Bicycles Network Australia - Australian Cycling Forums

by **Leigh_caines** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:23 am

I started wondering how many of us bent riders there are on this forum.
10 or 20 or a 1000?

So stand up and be counted

Poll added by Europa with apologies to Leigh :wink:

by **BNA** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:11 am

by **Hotdog** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:11 am

Way back when I posted this poll there were apparently only 4. There are definitely a few more around now though

by **europa** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:35 am

Just added a poll - that way the shy ones don't have to own up

There are a few members we didn't know about earlier though.

Richard

by **nimm** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:49 am

I'm planning on buying a bent, as for when, well that depends on if I can get that kind of money together and convince the wife

I'm also trying to decide on what style since there's so many to choose from. To help with that I've tagged along with a WAHPV ride last year and plan to go for a few more when I get some time. Nice bunch of fellas.

by **europa** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:00 am

I'm on the WAHPV email list and they are indeed a nice bunch of blokes. You're lucky to have them on hand. There certainly are a lot of styles to choose from. Graeme (kalgrm) and Hotdog both gave me a lot of help in choosing the Flying Hamster, and in warning me what I was getting into. I also understand the money side of it, so I was very glad to hear about Craig and Just Bents Still a lot of money but it made it affordable whereas there is no way I could have bought a Bacchetta. My hand problems were one trigger to buy, the other was the price, but neither of those are the reasons I wanted a bent, I just wanted one because it's different

Richard

by **Recycler** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:37 am

G'Day Leigh, I have 2 bents, a home made trike and the Sun Bicycle EZ Speedster AU . Can I vote twice on the Poll :?:

by **Bnej** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:41 am

Was thinking about a recumbent a year or so ago, but now much happier with DF bikes and my next bikes will be DF also.

Probably if I lived in the flatlands I would think about a bent.

by **Birdman** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:46 am

I wouldn't mind one just t say i have one and i think they look really efficient.

Someone posted plans on here about building one....anyone know where they are. I did a search to no avail.

Mitch.

by **Leigh_caines** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:16 pm

Great idea the poll....
I might end up been suprised by how many of us there are.

As for voteing twice Bob [recycler] well...
save that for the local election...

by **Leigh_caines** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:23 pm

The lest $s....
Mmm...
For a bent...

ok find a low step over bike [old like say a Raleigh 20 or ...]
Cut a BB and crank off an old steel bike
have it welded on the front [if you can't do it yourself]
get a roller from say a kids skate b...
[to run the chain line though]
Make sure it's geared down
Don't forget a new seat [home made is fine]
And try it out

You'll love it and that will make you go out and spend all your $s on a great one

by **Leigh_caines** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:59 pm

I wonder why people who are not interested in bents read about bents?
Shut up Leigh you asked to many questions

by **Bnej** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:16 pm

Leigh_caines wrote:I wonder why people who are not interested in bents read about bents?
Shut up Leigh you asked to many questions

Interested in knowing about them, just not in getting one at the moment.

by **Mulger bill** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:53 pm

Been thinking 'bent for a while, just don't go tellin' the GLW. :shock:

Not sure if I'd go with a hamster, USS or one of these little darlin's from Flying Furniture...

Any trike riders out there who can tell me the pros and cons of tadpole versus standard trikes?

Shaun

by **Leigh_caines** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:58 am

One for â€œMulger billâ€

Iâ€™d only ever ridden a 2 wheeled recumbent but after getting a mate onto a â€œGreenspeedâ€ [he has a couple of disabilities that make 3 wheels necessary] I couldnâ€™t want for a go.
Iâ€™d thought a lot about the advantages of this bikeâ€¦
No balance worries
No matter how wet or muddy or icey you will stay upright.
Can be geared so low you could pull a ton up hill
Would be a great chair in camp at night.

I couldnâ€™t wait to try it out.
I real thought there would be a trike in my life soon
So the day came when my mate was going away for a week and I could use his bike.
Set it up for my leg length and I was away,
20ks first day
49ks next day
60ks the next

Pros- none
Cons- [I hated it]
It was rough [as in the roughest ride of any bike Iâ€™d ever ridden]
If the road was sloped it felt like you were riding sideways
You look straight up the tail pipe of ever car [big cuts full at the lights]
At high speed [I took it up to 75kph] the road vibration near rattled my teeth out]
I didnâ€™t like the seat
Peddle seemed to be at the wrong height
So this great piece of engineering â€¦ this beautiful looking bikeâ€¦ just wasnâ€™t for me.

Later my mate Bob made one with 20inch wheels and while the bigger wheels helped a little I still hated it.

No trike in my lifeâ€¦ Iâ€™m staying with 2 wheels till I fall off

by **Recycler** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:06 am

G'Day Mullger bill, Good Question ! My thoughts are thus. Tadpole.. Better brakes and steering, harder to build. Delta.. Easyer to build. Both have their good points and ride OK. Try both types :!:

Good Luck.

by **Leigh_caines** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:10 am

Ok there are 6 of us so far
+Recycler who told me this morning that he hadn't voted yet
So 7
Come on... there must be 3 more out there

There must be 10 of us in Oz

by **Leigh_caines** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:15 am

I have to ask Recycler what his trike is doing hanging in his shed?
And hardly ever used.
And why only this morning I was rideing with him on 2 wheeled recumbents

We both love our bikes :wink:

by **Mulger bill** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:14 pm

OK, Thanks Leigh and Recycler.
I reckon I could put up with most of the cons except the harsh ride.
Time for a bit more thought and scheming...

Shaun

by **Uba Tracker** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:56 pm

How interesting are the results form the poll? :shock:

23% of the voters are not inetrested in 'bents, yet here they are, on the 'bent forum. Methinks maybe there are some closet bent dwellers out there who aren't quite quite ready to come out......of.......the .....closet, so to speak. :wink:

by **europa** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:38 pm

I'd like to know who the 7 owners are

Richard

by **Mulger bill** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:47 pm

Let's tick off the ones we know and see who else come out :twisted:

Hotdog
Kalgrm
Europa
Leigh Caines
Recycler
Dhat
rdp_au
Uba Tracker

That's eight, any more :?:

Shaun

by **rdp_au** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:07 am

Ooohhh, ooohh, me too, me too...

Been fairly quiet on the list for a while, but I'm still here. Built my recumbent with the help of John Lewis (another member of the list) about a year ago. Some info on the bike here http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1078&start=25

Scroll down until find my user name rdp_au.

Rds,

David