Have you ever seen a recumbent trike? My husband has always been an avid bike rider and I tagged along after I entered the picture. A few years back I talked him into trying out a recumbent bike and we ended up buying two of them because they are so much better on your back, and in my case for my wrists and neck. Well a couple of years ago I had a close call when I was attempting to turn back towards home... I thought I looked and listened and it was clear, but I pulled almost right in front of a car that had to be in a blind spot when I looked. Mirrors are very important on a recumbent because you cannot turn to look. The car missed me with blaring horn and my bike slid sideways so that the tire of the car was literally about 3" from running over the tire of my bike. I was OK, but I was definitely down and the driver just kept on going. He disappeared around the bend without even knowing if I got up.
Needless to say, I have been reluctant to ride since then, and my husband has been missing those outings. He sometimes rides alone, but it is always nicer to have someone along for the ride. He is the one that started looking at the trikes. Now trikes in my mind had been for old ladies, but upon looking at all the pictures and information out there online, I realized that they are for people of all ages and some are really geared for racing and long distance endurance riding. They give you a much safer ride, you can actually look around much easier and you won't fall over when you stop, so when you want to make a turn you don't have to unclip... you just stop look and then turn. Mirrors are still important on any bike, but being able to look before you make a potentially dangerous move is really a great relief. Did I mention that I was even able to answer my cell phone while riding along? I am not a real cell phone person, but I do have one with me usually and wouldn't you know it rang when I was riding and I was able to answer. That was way cool.
We jumped right into the bike scene joining an organized ride with a recumbent group out of San Antonio and we rode the Mission Trail for a ways and put in almost 20 miles. That was two days after the bikes arrived, and after not riding for nearly two years, that was quite an accomplishment for me. The following week we did a Ride to Remember, which was all bikes, not just recumbents. I had a "mechanical" issue and we only rode 12 miles that day. Around the block at home is 3 miles and we do that often... so we are starting to get back into shape. It takes a while to build up your stamina, but now when the doctor asks if I am getting any regular exercise, I won't have to make any excuses.
Needless to say, I have been reluctant to ride since then, and my husband has been missing those outings. He sometimes rides alone, but it is always nicer to have someone along for the ride. He is the one that started looking at the trikes. Now trikes in my mind had been for old ladies, but upon looking at all the pictures and information out there online, I realized that they are for people of all ages and some are really geared for racing and long distance endurance riding. They give you a much safer ride, you can actually look around much easier and you won't fall over when you stop, so when you want to make a turn you don't have to unclip... you just stop look and then turn. Mirrors are still important on any bike, but being able to look before you make a potentially dangerous move is really a great relief. Did I mention that I was even able to answer my cell phone while riding along? I am not a real cell phone person, but I do have one with me usually and wouldn't you know it rang when I was riding and I was able to answer. That was way cool.
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