considering my first bent

rayswrld wrote:

Hills? I never liked hills to begin with, so how much more difficult
will they be on a bent?

Depends on the 'bent and how you currently get up them. 'bents
tend to be heavier, but if you've got the gears and can spin them
you'll get there. Do it on a trike and you can have insanely low
gearing and never have to worry about balance at very low speed.

Riding in town with cars on the side? Any difference from a regular bike?

I find I get more space on the 'bent. Probably the "wtf" factor... ;-)

I guess I am asking what will be different if anything.

If you like getting out of the saddle and/or mashing big gears,
then those are habits you'll be changing. Having got out of them
on the 'bent through having no option, I do find it's changed my
upright riding for the better. Other than that it's really not
that differnet in how you do things.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Okay, while working up to making my appointment to see the sports doctor
i have some more questions. No, i haven't made the appointment yet.
Procrastination is my middle name. Why do today what can be put off til
tomorrow? I guess my thinking is that by not seeing a doctor I can hope
that all is not as bad as I know it probably is.

So, my questions. My wife thinks I over think things and after this you
can see why. When riding a bent, how easily is it to see bumps and
holes in the road? I would think at a lower position the visual angle
would prevent long range spotting of holes. Am I wrong in this assumption?

Cycling attire. Not a tire, but attire. Over thinking? You bet. Same
clothing worn for bents as upright bikes? Also, clipless pedals? Or
toeclips? Or some other alternative?

That's it for now. :-)


rayswrld wrote:
Hi all, in the past year my long lingering back problems have come to
the point where riding is now accompanied by pain for fifty percent of
the ride. Prior to this year any back pain I experienced in my normal
every day routine wouldn't effect my riding at all. But with this
change, and the discomfort making long rides less desirous I am thinking
about a bent. Is back pain a reason to make the change? Where would I
find information on types of bents and how to proceed? I have a lot of
other questions but will start there.
Thanks.

"rayswrld" wrote in message
...
Okay, while working up to making my appointment to see the sports doctor i
have some more questions. No, i haven't made the appointment yet.
Procrastination is my middle name. Why do today what can be put off til
tomorrow? I guess my thinking is that by not seeing a doctor I can hope
that all is not as bad as I know it probably is.

So, my questions. My wife thinks I over think things and after this you
can see why. When riding a bent, how easily is it to see bumps and holes
in the road? I would think at a lower position the visual angle would
prevent long range spotting of holes. Am I wrong in this assumption?

Cycling attire. Not a tire, but attire. Over thinking? You bet. Same
clothing worn for bents as upright bikes? Also, clipless pedals? Or
toeclips? Or some other alternative?



Your wife has great insight. On an upright bike you are bent over and are
afforded the best possible view of your front wheel just as it goes into a
hole or hits a bump. On a bent bike you are sitting upright (little word
play ray) and you can spot the holes and bumps before you hit them. But you
already had that figured out.

Attire? Avoid baggy shorts and shirts that make you look like the Michelin
Man and would invite roadway bees and wasps to investigate your armpits and
groin area.

Toe Clips? Please... No. You are not training for the 1958 Tour de
France.

Clipless Pedals? Of course.

Over think this if you must, but if you come up with any other conclusion
over think it again.

HHS

HHS wrote:
"rayswrld" wrote in message
So, my questions. My wife thinks I over think things and after this you
can see why. When riding a bent, how easily is it to see bumps and holes
in the road? I would think at a lower position the visual angle would
prevent long range spotting of holes. Am I wrong in this assumption?

You're not wrong. I find it much easier to spot and avoid bumps and
holes in the road when riding my DF road bike than when riding my bents
(currently ranging from a low USS trike to an OSS high racer with an USS
SWB in between).

Cycling attire. Not a tire, but attire. Over thinking? You bet. Same
clothing worn for bents as upright bikes? Also, clipless pedals? Or
toeclips? Or some other alternative?

You don't need chamois in your pants and you won't want rear pockets on
jerseys. But cinch legs are good, be they baggy or "hugging".

You definitely want clipless pedals, or some other mechanism to keep
your foot from falling off the pedals. Forget toeclips. It's hard
enough to reach for them on a DF, on most bents, forget it.

Your wife has great insight. On an upright bike you are bent over and are
afforded the best possible view of your front wheel just as it goes into a
hole or hits a bump. On a bent bike you are sitting upright (little word
play ray) and you can spot the holes and bumps before you hit them. But you
already had that figured out.

I disagree and your word play doesn't fit a lot of bents that have come
on the market in the last few years (it might fit classics like Easy
Racers, Ryans, Lightnings and BikeEs, but not Bacchettas, the various
Euro 'bents, Catrikes and the other heavily reclined bikes), but it may
be because I sit more upright on my upright, and more recumbent on my
recumbents.

This notion of being bent over and staring at your front wheel on a DF
is true only for folks riding bent over and staring at their front wheel
or craning their necks upwards. When I ride my DF, I'm not quite
looking straight ahead as on my bents, but I'm looking ahead well beyond
my front wheel.

Something similar could be said of 'bent riders who have high BB
bikes/trikes and they're staring at their cranks and feet, which block
their view of upcoming road imperfections.

--
I do not accept unsolicited commercial e-mail. Remove NO_UCE for
legitimate replies.

Quoth Victor Kan :
| HHS wrote:
....
| Your wife has great insight. On an upright bike you are bent over and are
| afforded the best possible view of your front wheel just as it goes into a
| hole or hits a bump. On a bent bike you are sitting upright (little word
| play ray) and you can spot the holes and bumps before you hit them. But you
| already had that figured out.
|
| I disagree and your word play doesn't fit a lot of bents that have come
| on the market in the last few years (it might fit classics like Easy
| Racers, Ryans, Lightnings and BikeEs, but not Bacchettas, the various
| Euro 'bents, Catrikes and the other heavily reclined bikes), but it may
| be because I sit more upright on my upright, and more recumbent on my
| recumbents.

So it sounds like you would recommend a classic like an Easy Racer?
Can't go wrong. Or a Longbikes Slipstream, like my Ryan Vanguard, or
another of the many bikes in this low BB category. Rear shock absorbers
might be a good thing, too, though all that comes to mind for that is
Cannondale and Burley (Spider) (but monotubes like Burley and Rotator
LWBs are commonly held to have "passive suspension".)

The thing that's probably the real difference, and something you can't
think out to any useful conclusion but just have to try, is the seat.
At worst, you may be able to replace a seat.

Donn

"Victor Kan" wrote in message
. com...

I disagree and your word play doesn't fit a lot of bents that have come on
the market in the last few years (it might fit classics like Easy Racers,
Ryans, Lightnings and BikeEs, but not Bacchettas, the various Euro 'bents,
Catrikes and the other heavily reclined bikes), but it may be because I
sit more upright on my upright, and more recumbent on my recumbents.


Of course you are correct - I was indeed thinking about classic recumbents.
Recent events have seen bents with new riding positions introduced. High
racers would seem to be excellent for birding and cloud watching. Low
racers provide a dog level aero riding position. Dogs giving chase are
likely to be energized by the submissive belly up riding position of the low
racer rider.



This notion of being bent over and staring at your front wheel on a DF is
true only for folks riding bent over and staring at their front wheel or
craning their necks upwards. When I ride my DF, I'm not quite looking
straight ahead as on my bents, but I'm looking ahead well beyond my front
wheel.


Yore neck gotta get kinda tired after a while holdin it up like at.

Something similar could be said of 'bent riders who have high BB
bikes/trikes and they're staring at their cranks and feet, which block
their view of upcoming road imperfections.


For those odd few who are interested in seeing more than feet, knees, sky,
dog teeth, or an impaired view of road imperfections we have the low BB,
under seat steering bikes that offer a full panoramic view of the horizon.
But nobody wants those bikes because they say they are no good at passing
uprights, which, of course, is something all recumbent riders feel obliged
to strive toward.

HHS

rayswrld wrote:

So, my questions. My wife thinks I over think things and after this you
can see why. When riding a bent, how easily is it to see bumps and
holes in the road? I would think at a lower position the visual angle
would prevent long range spotting of holes. Am I wrong in this assumption?

It's a non issue, at least on my Streetmachine. It might be harder on a
lowracer or something like that. However, if you do hit a big hole you
take it through the seat, rather than through the wrists, which is a lot
nicer.
I have full suspension, and on a big descent my pal on her DF and me on
the 'bent both mistook a large pothole full of water for a small surface
puddle, and the result of us both going through was she was in
considerable discomfort and nearly lost control at speed, and I got to
find out the sound of my front fork bottoming out.

Cycling attire. Not a tire, but attire. Over thinking? You bet. Same
clothing worn for bents as upright bikes? Also, clipless pedals? Or
toeclips? Or some other alternative?

No need for padded shorts, or padded mitts either. Cycle jerseys or
jackets with back pockets are actually a nuisance, as you get the seam
pushed against your back.

Clipless pedals are a Very Good Idea, as they mean you don't need to
hold your feet up.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Victor Kan wrote:

you won't want rear pockets on jerseys.

Up to a point, Lord Copper. If one is using a compartively narrow hardshell
seat, then the outer rear pockets of a jersey are still usable, as I
frequently demonstrate to myself when I neglect to remove my cleat covers
until after I've locked the tailbox...

Use of said pockets to carry bananas, however, is Strongly Depracated

--
Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
My only hope in life is to die before I get my comeuppence.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 11:08:32 +0100, "Dave Larrington"
wrote:

you won't want rear pockets on jerseys.

Up to a point, Lord Copper. If one is using a compartively narrow hardshell
seat, then the outer rear pockets of a jersey are still usable, as I
frequently demonstrate to myself when I neglect to remove my cleat covers
until after I've locked the tailbox...

aol

Use of said pockets to carry bananas, however, is Strongly Depracated

For banananananas you need a BananananananananananaMate[tm]!

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:42:45 +0100, Peter Clinch
wrote:

So, my questions. My wife thinks I over think things and after this you
can see why. When riding a bent, how easily is it to see bumps and
holes in the road? I would think at a lower position the visual angle
would prevent long range spotting of holes. Am I wrong in this assumption?

It's a non issue, at least on my Streetmachine. It might be harder on a
lowracer or something like that.

Not on my Stinger either - how much lower would you ride on streets?
Not much I'm guessing.

No need for padded shorts, or padded mitts either. Cycle jerseys or
jackets with back pockets are actually a nuisance, as you get the seam
pushed against your back.

I wear standard cycle jerseys and jackets because they work better for
me than non-bike ones in every respect other than having pockets at
the back. I don't wear padded shorts on the 'bent.

Clipless pedals are a Very Good Idea, as they mean you don't need to
hold your feet up.

I would go as far as to say that clipless pedals are, on a two-wheel
'bent at least, essential. On a three-wheeler you could get away with
tightly fastened clips and straps or foot boards. I would not want to
ride a 'bent (except maybe one of those Giant Revive style ones)
without my feet being firmly attached to the pedals.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at CHS, Puget Sound