| My Bike Fleet |
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| For comfort, no upright bike can beat a recumbent. It's like comparing sitting on a lazy-boy recliner versus a fence post. The bike on the left is my first recumbent, a RANS Tailwind compact long wheel base. I sold the bike after two years and 2,978 miles of great riding. The bike on the right is my second recumbent, a RANS V-Rex short wheel base, purchased used. Both these are excellent bikes. The V-Rex is a fairly fast design and is considered a classic in the recumbent world. I plan on keeping the V-Rex for a very long time. The V-Rex is set up for commuting and has a rear rack for hauling. |
| Went to the bike shop to buy a $5 part and saw this Cannondale road bike on closeout sale and next thing I knew, I spent a little more than $5. I made room for it by junking the old Murray road bike I had since college. This has been a great bike. I Installed clipless pedals, upgraded to Shimano 105 cranks and front derailer, an Ultegra Bottom bracket, an Easton Carbon fork, and added a small bike computer. The upgrades reduced the bike's weight by nearly 3 pounds. I raced it at the 2003 Tour de Los Alamos and did real well in my category against much more expensive bikes (not to mention skinnier riders). |
| On the left is another bike purchased on closeout sale in 2001. It too has been a very reliable commuter bike. I set this bike up with fendors and a Burley Moose rear rack so I can tow a Burley Piccolo tag-along and ride with my kids (see Piccolo below). I also installed a different freewheel for a little better road gearing (since most of my miles are on road commuter miles). |
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| After selling the RANS Tailwind, I replaced it with my third recumbent purchase--the RANS V2. It is a long wheel base bike, fast and very comfortable. It was awarded recumbent bike of the year in 2000 and is considered a step up from the Tailwind. For real speed and comfort in the cold, I made (actually had members of my family make) a body sock. This thing flys with the sock on. |
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| Okay, so what would I get if I crossed my hobby of woodworking with my hobby of bicycling? A wooden bicycle of course. This homebuilt lowracer recumbent is based on a James Robinson design, with a few changes of my own thrown in. It was a lot of fun to build, and it's a fun ride too. I'm already planning my next homebuilt--trying my own design starting from scratch this time. |
| Sold |