Where do the greatest numbers of recumbent riders live?



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Marci Taylor

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I am wondering where a person would live if their priority was to live in an area that had a large
number of recumbent riders. I wish I could say that I live in such an area but I don't. I often see
posts talking about the group rides and frankly I am envious!!!!! I know of about 5 total recumbent
riders in our area and about 3 of them are very non performance oriented riders ( I mean really
non-performance riders that ride about 6 to 7 miles per hour max speed). I think it must be fun to
live in a place where there is an actual recumbent club and regular rides. Anyone know where these
places are? I get the feeling that somewhere in Florida is one of them??? Marci
 
The highest concentration of recumbents per capita seems to be the midwest. I would say Florida has
a higher than average concentration also. Most of us will visit any and every bike shop we see. Much
to the consternation of our spouses or significant others. With this in mind, try asking each owner
or manager about carrying recumbents. More often than not you will get the "Bitter Beer Face". There
are a number of reasons for this and I think some of you know them while others create them. I
started carrying recumbents four years ago in my small shop on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. They
have since become a singnificant portion of my sales. People come in and see them on the floor and
say. "I see more and more of there in town"? or "My neighbor has one of these and she rides
everyday". **** Ryan alluded to this in his post last year... ie: high numbers of dealers seems to
equate to higher numbers of sales. Exposure=acceptance? Just a thought.
--
Jude....///Bacchetta AERO St. Michaels and Tilghman Island.. Maryland Wheel Doctor Cycle and Sports,
Inc 1-800-586-6645 "Dennis Pedrick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Marci,
>
> Here's a discussion of the same topic from last year. **** Ryan's comments were kind of
> interesting...
>
> Regards -- DP
>
>
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=3CB269A4.4B802082
%40glpbooks.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26selm%3D
3CB269A4.4B802082%2540glpbooks.com
 
Southern Lower Michigan here. I guess that puts me in the midwest. There is one other recumbent rider in my town, however I have not met him yet. I know who he is and where he lives, but our paths have not crossed yet.

He rides to work every day about 17 miles and I see him go past my office window.

Will make the effort to meet him one of these days.

:cool:
 
Marci, Well Duh, the greatest recumbent riders live in California. So do the greatest movie stars,
singers, tech gurus, and whatever else you want. We have the greatest everything.

Oh, me bad. I just reread your post. You said "numbers". Well I guess there are not a lot of bent
riders on the LA freeway. California does have the most bent builders----Easy Racer, Lightning,
Haluzak, Rotator.

Sacramento has a great bike trail 32+ miles long to ride but the benters here are all free spirits
and not club bound except for first-Saturday and moonlight rides each month. The rest of state just
ain't safe for HPVs.
 
[email protected] (Marci Taylor) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I am wondering where a person would live if their priority was to live in an area that had a large
> number of recumbent riders.

Not in Salt Lake City. At least not yet. I think it is a "chicken and the egg" thing. Without enough
demand, no local dealers. No local dealers means little visibility and therefore little demand. I
suspect that a local guy that sells recumbents out of his home (Brent Harper) does as well as
anyone. I believe, Marci, that you mentioned buying a recumbent from him. I did myself.

I have been on a couple recumbent group rides but it always means going well out of my way. I have
pretty much given up the idea.

Gary McCarty, Greenspeed GTO, Salt Lake City
 
g19glock1 <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Southern Lower Michigan here. I guess that puts me in the midwest. There is one other recumbent
> rider in my town, however I have not met him yet. I know who he is and where he lives, but our
> paths have not crossed yet.
>
> He rides to work every day about 17 miles and I see him go past my office window.
>
> Will make the effort to meet him one of these days.
>

I'm not sure if this holds true for "pockets" of Amish populations elsewhere, but here in north
central IN, the "non-progressive" Amish have been waaaaay ahead of the game. When I bought my first
'bent 4 years ago, many people commented that I had "one of those Amish bikes." I now hear that
comment much less frequently, as more and more non-Amish ("English" folks they call us) are seen
riding these recliner-bikes.

When I went bent, I had to drive 1 hr into Michigan for a dealer to test ride and another 15 miles
north for a Vision dealer. Now within 20 miles of home there are 3 Vision, 2 EZ, 1 Burley, and 1
former Bike E dealer. Needless to say there are more recumbents visible on the streets around here.

When I did a tour with the League of Michigan Bicyclists 2 years ago, there were a large number of
recumbent riders. The same thing was true in Wisconsin on the "Northwoods to Capitol" tour last
year. On a Nova Scotia tour last summer mine was the only non-tandem recumbent among 200-250 riders
and when I took my bike to Cape Cod in 2001, people there looked at me like I was riding something
from another planet. (I searched for a bent dealer on the Cape and was unable to locate a single
recumbent dealer.) When riding in Tucson AZ area I did encounter a number of recumbents on the
trails and streets.

All anecdotal of course, but it seems that recumbent-rider density depends a great deal on
accessibility, which usually means a dealer or dealers who truly believe in recumbents: Hostel
Shoppe, Wheel and Sprocket, Rapid Transit, Bike Rack, Valley Bikes, just to name a few in the
WI/IL/IN area.

The good news is that the acceptance/demand is mushrooming. Certainly the exposure people get on
recumbent stationary cycles has helped, but wearing the "recumbent grin" makes each of us an
ambassador for recumbency. I truly believe within 5 years finding a recumbent rider to train with
will no longer be an issue.
 
g19glock1 wrote:
> Southern Lower Michigan here. I guess that puts me in the midwest. There is one other recumbent
> rider in my town, however I have not met him yet. I know who he is and where he lives, but our
> paths have not crossed yet.
>
Lansing, Michigan, may not have the highest recumbent ratio out there, but it's pretty high. We have
at least 75-80 recumbent riders in our club, and if I don't see more than a couple dozen of them on
a regular basis, it's only because I can't do all the rides the club offers. Many of them, like me,
have more than one, too. It's a rare club ride that has fewer than two or three recumbents, and last
Sunday's ride consisted of six recumbents and two uprights - a tandem and a single. ( Pic at
http://www.biketcba.org/TRICORR/index.html )
--

John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24 --- _\\/\-%)
_________(_)`=()___________________(_)= (_)_____
 
Based only on personal observation over four years I'd guess there are between one and two dozen
recumbents in Gainesville FL. That is a tiny number, considering there are 45,000 students at the U
of Florida and another 12,000 at Santa Fe Community college and lots of professors and teachers.
There are no serious recumbent dealers any closer than Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville or Tallahassee
... and only a handful in those cities combined.

--
Gator Bob Siegel EasyRacers Ti Rush "John Foltz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> g19glock1 wrote:
> > Southern Lower Michigan here. I guess that puts me in the midwest. There is one other recumbent
> > rider in my town, however I have not met him yet. I know who he is and where he lives, but our
> > paths have not crossed yet.
> >
> Lansing, Michigan, may not have the highest recumbent ratio out there, but it's pretty high. We
> have at least 75-80 recumbent riders in our club, and if I don't see more than a couple dozen of
> them on a regular basis, it's only because I can't do all the rides the club offers. Many of them,
> like me, have more than one, too. It's a rare club ride that has fewer than two or three
> recumbents, and last Sunday's ride consisted of six recumbents and two uprights - a tandem and a
> single. ( Pic at http://www.biketcba.org/TRICORR/index.html )
> --
>
> John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24 --- _\\/\-%) _________(_)`=()___________________(_)=
> (_)_____
 
The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area should qualify as fairly recumbent-rich country. The WHIRL
(Washington's Happily Indepents Recumbent Lovers) ride on Saturday mornings can see as many as 25
benters on a beautiful morning (not very many lately, unfortunately). We've had as many as three
recumbent designers/builders appearing regularly on this ride in recent years: Bill Cook (Barcroft
Cycles), Mark Colliton(Bacchetta - now living mostly in Florida) and Chris Burkhardt (designer of
the Barcroft Columbia tandem). When I go on independent rides on local bike trails it's seldom that
I don't encounter three or more recumbents. Even on weekdays I usually run accross at least one.

Len Thunberg
 
Marci, here is a link to our local Recumbo Club here in South Florida.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SouthFloridaRecumbentRiders/

One of the riders is having a nice in home gathering in a few weeks and I believe there will be at
least 10+ recumbo riders going. (Not use about my presence, as I may have to work) Another
interesting fact is there will be NUMEROUS Bacchetta riding folk there. Bacchetta's have really
taken off in South Florida and I'm hoping to put my AERO order back on in a few weeks. EZ Biker :)
Pompano Beach, Fl. (GRR Ti and SOON, Bacchetta Aero Pilot)

"Marci Taylor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am wondering where a person would live if their priority was to live in an area that had a large
> number of recumbent riders.
 
[email protected] (Don) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Marci, Well Duh, the greatest recumbent riders live in California. So do the greatest movie stars,
> singers, tech gurus, and whatever else you want. We have the greatest everything.
>
> Oh, me bad. I just reread your post. You said "numbers". Well I guess there are not a lot of bent
> riders on the LA freeway. California does have the most bent builders----Easy Racer, Lightning,
> Haluzak, Rotator.
>
> Sacramento has a great bike trail 32+ miles long to ride but the benters here are all free spirits
> and not club bound except for first-Saturday and moonlight rides each month. The rest of state
> just ain't safe for HPVs.
don...your statement..."the rest of state just ain't safe for HPVs"...needs to be challenged! i know
there are great rides all over this state. i'll just speak of my own backyard...san luis obispo...i
suppose the qualifier..."safe"...perhaps rules out all bikes-everywhere. but getting out of bed in
the morning also can be a no-no. san luis obispo (on the central coast-halfway between l.a. and
s.f.- is a dandy place to be located if you are ANY kind of biker...the SLOBC with over 500 members
has a ride calendar that includes rides every day of the year (even holidays) and on most days there
are at least 3 different categories of rides. as for bent riders there are a dozen riders in my
category (medium speed) and they are all quite active. however, if you want to ride with recumbents
only then maybe portland or. is the place, as there is a huge bent club located there.
 
What town, glockguy? I was raised in Hillsdale, but live in Kalamazoo now (don't shoot me!).

g19glock1 wrote:
> Southern Lower Michigan here. I guess that puts me in the midwest. There is one other recumbent
> rider in my town, however I have not met him yet.
 
Originally posted by Paul Bruneau
What town, glockguy? I was raised in Hillsdale, but live in Kalamazoo now (don't shoot me!).

g19glock1 wrote:
> Southern Lower Michigan here. I guess that puts me in the midwest. There is one other recumbent
> rider in my town, however I have not met him yet.

I don't shoot at people that don't shoot at me :-} NRA Certified Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, Personal Protection Instructor.

The town is Colon. I get up and ride the Kal-Haven a number of times a year. Always on my DF, but sure want to do it bent soon.

Maybe I'll See you there sometime.
;)
 
[email protected] (Marci Taylor) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I am wondering where a person would live if their priority was to live in an area that had a large
> number of recumbent riders. I wish I could say that I live in such an area but I don't. I often
> see posts talking about the group rides and frankly I am envious!!!!! I know of about 5 total
> recumbent riders in our area and about 3 of them are very non performance oriented riders ( I mean
> really non-performance riders that ride about 6 to 7 miles per hour max speed). I think it must be
> fun to live in a place where there is an actual recumbent club and regular rides. Anyone know
> where these places are? I get the feeling that somewhere in Florida is one of them??? Marci

Here in Minneapolis/St.Paul we estimate there are about 3500 of them. It's rare to ride 10 miles in
town without seeing a couple of them. And they're not that uncommon in small towns either.

I think one factor is that a large percentage of Minnesotans tend to be physically active well into
their senior years. Us geezers like/need our comfort and can afford nice toys. I would be surprized
if more than 30% of the 'bent riders here are bike nuts, mostly just folks looking for a
comfortable ride.

Calhoun Cycle sells a ton of them, and most other shops carry one or two brands. Also MnHPVA members
have built over 300 machines since '85.
 
[email protected] (swede) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (Don) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > Marci, Well Duh, the greatest recumbent riders live in California. So do the greatest movie
> > stars, singers, tech gurus, and whatever else you want. We have the greatest everything.
> >
> > Oh, me bad. I just reread your post. You said "numbers". Well I guess there are not a lot of
> > bent riders on the LA freeway. California does have the most bent builders----Easy Racer,
> > Lightning, Haluzak, Rotator.
> >
> > Sacramento has a great bike trail 32+ miles long to ride but the benters here are all free
> > spirits and not club bound except for first-Saturday and moonlight rides each month. The rest of
> > state just ain't safe for HPVs.
> don...your statement..."the rest of state just ain't safe for HPVs"...needs to be challenged! i
> know there are great rides all over this state. i'll just speak of my own backyard...san luis
> obispo...i suppose the qualifier..."safe"...perhaps rules out all bikes-everywhere. but getting
> out of bed in the morning also can be a no-no. san luis obispo (on the central coast-halfway
> between l.a. and s.f.- is a dandy place to be located if you are ANY kind of biker...the SLOBC
> with over 500 members has a ride calendar that includes rides every day of the year (even
> holidays) and on most days there are at least 3 different categories of rides. as for bent riders
> there are a dozen riders in my category (medium speed) and they are all quite active. however, if
> you want to ride with recumbents only then maybe portland or. is the place, as there is a huge
> bent club located there.

The Chicagoland area has two unofficial groups; I ride with The Chicagoland Recumbent Riders South.
We have had up to thirteen riders on some of our rides. However, there are many more riders
everyday. We are very lucky to have the Old Plank Trail which is completed for 19.6 miles and will
soon be connected to the Wauponsee Trail. The W__ Trl's first five miles are expected to be
completed by year end 2003. It is possible if the funding becomes available that the entire W___ Trl
will be completed to the Kankakee River Trail (13 miles). The trails I have just described are in
south suburbia, specifically south of I-80.

Three of us in the above group ride three to five days a week from forty to sixty odd miles daily,
occasionally to eight-five. One of this group regularly rides one hundred mile days. Four of us will
be riding the GIT AP (Grand Illinois Trails And Parks ride) June 15th - 21st (450 miles).

The north side group probably has the same number of riders, I have been on one ride with them when
there were ~eight riders. The north side group has riders that have exceeded 10,000 miles yearly.
One of their riders set a personal best last year, I seem to remember that he averaged 27 mph for
one hundred miles. Another of their riders, Ed Gin, rode the Lake Shore Drive ride last year. He
stayed with the police pace car at a 35 mph pace for about seven miles and then fell back to a 27
mph pace for the 29 miles. He then rerode the 29 miles.

Folks On Spokes, the primary club in the south suburban area, with a membership of ~250 has in
addition to the numbers above at least three more active recumbent riders.

We have many more miles of forest preserve trails and many rural roads. I would guess their are more
than eight active clubs in the Chicagoland area. With all the trails available and the Mayor of
Chicago being a bike rider himself the number of "bent riders" probably exceeds 2000.
 
[email protected] (Mark Stonich) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
>
> Here in Minneapolis/St.Paul we estimate there are about 3500 of them. It's rare to ride 10 miles
> in town without seeing a couple of them. And they're not that uncommon in small towns either.
>
> I think one factor is that a large percentage of Minnesotans tend to be physically active well
> into their senior years. Us geezers like/need our comfort and can afford nice toys. I would be
> surprized if more than 30% of the 'bent riders here are bike nuts, mostly just folks looking for a
> comfortable ride.

Same here in the Portland, Oregon area. I'm always seeing recumbent riders I don't know. Pretty
soon, I'm going to have to stop waving- my arm's getting tired.

I haven't tried an actual census, but here's a collection of people who showed up at last year's
Recumbent Retreat: http://www.spiritone.com/~ohyes/photo_album/page/image5.html (let the image load-
it's pretty big).

Jeff
 
[email protected] (Marci Taylor) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I am wondering where a person would live if their priority was to live in an area that had a large
> number of recumbent riders.

Surely it would be in the Netherlands, parts of Germany or in the UK? Quite a few here in Canberra
as well :)

Keith
 
Marci Taylor wrote:

> I am wondering where a person would live if their priority was to live in an area that had a large
> number of recumbent riders.

To the best of my knowledge the territory with the highest per capita number of recumbents is Port
Stanley in the Falkland Islands, where there is one recumbent for every 1600 people...

Otherwise try the Dutch province of Flevoland.

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================
 
Where are the greatest numbers of recumbent riders?

That's a difficult question to answer because bent riders are always on the move. They tend to ride longer and farther than DF riders, so it's difficult to pinpoint their geographical point of origin.

Ben
>>>>Burley Canto>>>>
 
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