Nerd Alert ....Geek Check!

[Tyler Howell]

Been trying to whip this lard a** back into shape:o .
With knee and back issues, my options are limited.
Walking, swimming and stairs are helping. My passion is inline skating, but I don't think I'm ready to climb back on that horse just yet.


I sold my road and mountain bikes a few years ago because of the knee.
The stationary recumbent bike at the club seams to work ok.
Anyone have a recumbent bike?? They're suppose to be more efficient.
Aside from the social stigma do you have any suggestions on make, model etc?
TIA

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Tyler......I have a neighbor who has one. Steve has problems with both knees and yet, rides his recombent bike regularly!

[Steve Clardy]

Right up your alley Tyler:)

Ride in style buddy;) ;) ;)

[Room for a couple of Babes:rolleyes: :D ]

[tod evans]

Right up your alley Tyler:)

Ride in style buddy;) ;) ;)

[Room for a couple of Babes:rolleyes: :D ]

steve, is that one of them-thar missouri breedin` mules?

[Steve Clardy]

steve, is that one of them-thar missouri breedin` mules?


Lol.

I think it's one of them Looooooonger Horses;) :D

May have to turn Tyler some leg extensions for it though;)

[tod evans]

Lol.

I think it's one of them Looooooonger Horses;) :D

May have to turn Tyler some leg extensions for it though;)

i got it............an amish stretch for prom......

[Steve Clardy]

i got it............an amish stretch for prom......

You got it. Great idea. Maybe we could market a few of them:)

[Tyler Howell]

Here's Tyler in Minnesota looking down shakin his head.
I shoulda known better:o :rolleyes: :o

[Doug Shepard]

Maybe you could try wearing your thong outside a biker bar. I bet you'd get some serious running in.:D

[tod evans]

tyler, the best way for a single guy to loose weight doesn`t involve wheels....or horses for that matter!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Doug..........Play nice now!:rolleyes: :D

[Steve Clardy]

:d :d :d ;)

[Art Mulder]

The stationary recumbent bike at the club seams to work ok.
Anyone have a recumbent bike?? They're suppose to be more efficient.
Aside from the social stigma do you have any suggestions on make, model etc?
Tyler, I used to have a home-built recumbent, which I built back in '95
http://www.imaging.robarts.ca/%7Eamulder/bikes/mybent/1299-bike.jpg
(more details here: http://www.imaging.robarts.ca/~amulder/bikes/mybent/Mybent-photo.html (http://www.imaging.robarts.ca/%7Eamulder/bikes/mybent/Mybent-photo.html) If you're at all curious) I had a friend back then who was really into bike building, and knew how to braze. Couldn't have done it otherwise.)
I eventually gave it up when I moved here, as things are bit too hilly where I would normally ride.

Recumbents are great on the flat, and outstanding on downhill stretches, but they are harder on an uphill. A homebuilt bike is usually heavy, since you don't have access to all the best and lightest components, so the uphills are even harder then. (I could coast downhill, and still go faster than my wife, who was pedalling on a lighter conventional bike, all due to reduced wind resistance.)

A Long-Wheelbase recumbent is harder to park+store due to the length, and a bit heavier. But it is easier to learn on, and is very forgiving to control. A Short-Wheelbase (which I had) is lighter, smaller, but a bit twitchier on the steering, so it is a bit tougher to learn on.

If at all possible, find yourself a store that stocks a few kinds so you can try them out and see what suits you.

One final option is a 3-wheel recumbent. They're fun, though heavier. No worries about tipping, and you can therefore ride them even over ice with no worries. Last year I found a store east of Toronto that stocked recumbents and I got to try one out, which was fun. But they are NOT cheap.
http://www.imaging.robarts.ca/%7Eamulder/dec05/yr-art-recumbent.jpg

I can't recommend brands, as I really don't know. But I do recommend
a short wheelbase bike. ONce you learn how, it'll be very quick, and you can turn on a dime. Above-seat steering is also my recommendation. I find under-seat steering to be interesting, but you lose a bit of turning ability, due to the handles hitting the seat on sharp corners.

Hope this is some help.
...art

[JayStPeter]

Here's a site to get you to true recumbent geekdom

http://www.streettech.com/bcp/BCPgraf/StreetTech/hightechnomadnessjournal.htm

[Lee DeRaud]

Anyone have a recumbent bike?? They're suppose to be more efficient.Yes, but are they "thong-safe"?

[Ned Bulken]

I used to love riding my mountain bike, gave it up when the onset of carpal tunnel made the wrists tingle when I rode. I wish I could afford the freight on a recumbant, I'd love to go riding again.

[JayStPeter]

I used to race mtn. bikes and tried for a few years to recover from some injuries and get back into it (for fun and excercise). I spent an entire winter on stationary bikes in the gym and everything seemed fine. But, the stresses applied by a stationary bike is nothing like carrying my fat posterior up a hill. Bottom line, when I got back on the road, the old injuries soon returned.

You may want to see if you can rent a real recumbent for a while and make sure it is OK. It would suck to throw down the substatial cash for one and realize it does aggrivate your knee or back. On the other hand, it may also help you choose features before you buy.

I'm having deja vu all over again as pavement != treadmill to my ankle :rolleyes: .

[Kevin Beck]

I did some research several times over the years but haven't yet ponied up the $$ for a recumbent bike or trike.

I get a catalog from www.hostelshoppe.com. They seem to have a lot of knowledge and pretty good selection.

There are several forums for recumbents if you google for them.

A coworker in our Boulder office bought a nice trike last year after a stroke because he has balance issues.

Kevin

[Jerry Clark]

<TABLE class=tborder id=post375824 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=thead>http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/statusicon/post_new.gif Today, 6:01 PM <!-- / status icon and date -->
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=alt2 style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><!-- user info --></TD></TR><TR><TD class=alt1 id=td_post_375824>Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by Tyler Howell
Anyone have a recumbent bike?? They're suppose to be more efficient.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Yes, but are they "thong-safe"?
<!-- / message --><!-- sig --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Lee-- I guess they would be -- if you kept it in a safe! LOL

[Jim Becker]

Right up your alley Tyler

Ride in style buddy

[Room for a couple of Babes ]

Ah....a western limo!

[Art Mulder]

Been trying to whip this lard a** back into shape:o .
...
Anyone have a recumbent bike?? They're suppose to be more efficient.


Boy, Tyler, the ratio of smart aleck responses to serious ones was pretty large on this thread...

Has anyone pointed you towards recumbents.com? or ihpva.org?

And as for whipping your Lard... into shape. well... Let's just say that the first time I started regularly riding a recumbent was kind of eye opening. I had no idea that my butt could hurt like that. It was just a few days, honest, but you sure do use a different set of muscles when riding a recumbent bike!

[Tyler Howell]

Thanks Art,
There were quite a few less than helpful hints here but I got a lol out from them.
I've been tracking down the web sites and getting some good ideas.
Most impressive that you built your own. Way cool.:cool:
Found a dealer here locally.
Going to set up some time and give them a road test.;)

[Karl Laustrup]

Tyler, a good first trip would be down this way.

It's only a couple hundred miles and it's mostly downhill. ;) :D Guaranteed you'd get some good exercise.

Karl

[Lee DeRaud]

It's only a couple hundred miles and it's mostly downhill. ;) :D Oy.:eek: Rule 1 of biking or hiking: go uphill on the outbound leg.:cool:

[Mike Cutler]

Tyler.

As a former bicycle racer, for over 30 years. Recumbents are way cool bro', way cool:cool: :cool:

"In the day" I wasn't afraid of anyone in the US in a flat 40KM time trial. I could tear your knees off, and make you cuss your mama, all the while I'd be grinning at ya' and tellin' ya' bad polish jokes.

I've ridden all kinds of bikes, made of all types of materials. Steel, Aluminium, one piece Carbon fiber, layered carbon fiber, and composites of them mixed. Aluminium has the harshest ride. The tubesets have to be larger in diameter to maintain the required modulus. Aluminium can beat the snot out of you. Steel has a great ride, but unfortunately the framesize would be very heavy, no matter what the butting or tube spec is. One piece carbon frames were my favorites, stiff strong and vertically compliant. I would look for an amalgam of the materials, or look for oversize steel tubing with thinner walls. The best thing about steel is that the frameset is repairable, Aluminium, and Carbon are not, and titanium requires some very special weld techniques. I know that you don't plan to break it,but I never meant to either.:eek:

Recumbents are not legal for racing in the US, and weren't, even prior to the change in UCI rules. Why??? because with a fairing on them you can get some serious speed going, bro'. Those things can flat out fly, make no mistake about it. At one time the "unofficial, non paced, land speed record" for a two wheeled vehicle was a recumbent.

The sky is the limit on cost though. I've seen some custom made titanium models that were bling on wheels.

Oh and contrary to popular misconception, they can be ridden up some pretty steep grades. It's all in the gearing. As my ex Euro Pro racing buddy used to say. " A hill is just a flat road in a different gear" ;)

Man I miss racing, not training, but racing. God that was fun.:):eek:

[Mike Cutler]

I used to love riding my mountain bike, gave it up when the onset of carpal tunnel made the wrists tingle when I rode. I wish I could afford the freight on a recumbant, I'd love to go riding again.


Ned. Check eBay for a "Frankenstem" It was a spring loaded, reflex parallelagram stem. Prior to Rock shocks, and full suspension it was "Da' Bomb" for downhillers. I know of a person that put one on his road bike for relief from Carpal Tunnel. It's a shot. I don't believe that they have been made in years though.

[Ben Mullin]

Tyler,

My parents both love their 'bents. They both have an e-bike which I believe is no longer sold. My Dad has knee, back, and wrist problems and can not ride a wedgie, but loves his bent.

I believe that Calhoun Cycle has a variety of bikes that you can check out if you haven't already found them. Someone else suggested Hostel Shoppe as a source and I would second that.

Good Luck,

Ben

[Tyler Howell]

Tyler,

My parents both love their 'bents. They both have an e-bike which I believe is no longer sold. My Dad has knee, back, and wrist problems and can not ride a wedgie, but loves his bent.



Good Luck,

Ben
Wedgie LOL :D :D
Haven't heard it put that way before.
Thanks Ben,
Welcome to the Creek.
You're going to have to make a formal introduction now, and we like Pictures.

[Bruce Page]

Right up your alley Tyler:)

Ride in style buddy;) ;) ;)

[Room for a couple of Babes:rolleyes: :D ]
Steve, you are bad, very bad! :D

[Steve Clardy]

Steve, you are bad, very bad! :D

Trying to help my buddy :) Tyler out on the girlfriend situation.;) :D

[Tyler Howell]

Trying to help my buddy :) Tyler out on the girlfriend situation.;) :D
Surprizingly Steve, that's never been a problem:D :D

[Steve Clardy]

Surprizingly Steve, that's never been a problem:D :D


Lol. Ok:eek: I'll back off.;) :D