Screw the Knee! Much Needed Ride Worth the Pain.

Despite significant pain in the knee while on the flats, I managed to put a few miles in the saddle this weekend. The wind was howling, and a few times almost pushed me off the shoulder or into traffic. It rained most of the time, and my knee which started off just fine, ended up killing me at the point in the ride when it was too late to turn around. The funny thing is, that it only hurt on the flats. Climbing any hill was the only thing that managed to make it feel better. Weird. Anyway, it has been feeling better, and I actually took the opportunity to ride in such foul weather on purpose. I loaded everything that I plan on packing during the coast tour this summer, and ventured out to test how everything would stand up during the worst case scenario. I'm glad I did it, because it gave me the chance to see where the chinks were in my armor. Thankfully, there weren't many. Mostly, I found that there are a few items I need to pack differently, and discovered that the bike handles quite well when fully loaded with at least 50 pounds of stuff. Let me tell you, I absolutely flew down the hills with all that extra weight, hitting 45 m.p.h. and almost passing a car on Holly Lane! Having said that...going up hill is a KILLER! Upon arrival back at the house, I set up the tent, and prepared to camp as if on the road. It rained all night, and was colder than a well digger's brass monkey, but me and all my stuff stayed as dry as a bone! Now, if the knee would hurry up and heal, I will be ready to hit the road and travel in any kind of weather fair or foul.

Considering a Recumbent?

Patrick:

I recommend riding several bikes before deciding on one. Take them for LONG rides and throw some hills in there, so you can be sure you're getting what you want. The guys at Coventry are very willing to let you do this, as long as you give them some form of collateral like your driver's license or something. There is a bit of a learning curve to begin with, especially when riding at slower speeds with longer wheel based bikes, but I'm sure you'll have no problems. I have let many people ride mine, and most just get on and go like old pros. Some things to consider before making the commitment to buying a recumbent: One, sticker shock. 'Bents tend to be more expensive than conventional bikes. Two, they can be heavier than a conventional bike. Three, you have to build up your "recumbent muscles", as you use different muscle groups than you do for a diamond frame (DF) bike, although this takes most people only a few weeks at most. Four, pulling hills can be a challenge at first, but once you get your new muscles built up, I see no difference versus riding a "wedgie" up hill. Obviously, you cannot stand up on the pedals, but you can push back against the seat, which can give you a tremendous amount of power. Going down hill, though, is awesome! Finally, getting your bike around can be a challenge depending on what kind of vehicle you have. However, there are plenty of options for that as well. Overall, I think a 'bent is the better choice for me. I do still ride my mountain bike, but most of my riding is done on the road over long distances. For this purpose, I feel that a 'bent cannot be beat! There are no issues with sore, numb hands or neck, back, and butt. My limit on a DF is around 60 miles before I have to get off the bike for a while to rest all my sore parts. On a 'bent, I can easily go 100 miles in a day. Sure I'm tired, but definitely not sore! Also, the considerable potential health problems, especially for men on a "wedgie" can be avoided when riding a 'bent. 'Bents are certainly not the end-all-to-be-all, but for me I don't think I'll ever go back to riding a DF other than when taking the MTB off road.

By the way, you should come ride with us. I will add you to the riding group email list, if that's okay with you. I cannot seem to reply to your emails, though. My email address is allsupd@hotmail.com, so I'm not sure if your antivirus is blocking me?

Take care,
David

What Kind of Bike is That?

Patrick:

Have tried twice to respond to your email without success. So, to answer your question, the bike is an EZ Sport recumbent. I picked it up at Coventry Cycle Works in Portland. There's a link to them below. They are really good people to work with, and very knowledgeable. Jeff is the one who helped me out the most, being very patient with me while answering all of my questions, and allowing me to test ride many bikes before deciding on this one. I truly feel this is the best all around recumbent out there. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. By the way, I'm right across the river from you, and ride with a small group on your side of the water once a month or so. If you ride, leave me a message if you're interested in being part of the group. Take care.

Knee Injury

Well, I've been off the air for a while, so I thought I should at least put down a few lines. I damaged a key piece of riding equipment a few months ago, so have been laying low. My left knee has an issue that does not seem to be getting any better. The doc says it will heal, but could take up to another 6 months! Damn! I guess it's gonna be a long painful coast tour this summer...