Brian G wrote:
> Does anyone have specific views on any advantages of recumbents for
> riders of say 60 and over, beyond the general advantages expressed by
> recumbent enthusiasts?
First up, you have to note that "recumbent" is about as useful a general
descriptive term as "upright". Just as an upright track bike will be,
by and large, a poor mount for A.N. Other Frailer Pensioner, so will a
lowracer 'bent, but OTOH there are many sub-types that may prove
particularly advantageous.
For example, something like a compact along the lines of the HPVel
Spirit (see
http://kinetics.org.uk/html/spirit.shtml) is easy to ride,
has a low stepover height so it's easy to get on and off and has a very
comfy seat with a back support, and would consequently be excellent for
many riders not wanting much whizz but who appreciate comfort and ease
of mounting. For those with a few balance or stability issues (I don't
wish to infer this is widely applicable to over-60s, and may well be
just as applicable to those not yet collecting pensions) then something
like the Scooterbike trike (see
http://kinetics.org.uk/html/urban_trike.shtml) may be just the ticket,
especially if you can't easily manhandle it into awkward spots since it
even sports a reverse gear.
In summary, I don't think pigeonholing "recumbents" is terribly much use
here. The sort of things that will make /any/ bike useful to a given
target rider can be applied on a case by case basis to different designs
of recumbent just as to upright bikes, and some will prove ideal and
some will prove categorically useless. 'Bents really aren't nearly as
radically different as most people assume, they're still "just" cycles.
In choosing one (or not) it's the usual case of thinking about what
you want and asking which bikes will do that best, however the rider
sits on it, so a Streetmachine recumbent tourer has a lot more in common
with, say, a Super Galaxy "normal" tourer than it does with a Varna
Diablo recumbent speed bike.
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
[email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/