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Recumbent bikes, and trikes, in the Netherlands?



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 9th 10, 10:12 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
[email protected][_2_]
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Posts: 214
Default Recumbent bikes, and trikes, in the Netherlands?

Hello,

Years ago when I went to Amsterdam, I was blown away by the large
number of cyclists. I wasn't a recumbent cyclist then, so I didn't
look for any recumbent cyclists.

Now, I'm a recumbent cyclist myself, so I'm curious about the
popularity of recumbent bi( or tri )kes in the Netherlands
(specifically Amsterdam?

Thanks,
Cullen Carter
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  #2  
Old March 10th 10, 11:11 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Peter Clinch
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Posts: 4,852
Default Recumbent bikes, and trikes, in the Netherlands?

wrote:

Years ago when I went to Amsterdam, I was blown away by the large
number of cyclists. I wasn't a recumbent cyclist then, so I didn't
look for any recumbent cyclists.

Now, I'm a recumbent cyclist myself, so I'm curious about the
popularity of recumbent bi( or tri )kes in the Netherlands
(specifically Amsterdam?


They're a lot more common over there than in the UK. On a typical
day's ride there I've usually seen one or two others.

So that's one or two more than is likley in the UK, but several
hundred to several thousand (in Amsterdam) fewer than normal
uprights you'd see. The 'bents are rare enough that the pilots
usually give each other a "Hoi!" and a wave, which you wouldn't do
with other general cyclists: too many!

'Bents do have considerable disadvantages over a typical Dutch
roadster in a place like Amsterdam. Notably, they won't fit in so
well with high density cycle parking, and usually being without
enclosed brakes, gears and chain they'll suffer a bit more parked
out in the street through the winter. For folk that park them in
their hosues, they're relatively unwieldy to move by hand.

But you will see them about. Particularly around
http://www.ligfietswinkel.nl/ which is a good shop to try them out
from.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
  #3  
Old March 17th 10, 09:49 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
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Posts: 214
Default Recumbent bikes, and trikes, in the Netherlands?

Recumbents are a pretty rare sight in the U.K.?

U.S. recumbent cyclists are similar to the Dutch. They seem to be
good-natured and friendly to eachother. It's like we're a part of some
secret club.

I understand the difficulty of riding recumbent in a city that has
designed for the upright. I be a lot of that is changing?

Do you see a trend towards recumbents?

Cullen

On Mar 10, 5:11*am, Peter Clinch wrote:
wrote:
Years ago when I went to Amsterdam, I was blown away by the large
number of cyclists. I wasn't a recumbent cyclist then, so I didn't
look for any recumbent cyclists.


Now, I'm a recumbent cyclist myself, so I'm curious about the
popularity of recumbent bi( or tri )kes in theNetherlands
(specifically Amsterdam?


They're a lot more common over there than in the UK. *On a typical
day's ride there I've usually seen one or two others.

So that's one or two more than is likley in the UK, but several
hundred to several thousand (in Amsterdam) fewer than normal
uprights you'd see. *The 'bents are rare enough that the pilots
usually give each other a "Hoi!" and a wave, which you wouldn't do
with other general cyclists: too many!

'Bents do have considerable disadvantages over a typical Dutch
roadster in a place like Amsterdam. *Notably, they won't fit in so
well with high density cycle parking, and usually being without
enclosed brakes, gears and chain they'll suffer a bit more parked
out in the street through the winter. *For folk that park them in
their hosues, they're relatively unwieldy to move by hand.

But you will see them about. *Particularly aroundhttp://www.ligfietswinkel.nl/which is a good shop to try them out
from.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch * * * * * * * * * *Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 * Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 * * * * * * *Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net * *http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/


  #4  
Old March 18th 10, 12:27 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Mike Causer[_3_]
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Posts: 188
Default Recumbent bikes, and trikes, in the Netherlands?

On Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:49:29 -0700 (PDT)
" wrote:

Recumbents are a pretty rare sight in the U.K.?


Yes. Except for planned meetings or organised rides, I could count
them each year without taking my shoes off. Yesterday as I locked mine
up at the supermarket a guy with an American accent [1] asked about it,
saying he'd never seen one before. He did have a bike but had never
seen clipless pedals either, so I suppose that makes him typical
quasi-cycling public.


U.S. recumbent cyclists are similar to the Dutch. They seem to be
good-natured and friendly to eachother. It's like we're a part of some
secret club.


Yup, always wave; sometimes stop for a chat.


I understand the difficulty of riding recumbent in a city that has
designed for the upright. I be a lot of that is changing?


Not that I can see right here. And Amsterdam won't change from that
aspect either. The streets are not designed to be bike friendly, more
tram friendly if anything, it's just that bikes are so numerous they
overwhelm almost everything else. Other places that had to be more
extensively rebuilt 60 years ago, such as Rotterdam, have a lot more
bike provision.



[1] Two large USAF bases nearby.



Mike
--
Mike Causer
  #5  
Old March 18th 10, 01:25 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
Peter Clinch
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Posts: 4,852
Default Recumbent bikes, and trikes, in the Netherlands?

wrote:
Recumbents are a pretty rare sight in the U.K.?

U.S. recumbent cyclists are similar to the Dutch. They seem to be
good-natured and friendly to eachother. It's like we're a part of some
secret club.


It seems the way with anything relatively unusual. So 2CV drivers will
flash headlamps at one another, and so on.

I understand the difficulty of riding recumbent in a city that has
designed for the upright. I be a lot of that is changing?


I'd agree with Mike that few places are particularly designed with any
particular configuration in mind. In the UK I'd say it's the case that
a lot of so-called "facilities" are designed not so much with anything
in mind as outright ignorance that any bikes are longer or wider than
any others: huge tracts of "specially designed" cycle track are
completely inaccessible to a hand-cyclist on a trike who can't walk
around a barrier, for example.

Riding my 'bent (an HP Vel Streetmachine touring bike with my head at
about the same level as driving our car) in urban traffic isn't as easy
as my Brompton, but then again riding a 700c upright racer in traffic
wouldn't be as easy as my Brompton either. I'd also say it's certain
design aspects of the particular machine rather than it being a 'bent,
so the USS has (relatively) limited lock for very fine low and zero
speed manoeuvring, the seat is well laid back for weight distribution
over a day rather than relatively upright for ease of looking around, it
weighs a lot because it's built not to fail in the middle of nowhere
with heavy luggage on, and so on. So it's not special in cities, but
something like an HP Vel Spirit would be a much better machine there.
Much better than our notional 700c upright racer IMHO.

Do you see a trend towards recumbents?


No, not really. There are a lot more about than there used to be but
I'd not call that a trend because there used to be practically none and
now there are a very few. I think you'd need a critical mass of around
maybe 0.5% for a real upswing, and I can't see that happening. They're
too expensive and too misunderstood to get a critical mass, and they'll
continue to be misunderstood if people don't have the chance to ride
them and as long as there's no mass market they'll stay expensive.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 




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