Bike – Getting the recumbent on the road
On friday I talked to Colin about taking the recumbent out on the road to get a feel for it and make sure it still worked. He rang someone or other who did not sound keen, with distinct muttering of ‘public liability insurance’ audiable.
After a servicing, which consisted of adjusting all the brake pads and tension, fiddling with the derailurs, greasing up the chain guides, replacing a missing bolt in the left crank and putting some air in the tyres she was set for her first run.
Me and John wheeled her over to lakeside, and attempted to stay balanced on the bike. Going in a straight line was not too much of a problem, but turning was difficult as me knees were getting in the way of the above seat stearing.
I managed to get the hang of turning, and both me and John were surprised how fast it was. I was cycling along at a reasonable rate on the recumbent, and he was having to really put his foot down on his upright bike just to keep up. I would guess it is to do with the difference in frontal area. Take a look at this next shot.
All in all, it was a nice bike to ride although there were a few problems with it:
- Knees got in the way of steering, making turning difficult. It also meant that you had to keep hold of the handlebars when cycling, as if you knock the bars when your knee is on the way past you would end up somewhere you didn’t want to be
- The aluminium seat bars extended a bit too far forward, making it uncomfortable for me to sit with my legs on the floor. Somone with longer legs might not have that problem.
- It was impossible to change gear because of the position of the gear levers – right between the legs, a long way from the hands.
Conclusion: I want one (I have added it to my wishlist!)
