On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:10:01 -0500, DougC <
[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>Why would the ride be harsher? Contrary to what some believe, bicycles
>normally have air-filled tires which absorb most of the bumps....
You're going to have to pump that rear tire hard to take anything but
a child. In any case, either you accept harsh and keep some handling,
or you let the tires absorb some of the weight with lower pressure and
the handling suffers. On a bike like that, it is a quick transition -
a few pounds difference in pressure and on the front you get plow and
on the rear you get odd inputs side to side, especially with a less
experienced stoker.
I rode a balloon tired tandem once, while waiting for a bike to be
fixed, and they hadn't pumped the front to specs. It was a weird
feeling - when you take a corner, you simply can't get it to turn.
Your turning radius is really wide, which isn't so great when there is
on-coming traffic. Fortunately, this was one of times that it was
better my wife wasn't looking around me.
I'll stick to a normal design or the Double Vision recumbent.
Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...