Recumbent trikes

[Riding in Circles]

There is a new trike owner out there now, last seen late this afternoon riding out of Kent on the way to Watford on a silver Catrike Expedition, he is a member here so I will leave him to tell all.

 

[ufkacbln]

Impeccable taste!

 

[Auntie Helen]

Will you post a photo of your shiny new toy? And do you wear flags?

Congratulations on the new purchase. I've been reading the light discussions on Commuting - glad to hear you've got some on the Expedition, you can do an impression of a UFO...

 

[BentMikey]

Ooh, nice one Lee, I'm slightly jealous!!!

 

[Riding in Circles]

Hello all, finally got home last night at 2200hrs, coming out of Bluewater why I did not jumped on the A2 I will never know.

I ended up on the A206 heading towards Woolwich after a couple of wrong turns (don't ask ) I spent the best part of two hours riding in circles around South East London.

However I finally found the South Circular and then the A2 and it was all good. Had no trouble flying through the middle of London and over Westminister Bridge seeing The Houses of Parliament lit up and the Millenium Wheel was a sight.

Past Buckingham Palace round Hyde Park (not as bad as I thought it would be) then up Park Lane onto the A5, A41 then home.

The Expedition was way faster than I thought it would be, was quicker up hills then I thought and demonic going down them.

I ache only a little bit this morning in my legs and only a very slight ache in my left knee. Me thinks my first bent ride should not have been ~60 miles.

Over all I'm very pleased and later on this afternoon will put my computer and airhorn on, and go out for a gentle 5-10 miles. Then gradually build up the miles over the coming weeks/months. I also have some lights on the trike just don't tell them lot over on commuting

I was beginning to think you had decided to put a quick lejog in on the way home.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Welcome to the Dark Side, Lee. :-)

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Welcome to the Dark Side, Lee. :-)

Literally, unless he's bothered to get lights this time ....

 

[BentMikey]

No mobile phone camera?

 

[hackbike 6]

Rumbled.

 

[Riding in Circles]

I have some photos of the machine in question, I will post one tomorrow.

 

[dodgy]

I saw the following on a blog somewhere and now use it myself when confronted with the "you can't be seen on a recumbent trike" remark.

" When I'm on my trike I look like a wheelie bin that's been blown into the road - would you fail to see a wheelie bin and drive over it? Of course not!"

The only problem with that analogy is that wheelie bins don't generally ride along / keep up in traffic. It would be unrealistic to expect a car to overtake another car and expect to see a wheelie bin keeping up in the gap between the 2 cars.

Let's face it, motorists will think of any excuse to escape blame anyway.

 

[Arch]

No mobile phone camera?

Not everyone has one. I don't....

 

[ufkacbln]

Or (Mike Burrows?) they paint signs on the road that are only a few mm thick and you see them!


Unless they are yellow and in pairs - most drivers can't see them!

 

[byegad]

The not being seen thing is a non 'bent rider or non rider's comment. I use this;
'Which do you notice first in a queue of cars? The four year old Renault Scenic, or the Ferrari Dino? Which is lower and by how much?'

For me it's not an issue anymore, in the last nine months of totally 'bent riding and the two and a half year before that of DF and 'bent riding I've had one near miss on a 'bent and it wasn't THAT near. On a DF it would be more like one a month.

 

[xpc316e]

I think that it would be helpful if we trike users acknowledged that there are areas in which our low profile makes us particularly vulnerable. I have only had my trike for a short while, and was riding a two wheeled 'bent prior to that, but most of the time drivers notice me. I have been blissfully riding along, passing a parked van near a junction on my left, when a car driver has emerged from the junction without having any view of me whatsoever. It was not their fault at all, as I was completely obscured from their view for quite a time because of the parked van. Fortunately I was aware of the potential danger and had slowed accordingly - no actual danger was caused, but the potential was definitely there. All bikes need to be ridden in a defensive manner, and this is especially true of 'bent trikes. I agree that if you are in their field of vision, the unusual presence of a trike works well in attracting a driver's attention, but the very design of our vehicles can mean we are totally obscured at times. We ought to be mindful of that - it doesn't matter whose fault it is when you are being loaded into an ambulance (or even worse, a hearse).