a new convert to the Dark Side?



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>"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message One thing about the bike and typical
>Edinburgh conditions: if you stay in a tenement anywhere other than the ground floor

Already had a bike when I was flat hunting - my flat is on the ground floor
:)

950 isn't bad at all - I was considering buying a road bike this year (Ridgeback Genesis Day 1) and
had budgetted about 600 for it - I'm not going that way now (alas, I /am/ thinking of moving), I'll
stick with my roadified MTB - it would delay my conversion.

Much as I like the idea of the SON, I've got lots of lights already, and I could always have a
wheel built round the cheaper Shimano - I've been told of a guy in Edinburgh who charges 5ukp per
hour to build wheels (it takes him about 30 mins) if you supply all the bits, but the Rohloff
sounds so tasty.

Ooh dear, this is getting worrying.....

E
 
"Bas" <[email protected]> wrote
> 3 wheels ? Never seen one of those, the occasional one I see here in Holland are all 2 wheels....
> 'Fraid you're gonna topple ?

I've tried Trices a fair bit (at the Mildenhall Rally last year, you can see I've been interested in
them for awhile) and have had short goes on two-wheeled recumbents. The trikes do seem alot more
stable than 'bent bikes. And there's another thing to consider -- with a child on the way I would
want to buy a machine that I can put a kiddie seat on, and I don't think that recumebent bikes are
very appropriate. On the other hand, they work fine on recumbent trikes.

Frank wrote:
> Do you ride with drops, I had tingly hands and fingers and this appears to be caused by bending my
> wrists back when I ride my hybrid, when I ride my road bike, I ride on the hoods my wrists are
> straight my fingers don't tingle. The effect seems to be cumulative, with recovery taking place
> over weeks/months.

I ride with straight bars, because I have found that it causes my left hand to tingle less. For many
years I used only drop bars, but since my bout with RSI in '96, I've found (through much
experimentation) that the hand position I get with drop bars is much worse for my hands than with
straight bars. So much that I want to sell my one remaining bike with drop bars.

Anyway, we're talking an extreme situation here. Unless I take preventative measures, my left hand
tingles while I'm sleeping! And this is with me sleeping on my right side and arm falling gently to
the bed, with no restrictions whasoever. What I've found helps is to put a big thick pillow to my
right and drape my arm over the pillow, so it remains at about the same height as my left shoulder.
That seems to keep the blood flowing.

Peter Clinch wrote:
> I suspect Myra's bike is already comfortable... at least as far as wedgies can be. But it really
> is rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic stuff compared to a big comfy chair with no weight to
> speak of on your arms and wrists.

Well, when the roads clear (I'm sensible enough not to ride when it's so slippery, as the
consequences of a fall could be bad) I'll break out the Brompton and try that. It has very high and
close handlebars, so it may make it possible to consider riding without getting excessive tingling
until I can get a 'bent trike.

Tony W wrote:
> If in doubt (and only when sitting down) take a look at:-
> http://www.chapmancentral.com/Web/public.nsf/Documents/Bike_Optima_Stinger Such horrors could be
> yours if you succumb to the evil that is the Dark Side.

As I've said before, Mr Chapman has very nice legs! I wouldn't mind if mine looked a bit more
like that.

Andy Welch wrote:
> Did you check whether he had any Trice in stock? When I was there (a year or so ago) he had one of
> the old (pre-ICE) models, but this was pretty heavy.

He's got a used Explorer, and is about to acquire two other used ones this coming week. I think he's
got various brands of new ones as well. Anyway, I'm not absolutely committed to a Trice. Any
recumbent trike that's not too heavy, nor too wide (due to the bollards that polulate Cambridge's
cycle paths) would be fine. And I have had at least a short ride on a Windcheetah, at a Bike Week
Cycle Try-out show.

Eddie Dubourg wrote:
> I think there would be a lot of converts to the Dark Side (myself included) if we could afford
> one. I reckon I /may/ be able to afford one in a year or so (I dream of an SMGT), provided I don't
> do anything silly like moving house.

I've really been cutting back on my expenses recently, figuring that it will serve us well when my
salary is cut in half (I'm hoping fairly quickly to get back to half-time work, especailly
considering that I can work from home, but it may be quite some time before I go back full-time) and
we have another mouth to feed. So I actually have a couple thousand set aside that isn't desperately
needed right away.

Steve Watkin wrote
> Have you seen the Pixie from Trice? For what it's worth try and go and see them at Trice, I have a
> s/h Classic and on my visit to them they made me extremely welcome.

I've seen them on their website but not in person. I wouldn't buy one, even if I could fit it. I
think it's meant for someone quite a bit smaller than I am. I have a 30 3/4" inseam, and 31" is the
upper limit for the Pixie. Also it comes with 152mm cranks, and I get along very well with 165mm
cranks. Another reason for not buying it is that it would have a lower resale value than one that
could fit an average sized person rather than just a very small person.

I won't be contacting the Trice people directly, as if I get one from them it will take weeks. I'll
have the baby by then! If I get one from
D.Tek (just 10 miles from here), I can be on the road with my new (actually, probably used) trike by
next weekend, and my tingly hands will be history.

Richard Keatinge wrote, after much deliberation and trial and error:
> A man needs a woman like Myra needs a trike!

Hee ha! Now that's what I like to hear.

-Myra
 
Myra VanInwegen wrote:

> The trikes do seem alot more stable than 'bent bikes.

More stable than any bike - but I still ride a bike.

>> Do you ride with drops, I had tingly hands and fingers and this appears to be caused by bending
>> my wrists back when I ride my hybrid

> I ride with straight bars, because I have found that it causes my left hand to tingle less. For
> many years I used only drop bars

I have noticed far more variation in the key "fit" elements on the bikes of the women in my club
than those of the men. Most of the men ride drop bars and (if riding a tourer) leather saddles. The
women ride a wide range of saddles, and every conceivable variation of drops, flats, bar ends,
butterfly bars and so on.

> As I've said before, Mr Chapman has very nice legs! I wouldn't mind if mine looked a bit more
> like that.

<blush>

> I've really been cutting back on my expenses recently, figuring that it will serve us well when my
> salary is cut in half

Nah - spend it while you've got it, the acquisition cost of a small person is small, but the running
costs are astronomical!

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104
 
Myra VanInwegen wrote:
> The trikes do seem alot more stable than 'bent bikes.

*Any* trike should be more stable than any bike though, even if your balance is so good you can keep
up a trackstand indefinitely!

> And there's another thing to consider -- with a child on the way I would want to buy a machine
> that I can put a kiddie seat on, and I don't think that recumebent bikes are very appropriate.

I don't really see why this would be any less the case than with an upright two wheeler. Having said
that, any 3 wheeler should be easier to load up safely than any bike without a full centre-stand.

> Well, when the roads clear (I'm sensible enough not to ride when it's so slippery, as the
> consequences of a fall could be bad) I'll break out the Brompton and try that.

Don't forget the new tyres! (really does make a difference running Brompton or Marathon tyres in
place of the Records).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
"Eddie Dubourg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>... <snip>
> I've been told of a guy in Edinburgh who charges 5ukp per hour to build wheels (it takes him about
> 30 mins)

Is this Neil Bain down in Newhaven? He's built a couple of wheels for me for what seems like no
money at all (including parts) and they seem pretty damn sturdy wheels to me. I rarely bother going
anywhere else for bits anymore, but he is very chatty so a five minute visit can turn into an hour!

I live about 200 metres from his shop, which makes carting a trashed bike round to get fixed
very easy.

Have fun!

Graeme
 
"Steve Watkin" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:...
> Myra, .........................just do it! Have you seen the Pixie from Trice? For what it's worth
> try and go and see them at Trice, I have a s/h Classic and on my visit to them they made me
> extremely welcome. I don't know much about the windcheeta but I don't think I have ever seen
a
> better made product anywhere than the Trices that ICE make. I don't think you will ever regret it,
> the only reservation I would have
is
> if you have to ride in very dense traffic cos. it's a bit low, so because
of
> this I don't ride mine in central London but it's use in the suburbs is fine. I just love it!!
>
> SW "Myra VanInwegen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > It seems that being pregnant is bad for your circulation. A couple times I've woken up in the
> > middle of the night with my left hand tingling madly. (I've had problems with poor circulation
> > in my left hand for years, since a serious bout with RSI in '96, but it's gotten markedly worse
> > in the past month). Last night I had the indignity of a cramp in my left calf to add to it (it's
> > amazing how breathtakingly painful a cramp is!)
> >
> > As I ride to work (trip of 3.5 miles) my left hand gets tingly fairly quickly and soon I can
> > barely feel it. I shake it around, which helps relieve it a bit, but I worry that I've got less
> > control over the bike when I do this. After I get to work it comes back to life quite quickly,
> > but feels funny for quite some time. My right hand gets a tiny bit tingly, but nothing to worry
> > about.
> >
> > I worry that I may be doing real damage to my left hand. There are two obvious solutions:
> > (1) drive to work
> > (2) buy a recumbent I could do (1), but that would really restrict my mobility. I can drive
> > between work and home without too much hassle, but any trip into town would become vastly
> > more complicated as I couldn't use the many cycle routes and I'd have to worry about
> > parking. So I think (2) is a better option. Especially as I've been wanting a Trice for
> > quite some time. So I've phoned up Kevin at D.Tek (recumbent and other weird bikes shop in
> > Little Thetford about 10 miles north of Cambridge) and had a discussion about recumbent
> > trikes. He's got quite a few in stock. So in a couple weeks time I may be commuting to work
> > on three wheels!
> >
> > -Myra
 
Myra VanInwegen wrote:
> And there's another thing to consider -- with a child on the way I would want to buy a machine
> that I can put a kiddie seat on, and I don't think that recumebent bikes are very appropriate. On
> the other hand, they work fine on recumbent trikes.

The manual for my SMGT (which wasn't available in English when I bought the bike, but which I
downloaded a couple of months ago) specifically states that a child seat must not be fitted. It
advises (actually it orders - it was translated from German) that a trailer should be used instead.
Which is what I do anyway.

If you want to put a kiddie seat on a bent, I'd agree that a trike is a much better option
than a bike.

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( http://www.juggler.net/danny ) Recumbent cycle page:
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/ "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -
Thomas Paine
 
31 Jan 2003 04:18:19 -0800, Myra VanInwegen:

>And there's another thing to consider -- with a child on the way I would want to buy a machine that
>I can put a kiddie seat on, and I don't think that recumebent bikes are very appropriate.

Depends. There are recumbents available especially designed for commuting, transporting goods (and
kids), have a rain cover available... See:

http://www.incredibleweb.de/radnabel/klassikeigenschaften.php3

(bad picture)

http://home.t-online.de/home/Andreas.Golding/indexgb.html

(some details in english)

Andreas
 
Frank <[email protected]> enlightened us with:
>Do you ride with drops, I had tingly hands and fingers and this appears to be caused by bending my
>wrists back when I ride my hybrid, when I ride my road bike, I ride on the hoods my wrists are
>straight my fingers don't tingle. The effect seems to be cumulative, with recovery taking place
>over weeks/months.
>
>I'm not saying this is related to your problems but its worth a look : carpal tunnel syndrome
>
>http://www.cptips.com/handsyn.htm

I agree with Frank! After doing some long rides on my hybrid I was getting tingling exactly like
Myra. No change of hand/grip position wouldn't help though - I simply had too much weight on my
hands for my circulation to cope with.

While your cycling position may not have changed, the (temporary) detoriation in circulation plus no
doubt slightly increased weight on the handlebars due to bump and the other misc preg weight
increases could easily have revealed this.

My wife is nearly 7 months preg, and has had to raise her handlebars to make her sit more upright.
Mostly to allow more room for bump. She was cycling so slowly these days the increased wind
resistance is hardly an issue.

Thicker gloves might even help mask it a little.

But it's at least worth trying raising your handlebars just to see - a little bit cheaper than a
bent trike!

Jifl

>"Myra VanInwegen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> It seems that being pregnant is bad for your circulation. A couple times I've woken up in the
>> middle of the night with my left hand tingling madly. (I've had problems with poor circulation in
>> my left hand for years, since a serious bout with RSI in '96, but it's gotten markedly worse in
>> the past month). Last night I had the indignity of a cramp in my left calf to add to it (it's
>> amazing how breathtakingly painful a cramp is!)
>>
>> As I ride to work (trip of 3.5 miles) my left hand gets tingly fairly quickly and soon I can
>> barely feel it. I shake it around, which helps relieve it a bit, but I worry that I've got
>> less control over the bike when I do this. After I get to work it comes back to life quite
>> quickly, but feels funny for quite some time. My right hand gets a tiny bit tingly, but
>> nothing to worry about.
--
--[ "You can complain because roses have thorns, or you ]-- --[ can rejoice because thorns have
roses." -Lincoln ]-- Opinions==mine
 
Danny Colyer wrote:

> The manual for my SMGT (which wasn't available in English when I bought the bike, but which I
> downloaded a couple of months ago) specifically states that a child seat must not be fitted.

Yes, but it also forbids you from bumping up and down kerbs... If you followed the full letter of
the law in that document you'd never be able to go touring to all the interesting places HPV show on
their website, so I'm pretty sure it's covering their legal backs for the most part.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Andreas Oehler <[email protected]> wrote
> Myra VanInwegen wrote:
>
> >And there's another thing to consider -- with a child on the way I would want to buy a machine
> >that I can put a kiddie seat on, and I don't think that recumebent bikes are very appropriate.
>
> Depends. There are recumbents available especially designed for commuting, transporting goods (and
> kids), have a rain cover available... See:
>
> http://www.incredibleweb.de/radnabel/klassikeigenschaften.php3
>
> (bad picture)
>
>
> http://home.t-online.de/home/Andreas.Golding/indexgb.html

Actually, that looks like a nice solution!

Still, I think I'd prefer not to put a kiddie seat on any two-wheeled cycle, recumbent or not. It
just seems to be quite tricky putting the kid on, then getting going yourself. I know that plenty of
people use kiddie seats without difficulty, but for myself I'd prefer a trailer or a trike.

Pashley makes an upright 3-speed trike that has two rear-facing kiddie seats on it, and that seems
like a great way to transport kids for short distances.

-Myra

-Myra
 
[email protected] (Jonathan Larmour) wrote
> While your cycling position may not have changed, the (temporary) detoriation in circulation plus
> no doubt slightly increased weight on the handlebars due to bump and the other misc preg weight
> increases could easily have revealed this.
>
> My wife is nearly 7 months preg, and has had to raise her handlebars to make her sit more upright.
> Mostly to allow more room for bump. She was cycling so slowly these days the increased wind
> resistance is hardly an issue.

I think my circulation has deteriorated so badly that simple raising the bars a bit is not going to
help. This evening I will try out our bike that has the highest, closest handlebars -- the Brompton.
(It lives in Simon's office at work, so we drove in today, and he'll take the car home while I try
out the Brompton). I think this has a good chance of working and keeping me riding.

> Thicker gloves might even help mask it a little.

I don't think so -- as I've said my left hand falls asleep at night when there's no pressure on it
at all, if I don't arrange a pillow prop to put it at pretty much the level of my shoulder. I
think it's more to do with position (lower than shoulder) and lack of movement than actual weight
on the hand.

> But it's at least worth trying raising your handlebars just to see - a little bit cheaper than a
> bent trike!

Absolutely. To be honest, this circulation problem is just an excuse to do something I've been
wanting to do for quite some time. I have in me the desire to ride really long distances. I did a
double century in 1994, and this went fine. However, in 2000 (post RSI) I rode 170 miles from
Cambridge to York, and three fingers on my left hands got to tingling, and they stayed that way for
about three weeks. To do serious long-distance riding, I need a recumbent.

Also Simon is quite keen to try one out, so we'll get one that can fit him or me (with a change of
chain length) so we can fit it up for him to try out.

-Myra
 
Myra VanInwegen wrote of:
>> http://www.incredibleweb.de/radnabel/klassikeigenschaften.php3

> Actually, that looks like a nice solution!

It's not quite the same, but it looks a lot like the bent equivalent of the Family Bike that Dan
Joyce reviewed in the December issue of Cycle: http://www.family-bike.com/

His conclusion seemed to be that it's a good idea (it is), but that it just doesn't work in real
life. I'd be interested to see a similar review of the bike that Andreas mentioned, though.

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( http://www.juggler.net/danny ) Recumbent cycle page:
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/ "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -
Thomas Paine
 
Mon, 3 Feb 2003 22:03:32 -0000, Danny Colyer:

>I'd be interested to see a similar review of the bike that Andreas mentioned, though.

There has been reviews of the Radnabel ATL in older Encyclopedia and/or BCQ, don't know about other
UK magazines.

But - it is build here in Tuebingen, so I see lots of those bents on the road everyday...

Andreas
 
As a followup: I rode the Brompton home last night and to work this morning. Even with its extremely
upright position I still get a tingly left hand, but it's nowhere near as bad as with my other
bikes. Just a couple of shakes of the elbow brings my fingers back to life. With the other bikes,
absolutely nothing I can do, short of getting off the bike, brings my hand to life.

So I can keep riding, even without a recumbent. I'd still like to get a recumbent, but now that I've
got something I can ride, it makes it less urgent, and I can take my time to choose one.

But I definitely need to swap the tires! Riding the Brompton is *such* hard work.

-Myra
 
Myra VanInwegen wrote:

> So I can keep riding, even without a recumbent. I'd still like to get a recumbent, but now that
> I've got something I can ride, it makes it less urgent, and I can take my time to choose one.

There's always the Brompton recumbent conversion, of course! ;-)

> But I definitely need to swap the tires! Riding the Brompton is *such* hard work.

Brompton's own seem okay, will do 100 psi and have lower rolling resistance than Marathons. The
non-kevlar ones are quite a bit cheaper too. My pal wot uses them reckons they're "a bit skittery
in the wet" but not to the point of being naughty. I got Marathons 'cause I liked them so much on
the 'bent.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Myra VanInwegen wrote:

> So I can keep riding, even without a recumbent. I'd still like to get a recumbent, but now that
> I've got something I can ride, it makes it less urgent, and I can take my time to choose one.

For a consideration I can arrange for the Brommie to break down and require urgent replacement with
a 'bent ;-)

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104
 
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> For a consideration I can arrange for the Brommie to break down and
require
> urgent replacement with a 'bent ;-)

Nothing could more eloquently demonstrate the evil of the Dark Side. To damage a Brommie just to
seduce a poor innocent to the Dark Side is despicable. You should be ashamed of yourself, Guy.
Though we know its really not you speaking -- I'm sure you are essentially good - but the Dark Side
is strong and very, very dangerous.

:)
 
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