Fredwina gets bent?

[Fredwina]

I'm spending my insurance settlement before I even I get it!
Any advice from the Kind Ladies and Gents here?
I've actually ridden a bent before when I was in Florida - I was
living in Tallahassee, and a bike shop there (Fool's Crow)
specialized in Recumbent.
I managed to get a hang of the Easy Racer and a Greenspeed without too
much hassle, but I can recall having a hard time with a Lowracer.
The other thing is when I was considerably younger , I tried to ride
my tricycle down a flight of stairs. This left me with impaired motor
ability. I ride a DF with a little wooble
And I've had a Bike Friday - so i'm not sure about 20 inch wheels
I've been thinking about selling my Mountain bike and getting rid of
Hybrid (break a spoke every time you ride it) )I was looking at this
http://www.ransbikes.com/ITR71.htm
http://www.ransbikes.com/images/ITR71/TwoBags.jpg

- not quite a hybird, or getting
a used one off ebay/craigslist
Anyways, I still need to heal up and get the filthy lucre in my hands,
but you can give me your two cents worth?
Fredwina

[Irulan]

Let's hope you get enough for more than one bike.

[Ninabike]

I know nothing about bents, but the ones I've seen have back supports. Looks like a nice bike though. Anything is good as long as it gets you back on a bike!! Take care.

[Ninabike]

Just looked at your link. It's not really a bent but looks like a great bike.

[Fredwina]

Yeah, it's more of quasi -bent. not sure if want to do the "full monty" yet:)

[Zen]

I sat on a bike like that. I found it odd and uncomfortable.
Have you tried one yet?

[Fredwina]

no - I need to heal more :o

[Blueberry]

So, this is in addition to your roadie, right??

Are you still planning to do brevets?

CA

[MomOnBike]

RANS has a good reputation among the 'bent crowd. I've been tempted by their Crank Forward bikes, but don't have an insurance settlement to spend. (That's OK, BTW)

Going strictly by what I've read, getting the angle of the seat right for you is vital to comfort. A little bit of trial and error is in order.

Also, be aware that you will be using the same muscles differently. It takes a while for a person to get strong on a bent.

I envy you. I think you'll enjoy the bike.

[Fredwina]

yes, it would be in addition to my roadie, and I'm still planning doing brevet main thing is going to be how much I heal up - I wind up with some permanent range of motion.
and yes, i was think about the Rans stratus - same basic configuration as the EasyRacer. also may say if I can find a used BikeE in good condition(more to play with)

[Fredwina]

No insurance settlement, but I put a deposit on a Bacchetta Giro 20 today:
http://www.bacchettabikes.com/images/bikes/giro20_lrg.jpg
I should pick it up an three weeks
and it already has a name (or two:):eek: Red Stick or Baton Rouge ("bacchetta" is Italian for stick, or at least the claim(where Biciclista when we need her?:confused:
I'm going to swap the seat out and use the pedals and computer from the Mountain bike I sold
Now which bike to Take to Pal springs and Solvang.....

[Tokie]

Wow! Looks fast and fun! My DH went 'bent for about 15 yrs while his back and neck got better. He rode a Lightning (you can visit Tim in Lompoc for a trial ride when you are up there for Solvang) but you'd need to call ahead, he's mostly M-Fri. His office/production warehouse are right off of the Lompoc rest stop on the Solvang Century (the first feed zone at the old packing house). If you are familiar with riding Figueroa Mountain...DH could do that on his Lightning (the steepest side too)! And descending was stable, crazy fun and fast. And you will zoom on the flats! Have fun! We saw lots and lots of Bachettas on the RAGBRAI - their owners loved them! Tokie

[evangundy]

You will like this one, Fredwina. I have a blue Giro 20 that is my commuter (when I bike commute). It is a great workhorse the way mine is set up; wider tires, big bag off the back of the seat, headlight mounted up front. I thought I had a picture but I don't - I'll have to do that and post it.

I like the Giro because with the smaller front wheel, you can actually put your foot down at a stop (not just a tipey-toe) without having to sit up completely.

You'll want to get yourself a mirror too - doesn't matter where you put it, helmet or glasses, but you can't just turn your head to see what's behind you - without a mirror you have to sit up and turn your head and body to look back. A mirror means you just turn your head so slightly, either left or right, and you can see everything back there.

If you have any bent related questions, I'll be happy to answer if I can. A very good resource is www.bentrideronline.com - the people on their message board/forums are very much like the people here on TE. Once you post and say hi and ask your first question or make your first comment, you are part of the family.

Edna
ps: my vote is for Baton Rouge :D

[Fredwina]

Actually, I found the Bacchetta forums pretty helpful , too. (I'm registered on BROL, but have never quite got the "vibe" there.)
I'm tall enough that I can flat foot a dual 650(a bike with 650C wheels front and back, versus the giro's 20 Front/ 26 Rear) at a stop. It's just that 4 inch higher bottom bracket that gave me the Heebie Jeebies:) Maybe if like the giro, I'll spring for a Corsa or a Carbent(the guy who owns Bentup(the shop where I'm buying it from) also owns CarBent)
Tokie, I did test ride a lightning Phantom. I wanted to love the bike, since it is locally made, but found it to too be quick handling to my tastes, plus I had problems with getting it started vis a vie the Giro and the RANS V-Rex. Plus the dealer yelled at me for doing the "Flintstones" start. Which is sad, since the shop is a lot closer to me than Van Nuys.
will report more when I get some rides in.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

That Giro-20 looks way cool.

[lunacycles]

'bents make a lot of sense for a lot of folks, imo. I think they are going to get ever more popular over time.

[Fredwina]

I picked it up yesterday and did a brief ride around Van Nuys airport:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/SY88m6ifchI/AAAAAAAAAhI/fjcl9bs-nFs/s640/100_0293.jpg
still need to take some getting used to. Now, if the weather would cooperate

[OakLeaf]

Yay!

Is that satellite dish mounted on the flag pole? DVR in the backpack, little blue display on the handlebars? :p

[Fredwina]

I did about 7 miles circling a parking lot
No Handlebar palsy:D and my arm doesn't feel it's going to fall off:)
The only bad new is that I lost the seat pins.:(

[Ninabike]

That is very cool!! I would think the hard part is getting your feet up that high.

[Fredwina]

it's not that. have yet to tackle a hill from a standing start.

[Ninabike]

Oh my!! But that's hard enough on a regular bike.