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Recent recumbent experiences and related
Howdy folks!
Boy, things sure do seem rather negatively spirited in this newsgroup of late. I hope that this is a cyclical thing and it goes away on its own. It makes an environment where people get turned off and don't want to post. At any rate, I just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays! No matter how bad things get, life is still good and is the neatest game in town. We had a saying growing up that life is like playing a game of cards, and that you've only got two rules that are non-negotiable. One, you can't fold. Two, you must play the hand you're dealt. We may get a crappy hand now and again, but for me anyway, I'm just as happy to still be at the table and in the game! Some recumbent thoughts I'd like to pass along: Yesterday, my youngest daughter (10) accompanied me to the bikeshop where I bought my Tour Easy SS XL and my wifes EZ-1 Lite. While I was buying some things, she got the chance to ride a bunch of different recumbents. Did I think she'd enjoy them? Sure. Did I think she would become passionately hooked on them like her old man? No, but that is what happened! I literally had to pull her off the bikes (after 3 hours of solid riding with no letup in sight) so we could go home. (The bikeshop is almost 200 miles from our home, so we had travel and traffic to face on the way home.) At any rate, she rode an Evox 140, a Wizwheelz Terratrike 3.4, and an EZ-1 Lite. She liked the look of the Evox 140 but didn't care much for the seat. She loved the trike and the EZ-1 Lite. She ended up riding the EZ-1 Lite more than anything else. We're thinking of getting her an EZ-1 for Christmas. She said that she was more comfortable on it than on the trike. The missus and I are considering it but want to make sure that this is a bike that she can really "grow" with, as she is already as tall as my 15 yr old daughter and is still growing! (While mom is short, dad is 6'7" and has 4 other brothers, none who are under 6'4" and one who is 7'.) So, I just wanted to share that there is a real chance that the 'bent ranks will quite possibly gain another trooper this Christmas, a young one with a real zeal and passion for 'benting. I'd also like to pass along some updates about my heavier friend, the one who had never ridden a bike and is committed to learning to ride and losing weight. I took him to the bikeshop a few weeks back and the guys at the shop put him on uprights and rollers to get him a "feel" for pedaling. They also put him on a recumbent in rollers for the same thing. He tried several trikes and really did well with the EZ-3 AL. The good news? He did actually ride a recumbent! He rode about 100 yds, but that is a start. He has already said that his bike purchase will be a recumbent, because it is much more comfortable for him. I thought it would be, but not for the reasons he mentioned. I was thinking about his back and whatnot... It turns out that the upright position hunches him over to the point that he does not breathe as freely as when he is in the recumbent position and leaning back. I hadn't thought about that, but that is a plus for the recumbents, I'd reckon. He did not go home with a recumbent, but plans to get one in February or March of 2004. Once again, thanks to everyone on here who had wonderful suggestions. You'll be happy to know that almost every one of them were deployed in getting my friend to the point where he could actually ride for a bit! Another update for you, and this one is about my wife. She's the lady who is blind in her left eye. We've still not had any real solutions. I bought quite a few mirrors and tried to see if when we mount them on her glasses or helmet, if she could use her right eye to see the mirror on the left. All the mirrors do not extend far enough out to where she could use her right eye to see things on the left with a mirror mounted on the left. We tried mounting them on the right and just having her turn her head a bit to the right to see things behind and to the left, but that hasn't been very successful either. Either she has to turn her head a good deal to make it work (which makes her nervous) or she still can't see things on her left, especially close to her left. I'm not giving up finding a solution for her; I know there has got to be a simple and intuitive fix. Some lighting comments! I've been using a Cateye EL-300 as my headlight and a Vistalite vertical blinker on the rear of my Tour Easy and I've been very pleased with the amount of light the EL-300 throws out. I have it mounted behind my fairing and it shines through the fairing with no issues. A nice and unintended feature is that it reflects a small portion of light down, lighting up the fairing somewhat which illuminates my bike computer nicely! There is no reflected light directed backward and the EL-300 is amazingly powerful for it's size. I liked it so much that I bought another and now use two for headlights. I also have two Vistalite vertical blinkers on the back now. In addition to the two EL-300s up front, I also have a Cateye EL-400 mounted underneath on the stem and set it to blinking mode when I ride. The end result is that I've got plenty of light to extend my riding from dusk to into the night. I don't ride on the roads much, mostly in my large development. I am amazed at how much light these LEDs produce. I reckon that's about it for now. Again, happy holidays to everyone! -- "Sea" ya! --Lars S. Mulford "You can find evil anywhere you look. The question is, why are you looking?" |
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#2
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Recent recumbent experiences and related
"Lars S. Mulford" wrote: Howdy folks! Boy, things sure do seem rather negatively spirited in this newsgroup of late. I hope that this is a cyclical thing and it goes away on its own. It makes an environment where people get turned off and don't want to post. At any rate, I just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays! No matter how bad things get, life is still good and is the neatest game in town. We had a saying growing up that life is like playing a game of cards, and that you've only got two rules that are non-negotiable. One, you can't fold. Two, you must play the hand you're dealt. We may get a crappy hand now and again, but for me anyway, I'm just as happy to still be at the table and in the game!... Yes, but the game is rigged. Tom Sherman - Curmudgeon |
#3
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Recent recumbent experiences and related
Howdy Tom:
The game isn't rigged, you just need to pay closer attention. Scoot your chair up closer to the table! -- "Sea" ya! --Lars S. Mulford "You can find evil anywhere you look. The question is, why are you looking?" "Tom Sherman" wrote in message ... Yes, but the game is rigged. Tom Sherman - Curmudgeon |
#4
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Recent recumbent experiences and related
"Lars S. Mulford" wrote in message .. .
Howdy Tom: The game isn't rigged, you just need to pay closer attention. Scoot your chair up closer to the table! -- "Sea" ya! --Lars S. Mulford "You can find evil anywhere you look. The question is, why are you looking?" "Tom Sherman" wrote in message ... Yes, but the game is rigged. Tom Sherman - Curmudgeon ================================================== ============================= Hi Lars, You might want to check out the rear vision helmet that is on the market. site: reevu.com (lots of pull down menus) I bought one from England last year and still find it works better than all of the rear view mirrors i've tried to use on my Vision uss bike. Tom H visions r40 and r50 uss ******************************************** ps this is the English distributor I ordered from, easy to work with. www.kinetics-online.co.uk NEW ADDRESS: 54 Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1AE tel/fax: +44 (0)141 942 2552 |
#5
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Recent recumbent experiences and related
Lars S. Mulford wrote:
Howdy folks! Boy, things sure do seem rather negatively spirited in this newsgroup of late. I hope that this is a cyclical thing and it goes away on its own. It makes an environment where people get turned off and don't want to post. At any rate, I just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays! No matter how bad things get, life is still good and is the neatest game in town. We had a saying growing up that life is like playing a game of cards, and that you've only got two rules that are non-negotiable. One, you can't fold. Two, you must play the hand you're dealt. We may get a crappy hand now and again, but for me anyway, I'm just as happy to still be at the table and in the game! Some recumbent thoughts I'd like to pass along: Yesterday, my youngest daughter (10) accompanied me to the bikeshop where I bought my Tour Easy SS XL and my wifes EZ-1 Lite. While I was buying some things, she got the chance to ride a bunch of different recumbents. Did I think she'd enjoy them? Sure. Did I think she would become passionately hooked on them like her old man? No, but that is what happened! I literally had to pull her off the bikes (after 3 hours of solid riding with no letup in sight) so we could go home. (The bikeshop is almost 200 miles from our home, so we had travel and traffic to face on the way home.) At any rate, she rode an Evox 140, a Wizwheelz Terratrike 3.4, and an EZ-1 Lite. She liked the look of the Evox 140 but didn't care much for the seat. She loved the trike and the EZ-1 Lite. She ended up riding the EZ-1 Lite more than anything else. We're thinking of getting her an EZ-1 for Christmas. She said that she was more comfortable on it than on the trike. The missus and I are considering it but want to make sure that this is a bike that she can really "grow" with, as she is already as tall as my 15 yr old daughter and is still growing! (While mom is short, dad is 6'7" and has 4 other brothers, none who are under 6'4" and one who is 7'.) So, I just wanted to share that there is a real chance that the 'bent ranks will quite possibly gain another trooper this Christmas, a young one with a real zeal and passion for 'benting. I'd also like to pass along some updates about my heavier friend, the one who had never ridden a bike and is committed to learning to ride and losing weight. I took him to the bikeshop a few weeks back and the guys at the shop put him on uprights and rollers to get him a "feel" for pedaling. They also put him on a recumbent in rollers for the same thing. He tried several trikes and really did well with the EZ-3 AL. The good news? He did actually ride a recumbent! He rode about 100 yds, but that is a start. He has already said that his bike purchase will be a recumbent, because it is much more comfortable for him. I thought it would be, but not for the reasons he mentioned. I was thinking about his back and whatnot... It turns out that the upright position hunches him over to the point that he does not breathe as freely as when he is in the recumbent position and leaning back. I hadn't thought about that, but that is a plus for the recumbents, I'd reckon. He did not go home with a recumbent, but plans to get one in February or March of 2004. Once again, thanks to everyone on here who had wonderful suggestions. You'll be happy to know that almost every one of them were deployed in getting my friend to the point where he could actually ride for a bit! Another update for you, and this one is about my wife. She's the lady who is blind in her left eye. We've still not had any real solutions. I bought quite a few mirrors and tried to see if when we mount them on her glasses or helmet, if she could use her right eye to see the mirror on the left. All the mirrors do not extend far enough out to where she could use her right eye to see things on the left with a mirror mounted on the left. We tried mounting them on the right and just having her turn her head a bit to the right to see things behind and to the left, but that hasn't been very successful either. Either she has to turn her head a good deal to make it work (which makes her nervous) or she still can't see things on her left, especially close to her left. I'm not giving up finding a solution for her; I know there has got to be a simple and intuitive fix. Some lighting comments! I've been using a Cateye EL-300 as my headlight and a Vistalite vertical blinker on the rear of my Tour Easy and I've been very pleased with the amount of light the EL-300 throws out. I have it mounted behind my fairing and it shines through the fairing with no issues. A nice and unintended feature is that it reflects a small portion of light down, lighting up the fairing somewhat which illuminates my bike computer nicely! There is no reflected light directed backward and the EL-300 is amazingly powerful for it's size. I liked it so much that I bought another and now use two for headlights. I also have two Vistalite vertical blinkers on the back now. In addition to the two EL-300s up front, I also have a Cateye EL-400 mounted underneath on the stem and set it to blinking mode when I ride. The end result is that I've got plenty of light to extend my riding from dusk to into the night. I don't ride on the roads much, mostly in my large development. I am amazed at how much light these LEDs produce. I reckon that's about it for now. Again, happy holidays to everyone! -- "Sea" ya! --Lars S. Mulford "You can find evil anywhere you look. The question is, why are you looking?" Two headlights is a good idea any time as it gives other road users a better perspective of the range from their position to yours. -- |
#6
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Recent recumbent experiences and related
Tom Sherman wrote:
Yes, but the game is rigged. A college instructor used to tell us that the business world was like a game - it was easy enough to win but you had to learn the rules and then use them to your advantage. The ones that call that 'kissing up,' are the ones that never understood the rules. -- John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24 --- _\\/\-%) _________(_)`=()___________________(_)= (_)_____ |
#7
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[OT] Recent recumbent experiences and related
John Foltz wrote: Tom Sherman wrote: Yes, but the game is rigged. A college instructor used to tell us that the business world was like a game - it was easy enough to win but you had to learn the rules and then use them to your advantage. The ones that call that 'kissing up,' are the ones that never understood the rules. Exactly why it is immoral to run a government like a business. Tom Sherman - Planet Earth "There is enough in the world for everyone's need; there is not enough for everyone's greed." - Mohandas Gandhi |
#8
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Recent recumbent experiences and related
Howdy Dan:
I agree with you. I also enjoy the wider field of light. I've really been pleased with these EL-300s. -- "Sea" ya! --Lars S. Mulford "You can find evil anywhere you look. The question is, why are you looking?" "Dan Burkhart" wrote in message ... Two headlights is a good idea any time as it gives other road users a better perspective of the range from their position to yours. |
#9
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Recent recumbent experiences and related
Howdy Tom:
I've read a bit about them but admittedly didn't give them a ton of thought, as my concern would be that she'd have a great view of the immediate back of the bike. From what I see on the website, the view is better than I thought. I've been waiting to hear from other riders who have them so I can have some real time grit on just how well they work or don't. Do you get any distortion in the view? -- "Sea" ya! --Lars S. Mulford "You can find evil anywhere you look. The question is, why are you looking?" "tom" wrote in message om... Hi Lars, You might want to check out the rear vision helmet that is on the market. site: reevu.com (lots of pull down menus) I bought one from England last year and still find it works better than all of the rear view mirrors i've tried to use on my Vision uss bike. Tom H visions r40 and r50 uss ******************************************** ps this is the English distributor I ordered from, easy to work with. www.kinetics-online.co.uk NEW ADDRESS: 54 Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1AE tel/fax: +44 (0)141 942 2552 |
#10
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Recent recumbent experiences and related
Howdy John!
I had a college prof who said something similar, but added that if you quit playing established games and created your own, you'd be that much better. I remember at the time wondering if he meant that we should "invent" an entirely new type of game, or simply begin a new game of same to what was being played around us... I think he may have actually meant both. -- "Sea" ya! --Lars S. Mulford "You can find evil anywhere you look. The question is, why are you looking?" "John Foltz" wrote in message ... A college instructor used to tell us that the business world was like a game - it was easy enough to win but you had to learn the rules and then use them to your advantage. The ones that call that 'kissing up,' are the ones that never understood the rules. -- John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24 --- _\\/\-%) _________(_)`=()___________________(_)= (_)_____ |
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