When I wrote recently about the self-effacing quality of some recumbent bikes (“‘Bent on Self-Destruction?“) I did so from the lofty perspective afforded by the highish seat on my diamond-frame Long Haul Trucker. In other words, my viewpoint was that of an external observer—a spectator, if you will. I’ve never pedaled a ‘bent. But Pat McKay has. In fact, he owns both a ‘bent and an LHT, and he puts a lot of miles on each one. And that’s why I was delighted to receive the following letter from him, which he graciously allowed me to reprint here. It gives Outside readers an insider’s understanding of both the highs and lows of ‘bent riding. Thanks, Pat!

Hi, Tamia!

Another interesting post. Like you I tend to wear bright colored jerseys when I ride. (The VeloWear LAB jersey that I recently purchased is quite noticeable). Like you I ride a Surly LHT, but I also ride a Barcroft Dakota-S SWB [short-wheelbase] recumbent. The past two years I’ve averaged 10,000 miles a year riding my various bikes, with the lion’s share of the miles just about evenly split between the LHT and the Dakota. Let me share some observations from riding my recumbent.

First, while it is true that the Dakota sits lower to the ground than the LHT, it has been my experience that drivers appear to see me much earlier on the recumbent than when I’m riding my diamond frame bikes. I base this observation upon the simple fact that approaching drivers tend to move over to the left much sooner (and further) when I’m riding the Dakota than when I’m on the LHT. It may simply be due to the fact that the wider seat on the recumbent gives the bike the appearance of a wider profile than the LHT, although my shoulders extend beyond the seat. It may also have something to do with the curiosity factor. There are a lot fewer ‘bents on the road than diamond frame bikes, so perhaps the apparent attentiveness of drivers is simply the result of their responding to a “what is that thing on the road” moment.

Second, I find that I must rely almost exclusively upon my mirror (I have one mounted on the bike and a Chuck Harris mirror mounted to my helmet) in order to see behind me when riding the ‘bent. It is just about physically impossible on a recumbent to turn around and look over your shoulder the way that you can when riding a diamond frame bike. And as important as it is for drivers to see me, I think that it is even more important for me to see approaching drivers. I could be lit up like a Christmas tree and wearing fluorescent clothing; but if the driver behind me is totally preoccupied playing with some electronic device, it may do me little good. I believe this to be a safety shortcoming in the recumbent design.

Third, another area of consideration when riding a recumbent is at intersections. Because your feet are in front of your head when riding a ‘bent, you cannot see approaching traffic quite as early as you can on a diamond frame bike. This shortcoming, however, has actually turned out to be a good thing because it effectively eliminates blowing through stop signs—not that I would do such a thing—at intersections, since you really cannot see approaching cars until the last minute. While I might be tempted to treat a stop sign as a yield sign when riding my LHT, no such temptation exists for me when I’m on the Dakota.

Now, of course, my experiences may be unique to me and the locations where I ride. While I have owned several different recumbents over the years—both LWB [long wheelbase] and SWB—none have been trikes or high/low racers. These designs tend to sit lower to the road than the touring recumbents that I have owned, and someone else would have to speak to any safety issues they have encountered when riding these ‘bents. I’ve noticed that when riding my recumbents—monster pickups and SUVs aside—I’m often at, or close to, the same height and position as a car driver.

I guess that I should also say something about the comfort issue. Most ‘bent riders will tell you that comfort was the principle reason why they started riding recumbents. In my case, however, this is not true. I find my LHT—properly set up and equipped with a Brooks saddle—to be just as comfortable as the Dakota. I was drawn to the recumbent design simply because I love all bicycles. One unexpected benefit of riding the recumbent was the ability to ride longer distances on “recovery days.” Riding a ‘bent uses a slightly different group of muscles than a diamond-frame bike. Not only has alternating the bikes that I ride made me a stronger cyclist, but it also allows my body to recover a bit while still spending time in the saddle.

Finally, a brief comment about neck strain on a recumbent; and again I cannot speak to riding recumbent trikes and high/low racers. When riding my Dakota touring ‘bent, it may give the appearance that I’m holding my neck up. But in actuality my neck muscles are not supporting the weight of my head at all. Imagine dropping your chin to your chest and then rotating your body to a nearly recumbent position. I routinely ride English and metric centuries on the recumbent, and the only tiredness that I feel at the end of the ride is in my legs.

I’ve included a picture of me riding my Barcroft ‘bent that my wife snapped several weeks ago while passing a field of sunflowers. It may help with the narrative above.

Take care,
Pat McKay

There you have it. A very well-traveled cyclist’s perspective on life on the road, as seen from seats both high and low. Thanks again, Pat—and thanks to Kitty for the accompanying photo!

 
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The folks at the Pentax Forums recently inaugurated the Exclusive Photo Gallery, where the best of forum members’ photos will be showcased. And I was delighted to see that the very first photo accepted into the Gallery was a shot of a bicycle. This wasn’t just any bicycle, either, but a real veteran. It turned 50 this year. The owner-photographer is Croatian Mario Brljak, and here’s the picture that launched the Gallery, showing his bike parked outside the Varaždin Sports Arena (click on the photo to open an enlargement in a new window):

Isn’t it a beauty? A classic fixed-gear, go-anywhere, do-anything machine, boasting a lugged steel frame, rod front brake, generator light, fenders and a rear rack. This bike has history, too. Here’s what Mario has to say about it:

This is a bike made in 1960. The year is engraved on the rear wheel axle. It was made in the Yugoslavian Fabrika Bicikala Partizan (Partizan Bicycle Factory), or FBP. Partisans liberated Yugoslavia from the Germans and Italians during and after World War II, so in a communist country, what other name could you expect? Of course, there’s no more communism in Croatia!

My father got the bike very cheap, for the price of two coffees, just to illustrate how inexpensive it was. The bike was in terrible shape with rust everywhere. Two years ago during my summer holidays I spent two weeks and the equivalent of USD100 to get new bearings, chain, tires, etc. My neighbor, who is a master mechanic, helped me restore it. It’s now painted in half matte black truck paint. The mudguards were chromed, as I discovered when I removed all the rust and dirt from the surface, but the chrome was nearly all gone and it was too expensive to get it chromed again so I painted the mudguards as well. Besides the chrome, everything else was in perfect condition—under the rust, dirt and grease, that is! Excellent workmanship on these bikes. Today’s bikes don’t last 10 years, and this one is over 50 years old.

What a story! It’s always wonderful to see an old bike brought back to life. Many thanks to Mario for letting us reprint this striking image. When he’s not studying medicine, he’s out and about, camera in hand, perfecting his photography. I’d say those efforts have paid off, wouldn’t you? Visit Mario’s Flickr gallery to see more of his work.

We love our bikes, right? And we never tire of looking at them. At least I don’t, and if I’m to judge from what others tell me, I’m not alone. So each Sunday I’ll publish a bike-related picture. Most of the time it will be a photo, but don’t be surprised if a few drawings and paintings get added to the mix from time to time. I might even include a sculpture or two. (OK. A photo of a sculpture.) Anything, in short, that evokes the world on two wheels. And don’t be shy. If you have a picture you’d like to share, just email it to me. I’ll do the rest.

 
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A tradução em português do artigo do Marcos está ao final do texto em inglês.

A group of Itati Poabikers celebrated a beautiful sunny Saturday over this last weekend by taking a 50-mile ride to Porto Alegre Feliz. The first 18 miles were covered on the metro train, where the cyclists were given special permission to ride despite the restrictions on boarding bikes before 9:30 a.m. For the first time in my life I missed the start of the group meet, and managed to reach them halfway down the road, about nine miles into the trip.

The city, which was settled by German immigrants in the Rio Grande do Sul, is fortunate in both its setting and its architecture, its half-timbered buildings boasting exposed beams and columns. The well-managed city and environs are very clean. One of the main events is the city’s Festival of Beer, but cycling and drinking do not mix. Nevertheless, we cyclists were wide-eyed over the home infusions which are provided to customers of the restaurant where we ate lunch.

Before returning to the capital, we enjoyed delicious bergamota (also known as tangerine in the north of Brazil) in the company of fellow cyclists. By late afternoon the group was back on the road, ending the tour early in the evening.

The total distance cycled was about 80 miles, and except for flat tires (use anti-puncture tape, young Americans!), there were no other incidents.

→ Porto Alegre Feliz Trip Photos

Grupo de ciclistas Poabikers apoiados pela Itati aproveitou o belo sábado ensolarado (mais ou menos…) para ir de Porto Alegre até Feliz, distante cerca de 84 km da capital.

A distância total pedalada foi cerca de 120 km e exceto pelos eventuais pneus furados (usem fita antifuro gurizada!), não houve nenhum outro incidente.

→ Fotos de Viagem Feliz Porto Alegre

 
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