A
Andrew Heckman
Guest
Hello, fellow 'benters:
Last June I was injured while riding as part of a cross-country bicycle relay. I sustained a
shattered pelvis, and, after healing as much as it will heal, my left leg still has limited range of
motion. In short, it's painful for me to lift me knee past a 45 degree angle.
I'm looking to get back on a bike if I can, however. I'd like to remain 'bent (my previous bike was
a P-38). But my injury means I need a bike with a low liftover height and a very open riding
position, and that will also allow me to very comfortably put both feet on the ground at stops. At
first glance, I think an HP Velotechnik Speedmachine might do the trick. But it's a pretty low bike.
So here's my question:
Do any of you who ride or have ridden an HP Velo Speedmachine feel completely comfortable riding it
in traffic? I live in Portland, Oregon, which has bike lanes, and bikes are relatively common on the
main streets. But it's a pretty big city, and my wife is understandably extremely anxious about me
riding any bike that isn't highly visible to drivers. I'd be relatively happy with an HP Velo Spirit
or perhaps a Scooterbike, but I'm not quite ready to give up on the performance aspect of my
cycling. I'm hoping that, with the big, orange tailbox, the Speedmachine would be plenty visible,
but if any of you have found that the bike's relatively low height makes seeing or being seen in
traffic difficult, or haven't found the low profile to be problem, I'd love to hear from you.
Anyway, any thoughts, stories, suggestions from the 'bent community? Feel free to answer here, or
email me directly off-list.
Thanks all!
--
Andrew Heckman, [email protected]
Last June I was injured while riding as part of a cross-country bicycle relay. I sustained a
shattered pelvis, and, after healing as much as it will heal, my left leg still has limited range of
motion. In short, it's painful for me to lift me knee past a 45 degree angle.
I'm looking to get back on a bike if I can, however. I'd like to remain 'bent (my previous bike was
a P-38). But my injury means I need a bike with a low liftover height and a very open riding
position, and that will also allow me to very comfortably put both feet on the ground at stops. At
first glance, I think an HP Velotechnik Speedmachine might do the trick. But it's a pretty low bike.
So here's my question:
Do any of you who ride or have ridden an HP Velo Speedmachine feel completely comfortable riding it
in traffic? I live in Portland, Oregon, which has bike lanes, and bikes are relatively common on the
main streets. But it's a pretty big city, and my wife is understandably extremely anxious about me
riding any bike that isn't highly visible to drivers. I'd be relatively happy with an HP Velo Spirit
or perhaps a Scooterbike, but I'm not quite ready to give up on the performance aspect of my
cycling. I'm hoping that, with the big, orange tailbox, the Speedmachine would be plenty visible,
but if any of you have found that the bike's relatively low height makes seeing or being seen in
traffic difficult, or haven't found the low profile to be problem, I'd love to hear from you.
Anyway, any thoughts, stories, suggestions from the 'bent community? Feel free to answer here, or
email me directly off-list.
Thanks all!
--
Andrew Heckman, [email protected]