A Peer Gynt' owner.

[deejayen]

Thanks, A.Twiddler. I'd seen the picture of yours, and hadn't realised you'd modified it by adding the bar-ends etc.

As you say, it can take a bit of practice and riding in all conditions to make a recumbent feel like second nature. Like Grldtnr, I'm not sure if the Peer Gynt is for me, but I'll give it a fair shot.

 

[grldtnr]

Thanks, A.Twiddler. I'd seen the picture of yours, and hadn't realised you'd modified it by adding the bar-ends etc.

As you say, it can take a bit of practice and riding in all conditions to make a recumbent feel like second nature. Like Grldtnr, I'm not sure if the Peer Gynt is for me, but I'll give it a fair shot.

Funny how that goes, some 'bents you can jump on and just go, others you wobble all over.
I suppose there are many variables to this, and you just have to learn to ride each one.
Just sitting on the Gynt feels like you are on a tightrope, definitely a case of pushing back into the seat and riding off against the front brake.
I don't think it helps that most of my 'brnt riding have been trikes I've owned, even test riders, but I have done a few 2 wheelers.
There used because dealer over in the Netherlands that allowed you to ride as many 'bents as you had time to , but :bent riding is now very polarised over which designs are ridden for touring , and for race, the current fad seems to be for EPAC trikes, and the retirement of several Dutch builders lessen this choice.
So you are left with deminishing returns on the used market in the UK, which never been that popular.

I guess it's down to self builds now which is one of the benefits of the BHPC Club and it's meets.

 

[a.twiddler]

It doesn't help that getting on a strange new-to-you 2 wheeler tends to make you tense up when what you need, particularly with USS, is gentle fingertip control rather than a death grip on the bars. That, and learning to relax back into the seat and keeping those pedals turning even when your instinct is to put a foot down in a turn are hard things to master when your feet are up and a long way off the floor compared with a conventional bike. It takes a while to retune your reactions from a 2 wheeler, let alone a trike.

I found that riding regularly was what made it work for me. At first I was full of trepidation before each ride, but I had regular circuits and routes which I'd ridden on my upright bike so they were familiar, and eventually as I went further afield they became less problematical. Starting at busy junctions, especially uphill, was more of a psychological obstacle and once I'd put my mind to it I just did it. After not very many rides I was finding that things just came naturally, and finding other challenges to conquer a bit at a time just happened. I just found the bike would follow my gaze, and only tight turns and narrow gaps needed more concentration.

 

[deejayen]

Yes, I read something recently where someone learning on a similar bike said they were 'trying to push the bike over'. You ideally need to be relaxed and not over-think things - the long wheelbase actually makes it really stable, so on flat ground it doesn't need to be held tight on the brakes or need a massive push on the pedal to get going.