We get bent - recumbent cycling

[fortkentdad]

We have two Catrike Recumbent Tricycles.

Been "getting bent" for a few years now.  My knees are not good (be kind to your knees you'll miss them if they go). I'm a little heavy (ok morbidly obese) so needed to find exercize I could sustain without too much pain (I don't like pain much) and which allowed for frequent rest breaks.  The recumbent trikes do this.  Not much weight on my knees.  When tired, just stop and put our head back and take a rest.  (Pack liquids and healthy snack in the cycles bags and you are picnic ready). 
 




When we selected our campsites based on paved trailers for cycling - the picture above is from Vermillion Provincial Park in Alberta - great paved trailers (the Becky Scott Cross Country Ski trails). 

We we were selecting our RV we went with a pull style travel trailer and did not consider a basic 5th wheel, because we need the truck box for the trikes.  Considered toy haulers but their weight and price were too much - besides we have a toy hauling pick up truck box.



Didn't consider cycling a "hobby" it is more my exercise routine, but hobby fits. IT is a blast and yes we do get funny looks, lots of questions and honks from passing vehicles.  Neighbourhood teens, too cool to say "hi" to an old fuddy duddy like me even stopped, came over for a look and prounouced their judgement - "Bad - real bad" which I learned means real swell in todays teen lingo. 

[parrothead]

Cycling does great things for knees and weight (it sure did for me).  Haven't ridden a 'bent yet but they look like fun (except maybe on uphills).

[Lennotglen]

Nice trikes,
I see you have the "tadpole" model.  What made you choose them?  DW and I are thinking of getting trikes also.
Len

[fortkentdad]

Nice trikes,
I see you have the "tadpole" model.  What made you choose them?  DW and I are thinking of getting trikes also.
Len

We went to Bently AB (yep, the best recumBENT cycle shop in Alberta is in a tiny village of BENTly - no kidding). Tried out several different recumbents - forget the bent bicycles that's just too wierd even for me.  Had thought I'd like the quad - two seater side by each, but my wife and I are different, I'm a 100 pounds over 200 she is 100 pounds under 200 so we would just go in circles.  The traditional one forward two back trikes are not very recumbent - more like a regular bike.  The recubming is part of the fun - its just "laid back cycling" to put it another way. 

It is a bit odd telling people you have a cycle without handlebars - get odd looks.  But on the other hand a unicycle has no handlebars either - and you can buy one of them at Bently Cycle too.  And their son can demo it very well, not that I'd even harbour thoughts of going uni. 

[Chuck S]

I test drove and priced a Cattrike the weekend after your first post.  Aside from the difficulty getting onto (into?) and off they were pretty slick.  A parking brake would help a lot!  And I could squeeze one in the back of my Expedition.  The price, though, was a complete shock! 

-- Chuck

[TooManyTents]

How do they do on hills?

[AZNighthiker]

Upright rider. Have 9 bikes in my fleet, 73 Schwinn Yellow Collegiate, 74 Schwinn Sunset Orange Collegiate, 74 Schwinn Green Varsity, Pair of red 84 Trek 660's, Blue 84 Scwhinn Sprint, Blue 84 Trek 510, Black 02 Giant Yukon, and a Blue 04 Giant OCR1. I ride sometimes in Scottsdale (AZ) and most of the cyclists are on recumbents. Club in Phx that are recumbents.

[TooManyTents]

Upright rider. Have 9 bikes in my fleet, 73 Schwinn Yellow Collegiate, 74 Schwinn Sunset Orange Collegiate, 74 Schwinn Green Varsity, Pair of red 84 Trek 660's, Blue 84 Scwhinn Sprint, Blue 84 Trek 510, Black 02 Giant Yukon, and a Blue 04 Giant OCR1. I ride sometimes in Scottsdale (AZ) and most of the cyclists are on recumbents. Club in Phx that are recumbents.

Dear TooManyBikes.....
 

[GMtech]

I am getting parts together to build a tandem trike recumbent. My DW and I already have a upright tandem, but feel that with my parkinsons a trike would be more stable for me. With my TV being a PU taking it along camping should be no problem.