Why Ride Recumbents 4: After Injury or Illness
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- Why do people ride recumbent bikes and trikes? One reason for many people is that injury or illness can make it very uncomfortable or impossible to ride a standard diamond-frame bike. Recumbent bikes and trikes are much easier on the back, neck, and seat. Recumbent trikes can be ridden even if you have problems with balance. The five stories in this video are just a few examples showing how recumbents change people's lives by allowing more people to get out and ride.
This video is part of a series of videos sponsored by both Catrike and Easy Street Recumbents of Austin, Texas. We are grateful for their support.
A few words about making these videos:
The interviews are mostly culled from several hours of interview footage collected at the 2015 Heart of Texas Recumbent Rally. The unexpected weekend Texas freeze cancelled all of the riding events this year, so we all had to make do with visiting, eating, and drinking in Austin. Everyone I talked to said they had a great time! But this also left a lot of time for interviews, so it was fortunate that Phil Allen and I had come down on Thursday with his lighting, mikes, backgrounds, and camera equipment for the interview setup. My wife, Patti, tried to come down on Friday morning and the highways from Dallas to Austin were closed!
A word or few about Phil:
Phil Allen is a professional videographer and editor, with (among other awards and accolades) a Texas Emmy under his belt for the documentary "A Fair To Remember" about the history of the Texas State Fair.
Phil did all of the "studio" interviews you see in these videos. Ironically, there are also a few outdoor interviews of his that we are using from the 2010 "Texas Catrike Rally" in Dallas, the first rally organized by Jane Knight, that preceded the Austin-based Heart of Texas Recumbent Rallies. This is ironic because I has asked him to come by and film this group at the Sonic while we were stopped for lunch, since it was near his house, and he might be able to use it as a a documentary subject. 5 years later and here it is finally getting used. Phil also provided technical and creative guidance on assembling these videos. And Phil created the 30-second commercial intro used on each video, including the narration. (I just replaced his stock video clips with riders from my video archive.)
I have been filming Catrike and HOT Recumbent Rallies since about 2010, and started editing and posting them just for fun. I have also been collecting video footage at various riding events since 2010 (sometimes riding with 2 or 3 cameras going) and that archive has come in handy for this project. After the first HOT Rally video posted, Mike Librik (Easy Street Recumbents owner) asked me to keep doing it each year. Mike kept wanting more interview footage, and I finally got him to bring in professional help from Phil in 2015. While I have spent many weekends planning out these videos and editing them together from the hours of interviews and years of riding video archive, I could not have put this together as well without Phil's guidance and insights. Phil and I have known each other since our kids started in school together in 1999. This is the first video project we have been able to work on together and I am very happy with the results. I hope you are too.
Steve Erickson
Superb!
I discovered trikes two weeks ago and I had the same ecstatic feeling." I can't walk round the block but I can cycle for miles. " YES!!
After 40 years of running (OA in both knees) and a fracture femur from skiing my catrike has saved my active life I’m 70 years ! ❤️
My son was in a accident that disabled him for life. He had ridden a standard bike for a year prior to his accident. At that time in his first year he had rode over a 1000 miles. Of course after his disability he wanted to ride again but physically could not. Micha at Easy Street in Kelller spoke with me for almost an hour even when the the store closed regarding my son's injuries. After the discussions he helped with the right trike and the set up required to help my son. My son after getting his trike he went from a 38 plus size stretch shorts and 230 lbs to a 33 size and 168lbs. Even thou he will be permanently disabled he still can safely ride his trike. Prior to getting his trike his doctor approved him doing this rather than a structural therapy program. Thank God he is able to feel some what whole again. Trikes are so wonderful for injured people. Thanks again to Easy Street and Micha for helping my son.
I've recently joined the recumbent trike community due to injury also, recovering from a hip fracture which prevents me from mounting and dismounting a conventional bike safely. It's great to be cycling again.
Good for you. Check out all the videos showing the new and super exciting TRIOT Trikes. They are the bomb!
Another trike with a higher profile is the HP Velotechnik Scorpion Plus. Check it out. Also, the Terra Trike Rover.
Same for me, thought my riding was forever over when I couldn't change gears or lean on the handle bars of my MTB due to the osteo-arthritis. Bought my 1st trike in 2006....FREE on 3 ever since
6:04 What a beautiful and inspiring young lady
I'm 57 now , have been on bikes since a teen . With degenerating discs , and a hip issue now . I , in the last two years have found riding a diamond frame bike becoming more and more uncomfortable . I bought an electric bike , thinking this would allow me the freedom I once had on two wheels . Hindsight now tells me . I should have banked that cash and saved for a recumbent . Now , just a year after the purchase . I am considering going to a recumbent . Since I saw my first one a few years ago , I've liked the idea / concept . As I grow older , health tells me not to wait much longer . Thank you for the very informative , inspiring video .
Quit riding regular bike 3 years ago due balance and coordination issues because of MS. Frustrating. Discovered recumbent trikes a couple months ago. My Catrike Expedition came in last week. Freedom! 👍
I have MS too and I am looking into a recumbent. I had a seizure on an upright bike, broke my collar bone and a couple ribs, so I am definitely changing.
Wow that segment was very moving!
I'm not injured. In fact healthy. I have a trike, and highracer 700c 2 wheel recumbent. I ride road bikes and triathlon bikes but use my recumbents for recovery from injury and noodling around the neighborhood. They're so fun
It's always a great thing to be able to hear from the different individuals that are riding recumbents due to various situations, and even just being drawn to them after a single test ride.
I myself am going on my third recumbent, my first recumbent was a Bike E. Which was totaled due to faulty construction. I ended up with a fractured femur due to the negligence of the construction work being done in the area.
I recovered from that situation, then due to medical issues. I ended up with a broken ball joint, and full knee replacement. All of the surgeries where done in the left leg.
My second recumbent was a HpVelotechnik Gekko, but I was broadsided by a minivan. Due to the driver not paying attention to their surroundings. And, now I'm waiting for my third recumbent to be finished being put together. And, it's a Tour II GT recumbent tadpole trike.
The HP Velotechnik Scorpion Plus is a great trike for people who like to ride sitting up higher and not leaning back as much as they would be in most other recumbents. Emily Penn is a perfect example of the huge body of individuals who can benefit from riding recumbent trikes provided they get introduced to them in the first place.
My wife has CP and was an upright trike rider competitively, last week we got to try recumbent trikes and now neither of us can go back to upright :P
Many people who will be riding recumbent trikes in the future aren't even aware they will be. That will include people currently riding upright bikes and those who don't even ride any kind of bike. Be sure to check out TRIOT Trikes. They are the bomb. A super suspension and super easy to get on and off of. So many recumbent trikes are too low for people to mount and dismount.
I just turned 54 in January. I had been on DF bikes for a few years, pushing hard, but got slight neck problems from always being in the TT position on my Litespeed T1 set up with aerobars. For some people, that injury would be enough to switch to recumbents and it was the reason I used to justify my purchase. However, the main reason I bought it was because it was not only going to be tons faster than my DF bike, I would be able to maintain that speed for longer.
With that said, listening to you Trikeys explain your injuries and why you made the switch from DF to 'bents makes my reason to switch seem insignificant and is very inspiring.
Best presentation on 'bents ever!
3 wheeled suit of freedom...
Just bought two used, a 2 and a 3 wheeler at 67. Made riding fun again. The 2 wheeler has rear suspension and is very nice but hard to start from a stop. The 3 wheeler I can ride on crowded paths because you can just sit still if you want. A Burley and a Greenspeed.
Wow what an amazing story. I’m definitely going to share keep up the good work
The amount of flag poles, flags, and types of flags are an issue requiring renewed scrutiny and emphasis. This is important in light of the recent tragic death of James Dobson who had a car come up from behind him and run over him. By having two tall flag poles with a minimum of three spiral flags on each pole and with bright flashing lights going up each flag pole, car and truck drivers coming up from behind are far more likely to see you in time. It is a much better option to transport your bikes and trikes to a safe path that will not have cars or trucks on it.
A spokesperson for the Mississippi Highway Patrol said the driver was unable to avoid hitting Dobson due to traffic patterns in the area. Yet cyclists are allowed on the four-lane road, which doesn’t have much of shoulder or any significant turns or hills where the crash occurred.
You can dress up your bent like a Christmas tree but sometimes circumstances play the bad part of the accident..
Bruce McLaughlin, if the collision was a rear-ender, then the car driver was at fault for not driving for conditions. Every Uniform Vehicle Code in every State recognizes a rear end collision as the fault of the driver, not the victim. I don't know anything about this particular crash, but would not accept this explaination in this situation as you presented. A tragic crash indeed, but I hope the vehicle driver was appropriately convicted.
Once again, Great Job!! : )
Awesome stories, I just wish people would commute more with bikes and grocery shop and leave the cars..
Very inspiring. I am sharing this video with others.
There is only two set backs with these recumbents 1 is price ( usually about the same as a expensive road bycicle.) average around £2,000 to £4,000 depending on model & specifications & 2, space the can take if 3 wheeled ( trike ) width is important in storage & trying to get it through the average doorway. ( not always ) & length as they are a bit longer than a standard bycicle but, a tiny bit shorter than a tandem. 😳 So, storage & being able to pass it without catching yourself against it ( peddles mainly) I personally have never had the privalidge to ride one but, have seen one & was taken back by it. (WOW!!!👍✅) But, wether a person is disabled or not if that person can still use their lower limbs but, very uncomfortable on a upright bicycle then these should be ideal & I have heard they can get upto some speed themselves once the rider gets use to it.
How could you not put a like to this video
Haven't got a trike (saving for one), but cycling can actually help you recover from disability. Have peripheral neuropathy, was unable to walk, very little feeling, wheelchair bound. But once able to stand, rode a bicycle which improved the strength in my legs, helped my nerves regrow due to using the muscles. SPD clipless pedals were great as had no idea what my feet were doing , they needed to be atached to the pedals. Having only hadfeeling in the pinky of each hand , the di2 gears were reconfigured so could change gear with 1 finger on each hand.
Everybody, also handicap, can ride bicycle! I plan to buy a 3-wheel recumbent bike soon :)
I would like to buy one.
WOW! Great video !!! Keep it up! 8-)
Thanks holy father trikes 👍🙏
depending on how you look at it, some trikes look cool...but some can also look like a wheelchair with third wheel in the back (not so cool).
Anyway, I'm 52 and ruined my knee when my 2-wheeled diamond frame road bike slipped (low speed) on some wet leaves. Before that, I had other crashes on it that should have been my warning. The thought of riding a standard bike again scares me...because I know it's just a short matter of time before I'll crash it again.
Test ride a trike taradead!. You will be glad you did. How they feel and how you enjoy them is more important than how they look. But I think they all look cool.
I have a torn meniscus in the right knee and it is pressure sensitive on a diamond frame but on my touring bent it feels fine after the first block as it settles in to whatever position it does. I also run 153 mm crank arms which is the equivalent of doing a half squat vs a full squat . I get all the power I need and a higher cadence. I do not walk hills and we have 22% grades on a couple of the hills here. However just because I am a wee bit lower to the ground , it is just as hard as it ever was. I too have been thinking of a trike , but it needs some suspension , a different seat, and folding to get it in the back of my small 4x4.
Recumbents trike bike is still way expensive for electric bike
Emily... what a perfect woman she is!!! wish i find someone like her, with that spirit, that strenght, that everything! That would be amazing... in all the good aspects
Ok Steven,I have been wondering what is the fastest man powered trike in the world.Last year,I purchased my first trike....Ice VTX,in my humble opinion its certainly the most beautiful trike I have seen,and it is fast,though I ride for pleasure and cruz allot. I have only sampled the ice adventurer and the voleltecknic ?.I am here in Netherlands,and unfortunetly,I am alone ,no other trikes here at all,so I have no way to sample trikes unless I take a special trip quite far away. I know the Catrike 700 is also fast.....I was wondering if you ever compared the VTX with the 700 and what was your opinion,on which may be actually faster. Perhaps both are equal?
Hi Stephen D,
Great question. But you might have to go to a discussion forum like bentrideronline.com to find out about trike speed comparisons. I just ride a Catrike Expedition myself.
And actually, velomobiles are trikes with an aero dynamic shell and they are VERY fast. Usually much better for long distance riding and not so much for urban riding.
If you want to meet other trikes, recumbents and velomobiles....www.ligfiets.net. There are many rallies you can attend. Also on Facebook: Fiets & Ligfiets Gebruikersgroep. You are not alone on 3 wheels in the Netherlands.
anybody interested in selling of of these in New Orleans area?
Super Heros