Look Ma No Hands!!

Recumbents have always been outside of the normal upright bicycle box.

We don’t always have to think conventional. As you can see from this build the standard handlebars have been replaced.


The question I have to ask is, “Why not?”

Interesting Approach - Full Body Cycling

Full Body Cycle Experience

A group of Mechanical Engineer students from Stanford University were put to task and given a project to design and build a full body bicycle. They were told to take a normal bicycle and only make changes from the handlebar neck forward. They were given a $1500 budget and only ten weeks to build a fully functioning bicycle.

The first couple of attempts were trial and error but soon they got the hang of it and began to fine tune their attempts.

The students ended up with a pretty decent and functional road bike that would give a full body workout, could be steered while pedaling and had the bonus of both front and rear wheel drive.

Overall I really like this design and may incorporate into a recumbent I want to build if I can conceive how to unbulk the looks of the front end a bit.
As you can see from the picture below by staying with the normal build of the original bike frame there are many advantages. Remember to think outside the box!

The What and Why of a Recumbent

If you are not familiar with a recumbent you may be asking yourself, “What in the world is it?” A recumbent in the simplest terms is a cycle configured for ergonomics. Ergonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker or in this case the rider. (Source: Wikapedia)

Recumbents tend to place you in a more upright slightly laid back position. Some of the advantages of riding a recumbent (or as recumbent riders refer to them ‘bents’) are:
1) The rider’s weight is distributed over a much larger area of the back and rump. Traditional uprights normally have that same weight distributed over just a few square inches or so.
2) Less likely to have numb buns, hands and sore neck.
3) You won’t go over the handle bars.
4) Your position offers less wind resistance.

Interesting facts about bents:

The current world bike speed record is held by a recumbent at 80.5 MPH.
Recumbents were not allowed to compete in bicycle races after breaking world speed records. It appears the powers in charge at the time couldn’t take the defeat. This was in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. For more information on this subject visit http://www.hpv.on.ca/recumb.htm

There are two wheel recumbent bicycles, tandems, three wheel trikes and four wheel quads plus all manner of design in-between. One of my favorite designs is the quadra-ped or a hand and foot cranked model. It is great upper and lower body exercise!

Bents may not be for everyone, but they are certainly worth checking out!