What "interesting" HPVs have you seen on your travels?

[wafter]

Cheers guys - I love all this weird and wonderful stuff and only wish our roads were more tolerant to its use.

Just today, I saw an older lady on an upright trike that had a kind of small cargo flatbed over the rear axle, behind her seat, like a tiny pick up truck. It had a perspex box that was packed with knitting gear, balls and balls of wool and big needles and other knitting paraphernalia. I wish I'd have asked for a picture but I'll look out for her again.

She struggled at a narrow gate and she vocally cursed her inability to balance on two wheels, but I said that I think the gain of cargo space should carry some weight!

Excellent - have seen a few of these doing the rounds in Oxford too (together with countless kid-laden cargo bikes); although I think they lack the knitting content - she sounds like a determined individual!

I was once taking a break after an extremely hard climb over the summit of Fleet Moss above Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales and I was looking down to the south when I saw some strange shaped objects on the road in the distance. They came quickly up the hill towards me and I soon discovered that it was a group of very fit-looking disabled men on hand-cranked recumbent trikes. Very impressive to see them in action!

Fair play; they must have some upper body strength to get any viable performance out of such a vehicle using just their arms. I reckon with my matchstick arms I'd be lucky to make it half a mile on the flat before I was shafted. I bet steering can be "fun" too..

I've sometimes wondered if there was a way we could better-use all our muscle groups rather than the "waist-down" format of normal bikes (and the associated imbalance in muscle development). Sadly I'm not clever enough to come up with anything viable..

I use a Brox Quad, bought in Irlam. Booked on the train for one stop, where the plan was to ride it home from there.

Got clear lanes whilst riding through Manchester city centre.

Had a go on a Peer Gynt LWB recumbent on Otley Chevin.

Nice - I had to google both of those

The Quad looks like a great option for sustainable, pollution-free city transport. I don't think it was the same make but when I was in the Netherlands last year I noticed DHL were using electrically-assisted recumbent quads for deliveries within Utrecht. With the sun shining I couldn't think of a better job tbh... man, I'd love to live in that fantastic city... the cycling infrastructure is absolutely incredible!

A few years ago I encountered someone doing the Three Pistes Challenge on an Elliptigo. Damnest thing I've ever seen. He was quick, too. I have no idea how he got it over the Lecht, but somehow he did.

Crikey - sod that! I did have a quick look on youtube and it seems that short distances with elevation are the thing with these bikes.. figures I guess as you're never going to maintain much speed with such an upright stance.

I used to ride an ICE Trike and was surprised how safe it was. Other traffic treat you as though you was something like a Smart car. My biggest problem was always going down long hills and the car in front wanted to slow down so the back seat passangers could oggle at you out of the rear window.

A velomobile would have no problem on the road I would expect. But I think you may need ear defenders to ride one.

Was that in the UK though? I love the idea but personally think their reduced visibility and view of the road resulting from their low height, plus their additional width and terrible provision of proper cycling infrastruture in Britain has to be a recipe for disaster. I'd love a 'bent of some description but sadly don't have the balls to do so on the roads around here. Probably a good thing personally as I'd struggle to both afford and store one in any case..

 

[ColinJ]

Fair play; they must have some upper body strength to get any viable performance out of such a vehicle using just their arms. I reckon with my matchstick arms I'd be lucky to make it half a mile on the flat before I was shafted. I bet steering can be "fun" too..

Yes - that was what I meant by 'fit-looking'. Their arms were probably as powerful as my legs!

I've sometimes wondered if there was a way we could better-use all our muscle groups rather than the "waist-down" format of normal bikes (and the associated imbalance in muscle development). Sadly I'm not clever enough to come up with anything viable..

Climb steep hills on your bike in a much higher gear than you are comfortable with!

I have a singlespeed bike with a 52/19 gear. I can just about get up 300 metres at 10% gradient on that and in doing so I have to pull really hard on the handlebar to allow me to force the cranks round. My arms get as tired as my legs on the steeper slopes.

 

[HLaB]

Human powered vehicle

When I first saw the title I thought High Performance Vehicles

 

[further]

Human powered vehicle

Thanks

 

[palinurus]

In the past couple of weeks I've seen a racing trike, some form of tandem with a recumbent front rider and a standard upright rear rider (both adults)

Hase Pino? (tried one out ages ago with Ms. P once at a Company of Cyclists roadshow. Ms. P was steering, she allowed it lean over a bit too far when stopping and dropped the thing on its side)

 

[smokeysmoo]

I soon discovered that it was a group of very fit-looking disabled men on hand-cranked recumbent trikes. Very impressive to see them in action!

I remember marshalling on Ironman UK a few years ago and seeing a guy with no legs using a handcranked machine.

When I saw him he was doing the marathon part, then you consider he'd already done the 112 mile bike ride on the same machine, not to mention the swim to start with as well

To say I was in awe is an understatement

 

[classic33]

Had a go on/in one of these in Dublin a few years ago.

 

[byegad]

I went totally recumbent in 2008. I owned an Azub-4 recumbent bike from 2005 and an ICE QNT from 2007, and swapping between them and my upright bikes always highlighted how little room uprights get on the road and how much extra room and consideration you get on a recumbent, especially a recumbent trike.

A minor balance issue and some medical advice saw me sell all of my two wheelers in 2008, funding a Hase Kettweisel, and I later bought a CatrikeTrail. with the QNT ageing I sold it in 2016.

My experience of using the trikes is almost 100% positive on the road, but much less than that using off road sections of the Sustrans network, some parts of which are inaccessible unless you can lift the trike over a fence or barrier. The riding surface can be literally impassible on three wheels too. I stick to the roads in order to avoid the farcical facilities offered off road.

The 'too low' argument is, in my experience a fallacy. The sheer novelty of recumbents makes 99.99% of motorists take more care around you, you are not 'too low to see' after all they paint lines on the road. I use flag on my Trail, seat height 8" in order that I show up in traffic, to the vehicle driving behind the vehicle behind me. At 18" from the floor on the Kett' I can look down into sports cars cockpits, and nobody argues that a Ferrari is to low to be seen.

Considerate motorists are the norm too. I often get waved out at junctions by drivers keen to help me on my way. Not something I've ever had happen to me on an upright.

Would I be riding recumbents without the 'medical advice'? Yes!

Would I still own and use an upright too? Probably, and I'd probably use it to go to the local shop, where, it wouldn't attract the attention that a parked recumbent routinely gets.

 

[steveindenmark]

Cheers guys - I love all this weird and wonderful stuff and only wish our roads were more tolerant to its use.


Excellent - have seen a few of these doing the rounds in Oxford too (together with countless kid-laden cargo bikes); although I think they lack the knitting content - she sounds like a determined individual!


Fair play; they must have some upper body strength to get any viable performance out of such a vehicle using just their arms. I reckon with my matchstick arms I'd be lucky to make it half a mile on the flat before I was shafted. I bet steering can be "fun" too..

I've sometimes wondered if there was a way we could better-use all our muscle groups rather than the "waist-down" format of normal bikes (and the associated imbalance in muscle development). Sadly I'm not clever enough to come up with anything viable..


Nice - I had to google both of those

The Quad looks like a great option for sustainable, pollution-free city transport. I don't think it was the same make but when I was in the Netherlands last year I noticed DHL were using electrically-assisted recumbent quads for deliveries within Utrecht. With the sun shining I couldn't think of a better job tbh... man, I'd love to live in that fantastic city... the cycling infrastructure is absolutely incredible!


Crikey - sod that! I did have a quick look on youtube and it seems that short distances with elevation are the thing with these bikes.. figures I guess as you're never going to maintain much speed with such an upright stance.


Was that in the UK though? I love the idea but personally think their reduced visibility and view of the road resulting from their low height, plus their additional width and terrible provision of proper cycling infrastruture in Britain has to be a recipe for disaster. I'd love a 'bent of some description but sadly don't have the balls to do so on the roads around here. Probably a good thing personally as I'd struggle to both afford and store one in any case..

Yes I have ridden it in the UK and it was not a problem at all. Nobody hassled me. You are not considered to be a "Cyclist" when you ride a recumbent trike. Maybe your looked on as an accentric. There is no problem with vision on a trike as long as you leave a gap in front of you. You need to find one and have a go.

 

[Edwardoka]

We can't mention HPVs without including the inestimable @Scoosh and his wonder-sofa. I'm sure it broke the speed record on the Boguillie on Arran.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I’m exclusively recumbent for long distance now. My old audax road bike is now converted to my gravel / messing around on the odd off road track bike. My Brompton is my commuting / shopping and often riding with my wife bike.

 

[Banjo]

You cant mentIon Eliptigo without mentioning Idai Makaya . He has done some incredible endurance rides on them.
https://www.elliptigo.com/rider-month-idai-makaya-breaks-elliptigo-world-record/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1_IQ6q3jHs

 

[oldwheels]

I was once taking a break after an extremely hard climb over the summit of Fleet Moss above Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales and I was looking down to the south when I saw some strange shaped objects on the road in the distance. They came quickly up the hill towards me and I soon discovered that it was a group of very fit-looking disabled men on hand-cranked recumbent trikes. Very impressive to see them in action!

I passed one in my van once at the top of the hill out of Cromarty heading towards Rosemarkie. I have cycled up on two wheels but would not like to try it ( yet ) on a trike as it just seems to keep going up forever.

 

[Alberto Balsam]

There's a chap near me who I assume either has no legs or hasn't the use of them, on what looks like the bottom of one of those 4 wheeled invalid carriages propelling it with a pair of walking poles (or ski sticks). He is fair shifting too!
The first time I saw him he crossed a T junction ahead of me and I assumed he was maybe an injured ex forces chap doing something for charity, but I've seen him a few times now so I assume he's a local out for exercise.

 

[Bazzer]

They are pretty easy uphill, you can put a lot of power in stood up and the rest is gearing. They have completed LEL, PBP, Mille Cymru. Also complete lejog and and lejogle former in just under 6 days and and latter 11 days something.

IIRC there was an article in Cycling + a few years back of the writer's physical torment on some demanding Welsh sportive which included the devil's staircase and being passed by a smiling eliptigo rider.
I did once see a tandem with a recumbent front when out with Mrs B. Her last experience on a tandem some years earlier in France with me, resulted in her having very sore nether regions for a couple of days and I thought my suggestion of a recumbent front would; a) get her out on a bike with me, and b) save the sore nether regions.
It quickly became apparent our thought processes were not synchronous.