Have You Thought About Getting a Recumbent Bike?
August 14, 2009 by Robert · Leave a Comment
Certainly you've seen folks riding recumbent bikes on the roads and bike trails. Have you ever considered what goes into these bicycles, and what it take to ride them? Here's the lowdown with a lot of tips to keep in mind.
A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. For most riders, the advantage of riding a recumbent is that it is more ergonomic; positioning the riders weight more comfortably by distributing it over several square feet of the back and buttocks. On a traditional upright bicycle, the body weight rests on a few square inches of the sit bones, the feet, and the hands.
With the right equipment and design, recumbent bikes can be used for riding unpaved roads and offroad, just as with conventional mountain bikes. Because of their longer wheelbase and the manner in which the rider is confined to the seat, recumbents are not as easy to use on tight, curving unpaved singletrack. Large-diameter wheels, mountain gearing and off-road specific design have been used since 1999 on the Lightfoot Ranger. Crank-forward designs that facilitate climbing out of the saddle, such as the RANS Dynamik, also can be used off-road.
Highracers are distinguished by using two large wheels (usually two ISO 559 or 26"). This necessitates a higher bottom bracket than on a lowracer so that the rider's legs are above the front wheel, and this in turn requires a higher seat. The seating position may be otherwise identical to that on a lowracer allowing similar aerodynamics. "Racer" in the name implies that this will often be the case, since these bikes strive for speed.
Starting and stopping. Because of the supine position, most recumbents do not allow the rider to push forward with the feet on the ground. This makes for slow starts and requires excellent balance. However, since starting a bicycle by pushing the feet against the ground is probably a poor way to start, this criticism may invalidate itself. Starting a recumbent does not require great strength; it is a matter of balance and a skill which must be learned. It is best to learn from an experienced rider, who can help with a little push at first. Several rides may suffice to become confident enough of one's starting and stopping skills before becoming ready to ride in traffic or perform uphill starts. Recumbent tricycles do not require balancing and hence do not require any special skill in this regard. With many recumbent seats quite low it is often easier to get a foot down onto the ground on stopping than is the case from a conventional bike with the saddle set high for optimum pedaling.
Constant position. While the riding position is comfortable and removes stress from the arms, it cannot easily be varied during a ride (as upright riders might stand for a hill), and some find that bottom brackets at or near hip level produces problems with cold or numb feet. Some riders suffer "recumbent butt," a pain in the gluteal muscles caused by their increased effort while being compressed. This can usually be addressed by adjusting the seat angle and pedal position. In a more reclined position, the weight is spread evenly between the back and buttocks. The rider of a conventional bike can stand up on the pedals to allow his legs to take up the shock of a severe bump in the road. The recumbent rider cannot (although many designs include suspension to alleviate this).
Visibility of the bicycle. In urban traffic, many recumbent bikes are below the eye level of many automobile drivers, although proponents suggest that the relative novelty of the design helps make drivers more conscious of them. Recumbent commuters often add flags, lighting, and reflective material to their bikes and gear to enhance visibility, and many refer to being able to see eye-to-eye with the automobile drivers as an advantage.
Nonstandard design. Recumbents often have radically different shapes from diamond-frame bikes, so conventional bike racks, automobile carriers, accessories, and locks do not fit in the usual ways.
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Exactly What is the Tour De France?
August 6, 2009 by Robert · Leave a Comment
Those of us who are not regularly attentive to competitive cycling events can't help but hear about the Tour De France from network and cable news and other media. Yes, it's the most famous of all the cycling races worldwide, but many really aren't aware of what it actually consists of, and how it works. Actually, it's a team sport with an overall winner. We hear about the yellow jersey. What's that all about? Here, in a nutshell is a summary that should help you understand what goes on with this grueling event.
About Le Tour De France
Le Tour de France was raced for the first time in 1903. One hundred plus years after its inauguration, it is the world's largest bicycle race. Each year, for 23 days in July, hundreds of cyclists pedal their way across France. Typically, the race covers more than 3,500 kilometers or 2,200 miles.
The race itself consists of 21 separately scored stages. At the end of the race, whoever has the lowest combined time over the 21 separate stages is declared the winner. During the race, the leader wears the Maillot Jaune, the yellow jersey. The stages run from one town to another. The route covers a circuit that goes across most of the regions of France. Sometimes the course even goes into parts of neighboring countries like Switzerland and Spain.
With the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espaa, le Tour de France is one of the three biggest, most prestigious stage races. It is also the longest race of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar. Unlike the other two big races which are known well in Europe, the Tour de France has long been a household sporting name around the globe. It's so well known that even those not interested in cycling know of it. Even the UCI World Cycling Championship is familiar only to cycling enthusiasts.
In most cycling races, competitors enter as part of a team. The same holds true for the Tour de France. The Tour de France's field is made up of 20 to 22 teams each with nine riders. Traditionally, entry is by invitation only. The invitations are handed out only to the best of the professional teams. Recently, the organizers of the race have utilized UCI points to determine which teams gain automatic entry into the tour. They typically have reserved 2-4 slots to large teams or French teams not able to race based on their individual team results.
The teams are all known by the name of their sponsors. Everyone has a distinctive jersey. For example, Lance Armstrong was on the USPS team and then the Discovery Channel team when he won his tours. During the race, each team has access to a shared team car. These team cars are like pit crews in car racing except they're mobile.
The 2008 Tour de France is set to begin on July 5th in Brest in Brittany. The race, as is tradition, will end on the Champs lyses in Paris on July 27th. This year's race course has 10 flat stages, 5 mountain stages, 4 medium mountain stages, and 2 individual time-trial stages.
