To begin first, I would categorized bicycles into 5 main branches : Kids bike, commute bike, recumbent bike, road bike and mountain bike. The latter 2 of the category would be the most profound but fun yet technical to explain and its also a main part of the series.
And in this part i will only explain the first 3. Coz the last 2 will have their own independent posts. This is due to their wide and complex nature in the wild......oooops, i should say....road/trails.
Kids bike
Yeah those tiny bikes with 4 wheels. No explanation needed here i suppose. They are just around to get the kids started on cycling!
Commute bike
These are the bikes i would call majority bikes used in the world around.
From the classic design
To the slightly more modern designThese are in essence built for one thing : Getting from point A to B ONLY. Theres nothing fancy, no gears even. Simple brakes, wheels, a nice fat comfy seat and probably a basket if your lucky. Countries like China, Holland use these to get around to work and transport stuff. Nothing more than that coz the bike is built just as a simple daily use.
Recumbents
Okay this is one of the more unique bicycles out there. Its still a bike coz it fits the definition of a bicycle. Just that its form is different.
Now you wana ask how on earth does one cycle this thing? I know, at first glance it was intimidating to me as well. So why is there such a design? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of this bike?
Pro's :-
1)Comfort - Due to the seating position of this bike with full back and butt support, this bike is actually more comfortable than any other bike. Also because of the seated position, it generally helps for ppl with backache or neck ache. You dont have to bend the back and strain your neck so much.
2)Pedaling dynamics - The way the legs pedals this bike is in a lateral plane, instead of a vertical plane. So you are actually not having a push-and-lift effort on the pedals, but a push-relax-push. You dont need to lift your legs, hence it does save some energy there.
3)Variety - These bikes are mostly custom built to riders specifications so there is alot of choices the rider can pick to make his own bike. Unlike pre-factory made bikes.
4)Safety - In terms of safety in a fall/accident sense, this bike is safe due to the very low center of gravity and rider position. So if a rider does fall.....his head and body is not more than 1 meter from the ground. Its just like tumbling sideways. Compared to a normal upright bike where the head is a good 1.5 meters above the ground. And this bike doesnt go very fast to begin with.
5)Rider vision - Because you are sitting upright, you are constantly looking ahead, always on the lookout for the road hazards.
6)Wheelbase - Very long and stable.
Cons : -
1)Safety - Now because this bike is so low, tall vehicles or vehicles with a high front end might have trouble seeing the bike and rider.
2)Turning radius : This bike has a very big turning circle, so steering a corner or a U-Turn would pose a challenge at times.
3)Speed - Slow as a tortoise on the road most of the time, and if there is a hill, its another problem to pedal up it.
4)Balance - Well since this bike is long, it can be really heavy, and this bike doesnt really do well with a push off-and-start pedal action to get it going. Requires lots of balance and steering technique to manoeuvre.
5)Position - Though its a comfy bike to ride, it doesnt really allow you to switch positions much at all. Unlike the uprights where you can stand, stretch, lift arms, bend etc incase you need to loosen a few muscles.
6)Price - It aint cheap too you know......depending on what and how you custom make it.
So the recumbent is a nice unique bike to ride. Even some use it as a touring bike to travel the country. Being more of a relax travel bike, since there are tricycle versions of this, it maybe worth a try if you get bored of the normal uprights. As for Malaysian's there are a handful of recumbents here, just not too sure if its actually street legal here. And where to get it? I also dont know. Haha.
-End Series II-
Recumbents
Okay this is one of the more unique bicycles out there. Its still a bike coz it fits the definition of a bicycle. Just that its form is different.
Now you wana ask how on earth does one cycle this thing? I know, at first glance it was intimidating to me as well. So why is there such a design? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of this bike?Pro's :-
1)Comfort - Due to the seating position of this bike with full back and butt support, this bike is actually more comfortable than any other bike. Also because of the seated position, it generally helps for ppl with backache or neck ache. You dont have to bend the back and strain your neck so much.
2)Pedaling dynamics - The way the legs pedals this bike is in a lateral plane, instead of a vertical plane. So you are actually not having a push-and-lift effort on the pedals, but a push-relax-push. You dont need to lift your legs, hence it does save some energy there.
3)Variety - These bikes are mostly custom built to riders specifications so there is alot of choices the rider can pick to make his own bike. Unlike pre-factory made bikes.
4)Safety - In terms of safety in a fall/accident sense, this bike is safe due to the very low center of gravity and rider position. So if a rider does fall.....his head and body is not more than 1 meter from the ground. Its just like tumbling sideways. Compared to a normal upright bike where the head is a good 1.5 meters above the ground. And this bike doesnt go very fast to begin with.
5)Rider vision - Because you are sitting upright, you are constantly looking ahead, always on the lookout for the road hazards.
6)Wheelbase - Very long and stable.
Cons : -
1)Safety - Now because this bike is so low, tall vehicles or vehicles with a high front end might have trouble seeing the bike and rider.
2)Turning radius : This bike has a very big turning circle, so steering a corner or a U-Turn would pose a challenge at times.
3)Speed - Slow as a tortoise on the road most of the time, and if there is a hill, its another problem to pedal up it.
4)Balance - Well since this bike is long, it can be really heavy, and this bike doesnt really do well with a push off-and-start pedal action to get it going. Requires lots of balance and steering technique to manoeuvre.
5)Position - Though its a comfy bike to ride, it doesnt really allow you to switch positions much at all. Unlike the uprights where you can stand, stretch, lift arms, bend etc incase you need to loosen a few muscles.
6)Price - It aint cheap too you know......depending on what and how you custom make it.
So the recumbent is a nice unique bike to ride. Even some use it as a touring bike to travel the country. Being more of a relax travel bike, since there are tricycle versions of this, it maybe worth a try if you get bored of the normal uprights. As for Malaysian's there are a handful of recumbents here, just not too sure if its actually street legal here. And where to get it? I also dont know. Haha.
-End Series II-
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