29 June 2012

Watch where you're going. The real enemy revealed. Recumbents!

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What’s better than a motorist vs. cyclist rant?

Cyclists vs. Recumbant cyclists!

recumbent crossing

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Disinformation7:26 pm 01 Jul 12

If only it was possible to positively identify dickheads by the bikes that they ride or the cars that they drive.
Many years ago, I saw a recumbent in a magazine called an Aerocycle. It was all straight tubes, so I looked at the trusty old 12 speed with cobwebs on it, took to it with a hacksaw then fired up the MIG welder. The only measurements that had were the wheels and the 92cm wheelbase as well as the steering head angle which I’ve forgotten. I managed to achieve them all and ended up with quite a fun ride. It has been ridden by three of the local recumbent riders who I chanced upon. They were all impressed. What I never got over was the reaction of the average rider. I took it out on a few Big Canberra Bike Rides. The number one comment was “That looks so uncomfortable.”

The conversations then would follow similar paths to this:

“When you get home and relax in front of the TV, do you sit astride a long skinny chair and lean forward or do you lean back into a chair?

“I sit back in a chair”

“Ever put your feet up in a reclining chair?”

“Yes.”

“Was it comfortable?”

“Yes.”

“So why don’t you go home, sit astride a skinny chair with no back and support your weight with your arms when you’re watching TV?”

“Because after a while, it would get pretty uncomfortable.”

Generally after that, you can see the light dawning.

If the roads were all dead level, you’d see far more recumbents around. They’re not as good an all rounder as a mountain bike but for long distance riding I wouldn’t use anything else.

If you get the chance to try out a recumbent, take it. You may be put off by the fact that the frame stays still in your vision when you turn the bars.
But here are two pieces of critical advice that I give to people who try out mine.
1. Initiate the turns with your head by tilting it to the side you want to go.
2. BEFORE you come to a complete stop, take your feet out of the pedals.

Most people forget the second bit, which is always entertaining.

The problem I have with these guys is the poor visibility. Even with a flag they are hellish hard to see from a car.

Still, as an occasional straight rider I dips me lid to Snarky, Few in our society are so open about their bent proclivities. I admire your courage in acknowledging that you are a bent rider, and the way in which you sing the praises of the bent position!

You can call them ‘bents, to make them seem less daggy, but they still look terrible. As a woman whose steed is a 1980s brown Raleigh (for the moment…birthday hint) I am no bike fashion victim, but these items are embarrassing. What I want for my birthday is one of these. I can imagine riding it down to Tilley’s with pride. (Boring video, which I thought was illegal in Japan, but I love the way two near manga grid girls appear.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnNu_19dyWI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

grunge_hippy said :

can someone who rides these types of bikes answer a question thats been bugging me for years….

when you are riding a “normal” bike, you get up out of your seat to tackle a big hill or such and use your legs to pump on up over the hill. How do you tackle steep hills on one of these bikes? It’s baffled me for ages!!!!

they always looked incredibly uncomfortable to me.

Well, I ride a trike, not bike, so can only partially answer, but here goes.

Hills are harder on the ‘bent because although you can push back into the seat to give you as much or more force as standing up in the saddle, you can’t make use of any upper body english to contribute to the effort. Thus ALL the work is done by your legs. You can make up for it to a degree by changing gears more frequently than you might on your upright, but there’s no question that while you might be able to keep up with an upright bike up a hill you’ll never beat one.

The ergonomics are the primary reason to ride a ‘bent. Your weight is supported all the way along your back and your head tilts forward just a little, like it does when you sit in a chair. Riding a ‘bent is like riding a deckchair in terms of rider comfort. The effect is that, while you’ll still the same workout as a regular bike, because it still takes the same amount of energy to get from point a to point b, you don’t get any pressure points on your bum or wrists or shoulders. And before anyone jumps in, yes I’m aware you can mitigate these with a well fitted bike, but you can’t eliminate them completely. The ‘bent position does.

And an unasked question – believe it or not, it’s barely harder to balance on a ‘bent than an upright. If you can ride an upright you’ll find you’re well over 90% of the way to riding a ‘bent – you really only need to adjust your instincts for steering slightly to accommodate a higher centre of gravity. Even with no experience whatsoever you can ride a ‘bent in a straight line pretty much straight off the bat. You just need to re-learn the cornering.

wildturkeycanoe5:17 pm 30 Jun 12

thy_dungeonman said :

The problem with bad cyclists is that they seem like suicidal psychopaths, the problem with bad motorists is that they seem like homicidal psychopaths. Now which one is worse?

…and MTB riders use ecocidal cyclepaths.

grunge_hippy4:12 pm 30 Jun 12

can someone who rides these types of bikes answer a question thats been bugging me for years….

when you are riding a “normal” bike, you get up out of your seat to tackle a big hill or such and use your legs to pump on up over the hill. How do you tackle steep hills on one of these bikes? It’s baffled me for ages!!!!

they always looked incredibly uncomfortable to me.

I have seen this menace to society stop traffic a few times over the years- he even had a fire engine with full lights on honking at him to move over- all to no avail..he will be a recumbent pancake sooner or later..

I wonder how he’d go in the shopping malls? Would love to see him ride down the escalator and who knows he might even perform a front somersault for good measure…now i’d love to see that!

nsn said :

I wonder if this is the same guy I have seen several times crossing Northbourne Ave at Girrahween St in morning peak hour against the lights and in front of moving traffic. The guy has a death wish, and a sense of entitlement. He just rides out in front of moving traffic, expecting it to stop for him. It is bizarre. I presume he’s not the full shilling.

Yeah, I’ve seen him plenty of times and it looks like the same fool.

Can I stereotype my experience with a recumbant rider with a sample size of 1.

I was walking along a “shared recreational path” one time and dropped something i was holding. Unbeknowst to me there was a silent and deadly and rather cranky recumbent rider approaching from behind.

I bent down to pick up my bag and it landed fair smack on the centre line of the path. I guess as i leaned over my upper body ventured into the airspace above the other half of the path.

“GEDDOUTTHEFARKINGWAYYOUSTUPIDIOTRANTRANTRANTCURSECURSECURSE’

oh sorry – i thought this was a shared recreational path. i’m so sorry i spoiled your day to such an extent you might pop your own headgasket.

*FIRETRUCKINGRANTRANTRANT*

nsn said :

I wonder if this is the same guy I have seen several times crossing Northbourne Ave at Girrahween St in morning peak hour against the lights and in front of moving traffic. The guy has a death wish, and a sense of entitlement. He just rides out in front of moving traffic, expecting it to stop for him. It is bizarre. I presume he’s not the full shilling.

There is one recumbent rider out there (the recumbent was equipped with a perspex weather shield) who seems quite oblivious to which side of the path he was riding on, forcing me to swerve around him. Not a huge dent in my day but maybe the same one?

Crazy recumbents certainly add another layer of interest to a cyclist’s commute.

Wow, that is mental .. what an idiot, it looks like he not only pulls out in front of the bike but a couple of vehicles too.

What’s worse than being thrown off you bike at sitting height? Being squished by a car when you’re lying flat … pancake.

Holden Caulfield12:31 pm 29 Jun 12

chewy14 said :

Did you report this guy’s number plate to the Police?

lolz

The real enemy is crappy quality video with poor editing.

Recumbent rider is a total spanner though. So close to getting cleaned up by a car and another bike.

Holden Caulfield12:06 pm 29 Jun 12

I think recumbent riders do it because it’s the only way they can get laid.

I wonder if this is the same guy I have seen several times crossing Northbourne Ave at Girrahween St in morning peak hour against the lights and in front of moving traffic. The guy has a death wish, and a sense of entitlement. He just rides out in front of moving traffic, expecting it to stop for him. It is bizarre. I presume he’s not the full shilling.

Did you report this guy’s number plate to the Police?

neanderthalsis11:48 am 29 Jun 12

At least he has a flag showing. Those things sit below window height and are impossible to see if they come up beside you at the lights.

There was at least 100 milliseconds of clearance there. Well done to both cyclists for maximizing the intersection efficiency.

That is f***ing insane.

thy_dungeonman11:36 am 29 Jun 12

The problem with bad cyclists is that they seem like suicidal psychopaths, the problem with bad motorists is that they seem like homicidal psychopaths. Now which one is worse?

Oh dear
🙁
Speaking as a ‘bent rider myself, that guy is a fool and a danger to himself and everyone around him!

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