On Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:03:47 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Some people are better of with platform pedals for their kind of riding.
I think you one of them.

Not if I'm actually riding. I can't pedal with any effort without toe
clips, and cleats make a noticeable improvement over that.

The platform pedals are on a wheelchair/walker. I can't climb a hill
on that bike, but the step-through notch is deep enough that I can
hold the bars straight in front of me when pushing it, so it makes a
good rolling cane.

The whole point of the Trek Pure is that it's easy to get on and off,
so platform pedals make a lot of sense. (I rode it barefoot once.)
The fellow who first called my attention to "comfort bikes"
demonstrated that one could mount it by walking up from the back, but
his legs are longer than mine, not to mention that I added a rack, and
if I'm using the bike, there will be a basket hanging from it.
(Besides, I'm usually wearing an ankle-length skirt when I ride it. I
stand over the step-through, pull my skirt up in the back, then sit
down, trapping the skirt pulled up to my knees. Since the bike is
semi-recumbent, it is necessary to wear trousers under the skirt.)

I chose a detachable basket, thinking that I could take it into a
store, fill it up, and hang it on the bike. But bag boys haven't a
clue as to how to pack a bike basket.

The only place that lets you pack your own bags is two miles from
here, and the route crosses 30 at an intersection that gets mentioned
on the front page of the newspaper. I'd venture to cross Winona on
the Trek, since one can get off and walk, but crossing 30 on Parker is
a suspenseful sprint when I'm riding my real bike, and pedestrians
need not apply.

Not to mention that if I go to Aldi, I want more stuff than will fit
into that little basket.

I should dust off the Trek and use it to let my rotator cuff practice
driving. But that would mean riding in circles, since every way out
of here is up.

Riding the semi-recumbent makes me see that people who think bikes
don't belong on streets aren't crazy, they have just never ridden a
real bike. I can't, for example, go through a light-controlled
intersection without getting off and using the crosswalk, because I
can't stand on the pedals for a prompt start. And two miles is a very
long trip.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/