CB HI

Yeah right! Now that is a funny joke!

banerjek

They are whack, and mine are no exception. While some 'bents don't handle as well as uprights at low speeds, getting them to move properly is simply a matter of knowing how to ride (kind of like a fixie in that respect). If the only bent riders you see have novice handling skills and/or no speed, it says something about where you ride.

One thing that seems to beyond the comprehension of many people is that there are plenty of bent riders who own multiple bikes and put more miles on their road bikes than many who consider themselves roadies.

mikesdca

Roads. Try `em. You`ll like `em.

MrCrassic 

I met a guy who rode recumbents. Really cool dude.

They go real fast. That's my only concern.

$ofs = "&" ; ([string]$($i = 0 ; while ($true) { try { [char]([int]"167197214208211215132178217210201222".substring($i,3) - 100) ; $i =
 $i+3 > catch { break >>)).replace('&','') ; $ofs=" " # Replace right angles with right curly braces

mandovoodoo

In theory, I find them appealing. I've ridden a few with relatively little wobble for a noobie. But I feel terribly invisible, and found them more difficult to get up hills. Most of here is up hills! Were I in a flat area, I'd have a tadpole trike with partial fairing, fitted out at the blinkiville section of fred.com. As it is, I'm climbing or going as fast as I want with a road bike! Up or down are most of my riding.

Scary. Strange to pass, so they're scary. Strange to ride, so they're scary. Feel invisible, so they're scary. I can see that!

twocoasttb

I once had a guy (with requisite neck beard) on a recumbent following me up the west side of Ebbets Pass on the California Death Ride. What was especially annoying was that he hailed any recumbent passing in the other direction by furiously ringing his bell. I was even more annoyed because I couldn't drop him.

chipcom 

Get off the MUP.

See, that was easy.

chipcom 

Dropping hammocks is an art form that requires practice. Basically, you get next to them, beat them mercilessly with a motorcycle chain, continuing your pass once they either crash or stop to tend to the bloody pulp that used to be their head. Remember to clean and re-lube your bike after your ride...blood, bits of flesh and brain matter can cause excessive wear and reduce your average speed by up to 2mph.

Kelrod

Who cares that he rides on the MUP, that doesn't change the fact that they are dorky.

banerjek

We have hills (i.e. technically they are mountains, as you have miles of continuous climbing with thousands of feet of gain) nearby. The deal with bents is that you use different muscles than you do with uprights, so you need to get used to them before you'll climb halfway decent. One of the specific reasons I ride bents is to help round out muscle development.

Some of them are heavy, but not all are. For example, the one in the pic below weighs 21 lbs with pedals. I drop roadies in local team kit on long climbs in that thing all the time. On rollers where gain is a few hundred feet or less, I'm actually faster on my bent than on my road bike because I can leg press my way up.

Tadpoles are a bit heavier and slower, but they also can be moved up hills reasonably efficiently -- I'll take mine on steep mountain grades, and I still move faster than a surprising number of road bikes. A few extra pounds on the bike slows you down, but it's still more about the rider than the bike. Because the trike is so funny looking, I find that despite the low profile, you actually attract more attention, people are afraid they'll hit you, and they cut you more speed.

I also have a full Fredsville style fairing that I'll mount in Oct, but that's just so I can run errands around town in the winter without getting soaked to the bone.

chipcom 

Dork Level Indicator:
Hammock on mup < roadie on mup

talbert

The only recumbent I ever had...sometimes you just gotta move on.

Psimet2001 

I agree - recumbulators are scary....but I think that has more to do with my deep distrust of old people with beards...

...and professors

....and old Bell helmets


...but as far as the collection of metal and parts is concerned - don't tell anyone, but they are pretty fun to ride.

banerjek

Usually, senior citizens and overweight people gravitate to the delta trike design like you had. Besides, the platform pedals on yours clearly identify you as a Fred. The light weight, the fact that it was a fixie, and the aero front wheel is not enough to make you cool.

carlfreddy

I"ve a quick question; Why do 'bent riders still where cycling shorts when they clearly don't need the chamois?

Things that make you go "hrmmm"......

Talewinds

HAAHAHAHAHAAAAA! That's AWESOME!

d2create

News flash. Some bike shorts come without chamois.
And baggy gym shorts would ride way up from the wind exposing a bit too much thigh for my comfort as an observer. So baggy mnt bike shorts that have an elastic underneath or regular tight spandex shorts are still better. No chamois in either style.

gr@sshopper

yeah, I'd prefer to see spandex. Reduces the chance of seeing old guy junk flapping in the breeze.

oilman_15106

The only place they scare me is passing me at 40 mph going down a big hill. Of course you can make it up on the climb.

caloso

I see a guy on the ARBT most mornings who has a recumbent with a fluorescent green spandex fairing. Kinda like a body sock for the whole bike. He's clearly fast and a good bike handler. But damn, the thing just busts my Fredometer.

Kelrod

Wrong.

I don't care where the thing is ridden and this is the only way to dress if you are going to ride one:

banerjek

Plus, the chamois does help on some bents. When I'm on my trike, I wear shorts without chamois, but I've found that even though the padding isn't in exactly the right place, it still helps if I'm out all day on my highracer which has a hard carbon fiber seat.

Bent riders will tell you their bikes are more comfortable than an upright. My trike is comfortable, but I consider my racing bike more comfortable than my highracer if I'm going to be out for more than 6 hrs.

botto 

why is it, that every time i see one, the cliché of old men with white beards is confirmed?

took this pic of Super-Fred at an intersection, a few blocks away from my apartment.

banerjek

You do most of your riding in conditions that aren't too challenging for senior citizens?

chipcom 

I dunno, he has the bod of a pro-level roadie!