Compared to the earliest bikes, today’s road bikes represent a quantum leap in both design and engineering.
How much room is there for improvement?
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A Complete History of the Recumbent Bicycle
Byduncan
A fascinating look at the development of recumbents.Did you know geared recumbents first appeared in the 1890s, soon after the safety bicycle appeared? A book by Tony Hadland and Hans-Erhard Lessing provides more details than I have seen before. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/a-complete-illustrated-history-of-the-recumbent-bicycle/
Deja Vous
This was my first recumbent, on which I completed PBP in 2003. The handling was excellent but the narrow high-pressure tyres gave it a harsh ride on rough roads and was almost impossible to ride on unsealed surfaces. The tailbox helped streamline the bike and also provided a large storage space which, along with the…
Toxy ZR
I picked this up at SPEZI 2013 in Germany whilst travelling with my wife for a nearby conference. I first spotted the 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 and I lost confidence in it. My wife decided to…
Another Sub-$600 Electric Drivetrain
Archer Components seems to be delivering on the Xshifter promises: “The D1x Trail Shifter transforms nearly any mechanical 1x drivetrain into a high performance electronic shifting machine. This is retrofit electronic shifting. The bike you rode today could be digitally tuned and shifting smooth tomorrow.”
Performer FWD Lowracer
Spot the changes 2011 2012 2018
Recumbents
A recumbent bicycle places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Recumbents come in many different sizes and configurations usually with either two or threes wheels. Most recumbents are rear-wheel-drive but there are many FWD models available. A well designed recumbent is far more comfortable than an upright bike; the rider’s weight is distributed comfortably over a…