I get the idea that there are far fewer bent and trike riders in Europe. Why is this?? It it a lack of bike trails, or maybe roads there tend to be more narrow. In a way I really dont understand this, because there are several good mfg of bents and trikes in Europe. Example---------probably the zenith of trikes is the Azub Ti-Fly.
Are there fewer bent and trike riders in Europe
- Thread starter rydabent
- Start date
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a.twiddler
Veteran
If you have a look at the German Velomobile forum (using Google translate} you'll get some idea of how things are in Germany and some surrounding nations. More dealers, certainly. Despite the name the forum caters for bikes, trikes and their electrified equivalents too. There is certainly more recumbent activity in Germany and the Netherlands than there is in the UK, for example. I suspect that recumbents are more popular in certain areas than others, depending on local terrain, nearby dealers or manufacturers and so on. Perhaps some countries never see a recumbent, while others with a manufacturing base are more likely to. The forum makes for an interesting read. Some recumbent names I'd never heard of.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Where do you get the idea from?
zoxed
Guru
- Location
- Darmstadt,Germany
Why do you think that ? From a lack of presence on English speaking forums? Or have you checked other languages forums ? Or they just ride and don't post on the Internet?
But I would love to see a bent miles per country stats but I guess noone is collecting them :-(
bobcolover
Guru
- Location
- south london
I always thought there was an issue historically with UCI whch had an impact on the French and Italian [and some other countries] framemakers. I only know of UK, Dutch, German and Azub as bent makers etc, apart from the American ones. . Maybe there are French and italian bent makers but I've never heard of them
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Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Surely that is prone rather than recumbent?
Back about 1934 the UCI declared that a recumbent bike was not a bike. They could not be entered in bike races. It pretty much shut down the mfg of bents until the 80s, when at least two companies started making them again. I have no doubt that back in the 30s the bike mfg of the time, paid off members of the UCI to declare bents were not bikes. The mfg knew that if a lot of people started riding them, they would have to install a lot of new fixtures to weld up bent frames. That would cost them a lot of money, and pay off the UCI was a cheaper route.
classic33
Leg End Member
What manufacturers welded their frames in between the dates you give?
To weld up a bike you have to have expensive fixtures to hold the tube in place while brazed or welded. Back in the 30s mfg didnt want to buy a whole new line of fixtures, so they bought off the UCI!!!
bobcolover
Guru
- Location
- south london
Do you mean what is called a
bobcolover
Guru
- Location
- south london
Do you mean what is called a jig?
Ian H
Ancient randonneur
Older frame builders mostly built by eye. They assembled the frames by pinning through the lugs before brazing. Frames were finally aligned by eye after being brazed. Only the large manufacturers had any kind of jig assembly.
Ian H
Ancient randonneur
A 'bent trike and an upright trike (barrow) are two different things. Upright trikes are a peculiarly British thing, though there did used to be a trike-only road-race in France. I don't think anyone is currently making trike axles, after the Trykit fellow retired, but there are loads of secondhand barrows for sale here and there.
