Ergonomics key to popularity of unusual bike style and it's National Ride a bike to work day.
BY BYRON STOUT • bstout@news-press.com • May 15, 2008
Speaking of work, Friday is National Ride a Bike to Work Day.
But wait! From the not-so-fast department we must note bicycling's downsides: Sore necks, shoulders and wrists are common side effects of bicycling.
And then there is the risk of sexual dysfunction.
Jim Parker, a North Carolina doctor, cites studies that showed about three hours a week astride a traditional road bike seat led to a significantly increased risk of erectile dysfunction in men, and numbness in women. The problem stems from nerves and blood vessels in the perineum being squished against a traditional bike saddle.
Parker, and thousands of other cycling enthusiasts, think they've found the answer to those problems in recumbent bikes - those sometimes low-slung, sometimes elongated cycles that sometimes come in three-wheeled versions. Or not - there are a lot of variations with common themes.
Recumbents (nicknamed bents) have much larger, padded seats with backrests that take the pressure off shoulders, wrists and hands - three of the main points of support on traditional road bikes. Bent bike riders also don't have to crane their necks upward to see the road, so they have a much more comfortable view of the passing scenery, in what Parker calls the TV-watching position.
"They're the best bikes ever," said Fort Myers attorney Kim Hart, 57, who often rides his recumbent to work - a 5-mile jaunt down McGregor Boulevard.
"I recommend them to everybody," Hart said of his long-wheelbase Easy Racer.
Ron Cox, 71, also has a recumbent, but his is a three-wheeler. He rides three or four times a week with other
members of the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club, and he's planning a ride across Georgia this summer. He also owns a traditional diamond-frame two-wheeler, but he hasn't ridden it in years because of the advantages of his recumbent, a $5,700 Wind Cheetah.
"First of all, they're a lot more comfortable, and I think they're safer simply because you're lower to the ground in most cases. When you fall off, you don't fall very far," Cox said.
Hart said the smaller front wheel on his recumbent is prone to causing falls because it doesn't handle sand well.
"When it slides, you go down," Hart said.
Others believe the low-to-the-ground trait can be dangerous if motorists don't see a rider.
Parker believes he has the best of all worlds in his Cruzbike line of recumbents. Cruzbikes are the short-wheelbase version of bent bikes, with front-wheel drive and a seating position that puts the front forks between the cyclist's legs. They are designed by Australian engineer John Tolhurst, a partner in the company, and conversion kits that combine with a traditional bike can be purchased for $375.
Cruzbikes use two traditional 700-centimeter diameter (28-inch) bike tires, which puts riders at about eye level with motorists, making them easier to see. The short wheelbase also gives them a turning radius of 41/2 feet that can be negotiated even while pedaling, and they fit on a standard car bike rack.
Parker said Cruzbikes are configured in a way that makes them easier to pedal uphill, a universal knock against recumbents due in part to their extra weight. Riders on recumbents also cannot add weight to pedal pressure by standing up, nor can they increase pressure by pulling up on their handlebars - all of which makes them harder to pedal uphill.
"That's the biggest misconception with recumbents," said Michael Grusseman of Cape Coral. Grusseman, 65, said a recumbent rider first has to condition his muscles to the demands of his or her particular machine. Beyond that, he said selecting the right gearing for the bike is critical.
"The trick is, you don't do what we call mashing. Instead, you spin in a lower gear, at 80 to 90 rpms, rather than 60 rpms on a normal bike."
Grusseman has a lot of biking experience and expertise, ranging from 17-day camping road trips with 95 to 100 pounds of total bike weight, to speed rides that require an average of 101/2 miles per hour, including sleep time. He also is a heart patient with a quadruple bypass, and he's had a colon resection.
He credits his love of biking with the loss of 67 pounds over the past year and a half - down to 198 pounds.
"If you ride four times a week for half an hour, you'll lose weight. I don't care if you weigh 100 pounds to begin with," Grusseman said.
Speaking of work, Friday is National Ride a Bike to Work Day.
But wait! From the not-so-fast department we must note bicycling's downsides: Sore necks, shoulders and wrists are common side effects of bicycling.
And then there is the risk of sexual dysfunction.
Jim Parker, a North Carolina doctor, cites studies that showed about three hours a week astride a traditional road bike seat led to a significantly increased risk of erectile dysfunction in men, and numbness in women. The problem stems from nerves and blood vessels in the perineum being squished against a traditional bike saddle.
Parker, and thousands of other cycling enthusiasts, think they've found the answer to those problems in recumbent bikes - those sometimes low-slung, sometimes elongated cycles that sometimes come in three-wheeled versions. Or not - there are a lot of variations with common themes.
Recumbents (nicknamed bents) have much larger, padded seats with backrests that take the pressure off shoulders, wrists and hands - three of the main points of support on traditional road bikes. Bent bike riders also don't have to crane their necks upward to see the road, so they have a much more comfortable view of the passing scenery, in what Parker calls the TV-watching position.
"They're the best bikes ever," said Fort Myers attorney Kim Hart, 57, who often rides his recumbent to work - a 5-mile jaunt down McGregor Boulevard.
"I recommend them to everybody," Hart said of his long-wheelbase Easy Racer.
Ron Cox, 71, also has a recumbent, but his is a three-wheeler. He rides three or four times a week with other
members of the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club, and he's planning a ride across Georgia this summer. He also owns a traditional diamond-frame two-wheeler, but he hasn't ridden it in years because of the advantages of his recumbent, a $5,700 Wind Cheetah.
"First of all, they're a lot more comfortable, and I think they're safer simply because you're lower to the ground in most cases. When you fall off, you don't fall very far," Cox said.
Hart said the smaller front wheel on his recumbent is prone to causing falls because it doesn't handle sand well.
"When it slides, you go down," Hart said.
Others believe the low-to-the-ground trait can be dangerous if motorists don't see a rider.
Parker believes he has the best of all worlds in his Cruzbike line of recumbents. Cruzbikes are the short-wheelbase version of bent bikes, with front-wheel drive and a seating position that puts the front forks between the cyclist's legs. They are designed by Australian engineer John Tolhurst, a partner in the company, and conversion kits that combine with a traditional bike can be purchased for $375.
Cruzbikes use two traditional 700-centimeter diameter (28-inch) bike tires, which puts riders at about eye level with motorists, making them easier to see. The short wheelbase also gives them a turning radius of 41/2 feet that can be negotiated even while pedaling, and they fit on a standard car bike rack.
Parker said Cruzbikes are configured in a way that makes them easier to pedal uphill, a universal knock against recumbents due in part to their extra weight. Riders on recumbents also cannot add weight to pedal pressure by standing up, nor can they increase pressure by pulling up on their handlebars - all of which makes them harder to pedal uphill.
"That's the biggest misconception with recumbents," said Michael Grusseman of Cape Coral. Grusseman, 65, said a recumbent rider first has to condition his muscles to the demands of his or her particular machine. Beyond that, he said selecting the right gearing for the bike is critical.
"The trick is, you don't do what we call mashing. Instead, you spin in a lower gear, at 80 to 90 rpms, rather than 60 rpms on a normal bike."
Grusseman has a lot of biking experience and expertise, ranging from 17-day camping road trips with 95 to 100 pounds of total bike weight, to speed rides that require an average of 101/2 miles per hour, including sleep time. He also is a heart patient with a quadruple bypass, and he's had a colon resection.
He credits his love of biking with the loss of 67 pounds over the past year and a half - down to 198 pounds.
"If you ride four times a week for half an hour, you'll lose weight. I don't care if you weigh 100 pounds to begin with," Grusseman said.
posted by Ergonomic Partners @ 5:14 PM
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