Why do people start in the field of recumbenting? I suppose some people might know someone with a recumbent and it starts from there. For myself, I saw a picture of an Avatar 2000 in a copy of Richard's Bicycle Book in the 1980s and was curious, so I knew such things existed. I never got to see any more until during the last few years of doing the school run to a nearby town with my lad, about 15 years ago, when I used to see one from time to time. I assumed that it was being used for commuting. I didn't get to talk to the rider.
It was during lockdown that I became recumbent-curious again. I'd just sold a mountain bike for a ridiculous sum of money during the "bicycle mania" when quite ordinary bikes were being bought for unfeasible sums of money due to shortages of new bikes. I knew nothing about recumbents apart from what I saw on
ebay so it was a happy accident when I came across this Linear for sale, cheap and within lockdown travelling distance. It had been in the owner's barn for about ten years as he'd progressed on to newer and sportier recumbents. It was, erm, interesting getting it into my car for the trip home.
It could have been a terrible mistake and put me off recumbents for life, but there was nothing majorly wrong with it and I got it up and running in a few weeks. It happened to be very adjustable so I got it to fit me easily. I learned to ride it, learned a lot about recumbents, and have gradually improved it in the time I've had it. "Better" recumbents have come and gone in the search for a Linear replacement, but the Linear has endured.
The Linear is a bit Marmite. Some recumbentists have not a good word to say for it, others remember it fondly as their first recumbent. We all keep a lookout for the next one, but so far, it's not been found. For myself, it's been reliable, upgradable, fixable, comfortable and nice to ride. I've barely ridden my steel tourer since I've had it, and that will soon be for sale.
I didn't have a rush of blood to the head and decide , "I MUST have a recumbent!" I just thought, if I can find an affordable one locally, I'll give it a try. Having got started I suppose I'm the sort of person who doesn't give up easily, or is bothered by other peoples' misgivings. Once I'd managed to wobble down the road, I never felt that this wasn't for me, or was discouraged.
I didn't think that riding recumbent bikes would take over my cycling life though, in the way it has. Having got used to the comfort, I wouldn't give it up.
