless.
I claim none of this to be established fact, but it is my perception. I am not going to do anything that feels unsafe to me, end of. I think the point is that much of my riding in traffic depends on my subconciously positioning myself where i know I am in other road users fields of vision and ideally in thier actual lines of sight, and I do not think this can be acheived in heavy traffic on such a low slung vehicle as a ‘bent.
In the UK back in the ’70s a device called the Sinclair C5 was introduced to considerable publicity. This was a battery powered pedal assist 3 wheeler with a fibreglass bodyshell which was expected to revolutionise urban transport. It had a range of about 40 miles and could do 15 mph, and came complete with a little flag. It’s inventor was Sir Clive Sinclair, a well respected inventor who had achieved considerable success and fame with digital electronic devices. You Americans have probably never heard of him, but he was an undoubted genius. Incidentally he had the required recumbent beard…. The C5 was a good idea on paper, but failed in the market, partly because of early reliablility issues, but mostly because of just the perception of invisibliity mentioned. People were afreid of being driven over.
Sure, we Americans (some of us anyway) have heard of Clive Sinclair. I remember the Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81 computers, and the later models marketed here under the name Timex Sinclair.
The Milan is a great bike too, faster than the Mango. Have a look at the Strada, the Quest and the WAW too, if speed is what you are after. The WAW is default light similar to the Mango Sport, the Strada and Quest are slightly heavier in standard edition, but both available in Sport (lower weight) too. Personally, I think the Quest, the Milan and the WAW (in that order) are the fastest available nowadays.
NB Quest for America’s through Blue Velo, don’t know if they have the lightweight version too.
Johnboy is half right. Many people do have an intial perception of low = invisible. That error is quickly dispelled with experience. Riding a recumbent actually tends to compromise our innate cyclist invisiblity.
The term “bent” has a totally different meaning in popular British slang. At least that‘s not part of the stereotype this strip pokes fun at today. Funny, though, now I always think of the British meaning of the slang term whenever I see someone referred to as a “bent” rider…
When I choose to ride an upright bike, I find the utter invisibility of it to be rather disconcerting. I’m no exhibitionist, but when riding a ‘bent I cars take much more notice of me, give more room when passing, and I get fewer attempted left/right hooks. And no, there is no flag involved.
The main thing keeping me off a ‘bent (other than cost, current number of bikes and the attending lackof storage space) is my understanding that they are (1)poor climbers and (2)utterly worthless on anything other than smooth pavement.
That, and I’ve never been able to grow a beard to suit me.
I’ve not heard the smooth/rough pavement concern before. I have heard die hard bent riders claim BS on climbing. I can however claim that I have never been passed by a bent on a climb (nor passed by one either regardless of the grade). It also could be the rider and not the bike too.
That depends. My Greenspeed has narrow, hard tires and no suspension, so I wouldn’t take it off pavement. However, they do make ‘bent trikes with suspensions, and those would be suitable on unpaved trails. And there are two-wheeled ‘bents that could be used on singletrack.
It’s true. Recumbents don’t climb. I put my recumbent at the base of a hill once, stepped back, and tried to time it to see how quickly it’d get to the top. It didn’t go anywhere at all! In fact it just sort of tipped over and laid there. Shameful.
I likewise think you’d need to be mad to take a fixie on singletrack. Of course both of us can point out offroad examples for either platform, but there’s little point. My own mind is as made up against fixies as yours is about recumbents.
I ride a RANS V-Rex as my primary around town commuter. I have a hefty U-lock and locking skewers on the wheels. It is a little twitchy and not as good with slippery surfaces, so I take out my DF bike in the snow. As for the climbing it is a little slower, but it’s not a dealbreaker because you can go faster on the flats. I am 26 and do not have a beard.
Well there ya go, George. We really do agree on the major points, even if you’re nuttier than a truck full of Snickers when it comes to minor shit like politics.
LOL watching Jehuda and Joe talk over the top of stu’s head just to ryle him. Appreciate the bent laughter. I ride a Bacchetta Corsa high wheel, short wheelbase. Like the others, drivers seem to give me extra room.
I have been riding recumbents of different design and manufacture since 2002, and I have to say if you want to be seen just ride a LWB ‘bent. Even better ride a LWB ‘bent from one city to another and have lunch. I never knew I knew so many people…
I don’t ride a recumbent, but I hope to try it one day. I don’t think *being* seen would be a problem (as one of the earlier posters mentioned, cars can see the line sin the road, after all). I do wonder about my ability to see ahead of me, if I were in a recumbent, compared to an upright.
I also saw the comment about “head forward position” instead of “head back position”, and that sounds like it might have some merit – but again, I haven’t tried a recumbent yet.
Your view forward is much better than on an upright.
Your view to the countryside is MUCH better than on an upright.
There’s a little mirror on any ‘bent bice (at least when sold in Germany) and so your view backward left is minimum as good as looking over your sholder.
I call bullshit. I ride nothing but uprights and I can see just fine. If you can’t see, it ain’t the type of bike; it’s the fit. Most on uprights ride a bike at least two sizes too small.
i am the unibiker i have a lot of recumbent bikes and get all sorts of comments
one of my best ones is:
are those bikes hard to ride?
is that bike for old folks?
is that a lazy man’s bikes?
Most common comments when passing people:
“don’t fall asleep!”
Most common comment when someone talks to me:
“is it hard to ride?” My answer: ‘No, but very different to an upright’
I have been a ‘bent rider for 15 years and 45 years old now. No beard but yes to the sandals with socks. I started riding a ‘bent after doing a 160km ride and having a hard time sitting down for a week. I rented a recumbent for a day, then bought one the next week. I’m now on my 2nd recumbent and I don’t think I will ever go back to a regular bike.
I ride a mix of everything… my Ciocc from 1985 which I love, a couple of Rans compact long wheelbase two wheeled recumbents and a couple of Greenspeed GTO trikes. All different experiences… the Ciocc is the easiest for riding with groups of uprights on paths and varied terrain streets. The Rans recumbents are faster on the flats… WAY faster on the downhills and significantly slower on the climbs cause they are heavier and I can’t get out of the saddle. The trikes are an absolute blast but a few mph slower (unless I’m running the electric assist on one of them… then 3031mph on the flats), like a go kart you pedal, can climb anything… just slower (25% grade? No problem… just going to take a while at 1-2mph but I ain’t falling down).
Beard? Sometimes yes, sometimes no
Over 50? Not yet… 46
Saddles and socks? No, but thinking about it. A bunch of upright cyclists I know that do huge mileage use them for the comfort year round, just thicker or multiple layers of wool socks in the winter.
Aerobelly? Check! back to 50 lbs overweight regardless of the bike I’m on.
Medical conditions requiring bent usage? Nope, just like the speed and comfort, did STP last time on my Rans, no sore ass, neck, back etc… and you can see SO much more.
Oh yeah… no flags. Get told occassionally that I’m hard to see. But, I use Vehicular Cycling techniques and the actions of the vehicles around me show that they see me just fine regardless of the bike, but I do get more space on the bents. Ride year round, studded Schwalbe Winter HS in the winter, lots of lighting. Daylight or not, just a matter of being seen in a manner that means the drivers conciously see you, and that is related to road positioning.
Bents can’t climb. Bents can’t be seen. Bent’s can’t go off road. Only FOGs(fat old guys) ride bents. All very wrong stereotypes. Sandals and socks do happen and it’s for the same reason as the bikes. It is comfortable. Some bents are very low but the vast majority of 2 wheel bikes put the rider at eye level with a normal sedan. Good place to be seen by anyone not preoccupied enough to drive into a train and other dumb things drivers do. Very low incidence of head injury with a mishap on a recumbent. Being that they are only about 1% of the bike market though it will be while before the truth is widely known. The world is just like that.
I’m 54. I don’t wear sandals, have a beard, and I’ve been riding recumbents since 2001. I have over 108,000 miles of cycle-touring around Canada and the United States with my ministry “Pedal Prayers” (http://www.pedalprayers.org). I can surely tell you that bents do climb and they can go off-road. In 2008, I did a double coast-to-coast that took me from Georgia to Oregon and Washington State and back across the country to Washington, DC. with crossing the Appalachians twice and the Rockies three times. This year, I’ve taken my current swb recumbent “Alice” on the Erie Canal Towpath between Lyons and Lockport, New York, the Montour Rails-to-Trails around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Great Allegheny Passage between McKeesport, Pennsylvania and Cumberland, Maryland; and the C&O Towpath between Cumberland, Maryland and Washington, DC. I have two flags that I use while on tour – one that is vertical and a shorter one that I put out on the side to force motorists to give me more clearance when they pass me.
Just finished a 24 hour race. Windy. Hilly. Cold. I ride a Bacchetta Ti Aero. I passed uprights and got passed by uprights on several hills. I was second to finish after an upright.
In otherwords, all the other uprights either didn’t finish or they came in behind me.
I ride recumbent bikes since last december.
I’m young, eat strange fermentated vegetables and carots, have sometimes a beard sometimes not (has no importance for me), like do it yourself, organic food, CSAs, strange and good things… etc…
I tried to do bike messenging with a very low recumbent bike (optima baron) and a two wheeled trailer. It works very nice, and I’m as fast as my alloy race bike.
Just being on a bike makes you invisible… Just ask any motorist who kills a cyclist.
We finally get to see a recumbent rider… LOL!
Oh grief K’Tesh, haven’t you been listening to Kevin love? – EVERY motorist kills cyclists. And everyone else on the planet.
: P
Great to see Rick realises Flag’s don’t make a difference! A pitty however that the recumbist is stereotyped as the beardy type (with socks in sandals I fear).
Anyway, you should keep your bike (any bike) outside (or in the garage) and get on your feet when joining the party. The only visible give away might be the small mirror mounted on your glasses (aka helmet mirror, but it doesn’r require the helmet to be hooked on).
What’ya got against beards?!!?
Huff!
Let’s see…
Roadies only commute in the summer.
Utility cyclists are beardy, non-helmeted, rain-cape wearing car-hating nutcases.
etc.
etc.
etc.
This strips is absolutely jam packed with stereotypes… of *course* recumbent riders will be beardies in the strip – every other kind of rider is stereotyped – why shouldn’t they?
Hmm – better make that “These strips are” – type, proofread, post.
For me, it’s often, “Type, proofread, post, proofread again, find errors, copy, correct, delete, post again, proofread again, hope there aren’t more errors.”
Yep, that’s why they’re so humorous. Nothing like picking on a stereotype for a quick laugh. I enjoy it.
Hate on stereotyping all you want, it won’t change the fact that people fall into predictable niches enough to make them reflective of a truth. While I’m sure there are younger recombent riders out there I’ve personally never seen one under 50, and what is wrong with that?
I started when 22, and at the european championships (a good place to meet other recumbent riders, even if you not intend racing) a month ago there was at least plenty of riders between 5 and 30 years old, both gals and guys
Hey now lol! What if one does rides every kind of bike would that classify them as a Super nutcase?? Where would you classify Armstrong he does MTB and Road? As well I have seen some real hard purists do just about every kind of cycling spread out evenly. Hmm An ALL-Cyclofascist? Good comic tho
I think a ‘Cyclofascist’ would be one who evangelises Cycling at the expense of other transport modes – like most of us! Hello Cyclofascists!
I am waiting to see attractive young women riding recumbent cycles, but so far, almost every recumbent cyclist I see is an older male with a beard. The exeptions are younger guys with beards.
And as an older man with a beard, recumbents are looking more and more interesting.
I thought beards were essential – maybe that’s why I don’t ride one…
It’s not stereotyping, it’s market segmentation.
Hey, its a crowded party, so he simply prefers to bring his own chair. As do I.
To be honest, I only know a couple of recumbists…but they’re both bearded and sandaled sans socks…lol. Then again, this is the pacific northwest, home of “Socks with Sandals Guy” (I’m the girlie counterpart).
Tee, I love those commercials. They always crack me up!
I’m a transplant here, but I have grafter very, *very* well. I have been assimilated, and I love it. I am also crazy over the commercials; be sure to watch Socks and Sandals Guy. They should really profile a “typical” Washington cyclist.
yeah…pacific northwest!
He could be a paraplegic rider, we’ve a few in town and they ride bents.
Except we don’t see the handcranks.
I met a recumbent rider shortly after the Portland Century who was about 35. I didn’t see him ride, so I can’t attest to the socks and sandals thing, but he was definitely not of the bearded old guy type.
=v= When I encounter recumbent riders, I am reminded of Terry Pratchett’s dwarves in the Discworld. They all have beards, even the women. Their courtship ritual is a series of discrete roundabout questions to ascertain which sex the other one is.
Not JUST socks and sandals – they have to be grey or black knee socks that are worn with Tevas, or something similar. Beard also required.
Love, love, love my Tevas. I wear ‘em with my stripey Life is Good socks. And shorts. And a tank, tee, and hoodie. I *so* belong here. <3
In the Netherlands recumbent cyclists have shed their beard/sandal imago.
I know a fair amount of recumbent cyclists in the Netherlands (and some from the rest of Europe), and hardly any of them have either beards, woolen socks or sandals, or for that matter the imago that goes with these things. ‘Bents are cool here, when I pass a bunch of schoolkids on a recumbent there’s always one who shouts ‘Look at that recumbent! I want one, too!’
And yes there are ladies and young men and kids on ‘bents, too. As far as I know, the largest market segment for the sale of recumbents is still middle-aged men and older. Probably because of the relatively high price to pay for an average recumbent? Or because aging men want to keep up with their younger peers in speed, and need a recumbent to attain that goal?
FYI, I do not have a beard, I am not a man, I am not over 50 years old, I do wear wooden shoes now and then (but never when cycling), and I do have 7 bikes of which 5 are recumbents and one is a Christiania bakfiets (great for shopping and kid transport). I used to participate in recumbent racing and rowing bike championships, which is great fun. And very cool and beard-less, probably because beards cause more drag?
Recumbents stand out, I get far more room from motorists on my ‘bents than I ever did on an upright.
Sadly beared and sandals (and aerobelly) are a good description of me too!
When I’m on my ‘bent I’m effectively seen by and given more room by motorists than when on my upright. Being a girlie, my beard-growing skills are limited. Sandals? Not on a cycle.
Doing well Geoff!
Nothing wrong with beards and sandals, but with using it as stereotype. Here in NL recumbists do exist with beard and/or sandals, but the fast majority of our 50,000 bent-riders doesn’t look any different from other cyclists.
PS riding even more will help solving the aerobelly
@Geoff, yeah, I feel invisible when I ride my upright bike. That’s when drivers stop seeing me and stop paying attention. It’s bl00dy scary compared with riding my recumbent.
I’ve thought of getting a flag for my Mtn. bike when I commute… Some motorists have not seen my flourescent green shirt before and I rewarded one of them with a gratifying slide across their hoods followed by a face plant on the street. (Maybe because it’s a Carhart construction worker shirt)
http://www.cycle9.com/c9store/accessories-lights-flags-c-8_9/flash-flag-p-34
my best friend (hemipalegic from a stroke when he was 11) can finally ride with us because he got a ‘bent…a catrike. I’m here to tell ya, that thing rolls! And he garners plenty of attention with it, too. When we ride with him, we uprights are the invisible ones!
I must commit, I’ve never seen recumbists not wearing socks and sandals
Must be that invisibility power. Socks and Sandals counter it. You cannot see the others.
Maybe if he wore a top hat like that other party goer he would be less invisible.
No beard, no sandals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4agfZMkqlY
Neither bear, nor sandals in this picture – http://www.flickr.com/photos/watson_house/3666313091/ nor on my other bike – http://www.flickr.com/photos/watson_house/4857620374/
Yeah, but we are both still working off the aerobellies
Finally a ‘bent rider! There are advantages and disadvantages to this type of bike.
They are vastly comfortable; many people with back problems cannot ride a diamond frame bike.
On the other hand, they will never have more than a tiny market niche since their size prevents them from being taken onto subways, streetcars and trains. They also will not fit onto most elevators. These problems will prevent ‘bents from ever being more than a tiny minority of bikes.
There are folding ‘bents ( M5 Cmpct : http://www.m5-ligfietsen.nl/site/EN/Models/CMPCT ).
My trike (HP Velotechnik Scorpion FS) can fold although they have a better model that can fold under 10 seconds ( the Gekko as seen here : http://www.youtube.com/v/aqZ8-ytw6cY ) .
And I’ve never had any problems taking mine anywhere on trains either.
In fact any issues I’ve had would have applied to regular bikes as well.
As a matter of fact I use the elevator to get my ‘bent from the garage every day …
The only ones that might have problems are the long wheel base recumbents, but short wheel base variants (like my Nazca Fiero ) can fit anywhere a regular bike can.
Thanks for the link JaFo – I am now considering a Gekko-Fx for myself!
I ride a ‘bent sometimes. I’m wearing socks and sandals as I type this. I do not have a beard. My wife would kill me if I didn’t shave. :) I also haven’t even hit 40 yet.
If you live and work somewhere without trains or decent bus service, size of the bike is less of an issue. I live in Louisville, 3.5 miles from work, I can ride whichever bike I want.
I wish more bike shops would cater to ‘bent riders. There are a number of ‘bent riders here in Louisville, but none of them carry ‘bents in stock anymore.
I’ve read that that there’s a shop here in Birmingham that specializes in tandems and recumbents, but I’ve never seen a ‘bent on the road. In fact, I’ve never seen one in my life anywhere except in pictures and videos.
Bents certainly may allow people with certain phyical limitations the ability to ride but the posture of virtually all of them is not good for ones cervical spine. Nearly all (I’ve yet to find one that doesn’t – still searching) place the rider in a head forward posture which any orthopod, neurologist, chiro, etc. will warn you against. Traditional upright bikes place the head in retraction which helps counter the effects of a head forward position that most all of us will suffer the effects from as we age. Now I’m not saying don’t ride a recumbent, just that if you ride one you should probably include neck retraction excercises in part of your workout regimen.
I don’t think size matters that much. I’ve taken cargo bikes on trains and subways, and they fit in most elevators (sometimes you have to stand the bike up).
I’ve also seen some relatively short recumbents.
Back problems are weird. A friend tried recumbents, we fiddled some with his upright, he ended up with an ElliptoGO. My back doesn’t like sitting upright-ish in a bucket seat, so a recumbent for me would be dicey, but upright, no problem at all (makes it better, even).
And if excess size prevented vehicles from achieving mass market success, how come I see so many cars on the road?
Kevin overstates. My bents have fit well both into dozens of elevators and an exterior bus rack.
My bent (20″) has exactely the same length as my old 28″ upright, the uppermost part of the seat has exactly the same high as the saddle, and the bar the same high as the bar of the 20″.
In the transport-system of Munic (Bavaria) any bikes are only allowed in suburb-trains (S-Bahn) and subways (U-Bahn) and not in tram or bus. My bent does cost nothing because of it’s 20″, my old 28″ I had to pay for.
My Flevobike is pretty compakt (shorter then my 28″ winter upright)
Christoph, Bentrider, commuter, bearded, but young and with SPD-shoes
I ride a Volae Team, a “higracer” recumbent road bike. It’s in my experience actually easier to bring on trains than any diamond frame bike – if you remove the wheels and seat (both quick release) it’s basically a stick with fork and steering, and can be tucked behind the seat (possibly if a soft bag) even in trains that don’t have regular bike space. It fit normal bike space without problems too.
If you think of the traditional US long wheelbase bikes when talking about recumbents, I can understand your concerns a bit better – they are equal to a tandem in size (not that I haven’t brought tandems on the train).
Perhaps it’s a matter of culture – perhaps you have slightly more of beard, sandals and LWB (long wheel base) in the US. In europe most bikes are SWB (short wheelbase), and riders are of quite varying age. Ergonomics are of course a big plus here too, but many ride bikes that also are more aerodynamic with higher bottom bracket and perhaps some tail faring. Useful for the fun/racing going-fast as well as beating the headwind when commuting …
Two of my bikes: http://rosnix.net/~per/album/2010/08/paderborn/20100811_001
I had to look at the comments to understand what ‘Bent meant – I’ve never seen recumbents shortened thus! Thanks for the education!
Is there still an option to “Buy Rick a drink” by the way? Can we have that advertised again? x
I hope they’re going with a cash bar.
What kind of bike do you think the guy in the top hat in the back rides? Pennyfarthing?
Nah, he drives Lincoln.
Pedersen (http://www.pedersenbicycle.dk/)
The cursing is gone!
Rick, if you are going to change the epithet, how about “… you uptight upright.”
Joe and Yehuda made these statements while under the influence. Note the intoxication bubbles around their heads. They won’t remember their conversation when they are sober.
I started riding ‘bents when I was 28. I’m 39 now. All my long distance riding is done on ‘bents, though I use an upright around town. I do sometimes wear sandals with socks, and I currently have a (somewhat pathetic) beard.
I’m leaving in just a few hours to ride from Wisconsin to the west coast. I’d never do such a ride if I didn’t have access to a recumbent… I just can’t personally get comfortable enough on an upright to want to cycle long distances day after day. Niche market or not, I’m much richer for having my recumbent(s)!
Oh, and there’s no flag on my ‘bent. I figure motorists can see the painted lines on the road, and that’s about as low as you get, so they should have no issues seeing me on my ‘bent. Honestly I’m about as tall as a child riding a kids bike with 20″ wheels, so comments about how it’s difficult to see me are bull-pucky in my opinion. If you can’t see me you need a new prescription, or you simply need to hang up your driving gloves for good.
Anyhow, glad to see a strip about recumbents!
If the bubbles indicate intoxication I wonder how Rick’s Gang will work out the designated drivers for the Cyclist. I’d put the intoxicated in a Bakfiets to drive them home. It would make a good drawing.
Recumbents, and especially trikes, are great for folks with disabilities. I’ve met any number of folks who could not ride otherwise. As for me, give me a fixed gear.
I love my bent.I recently fell and broke my leg however,but can;t wait to get back on.
I think recumbents are a great idea-comfortable, fast, efficient-and I would love to ride one but the truth is I would not feel safe in traffic (yes, that does mean I feel safe in traffic at present on my hybrid). My perception is that they are too low and small to be properly visible to other road users, and the little flags are an irrelevance. IMO, if the flag is to be large enough to make a difference, the wind resistance negates the advantages of the recumbent, rendering the whole thing pointless.
I claim none of this to be established fact, but it is my perception. I am not going to do anything that feels unsafe to me, end of. I think the point is that much of my riding in traffic depends on my subconciously positioning myself where i know I am in other road users fields of vision and ideally in thier actual lines of sight, and I do not think this can be acheived in heavy traffic on such a low slung vehicle as a ‘bent.
In the UK back in the ’70s a device called the Sinclair C5 was introduced to considerable publicity. This was a battery powered pedal assist 3 wheeler with a fibreglass bodyshell which was expected to revolutionise urban transport. It had a range of about 40 miles and could do 15 mph, and came complete with a little flag. It’s inventor was Sir Clive Sinclair, a well respected inventor who had achieved considerable success and fame with digital electronic devices. You Americans have probably never heard of him, but he was an undoubted genius. Incidentally he had the required recumbent beard…. The C5 was a good idea on paper, but failed in the market, partly because of early reliablility issues, but mostly because of just the perception of invisibliity mentioned. People were afreid of being driven over.
High Racer. Look it up.
One of the reasons why I ride one (Bacchetta Strada).
Bikingbill,
Bacchettas are probably the nicest made and designed ‘bents I’ve (test) ridden or seen.
11,000 miles on mine. I also live on top of a 12% grade hill and routinely ride on 16% grades (with groceries). No problems.
Sure, we Americans (some of us anyway) have heard of Clive Sinclair. I remember the Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81 computers, and the later models marketed here under the name Timex Sinclair.
My velomobile is the opposite of invisible. http://www.flickr.com/photos/watson_house/4857620374/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/watson_house/4758375580/ . I get a huge amount of attention on it.
Envy! How fast do you cruise in the Mango?
I was looking at the Milan, the one that just set the 24 hour record. 1233km.
http://www.milan-velomobil.de/index_en.htm
The Milan is a great bike too, faster than the Mango. Have a look at the Strada, the Quest and the WAW too, if speed is what you are after. The WAW is default light similar to the Mango Sport, the Strada and Quest are slightly heavier in standard edition, but both available in Sport (lower weight) too. Personally, I think the Quest, the Milan and the WAW (in that order) are the fastest available nowadays.
NB Quest for America’s through Blue Velo, don’t know if they have the lightweight version too.
I have been following “View From the Cycle Path” Someday I do hope to own a mango.
I have been following “View From the Cycle Path” Someday I do hope to own a mango.
I have been following “View From the Cycle Path” Someday I do hope to own a mango.
I have been following “View From the Cycle Path” Someday I do hope to own a mango.
I have been following “View From the Cycle Path” Someday I do hope to own a mango.
The Sinclair is pretty cool! I Googled it having not heard of it/him before today. Kinda looks like a recumbent version of a Honda scooter.
Johnboy is half right. Many people do have an intial perception of low = invisible. That error is quickly dispelled with experience. Riding a recumbent actually tends to compromise our innate cyclist invisiblity.
Cars tend to give me a wider berth when I’m on my Greenspeed than when I’m on my upright. (I did the MS Country Roads Ride on the Greenspeed.)
The term “bent” has a totally different meaning in popular British slang. At least that‘s not part of the stereotype this strip pokes fun at today.
Funny, though, now I always think of the British meaning of the slang term whenever I see someone referred to as a “bent” rider…
=v= We do tell people to “get ‘bent” around these parts.
Be afreid. Be very afreid….
I may have meant afraid.
I love it. Awesome.
He’s probabily on a trike …
When I choose to ride an upright bike, I find the utter invisibility of it to be rather disconcerting. I’m no exhibitionist, but when riding a ‘bent I cars take much more notice of me, give more room when passing, and I get fewer attempted left/right hooks. And no, there is no flag involved.
Lets bump it up a notch an get some HPV’s an velomobiles
I love following “bent” riders down hills.
The main thing keeping me off a ‘bent (other than cost, current number of bikes and the attending lackof storage space) is my understanding that they are (1)poor climbers and (2)utterly worthless on anything other than smooth pavement.
That, and I’ve never been able to grow a beard to suit me.
I’ve not heard the smooth/rough pavement concern before. I have heard die hard bent riders claim BS on climbing. I can however claim that I have never been passed by a bent on a climb (nor passed by one either regardless of the grade). It also could be the rider and not the bike too.
I dunno. I’d think you’d be mad as a bottle of chips to take one on even the mildest singletrack.
That depends. My Greenspeed has narrow, hard tires and no suspension, so I wouldn’t take it off pavement. However, they do make ‘bent trikes with suspensions, and those would be suitable on unpaved trails. And there are two-wheeled ‘bents that could be used on singletrack.
Maybe. But my current setup suits the places I ride like-how did Heinlein say in that book?-”like a canoe fits a Canadian stream”.
And there’s still my inability to grow a beard I can stand to look at…
It’s true. Recumbents don’t climb. I put my recumbent at the base of a hill once, stepped back, and tried to time it to see how quickly it’d get to the top. It didn’t go anywhere at all! In fact it just sort of tipped over and laid there. Shameful.
I likewise think you’d need to be mad to take a fixie on singletrack. Of course both of us can point out offroad examples for either platform, but there’s little point. My own mind is as made up against fixies as yours is about recumbents.
I ride a RANS V-Rex as my primary around town commuter. I have a hefty U-lock and locking skewers on the wheels. It is a little twitchy and not as good with slippery surfaces, so I take out my DF bike in the snow. As for the climbing it is a little slower, but it’s not a dealbreaker because you can go faster on the flats. I am 26 and do not have a beard.
“often and happily”? That could apply equally to me and my fixed gear fleet.
Fixed gear bikes ridden often and happily would, in my book, qualify as great bikes for those riding them.
Well there ya go, George. We really do agree on the major points, even if you’re nuttier than a truck full of Snickers when it comes to minor shit like politics.
LOL watching Jehuda and Joe talk over the top of stu’s head just to ryle him. Appreciate the bent laughter. I ride a Bacchetta Corsa high wheel, short wheelbase. Like the others, drivers seem to give me extra room.
I have been riding recumbents of different design and manufacture since 2002, and I have to say if you want to be seen just ride a LWB ‘bent. Even better ride a LWB ‘bent from one city to another and have lunch. I never knew I knew so many people…
Bent - Y
Beard - Y
Sandals – Y (with clicks)
Socks within -N
Helmet – N
Flag – N
50 – N (at least not when I baugt it a couple of years ago…)
Forgot:
being seen – Y
enough space left when pssed by a car – Y (exept German tourists!)
I’ve never tried a LWB ‘bent. The one time I tried a SWB two-wheeler I almost broke my neck.
Still waiting for a unicyclist to make an appearance. Will he/she be juggling, perhaps?
I don’t ride a recumbent, but I hope to try it one day. I don’t think *being* seen would be a problem (as one of the earlier posters mentioned, cars can see the line sin the road, after all). I do wonder about my ability to see ahead of me, if I were in a recumbent, compared to an upright.
I also saw the comment about “head forward position” instead of “head back position”, and that sounds like it might have some merit – but again, I haven’t tried a recumbent yet.
I get a better view of the road on my bent than I ever did on an upright. Most of time I saw the front tire.
Your view forward is much better than on an upright.
Your view to the countryside is MUCH better than on an upright.
There’s a little mirror on any ‘bent bice (at least when sold in Germany) and so your view backward left is minimum as good as looking over your sholder.
I call bullshit. I ride nothing but uprights and I can see just fine. If you can’t see, it ain’t the type of bike; it’s the fit. Most on uprights ride a bike at least two sizes too small.
I love it! Funny dialog. Nice to Joe and Yehuda on the same page and being silly together.
i am the unibiker i have a lot of recumbent bikes and get all sorts of comments
one of my best ones is:
are those bikes hard to ride?
is that bike for old folks?
is that a lazy man’s bikes?
Most common comments when passing people:
“don’t fall asleep!”
Most common comment when someone talks to me:
“is it hard to ride?” My answer: ‘No, but very different to an upright’
I have been a ‘bent rider for 15 years and 45 years old now. No beard but yes to the sandals with socks. I started riding a ‘bent after doing a 160km ride and having a hard time sitting down for a week. I rented a recumbent for a day, then bought one the next week. I’m now on my 2nd recumbent and I don’t think I will ever go back to a regular bike.
I ride a mix of everything… my Ciocc from 1985 which I love, a couple of Rans compact long wheelbase two wheeled recumbents and a couple of Greenspeed GTO trikes. All different experiences… the Ciocc is the easiest for riding with groups of uprights on paths and varied terrain streets. The Rans recumbents are faster on the flats… WAY faster on the downhills and significantly slower on the climbs cause they are heavier and I can’t get out of the saddle. The trikes are an absolute blast but a few mph slower (unless I’m running the electric assist on one of them… then 3031mph on the flats), like a go kart you pedal, can climb anything… just slower (25% grade? No problem… just going to take a while at 1-2mph but I ain’t falling down).
Beard? Sometimes yes, sometimes no
Over 50? Not yet… 46
Saddles and socks? No, but thinking about it. A bunch of upright cyclists I know that do huge mileage use them for the comfort year round, just thicker or multiple layers of wool socks in the winter.
Aerobelly? Check! back to 50 lbs overweight regardless of the bike I’m on.
Medical conditions requiring bent usage? Nope, just like the speed and comfort, did STP last time on my Rans, no sore ass, neck, back etc… and you can see SO much more.
Oh yeah… no flags. Get told occassionally that I’m hard to see. But, I use Vehicular Cycling techniques and the actions of the vehicles around me show that they see me just fine regardless of the bike, but I do get more space on the bents. Ride year round, studded Schwalbe Winter HS in the winter, lots of lighting. Daylight or not, just a matter of being seen in a manner that means the drivers conciously see you, and that is related to road positioning.
Bents can’t climb. Bents can’t be seen. Bent’s can’t go off road. Only FOGs(fat old guys) ride bents. All very wrong stereotypes. Sandals and socks do happen and it’s for the same reason as the bikes. It is comfortable. Some bents are very low but the vast majority of 2 wheel bikes put the rider at eye level with a normal sedan. Good place to be seen by anyone not preoccupied enough to drive into a train and other dumb things drivers do. Very low incidence of head injury with a mishap on a recumbent. Being that they are only about 1% of the bike market though it will be while before the truth is widely known. The world is just like that.
A nice nod to recumbents
but still no mention of mountain bikers. Where is the love?
I’m 54. I don’t wear sandals, have a beard, and I’ve been riding recumbents since 2001. I have over 108,000 miles of cycle-touring around Canada and the United States with my ministry “Pedal Prayers” (http://www.pedalprayers.org). I can surely tell you that bents do climb and they can go off-road. In 2008, I did a double coast-to-coast that took me from Georgia to Oregon and Washington State and back across the country to Washington, DC. with crossing the Appalachians twice and the Rockies three times. This year, I’ve taken my current swb recumbent “Alice” on the Erie Canal Towpath between Lyons and Lockport, New York, the Montour Rails-to-Trails around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Great Allegheny Passage between McKeesport, Pennsylvania and Cumberland, Maryland; and the C&O Towpath between Cumberland, Maryland and Washington, DC. I have two flags that I use while on tour – one that is vertical and a shorter one that I put out on the side to force motorists to give me more clearance when they pass me.
They ain’t natural!
Just finished a 24 hour race. Windy. Hilly. Cold. I ride a Bacchetta Ti Aero. I passed uprights and got passed by uprights on several hills. I was second to finish after an upright.
In otherwords, all the other uprights either didn’t finish or they came in behind me.
Hi hi hi
I ride recumbent bikes since last december.
I’m young, eat strange fermentated vegetables and carots, have sometimes a beard sometimes not (has no importance for me), like do it yourself, organic food, CSAs, strange and good things… etc…
I tried to do bike messenging with a very low recumbent bike (optima baron) and a two wheeled trailer. It works very nice, and I’m as fast as my alloy race bike.