Giant CT 102 Urban Commuter Bike

In previous posts I spoke of converting my Giant CT 102 Urban Commuter Bike into a DIY LWB Mid Racer, Low Racer, or FWD Delta Trike.

An alternative might be the following DIY FWD Low Rider Conversions by Robert Horn, of Englewood, Colorado, USA.

Robert Horn’s Super Chopper
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22701&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=0

Very few DIY bike designs are as ingenious as these F’Lowroller variants. They are remarkable for their economy of design, and deserve greater recognition and exposure than they have gotten.

They are clearly superior to many better known DIY bike designs that call for the fabrication of many components from scratch. They require only one donor bike, not two or even more. They ingeniously move the bottom bracket / chainstays / rear wheel to the front, and the front fork / front wheel to the rear. The original handlebars can be reused as well. Waste not, want not.

They are more aesthetically pleasing than many DIY bike designs, which often look very “ghetto.” The F’Lowroller variants look futuristic and elegant — almost like factory prototypes debuted at an industrial design expo by some big name bike manufacturer.

Robert Horn’s New F’Lowroller
http://bikerodnkustom3.homestead.com/gallery291.html

Robert Horn’s F’Lowroller
http://bikerodnkustom3.homestead.com/gallery167.html

See: ROHORN Mind Expanding Cycles
http://www.rohorn.com/

Giant CT 102 Urban Commuter Bike

In previous posts I spoke of converting my Giant CT 102 Urban Commuter Bike into either a DIY LWB (Long Wheelbase) Mid Racer or Low Racer

An alternative might be the following DIY Front Wheel Drive Delta Trikes.

These trikes are exceptionally easy to construct. Their front drive / rear steering configuration is simplicity itself. It obviates the need for either the complex steering geometry normally found on the front wheels of tadpole trikes, or the custom made hubs normally found on the rear wheels of Rear Wheel Drive Delta Trikes.

Homebuilt Recumbent Trike, by Charlie Little of Mansfield, Arkansas, USA
http://www.manytracks.com/Recumbent/clittle.htm

Front Wheel Drive Delta Trike, by Bill “Yoda” Irvine of Phoenix, Arizona, USA
http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/eliasohn/bill_irvine.htm

Front wheel drive and three speeds, rear wheel steering, owner uses it to commute five to six miles daily

Minnesota HPVA FWD Ice Racers
http://members.bitstream.net/~dkrafft/icebike/icerace.html
http://members.bitstream.net/~dkrafft/icebike/icerace.html

These ingenious ice trikes simply flip the rear triangle of a DF bike upside down. Presto! Instant FWD assembly for delta ice trike. Equally applicable to delta street trike, such as the ones shown above.

Lean Steer Recumbent Trikes, by Robert Horn of Englewood, Colorado, USA
http://www.rohorn.com/

These are not quite as easy to build. Therefore I would probably not attempt to build them. But they are beautiful looking trikes well worth studying for their ingenious lean steer design.

2003 Version

2007 Version

Giant CT 102 Urban Commuter Bike

In a previous post I spoke of converting my Giant CT 102 Urban Commuter Bike into a DIY LWB (Long Wheelbase) Mid Racer.

An alternative might be the following DIY LWB Low Racers.

These LWB low racers are constructed with a single length of straight tubing. A number of builders have used 1.5″ x 1.5″ x 0.125″ (3.8cm x 3.8cm x 0.3cm) square steel tubing. This single section of mild steel tubing connects the bottom bracket to the rear triangle, and forms the main chassis of the bike. Relatively little fabrication and welding is required.

On a LWB Low Racer the cyclist is seated very low to the ground, almost as low as on a tadpole trike. The low seating height minimizes injuries in the event of a spill.

Leo’s Big Low Rider
http://www.manytracks.com/Recumbent/leonardi.htm#bikes

Homba’s Long Wheelbase Low Racer Recumbent Bicycle
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-long-wheelbase-low-racer-recumbent-bicycle/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVqNFPh32w4&feature=player_embedded
http://homsher.com/bike/mantis/img/

Head tube

Head tube

Remote head tube with steering linkage

Remote head tube with steering linkage

View from Cockpit

1.5″ x 1.5″ x 0.125″ square steel main chassis tube, welded to bottom bracket

Seat Back Support

Underside of seat and chain idler

Bolted connection between chainstays and main chassis

Three years ago I bought a Giant CT 102 Urban Commuter Bike. Now that I am forsaking upright bikes for recumbent bikes, I am seriously considering converting it to a DIY LWB (Long Wheelbase) Mid Racer.

Doing so would put the seat height dramatically lower than it is now, making the bike far safer in the event of a spill.

If I do go ahead, I will convert it to something similar to the following DIY LWB Mid Racers.

Recumbent Share Archive
http://www.manytracks.com/Recumbent/RecumbentShare.htm
Recycled Recumbents
http://sites.google.com/site/recycledrecumbents/home
Atomic Zombies Extreme Machines
http://www.atomiczombie.com/gallery/lwbbents1.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GobWsort58A&feature=related

Bill Meacham’s Aluminum Recumbent, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Louis’s Homebuilt Recumbent, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Brian Bolton’s Yellow LWB, Canada

Rob Szymanski’s Recycle, USA

Steve’s Tourmaster, USA

Joey Wallace’s Black Widow, USA

Larry’s Yellow Bent, Canada

Dan Peterson’s Green Machine, USA

The above DIY LWB Mid Racer Recumbents are variations on the DIY Atomic Zombie TourMaster, shown below.

Atomic Zombie DIY TourMaster LWB Mid Racer, Three Views

The Atomic Zombie TourMaster is a variation on the Easy Racers Gold Rush of 1986, which won the DuPont Prize and set a world speed record as the first bicycle to exceed 65 mph.

Easy Racers Gold Rush LWB Mid Racer

The Easy Racers Gold Rush in turn, is a variation on the Jarvis Bicycle of 1902.

Jarvis Bicycle of 1902, possibly the first LWB Mid Racer Recumbent

As the saying goes, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

Performer has just introduced a new model, the Performer Low Racer COMP Limited Edition
http://www.performer.com.tw/2010/user/product_2.php?wp=05&sno=00377

The company website provides three photos of the bike, but no data.

The photos indicate that it has disc brakes instead of calipers, and a different wheelset than the Low Racer Caliper. The front tire in particular, appears much wider than the 20×1 tire on the Low Racer Caliper.

Update as of March 10, 2011, by company representative George:
Low Racer COMP Limited Edition
alloy frame with alloy fork (carbon fork not strong enough for disc brakes) / SRAM Attack shifter / Shimano XT rear derailleur / Truvativ Elita 52/39/30 crank 170 mm integrated / 11-34 cogset / sealed bearing wheelset / Avid BB5 disc brakes / Kenda K193 20×1.25 (32-406) 100 psi front / Kenda K193 26×1.25 (32-559) 100 psi rear / 1060 gm FRP seat standard / 620 gm CF seat optional 6000 NT
MSRP 42,500 NTD

It also has a slick red, white, and black color scheme, strikingly similar to that on the Giant Rapid 3 Sport Bike, rather than the monochrome color scheme of the Low Racer Caliper.

Bikes vs. Trikes

I recently decided to switch from uprights to recumbents. My first choice for a recumbent was a SWB low racer.

Upright Bike, Diamond Frame (DF) Configuration, possibly a Felt

In a previous article I outlined my reasons for choosing a SWB low racer. The primary reason of course, was seating height. On a SWB low racer, one sits only 36 cm or so off the ground, depending on the make and model one is looking at.

Recumbent Bike, SWB Configuration, Performer Low Racer Caliper
http://www.performer.com.tw/2010/user/product_2.php?wp=05&sno=00067

But after I posted that article, a couple of experienced bent riders suggested that rather than switch from upright bikes to recumbent bikes, I should consider making an even more radical switch, from upright bikes to recumbent trikes.

Recumbent Trike, Tadpole Configuration, Performer JC-70 CM Sports Trike
http://www.performer.com.tw/2010/user/product_2.php?wp=05&sno=00059
http://www.flyingfurniture.com.au/shop/product/performer-sports-trike-cromoly-jc-70-cm-27-speed

They suggested that although my injuries might be milder falling from a recumbent bike than from an upright bike, that I should avoid injuries altogether, by switching directly to recumbent trikes.

They may have a point.

Geometry 101a

As anyone who ever took a basic geometry course in high school knows, two points determine a line, and three points determine a plane.

Two points determine a line

Three points determine a plane

What does this have to do with cycling safety?

Why everything.

Bikes: Two Point Support

The reason bikes fall over, is that they are supported at only two points, the front and rear wheel contact patches. Therefore if either of the two contact patches experiences a sudden loss of traction, the bike falls sideways and unceremoniously dumps its rider on the ground.

Please note that I am addressing only falls resulting from a loss of tire traction on the pavement. In a lifetime of bike riding I have never fallen because I “lost my balance.” Therefore that is not an issue for me.

As I pointed out in great length in my previous article, “From Wedgies to Bents,” a bike rider’s injuries will be far greater falling from a “conventional” upright bike, than from an “unconventional” recumbent bike.

This is especially true if the upright bike rider is taller than average in height, and must set his seat at a considerable height above the ground for proper leg extension. My own DF seat height must be set a full meter above the ground. Had I been riding a SWB low racer during my recent spills, my injuries would have been trivial by comparison.

This was true when I wrote it yesterday, and it is just as true today.

Trikes: Three Point Support

But what if one could avoid falling altogether? What if instead of merely minimizing one’s injuries from a fall, one could eliminate injuries altogether, by not falling in the first place?

How would one go about avoiding falls completely?

The only way to do so, would be to switch from bikes to trikes, rather than from bikes to bikes.

As noted earlier, the reason bikes fall over, is that bikes are supported at only two points, the front and rear tire patches. Therefore if traction is suddenly lost at either of these two contact points, the bike falls sideways and dumps the rider unceremoniously on the ground.

This can never happen on a trike. The reason a trike can never fall over, is that trikes are supported at three points, at all three front and rear tire patches. Therefore if traction is suddenly lost any of these three contact points, a trike will not fall sideways. The trike may skid sideways, but it will remain upright.

Trikes: Rollovers are Possible

The only time a trike will not remain upright, is when it changes direction so abruptly that it “trips” sideways on one of its wheels and rolls over. A trike cannot fall over, but it can trip over. The bad news is that this is possible.

The good news is that even when it does happen, the recumbent triker is still better off than the upright biker.

The recumbent triker falls from a seat only 23 cm or so above the ground.

The upright biker, on the other hand, falls from a seat a 100 cm above the ground. What’s worse, the upright biker’s shoulders and head are situated another 50 cm above the seat, i.e., a whopping 150 cm above the ground.

The difference between falling 23 cm and falling 150 cm may mean all the difference in the world.

Convenience Issues

Another consideration is convenience. Unfortunately a tadpole trike would probably be less convenient than a SWB low racer bike.

I live several stories up in a multistory condo. I’m not sure how convenient it would be to schlep a tadpole trike up and down a cramped elevator. I suppose I could tilt it up vertically on its single rear wheel, while pressing the two front wheels against the rear wall of the elevator.

This maneuver would probably be easier with a SWB low racer bike than with a tadpole trike. A SWB low racer bike is narrower and lighter. It could probably be tilted up vertically on its rear wheel more easily than a wider and heavier tadpole trike.

It might even be easier with a delta trike. A delta trike has two rear wheels. Tilting a delta trike up vertically on its two rear wheels, while pressing the single front wheel against the rear wall of the elevator would probably be easier.

A narrow SWB low racer bike would probably be easier to ride through narrow alleys crowded with pedestrians than either a tadpole or delta trike. I would be less likely to find myself backed up in traffic on a SWB low racer bike, than on either a tadpole or delta trike.

Further investigation is needed.

Where Does that Leave Me?

So where does that leave me?

Basically it leaves me at “Let’s wait and see.”

I am still recovering from the soft tissue trauma to my left knee. I am still giving the suspected fracture in my left scapula time to heal. Several months of physical therapy are still required. I have plenty of time to mull over my next step regarding “human powered vehicles.”

My decision to cease riding “conventional” DF bikes has already been made. That decision is firm. My days of DF riding are over.

My decision to begin riding “unconventional” recumbents has also been made. That decision is also firm. My days of recumbent riding are about to begin.

The only question that remains now, is “Recumbent bikes, or recumbent trikes?”

Performer Low Racer Caliper, a SWB low racer
http://www.performer.com.tw/2010/user/product_2.php?wp=05&sno=00067

Performer JC-70 CM, a tadpole sports trike
http://www.performer.com.tw/2010/user/product_2.php?wp=05&sno=00059
Similar model, reviewed by Utah Trikes
http://www.utahtrikes.com/TRIKE-PERFJOURNEY.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXwcywqv8yY

Perhaps one of each?

Microbent CLWB Recumbent, by Fred Fincher, USA

The Most Ingenious DIY Bike I’ve Ever Seen
by Bevin Chu
Taipei, China
February 10, 2011

Lately I’ve been surfing the web for DIY bike designs.

I have a 26″ diamond frame urban commuter that I would like to convert into a LWB mid racer recumbent, along the lines of the Easy Racers Javelin or Rans X-stream 26.

But as I surfed the web, I stumbled across the above compact long wheelbase (CLWB) recumbent, converted from a diamond frame child’s bike.

It has relatively little to do with my own DIY conversion requirements. But it is perhaps the most ingenious DIY conversion I’ve ever seen, and therefore useful as a source of inspiration.

What makes this particular DIY conversion so ingenious?

1. This DIY conversion makes full use of the existing bike design. Rather than laboriously fabricate new parts in a machine shop, it makes full use of every part already on the bike.

2. The crank assembly, for example, is merely a section of EMT, welded to the head tube. It extends forward along the axis of the top tube, just far enough to accommodate the rider’s legs.

3. The seat bottom rests directly on the top tube, and is the exact same length as the top tube. The seat back begins exactly where the top tube and seat tube meet. The seat back supporting struts attach to the existing rear luggage rack attachment points. The seat back, seat stays, and seat back supporting struts form a perfect triangle.

4. The USS (under seat steering) solution is perhaps the most ingenious feature of all. The builder simply welded two pieces of EMT onto the front fork, creating handlebars for direct steering. Because the DIY conversion uses a child’s bike that is short in overall length, the handlebars fall directly below the rider’s hands. This eliminates the need for any complex steering mechanism. No muss, no fuss.

5. The DIY conversion requires only a single donor bike. No need to accumulate two or even more donor bikes before beginning the conversion process. Everything on the single donor bike is used. Nothing is wasted.

6. Because the DIY conversion uses a child’s bike, the completed bike is low to the ground. This makes it safe in the event of a spill. The rider sits a mere foot or so above the ground.

Barbara Buatois and her Performer Low Racer, at the Finish Line for the 2010 Race Across AMerica (RAAM) in Annapolis, MD

Recumbent Highs and Lows
by Bevin Chu
Taipei, Republic of China
February 5, 2011

I recently penned an article on recumbent bicycles, entitled “From Wedgies to Bents.” In it I explained why I was abandoning traditional diamond frame bicycles, and moving to recumbents.

In this article, entitled “Recumbent Highs and Lows,” I share my personal views on the relative merits of high racers, mid racers, and low racers; and explain why the SWB low racer is the recumbent of choice for me.

Recumbents are commonly classified according to two criteria.

The first is bicycle length. Recumbents are classified as either short wheelbase (SWB) or long wheelbase (LWB).

The second is bicycle height. Recumbents are classified as either high racer, mid racer, or low racer.

In theory, 2 x 3 = 6 configurations are possible. In practice, only three configurations have gained commercial appeal.

Those three are:

SWB high racers such as the Bachetta Corsa
LWB mid racers such as the Rans X-stream
SWB low racers such as the Optima Baron

SWB High Racers

Bachetta Corsa, SWB high racer 700C/700C, seat height 26.25″ (67 cm)
http://www.bacchettabikes.com/bikes/performance-bikes/corsa

The frame of the SWB high racer is simplicity itself. It is a perfectly straight tube. One can hardly get any simpler than that. As a result, the SWB high racer is as light as it can possibly be. The chainline is also as straight as it can possibly be. It is any wonder SWB high racers such as the Bachetta and Carbent have so may devotees?

Alas, they are not my cup of tea. Why? Because I have no desire to fall a full 67 cm before hitting the concrete pavement below.

LWB Mid Racers

Rans X-stream 26, LWB mid racer 559/559, seat height 20.5-21″ (52-53 cm)
http://www.ransbikes.com/Xstream_26-N.htm

Next to the SWB low racer, the LWB mid racer is my favorite bicycle configuration. The LWB mid racer positions the rider’s buttocks close to the ground, but by keeping his back relatively straight, positions his head reasonably high off the ground, providing him with an excellent view of the road around him.

I would buy a Rans X-stream 26 in a flash, if only it would fit into my condo elevator. The biggest drawback of the LWB mid racer is its sheer size. LWB mid racers are 8 feet long behemoths! If one wants a LWB mid racer, one really needs to live on the ground floor or have a garage.

SWB Low Racers

Optima Baron, SWB low racer 20″/26″, seat height 13.5″ (34 cm)
http://www.optimabikes.com/optima-baron.html

For me, the SWB low racer is the most desirable of all bike configurations.

The biggest obstacle to sustained speed on a bicycle is air resistance. The SWB low racer configuration minimizes air resistance. That makes the SWB low racer the fastest of all bike configurations, bar none. For sheer adrenaline pumping speed, nothing else comes close. Not just downhill, but even on flats or gentle rollers. Except when climbing, the SWB low racer simply leaves other bikes in the dust.

But for me blinding speed is merely icing on the cake. Some SWB low racer owners barrel down steep mountain roads at speeds approaching 100 kph. I have no intention of doing anything so reckless.

For me, the main attraction of the SWB low racer is not maximum speed, but maximum safety, specifically during a fall.

As I noted in “From Wedgies to Bents,” as long as one rides a bicycle, one will eventually fall. The question is not whether. The question is when.

And when one falls, the severity of one’s injuries will be directly proportional to one’s height above the ground. The cyclist who has positioned himself low to the ground before he falls, will minimize his injuries when the eventual fall occurs.

The SWB low racer may be the most practical configuration for many condominium dwellers, who must schlep their bicycles up and down building elevators.

A Fundamentally Flawed Automobile Design 

Imagine that you had designed a performance sports car that contained a fundamental design flaw. What would you do? Change it and eradicate the flaw forever? Or would you persist for the next 50 or so years in making the best of the bad design?

You would have probably gone for the first option. If you had gone for the second then you would probably now be producing a car like the Porsche Carrera 4S – for indeed, that is exactly what German performance sports car manufacturer Porsche did.

Stemming from the Porsche’s first sports car, and the first car Porsche produced in it’s own right – the Porsche 356 – the Porsche 911 has maintained the basic “rear-engine, rear-wheel drive” layout concept that is a basic flaw in any car design, let alone a high performance sports car.

From “Porsche – A Performance and Sports Car Legend”
http://www.germansportscars.com/porsche.htm

The “classic” rear engine, rear wheel drive Porsche is a fundamentally flawed automobile design.

The engine should never have been positioned behind the rear axle in the first place. A tail heavy, rear engine, rear wheel drive automobile is like an arrow that has been launched backwards, with the fletching in front, and the arrowhead in back. The arrowhead naturally tries to get out front, and will do so at the very first opportunity.

Oversteer, the bane of tail heavy, rear engine, rear wheel drive automobiles such as the Porsche, VW Beetle, and Chevrolet Corvair

A Fundamentally Flawed Bicycle Design

By the same token, the conventional upright bicycle is a fundamentally flawed design. The conventional diamond frame bicycle positions the rider vertically, in an upright position, above the pedals, maximizing the risk of injury in the event of a fall.

Conventional Upright Layout is Vertical

           /head
           |
           |
    seat/buttocks
           |
           |
pedals/feet

Sabrina Bianchi, Second Place Finisher in 2010 RAAM, on a Diamond Frame Road Bike, possibly a Felt

By contrast, the recumbent, an inherently safer design, positions the rider horizontally, in a reclining position, behind the pedals, minimizing the risk of injury in the event of a fall.

Unconventional Recumbent Layout is Horizontal

pedals/feet — seat/buttocks — headrest/head

Barbara Buatois, First Place Finisher in 2010 RAAM, on a Factory Custom SWB Performer Low Racer Recumbent

Bicycles: Mechanical Analogs of the Horse?

So how did the upright layout for bicycles come about in the first place? Why was the rider positioned vertically, above the pedal, diamond frame style, instead of horizontally, behind the pedal, recumbent style?

Mongol Warrior

A good guess would be that primitive bicycles were mechanical analogs of the horse. Their designers probably had mental images of horses and riders dancing in their heads. In fact, primitive bicycles were referred to as “hobby horses.” In China, bicycles are colloquially referred to as “tie ma” or “iron horses.”

Pedestrian Curricle, better known as a “Hobby Horse”

It is not surprising that early bicycle designers put riders astride their creations in the same position as equestrians astride their horses.

That said, other bicycle designers were already “thinking outside the box.” This early recumbent, circa 1902, was obviously the direct ancestor of today’s Easy Racers and Rans LWB mid racers. Not all bicycle designers were mental prisoners, trapped within the upright bicycle paradigm.

Early Recumbent, circa 1902, designed by one H. Jarvis

Easy Racers Ti-Rush LWB mid racer, note the uncanny similarity to Jarvis’ design

Time for a Fundamental Change

The rear engine, rear wheel drive Porsche, and the conventional diamond frame bicycle, are fundamentally flawed vehicle designs that ought to be replaced by fundamentally sounder, inherently safer designs.

The rear engine, rear wheel drive automobile layout should be replaced by the front engine, rear wheel drive layout; mid engine, rear wheel drive layout; or other, more fundamentally sound layout.

The conventional diamond frame bicycle layout should be replaced by the LWB mid racer layout; SWB low racer layout; or other, more fundamentally sound layout.

From Wedgies to Bents
by Bevin Chu
Taipei, China
January 27, 2011

The Decision

I recently decided to switch from “wedgies” to “bents,” i.e., from conventional diamond frame bicycles to recumbent bicycles. The move will be permanent. The move will be one way. I do not intend to ride conventional diamond frame bikes, ever again.

The Reason

What drove me to such a drastic decision?

The short answer is, two bad spills on a conventional diamond frame bike, less than half a year apart. The first spill necessitated three months of physical therapy. The second, which occurred only two weeks ago, will probably necessitate an even lengthier period of physical therapy.

It’s a shame, really. Under different circumstances, such a decision would not have been necessary.

The fact is I rode conventional diamond frame bikes most of my life, with nary a mishap. I never took any spills because I was riding on First World street surfaces, in major cities such as Washington, DC, Houston, New York, and Los Angeles.

Neither of the two spills I took recently had anything to do with riding skill. In neither case did I “lose my balance.” Yes, I am considerably older than I was in junior high school. Yes, I have slowed down quite a bit, thank you very much. But I can still track stand until the light turns green with no problem.

No, the spills were caused not by pilot error, but by Taiwan’s woefully substandard street surfaces.

Both times I was riding in a straight line at walking speed. Both times the front tire skidded sideways and dropped me on the pavement in a split second. Far too fast to react.

The first spill was caused by an abnormally low “curb” only two centimeters high. My front tire glanced against this nearly invisible “curb” and abruptly skidded sideways. A split second later I was down. I fell on my right side and injured my right knee and right elbow. My right elbow swelled up grotesquely, necessitating three months of physical therapy.

This spill was followed by a second spill, less than half a year later. The second spill, which occurred only two weeks ago, was caused by glazed ceramic tiles on the sidewalk. My front wheel rolled onto the icy slick tiles, and immediately slipped sideways. A split second later, I was down. This time I fell on my left side and injured my left knee and left shoulder. This time my injuries were even more severe. My left knee swelled up to the size of a cantaloupe. X rays of my left scapula show a wavy horizontal line that is probably a fracture. The doctors are uncertain. The injuries will necessitate an even longer period of physical therapy.

Left Knee: No fracture, but considerable soft tissue trauma

Left Shoulder: Possible horizontal fracture in scapula

The second spill was for me, the final straw.

Diamond Frames: Not for Tall People

The conventional diamond frame bike design has an intrinsic defect: It is unsuitable for tall cyclists.

The conventional diamond frame bike positions the cyclist above the pedals. This means that a tall cyclist is forced to sit at a stratospheric height above the pedals. The tall cyclist may fall as much as two meters before impacting the unyielding street surface below. The damage inflicted to the tall cyclist’s bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles by a fall from that height, is not hard to imagine. As the saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

The World’s Tallest Man on a Conventional Diamond Frame Bicycle

A fall from a diamond frame is a fall from a stepladder

The recumbent bike, especially the low racer recumbent, minimizes the probability of such serious injury, through intelligent design. Instead of positioning the cyclist above the pedals, the recumbent bike positions the cyclist behind the pedals. The cyclist is not forced to sit precariously high above the ground. Instead he stretches himself out comfortably, horizontally, behind the pedals.

In the event of a spill on low racer recumbent, even a tall cyclist falls less than half a meter before impacting the pavement. The difference between falling two meters and falling less than half a meter, may mean the difference between a fractured scapula and a mild case of road rash.

Barbara Buatois on her race winning MIT (Made in Taiwan) Performer Low Racer Caliper

A fall from a low rider is a fall from a beach chair

Diamond Frames: Tomorrow’s Penny Farthings?

Yesterday, penny farthings were viewed as “normal” bicycles. Diamond frame bicycles, a novelty, were known as “safety bicycles” because they allowed the cyclist to sit closer to the ground.

Fall from a Penny Farthing

Today, penny farthings are viewed as quaint relics of the past. Diamond frames are viewed as “normal” bicycles, as “real” bicycles. Recumbents are viewed as oddities, ridden only by 50 something geeks with goatees. But recumbents are for all intents and purposes today’s “safety bicycles,” because they allow the cyclist to sit even closer to the ground than diamond frames.

Fall from a “Safety Bicycle” or Diamond Frame

Caption: WHAT’S IN A NAME? Old Gent (lately bitten with the Craze). “And that confounded man sold me the thing for a safety!”

Tomorrow, will recumbents be viewed as “normal” bicycles? Will diamond frames be viewed as quaint relics of the past, alongside penny farthings? Stranger things have happened.

Evolution according to Wedgie Advocates

Evolution According to Bent Advocates

Speaking for myself, the answer is clear. I was once unfamiliar with recumbents. I had no idea what they were. But once they caught my attention, I had to find out.

So I researched them. I compared them to conventional diamond frames, point by point. It was soon  clear that next to the recumbent, the diamond frame was a hopelessly outdated design configuration.

The diamond frame ought to be replaced by the recumbent, asap, for the same reason that the penny farthing was replaced by the “safety bicycle.”

The Bent: A Better Design that is Paradoxically Easier to Build

Compare the frame of a short wheelbase (SWB) recumbent with the frame of a conventional diamond frame upright.

The frame of a SWB recumbent is the essence of simplicity. It is hard to imagine anything simpler. It is nothing more than a single tube with three bends. A hole near one end forms the head tube. A split at the other end forms the chain stays. The result is a conceptually elegant, technically sophisticated design safer, more ergonomic, and more aerodynamic than any diamond frame one can imagine.

Frame of a SWB Recumbent

The frame of a conventional diamond frame upright, by contrast, is a complex assembly consisting of eight separate tubes that must be precisely held in place and laboriously joined together. The result is technically obsolete, less safe than a recumbent, and is the antithesis of ergonomic comfort and aerodynamic efficiency.

Frame of Diamond Frame Upright

The only thing the diamond frame has going for it, is familiarity and force of habit. They only thing the recumbent has going against it, is unfamiliarity and a lack of knowledge.

Bents are Wedgies Turned 90 Degrees

On the other hand, conceptually speaking, the recumbent bike is merely a conventional diamond frame bike rotated 90 degrees.

Take a wedgie, which is configured like this:

/head
|
seat/buttocks
|
bb/feet

With the bottom bracket (bb) as rotational center, rotate it 90 degrees clockwise, like this:

bb/feet — seat/buttocks — headrest/head

And you have a bent!

Therefore much of the emotional resistance to bents is really unnecessary.

My Diamond Frame Past

When I was in junior high, my dad bought me my first bike, a discount store “English Racer” with upright handlebars, full metal fenders, three speed Sturmey Archer gears, and dual handbrakes.

In senior high I bought a discount store 10 speed with downtube shifters and centerpull brakes.

A year before graduating from college I bought a Peugeot PX 10.

A decade later I bought a Pinarello 10 speed with Campy derailleurs, downtube shifters, and centerpull brakes.

Three years ago I bought an entry level Giant urban commuter. I deliberately chose a cheap bike so I wouldn’t have to worry about theft.

Substandard Street Surfaces and Diamond Frame Bikes: An Unacceptable Combination

Woefully substandard street surfaces are one thing. Defects inherent in the conventional diamond frame design are another.

When I rode conventional diamond frame bikes in the US and Canada, street surfaces were consistent and predictable. Because the street surfaces never precipitated any spills, the defects in the conventional diamond frame bike design were never an issue. After all, as long as a cyclist never falls, potential injuries remain just that, potential.

But after moving to Taiwan, the woefully substandard street surfaces here have made this defect in the diamond frame design a very real issue. For this 187 cm (6′-1 1/2″) cyclist at least, the two add up to an unacceptable combination.

And since it is considerably easier for the Average Joe to switch bicycles than to persuade City Hall to repave the streets, the solution is clear. Stop riding wedgies, and start riding bents.

My Recumbent Future

I have now decided to sell my diamond frame urban commuter and buy a low racer recumbent.

I will probably buy the Performer Low Racer Caliper, a reasonably priced but high quality short wheelbase low racer made by Performer, a Taiwan based bike manufacturer. It is not the lightest low racer made, but at 11.9 kg (26 lbs) it is light enough. And I can always opt for the carbon fiber seat option to reduce the weight even more.

I looked at the highly praised Dutch low racers as well. Challenge, M5, Optima, Velokraft. But the prices were pretty high, several thousand Euros, more than I could justify spending. One bike, the Raptobike Low Racer, was very reasonably priced at 1100 Euros. But even though it was OEM’d over here, I would still have to pay a hefty import duty. This struck me as one of those times when it really does make more sense to shop locally.

Barbara Buatois on her factory modified Performer Low Racer. Notice the open cockpit with Superman handlebars instead of the stock praying mantis handlebars

Barbara Buatois with Performer Low Racer Caliper YouTube clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTFNd_iKPio

Performer Low Racer Caliper product homepage
http://www.performer.com.tw/2010/user/product_2.php?wp=05&sno=00067

Low Racer Caliper
alloy frame with carbon fork / SRAM Attack shifter / Shimano XT rear derailleur / Truvativ Elita 52/39/30 crank 170 mm integrated / 11-34 cogset / sealed bearing wheelset / TRP road brakes /
20×1.00 25-451 front / 700x23c 23-622 rear / 100 psi
MSRP 39,500 NTD

Performer Low Racer Caliper YouTube clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jDWJHK3LkY&feature=related
Performer Low Racer Folding Front Wheel Drive

Performer Low Racer variant, distributed by ActionBent

Are Low Racers “Too Low To Be Seen?”

I take exception to the claim that low racers are “too low to be seen,” and that riders of low racers have only themselves to blame if the driver of an SUV runs them down.

I’m talking of course about “conventional” low racers with seats approximately 36 cm off the ground, and not the ultralow one of a kind machines used to set speed records. Those have seats only a few centimeters off the ground.

Performer High Racer. Seat height is 51 cm. Note that rider’s head is higher than driver’s head in parked subcompact. Performer Low Racer seat height is 36 cm, or 15 cm lower

A “conventional” low racer is about the same height as many sports cars, wheelchairs, and diamond frame child bikes. The driver of an SUV can hardly argue that sports cars, wheelchairs, and children riding diamond frame child bikes are “too low to be seen.”

The driver of an SUV can hardly argue that drivers of low slung sports cars, users of wheelchairs, and children on diamond frame child bikes “were too low to be seen,” that they “took their lives in their own hands,” and wash his hands of responsibility for running them down.

The notion that the road belongs to automobile drivers alone, and that other road users are merely nuisances who ought to get out of their way, must go. Slow moving vehicles such as bikes must never be ridden on limited access superhighways. But all taxpayers have the right to use a nation’s surface roads.

Enjoy 121 Ergonomic Office Chair
by Bevin Chu
June 21, 2010

Several years ago I purchased a cheap, no name office chair at Costco for $1,300NTD ($40USD).

Yesterday, it finally gave up the ghost. The plastic backer for the padded seat back snapped in two.

So I sprung for the $7,000NTD ($220USD) Enjoy 121 Ergonomic Office Chair, Enterprise Edition, illustrated above and below. The company also makes a Deluxe Edition, which has more adjustments and sells for $12,000NTD ($380USD).

The Enjoy 121 is a mesh style ergonomic chair. It uses no foam rubber on either the seat or the seat back. It is patterned after the $38,000NTD ($1200USD) Herman Miller Aeron, the great grand daddy of mesh style ergonomic chairs.

Sure, for $7,000NTD I could have bought five of my previous chairs.

But to keep matters in perspective, I could have splurged and purchased an Aeron. For the price of a single Aeron I could have bought five Enjoy 121s, or 25 of my previous cheap, no name office chairs.

Viewed from that perspective, I feel downright frugal.

The Enjoy 121 Ergonomic Office Chair is comparatively cheap, but for me it’s more comfortable than any number of more expensive ergonomic office chairs.

That’s because I have a longer than average torso. When I sit in most chairs, my upper back is usually unsupported. If the chair features a headrest, it is usually not supporting my head, but jabbing me in the upper back. Nothing “ergonomic” about that!

I could have blindly thrown money at the problem, but how much money I was willing to plunk down really wasn’t the main issue. The main issue was that the seat backs on many ergonomic office chairs, even expensive ones, simply could not be raised high enough.

Not so the Enjoy 121. It has an exceptionally wide range of seat back adjustments, making it suitable for users as short as 160cm and as tall as 190cm.

Problem solved.

The Enjoy 121 Ergonomic Office Chair can be found behind the check-in counters and boarding gate counters at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), aka Chek Lap Kok Airport 赤鱲角機場, designed by famed British architect Norman Foster.

Presumably those charged with furnishing this world class air terminal with office chairs subjected them to a rigorous selection process before purchase.

FYI: I purchased my chair from Haw Jou System Furniture:
http://www.ergohuman.com.tw/index.php?m=0&t=9