Recumbents in the gym

[sunnyjim]

Heh, can I join the multihull conversation?

We've got a Prout 34 cat for the same reason I have a trike - comfort, safety and more suitable for someone with a disability. Like the trike it takes more room to store and has perhaps a slightly larger turning circle than a mono, but it's wonderfully comfortable and fast in the right conditions (although nothing like an F27!)

I find so many similarities between the monohull/multihull arguments on boating forums and the upright/recumbent arguments on cycling forums. It's spooky!

Nice boats, Prouts. Definitely more comfortable below than an f27. OTOH, like bikes, there's a lot to be said for a folder, so I can keep it in the drive at home during the winter.


Now, does anyone else here monoski?

 

[Greenbank]

Yes, but a recumbent bike/trike is more comfortable still!

I'd hoped I'd worded my reply carefully enough to avoid this whole debate, given that it was talking about recumbent gym machines. But, since you asked, my problem with recumbent bikes/trikes is that I simply don't like them; by which I mean:

* the riding position (too low for my personal preference)
* the pedaling motion
* the steering setup (and I've tried OSS and USS) and general "feel" of the ride
* the look of them
* the non-standard nature of parts (every bike shop will stock 700c wheels/tyres/tubes and much easier to blag spares from passing cyclists)
* the weight (or the expense of an sub-9kg recumbent)
* transport problems (I often take my bike on the train, this can be a problem with trikes or LWB recumbents)
* I predominantly ride fixed

And it's also sold as a solution to a problem I don't experience; my upright is perfectly comfortable; even for the long distance riding I do.

For me these negatives do not outweigh the benefits of being "even more" comfortable, increased aerodynamics, lower CoG and increased stability for faster descending speeds, etc.

It was also with some irony that one recumbent rider withdrew from LEL because of chafing caused by water/sweat pooling in his bucket seat. (Drain holes would have prevented this, but then normal upright saddles don't need drain holes.)

 

[Arch]

Um, I don't think I asked what your problem with recumbents was, did I?

Each to their own, I like them, the only reason I don't ride my trike more is a storage problem that means I have to keep it across town*. My uprights serve me perfectly well enough, although I get a sore bum and aching shoulders after more than 50 miles, which I don't get in the trike. I'm not pro or anti either type - it's all cycling! To me, to be 'against' any sort of bike is just daft. If you don't want one, don't have one. I don't care about having a fixie, but I can see why some do, I just choose not to.

I will say though:

the non-standard nature of parts (every bike shop will stock 700c wheels/tyres/tubes and much easier to blag spares from passing cyclists)

My trike has a 26" wheel and two 20", neither of which is very odd. And all the components and nuts and bolts are standard - it's just the frame that's odd.


*I've got a chance to get a new trike as a good price, which would be light enough to carry up to the flat, so that may change. I'll have to sit in it to watch telly though!

 

[sunnyjim]

//..


*I've got a chance to get a new trike as a good price, which would be light enough to carry up to the flat, so that may change. I'll have to sit in it to watch telly though!

A trike's excellent for watching telly - or just sitting with a small refreshment to hand listening to the wireless. If the front room was big enough I'd replace all the chairs with trikes..

 

[Greenbank]

Um, I don't think I asked what your problem with recumbents was, did I?

Sorry, grumpy day yesterday. You should note that I'm not anti-recumbent either, they're just not for me for the personal reasons I listed. It just seems that every time saddle comfort is mentioned then recumbents always get mentioned as if that's the only solution to the problem, whether or not the "problem" exists in the first place.

Going back to the original question, if you fitted a less hideous and less overly padded saddle to the upright exercise bikes then I'd bet they'd get used more than they do currently.

 

[byegad]

The point we 'bet riders make is that there is no need to 'get used to' our seats. You can get used to banging your head on the wall, but not doing so is better.

Nothing wrong with upright bikes but for distance and time on the bike a recumbent seat takes a lot of beating.

 

[just4fun]

A trike's excellent for watching telly -

thats why they are more popular in the gym.

 

[Young Un]

Now, does anyone else here monoski?

Yes

 

[sunnyjim]

Yes

Thought there'd be at least one.