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Abstraction of the name william

My Recumbent Bikes

Photo of me from behind riding my catrike expedition down a rural road

Over my years of bicycling I have moved from traditional bikes to two wheeled recumbents to trikes. Although I move back and forth between two wheel recumbents and trikes, what I enjoy in both cases is their comfort and the view of the world they provide.

Reynolds T-Bone

Photo of my T-Bone high racer

My first recumbent was a BikeE purchased in about 1999. It did not take me long to abandon my diamond frames—I was hooked on recumbents. Wanting more performance, I replaced the BikeE with a Burley Taiko in 2002. The burley wet my appetite for speed and lead to my purchase a Reynolds T-Bone in June of 2004. It is fast and comfortable and I like its feel and looks. Over the years I have made many modifications. It currently has 650 wheels with disk breaks and Rotor Q-Rings.

Hase Kettwiesel

Photo of our pair of Hase Ketttweisels hooked together with Janis, Kathy and Ralph sitting on a bench behind them

After trying for many years to talk Janis into riding with me, she finally agreed to the purchase a tandem bike so that we could ride together. We settled on a pair of Kettwiesels that would allow us to ride either together or separately. We received the trikes in February of 2007. Janis loves the trikes. The photo was taken during our ride on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes with Ralph and Kathy.

I was excited about the Kettwiesels because I had wanted a trike for a long time. I found the Kettwiesels to be great trikes that are fun to ride and very maneuverable. They are ideal for riding on Rails-To-Trails trails and where shorter distances, a relaxed pace and watching the world go be are priorities. Based on my enjoyment of the Kettwiesel I decided to get a faster trike which lead me to the Expedition

Catrike Expedition

Photo of my Catrike Expedition trike

I took possession of my Expedition in 2008 and have been delighted with its comfort and speed. I have taken the Expedition on week long supported trips with Adventure Cycling and found it to be the perfect trike for this application. It climbs slowly but without stress and really loves to go down hill. It out coasts traditional bikes.

Some Comparative Notes

Each bike has qualities that make it desirable in specific situations. The first thing I learned is that I prefer to climb hills on a trike. The primary reason is that falling over is not an issue at slow speeds. Although climbing on the T-Bone is a couple of miles per hour faster, it requires considerable concentration to maintain balance at speeds of 5 mph or less. Therefore, climbing on a trike with its lower gearing takes less energy and is more relaxing and enjoyable.

When speed is the issue there is no substitute for the T-Bone. It is 3 plus miles per hour faster than the Expedition which is 2 plus miles per hour faster than the Hase Quetzal. This translates into typical ride averages of 16, 13 and 11 mph respectively.

The Expedition is the most comfortable. Its seat material, angle, shape and size provide long term comfort.

The T-Bone weighs 29.8 lbs, the Expedition 40 lbs and the Kettwiesel 42 lbs. Each of these weights represents the bike as fully outfitted but without a water bottle. The Expedition has Rotor Mountain cranks and Kettwiesel has a Schlumpf Mountain Drive.