Bicycles?

[hepcat]

There are many things to keep in mind/consider when choosing a recumbent bicycle for the first, or not first, time.  I've been riding my Street Machine for nearly 12 years, but had no idea what to look out for when choosing a new model.  

One thing that should be looked at carefully is how close the pedals come to the front tire/wheel.  The larger your feet, I wear size 13, the more likely you are to suffer "Heel Strike".  

Wow... sorry to hear you crashed!  That really is NO fun.  I hope that it is, indeed, a minor injury and that you're back in the seat quickly! 

Yeah... heel strike is NO fun either.  My Grasshopper will be my 'forever' bike at this point.  It fits me better than any other recumbent I've ever had and doesn't suffer from any of the other issues.  If the Street Machine folded I might have even considered it...  but I really wanted the fold.  And it scratches all of my itches.

 

[hepcat]

Hepcat, I see what you mean by the complication of answering that question, and you're the second person who's warned me about pushing too high a gear with a recumbent
I look at bikes, like cars, as transportation, so I'd be thinking 'commuter' with maybe the option of towing, and yeah, i sort of lean toward a tadpole because I'm not so sure about riding a single track on my back lol
I do find it interesting that most folks I know who have both, tend to ride one or the other almost exclusively
Is your trailer like a sort f pop up camper? I think I recall seeing it deployed that way once

Art, my trailer is a Burley Nomad cargo trailer.  I carry my tent and gear in it.   With the cargo rack it can carry an amazing amount of stuff.  More, actually, than I care to drag around.  I usually have a fair amount of spare room.

[img=600x319]http://www.jensonusa.com/images/Default-Image/Zoom/1/CC298C05.jpg[/img]

I bought a camp-rite trailer once, but it was HEAVY at 60 or 70 lbs for the trailer alone without the gear... and they mis-shipped it without the tent cot.  So I was able to return it.  It was a GREAT idea, but the build quality was a little iffy... and the wheels and idlers seemed to not be up to par at all.

[img=600x495]https://wordlesstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Bicycle-Camper-Trailer-by-Kamp-rite-2.jpg[/img]

I think that people have a definite preference for trikes or bikes.   I ride both for a variety of reasons...  I like the change-up.  The bike is more of my around-town bike because it's easier to get in and out of doors and stores.  It also folds smaller than the trike, so it's good with the B-van.  If I'm taking the big moho with the Jeep, I can easily transport both trikes, so that's not an issue.  As far as riding them, I enjoy them both equally; they're just different experiences.

 

[Ballenxj]

Took my old Diamondback to the bike shop today for a tune up and general inspection. I used to do all that stuff myself, but just like a lot of other things I used to do, I just didn't feel like it.
  I also asked while I was there if they worked on recumbents. They said sure, and they can order anything I might need for one.

 

[ArtW]

Big T, thanks for the warning! I have big ass feet too (13, coincidentally) I'll definitely keep it in mind if i go hunting
Thanks for the trailer info, Hepcat, I actually meant folks I know who have recumbents and upwrongs,
Some go to recumbents and never look back, some dip their feet in and don't really take to it
Might have something to do with geography, how flat an area they live in
My ride to work includes some pretty long uphills, but we're talking about ups you see more than feel, so pretty flat
BallenXJ, i worked on all of mine untill they started putting all them GEARS on there! I can never get them to shift right lol

 

[BigT]

My Grasshopper will be my 'forever' bike at this point.  It fits me better than any other recumbent I've ever had and doesn't suffer from any of the other issues.  If the Street Machine folded I might have even considered it...  but I really wanted the fold.  And it scratches all of my itches.

I'm actually starting to look at folding models to replace the Street Machine with.  When I go full time in a van I'm going to need the compact size to make it work...  No way am I hanging an expensive recumbent on the back of my rig and hoping it stays there.  :s

Right now I'm leaning toward something called the "Performer".  It's a 20/20 with front wheel drive that folds.  
Front wheel drive is also a great way to get past the "Heel Strike" issue, regardless of wheel size.  

New they're about $1,600.  That's reasonable.  My only concern with a dual-20 design is how low to the ground it would put me.  
On my Street Machine my head is level with those of the drivers around me.  I feel a lot safer that way.  
I suppose I could stop riding on the street all together (I do as little as possible now) and ride only trials.  No cars to deal with on bike paths, I find. 

 

[hepcat]

I'm actually starting to look at folding models to replace the Street Machine with.  When I go full time in a van I'm going to need the compact size to make it work...  

My only concern with a dual-20 design is how low to the ground it would put me.  
On my Street Machine my head is level with those of the drivers around me.  I feel a lot safer that way.  

Since you're already comfortable with the SM, you ought to take a look at the Grasshopper fx.  There are no heel strike issues at all, and the riding position, like the SM is pretty upright.

That thing about 'how low to the ground' that people have a fear about isn't borne out in practice.  The ONLY place it's an issue is riding through a parking lot where people are backing out.  Otherwise, as a recumbent rider, you are seen... AND noticed.  I posted earlier about being scared to death to ride an up-wrong because no one sees you as people are de-sensitized to bikes.  Riding a recumbent, however, you're different enough that people not only see you, but NOTICE you and give you wide berth.  If you think about the height issue in absolute terms, there's less than a foot's difference in your head height on ANY recumbent...  and less than 18" from a rider on a diamond frame and your SM.  From 50 yards behind, or 50 yards to the side, do you really think that makes any difference in visibility at all?

Now, IMHO, a low-racer in traffic is just foolish...  but if you have bright lights, appropriately bright clothing, and you're taking your lane and being predictable as is appropriate in traffic, I really doubt that there'll be any difference between your SM and the Performer or a Grasshopper fx in the way you're treated by motor vehicle traffic.

 

[hepcat]

BallenXJ, i worked on all of mine untill they started putting all them GEARS on there! I can never get them to shift right lol

There are some tricks to getting the derailleurs working properly that aren't necessarily intuitive, but you can find video tutorials online.  Once you get it figured out, and get them dialed in which only takes a couple of minutes when you know how... keeping them shifting properly only takes seconds.

 

[Queen]

I've owned dozens of bikes in my life, used to be really into riding, but a progressively worse knee made it less and less possible.  Had the knee replacement and it didn't go well (too much scar tissue from the previous five surgeries), so I have a knee that can only bend about 95 degrees (you typically need 110-117 to ride a bike).  I could have gotten much short cranks but that is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, I didn't need it on both sides.  So I found the Orthopedal http://www.orthopedal.com/ which allows me to have one side shorter than the other and adjust the length as scar tissue breaks up.

Now I'm on my Electra Townie (like this one: https://www.rei.com/product/851142/electra-townie-7d-step-through-womens-bike-2017 ) and it is wonderful, with my pedal adapter I can ride to the farmers market, ride around for fitness, go to the beach, pretty much anywhere I want to go.  

If any of you know people with knee of hip issues that can't ride anymore, do them a favor and pass along the link to the Orthopedal, it has made a huge difference for me.

 

[Ballenxj]

Now I'm on my Electra Townie (like this one: https://www.rei.com/product/851142/electra-townie-7d-step-through-womens-bike-2017 ) and it is wonderful, with my pedal adapter I can ride to the farmers market, ride around for fitness, go to the beach, pretty much anywhere I want to go.  

If any of you know people with knee of hip issues that can't ride anymore, do them a favor and pass along the link to the Orthopedal, it has made a huge difference for me.

If that Electra Townie with pedal adapter enables you to ride, then it's right for you, and I'm sure you feel much better after a good ride.
I do have a couple friends, one that has had a very recent knee replacement, and another just had his hip replaced. I'm keeping a close eye on the hip replacement guy as he instructs martial arts. He says so far his range of movement is very good, and he wished he had done it sooner?

ArtW, Yeah, there are some subtle tricks to tuning a derailleur, including alignment of the derailleur hanger. I've actually had to realign those with a Crescent wrench before to make the derailleur function properly. Of course this is old school, as I think most derailleur hangers now days are replaceable?

 

[hepcat]

I've owned dozens of bikes in my life, used to be really into riding, but a progressively worse knee made it less and less possible.  I have a knee that can only bend about 95 degrees (you typically need 110-117 to ride a bike).  I could have gotten much short cranks but that is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, I didn't need it on both sides.  

I'm glad that you found a solution to your particular issues.  There are a LOT of 'accommodation' kinds of equipment out there, sometimes you just need to do a little digging to find out what's right for your needs. 

Short cranks aren't a waste at all if that's what you need to accommodate your joints, and it's not throwing the baby out with the bathwater in any way.  There's nothing that says 175mm crank arms are what "everyone" needs.  They just accommodate many folks for better or worse, but other sizes better accommodates your needs, then it's all good.   I'm 6'5" tall.  I run 152s or 155s on all of my recumbents.  I've got a 135 crankset squirreled away somewhere.   Actually short cranks on a recumbent bike/trike are just the ticket for anyone with compromised joints as the position of the seat really "opens up" your hip joints, and causes the rotation angle for the knees to be significantly less.  Gearing is king... not brute strength.  That's one of the many reasons I've become a recumbent evangelist.  They're just SO much more ergonomically effective... particularly for those of us who do have joint issues.

 

[Queen]

I do not speak universally, I speak only of my own circumstance. For me shorter cranks were a last option, I am far better suited to the adjustable nature of the adaptor I found. The cost of replacing cranks frequently to accommodate my needs would have been a large and unnecessary expense.

I am uncertain why you feel the need to lecture or evangelize, I was sharing a personal experience, I am not an unitelligent individual and have considered the many options, and I understand gearing quite well. I'm very happy you've found what works for you and you are willing to share that... but please be cognizant that your experience is just that, yours.

Edited to add - I hesitated to post in this thread because many cyclists feel their way is the only way, but had hoped my experience could help someone else. But it is following the usual pattern, so I'll leave you fellas to it.

 

[hepcat]

 For me shorter cranks were a last option, I am far better suited to the adjustable nature of the adaptor I found.  

I am uncertain why you feel the need to lecture or evangelize,

Edited to add - I hesitated to post in this thread because many cyclists feel their way is the only way, but had hoped my experience could help someone else.  But it is following the usual pattern, so I'll leave you fellas to it.

As I said at the beginning of my post, you found an option that worked for you, and you dismissed shorter cranks as "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" because you believe that you only needed a shorter crank on one side.   I wasn't taking issue with your solution at all... there are MANY potential solutions that work... thank goodness... because we all have different needs.  I was merely adding to the pool of information, and how shorter cranks have helped me... and why I use them.

I'm not sure why you took my post to be either lecturing OR evangelizing?  I was adding info; nothing more, nothing less.

To your third point... it sounds like you've got some baggage that you're bringing to the discussion about issues that aren't being discussed here.  I am the antithesis to "their way is the only way."  I'm adding my input because it just happens that I've found MY way along and it happens to be quite outside the "usual pattern" and I hope that folks might find a different view useful.