jstraw said:
I'm intrigued by them but I'm concerned about possible difficulties seeing and being seen from a low vantage point, especially since the configuration that most interests me is the "tadpole" style of trike.
I have yet to receive my first recumbent so I can't comment directly. However, from what I've been told by a few folks that are experienced with these types of bikes, a recumbent due to it's "unusual" looks and relative obscurity gets markedly more attention then a "normal" bike.
I too am worried about the lower nature of the VK2 I'm waiting on, but I'm willing to bet that the attention factor will be a boon to my safety. If however I find that riding in traffic is now with a recumbent as bad as it was when I rode extensively on a mountain bike with road tires, I will limit myself to places that are free of traffic such as bike trails or tracks.
I want to be able to ride on the street but my experiences with the mountain bike were pretty bad. Once a "Super Big Gulp" cup full of ice went whizzing past my head at around seventy miles an hour just missing my ear. I was able to catch the teenaged offenders and scare the Bejesus out of them, but it could have killed me. Yikes!
Other occasions had people with a serious case of road rage that were very upset with the fact that someone on a bicycle was passing them in their car. In turn they either opened their door in front of me or tried to see just how close they could get their side view mirror to my left grip.
Last but not least I once was speeding down a steep blvd. keeping up perfectly with traffic. I needed to avoid the extreme right side of the road due to terribly built storm drain inlets so I was out in the traffic, which I understand is perfectly legal as long as you're not impeding the flow of said traffic. I felt as if someone was breathing down my neck so I looked over my shoulder to find a brand new, black Volvo one foot from my rear tire. When we finally stopped at a red light I maneuvered back to the Volvo's driver to ask him why he thought it was O.K. to risk my life with his tailgating. (The car directly ahead of me was only about twenty feet off my front tire so it's not like my moving aside would have gained him anything.)
His reply was that I had better "Get off his road before I got run over."
When I returned home after caving in his driver’s side door with my foot the reality of the situation set in. (He could have pulled a gun and shot me for God’s sake.) I began to think that bicycling on public roads might not be a good place for either a bicycle or a rider with a personality such as my own.
That was the last time I rode on the street. It's been about eight years now. We shall see how it goes with the recumbent. I'll keep my fingers crossed and try to keep my mouth shut.
P.S. The last time I commented on a statement that was a part of a post but not the main subject of said post, I received a rude comment via email from what I guess is one of the site’s administrators. He thought that I didn’t quite understand the flavor of the thread. I don’t have a problem with comments from other bloggers that may strongly disagree with my sentiments. I love to dish it out and can take it with the best of them. I do however have a problem with a site administrator (for lack of his or her proper position or title) leaving a rude message meant only for me
without a signature. Anyone can make ridiculous comments anonymously. The act requires no fortitude whatsoever.
I’ve seen many posts on this site that are nothing but advertisements for African investments or “Dr. Speedy’s Vitamins.” They don’t even pretend to have an interest in the subject matter. Yet these advertisements that have absolutely no place posting “replies” to a bicycle forum manage to make it past the “screeners”. So Mr. Administrator, if you think I'm a horses ass or worse, tell me so, in public, with your signature. Thank you for this forum.