alexc@dartvax.UUCP (Alex Colvin) (09/01/84)
>does anyone have recommendations, experience or other seriously helful >hints for a real novice who desires to get into biking...purely recreational. >like, what are good bikes to buy? 10 speed? 12 speed? 15 speed? my wife >and i are seriously considering biking to and from our respective work >sites during the more clement months here in cemtral indiana. Since you're in Indiana anyway, you might have a look at the Ace Tool & Engineering INFINITY. It's a recumbent, made in Indiana. I built something between an INFINITY I and II from their Kit. It has several disadvantages against a standard diamond-frame (named for the shape) bike. They might not apply to you. Sitting on a seat (looks like a rolling lawn chair, or a wheelchair for bikies), you can't wear a backpack. I use panniers or hang my pack on the side. You don't have to lean forward onto drop handlebars. On a recumbent there's no weight on your arms. No strain on your back. On the other hand, there's also no way to get any work out of your arms. I find this to be a serious drawback on steep hills (mountains). When you stand up on a standard bike you can get something like 20% more work out of your arms. You are also applying your full force through relatively straight knees. On my bike you can apply quite a lot of force (since you're pressing against the seat back), but it's all with your legs, and through bent knees. There's definitely less wind resistance. Not to mention saddle sores. It's hard to describe the ride. I can only recommend that you try one. It takes less a little getting used to the balance, usually five minutes. Sometime this Spring, I think, the Wall Street journal had a cover article on the INFINITY (with picture). It's also advertised in bike magazines, Bike Nashbar catalogs, & the back of the American Youth Hostel magazine. Now if I could only find a long stretch of level ground around here...