Chicago Bike Blog

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.

Comfort Bikes

Naturally, we believe all bikes should be comfortable for their riders. However, some bikes are marketed as comfort bikes to a particular segment of the bike buying public. I believe that designers of these bikes have in mind a more casual rider, for whom the bike is largely a vehicle for occasional recreation, and not so much for daily commuting. It is assumed that such a person would not ride a bike unless it could be made supremely comfortable.

I use this generalization with some caution, because it is not mine. At Rapid Transit, we have many years of experience fitting cyclists to bicycles, and we find that very often commuters choose comfort bikes for their daily transportation. Comfort bikes offer an upright sitting position that many riders find, well, comfortable, because it takes the strain off the neck, shoulders, back, and eases the pressure off the groin area. With the head-up position, the rider may also enjoy a better view of surrounding traffic.

Here are some features typically found on a comfort bike:

Comfort bikes originally morphed from mountain bikes, and, like them, often come equipped with 26" wheels. However, comfort hybrids are also widely available, and offer very similar features, except they come with larger and narrower 700c wheels.

Rapid Transit has always advocated the use of recumbent bikes as the epitome of cycling comfort. However, both we and recumbent manufacturers realize that, at least for now, recumbents appeal to a relatively small cycling minority. Nevertheless, several years ago, a couple of recumbent makers (notably Rans Recumbents, and the now defunct Advanced Transportation Products) figured out that they could adapt the feet-forward position of a recumbent to a more upright bike, and possibly attract a wider following. They met with mixed success.

However, Electra Bikes, a successful manufacturer of cruiser bikes, picked up the idea and ran with it, creating a line of very comfortable and user-friendly flat-foot bikes. (Actually, I can't be certain if Electra designers did not come up with this idea on their own, but the recumbent companies were there first.)

Initially marketed under their Townie brand (in itself an indication that comfort bikes were being thought off as worthy commuters), but now expanded to include some of their cruisers, kids' bikes and the Amsterdam line, flat-foot bikes allow the rider seated on the bike to pedal with the feet slightly forward, providing good leg extension, while being able to plant the other foot flat on the ground.

Biking Destination: Boblo Island

No doubt you're familiar with Mackinac Island. But you may not be aware that practically next door to it is a much larger and virtually unknown Bois Blanc Island (known to the locals as Boblo).

It is worth pointing out that there are actually TWO Boblo islands, and both of them are officially called Bois Blanc. The other one is near Detroit, but actually part of Canada. (Click on the small map to enlarge.)

While the Canadian Boblo is the site of a former amusement park, and offers luxurious residential and tourist amenities, the Michigan Boblo is a different story. This is where you go to disappear...

What is there to do on Boblo? Nothing. No shopping (the only local store carries the barest of necessities), no golf, no nightlife. Nothing to do but dip your toes in the clearest water you've ever seen and watch the waves and the birds go by...

Scenes from island life

The island does have an unpaved road that travels its 35 mile perimeter. Well, almost. You can't get through by car. People do it with ATV's. But you can also do it with a mountain bike. The terrain is not very hilly, but it is bumpy and rocky (and occasionally even watery). You can ride through miles and miles of gorgeous birch woods, and never see a soul. There are several inland lakes and marshes with disused fire roads leading to them, and an old lighthouse on the northernmost point.

Boblo offers numerous and inexpensive cottage rentals, as well as rustic campsites, however purchasing supplies on the island is problematic. The general store carries only the most basic necessities. You will not be able to purchase food or water should you get stranded anywhere. There is also no known reliable map of Boblo's numerous and unmarked inland lanes. On the odd chance that you follow this tip and actually go there, go prepared.

Getting to Boblo:
Car and passenger ferry: Plaunt Transportation
Air: Hoffman Flying Service 231-627-3864

Other Boblo services: click here.

You may enjoy reading some other thoughts on disappearing.

Be your own cause

A young cyclist's senseless death in a traffic accident in Chicago. Our excessive reliance on the use of automobiles. Our society's dependence on foreign oil. Genetic manipulation of our food, and barbaric treatment of animals. Relentless materialism, even as wars, hunger and abject poverty plague huge numbers of people around the world. Unspeakable acts committed against human being by other human (?!) beings in the name of profit. Leagues of orphaned, desperately poor and enslaved children. The world run by corporate greed.

One thought leads to another, and you can't stop. I recently found comfort in the following quote by Barbara Kingsolver: "I believe our largest problems have grown from the earth's remotest corners as well as our own back yards, and that salvation may lie in those places, too." (emphasis added).

We cannot solve problems bigger than ourselves. Sure, we can, and should throw our energy behind causes we believe in, and support efforts to improve life on earth for everyone. But ultimately, we only have control over our own actions. If everyone's actions consistently mirrored their most closely held beliefs and values, how different would that world be from the one we currently inhabit?

Ryan Boudreau

Ryan Boudreau, a bicycle messenger for Dynamex, was fatally struck by a truck while on the job last Monday, August 13. Our thoughts and sympathy go out to Ryan's family, friends, and all who knew and will miss him.

Join the Chicago bike messenger community for a remembrance.

Wednesday 8/15 @ 7pm
Chicago Couriers Union Meeting, 1300 N. Western (in back). Remember Ryan and discuss plans for Friday, Monday, and beyond.

Friday 8/17 @ 6:30 pm
Meet at Skylark (Cermak & Halsted) for a vigil and a memorial ride to the site of Ryan's death (18th & Clark). Bring Flowers & Candles.

Monday 8/20
Possible work stoppage during the afternoon, with press releases sent out to courier companies, clients, and the public

Kindred Spirits in San Francisco

Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw this sight in San Francisco!

Bike'n Roll is part of a bike rental, and repair chain, plus they also run tours of the Golden Gate Bridge by bike. At this location in North Beach, when a problematic repair bike was abandoned at their store, they decided to put it to creative use. (BTW, Rapid Transit's bike is an old stingray from a childhood friend.)

May the bikes fly!

Staff Bikes: Justyna

You may have noticed a certain bike showing up over and over again in the photos on this site. That's my bike. It obliges me by being always at hand, easy to photograph, and, if I may say so myself, fairly photogenic.

When I was in college, I had a Huffy Santa Fe ten-speed ladies' bike. It looked good. It was cheap. I didn't know any better. After all, a bike was a bike. I don't think I had ever even been to a bike shop. The bike came from a department store, and my dad assembled it for me. I rode it occasionally between my dorm and campus, using a cheap combination lock to secure it.
Then, someone told me bike theft was rampant in Chicago, and encouraged me to buy a U-lock. For the first time in my life, I went into a BIKE STORE.  Art's Cycle in Hyde Park, as a matter of fact. The salesman showed me a Citadel lock (no longer made, and a darn shame!) and showed me how to use it. I was scandalized that the lock cost $35, more than half the price of the bike (note that lock prices have not skyrocketed since the mid-eighties, when this story takes place).
After college, I met Chris, who was a bike messenger. He was also a bit of a bike snob. Not that he rode anything special, but he aspired to a much better bike. Chris eventually got a job at Turin bike shop in Evanston, where he could purchase bikes at an employee discount. Turin carried the now-defunct Bridgestone brand. Though I was not as avid a cyclist as Chris, I let myself be talked into a Bridgestone MB3 mountain bike. I probably agreed to it largely because I thought the $700 purchase (discounted for an employee to $444) would cement our relationship. It was spring of 1989.
That bike turned me into a cyclist. I rode it everywhere: school, lakefront, store, downtown. Later, when I moved to the north side, I'd ride with Chris to his job downtown, and back to my house for exercise. I rode it to work in River North. I rode from my apartment at Montrose to Hyde Park and back. I rode to my parents' on the far northwest side. After getting married, Chris and I went on a 4-week trip with our Bridgestones on the roof of a rental car, and I got to ride my bike in Wyoming, Oregon, California, Arizona and Colorado. I rode it on shorter trips to Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Riding our bikes in Palos Hills one scorching summer day, we decided to open a bike shop. I think I got my money's worth.
It is now 2007, and I still have my MB3. It seems heavy by today's standards, but it's quiet and it fits me perfectly. It has evolved into an urban vehicle, with slick skinny tires, priest-style handlebars, rack, panniers, and seasonal fenders. The latest modification was a Brooks leather saddle, which I think makes it look particularly handsome.
I think about getting a new bike. But when you find a good thing, you don't let it go.

San Francisco Bikes

Here is a gallery of eye-catching bikes from my recent trip to San Francisco. As in Chicago, there is a visible trend toward single-speed and fixed-gear bikes, although how they handle the hills on those will forever remain a mystery to me. But the cycling "fleet", as the cycling community itself, comprises a broad range of colorful characters.

Using a Milk Crate to Carry Stuff on Your Bike

Many people seem to want to know about using a milk crate to carry stuff on abike. Small wonder. Here in Chicago, milk crates are readily available for free, and even a store bought milk crate look-alike is a heck of a lot cheaper than a set of bike panniers.
You do not need any special tools to attach the crate to your bike, however, you do need a pre-installed bicycle rack. You will also need a bunji cord.

Your goal here is to thread the bunji in a criss-cross pattern through both the milk crate and the bike rack, and tighten enough to achieve good stability. I assure you that this can be accomplished with only two hands, although at times it seemed like it would be helpful to have a few more. It took me alone about five minutes to complete this task, without injuring myself, and resorting to only a handful of unrepeatable words. Ready?

1. Lean the bike to support it in an upright position (or use kickstand, or friend)
2. Place the milk crate on top of bike rack.
3. Thread each end of bunji cord downward through opening in the crate that are closest to outer edges of bike rack. If this seems impossible, trust me, it can be done, by feeding the pointed end of the bunji hook in first, and letting the rest follow.
4. Cross two ends of the bunji underneath the rack, and feed back up through the crate. Feed them one at a time. Hook the one you're not working on onto something to avoid having to start over.
5. Hook the ends of bunji together to secure. Alternatively, stretch them a little more and hook into openings in the crate.

You can also accomplish this with zip-ties, but while it might be easier to attach the crate that way, you'd need new zip-ties every time you want to reattach it.
A milk crate makes a great all-purpose bike carrier, and the only drawback I can think of is that it tends to hit your hind end a little as you ride.

small wheels BIG MINDS

Get out there and ride!

Thanks to Lynette Chiang (aka GalFromDownUnder) for helping us pull off a fun biking event. Fourteen riders joined us for a leisurely ride from Rapid Transit to The Happy Chef in Chinatown, where we feasted on Dim Sum (phenomenal greens with garlic were the star attraction, at least for myself and Lynette), and sampled Garry Low's Caesar Shandy (surprisingly good!).

(here he is, dispensing the goods)

A few riders parted ways with us, and we made our ways back to the shop via the lakefront path, hoping - vainly - for a cooling breeze.
Back at Rapid Transit, we were somewhat surprised by a very good turnout for the showing of Lynette's quirky and witty movie, Route 66 by Bicycle, shot from the handlebars of her BikeFriday with an ordinary digital camera.
Thank you to all who participated for enlivening this event, and for putting up with our less-than-professional movie viewing accommodations.

And big thanks to Todd Allen for providing a great sound system (pictured).

We were glad to have you!