"B. Sanders" <
[email protected]> wrote in message news:<HJnia.54325$Zo.14240@sccrnsc03>...
> "Mark Lee" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
>
news:[email protected]...
> >
> > Yes, some (mainly faired) 'bents are v fast. It must be the riders of the very few I see that
> > are so slow. We do have hills here. You wouldn't catch me doing 37mph on a RANS Rocket - looks
> > like a cross between garden furniture and a '70's dragster... scary.
>
> Looks are deceiving. It's not as pretty as a Challenge Taifun; but it cost
> 1/4 as much, and is a very capable bike.
>
> Did I mention that college women are always waving and saying "cool bike!" as I ride by? Yeah, I
> get a lot of that, and I'm an overweight 40-something. When was the last time a bunch of
> stone-faced Lycra victimized DF roadies got that kind of response? It just doesn't happen (not
> around here anyway). On a 'bent, you seem more friendly, and you can look at pedestrians in the
> eye as you ride by. 'Bent riders are a happy lot. Can't say the same for most roadies I know.
> Don't know why, but that's my observation.
>
> > Maybe a Jester or M5 lowracer... but how do you tootle down the shops and hop the gutter?
>
> Well, first of all, you don't just hop on a low racer and go. They're specialized vehicles, and
> frankly, quite difficult to learn to ride. There are people who actually commute on them; but you
> wouldn't catch me mixing it up with SUV's on a lowracer. I don't have deathwish.
>
> OTOH: Neither would I use a time trial bike to ride to the coffee shop and hop curbs. (OK, so
> maybe I did ride my old Nishiki disc-wheeled funny bike to the coffee shop a time or two, but I
> digress...) Point is, whether DF or 'bent, bikes can be 'general purpose' or 'special purpose'.
> The faster the bike, the more special purpose it is. Lowracers, and especially fully-faired
> streamliners, are extremely specialized, hence the speed differences.
>
> The solution is simple: Don't ride your lowracer to the coffee shop. Ride your city bike or
> mountain bike to hop curbs, and ride your lowracer on fast, long rides on smooth roads and paved
> fast trails. Works for me.
>
> -Barry
i'm an overweight, 50-something, DF rider who has never been victimized(?) by my lycra. when i smile
and say "hi" to the ladies, they almost always do the same thing back. it has nothing to do with
what i'm riding or how i look. i'm also not trolling, been very happily married for 20 years. it's
just my nature to do that whenever i see anyone. recumbents are fairly rare in these parts, but i do
enjoy getting the chance to talk to their owners whenever i get the chance. it would be a pretty
boring world if everyone rode the same type of bicycle (or car, truck, SUV, motorcycle, or
whatever). i find most recumbent riders to be very friendly, just like DF riders. you get back what
you give out in this life. smile, be friendly, take an interest in what the other person is riding,
discuss some of your favorite rides, or just make conversation and chances are you will have a good
experience and maybe make a friend. sure, there are a few sourpusses out there. i don't resent them,
there is probably a reason they are that way, or maybe they just have a bad outlook on life. there
are a lot of people that resent bicyclists, we all know that. think of it this way; do they really
resent that small piece of road you occupy, or the big smile on your face, or just knowing you are
doing something healthful for both you and the environment. it could also be because they realize
you are doing something they could never possibly do. my bicycling boils down to enjoyment. i'll
never be a champion, maybe not even what many would call a good rider. it still feels good to make
it over a hill i've never cleared before, even if another rider passes me in the big ring. fun comes
first, speed, cadence, etc., are all secondary. you can take most of the fun out of riding by
getting too serious about it. the only thing strange i've ever noticed about some of the recumbent
posts here is that the poster feels the need to brag about his accomplishments or put other types of
bikes down. by no means do i mean that all bent posts are this way, but it seems to happen more
often than it should. i, for one, am glad you have found a bike you enjoy. maybe we'll meet someday
out on the road, and i hope it will be a good experience. the point is that you don't have to prove
anything to me or anyone else here. if you are faster than me (and you probably are), and that makes
you happy, fine. it means absolutely nothing to me, one way or the other. i'm glad you're having fun
and i respect your choice of machine. please extend the same courtesy to me. it's the RIDE that
counts, not the machine. smokey