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#11
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Impressions from Bike to Work Day
Peter Clinch wrote:
On 19/05/11 16:40, Duane Hebert wrote: Then why are they so rare? We actually have people here commuting on bikes and we rarely see bents... All sorts of reasons. But start off with cost. They have big tickets. As a cyclist with a pocketful of cash to spend, do you spend a lot on an incremental improvement you /know/ will improve matters (basically, your existing mount but better/lighter) or do you spend quite a bit more than that on something where you have no experience of at all? Most will do the former, and quite reasonably so. Most 'bent riders (certainly this one) seem to say that it's very important to try before you buy, because the difference between two notional 'bents is usually much greater than two notional uprights. So are you going to drop mucho $$$s on something folk say you must try, that you typically can't try (because they're hard to come by to test ride)? I'm an advocate, and I'd say don't do that... Part of the problem is they are misunderstood in terms of function. Asked to list bike categories, John Q. Cyclist might come up with racers, tourers, commuters, folders and recumbents. All those are /functional/ except the last, while in truth recumbents can (and IMHO should) themselves be subdivided by function just like uprights. Mine isn't first and foremost "a recumbent" but rather it's "a tourer". I use it because it does touring better (for what I want) better than any upright I could have had for the same money. But I think that most people wanting a tourer won't look at recumbents, they'll look at "tourers", and so on. And that leaves 'bents perceived as a function-free curiosity, rather than as bikes designed for particular functions that happen to have different seating arrangements. So a lot of it is down to chicken/egg. You'll have lots of 'bents after you've got lots of 'bents, as you need lots for a conservative group of punters to see they're viable and for the prices to come down so they can afford them. In other words, I can't see them really taking off in the foreseeable market conditions. (I don't commute on a 'bent, btw. Round here I use either a Brompton or Moulton TSR because they suit my particular journeys and needs best, but I can think of notional commute journeys where I'd be very happy on a 'bent). Pete. http://www.incrediblethings.com.php5...eel-table1.jpg or http://preview.tinyurl.com/449m23q -- Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org/ Open every day since 1 April, 1971 |
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#12
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Impressions from Bike to Work Day
On 5/20/2011 9:34 AM, Peter Clinch wrote:
[...] Most 'bent riders (certainly this one) seem to say that it's very important to try before you buy, because the difference between two notional 'bents is usually much greater than two notional uprights. So are you going to drop mucho $$$s on something folk say you must try, that you typically can't try (because they're hard to come by to test ride)? I'm an advocate, and I'd say don't do that.[...] Why not? Heck, I just ordered a velomobile, sight unseen. -- Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007 I am a vehicular cyclist. |
#13
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Impressions from Bike to Work Day
On 21/05/11 20:04, Tºm Shermªn™ °_° wrote:
On 5/20/2011 9:34 AM, Peter Clinch wrote: [...] Most 'bent riders (certainly this one) seem to say that it's very important to try before you buy, because the difference between two notional 'bents is usually much greater than two notional uprights. So are you going to drop mucho $$$s on something folk say you must try, that you typically can't try (because they're hard to come by to test ride)? I'm an advocate, and I'd say don't do that.[...] Why not? Heck, I just ordered a velomobile, sight unseen. IME different models handle and feel very differently. When my wife was looking to get one we went to NL to test a few. Some things that had looked good on paper were uninspiring, another was a complete dog. She ended up with one that on paper wasn't right but in practice just put a huge grin straight on her face. If I try a Bianchi road bike, and then a Giant and then a Trek and then a Speccie etc. at similar prices, it'll be down to nuances (possibly the colour...) that decides it. On a 'bent functional equivalent the contenders could be /very/ different beats to ride. 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/ |
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