How Can the Road Bike be Improved??

My first recumbent:2002 FlyingFurniture PBP Special When I started randonneuring in 2002 I was riding a very second-hand upright bike built up from a frame acquired from a pawn shop fitted out with parts from what I had available under my house. It had served me well, having been used as my daily commuter and…

I could not agree more with Pamela Blalock who says: “A good brevet bike is one you use on a brevet with little or no hassle or pain. This means the bike is: reliable and comfortable has enough storage capacity that you can carry what you need for the distance and conditions (including clothes and…

I first spotted the Toxy ZR online in about 2005 and commissioned a friend to make me  a similar machine but it never really handled satisfactorily. It was decidedly scary at speed.

Geared recumbents , as distinct from early front-drivers , first appeared in the 1890s, soon after the pneumatic-tired safety bicycle. See Early Recumbents Jan Heine has discovered recumbents. “While the racing world outlawed recumbents soon after Francis Faure set an hour record on a recumbent in 1933, cyclotourists and randonneurs couldn’t have cared less about what the Union Cycliste…

“Crank length is part of a system of hinges and levers that must operate in the larger context of an individual’s biomechanics. Longer cranks increased flexion and the range of movement required at both the hip and knee. Where there is indecision, cyclists should opt for a shorter crank to reduce the risk of injury….