Re: bents: saving your butt

Zebee Johnstone

In alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent on Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:15:52 -0700 (PDT)
runcyclexcski@gmail.com <runcyclexcski@gmail.com> wrote:
> When I ride my upright bike and I see bumps/rough pavement ahead I
> naturally get the weight of my butt off the seat and use me legs as a
> "suspension". What do the recumbent folk do? One can't raise the butt
> off the seat, right? Just suffer through the rough stuff? Is it too
> bad to worry about?

Most of the time I just let the mesh seat take it, and my Giro's
monotube seems to soak up a bit too.

When it's very bumpy I push against the seatback and pedals and raise
my backside off the seat. It does mean I can't pedal at that moment
but most of the time that's not a problem.


Zebee

runcyclexcski@gmail.com

> Most of the time I just let the mesh seat take it, and my Giro's
> monotube seems to soak up a bit too.
>
> When it's very bumpy I push against the seatback and pedals and raise
> my backside off the seat. It does mean I can't pedal at that moment
> but most of the time that's not a problem.
>
> Zebee

Are there any successful suspension designs out there?

Jon Bendtsen

runcyclexcski@gmail.com wrote:
>> Most of the time I just let the mesh seat take it, and my Giro's
>> monotube seems to soak up a bit too.
>>
>> When it's very bumpy I push against the seatback and pedals and raise
>> my backside off the seat. It does mean I can't pedal at that moment
>> but most of the time that's not a problem.
>>
>> Zebee
>
> Are there any successful suspension designs out there?

Yes, i would say so. There are several. I have a cruzbike
Freerider, it has nice suspension. But the other bikes i
was considering, HP Velotechnik Spirit and a similar from
Optima has suspension.

Some trikes even have suspension, and i've seen some guy
drive like crazy on it. He even tipped it up at 2 wheels.



JonB

gotbent

<runcyclexcski@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9454486d-f978-40e5-a34e-44d82e75b56c@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
>
>> Most of the time I just let the mesh seat take it, and my Giro's
>> monotube seems to soak up a bit too.
>>
>> When it's very bumpy I push against the seatback and pedals and raise
>> my backside off the seat. It does mean I can't pedal at that moment
>> but most of the time that's not a problem.
>>
>> Zebee
>
> Are there any successful suspension designs out there?

Recent trikes made by ICE have a rear suspension (www.trice.com). It works
well enough to take the edge of rough pavement, but all the Tricen are
tadpoles. My HP Velotechnik Speedmachine is a fully suspended lowracer and
the suspension is superb and having two wheels there is none of the side to
side pitching that happens with my Trice.

Stein trikes in Germany builds full suspension tadpoles. (link
http://tinyurl.com/orh72). I don't have any experience with Stein, but there
are some You-Tube videos of them in action.

AFAIK Sun has or had a delta in the product line that had a front boom
pivot/spring/shock.

gotbent aka FRVT rider


** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

DougC

Bumps on a recumbent are not the painful experience that they are on an
upright bike.
,,,,
Also--recumbents tend to run tires a bit fatter than what typical road
bikes will, because of the fact that you cannot lift off the bike to
absorb bumps. The roadie-style recumbents are built to be lightweight
and fast and come with road bike-width tires, but a lot of "all-purpose"
recumbents come with smooth tires that are around 1.5" wide.

> ....
> Are there any successful suspension designs out there?

There are lots of suspension recumbents available, although the prices
go skyward pretty quick. And I don't know of any suspended delta trikes
right off.
~

jukka matikainen

my guess is that something is coming out in patents concerning the problem;
producing them in trikes or whatsoever can take years; patents tend to be
quite unpractical or /and costly;
during ten years I introduced theory to solve problems with meeting bumps
to quite a few persons and producers and in England the answer was
something like : "your theory is worth nothing to us", in my own country I
was told it was costly and I was also told to market the idea to producers
making human powered vehicles and especially for handicapped persons ;
now I think next ten years in developing the idea will make use of it...



"DougC" <dcimper@norcom2000.com> kirjoitti
viestissä:3Hy7k.221$1V2.121@newsfe07.lga...
>
> Bumps on a recumbent are not the painful experience that they are on an
> upright bike.
> ,,,,
> Also--recumbents tend to run tires a bit fatter than what typical road
> bikes will, because of the fact that you cannot lift off the bike to
> absorb bumps. The roadie-style recumbents are built to be lightweight and
> fast and come with road bike-width tires, but a lot of "all-purpose"
> recumbents come with smooth tires that are around 1.5" wide.
>
>> .... Are there any successful suspension designs out there?
>
> There are lots of suspension recumbents available, although the prices go
> skyward pretty quick. And I don't know of any suspended delta trikes right
> off.
> ~

runcyclexcski@gmail.com

On Jun 22, 3:37 pm, "jukka matikainen" <jukka.matikai...@pp2.inet.fi>
wrote:
> my guess is that something is coming out in patents concerning the problem;
> producing them in trikes or whatsoever can take years; patents tend to be
> quite unpractical or /and costly;
> during ten years I introduced theory to solve problems with meeting bumps
> to quite a few persons and producers and in England the answer was
> something like : "your theory is worth nothing to us", in my own countryI
> was told it was costly and I was also told to market the idea to producers
> making human powered vehicles and especially for handicapped persons ;
> now I think next ten years in developing the idea will make use of it...
>
> "DougC" <dcim...@norcom2000.com> kirjoitti
> viestissä:3Hy7k.221$1V2....@newsfe07.lga...
>
>
>
> > Bumps on a recumbent are not the painful experience that they are on an
> > upright bike.
> > ,,,,
> > Also--recumbents tend to run tires a bit fatter than what typical road
> > bikes will, because of the fact that you cannot lift off the bike to
> > absorb bumps. The roadie-style recumbents are built to be lightweight and
> > fast and come with road bike-width tires, but a lot of "all-purpose"
> > recumbents come with smooth tires that are around 1.5" wide.
>
> >> .... Are there any successful suspension designs out there?
>
> > There are lots of suspension recumbents available, although the prices go
> > skyward pretty quick. And I don't know of any suspended delta trikes right
> > off.
> > ~

I saw a link to a suspension wheel hub somewhere... I wonder how well
it works. I like fast skinny wheels/tires from my upright racing
years.

Peter Clinch

runcyclexcski@gmail.com wrote:

> I saw a link to a suspension wheel hub somewhere... I wonder how well
> it works. I like fast skinny wheels/tires from my upright racing
> years.

Pantour suspension hub. It doesn't give much travel so don't expect it
to take out a pothole smoothly. What it's for (and reportedly very good
for) is just easing out the small bumps on "normal" surfaces.

Only ever seen two sided ones, so that would just be the leading wheel
on a delta. Something like a kettweisel there's little weight on the
front in any case, so of limited use there, perhaps?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net p.j.clinch@dundee.ac.uk http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Steve McDonald

"DougC" <dcimper@norcom2000.com> wrote in message
news:3Hy7k.221$1V2.121@newsfe07.lga...
>
> Bumps on a recumbent are not the painful experience that they are on an
> upright bike.
> ,,,,
> Also--recumbents tend to run tires a bit fatter than what typical road
> bikes will, because of the fact that you cannot lift off the bike to
> absorb bumps. The roadie-style recumbents are built to be lightweight and
> fast and come with road bike-width tires, but a lot of "all-purpose"
> recumbents come with smooth tires that are around 1.5" wide.
>
>> .... Are there any successful suspension designs out there?
>
> There are lots of suspension recumbents available, although the prices go
> skyward pretty quick. And I don't know of any suspended delta trikes right
> off.
> ~

Look into getting a seat that uses stretched fabric, rather than a solid
material. A friend who is a longtime designer of recumbents, swears by this
type of seat for comfort.

Steve McDonald

DougC

Peter Clinch wrote:
> runcyclexcski@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> I saw a link to a suspension wheel hub somewhere... I wonder how well
>> it works. I like fast skinny wheels/tires from my upright racing
>> years.
>
> Pantour suspension hub. It doesn't give much travel so don't expect it
> to take out a pothole smoothly. What it's for (and reportedly very good
> for) is just easing out the small bumps on "normal" surfaces.
>
> Only ever seen two sided ones, so that would just be the leading wheel
> on a delta. Something like a kettweisel there's little weight on the
> front in any case, so of limited use there, perhaps?
>
> Pete.

I've never tried one but most people I have heard talk who have tried
Pantour hubs say they aren't worth the bother.
----
Also I don't think it is any patent issue with suspended recumbents,
it's just the high cost involved in a lot of parts to be made and welded
together.
----
If you get a bike that can take fat tires, you can put wide rims and Big
Apples on and run them at pretty low pressures (30-40 PSI). That's not
quite the same as actual suspension but it can still be useful.
~

Tom Sherman

gotbent aka FRVT Rider wrote:
> [...]
> Stein trikes in Germany builds full suspension tadpoles. (link
> http://tinyurl.com/orh72). I don't have any experience with Stein, but there
> are some You-Tube videos of them in action.

Actually, Robert Stein is in S&M [1], not Germany:
<http://www.steintrikes.com/>.

[1] Serbia & Montenegro (aka "rump" Yugoslavia), not sadism & masochism
- what where you thinking, you pervert!

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Tom Sherman

gotbent aka FRVT Rider wrote:
> [...]
> Stein trikes in Germany builds full suspension tadpoles. (link
> http://tinyurl.com/orh72). I don't have any experience with Stein, but there
> are some You-Tube videos of them in action.

Actually, Robert Stein is in S&M [1], not Germany:
<http://www.steintrikes.com/>.

[1] Serbia & Montenegro (aka "rump" Yugoslavia), not sadism & masochism
- what where you thinking, you pervert!

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful