Quote from woodog on Aug 30^th, 2007, 10:28pm:

Well, congratulations on the new ride, Woo.  You said it was a 2005, but I can't remember what year Bacchetta switched the frames.  Is yours steel, or aluminum?
 
With the number of miles you log each year, you're in a whole 'nother class from "when I can get to it" riders like me, but I'll be interested to hear how you like the recumbent once you get it out of B.G. proper and out into the hillier country.  I keep meaning to make it up for Tour de Cave one year, but I always seem to have something else going on--or my lovely bride wants to join me.  Can't take both my girls.  It's either one with her luggage and wheelchair, or the other all sprawled out in the back.

All good reasons, Woo...  especially that numbness thing!!!!
 
And you're exactly right, you can still have speed and a great workout -- I've dropped 40 pounds myself over a couple  years, with the corresponding health improvements...
 
Thanks for the info dump!!!!!  
 
The only thing you'll probably have to get used to is not being especially welcome in the middle of group ride pacelines any more -- you'll have to "pick your spots", especially into the wind....  but don't let 'em bug ya!
 
Go get 'em!!!

grin sezs it all...
 

 
woo

Quote from FooRider on Sep 2^nd, 2007, 6:46am:

 
heh. That ride in the picture was just me and another rider. Most of my club had gone to the Clarksville sunrise Century ride. I wanted to go to that ride, but I don't have the handling skills yet.  
 
today i did go on a 61 mile club ride with 10 others, and since they know me well there was none of the cold shoulder that i expect an unknown rider with a bent might face. (maybe not). These folks know me and like me anyway, so it was just Forrest on yet ANOTHER wierd bike. They asked me to lead out but I requested to stay at the rear of the group, telling them that i was unsure of my skill levels and didn't want to risk taking them out with a boneheaded move. I shouldn't have worried so much about that as it turns out, but better safe than sorry.  
 
I did ride hills today with the group, even though I promised myself to wait until October. Funny thing, I was expecting to get spanked on the hills, but it didn't happen. I did make sure to spin high cadence on the hills. I didn't leave anyon in the dust, but i didn't get dropped either. One thing that did happen near the end of the ride was this:  
 
about 5 miles out of town we see a rider turn in front of us. It was Keith, one of the group's stronger riders. I was riding with Brett and John, another of our really strong riders, and I tell Brett 'let's catch the carrot'. I see Keith (about a half mile ahead) go into full tuck, so I know he's seen us and will make us work for it. it's a pretty flat stretch of road, perhaps a 1% uphill grade, and I open it up, reaching and holding 34 mph.  
 
Amazingly (to me), I drop Brett and John like a rock and quickly cloe the gap with Keith, who was moving at 29 mph on a very windy day, and he says to me 'holy COW... you were FLYING.. then.. holy 'you know the word' check out that bike!' Brett finally catches up with us and we head into the final stretch at a more reasonable pace.  
 
I really like this bike. I could NOT have caught Keith on my upright.
 
oh, and Foo, yes the roads in KY are superb. I count myself lucky for that.  
 
woo

Quote from FlyingLaZBoy on Sep 3^rd, 2007, 8:19pm:

 
Well I have a new computer and I've double checked the wheel circumference, and there's no way that was 34. 28 maybe, but that would be me spinning at 130, and 130's more than I'm capable of right now. I know, I tried. On a downhill, nearly rocking off the bike I was so out of control!  
 
Oh well, the thought that I was super bad was nice while it lasted. However, everything else was right.  
 
Anyway, a couple weeks later (last weekend) I took the bike on this route  http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Hill-Climber-Delight and the climbs were brutal but I made it over the hills, and that's all that mattered. Felt pretty good after the ride too!  
 
Here's bikejournal entries of our club's pizza ride a few days later.  
 
mine:
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I was wanting to hang back tonight and ride a slow ride (really, I did!) but Joe, Kiersta and Brother John headed off into the distance and I just couldn't stand it. I was looking for the others in the back, but I was in that odd place - far behind the front group and far in front of the rear group. So I pick up the pace to get with the front group. They are ROLLING. Finally catch them a few turns before Dye Ford and then the rollers. Decided to throw restraint to the wind and took off. I got a good bit ahead of the group but I saw Kiersta hunker down and I knew I was done for. I poured on the coal, but still they come. I had planned to be far enough ahead that they would catch me before the big right hand turn and hill, but they caught about half a mile before those sections. I was totally cooked. Joe and Kiersta rolled on ahead (woodogs edit: a familiar sight to me as Joe and Kiersta are seriously strong riders, and kiersta can dust just about anyone I know) and John and I hung on the rear, watching them glide up the steep hills. When we got to the top of Matlock Joe and Kiersta were about to take off again. I said, 'oh no you're not leaving now... I gotta have a minute'. The rest of the ride was calmer, thank goodness. "
---------------------------------------------
 
 
Here's Joe's entry (He's JoeBob on bikejournal, my reall name is Forrest, so that's me in his entry)
 
Joebob:
"I finally got to ride with the club tonight. It has been what seems like weeks since I last rode with the BGLOB group.  
 
We had a group of around 8 riders that left the park around 5:30. John, Forrest, Kiersta and I took off on a fast paced run down Carter Sims Road to Plano. We headed towards Dye Ford Road and Forrest turned up the steam. Kiersta hung on pretty well and I hung on Kiersta’s wheel as best I could as we traversed the hills at 28 – 30 mph.  
 
I registered the highest PPT level yet this year. After a very late lunch with my mom and sister in Nashville, a turkey burger with onions and tomatoes, I had little time to digest the sustenance. Oh, the acronym PPT stands for “Puke Point Threshold”. At more than one point I spent some valuable seconds trying to determine if John was too close behind me to safely hurl.  
 
After cresting Dye Ford at Plano road, we took a couple minutes rest. We headed on to 242 and met up with the rest of the riders and headed back to the park. About ½ mile from the park Forrest poured on the heat and there was no way I could keep up. Even trying to grab his wheel was soon to be an impossible task. The recumbent has some definite benefits over the standard design. "  
 
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What's not said above is that Joe and Kiersta were ahead most of the way, it wasn't a race at all, just fun rocketing, and I took advantage of them when they were unawares!  
 
After the ride, no pain except for toasted legs
 
I really dig riding a bent  
 
woo

I-m a native Louisvillian myself!!
 
Any other Kentuckians?
 
Did you know Louisville had a fairly active recumbent club?
 
Don't know if they are still active.
 
 
David

Certainly Lexington has N-O-T-H-I-N-G in the way of bents....

Quote from woodog on Sep 25^th, 2007, 9:02pm:

 
Think no such thing, Woodog...   As they say, "ALL converts are welcome..."     We just consider you a North Texas Wecumbent Wannabe...