[Bent] Commenting on "The pleasures of recumbent vs. diamond frame bike r...

[Sfriedlander2 at aol.com]

I agree with most of what you said, Jules. One of the drawbacks of being a  
bent rider is that it can be torture to ride a wedgie. When I'm  travelling 
without a 'bent, I occasionally like to rent a bike and have to  resort to riding 
a wedgie. 10 miles is about all I can tolerate - anything more  is 
punishment. Of course, most rental bikes leave a lot to be desired  anyway, but I doubt 
I could appreciate a high end road bike. Nevertheless, I'm  not desperate 
enough to go back to riding a wedgie in order to be able to enjoy  those 
relatively rare occasions when I might wish to rent a wedgie.
 
I'm not sure I understand your point about how riding a wedgie helps  you 
stay in touch with your old riding buddies. Afterall, most wedgie people  still 
talk to bent riders, don't they? I find that riding a bent with a group of  
wedies is usually quite enjoyable (as on the Wednesday evening rides), as I get  
to relax a lot on the flat-to-downhill segments and get a good workout on the  
uphills. My average speed always turns out to be faster than if I had ridden  
alone, while the overall ride feels more relaxing. Riding a fast bent (like 
my  P38 with the F40 nose cone) makes it possible to keep up with faster wedgie 
 riders who are in better shape than me - and hopefully dispels any notions  
people might have about bents being slower and unable to climb hills.
 
Steve 
 
By the way, any plans to do a Wednesday pizza ride? I probably won't make  it 
this week, but should be there next week.
 
In a message dated 7/15/2007 7:50:56 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
jzalon at comcast.net writes:

Marty Smith's description of his semi-torturous 50-mile  wedgie ride ["My old 
pains of Achilles tendon and right knee feeling like a  bolt and nut that 
needs oiling came back about mile 40. I've never felt those  pains when on my 
'bent!"] makes a slightly unfair comparison to the comforts  of riding his R40 
recumbent. Most of his discomfort can be attributed to the  fact that he hadn't 
ridden an upright bike for 5 years. Clearly, the two bikes  utilize different 
muscle groups. I'd venture to say that it someone who rode  only a wedgie up 
and rode a recumbent bike 50 miles the first time out, they'd  feel a lot sorer 
than our erstwhile commentator. That's just common sense. The  first time I 
rode my Greenspeed GTO just 5 miles, I wondered where all my  muscles went. And 
every introductory article on riding recumbents warns about  the time it 
takes to acclimate your muscles to this new form of  riding.
 
Cycling is a very forgiving exercise. Usually, the only pain  we experience 
from overuse is some sore muscles. In contrast, if you overdo  running, you can 
do some serious damage that will keep you off the roads for  months. [Trust, 
me, it's painfully true!] I love my GTO, but I alternate  between it and my 
Cannondale CAAD6 racer. Because when I rode the GTO  exclusively, the occasional 
ride on the upright reminded me that I was using  dormant muscle groups. 
After years of riding and racing wedgies, I felt like a  beginner. The only 
accommodation I make for the wedgie is a shock absorbing  seat post, which I highly 
recommend; I also make sure that I sit on my sit  bones, far back on the Body 
Geometry seat, which protects the "other parts" of  my anatomy.
 
So while I will keep riding my recumbent, I haven't  abandoned the fun -- and 
the speed -- that comes from riding my racer. In  addition to keeping more of 
my muscles in shape, it also enables me to  stay in touch with a lot of old 
riding buddies, who consider my recumbent  riding "amusing." Reading recumbent 
blogs, one often senses a hostility to the  upright biking world. My response 
is to say relax and enjoy what you're doing.  They are both great ways of 
keeping in shape, saving the planet, and  having fun.
 
Jules


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