G S Banner wondered:
> I've spotted a few recumbents from time to time on my daily commute in London. Only today did I
> ask myself why anyone rides a recumbent. They strike me as waaaay to low be ridden safely in
> traffic ...
For me, the main reason is comfort. Safety is a benefit too. Yes, safety. OK, wedgies have certain
safety benefits over bents, but IMHO for most of the riding I do those are (slightly) outweighed by
the safety benefits of bents over wedgies. If I had to ride in London then I'd probably rather be on
a wedgie, but then no-one could pay me enough to live or work in London anyway.
Wedgie safety benefits:
* You're higher up, so you can see over most cages.
* You're higher up, so you can be seen over most cages.
* Your centre of gravity is higher, so the bike is inherently more stable.
Bent safety benefits:
* Bents are still comparatively rare so, as Guy mentioned, have a high WTF factor.
* The riding position allows you to easily see where you're going without having to crane your neck
(this is the main advantage for me).
* You can brake as hard as you like with no danger of going over the handlebar (although I have
managed to lift the rear wheel on my SMGT).
* In the event of a fall, you haven't got as far to go.
> (I can't believe the little flags on the top of the whip aerials they sport make them easier
for
> an unobservant motorist to spot).
I only bother with flags on trailers. The WTF factor with a bent is high and anyway, most motorists
claim to be able to see white lines painted on the road, so why should they have a problem with a
cyclist 3' above the road? (Actually perhaps that's a disadvantage with yellow bikes, since most
cagers seem to have trouble with yellow lines ;-) )
There's an enormous variety of bent designs available. One of the reasons I chose the SMGT was the
height - I'm at about the same height as most motorists. That means I can't see over cars as well as
I could on a wedgie, but I can see through the windows to the other side, and I can very easily look
cagers in the eye.
Having ridden it for a couple of years, I'm confident that I would have no problems riding something
lower in traffic. If I was buying another bent, it would be lower.
> I should also say that I can't ever recall having seen one being ridden recreationally - out on a
> weekend ride.
Apart from my own bent, I've only ever seen one used for commuting (and that just happens to belong
to my next door neighbour). I've seen at least 7 used on leisure rides.
The first time I took Helga out for a ride with my wife, DW commented several times that I looked
silly on the bent and that she'd never seen anyone else riding one in this country. Then, about half
a mile before we got home, we passed 3 going the other way
--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) (
http://www.juggler.net/danny ) Recumbent cycle page:
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/ "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -
Thomas Paine