I spent a few hours exploring the back roads of Huntsville on my bike today. I've been away for almost two weeks, and I felt I needed to get reacquainted. 32.4 miles later, I'd love to take a nap, but I figured it would be better to put my thoughts first.
I haven't had Wanderer (my bike) for very long, and I definitely haven't had the opportunity to ride it as much as I'd like. Thus, every time I take it out it is a learning experience. Wanderer is a long wheel base recumbent bicycle, that means it handles differently than a traditional diamond frame bike.
Namely, the bike is right around 6 ft long, and because the wheel is way out in front, the steering is very sensitive. The slightest touch can create a foot of travel, and this creates a unique challenge at slow speeds, particularly when climbing hills. Because you're in a reclined position on a recumbent, you can't stand up in the pedals when climbing, or throw your body about to keep the bike on track. Instead, you're just supposed to drop into a lower gear and spin the pedals. Now Wanderer has a great low gear, I can climb a 10 percent grade with little effort, but my speed drops drastically.
What happens when you're vigorously pedaling a recumbent with sensitive steering up a hill at a crawl? If you're not skilled at steering, you wander up the hill like a drunken buffalo. Today, on two of the hills (they call them mountains here, but I've lived in Cali and I'm not going to insult the Sierra Nevada range) I traveled six feet into the lane before I could correct myself. That made life interesting with traffic (and it undoubtedly made me very popular). Luckily, it was Sunday morning, so traffic was light, and I pulled off to the side when the cars bunched up behind me. And, even though I was on a steep hill, thanks to my low gear, I was able to hop right back on and easily start pedaling again to continue my wobbling ascent.
Now, I know I've said some disparaging things about my recumbent, and I still have my concerns, but it has a lot of great aspects too. Once I crested the hills and hit high gear coming down, my eyes were watering from the speed, and I let out numerous "WAHOOOO!"s as I banked into curves. And, I spent 32 miles on the bike and nothing is rubbed raw or aches (well besides my weak legs, but they'll learn soon enough). I've put a lot of miles on my mountain bike and I've always had a problem with numb hands, shoulder and back aches, and most importantly sore areas that are very personal to me.
Take my account/review with a dash of salt - I have only put ~ 200 miles on my bicycle, but it is just the beginning. I strive to learn and improve, and down the road, I expect to have more to say about riding a recumbent. I just wish I had a trike to compare it too as well!
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