# Confessions of recumbent virgin or ....first ride on my Iowa Linear



## a.twiddler (8 Jul 2020)

(Ooer, missus)
I bought this Iowa Linear not having had a test ride of any type of recumbent. I live miles from anywhere that could give me a trial. I got this bike for a good price and thought I would just give it a go.
After ten days or so of fettling, I had been waiting for a calm dry day for a test flight. Just wearing ordinary clothes, bike clips, track mitts and battered baseball cap
Overcast, rain earlier. Roads are dry, no wind. Took a photo of the Linear in front of my trusty NTV. It is actually longer than the Honda.






Once outside, while I was locking the gate a bloke on a mobility scooter came past and said, “That’s a long bike!”. It certainly is. 88" long in fact.

There is a gradual downhill to the left outside my back gate, and I thought this would be a good place to relearn my bicycling skills. It is usually quiet at this time of day, though there is a minor road junction about 25 yards downhill on the right.

I got the bike on to the road and sat on it. I adjusted the mirror, and checked that I could find the brakes and gears easily, unable to see them as they are under the seat. I tried each foot separately for reach to the pedals. Everything seemed OK. I felt hypersensitive to everything going on. I was not going to risk takeoff while there was a car within a quarter mile. Random pedestrians seemed to appear from nowhere, crossed the road and disappeared. My wallet was digging into my right buttock, so I removed it. The wallet, not the buttock. OK then. How hard can it be? It’s just a bike.

All clear. I got my right foot on the pedal just before 12 O’clock and pushed off as prescribed. Wobble wobble Aaargh! Both feet down. Tried again. This time heading for the other side of the road. Crammed on the brakes, pushed back to the kerb. This was not going to be as easy as I thought. Looked around furtively. Nobody about to witness my embarrassment, thank goodness.

Tried once more, had to jam on the brakes and stick my left foot out to avoid colliding with the kerb.

At this stage a bunch of teenagers appeared and crossed the road in front of me so I theatrically whipped out my phone and pretended to be answering a call. Oh yes, I meant to stop here. I always ride like this, at least on this bike. Nobody actually said anything, but I had my excuses ready.

What spawn of the devil was this contraption? A lifetime of riding bikes and suddenly I am 4 years old again! Do I need stabilisers at my age? I’m going to master this thing! After pondering for a bit I decided to paddle downhill without pedalling and take it from there. After a couple of false starts I got rolling and after a couple of zig zags got it under control. That was better. 75 yards later the fear and loathing had subsided and I managed to stop in a straight line without falling over.
Time for the legs now. Same procedure as before. Right pedal just before 12 O’clock, a touch of back brake, a good look round, all clear, push and release brake simultaneously, sweep left foot up to meet rising pedal, push and continue smoothly. Steering still a bit erratic, like my folder you need to point it where you want to go. Rode for several miles like this, experimenting with the gears and finding things easier as I relaxed back into the seat and slackened my death grip on the bars.
As I passed a family group on the pavement I heard a little girl shout, “Mummy, Mummy! Look at that funny bike!” I suppose I will have to get used to this now.

Some interesting points. You can pedal while cornering. My perception is that it tends to fall into corners so you _need _to pedal while cornering to maintain a smooth line. Also, while trying to make a tight turn you need to pedal, and gently apply the rear brake to make control easier. These are motorcycling techniques, which seem to work with this bike.

The steering is not like a bike with a large front wheel. It doesn’t flow into corners, you have to actively control it with the bars. There is no play in the linkages, although the bars themselves have a few mm of up and down movement -if one side rocks downwards, the other rocks upwards and vice versa. I need to experiment with different thickness of washers on the pivot bolt. The steering is very sensitive to input, and I have to adapt to that – more like fingertip control. I have made some hand signals and the steering even responds to taking a hand off the bars so I need to learn to compensate for that too.

Having your knees flying around before your very eyes like the business end of some Edwardian traction engine will take some getting used to. Despite doing quite a bit of cycling this year I’ve not really got my legs out so I will definitely need to put my shades on to avoid being dazzled if it ever gets warm enough to wear shorts.

Starting and stopping are the new skills I have to learn, a matter of gaining confidence and developing muscle memory. It is easier to do than think about. Stopping is probably the easier part, knowing how slow you can go before putting your feet down to make an elegant stop.

I was expecting to have a lot of squeaking and creaking from this aluminium frame but it is pretty quiet. The previous owner advised me to keep the folding joints well greased and tightly done up and for the purposes of my 5 mile test ride at least, it is effective. The noisiest thing on the bike is the bell, which rattles. Will have to do something about that.

How would I sum up this test ride? Pretty scary to start with, but as my reactions became more attuned to the bike’s feedback it got better. It is certainly comfortable. It really is analagous to flying, with the takeoffs and landings being the stressful part. Got to practice starting off, getting going at junctions quickly and then once I am OK with that, starting on a hill. Probably will just happen with practice.

Looking forward to longer rides.


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## FrankCrank (8 Jul 2020)

Been riding a homemade LWB for a few years now, and tried under seat steering and above. My preference is above, just feels more natural to me. I still get the willies starting off, especially at junctions or the slightest of gradients. Turning circle is large, so planning ahead is necessary. Benefit of LWB is smooth limo ride. Main thing is to have fun, and stay safe


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## a.twiddler (8 Jul 2020)

Yes, I can see the advantage of having Over Seat Steering as you can see what you are doing with the controls and have somewhere to put bike computers, mirrors and such like. Still, for now what I've got is what I've got, and I'll see how I get on with it. It has the turning circle of a supertanker and some of that must be due to the indirect steering linkage limiting the front wheel movement, possibly might be smaller with some kind of direct steering, but probably not by much. Despite the ratio of movement being 1:1 there isn't much feedback from the front wheel. Whether that might be better with direct steering is hard to say, it might be more to do with rake, castor, head angle or even having a draggier or stickier front tyre. I will be changing the tyres at some stage, the rear (a 700C) has noticeable cracks in the sidewalls while the front (20 X 1 3/8) is not so bad but will still need changing.

Meanwhile I just have to get out and ride it a bit. Being at be back of the queue when the legs were handed out I had hoped that the seat might be a little lower than it is, but it is manageable.

It has been raining this afternoon otherwise I might have been out on it again.

Starting off certainly seems to be an issue with recumbents, and planning ahead is definitely high on the agenda. I wonder how Lowracer type bikes compare for starting off?


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## FrankCrank (9 Jul 2020)

I think a lowracer would prove difficult for a novice. You would have a higher BB relative to the seat, and this increases the learning curve by heaps. One of my projects was a SWB, but gave up on it as couldn't get used to having the high BB. I suspect those that take to lowracers are young, athletic and with flexible bodies, so no wonder I found it hard going. Can you convert yours to OSS?


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## bobcolover (9 Jul 2020)

Just looking at the photo of your linear; I cant see a front derailleur...
how are you able to move the chain between the 3 chain rings I can see?


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## a.twiddler (9 Jul 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> I think a lowracer would prove difficult for a novice. You would have a higher BB relative to the seat, and this increases the learning curve by heaps. One of my projects was a SWB, but gave up on it as couldn't get used to having the high BB. I suspect those that take to lowracers are young, athletic and with flexible bodies, so no wonder I found it hard going. Can you convert yours to OSS?


This was my impression too. The higher BB looks to be a psychological barrier as well as a physical one. I suppose younger people bounce better when they slide off the learning curve. Getting your feet up quickly and down again would be more of a challenge, even if the seat was closer to the ground. Since I am a bit vintage, unathletic and not very flexible I think I made the right choice with this LWB with the slightly higher seat position.

I have a very basic manual which came with the bike and the picture on the cover shows two versions, one with USS and the other with OSS, with a set of immense ape hanger bars. There is a conventional quill stem set up at the front end ( It came with a stem and short section of bar for mounting lights, computers etc on) so I imagine using a quill stem and suitable bars, it could be converted to OSS fairly easily. The cables would need to be replaced with longer ones but I suppose the brake levers and gear changers would swop straight over. The only problem with such long bars I can see is that they would need to hang out a long way to left or right when manoevreing. 

After you brought up the subject I went out to the garage and had a look at the set up. The USS handlebars are set up on a block which can slide back and forth to match the seat adjustment, and the two sets of adjustment are independent of each other. The steering rod has a matching set of holes so it can be adjusted in length accordingly. It's not impossible to fit the handlebar block in front of the seat. Some kind of vertical folding rod with bars at the top could be devised to fit the pivot block and still make use of the indirect steering. It's not so simple and elegant as direct steering but would minimise the overhang when turning tightly. Perhaps that aspect is less of an issue than I imagine? How have you found it?
For myself, that type of bodgery is well into the future, as I haven't ridden it enough to come to any conclusions as yet. I am finding your input very interesting.


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## a.twiddler (9 Jul 2020)

bobcolover said:


> Just looking at the photo of your linear; I cant see a front derailleur...
> how are you able to move the chain between the 3 chain rings I can see?


I suppose the short answer to that question would be "with great difficulty" compared with just pushing a lever! It has a Sachs 3 speed hub at the back with a 7 speed block giving 21 gears. As far as I can find out, Linear LWB bikes of that era (late 1990s as far as I can tell) which had the Sachs 3X7 set up were sent out with the front derailleur mounting block in place and triple chainset but not the cylindrical post or front derailleur. Versions with just a 7 speed hub had the functioning front derailleur set up.

I assume that being a small company with small production quantities, they probably had large stocks of the triple chainrings on their shelves and just used up what they had. There are lots of photos of Linear recumbents on the internet which seems to bear this out. Linear have had a few owners in their history, originally being produced in Guttenberg, Iowa, and are still going today in New York State. There have been some changes over the years but a Linear from the 80s or 90s is still recognisably similar to the updated modern ones.

If I wanted to, I could fit a front derailleur, giving 63 gears which is kind of cool. Meanwhile it is quite easy to manually change the chain over with a metal tyre lever or screwdriver before your ride. The chainset is 52-38-28 (haven't counted the cogs on the small ring) and I am using the 38 while I'm still getting used to it. Space is a little tight on the underseat handlebars so I would have to find an alternative place to fit an extra lever if I did fit one.


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## bobcolover (9 Jul 2020)

I may be wrong , and i dont know definitively about the front triple chainset think that its a bit weird to have a triple and the dual drive hub gear and rear derrailleur set up, but i think it is fitted sometimes on trikes as they can go up the steepest slopes without worrying about balance issues. I have a couple of recumbents with 3 x 7 at the back and the advantage is that you can change gear while stationary in traffic. You might be right about just fitting the triple as they had them, but even so it would have been unnecessarily more expensive than a single chainring...


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## 404 Not Found Anywhere (9 Jul 2020)

With a LWB like that and relatively conventional head angles I think over-seat steering would be pretty challenging - there’d be a huge tiller effect. The indirect, USS system at least gives you a much better feel of what the front wheel Is doing. Much of what you’ve described seems normal for a first recumbent experience, keep at it and before long it will seem pretty natural!


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## a.twiddler (9 Jul 2020)

bobcolover said:


> I may be wrong , and i dont know definitively about the front triple chainset think that its a bit weird to have a triple and the dual drive hub gear and rear derrailleur set up, but i think it is fitted sometimes on trikes as they can go up the steepest slopes without worrying about balance issues. I have a couple of recumbents with 3 x 7 at the back and the advantage is that you can change gear while stationary in traffic. You might be right about just fitting the triple as they had them, but even so it would have been unnecessarily more expensive than a single chainring...


It is a bit weird. I'm only surmising from the pictures that I've seen. Who knows what individual owners might have done in the intervening decades since they were built. It's just that there is a strange consistency in the photos, and the chainrings seem to be the same pattern in many of them. It does seem to be an uneconomic belt-and-braces type of thing for a manufacturer to do.

If your rear hub gear filled itself with shrapnel in Sweatsock, Nebraska, probably the local bike shop could supply you with a standard wheel to get you going again, and the triple would be there in case you wanted to fit a cheap front changer. 

The original photocopied handbook that came with it refers only to "18 speed gears". with no specifics. The previous owner had it for 20-odd years. He said it came with a 26" rear wheel which as I understood it came with the hub gear, which he had built into a 700C wheel. The front end had no derailleur when he got it. It also has a non standard hub braked front wheel, and the fork has no braze ons for a V brake. 

If only it could talk!

As a matter of interest, as you say you have a couple of trikes with 3 X 7 at the back, what type of gear changer do they have? Mine has a standard triple chainring thumb shifter, non indexed, which I thought was strange. High and low ought to be OK, but something with a positive click for middle gear would be reassuring me that middle gear was being retained in the correct position and not wearing splines. It all works fine, and the seller said he just got used to it. I suppose I associate hub gears with trigger shifters. I have read that the SA trigger shifter is compatible, unless you have another suggestion. I am not so bothered about having changers that match, as you can't see them under the seat.


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## a.twiddler (9 Jul 2020)

404 Not Found Anywhere said:


> With a LWB like that and relatively conventional head angles I think over-seat steering would be pretty challenging - there’d be a huge tiller effect. The indirect, USS system at least gives you a much better feel of what the front wheel Is doing. Much of what you’ve described seems normal for a first recumbent experience, keep at it and before long it will seem pretty natural!


I think I've got to get to know the beast better. Thanks for your reassurance!


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## bobcolover (9 Jul 2020)

I dont have any trikes but 2 wheel recumbents; 

the recumbents with the hub gear/ rear cassette are pashley PDQ Sram 3x7 probably original but v old, 25 years maybe, indexed twist grip on the hub gear,
and a modern HPV streetmachine Sram dual drive also indexed 3 speed twist grip.

I forgot also in my shed an Optima Dingo that i havent used for ages, that has a dual drive and a 3 speed Sram Attack indexed twist grip.

all have above seat steering.

I might be persuaded to part with the Dingo....


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## a.twiddler (9 Jul 2020)

bobcolover said:


> I dont have any trikes but 2 wheel recumbents;
> 
> the recumbents with the hub gear/ rear cassette are pashley PDQ Sram 3x7 probably original but v old, 25 years maybe, indexed twist grip on the hub gear,
> and a modern HPV streetmachine Sram dual drive also indexed 3 speed twist grip.
> ...


Thanks for the info. I think I've got my hands full at the moment. Also can't contemplate n + 1 until the cloud I'm currently under from buying this one dissipates!


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## FrankCrank (9 Jul 2020)

404 Not Found Anywhere said:


> With a LWB like that and relatively conventional head angles I think over-seat steering would be pretty challenging - there’d be a huge tiller effect. The indirect, USS system at least gives you a much better feel of what the front wheel Is doing. Much of what you’ve described seems normal for a first recumbent experience, keep at it and before long it will seem pretty natural!


When I built my LWB, I used a head tube angle with OSS in mind, ie to lessen the tiller as much as possible. It also worked well when converted to USS, but as said my preference after all was for OSS. As you've rightly indicated, the head tube geometry on this bike is designed for USS, and would agree a conversion to OSS would have a huge amount of tiller, so conversion works successfully one way it seems. More saddle time might sort many newbie nerves. I decided the SWB was not for me after nearly a year of regular riding, best not to make hast decisions eh.


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## recumbentpanda (9 Jul 2020)

Great to hear the experiences of a new rider getting to know my very old friend the Linear. My advice is don’t overthink it! The turning circle for example, will feel huge at first, but you are using all the right techniques. After a few months and relaxing into it, you will find you can spot the front end exactly where you want it. I still can’t get my short wheelbase lowrider round a certain 30degree oblique reverse corner that I used to cruise round on the Linear every day!

For the history, and all things Linear, consult the website of ‘The Bicycle Man’ who, from his shop in New York State, keeps the brand alive today with some fine modern versions. The thing about the old Linear is it is an example of what used to be called ‘Yankee Ingenuity’ eg, getting by with the simple, basic solutions. The seat slings on the early models were allegedly sewn by Amish women. It’s that kind of bike! Hence things like the triple with no shifter. The option is there to upgrade, or just to choose your favourite cruising gear by changing manually. I ended up using my front mech post as a light mount!

Give yourself time to get to know the Linear. It really is a one of a kind bike, even in the world of recumbents, and many of its ‘bugs’ are actually features of simplicity. Hope you have as much pleasure as I am still having in mine. In spite of their occasional rattles and shakes, these are durable bikes that can take you as far as you have the appetite to go.

The one serious weakness of the old model Linears are the stamped rear stays, which can pull sideways if ridden for a long time by a strong rider prone to ‘mashing’ the pedals. (Easy way to wreck your knees on a bent!) Mine had a bad case, made worse by an evident crash under previous ownership. I straightened the ‘rear frame’ as Linear call it, on a home made bench jig with lots of string plumb lines and some long studding fixed into the drop outs. I then cut a horseshoe shaped reinforcer out of thick ally, and had it professionally welded on. This is basically the same fix Peter Stull, the Bicycle Man mentioned earlier, when he first put Linear back into production. It works well. Later Stull had the whole rear frame redesigned as you will see on his website today.


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## a.twiddler (9 Jul 2020)

I note the 1999 -2002 models had that rear frame mod which also allowed a V brake to be fitted. I'm surprised that a retrofit version of that wasn't marketed by "The Bicycle Man" as there must be many older Linears in the USA at least. I was quite apprehensive about buying an older aluminium framed bike such as this having seen the horror stories about frame issues. However, after checking it thoroughly before buying it, and even more thoroughly while doing the jobs to get it ready for the road, I am quite impressed by the condition of the frame. Apart from a light patina the frame itself is in remarkably good condition. Maybe it only takes a small number of frame problems to give the whole design a bad name.

I can only conclude that when it was designed it was deemed adequate for all normal uses that were foreseeable. Having seen the size of many Americans, being tall as well as broad, while on holidays, I can imagine that it must have been designed with that in mind. But obviously there are stronger riders about who must have regularly put them through stresses and loads that could not have been foreseen. Surely, despite the well publicised issues, many original Iowa Linears must have survived. Recumbents in my limited experience tend to be a bit pampered, not used regularly and in bad weather, so not exposed to wear and tear, salt and grit. 

I have seen one recumbent this year, a trike, towing a trailer, who turned off after a brief glimpse of him before I could catch up. Perhaps I should get out more! 

I'm awaiting a couple of tyres and a bike computer. I will do a few more short local rides to build up my confidence before I assemble some Linear specific tools (a lot of non metric American fasteners on this bike) and have a go at one of my local circuits to see how I manage.

I had an original aluminium Bickerton Portable a few years ago and that really felt like a collection of spare parts travelling in the same direction. It wasn't welded, it was held together with nuts and bolts. Even with everything bolted up tight, it squeaked. When you pedalled even moderately you could feel the back wheel moving about. Strangely though, and particularly for something with such small wheels, it was very comfortable.
If you concentrated on what the front end was doing, it was hard to steer in a straight line. If you just looked further ahead to where you wanted to go, it all fell into place. I think that the Linear will respond to the same treatment, though it feels a lot more together than the Bickerton.

I would be quite interested to see what your frame reinforcement looks like, if you could post a picture. I might get the urge to do something similar at some time in order to future proof it.


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## Gravity Aided (11 Jul 2020)

I had a Bike E recumbent that gave me much the same initial experience, riding around like a four year old for about a half-hour before I took off. It had over seat steering, and was, as observed before, prone to the tiller effect. It also had a small front wheel, which did not help matters. I wound up with a recumbent trike as it suited my needs better, but the two-wheeled recumbents are a bit more graceful. Not maneuverable, but graceful.


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## a.twiddler (11 Jul 2020)

There does seem to be a bigger following for trikes. Perhaps people find them more user friendly and accessible. There certainly seem to be more for sale at manageable prices than two wheeled recumbents. I had been tempted by a used KMX on ebay a couple of months ago but at that price point there seems to be quite a bit of upgrading needed to get it comparable to my current modest steel tourer, for example. I opted for a bike as my storage space is limited and I hoped to be able to get through the barriers on my favourite cycle trails without too much difficulty. Kissing Gates might be an interesting challenge (stand it on its back wheel?). Not intending to go through too many of those! A- frames, not so bad. Possibly 3 wheels might be a bit tight for getting out of my back gate, too.

Also, I liked the challenge!

For those who are interested, here is a fuzzy photo from the front of the handbook that came with the bike. It shows an over seat steering version behind an under seat steering version. No idea if the front end geometry was different. The potential is there for a different set up as the headstock and part of the front frame is separate, as it is designed to fold under for transportation.


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## FrankCrank (11 Jul 2020)

a.twiddler said:


> There does seem to be a bigger following for trikes. Perhaps people find them more user friendly and accessible. There certainly seem to be more for sale at manageable prices than two wheeled recumbents. I had been tempted by a used KMX on ebay a couple of months ago but at that price point there seems to be quite a bit of upgrading needed to get it comparable to my current modest steel tourer, for example. I opted for a bike as my storage space is limited and I hoped to be able to get through the barriers on my favourite cycle trails without too much difficulty. Kissing Gates might be an interesting challenge (stand it on its back wheel?). Not intending to go through too many of those! A- frames, not so bad. Possibly 3 wheels might be a bit tight for getting out of my back gate, too.
> 
> Also, I liked the challenge!
> 
> ...


Aha - I thought I'd seen them with both types of steering. The front end geometry looks the same for each, ie good for USS, but heaps of tiller for OSS. If you're not doing many tight turns, OSS may be OK, only way really is to try both and see which one suits.


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## a.twiddler (11 Jul 2020)

The minimalist look of USS is growing on me. I've trimmed down the accessory bar on the front and transferred the mirror there too. The bars look less cluttered now. I did wonder about putting some sort of horn at the front with a remote button on the bars for those cycle trail moments but I just want walkers etc to know that I'm there, not make them run for their lives. 

Another thought is that I've got a large shiny bell (there's a joke in there somewhere) which I could mount on the front bar, somehow operated by a spare brake lever on a bar end. It rattles when mounted on its side, but is quiet when mounted horizontally. I've got spare inner cables but my spare outers have disappeared. I've got loads of unmatched levers, centre pull cable stops and other possible solutions rattling about in my bits box. It's just a thought, as my impression is that as the front wheel arrives well before the rear, an audible warning at that end is going to be more effective than something that emanates from under the seat. 

Of course all this planned bodgery is interfering with my riding time! Must get out more.


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## a.twiddler (12 Jul 2020)

It's done! I happened to find a complete brake cable (inner and full length outer) in Wilkinsons yesterday for £2 (how do they do that?) so after a rummage in my bits box and a few false starts I came up with this. Spare brake lever on RH bar end. Initially fitted it with the free end pointing




upwards but it looked likely to impale my thigh if I fell off so I turned it round.



The cable from this lever follows the existing front brake cable.




This parts company with the front brake cable which curves downward to the fork. The bell cable curves up and round to an old Weinemann rear centre pull cable stop pointing forward from the handlebar clamp. After several experiments with attaching the cable via clamps to the bell lever, the simplest way was just to drill a hole in it large enough to push the cable through and fit a Weinemann brake saddle clamping bolt to the cable itself on the other side. The bell lever has a hefty return spring, and the V brake type brake lever has a good return spring, so there is no problem with the cable not returning after each pull. I will trim that coiled bit of cable when I get hold of some cable end crimps.





Riders eye view (minus the knees). I unclipped the Cateye front light while working on the bell. Need to clip it back on.




Front view.




I suppose there is an incongruous comedy aspect to this, as when you pull a brake lever you don't expect the bell to ring. It's like turning on the kitchen tap and instead of water coming out, the light turns on. It's such a novelty at the moment that I can't stop doing it. Also this bell doesn't go brringg brringg, it goes ding dong with two different notes, which resonate for a while before they fade away. This set up could be used for other things, an Airzound springs to mind, if some kind of hinged arm could be devised to pull down on to the release button, it could work. Although an Airzound could be mounted anywhere, it's loud enough for its location not to be very critical!

The front reflector looks upside down, but "Top" is moulded on the top front of it. I put the bell/brake lever on the right side because unlike on a conventional bike, the rear brake does most of the work with the left brake lever -so as to be able to ring the bell and brake at the same time.
I do wonder, that being a US made bike, if it originally had the brakes and levers the other way round due to driving on the right.

Any hoo, once I have posted this I may just go in to the garage and give it a couple of rings!

I really am most childishly pleased that having thought about this only yesterday I have got it to work in such a short time.

Next job -sort out an adapter to fit the cycle computer on to the derailleur mounting block.


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## mrandmrspoves (13 Jul 2020)

My first recumbent was also a Linear. I had some fun on it before I transferred over to 3 wheels. I well remember the first few "launches" - scary as..... 
Even when I was more experienced, crossing a busy main road was always unnerving.
I did try a PDQ a few years later - and although I eventually got used to it (to some degree) it was much worse!
My Linear did have a front derailleur.......


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## Grant Fondo (13 Jul 2020)

All I can remember from my one (and only) sortie out on a recumbant was how much the top of my legs hurt! Not for me, but OP is a classic, so will keep tuning in. Cheers all


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## a.twiddler (13 Jul 2020)

mrandmrspoves said:


> My first recumbent was also a Linear. I had some fun on it before I transferred over to 3 wheels. I well remember the first few "launches" - scary as.....
> Even when I was more experienced, crossing a busy main road was always unnerving.
> I did try a PDQ a few years later - and although I eventually got used to it (to some degree) it was much worse!
> My Linear did have a front derailleur.......


I see that you had toeclips and straps on your Linear. I have the same on my conventional tourer, which I can use without even thinking about them but at my stage of the recumbent learning curve, that is superhero territory! I am at the stage of being quite pleased to be able to just get my feet on the Very Large Pedals each time I start off. As for crossing a busy main road, the length of the beast is probably not really an issue, a psychological barrier only, it's the getting going quickly that is the hurdle. Starting slowly and deliberately is not so bad, but trying to do it too quickly gets me wobbling. Just a matter of practice I expect. I am quite short, so the seat is well forward, which could be an advantage in getting more weight on the front wheel, though I find the seat height higher than I anticipated, but manageable. Possibly the 700C wheel has something to do with it.
On the positive side, the space between the back of the seat and the carrier looks like it could take a bedroll and small tent before I even think about loading up with panniers etc. I am looking forward to exploring the possibilities. In a year or so I might be looking back on my initial experiences and thinking, " what was all that about, then?"


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## mrandmrspoves (13 Jul 2020)

a.twiddler said:


> I see that you had toeclips and straps on your Linear. I have the same on my conventional tourer, which I can use without even thinking about them but at my stage of the recumbent learning curve, that is superhero territory! I am at the stage of being quite pleased to be able to just get my feet on the Very Large Pedals each time I start off. As for crossing a busy main road, the length of the beast is probably not really an issue, a psychological barrier only, it's the getting going quickly that is the hurdle.



I never really thought anything of using toe clips because like you I was used to using them anyway. On a recumbent, it is easy to drop a foot off the pedal if for example you hit a bump, because your leg is outstretched and subject to gravity - so I regarded them as a safety feature, but I would only clip in once I was up to speed. (On a tadpole trike, clipping in is a must!)
You say the seat is far forward because you are short, I assume that you have slid the crank back towards you too?


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## a.twiddler (13 Jul 2020)

mrandmrspoves said:


> I never really thought anything of using toe clips because like you I was used to using them anyway. On a recumbent, it is easy to drop a foot off the pedal if for example you hit a bump, because your leg is outstretched and subject to gravity - so I regarded them as a safety feature, but I would only clip in once I was up to speed. (On a tadpole trike, clipping in is a must!)
> You say the seat is far forward because you are short, I assume that you have slid the crank back towards you too?


How effectively do toe clips help keep your feet in place on a recumbent? I would imagine that they would have the same tendency for your foot to drop out backwards (or downwards in this case) as without, unless you do the straps up tightly. On my conventional bike, I don't do them up particularly tightly. I have never used cleats, and certainly not clip-in pedals and shoes.
If there was some kind of heel support, this would work with toeclips though might reduce the ability to get your foot down in a hurry. I've not done a long enough trip yet for my feet dropping off the pedals to be a problem, but once you start to get tired I can forsee the possibility.

Although my Linear has a clamp on bottom bracket assembly, I have not moved it as I didn't want to get into chain tensioning issues. Apparently some Linears had a welded on bottom bracket, probably the earlier ones. The seat adjustment has a hole or two left in its forward adjustment, and I did originally wonder if I might have had to move the bottom bracket back if the seat adjustment range wasn't enough, but it's fine, so I don't need to worry about moving it and then having to remove chain links. The (admittedly very sparse) handbook that came with it only mentions seat adjustment for leg length, and corresponding handlebar block adjustment.

I could see from the photos of the seat position that you are tall-ish, and the seat is right back, but on mine there is a distinct space between the seat back and the carrier. The previous owner was pretty tall, so I had to move the seat a fair number of holes forward to suit me. The Linear has an awful lot of adjustment for size, almost car-like, yet the handbook mentions a range of different frame sizes too.

Inseam Measurement Recommended Frame Size
22"-26" = 36"
25"-29" =39"
28"-32" = 42"
31"-35" = 45"
34" & over = 48"

I see in the preview that the way I've typed it has not come out as expected. It's still able to be understood, I hope.

It goes on to say, "The LINEAR is very adjustable and can accommodate a wide range of individual sizes. (For example a person with a 28" inseam can fit on a 45" frame.)

How they worked out the different frame sizes I can only guess. The main beam on mine is just about 42" so it's feasible that that was the part that varied between different frame sizes. That would mean that there was a foot in length difference between the largest and smallest sizes, and maybe a choice of wheel sizes on the smallest ones.

Definitely not a "one size fits all" with the Linear. This is irrelevant for most British Linear buyers, as they would all be pretty much pre owned and you would buy whatever became available at the time. But it goes to show that Linear tried to make a tailor made product for their customers buying new. I could have ended up with a 48" frame, while a larger person might have ended up with a smaller frame, depending on how much of the range was imported into the UK in the 80s and 90s.

I have wandered off topic here, but perhaps you might find the information interesting.


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## mrandmrspoves (13 Jul 2020)

Certainly toe clips are not good enough for tadpoles where you do need cleats or at least heel slings but on a bike they help locate your foot in roughly the right place even with loose straps.

I am actually only 5'10" ish and inside leg is only 29.5" - but my frame was not a large one. Mine creaked like thr proverbial old gate when I got it - so I stripped it back and rebuilt it - lots of grease on the frame joints etc.


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## a.twiddler (13 Jul 2020)

mrandmrspoves said:


> Certainly toe clips are not good enough for tadpoles where you do need cleats or at least heel slings but on a bike they help locate your foot in roughly the right place even with loose straps.
> 
> I am actually only 5'10" ish and inside leg is only 29.5" - but my frame was not a large one. Mine creaked like thr proverbial old gate when I got it - so I stripped it back and rebuilt it - lots of grease on the frame joints etc.


I can see where keeping your feet strapped in would be important on a tadpole trike as it would be easy to break your leg if the front frame member caught it and it got dragged under while rolling along. Conversely it must be one of the great pleasures of triking to be able to stop and stay clipped in eg at the traffic lights or even to have a flask of tea while out.
No frame to catch you out on a two wheeler, probably more important for me at the moment to be able to get my feet down quickly and up again. Will review the situation as mileage and confidence grows.
Previous owner told me that he kept the folding joints well greased and the quick releases tight and that I should do the same. That seems to have worked as so far it is pretty quiet though if I ride further and pedal harder I might find it is less so. 

I am 5'5 1/2 (or maybe 5'6" on a good day), probably 28" inside leg so anyone taller than that is "tall" from my perspective.


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## a.twiddler (16 Jul 2020)

I have been looking at the gearing to see what I could reasonably expect to climb on this beastie. I had the back wheel off and had a look at the 7 speed block while I was changing the tyre. It is a Shimano 12-28 which is a little disappointing as a 14? -32 was available. However after peering at gear tables, using the 38T middle ring and the 3 speed hub (-25%, +33%) with a range of 21 gears there is a possible range from 27.5ish to 113.9ish in gear inches. So the lowest is about 1:1 and may be the lowest feasible gear rideable without falling off on a bike like this, and would get me up most things, and the high gear is something that might be at my limit under favourable conditions, particularly as I am quite fond of my freewheel on downhills. If I found myself in Wales I might manually use the smallest ring which may be a 28 or slightly larger which might give me some more options for getting up them thar hills. As for the 52T ring, that seems a bit ridiculous with the lowest ratio around 38 and the highest at around 151 in gear inches. 151! 

I will only know really, when I have ridden it in all sorts of situations, how realistic the original gearing set up is, so for now I will suck it and see.


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## Nigelnightmare (18 Jul 2020)

On my Linear there's only one thing that bugs me and that's the rear dropouts open to the rear, making it difficult to remove the rear wheel without undoing the mudguard stays.
Or having the rear mudguard set with a BIG gap at the back, which don't look right to me.

I was advised to use 'copperslip' on the folding joints to prevent rattles/creaks.
The main thing that rattles are the grenade pins & split rings on mine which I cured with some 'Heatshrink'.

It does feel strange when you first start riding one and the best advice I was given was to relax back in the seat with a light 'grip' on the steering.
Have fun.


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## dave r (18 Jul 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> On my Linear there's only one thing that bugs me and that's the rear dropouts open to the rear, making it difficult to remove the rear wheel without undoing the mudguard stays.
> Or having the rear mudguard set with a BIG gap at the back, which don't look right to me.
> 
> I was advised to use 'copperslip' on the folding joints to prevent rattles/creaks.
> ...



For the rear mudguards get a pair of secur clips, from SJS cycles

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mudguards/sks-secu-clip-30mm-each/


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## a.twiddler (18 Jul 2020)

Re the mudguard thing, the bike came with a non matching pair, the front a narrow black plastic one with a big mudflap, and the rear a rather battered aluminium thing which was a little short at the back, and actually didn't cover the open end of the rear frame! I had a spare rear chromoplastic one lying around in the garage, and pressed this into service. There were more cobwebs and insect debris than mud or anything road related in the rear frame, fortunately. The mudguard is a wide one which gives nearly 180 degrees of coverage around the wheel.

I had not thought about rear wheel removal until I actually came to do it, and with a bit of forethought would have made the mudguard shorter at the back with more coverage below the frame at the front of the wheel. The original tyre, a rather perished old Kenda which I thought was a 700 X 42 was actually a 44 though when measured on the bike when inflated was only 38mm at the widest part. Plenty of scope for confusion here if the next tyre was actually the size stated on it, as it would be a tight fit. I got hold of a Vittoria Randonneur at a good price which was nominally a 42. I replaced the original tube, to use as a spare, with one from my bits box.

What a performance to get the wheel in and out! I hung the frame from a strap attached to my bike stand, deflated the tyre and it _just_ cleared the rear drop outs with a bit to spare, without having to loosen the mudguard . You would have to let the tyre down anyway, to get it past the brake pads, as there is no brake cable quick release. I have been spoilt with the discs on my steel tourer!

The real struggle was with the chain and rear changer as on a conventional dropout the wheel naturally drops down and forward making it easy to lift the chain and jockey wheel over the end of the spindle. With the Linear set up it has first to come back, then down from behind the rear changer. To protect the toggle chain I left the hollow nut on the RH side in place, but still the drive chain wanted to do battle with it. These Sachs toggle chains apparently are like hens' teeth to get hold of so naturally I wanted to protect it as much as possible. Once the wheel was off and the old tyre removed, the new one slipped on with thumb pressure. Then the wrestling match began again where you need to sprout an extra pair of arms to put everything back together. This is definitely not something that I would want to fix by the roadside!

With the wheel back in and things tightened up, I sat back in a glow of satisfaction. I experimentally spun the back wheel. Rasp! Rrurasp! Rasp! Rrurasp! Rasp! What in the name of the fifteen flying fudpuckers was this! The tyre was not seating properly, and rubbing on the mudguard. I inflated it to an eardrum threatening, buttock clenching pressure, hoping the bead would pop into place before the tyre exploded but no joy. I deflated it and massaged it with a rubber hammer, still no change. It was slightly uneven in the valve area. I pushed the valve in as far as I could and pushed the tyre around manually. Still no change. I tied a bunch of cable ties round the tyre and rim, in the offending area, and inflated and deflated it. Several thoughts were crossing my mind, some of them bordering on the murderous, but mostly that the wheel was going to have to come off again for a closer look. I idly looked at the box that my spare tube had come in. Hmm 42mm valve stem. The stem of the valve that I had just fitted didn't look that long. I peered at my tourer. _That_ had a long stem. I dug out another box . 42mm. Inside the box, a long stem valve.
A lightbulb moment! A case of Wrongboxitis! The Linear has a Mavic rim with a deep section. The standard 32mm that I'd fitted was projecting enough to get a pump on it but was it stopping the tyre seating? I went off to get a drink and have a ponder.

OK! If I was on the road and had a puncture I might be able to fix it without taking the wheel off. So my mission, should I choose to accept it, would be to prove that I could do it in the discomfort of my own garage and to take it one stage further, to replace the existing tube with one with a long stem valve without completely removing the wheel. This message will self destruct in 30 seconds. (Not really, I'm just getting carried away).
If that didn't work, the name of a lot more flying fudpuckers than fifteen might be taken in vain.

I needed a tyre lever to start the tyre off the non drive side of the rim, did the rest with fingers, pushed the valve out and got the complete tube out. Gratifyingly, the other side remained on the rim. The tricky bit was after loosening the wheel nuts, sliding the wheel back through the brakes just far enough not to fall out of the dropouts, springing the rear fork slightly to push out the non drive side spindle and j u s t carefully squeeze the tube through the gap, and then do the same with the incoming tube without pinching it. A bit of air in the new tube, slip it easily inside the tyre, a little tricky lining up the valve due to the depth of the rim, slowly pushing the tyre on to the rim, turning it bit by bit to keep the area being worked on at the rear lower quarter of the wheel, a bit nadgery getting the tyre to turn through the brake blocks and finally just the last bit of tyre helped to go on the rim with a satisfying "pop" with a tyre lever. Check for seating all round, inflate, tighten everything up and then spin.

Successfully seated! Inflate and deflate a couple of times, check the clearances and it's fine. I can reveal that this tyre is just 38mm at the widest part.
Just goes to show that a fluid ounce of preparation (eg check what you're putting on) saves a gallon of perspiration.

Just to finish off, here is a picture of an unusual linear (bearing in mind that any Linear is unusual, or any recumbent).





It is described as a Linear Mach III. Rear wheel is 20 X 1.50, front could be 16". Writing on rear tyre looks upside down. Underslung rear brake, due to small rear wheel. Both brakes look like caliper type. A double chainring, no derailleur on the front, but a 3 speed hub on the rear. Welded non folding frame, including welded bottom bracket. Mirror on the left, probably denoting photo taken in the US.


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## 404 Not Found Anywhere (18 Jul 2020)

Judging by the rear mech position, it's probably a 20" wheel and a 406 at that. I'll guess at the front wheel being a 349 - 16".

Taking off the back wheel of a recumbent bike is a pain at the best of times, I'm afraid, trikes are much easier!


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## a.twiddler (20 Jul 2020)

Some more ride experiences. Apart from the odd ride up and down the road behind my house to test things out I have not managed to ride much due to other commitments, and the weather.

17/7/20
Raining earlier, but managed to go out later on.
Test ride today, 20:15. A lot of apprehension before launching, waiting for traffic to disappear. Mirror on front bar is not far enough out to see as much as I would like behind, which sapped my confidence. The hub gear cable was a little tight, after replacing the wheel after changing the tube yesterday. Nevertheless, managed to do 2 circuits of local lanes. Steering and balancing is better. Not too happy with non indexed hub gear shifter, decided to go for a SA trigger shifter which I ordered this evening together with a cable. The positive stops should be kinder to the hub gear, and give one less thing to worry about. I REALLY need to sort out rear vision for peace of mind. May need to consider moving mirror back to the end of the handlebar. There was a small mirror on a long stem in the bits box but may have thrown it out. Have moved the mirror bracket further out, have adjusted the gear cable.
Computer seems to read fast though it could be that the bike is faster than it feels. It is set for MPH not KPH.
Will try again tomorrow. Did about 4 miles.

18/2/20
Raining all day. 
Later, when the rain had stopped I went out for another trial run at 20:15. The mirror is better but still not a wide enough coverage to give confidence. Gear adjustment still not quite there, which also made me feel uneasy. Initial launch went OK. I soon caught up and passed a teenager on a MTB who then passed me several times, slowed down so I could pass him and then passed again. I think he was just curious, but it made me even more aware of how limited my rear vision was. Even after he bunny hopped on to the pavement and disappeared I thought that he might be lurking in my blind spot for quite a while afterwards. Gradual uphill to a T junction, anxiety was building, but no traffic so turned left and continued smoothly along the main road. A dog walker smiled and said, “that looks comfortable” and I replied, “It is”. As I rolled along towards a side road where I was going to turn left, there was a pub on the right. Saturday night, I realised. The noise level in the beer garden seemed to increase as I went past. Coincidence? I hoped so. I managed to turn left without incident and after a short time stopped outside my back gate. I re adjusted the hub gear cable and continued. All OK now. I fine tuned the mirror and it seemed better. Feeling more motivated, I did another circuit. I am impressed as to how quiet this bike is. My tourer is similarly quiet, the only sound is from the tyres, and even the Shimano freewheel is quiet. The only sound from the Linear is the faint tic tic tic from the hub gear. In fact it is so quiet that when I experimentally sounded the brake/bell a cat that was on the pavement, which unusually didn’t hear me coming, jumped and ran off under a hedge. Again little traffic, and no need to stop at junctions.

As I passed the pub again, signalled, and turned left, the driver of an oncoming black Audi with a rasping exhaust decided there was plenty of room and turned right at the same time into the same side street. It was unlikely that he didn’t see me. In the short time that I have had this Linear, the one thing I can say is that EVERYBODY notices it. In any case, he didn’t cross into my lane, and continued on the wrong side of the road for some way. Arse. I just carried on to my back gate . Only 4 miles, but everything seemed good.

19/7/20
Today I thought I might chuck some stuff in a bag and try to do part of one of my regular loops, but something came up. I just went out mid afternoon to do a local circuit when it was quiet. Somehow things just didn’t gel. The mirror didn’t seem to cover enough despite several attempts to adjust it, and yesterday’s confidence had disappeared. The gears felt all over the place, so I just left the derailleur in the middle position and used the hub gears. I turned round in the road at one point and then took 7 or 8 minutes (it felt longer) to get up the nerve to launch again. Two steps forward, one step back, it seems. Not a "Linear" progression in gaining skills and confidence. I got home and moved the mirror to the handlebar end. It still didn’t seem to cover enough behind. I had some Mirrycle bits in my bottomless bits box and managed to assemble enough semi matching bits to make a mirror for the opposite bar end. The coverage is better but now seems incredibly wide! Maybe I can move them to each side of the accessory bar to narrow it down a bit. I need to try it out first. Not such a good ride this evening. 
Just a couple of miles today, but tomorrow is another day.

I am hoping to do a long enough trip soon to be able to put it in the "Your Ride Today" thread. This may help me deal with the main issues ie take off (particularly at junctions with traffic) and practice at turning in tighter spaces. Rear view and awareness of following vehicles remains a concern, as does having to make sudden unplanned manoevres. If I am going to bite the dust it is more likely to happen at low speed, and I have avoided that embarrassment so far.The rear brake needs some use to bed it in, before I can decide if better ("more expensive") blocks might be needed. Watch this space.


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## 404 Not Found Anywhere (20 Jul 2020)

If you’ve got a Sachs 3x7 hub, then I’m afraid to say your SA three speed trigger has the wrong cable pull. You need a SRAM T3 shifter like one of these...

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-shifters/3-speed-trigger-shifter-for-sram-spectro-t3-torpedo-hubs/

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SRAM-SPE...ter-cable-3-speed-hub-twistgrip-/202155728117

and if it’s the SA combo hub any MTB style triple shifter will work, not the AW trigger.


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## a.twiddler (20 Jul 2020)

404 Not Found Anywhere said:


> If you’ve got a Sachs 3x7 hub, then I’m afraid to say your SA three speed trigger has the wrong cable pull. You need a SRAM T3 shifter like one of these...
> 
> https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-shifters/3-speed-trigger-shifter-for-sram-spectro-t3-torpedo-hubs/
> 
> ...


That's interesting to know. I had a good look at the usual places to see if I could get hold of a Sachs trigger shifter but failed. I had read that the SA one would do the job, failing availability of a Sachs one. The currently fitted Suntour friction shifter does work, but there is a little uncertainty in selecting second, as there is no indexing. I tried a Shimano left hand indexed thumb shifter from the bits box but the cable pull is incompatible. Are there any other potential problems with compatibility if I were to order the Sachs/SRAM trigger shifter from SJS? A unique cable end or fittings for example?


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## a.twiddler (22 Jul 2020)

404 Not Found Anywhere said:


> If you’ve got a Sachs 3x7 hub, then I’m afraid to say your SA three speed trigger has the wrong cable pull. You need a SRAM T3 shifter like one of these...
> 
> https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-shifters/3-speed-trigger-shifter-for-sram-spectro-t3-torpedo-hubs/
> 
> ...


Well, I took the plunge and ordered the Sachs/SRAM trigger shifter from SJS and will see how it goes.

One drawback to having a mirror on each side of the bars is that on mounting, there is a lot less space for getting your foot over the frame without knocking them askew, and in catching your foot, risking a faceplant as the frame falls over taking you with it. With my miniature legs this is a real concern. The rear view is very good with them in that position, (though you have to look obliquely downwards to each side to use them) but it stops you just getting on smoothly and riding away. Another issue is that they catch on everything when you are just wheeling the bike about. Further thought required. With two mirrors, fitting them both on the front accessory bar might be the least worst option. I do have a helmet mirror (as on my avatar) for an extra viewpoint but I stopped using it as a) it was an extra bit of faff to fiddle with before just getting on my bike and riding and b) it meant that I _had _to wear a helmet, and adjust the mirror each time I put it on, and during the ride.

I had thought about finding a way to clamp a curved bar at the top of the seat frame and fitting a mirror to that but there are drawbacks to that too. No doubt I will work something out eventually.

Meanwhile, during my short rides I have days where nothing seems to go smoothly, I am full of premonitions of impending doom and fear of falling off, and other days when everything works and it's like a flying machine. Still waiting for the right day to just hop on and go for a longer ride. Meanwhile it's keep on practicing..


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## mrandmrspoves (23 Jul 2020)

Mine came with a Mirrycle mirror - which worked perfectly.


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## oldwheels (23 Jul 2020)

One of my many regrets. Many years ago I went to a recumbent demo at Duns in Berwickshire and tried out various bikes and a trike. The D type trike terrified me as I nearly couped it but I liked the MWB Linear and had no problems starting off and found it no problem. At that time it cost new about £800 which was a bit expensive for me so I let the opportunity to buy pass. The importers went bust soon after and I have regretted that decision ever since.


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## recumbentpanda (23 Jul 2020)

Having followed the same path, earning my recumbent ‘wings’ on a Linear some years ago, I can report that even for an experienced cyclist it can take some time to fully transition. I rode a Linear without issues first time on a sheltered cycle path, but when I got my own I would say it took me about six weeks of regular riding to get reasonably confident. 

A good habit to develop is regularly checking your state of relaxation - deliberately relaxing back into the seat and reducing grip on handlebars. 

After developing basic confidence, I would say it took me another six months to get to the point of one-handed steering with fingertips, and weaving with debonair confidence through tight corners and ‘bollard gardens’. 

So I would say relax and give yourself some credit. This really is a bit like learning to ride all over again, even for someone with a lifetime experience of upright bikes.

Rear view is, I agree, an issue on USS bents -there’s is often nowhere really ideal to put the mirror. My solution was two-pronged: 

1. As you develop confidence, the relatively upright position of the Linear makes it easier to look to the side, and even to the rear. As with an upright bike, it’s worth spending time somewhere quiet practicing how to do shoulder checks without wobbling or swerving.

2. I supplemented a Mirrcycle mounted on an ‘old skool’ MTB bar-end with a glasses mounted mirror. The US made ‘Take-a-Look’ seems to be the best, but make sure you get the one with the clip for right hand mounting.


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## recumbentpanda (23 Jul 2020)

oldwheels said:


> One of my many regrets. Many years ago I went to a recumbent demo at Duns in Berwickshire and tried out various bikes and a trike. The D type trike terrified me as I nearly couped it but I liked the MWB Linear and had no problems starting off and found it no problem. At that time it cost new about £800 which was a bit expensive for me so I let the opportunity to buy pass. The importers went bust soon after and I have regretted that decision ever since.



I hear you! My first ride on a Linear was on holiday many years ago from a hIre shop. I loved it. When I got back to the shop at the end of the day, the staff looked really worried. “When you didn’t come back after ten minutes saying you couldn’t ride it, we were convinced you must have had a terrible crash and be in A&E! nobody else has been able to ride it! Do you want to buy it for 800 quid?” 

Alas, I had a very nice upright tourer and a young family, so I couldnt really justify it to myself. Like you, regretted it, for about 15 years, before finally managing to find a wrecked one cheap, which I then lovingly nursed back to health.


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## a.twiddler (23 Jul 2020)

mrandmrspoves said:


> Mine came with a Mirrycle mirror - which worked perfectly.
> View attachment 537524


I am a fan of the Mirrycle in its various forms. I first came across them in about 1980 and have had one on various bikes since then. The Original drop bar mirror which had the brake cable passing through the hollow stem, the Shimano type which fits brifters (though slightly and disappointingly vibration prone in my experience), and the Mountain Mirrycle which I have had on MTBs, on my folder and now on the Linear.

Previously I have found they work well attached to traditional straight bar ends which puts them more in the line of sight on flat barred bikes. A bit different on USS bars. I note yours was fitted direct to the handlebar end, while I have been fitting them to additional bar ends. I have to look obliquely downwards to see the one attached to a bar-end, but I wonder if the slight difference in putting it directly on the end of the handlebar might improve visibility? I have neck problems which limits mobility when looking behind, which makes good mirrors doubly important.


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## a.twiddler (23 Jul 2020)

recumbentpanda said:


> Having followed the same path, earning my recumbent ‘wings’ on a Linear some years ago, I can report that even for an experienced cyclist it can take some time to fully transition. I rode a Linear without issues first time on a sheltered cycle path, but when I got my own I would say it took me about six weeks of regular riding to get reasonably confident.
> 
> A good habit to develop is regularly checking your state of relaxation - deliberately relaxing back into the seat and reducing grip on handlebars.
> 
> ...


I have been mounting the Mirrycle on a straight bar end. The helmet mirror was the "Take-a-Look"variety which on an upright did not add a lot to what I could see with the Mirrycle, but did involve adjusting it every time I rode. Probably I should revisit using it with or without the helmet while riding the Linear, as that has its own peculiarities. I have found it noticeable that when riding a drop bar bike I definitely have problems looking behind, while on my folder, which has quite high flat bars, it's not such a problem, stiff neck or not. Over the years the handlebars have gradually got higher.

I have been consciously making myself push back into the seat and keep a light grip on the bars but when a sharp change of speed or direction is needed it is hard not to automatically tense up, at present. I tend to sit forward and grip the bars, which definitely doesn't make for smooth movements.


recumbentpanda said:


> I hear you! My first ride on a Linear was on holiday many years ago from a hIre shop. I loved it. When I got back to the shop at the end of the day, the staff looked really worried. “When you didn’t come back after ten minutes saying you couldn’t ride it, we were convinced you must have had a terrible crash and be in A&E! nobody else has been able to ride it! Do you want to buy it for 800 quid?”
> 
> Alas, I had a very nice upright tourer and a young family, so I couldnt really justify it to myself. Like you, regretted it, for about 15 years, before finally managing to find a wrecked one cheap, which I then lovingly nursed back to health.


 I had been tempted from time to time by the idea of a recumbent bike for many years but they were generally so unaffordable! Let alone the ability to have a test ride without having to travel to the far end of the country. Hence buying the Linear at a good price, as it had been unused for many years and dry stored. 

Coincidentally, due to Coronavirus mania, I had just sold a decent but well specc'ed fairly budget MTB which I'd bought on a whim early last year and sold for over three times what I paid for it. It was unbelievable how much interest there was in it. I am still amazed just thinking about it now. A combination of lockdown, fine weather and a shortage of entry level bikes. The buyer even paid for a courier to collect it, from the London area. So this financed my foray into recumbency. Ironically, I sold the MTB to make more space! Though I have to say that being so low, the Linear needs less space than the MTB did.

Even Mrs Twiddler has shown more interest in it than she ever has in any of my other bikes. She even video'd me riding it to send to the kids though she rather spoilt it by not turning off the sound, and recorded herself laughing as I rode past.


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## a.twiddler (27 Jul 2020)

Some impressions of my first decent ride on the Linear on 26/7/20. A dry day, cloudy and a bit breezy.

OK. Today’s the day for the 1st proper ride. Spare tubes, tyre levers, multi tool, multi spanner plus some odd ones to fit the American standards on the frame. Snack. Drink. Tyres OK, everything else tight where it should be and loose where it should be. Wheeled the Linear into the garden facing the back gate. Sat on a bench for a few minutes psyching myself up, then took it out and closed the gate. Sat on it at the kerbside waiting for all the traffic, which miraculously appears as soon as you want to do anything, to clear. I had replaced the MTB friction type shifter for the hub gear with a Sachs trigger, and after a lot of faffing about with cable tension had got it to work perfectly on the stand. I hoped that would be one less thing to distract me from the serious issue of Not Falling Off.

Middle gear on the 3 speed hub, a middling gear on the derailleur, right pedal to 12 o’clock, right foot in position and…..

Five minutes later I was still in the same position. Too much thinking about it had turned lift off into a mammoth obstacle. This is no good! Not just chicken_ legs _then. I stared at the clouds, took numerous deep breaths then told myself to Just Do It. So easy to start off. Just got to do it without pondering about it. Once rolling and having got into an appropriate gear I felt myself relaxing. I turned off into the countryside and then braced myself for the next challenge.

A short steep dip to an old bridge with traffic lights. Then a longer less steep climb out at the other side. The traffic lights from my direction were right at the bottom of the dip. You generally have to stop just before them before they will turn green if there is nothing coming the other way. Low gear on the hub gear, 3rd or 4th cog on the derailleur, s-l-o-w-ly approaching the light. Didn’t have to put my feet down, spinning furiously across the bridge and onto the uphill. Gear a was little high, but couldn’t ease off to change down, but keeping going even at the unexpectedly low speed and staying upright was much easier than I expected. The first time I have had to use the low gears in earnest, and it was fine.

Flushed with success, I changed up as the slope levelled out, and found myself faced with quite a stiff headwind. I had difficulty keeping my cap on. Should have worn my helmet, at least the straps stop it blowing off. Nevertheless, the bike computer was showing 10mph. I passed several cyclists coming the other way, and also a woman in a sporty wheelchair accompanied by another cyclist, possibly training? I turned right towards Oulton Park and still had the headwind. I carried on, looking for a good place to stop as my left bike clip was biting into my ankle and I needed to tighten my cap. Having stopped, stuck the bike clip in my pocket and tightened the adjuster on my cap, I set off again. I realised I’d left my camera at home. B*gger.

Rolling along, not finding progress difficult apart from the headwind, the experience was good. Into the lanes that led to Oulton Park. At the crossroads that leads on to Oulton Mill Lane a large family cycling group was waiting for the smallest one to get up the hill to join them. The woman in the group commented that she had wondered how I was going to stop at the junction so I indicated the handlebars under the seat. I turned right down the hill and almost immediately had to slow as a white van came up the hill, turned right into a side turning then reversed out to do a 3 point turn. I trickled down the hill with my feet up while this was going on. Then a few yards further down the road the van stopped in the middle of the road, someone got out of the passenger door and then the van drove forward and parked with its left side hard up against the hedge. Some road works going on, apparently. By this time I was stopped with feet down. I was a bit irritated as I had lost the chance to get a run up the bit of the hill before the entrance to Oulton Park.

Still, I got up it without much difficulty, then had a good run to the junction with Park Road leading to the A54. There is a sharp narrow downhill on this stretch then an uphill. A following car hung well back until I had cleared the narrow bit. I had expected it to be a lot harder to climb hills on this bike but it has proved to be not bad at all. Certainly the relatively short climbs on my route have not been a problem. It is more a case of being able to predict what gear to use on a particular slope in order to maintain momentum. As for longer climbs, that remains to be seen.

Full of hubris after climbing the last two hillocks I approached the A54 in too high a gear and had to push back into the verge and wave following vehicles on, until I had got it into a more appropriate gear for diving across into Clay Lane. Another steep narrow descent, with a sweeping right hand curve at the bottom which ought to have given me a run up to the climb ahead. Unfortunately, on this occasion, a party of casually dressed cyclists was stopped at the apex of the curve looking as if they were about to cross over into a lane opposite. I ding-donged and went past at a more cautious speed. They turned and stared as I went past, which seems to be the normal response I am coming to expect. I then changed down and twirled up to the apex of the lane, which is the bridge over the Whitegate Way. I turned right into the car park and headed for the southern exit. There were a few cyclists about, some loading bikes on to cars. One commented that the Linear looked “very comfortable” and so far, it is. As I was nearing the exit 2 girls asked me for directions. I referred them to the map and tourist information board at the station. Nobody talks to me when I’m on my upright bike! Maybe I just look more approachable and non threatening being so low down.

I managed to ride through the narrow pedestrian/cycle entry to the old railway path with no issues and was able to practice slow riding. Just keeping power on with a bit of rear brake seems to work wonders at least for slow straight lining. On a gradual downhill I was able to freewheel, pushing the boundaries (for me, so far) of slow riding which was very gratifying. Feet up all the way to the bottom of the steep, eroded and gravelly downhill access slope to the place where a now demolished railway bridge crossed the lane, feet down at last to stop at the entry barrier on to Grange lane. I was tempted to climb up the other side back on to the railway path and follow it to the end but time was getting on, so I turned up Grange Lane, through the sports complex playing fields and then to an A -frame barrier on a steep lane that leads into a housing estate. I had to stop and push the bike through. The mirror on the handlebar was the limiting factor. By pushing from behind and wriggling the bars, the bike went through. The top of the seat frame clears the inward slope at the upper part of the frame. Without the mirror, it could be possible to ride through while sticking your elbows out. The barrier is on a steep slope, and this would probably be the only way to keep up enough speed to actually ride up the hill on a recumbent two wheeler. As it was, I had to push it up the hill until there was a level enough space to ride off. Fortunately the hill was short. I wonder if there is much variation between these frame dimensions or is it some kind of standard design? More motivation to design some kind of seat top bar to fit a car type mirror?

Anyway, I got going without more ado or incident. Shortly before arriving home I passed a rather sour faced woman who was walking her tiny dog on the pavement. She quietly but audibly said to herself "what kind of bl**dy bike is that?". Well, you can't make everybody smile.

Got home after 14 miles having learned a lot. Average speed until I got on to the off road section 9.7mph. Including the off road section 9mph. Max speed a modest 24mph. 
Bars need to go slightly back for comfort. Gearing and climbing ability seem to be OK for my purposes. Rear brake has slightly improved. Hope it will be better when fully bedded in. One point of annoyance -the SRAM trigger shifter latching mechanism does seem very sensitive to changes in cable tension or vibration. After freewheeling over bumps I noticed that when I started pedalling it had changed from middle to high gear, also this happened once or twice after turning the bars to manouevre. The tension at the rear hub is right. The hub itself is fine, when riding in any gear it does not slip even under hard pedalling. I will have to look at cable routing. If it is actually faulty, I do have a SA trigger shifter. According to Sheldon Brown, “Older Sachs 3-speeds and the 3 x 7 used a trigger shifter like Sturmey-Archer's, which could be fastened to any handlebar. A Sturmey-Archer trigger also will work with these hubs. A Sachs trigger will not work with a Sturmey-Archer hub, which needs a longer cable pull between the top and middle gear. “ I knew I had seen that reference somewhere before.

So, a generally positive ride experience. Anticipating the next outing, hopefully a longer one next time.


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## a.twiddler (3 Aug 2020)

29/7/20. Another day, another run. Out with my son today, would have gone on the tourer but he was keen to see the Linear in action. In the meantime I had replaced the SRAM trigger shifter with the spare Sturmey Archer one, as the SRAM one just wasn't reliable latching in gear. The Sturmey Archer one felt more positive. A pity, as the SRAM one had a handily long lever. I needed to fine tune it on a test run, and it looked like this was going to be the test run. Similar route to last time, an evening run, cloudy but dry with a little wind.

As we climbed up out of a dip we came across another recumbent bike rider going down, just coming to a stop at some traffic lights. He shouted "Hey! another one!" and I said "Yes!" and nodded. I did wonder if he might catch us to talk to us but he carried on. He was the first other recumbenteer that I had come across since I have had the Linear, and only the second one this year. The other one was a trike, towing a trailer, who passed me going uphill while I was going down, several months ago.

We pedalled uneventfully on. Stopped to fine tune the hub gear at one point and it has been fine since. Feeling a bit more confident at starting and stopping in less straightforward situations now, but still not 100% about the rear view situation, particularly as Twiddler the Younger persisted in lurking in my blind spot! It's disconcerting to hear tyre noises, even if you know where they are coming from, if you can't see the source. I have mislaid my helmet mirror which was with my helmet in the garage but has gone AWOL. I will order another which will then ensure that the original miraculously reappears. Perhaps once I am reconciled to wearing a mirror toting helmet on the Linear I can dispense with mirrors on the bike and have a go at riding through my Nemesis uphill "A" frame barrier without stopping, due to the reduced width.

Only 14 miles today due to time constraints but on reflection another good ride. We both enjoyed it. Perhaps I will be able to stretch it out a bit more next time.


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## a.twiddler (7 Aug 2020)

6/8/20
Out with the lad this evening. A little nervous starting off, as usual. All downhill then along the banks of the Weaver to the Salt Works, TR on to Meadowbank Swing Bridge then on to a crushed stone surfaced track under the West Coast main railway line. This is a reasonable surface and there is a climb which is well within the gear range on a tarmac road. I settled back into the seat to twiddle away to the top but for some reason the front end had a mind of its own. I trundled steadily up the track but as the slope steepened the front wheel wandered first to one side then the other. It wasn’t that steep, and the track was fairly smooth. What was causing the problem? Maybe need lower front tyre pressure on this surface. My tourer copes with this with no problems, so the Linear should too. After stopping short of the 3' ditch I came to a halt. I started pushing it uphill, hoping to get going again on the next less steep pitch. Twiddler the Younger came back, flamboyantly did a stoppie, pirouetted round on the front wheel and did a wheelie. His chain unexpectedly snapped and he came to a halt. No chain tool between us! (it's in the saddlebag on my tourer). I suggested calling Mrs Twiddler to give him a lift back but it seems he shares my inclinations to deal with things himself rather than involve others.

We started for home, freewheeling back down the hill, across the bridge and up to the steps to the road. I went the long way round and caught him up shortly. He alternately pushed and freewheeled home, followed by me. I rather perversely enjoyed the slow bicycle race aspect of the trip home, and am finding myself much more comfortable with the Linear at lower speeds now. Next I need to get more practice climbing gravelly slopes or I need to try different tyre pressures. I am determined to learn to ride this anywhere I can reasonably ride my tourer, except obviously where the length stops it going through barriers. When I mentioned this to the lad (lad! He's 27!) he said "it's not an off roader"! but that track is actually a road used by motor vehicles. Where the petrol fumes, there fume I.

7 miles, 7 mph average, surprisingly. Highest speed definitely less than 24mph, though at one point where the road undulated I managed to maintain 18-20mph for about a mile on the way out according to the computer.

Next time, I must stretch out the distance a bit.


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## Edward Kim (19 Aug 2020)

a.twiddler said:


> (Ooer, missus)
> I bought this Iowa Linear not having had a test ride of any type of recumbent. I live miles from anywhere that could give me a trial. I got this bike for a good price and thought I would just give it a go.
> After ten days or so of fettling, I had been waiting for a calm dry day for a test flight. Just wearing ordinary clothes, bike clips, track mitts and battered baseball cap
> Overcast, rain earlier. Roads are dry, no wind. Took a photo of the Linear in front of my trusty NTV. It is actually longer than the Honda.
> ...


It seems like when I rode my recumbent for the first time. I was exactly the same as you did. Now, I'm sure that you will be able to ride all day long without any worry soon.


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## a.twiddler (19 Aug 2020)

Edward Kim said:


> It seems like when I rode my recumbent for the first time. I was exactly the same as you did. Now, I'm sure that you will be able to ride all day long without any worry soon.


After a few longer rides it feels as if my reactions have become more in tune with the bike. As well as short trips I have done a couple of longer rides, 27 and 28 miles with a max speed so far of 28mph, best average speed for a trip of 9.6mph which may seem low but it has included some mild off road cycle and old railway trails as part of the distances. Every ride has included a new recumbent "first" for me so far. I found myself wobbling to a stop initially if I tried to climb poorly surfaced uphills but now I can manage them. I have managed to start in bottom gear on a steep tarmac uphill after being forced to stop (had to have couple of goes). I am getting across busy road junctions more easily. I am able to cycle virtually to a standstill then get going again at junctions without putting a foot down. When I do stop I can get going again more easily. I was really anxious about traffic in situations which would not have bothered me on my tourer. Now, I think I worry more vehicle drivers when they see me because they certainly give me loads of room. Still got a long way to go before I can do things without thinking about it. The best thing is that people just smile when they see this bike. I was trundling down our local disused railway path one day last week when a middle aged couple came out from a footpath ahead of me so I dinged my bell. They stepped aside and waited so I said "thank you". They gave me a beaming smile and said,"the pleasure's all ours!"

I have experimented a lot with handlebar and bar end positioning. I note that on the "classic" Iowa design Linears the USS has all the controls on the bars under the seat which is a just little bit of a stretch for me. Not only are my legs on the short side, so are my arms. I fitted a spare pair of short bar ends when I first had the bike, and found on some surfaces they made the steering feel more positive, though of course all the controls were still on the main part of the bars. I have seen in photos that the post 2001 "modernised" models have their controls on long bar end extensions. It seemed to me that the bar ends being ahead of the bars and its pivot might be giving the same effect as having your hands on a stem on a conventional bike, and giving a more familiar self centring feel to it. 

I have now got hold of a set NOS long bar ends and spent a few days wrestling with cable lengths and positioning of gear and brake cables to make it all work without over straining them or causing them to snag on anything while turning. It feels more like it is the way I want it now. I am waiting for a rain free day so that I can try it for size for a couple of hours, and fine tune it.


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## 404 Not Found Anywhere (19 Aug 2020)

You will find that the recumbent riding reflexes get quite ingrained once you’ve acquired them. I went out for a spin on my Fuego at the beginning of the week... I was aware I hadn’t ridden it for a bit so took it easy. It turned out to be one of the quickest rides I’d done on it though i wasn’t aware of working hard, and it felt quite natural. When I checked back it was nearly a year since I‘d last been out on it (everything else had been on a trike). I had been thinking of selling it, but fortunately have come to my senses!


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## xpc316e (19 Aug 2020)

My recumbent experiences pretty much mirror yours. About 10 years ago I bought a Radius Peer Gynt with USS and a similar to yours non-indexed hub gear. I never got to the stage when I could start on some of the steeper gradients at the junctions near to my home, and that ultimately signed its death warrant. I did have some great rides on it though and it was so comfortable. On one occasion I was riding through the town centre when a man shouted, "How do you steer that thing?" I called back, "I don't know!"

I replaced it with a tadpole trike that was excellent in many ways, but it took up a lot of garage space. I also found the three tracks to be a pain on our poorly-surfaced roads; you are virtually guaranteed to hit a pothole when you have that number of tracks. I replaced that with a home-made SWB 'bent that was fun to refine, but it was really heavy and I concluded that I was trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. 

I was without a 'bent for a few years, but my replaced shoulders have now deteriorated to the extent that anything more than a couple of miles on a DF are quite painful. Therefore, a week ago I bought a beautiful Vision R30 that has proved very easy to ride. I am still sorting it out and making sure it is fettled to my size and requirements, but I have very high hopes for it. It is equipped with a Shimano Nexus 7 speed hub gear that is simplicity itself to use. The bottom bracket is low, and that makes starting more simple. The foot numbness that I experienced on the trike will hopefully not arise again with better blood flow to the extremities. The Vision's ASS is, for me, easier to cope with than USS and its minimum balance speed is significantly lower than either the Radius, or the home build. 

I must say that I have enjoyed reading your account of the Linear and I compliment you on your ability to write an amusing, informative tale.


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## steveindenmark (20 Aug 2020)

I had to check to see if it was a trike.  I can understand riding a trike without a helmet, but not a 2 wheeled recumbent. You must be barking. I had a Bachetta Giro for a couple of years and enjoyed it. But was always ready for it to turn round and bite me.


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## recumbentpanda (20 Aug 2020)

Interesting opinion steveindenmark. I’m going to try to reply without veering into the issues of helmet efficacy, because there are recumbent specific matters here that are perhaps worth airing, but which mostly don’t involve that debate.

I ride both a fairly ‘upright’ long wheelbase Linear like the OPs, (think kitchen chair, eye-level same as most large saloon car drivers’) and a short wheelbase ‘semi-low rider’ (eye level similar to or a little higher than Lotus Elise, Mazda MRX etc.). On neither bike do I normally wear a helmet, but what I do always wear is elbow pads. Elbows are expensive, tender and vulnerable in a recumbent capsize. The head never came anywhere near danger in the five or so offs I have had. Interestingly all my offs but one have been at very low speeds, most when actually stationary on the SWB, owing to me putting my foot down too late or in the wrong place. The one capsize when moving was on the SWB and involved black ice. I was travelling at a moderate speed, but no injuries, other than to dignity, were sustained.

Because of the nature of how one ‘falls off’ or, more usually, ‘falls with’ a bent the only threat to the head likely comes from motor vehicles colliding, at which point the ‘helmet thread’ becomes the only relevant set of arguments.

So no, I am not barking. A Bachetta Giro is a fairly ‘high’ bike with a high B.B., a relatively high seat and a fairly upright seat back. I can understand choosing to wear a helmet on one of those. It is a quite ‘racy’ bike that puts the head almost as high as an ‘upright’ rider’s.

Some other observations on bents and helmets that may be of use to others:

Aside from protection, the helmet can be the highest point to which lights can be attached on a bent. For that reason I sometimes wear one at night and in traffic. 

Many helmet designs can interfere with neck rests or even the top edge of the seat on some bents. For that reason, the choice of helmet needs to be carefully considered. Similarly, most helmet visors are not designed for the head angle of the more laid back bikes, and may need modification or substitution.


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## Nigelnightmare (20 Aug 2020)

recumbentpanda said:


> Interesting opinion steveindenmark. I’m going to try to reply without veering into the issues of helmet efficacy, because there are recumbent specific matters here that are perhaps worth airing, but which mostly don’t involve that debate.
> 
> I ride both a fairly ‘upright’ long wheelbase Linear like the OPs, (think kitchen chair, eye-level same as most large saloon car drivers’) and a short wheelbase ‘semi-low rider’ (eye level similar to or a little higher than Lotus Elise, Mazda MRX etc.). On neither bike do I normally wear a helmet, but what I do always wear is elbow pads. Elbows are expensive, tender and vulnerable in a recumbent capsize. The head never came anywhere near danger in the five or so offs I have had. Interestingly all my offs but one have been at very low speeds, most when actually stationary on the SWB, owing to me putting my foot down too late or in the wrong place. The one capsize when moving was on the SWB and involved black ice. I was travelling at a moderate speed, but no injuries, other than to dignity, were sustained.
> 
> ...


Was going to reply but you said it much better than I could.


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## a.twiddler (20 Aug 2020)

Nigelnightmare said:


> Was going to reply but you said it much better than I could.


Me too! Surely this discussion ought to be in the Accessories and Clothing section. Assuming that I am the one alleged to be barking, well that's a matter of opinion. The same applies to helmet wearing, of which there is still no conclusive scientific evidence of the benefits one way or the other. Plenty of anecdotes of course.


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## a.twiddler (20 Aug 2020)

xpc316e said:


> My recumbent experiences pretty much mirror yours. About 10 years ago I bought a Radius Peer Gynt with USS and a similar to yours non-indexed hub gear. I never got to the stage when I could start on some of the steeper gradients at the junctions near to my home, and that ultimately signed its death warrant. I did have some great rides on it though and it was so comfortable. On one occasion I was riding through the town centre when a man shouted, "How do you steer that thing?" I called back, "I don't know!"
> 
> I replaced it with a tadpole trike that was excellent in many ways, but it took up a lot of garage space. I also found the three tracks to be a pain on our poorly-surfaced roads; you are virtually guaranteed to hit a pothole when you have that number of tracks. I replaced that with a home-made SWB 'bent that was fun to refine, but it was really heavy and I concluded that I was trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
> 
> ...


I think that applying years of motorcycle experience has helped with adapting to recumbent riding, particularly a LWB with small front wheel where there is not much feedback to the steering. You have to apply some propulsive effort to steer positively through bends and to straighten up. A motor bike is most stable while accelerating and the same seems to apply at least to my Linear, certainly while getting used to its ways.

I had an uncle who owned a Reliant Regal and I get your point about a 3 tracked vehicle finding all the potholes. It was sometimes a teeth rattling experience going for a drive with him. I can see why many tadpole trikes have suspension.

The Vision R30 looks like a style that was popular in the late 90's early 2000's like the BikeE and some others, a shorter type of LWB with a low bottom bracket and smallish wheels with an upright seat. Certainly less intimidating to riders than the average recumbent. Possibly easier to manage on tracks or bad surfaces than other recumbents too. I hope you get on well with it and and manage to do some enjoyable trips on it.

I didn't make a decision to go for USS or ASS, it sort of found me as I bought what was affordable and available, but I'm getting the hang of it now. ASS would seem to be a logical control system, with somewhere to put lights, computers, bells etc and you can see everything. However I am finding that despite the drawbacks, USS has its own attractions, giving a sort of nonchalant hands-in-pockets laid back (pardon the pun) appearance which suits a non sporty rider such as I. In fact, after initial misgivings, I find that the Linear suits me very well. I certainly feel less aches and pains that I took for granted after riding my tourer for similar distances. The tourer itself is quite a comfortable DF bike. 

I thank you for your kind words regarding my scribblings. You know that it will only encourage me to produce more!

The Linear's unusual appearance has so far mostly generated positive responses from people that I have come across, though I am still waiting for someone to say, "Look at the length of that! He must be compensating for something!"


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## steveindenmark (20 Aug 2020)

Sorry. I had no intention of making this a helmet issue. I use one most of ths time on my df bikes. I wouldnt get on a bent without one. But its a personal choice and I totally accept that.


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## a.twiddler (20 Aug 2020)

Fairy nuff.


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## a.twiddler (21 Aug 2020)

Talking of protection, I had been pondering on reducing the length of the rear mudguard after the saga of the rear tyre replacement several posts ago. This was with the intention of a) making it a bit easier to get the rear wheel out if I ever had an unplanned roadside repair to do and b) as I know I can get through A-frame cycleway barriers, I might be able to also get it through the odd swinging gate barrier by standing it on its rear wheel and walking it through. I don't think I will be making a habit of this but it is useful to have the option. Since it was too miserable to go out I decided to get this job done.

The rear mudguard as originally fitted by me covered 180 degrees of the wheel and therefore would have been resting on the ground at the back if the bike was stood on end. The solution was to rotate it forward about 45 degrees so as to be able to still use the original mountings and stays. There is no brake bridge on the Linear. There is a bracket which supports the rear carrier which already had a useful hole drilled in it so I put a nut and bolt inside a bit of spare aluminium tube through it to hold the mudguard, which had a matching hole drilled in it, in place. So it was a case of rotating the mudguard forward, resetting the stays, and drilling a new hole for the mounting bolt in the mudguard. I then had a good length of mudguard protruding in front of the wheel, mostly hanging down unsupported. I left a few inches in place then cut off the excess with tin snips. Being chromoplastic, the mudguard cut cleanly. I filed off some tiny burrs, centralised the mudguard and tightened up the stays and bolt, and the job was done.

Before





After


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## fatjel (25 Aug 2020)

I am in awe of riders of those long uns. Given how twitchy my swb is I always imagined them to be unridable 
I have never fallen off my two wheel barchetta but everyone else who tried it has .


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## a.twiddler (29 Aug 2020)

Now that I am getting used to it I am finding it quite stable even on smoothish unmade surfaces though it is no off roader. I have not been able to get out on it this week for various reasons so I have been pondering ways to sharpen up the back brake. 

If you look at the second photo in my last post you can see that the rear brake cable takes a convoluted route and operates the brake from below. Sheldon Brown states that "some older caliper brakes can have their cable pull reversed by swapping round the cable stop and clamp bolt" so I got the spanners out and had a go. This worked! It shortened the cable route by quite a bit and I thought I might shorten it further if I could get one of my spare V brake noodles from the dreaded bits box to fit snugly, and do away with a long loop of cable. Less cable = less friction.

The bits box failed to produce a suitable adapter but I did find some brass presta valve caps. I drilled out the inside thread to get the end of the noodle fitting tightly, drilled a hole in the closed end of the cap and then filed it flat with a slight taper towards the outside edge and this end fitted a treat into the cable adjuster on the brake. I measured up carefully and was able to cut about 30 cm from the cable outer. I managed to tease the original cable back through, and didn't need to put a ferrule on the end of the outer as it slipped easily into the end of the noodle.

Once everything was adjusted up and tightened the brake lever felt much more direct and it felt as if more of my braking effort was getting to the rim. One regret is that I was hoping to squeeze in a quick release but I didn't have anything that fitted. Still, it's no worse than before and the brake now feels more effective. A test run is needed, tomorrow if the rain holds off. Here is a pic of the changes for comparison.






I've coiled up the excess cable with a couple of cable ties until I can get hold of some cable end crimps. The raised part on the middle of the brake caliper looks as if it had a logo stuck to it at some time but it has long gone. Can anyone identify it?


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## recumbentpanda (29 Aug 2020)

Dia-Compe ‘Big Dog’, beloved of the old skool BMX fraternity was the standard fit for a while. Can’t tell from memory, and the pic, but it was a dual pivot side-pull.


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## a.twiddler (30 Aug 2020)

recumbentpanda said:


> Dia-Compe ‘Big Dog’, beloved of the old skool BMX fraternity was the standard fit for a while. Can’t tell from memory, and the pic, but it was a dual pivot side-pull.


The one on there now is a single pivot caliper which is as flexy as a flexy thing. I wonder if a dual pivot caliper would make any noticeable difference? The reach is just about at the limit of its adjustment on this one. I suspect that a longer reach brake, with the blocks in the middle range of its adjustment, might feel stiffer due to the more effective leverages involved. I will see how things go with with my recent modifications first, before making any further changes, based on the principle of just changing one parameter at a time and evaluating the result. I still have some Clarks blocks to put on once I have got the current set up as good as I can get it.


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## recumbentpanda (30 Aug 2020)

I converted my Linear to v-brakes fore and aft. If you decide you’d like to give the Big Dog a try, pm me as it’s going spare and you’re welcome to it!


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## a.twiddler (31 Aug 2020)

recumbentpanda said:


> I converted my Linear to v-brakes fore and aft. If you decide you’d like to give the Big Dog a try, pm me as it’s going spare and you’re welcome to it!


Thank you. I will take you up on that offer.


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## a.twiddler (1 Sep 2020)

The first test ride I've managed to do since fitting the longer bar ends and modifying the back brake cable. I was considering posting this on "Your Ride Today" but as It's got a lot of recumbent specific content I've posted it here. Also, no photos!
I had high hopes that my mods would be an improvement.

Oh dear. I had difficulty just starting off as the feel of the steering was so different. As I wobbled down the road getting the hang of it I had similar feelings to the day of my first ride. To make it worse, as I had moved the gear levers from their previous position, I struggled to find them to change gear in time when needed. One of the drawbacks of under seat steering -you can’t see stuff if you’ve moved it. I came to an uphill junction with traffic lights and had managed to find a low gear expecting to stop at red. I have been getting through this junction OK up to now. The lights changed to green just as I rolled up to the line and I kept going, frantically pedalling.

My feet were a blur, and my hands were like a pair of manic spiders trying to find a lever, any lever, to be able to change up. Bridge to engine room -”More revolutions, Chief!” Engine room to bridge -”she’s giving all she can, Cap’n, she cannae take much more!” Still, I crossed the junction, the traffic passed me, and I eventually clunked into an appropriate gear.

As I got going on the road to Sandiway I found that the steering was more positive if I held the bar ends close to where they were attached to the bars, which gave me some ideas on how to improve things. A slight amount of distance ahead of the handlebar pivot seems to be ok, but too much and your hands swing round rather than move back and forth with the ends of the bars. An extremely light grip also helps.

I turned off towards Whitegate village where there is a decent long hill, as I wanted to see if there was any improvement in the brakes. The road steepened, and I pulled on the back brake, with a little assistance from its distant companion at the front. Previously the back brake would have some effect if you gave it lots of advance warning. With my improvements it had been transformed. Its performance had improved to the extent that if you heaved on the lever until all the veins stood out on your forehead, it would stop. Eventually. An emergency stop is a matter for debate. More work needed. I got up to 32mph on the bike computer before thinking it was advisable to start braking, so that I could turn right at the bottom of the hill.

Then the Search For Gears began, as the road steepened soon afterwards. I turned sharp left into an estate road, which was less steep and was able to stop and find some lower gears before turning back and grinding up the hill. Once over the top things were easier and I found another gear in which I remained for the next few miles. There was a gradual downhill then a sharp bend and a steep drop before a sharp right over a narrow concrete bridge. I passed a couple with bicycles just beyond this point, one cycling very slowly uphill, the other pushing. I found myself passing the deep rock salt mine, then turned off the road on to the cycle trail to Whitegate, passing a family group with several small children on bikes. I am going to have to do something about the gear changers. You need fingers like Nosferatu the Vampyre to change gear easily at the moment, not the stubby items bequeathed to me by my forefathers.

Nevertheless I found myself making good progress, passing groups of walkers and dog walkers. I reached the site of an old level crossing where normally I would have weaved through the barriers without difficulty but today with the different bar arrangements my balance was off and I had to stop and Fred Flintstone it, much to my embarrassment.

Eventually I came to the place where an old railway bridge once spanned Grange Lane. Long since demolished, the path sloped steeply to the road, through a narrow barrier, then through another barrier and up the other side. There was a family group with young kids contemplating pushing up the slope to the path. One small boy said, “what sort of bike is that, Daddy?” His father said, “It’s a recumbent bike, where you can lie back and pedal”. I was impressed, most people you meet are totally perplexed by it. He asked me if it was new, and I told him it was at least 20 years old. The little boy said to me, “my bike hasn’t got a chain, look, it’s got a belt.” And so it did. My turn to be impressed again. I got going up the slope but was not in the right gear and wobbled to a halt. I had to push. Not my day today. I stopped to organise myself and heard someone coming up behind. I waved them on. A voice said, “I’m the same boy, I’m waiting for my dad. My name’s ******”. He was just a small boy, but he spoke so well. Seemed sharp as a tack. Cute kid. I pressed on, and got through the next barrier ok. Into the old station car park, crowds of adults and kids, I heard one little girl say, “Daddy, look at that cool bike!” Too much attention now, I got onto Clay Lane, turned left and dawdled down the slight downhill towards the A54 and Oulton Park. Up a short stiff climb (right gear this time) then over the A54. On to Park Road. This road has a bit of downhill then becomes narrow with passing places on the uphill bit. There was a bit of traffic but with a bit of give and take we managed fine. However, as I was spinning uphill between passing places an immense tractor and trailer came the other way. I pressed myself into the hedgebank and he went past OK. I was in the right gear and got going uphill without difficulty.

There was an event on, I could hear the racing from miles away, and from time to time a vintage British sports car went past me. Some of them were so low, they were actually looking up at me. A sunny day, with the top down, they were enjoying themselves. Most were in gleaming condition. Straight past Oulton Park, down a dip then another short stiff climb, left into Brownhills Lane, right into Dogmore Lane, left into Kings Lane then a lazy ride with lots of freewheeling to turn left at Hickhurst Lane. I reached the junction with Hall Lane and turned left for home.

Just under 20 miles. Average despite all the dawdling, fits and starts, and the bit of off road 9.4mph. Max speed despite dubious brakes and dodgy gear changing, 32mph. In spite of the various issues, I made decent progress and felt that I had done it without a lot of effort. Must definitely do something about the bar ends and gear changers. The back brake is going to get another severe looking at.


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## a.twiddler (4 Sep 2020)

Some thoughts on my most recent ride.
Yesterday I broke through the 40 mile barrier (see My Ride Today) and with the adjustments since my last post here all went well. On my upright tourer I am slow, and on this recumbent I am slow, but it is a different kind of slow. There is less pressure to go faster, this is definitely a touring recumbent but it does get up speed quickly on any kind of downhill. I still tend to freewheel at the slightest excuse but on some downhills there is a reward in increased speed for very little pedalling effort which helps to get up the next incline. This is very noticeable on a gently undulating route.
On uphills I have been pleasantly surprised that although slow, once in the right gear it gets up them without too much drama. Much better than I was led to believe. On downhills there is definitely the wheeee! factor though on a couple of occasions it has bordered on the aaaargh! factor as I have overestimated its stopping ability. Still, it must be good enough as I haven't had a capsize or collided with the scenery yet. But if I could stop more reliably then I could go faster downhill... that way, madness lies.

Normally over that sort of distance on my upright I would have experienced numb or tingling hands at some stage, and possibly some foot discomfort, definitely some neck twinges. Still, the upright has advantages in manoevrability, ability to recover if in the wrong gear by standing on the pedals, ability to avoid the worst of potholes by taking weight on the pedals, and anonymity when parked in town. It is still a very comfortable bike by DF standards. It's a nice bike.

On the Linear I have had none of the above aches and pains and up to yesterday not even the above knee muscle pains. Although a bit tired, I felt OK after I got home and in a few hours the leg aches had gone too. I did wonder if I would find it difficult to rise from my bed the next day as I might do after a strenuous day on the upright, but actually I felt fine. If I didn't have other stuff planned I felt as if I could go out and do it again today. I feel more confident now about the prospect of a 50 or even 60 mile day.

Another thing which I was concerned about was the issue of my feet dropping from the pedals without toeclips or something similar to hold them in place. It has been a non issue, and has not happened in the time that I have had it, to the point that I only remembered about it when I looked back over my previous posts.

The worst thing about the trip yesterday was potholes. Generally I can avoid them but in parts of the route there is more pothole than road, and at times oncoming traffic compels you to ride through them. Despite bracing myself against the pedals I had several teeth rattling, brain bouncing episodes. Oh my poor frontal lobes! After one particular incident when I swooped down from a canal bridge only to find a white BMW in the middle of the road, forcing me to ride through several yards of them, I had a headache which fortunately faded after a few minutes.
Still, mostly they are avoidable.

It is at times like this that a test ride on a SWB with suspension becomes tempting!

However, overall the experience was very positive.

Distance was 40.25 miles. Max speed 27.2 mph. Average speed 10.2 mph.


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## 404 Not Found Anywhere (6 Sep 2020)

If your prop stand is towards the rear of the bike, and strong enough, you can tilt it to be supported on the stand and the front wheel with the rear off the ground... alternate turning the pedals and adjusting the gears and you can change whilst stationary. Works on my Fuego.

I would also observe that I find my Recycled Recumbent easier on the rough roads with a passive suspension effect over that long wheelbase than my Fuego, even with its rear suspension.


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## a.twiddler (7 Sep 2020)

404 Not Found Anywhere said:


> If your prop stand is towards the rear of the bike, and strong enough, you can tilt it to be supported on the stand and the front wheel with the rear off the ground... alternate turning the pedals and adjusting the gears and you can change whilst stationary. Works on my Fuego.
> 
> I would also observe that I find my Recycled Recumbent easier on the rough roads with a passive suspension effect over that long wheelbase than my Fuego, even with its rear suspension.


My Linear is decidedly tail heavy, and with a full rack bag has a tendency to flip if the front wheel is lifted with no rider aboard, to turn it in the garage for example. I recently replaced the (temporary) aluminium prop stand leg with a steel one but really need to put the prop stand clamp further back now I am using it in earnest.
With the temporary problem of poorly placed gear levers sorted the situation of stopping in the wrong gear is down to rider error and lack of forward planning if it happens now. Of course I still have the escape route of being able to change down to low gear on the 3 X 7 hub gear while stopped but sometimes it is just easier to push a few yards to a flatter launch point. With more experience, these episodes should become rarer.

Generally the Linear is pretty comfortable so the jarring effect of potholes is all the more surprising. It is fairly uncommon. I will carry on getting the miles in, and experimenting with tyre pressures.


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## a.twiddler (9 Sep 2020)

The Linear now has the Dia Compe Big Dog dual pivot BMX brake fitted.
Before:-







After






I initially tried to fit it so that the brake arms were closer to the rear fork with the cylindrical spacer inside the frame as per the single pivot caliper but there was not enough mudguard clearance so it had to be mounted higher. Fortunately this gave enough clearance. I also fitted some Clarks brake blocks. Initial impressions are that it feels more rigid and the lever movement is more direct. I haven't tried it in earnest yet as I haven't had time to take it to the Test Hill of Doom but will do so in due course.


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## 404 Not Found Anywhere (12 Sep 2020)

This might be of interest...

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=151780

(you need a login to see the photos)


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## a.twiddler (16 Sep 2020)

There are some issues with registering on Bentrider online with warnings from both my Firefox and their own admin on possible hackers and spam problems. A pity, as from previous visits it is an interesting site. However, I think the bike in question may look like this.





I have also seen a picture online of a similar bike with OSS and severely raked forks like a Bike E which stated that it was made by Linear but sold under a major dealer's name -I could not save the image as it was scanned as part of a magazine page full of print, something Velo or Velo something, so it looks like Linear have been busy with partnerships with various recumbent sellers over the years.

Although there is probably no such thing as a "standard" Linear, the post you referred to complains that a standard Linear seat height is a "towering" 23" from the ground. Good grief! mine is 27" though it does have a 700C rear wheel and 500A front which does not really account for the extra inches. It was nearly 28" when I got it but the seat cushion has compressed since I have been using it. It also has a 42" main beam which must make it a Medium frame. I find it quite manageable despite having notoriously short legs.

The bike above looks to have a 20" (406) rear wheel and some variety of 16" front which should go some way to lowering the seat height. Note how the rear brake is mounted under the frame as there would be reach problems with the standard fittings above the frame, and probably the lower fitting would interfere with the fold, hence the welded frame. It would not be a simple DIY conversion. A major contribution to the seat height on a Linear is the need for clearance for the USS beneath the seat.


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