Chicago Bike Blog

Rats!

We abandoned the ship. Not exactly a sinking ship, but one frozen under layers of snow, ice and poor economic forecasts.

We went to Florida.

Yep, intrepid winter bikers. We cheated. While you trudged through the poorly plowed and pothole-ridden streets of Chicago, vying for shoulder space with aggressive and oblivious drivers, we wallowed in Florida sunshine, pedaling for many miles on impeccably groomed off-street trails, and were greeted kindly and given the right of way by smiling, unhurried drivers, wherever the trails happened to intersect a roadway.

On a very, very cold December day, I believe the radio said it was -6 degrees, Chris packed up our van. I was going to do it myself, since I generally don't approve of the way he packs the car any more than I approve of the way he loads the dishwasher (OK, fair enough, that's another story), but I was unwilling to brave the elements that day, and he was. Here he is: Gore-Tex, goggles, layers, nary an inch of skin showing, thick clouds of steam emitting from his mouth. Let him pack!

We drove for many miles through spectacularly beautiful midwestern countryside, shrink-wrapped in ice after a recent storm, which gradually gave way to dry, barren woods of southern Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee, and started to green up someplace south of Atlanta. We stripped off our layers, and on the second day of our trip, we enjoyed a cold lunch at a rest area wearing short-sleeved t-shirts.

We had two recumbent bikes strapped on the roof of the van. We find that we feel less guilty about taking these vacations when we can justify them as a way of doing some important research for the shop. In this case, the research involved exploring the handling characteristics of different recumbent bikes, comparing levels of rider fatigue on upright vs. recumbent bikes, evaluating the relative merits of on and off-street biking facilities, and assessing the impact of dedicated biking facilities on local economic growth.

I will endeavor to bring you the results of our rigorous research in the next few days, as soon as I recover from being back in the snow-shrouded Chicago.

Rats!

Icecapades

Everyone wants to join the discussion on winter cycling. Today, it's Chris, my partner in crime (aka, co-owner of Rapid Transit Cycleshop). He couldn't keep quiet any longer:

Ahem!... he said,  If I may weigh in on this?...

And he continued:

The all-time worst winter bike that I have is my Bacchetta Corsa recumbent.  Despite this, I use it all the time in the winter because it is so darn comfortable. When I ride my recumbent to work, I'm nearly always asked how I deal with the ice and snow.  The simple answer is that I avoid riding over that which might make me fall. This lesson was learned the hard way:

Years ago, I was riding south on the lakefront path.  I was riding a skinny tire racing bike. The weather was just under freezing, the wind coming off the lake, with a strong northerly component. The pavement was free of ice and snow, at least as far as I could tell. I was riding towards Hyde Park, and I had to have been going at least 20mph, because the wind was on my back. I felt that exhilaration of completely effortless riding.

The same wind, however, was whipping the lake up and huge breakers were smashing the sea wall along the path. It was after dark. The path itself veered close enough to the sea wall at this particular spot for the waves to spray over the path. Without warning I hit an ice patch where the waves spilled out onto the path.  Suddenly the pavement went from bone dry to to crazy slick, with a long run of wet ice freshly coated with water. I don't think I had time to picture myself catapulting at top speed into the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. I barely had time to wrap my head around the abrupt and unfortunate change in riding conditions. At the highest speed that I could imagine pedaling my bike, I was dancing across the ice.  The bike went left, right, sideways, and every way you could think of. 

I held on for dear life, and, amazingly, did not fall. I was simply immobilized with surprise and fear. Perhaps doing nothing was the reason I stayed upright, and did not break any bones. That and being 20-something, dumb and lucky. Sheer dumb luck.

It was not my fate that night to fall, but after I reconnected with dry pavement, I proceeded with caution for the rest of my journey that night. I have tried, though not always successfully, to use caution and sense on journeys I've undertaken since.

Lesson learned: The key to using any bike in less-than-optimal situations is matching your equipment, your riding attitude and your technique to the actual conditions of that day. When we talk about "winter riding", it's important to remember that the terms encompasses a wide, and possibly changing, range of conditions, and you need to make sure that the solutions you choose are appropriate for those conditions. Although someone riding on rural roads in the northern regions of the US may have extensive snow and cold weather riding experience, this expertise may not translate well into an urban setting, where roads are plowed and dry, salted and slushy, or alternate between one and the other.

A few conditions that one might have to contend with on the streets of Chicago in winter:

Cold dry ice.
Encountered on cold days without significant snow fall.  The trickiest part may be spotting it. Once you do, most of the time you can cautiously ride over this. The next trick when riding over this type of ice is to avoid any sudden movements. (Yep. If you allow yourself to be freaked out, as in: "holy crap! I'm on black ice!", you will fall. --Justyna's comment) Strangely, I find that my street bike outfitted with 2" slicks (yes, completely bald tires) works just fine, if not better, than some treaded tires.

Slushy, salty wet snow. 
The salt and road grime in this stuff is nasty for your clothes, for most moving parts of your bike, and for your spirit. Narrow tires with little or no tread, coupled with fenders, pick up the least amount of slush.  Narrower tires tend to cut down to the pavement and help the rider make headway.  Be ready to clean your bike after you've been through this stuff.

During and right after a significant snow storm.
Before the plows come out, or on plowed streets without salting, one might see significant ruts from passing vehicles.  For this type of riding, I'd vote for an off-road bike with wide tires with some widely-spaced treads. I find too much tread can pick up lots of snow, weigh down the wheels, and make it hard to accelerate. Shift your body weight towards the rear of the bike, and follow the more promising wheel ruts. 
When the conditions are like this, I might go out just for fun, like here, for the sheer pleasure of rolling through the snow. Or get my x-country skis.

Wet ice, or ice with water on it. 
You already know what can happen. Unless you have studded tires, watch out! 
The use of studded tires should be reserved for very specialized type of riding. Such as plowed or compressed icy roads that have not been salted.  Or wet and frozen sand. Or expeditions over iced rivers or lakes. If studded tires give you a sense of security, by all means use them in a urban environment. But keep in mind they are not optimally suited for riding on pavement. A second set of interchangeable wheels, or a bike dedicated to severe winter conditions might also be a answer.

Volae Recumbents: Pursuit of Perfection

In trying to relate my experiences riding the Voleae Club, I am a little torn. I don't want to ruin a glorious riding experience with descriptions of tedious technical details. Yet, it is those details that make the bike ride the way it does. The rider experience is effortless, because of the engineering behind the design of the bike. On casual observation, the Volae looks like other high wheel racers on the market. But, the fact that Rolf Garthus and his design team have sweated out the details with great focus and discipline, means that riding a Volae is what riding a recumbent is supposed to be.
When Rolf graciously invited me to test ride the Volae on over 25 miles of rolling Wisconsin back roads for a weekend, I can honestly say that I could just kick back and enjoy the zen of the ride. The bike was free from nagging shortcomings, so my senses where completely open to the changing fall colors and bright sun of a perfect October day.
I have owned and ridden dual 650 wheel recumbents extensively over the last several years. Yet, I knew within the first few seconds of riding that this bike was the best within its category.  The longer I rode it, the more convinced I became.  As a recumbent dealer and as a rider, I know how important it is to dial in the bike to the rider's physique and riding style. On the Volae, he thoughtful arrangement of the seat and handle bars allows quick and easy on-the-go alterations.  Rolf performed some preliminary set-up before our ride, and was on hand to suggest minor adjustments during the first few minutes of the ride in response to my comments. So within the first fifteen minutes or so, I had a bike that was perfectly tuned to the way I ride, and I had complete confidence that the adjustments would stay that way.
I was pleased to see how easy it was to remove, adjust or switch out the seat, and yet I had no fear that the seat would wiggle, detach, or slide back while climbing a hill or accelerating. The geometry of the bike allows the best use of core muscles for surprisingly powerful climbing, optimal weight distribution, and steering.  I could climb hills and descend with confidence. The bike was stable yet responsive at both slow and high speeds.  Last, but not least, the Volaes look great standing still, and even better when gliding by.
In the end, I'm torn again. I have to make the usual disclaimer, that not every bike is right for every person. But the pursuit of excellence is evident throughout the Volae line, and will be appreciated by many a recumbent enthusiast. --Chris.

Volae Recumbents

This weekend, Chris and I took a field trip to check out Volae Recumbents, and their birth place, the Hostel Shoppe in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

The Hostel Shoppe, run by Rolf and Barb Garthus, is an incredible independent retailer, which has been in operation since 1974. They have been one of the major recumbent dealers in this country for close to 18 years, and their experiences with the various types of recumbents, and even more types of recumbent riders, have led to the development of their own Volae recumbents line.
When Chris visited the Volae booth at the Interbike expo earlier this fall, Rolf invited him for a visit to Stevens Point, to learn about and experience first-hand his line of recumbents. No other recumbent manufacturer has ever offered to give us this type of training in preparation for selling their products. But Rolf is meticulous. He takes the design of his bikes, the training and the fitting of riders to bikes very seriously, and he understands that without such hands-on preparation, bikes that he has taken years to perfect could be completely misrepresented to potential customers.
We at Rapid Transit have quite a few years of experience of fitting people on recumbents. In our consultation with Rolf, it was interesting to have several of our experiences confirmed:

• There is not such thing as THE BEST recumbent. Don't ask us, or anyone for one. Even though Rolf makes his own line of recumbents, he is the first to admit that there are riders for whom they would not be appropriate. There is the best recumbent out there FOR YOU. And in order to find it, you need to work with an experienced retailer, who will allow you to try some different bikes, anticipate potential pitfalls, listen to your concerns, and know how to address them.
• Often the expectation of what will work for a particular customer turns out to be wrong. The retailer needs to be prepared to offer a variety of solutions based on the customer's reactions, not on assumptions.
• For able-bodied riders, difficulties with riding a recumbent have at least as much, if not more, to do with psychology than with the rider's physical ability.
• One of the best ways to learn to ride a recumbent is to scoot on it with your feet bouncing along the ground. Rolf calls is the hobby-horse, we call it the duck waddle.
• While a recumbent may not help you outride stronger cyclists on upright bikes, because if its aerodynamic advantage, it may allow you to ride with them, and it will certainly allow you to outride yourself on an upright bike.
• Whatever advantage you lose on climbs, you gain on descents.

However awkward it may feel to find yourself in the saddle of a recumbent for the first time, there are few things as exhilarating and graceful as soaring down a rolling country road on one of these bikes.

In the next day or two, we'll bring you Chris's account of riding the Volae for the first time.

Test Ride a Recumbent Bike

For many years, Rapid Transit Cycleshop has been the only recumbent bicycle dealer in Chicago, and one of very few in the area. We stock a broad range of recumbents, including Easy Racers (both the Tour Easy and the EZ series), Bacchetta, Rans, Lightning, and Longbikes, as well as recumbent trikes from CaTrike and WizWheelz.
Although some recumbents are available only by special order, the vast majority of them are in stock for you to examine, compare and rest ride.
You will not find many places in or near Chicago where you can test ride recumbents. At Rapid Transit, we take test rides pretty seriously. We believe you should have the opportunity to compare different recumbent models and configurations, so that you can select one that best suits your needs and comfort level. Recumbents require a substantial investment, and we want to make sure you choose the right one.
You can't get a feel for a recumbent by looking at a picture in a catalog or on the web. You have to ride it.
If you are new to recumbents, we will be glad to offer you some initial coaching and guidance. Some folks catch on right away, for others the process takes a little longer (see How To Ride a Recumbent).
Once you know how to ride, we encourage you to take advantage of our extended test rides. You can take any recumbent in the store out for a day or two, and ride it wherever you like (a fully refundable deposit is required).
If you'd like to come in for a test ride, please call us first. We'd hate for you to make the trip only to find out the model you're interested in is out on the road.

How To Ride a Recumbent Bike

When you first approach a recumbent bike, you might feel like you'd never get a hang of riding it. Try it anyway. Many people are able to ride one with very little practice, others need to practice for a while before they can get it going.

The staff of Rapid Transit Cycleshop have been helping people ride recumbents for many years. Here are few things we've learned that make the process easier.

• If you are insecure about trying a recumbent, choose a model with a lower crank position (your feet below the level of your hips when you are seated on the bike) for your maiden voyage. You may also want to choose a route where you will not attract a large audience.
• Have the bike shop staff adjust the seat slightly closer to the  steering column that you would normally need.
• Before starting, make sure the bike is in a moderately easy gear.
• Sit on the bike and immediately squeeze the brakes. This will keep the bike steady until you are ready to go.
• Relax your back against the seat, and relax your shoulders and arms, allowing your hands to rest on the handlebar.
• Position one foot at the top of the pedal stroke (12 o'clock), so you can push of and have momentum right away (recumbents are least stable at low speeds).
• Take a moment to relax, and then you are ready, simultaneously release the brakes and push off with your top foot.
• Do not be discouraged by a couple of false starts.

Why Ride A Recumbent?

Why do we sell recumbents? Who would want one? And why (especially given their price)?!
Well, we have been selling them for close to fourteen years largely because ... nobody else around here does. The market for recumbents is quite small, but because Rapid Transit is one of very few shops in the greater Chicago area that carries them, we pull customers from far and wide.

The market is saturated with look-alike bikes. Recumbents provide a healthy dose of excitement, both for the customers, and for us. Recumbents allow us to fill the needs of those customers who would not be well-served by a standard upright bike. We are approached by people who are older, who have had to give up cycling because of back or other injuries, or who cannot get comfortable on a standard bike for reasons of their own.
But let me dispel the notion that recumbents are for the aged and infirm. The main reason our customers are attracted to recumbents is because they combine good ergonomics and high performance with spectacular success. Recumbents are not clunky (OK, some are, but making a generalization would be like saying that upright bikes are clunky because you know cruisers are).
They can be quite fast. (For examples of top speeds, click here and here.) Although the top speed potential varies from model to model, and is highly dependent on the rider, all recumbents offer an aerodynamic edge. You slice into the wind with your feet rather than your torso, thus minimizing wind resistance. Although you can't stand up on the pedals to crank a recumbent to top speed, you can brace your back firmly against the seat, and achieve a similar result. And all the while you can enjoy the scenery without straining your neck.

(drawing by Gary Varvel)

Who rides recumbents? Several of our most dedicated recumbent customers have been folks were over 70. The youngest person to ever buy one from us was 14. But, in general, recumbent enthusiasts represent a pretty broad range of the population.
And the price? Most recumbents are not cheap, but they are also not cheaply made. Many of the ones we sell are hand-made in the US. They cannot be easily mass-produced. A lot of thought and care goes into the frame design, which has to be complemented with carefully chosen components and accessories.
Here are some ideas from Lightning Cycle Dynamics about offsetting the initial high cost of a recumbent:
The average cost of operating a car is about 50 cents per mile (VERY conservative and somewhat dated statistic, but, hey, let's use it). If you ride your recumbent 2000 a year (that's ONLY 5.5 miles per day), you are saving $1000. In two years, you recumbent has paid for itself. After that, it's actually making you money!