Bent article in Remedy magazine

[Risto Varanka]

cbb <[email protected]> wrote:
: I am surprised at the number of people who think I have back trouble or other infrimaries. I'm 30
: in reasonable good shape and RIDE A LOWRACER. Sure its comfortable but how can you mistake a
: racing machine. If I had back problems I wouldn't be able to even get in to my bike.

The very laid back position is for those extremely bad backs with at least 6 disks that are
misplaced, eroded or somehow else bogus. It's also very low for safety reasons, since you
probably have some kind of balance problem. The low boom bracket is related to poor circulation
somehow... I mean, there *HAS* to be something wrong with you if you need to ride a bike that
looks *THAT* weird ;p

Hmm wonder what I'll say when riding a trike. Maybe best is just to say nothing, and blankly point
at my head ;p ... though I guess that'll often be followed by involuntary laughter... only better I
guess, and soon nobody will ask any questions ;D

Maybe one should realize some people know *NOTHING* about bents, and probably not much about bikes
in general. At least for some people it seems counterintuitive that lowracers are fast (they even
miss the design clues I guess ), and assuming zero knowledge they are at a loss anyway deciding
over what the heck it is, so they go for the most plausible interpretation... All of us make stupid
questions time to time.

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html varis at no spam please iki fi

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On 19 May 2003 20:22:57 GMT, [email protected] wrote:

>Maybe one should realize some people know *NOTHING* about bents, and probably not much about bikes
>in general. At least for some people it seems counterintuitive that lowracers are fast (they even
>miss the design clues I guess )

Heh! As I cruise past them they say "hey, aren't those things a ***** on hills?" - sounds like
clutching at straws to me

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
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NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
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[Jon Meinecke]

On Mon, 19 May 2003 13:14:00 -0500, "jim h" <[email protected]> wrote:

>[...] The DF position hurts my rear, my hands and my neck, but not my back. Is this another hokey
>pitch to the couch potato market?

Not in my experience. Upright riding aggravated if not caused my herniated disc. The riding position
tends to compress the front edge of the disc while opening the space between vertebrae toward the
rear creating an exit path just where nerve roots emerge.

Muscle tone certainly is an issue, but so also are ergonomics and body position when it comes to
degenerative and herniated discs. Many recumbent bikes designs seem better in this regard than an
uprights both in spinal positioning and support.

>Neither 'bents nor DFs have anything to do with back problems as far as I know. I recall once when
>my lower back was hurting because I had strained a muscle, I found that riding the DF made it feel
>better - the DF position is a beneficial stretch for the lower back.

There are many types of lower back pain. Some are muscle related, some are skeletal, structural,
neurological, etc... I kept riding my upright when symptoms of my disc problem began and as they got
worse, attributing them to muscle strain. Not a good thing, it turned out, in my case.

There's at least as much difference between a Bigha and a Bacchetta as there is between a "comfort"
cruiser upright bike and a high-end racing upright bike. Anyone who really researches recumbents
will quickly recognize the range of designs. It's too bad that there's usually scant coverage of the
breadth of the recumbent designs in the general and bicycle special interest press and media.

There's nothing wrong, in my opinion, with pitching some recumbent designs to the "couch potato
market" on the basis that they are more accommodating to the less-than-fully-fit. On the other hand,
I think most upright-bike-only recreational riders don't know what they're missing by not trying a
recumbent. %^) That is their loss, in my opinion.

The niche market for recumbents can be expanded both to the fit and not so fit cyclists.
Manufacturers can target their designs and marketing where they think there is an opportunity.

Jon Meinecke

 

[Risto Varanka]

Just zis Guy, you know? <[email protected]> wrote:

: Heh! As I cruise past them they say "hey, aren't those things a ***** on hills?" - sounds like
: clutching at straws to me

Maybe they read Usenet a bit too much ;p

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html varis at no spam please iki fi