Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
bentechriders group:

Did you build it yourself?

   o yes, frame & parts.
   o yes, frame but LBS added parts.
   o no, got the unfinished frame but I added the parts.
   o no, got the unfinished frame had LBS add bike parts.
   o yes, well still working on it.


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bentechriders/surveys?id=676939

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

That ascii art previewed fine, and then got mangled when I posted.
Apparently, you can see the unmangled art by replying and previewing
the message.

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "michael_kane_norman"
<michael_kane_norman@y...> wrote:
> I'll post the AQ: What quality bend can you expect from 4130 bent
at
> the local muffler shop?
>
> I'll try to be forthcoming with an answer in the next few days. I
had
> my tubes bent yesterday at the local muffler shop and am of mixed
> feeling about the result. I'll bug the GF for the use of her
digital
> camera and see if I can post a pic.
>
> The tubes (2 SWBs) kinked on the inside of the bend. The kinks are
> symmetric and, if you work yourself up to it, you can kind of
> appreciate it as the result of a particular physical process (If
you
> happen to be a dorky engineer like me, that is). <Humble Opinion>
> Still, I think this result should have been called out on the
bentech
> website, as it's not expected. </Humble Opinion> I think that
> mitering the tube and welding it would have been a better solution,
> simply because you could run the headtube right through the bottom
> portion of the weld seam to avoid stress concentrations at
the "bend."
>
> Along those lines, I was looking at the GreenSpeed trikes on the
> HostelShoppe.com website, and they have a nifty solution to the
> chainstay problem. Instead of bending an welding, they ovalize the
> main tube and weld a cross-member in place (ala the Bottom Bracket)
> and hang the chainstays off of that. Like so:
>
>            =|c|=============
> ------------|r|      /
>   Main tube |o| chainstays
> ------------|s|      \
>            =|s|=============
>
>
> Pretty cool. You've got 4 more welds and two more tubes to cap, but
> there's no bending involved. I think I'll go with this.
>
> Enough rambling,
> mike

Mike, The owner of the muffler shop thought he could bend the thinwall
4130.  The mandrels that were on his machine do not fit 4130 tight enough.
The kink probably is not structurally unsound, it just does not look good
and since I would be looking at it all the time when riding I changed to
the cleanly bend exhaust pipe.

I could not get the chainstays bent locally so made the bend with tubing
cut at an angle.  I teach welding and AutoCad so was able to draw up plans
for this modification and made the jigs to hold the part while welding them
up. JHR

I sent a e-mail to Dom about this and he said to try moving the seat which
I did.  However with the seat further forward my feet did not touch the
ground when sitting back in the seat.    I found early on (after falling
over) that to keep the bike upright when stopping getting one or both feet
down on the ground is necessary and very quickly.   So I moved the seat
back to the original hole and just changed the angle.

Dom did tell me that some riders have experienced numbness in the lower
legs if the bottom bracket is too high, so he designed this bike so that
the seat bottom and bottom bracket were close to level.  JHR

Could you have drilled another seat hole in the frame and moved the
seat closer?  I'm 5'4" so I could have this issue when I get that
far.  I thought about drilling another hole to attach the seat and
inch and a half in front of the one the plans call for, do you think
this would work?

>Mike,  I had my main tube bent at the muffler shop 4130 and it
>kinked.
> So I bought exhaust tube for the main tube and they bent it with no
> problem.  I had it bent to 21 degrees and after assembling the bike
> and my short legs the pedals would hit the front tire.  So I
modified
> the bend to provide clearence for the pedal arms.  It is closer to
10
> degrees now.  JHR

I'll post the AQ: What quality bend can you expect from 4130 bent at
the local muffler shop?

I'll try to be forthcoming with an answer in the next few days. I had
my tubes bent yesterday at the local muffler shop and am of mixed
feeling about the result. I'll bug the GF for the use of her digital
camera and see if I can post a pic.

The tubes (2 SWBs) kinked on the inside of the bend. The kinks are
symmetric and, if you work yourself up to it, you can kind of
appreciate it as the result of a particular physical process (If you
happen to be a dorky engineer like me, that is). <Humble Opinion>
Still, I think this result should have been called out on the bentech
website, as it's not expected. </Humble Opinion> I think that
mitering the tube and welding it would have been a better solution,
simply because you could run the headtube right through the bottom
portion of the weld seam to avoid stress concentrations at the "bend."

Along those lines, I was looking at the GreenSpeed trikes on the
HostelShoppe.com website, and they have a nifty solution to the
chainstay problem. Instead of bending an welding, they ovalize the
main tube and weld a cross-member in place (ala the Bottom Bracket)
and hang the chainstays off of that. Like so:

            =|c|=============
------------|r|      /
   Main tube |o| chainstays
------------|s|      \
            =|s|=============


Pretty cool. You've got 4 more welds and two more tubes to cap, but
there's no bending involved. I think I'll go with this.

Enough rambling,
mike

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "michael_kane_norman"
<michael_kane_norman@y...> wrote:
> Thanks for the reply, Bender.
>
> I guess I'm ok with having the main tube bent at the muffler shop.
> I've also considered putting a 10 or 15 degree bend instead of the
21
> degrees called for in the plans. Has anyone done this? Or has anyone
> gone with a straight main tube? I realize there's a trade between
> aerodynamics and rideability. Can anyone comment?
>
> I can tell right now that this forum is going to be a useful tool
for
> future builders. Maybe we should put together a FAQ, or even just an
> AQ (notice missing "Frequently") for future users? Anyone want to
> contribute? Psi, do you want to collect submissions and compile
them?
>
> -Mike
>
> --- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "benderbinder"
> <benderbinder@y...> wrote:
> > Mike,
> > I had my tube bent at the local muffler shop with no problem.  No
> > actual dimples but the tube does look odd at the point where the
> > machine held the tube during bending.  It ends up being drilled
> > through at about the same point and most of that material is
> removed
> > which maybe why it doesn't show in anyones finished work.


Mike,  I had my main tube bent at the muffler shop 4130 and it kinked.
So I bought exhaust tube for the main tube and they bent it with no
problem.  I had it bent to 21 degrees and after assembling the bike
and my short legs the pedals would hit the front tire.  So I modified
the bend to provide clearence for the pedal arms.  It is closer to 10
degrees now.  JHR

The tools question I posted might make a good AQ.  I started my
project with no knowledge or background and would have liked to know
what minimum of tools would be most benificial to keeping the project
moving.  "If I had to do it all again the first tool I'd buy is a ..."
or "the most useful tool was the ..."  My top three:
drill press
compound miter saw
tubing notcher

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "Psi" <notabout@l...> wrote:
> Hi Mike and all,
>
> I think that an FAQ or an AQ is an excellent idea and I'd be happy
to
> compile one with everyone's help.
> Post in the usual suspects and head then *FAQ* and I'll start
putting
> it together. Answers as well as questions would be appreciated as
I'm
> only rated up to assembly - no builders badge for me yet. :-(
>

Hi tragus,

There were several reasons for me choosing the swb over the lwb but
it mostly came down to storage after it was put together. At the time
we were living in a fairly small house and my recumbent was NOT going
to live in the shed and luckily for me my wife agreed.

With me buying the frameset from Dom I figured that a swb would be
safer to get shipped to the UK in that it would be a slightly smaller
package or at least less long and thin. (I never said they were all
good reasons) :-)

I've settled on the OSS as I feel that it gives me more control over
the bike when I'm stopped at junctions. I really liked the hand
position and the look of the USS but I always felt like I was perched
on something rather than sat on it but since I've changed over its
great. Having said that once I get more accustomed to ridding I may
switch it back for a while just to see.

Regards

Psi

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "tragus52"
> Was looking at the long wheel base model, but appears that most
> prefer the SWB. Does it have to do with the better feel of the
> handlebar position, or is are there other reasons.
>
> Thanks

Hi Mike and all,

I think that an FAQ or an AQ is an excellent idea and I'd be happy to
compile one with everyone's help.
Post in the usual suspects and head then *FAQ* and I'll start putting
it together. Answers as well as questions would be appreciated as I'm
only rated up to assembly - no builders badge for me yet. :-(

I'll put it together as a text document in the Files section to begin
with but I'd like too put together a web page later in the year and
include it on there as well.

If anyone has any pictures of their bent or current  (or past) build
project that they'd like to see on the group page post them into the
Photos gallery and I can rotate them on the Groups front page.

Regards and clear skies

Psi

>Maybe we should put together a FAQ, or even just an
>AQ (notice missing "Frequently") for future users? Anyone wants to
>contribute? Psi, do you want to collect submissions and compile them?

>-Mike

I thought it might be interesting to find out what tools people who
built their frames wouldn't attempt this project without?  And how
easy is it to do with out them?  Hind sight advice please.

If you change the bend don't you have to change the head tube angle?
I thought one of the reasons Dom designed it this way was to avoid
complicated angles in drilling.

I'd have to say its looks and storage space.  I can only own so many
more bikes before I'm out of space.  I'm also looking at transporting
the thing.  I'm a few miles off the bike trail and getting there
could be a problem.  I think the short wheel base will fit on my yak
rack pretty easily.  I guess I'll have to agree we all probably have
several reasons for building SWB.  Is there a reason to choose over
seat stearing rather than underseat stearing?

I bought both sets of plans. I'm building two of the SWBs now, mainly
because my girlfriend wants one because she thinks it's cuter than
the Long-Easy and I only want to build one set of jigs for now. Also,
I'm afraid the Long-Easy will be a bit faster on long rides, and I'm
in better shape than she is, so when we ride together I want to have
as few speed advantages as possible. The plans for either come with
both the under- and over- seat steering options.

I guess what I'm saying is that my reasons are a bit complex, and I
wouldn't be surprised if that's typical. (If your feeling non-
commital, I suppose you could build a bike with *both* steering
systems on it ;o)

I'll eventually build a Long-Easy, too.

HTH,
Mike
--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "tragus52" <tragus52@h...>
wrote:
>...
> Was looking at the long wheel base model, but appears that most
> prefer the SWB. Does it have to do with the better feel of the
> handlebar position, or is are there other reasons.
>

Mike,
I did the 21 degrees and had some tube collapes but 90% was drilled
out and welding covered the rest.
If you change the angle it will change how you manage your chain
which can be worked around.  After all that is the fun part of
building your own.  It will also change your seating angle.
I'm working on my next bike and will not bend it.
Bob

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "michael_kane_norman"
<michael_kane_norman@y...> wrote:
> Thanks for the reply, Bender.
>
> I guess I'm ok with having the main tube bent at the muffler shop.
> I've also considered putting a 10 or 15 degree bend instead of the
21
> degrees called for in the plans. Has anyone done this? Or has
anyone
> gone with a straight main tube? I realize there's a trade between
> aerodynamics and rideability. Can anyone comment?
>
> I can tell right now that this forum is going to be a useful tool
for
> future builders. Maybe we should put together a FAQ, or even just
an
> AQ (notice missing "Frequently") for future users? Anyone want to
> contribute? Psi, do you want to collect submissions and compile
them?
>
> -Mike
>
> --- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "benderbinder"
> <benderbinder@y...> wrote:
> > Mike,
> > I had my tube bent at the local muffler shop with no problem.  No
> > actual dimples but the tube does look odd at the point where the
> > machine held the tube during bending.  It ends up being drilled
> > through at about the same point and most of that material is
> removed
> > which maybe why it doesn't show in anyones finished work.

Hi,
If the differences are small you can use a hole file and just put the
elbow to it.  You'll find the chainstay holes will need to be
ovalized also and a lot.  I found the Dremel drill works great and
can be used for many other jobs.

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "benderbinder"
<benderbinder@y...> wrote:
> I had a couple problems.
>
> I had the holes machined for the two headtubes (one for underseat
> stearing) according to the blue print and they are both too small
to
> take the headtubes.  Any quick fixes?  I hate to pay to have these
re-
> machined.
>
> I also had a problem getting the chainstays bent.  The shop I went
to
> ruined one of my tubes then sold me the bent chainstays in a tubing
> size (wall thickness) they could bend cleanly for a reduced price.
I
> think it was $10.  The only other place that would do it was $25-
$30
> per bend and since one chainstay was ruined.  It will add some
weight
> to the overall frame but at least its done.  (this attitude is due
to
> frustration)

I have been looking at undertaking the task of actually building a
recumbent, but have been reluctant because of the lack of building
experience. This forum will be useful in gaining the experience of
people who have been there, done that. Thanks to all for sharing your
experiences.
Was looking at the long wheel base model, but appears that most
prefer the SWB. Does it have to do with the better feel of the
handlebar position, or is are there other reasons.

Thanks

I had a couple problems.

I had the holes machined for the two headtubes (one for underseat
stearing) according to the blue print and they are both too small to
take the headtubes.  Any quick fixes?  I hate to pay to have these re-
machined.

I also had a problem getting the chainstays bent.  The shop I went to
ruined one of my tubes then sold me the bent chainstays in a tubing
size (wall thickness) they could bend cleanly for a reduced price.  I
think it was $10.  The only other place that would do it was $25-$30
per bend and since one chainstay was ruined.  It will add some weight
to the overall frame but at least its done.  (this attitude is due to
frustration)

Thanks for the reply, Bender.

I guess I'm ok with having the main tube bent at the muffler shop.
I've also considered putting a 10 or 15 degree bend instead of the 21
degrees called for in the plans. Has anyone done this? Or has anyone
gone with a straight main tube? I realize there's a trade between
aerodynamics and rideability. Can anyone comment?

I can tell right now that this forum is going to be a useful tool for
future builders. Maybe we should put together a FAQ, or even just an
AQ (notice missing "Frequently") for future users? Anyone want to
contribute? Psi, do you want to collect submissions and compile them?

-Mike

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "benderbinder"
<benderbinder@y...> wrote:
> Mike,
> I had my tube bent at the local muffler shop with no problem.  No
> actual dimples but the tube does look odd at the point where the
> machine held the tube during bending.  It ends up being drilled
> through at about the same point and most of that material is
removed
> which maybe why it doesn't show in anyones finished work.

Hi all,
Well my buddy and I just sent our bikes to the painter (power coat).
We started last Oct and had a hard time finding a tube bender that
could handle the 1" chairstays.  After contacting about 10 places
found a guy who had a bender in his garage.
Anyway, we build both SWB bikes, my is USS and Al's is OSS.  We
modified the plans a little, added V brakes, and bought a completed
seat (cost was about the same)  Most of the bender shops want $25-30
per bend so a seat @ $140 was a good deal.
What weight did your bikes come in at?
Any questions about how we built / overcame problems just ask.
Bob

Mike,
I had my tube bent at the local muffler shop with no problem.  No
actual dimples but the tube does look odd at the point where the
machine held the tube during bending.  It ends up being drilled
through at about the same point and most of that material is removed
which maybe why it doesn't show in anyones finished work.

Hi All,

I just got back from a disappointing trip to the muffler shop. While
they can bend the main tube, the quality of the bend would have left
something to be desired. They showed me a sample of material bent on
their machine, and it had quite a severe dimple on the inside of the
bend. I'd say the tube was only 1/2 to 3/4 as thick at the center of
the bend as in the straight section of the pipe.

The guy at the shop referred me to an exhaust header supplier about 1-
1/2 hrs away from where I live, as they have a mandrel bender. I've
sent an email to them and am waiting for a reply. I don't know what
the cost will be.

Has anyone had similar experiences? The bentech web site says you can
just have the tubes bent at the local muffler shop. None of the bikes
I've seen in the gallery seem to have been done this way (I can't see
any severe dimples). Is this the dirty little secret of building
bentechs?

Mike

I've been riding a Bentech SWB recumbent for going on 3 years now.  I
love it!  It is my first recumbent bike, but it hooked me.
Originally, I researched this subject for about a year before I
settled on this bike.  I purchased a welded frameset back when Dom
was still building them, and was very impressed with it when it
arrived.  It took me a few weeks to assemble it the first time with
parts I had around here from some other bikes.  I first put it
together with OSS (overseat steering), and then tried setting it up
with USS (underseat steering).  I left it that way for a year, and
now I have gone back to OSS.  It is a very stable handling bike, and
I ride it regularly.  Unfortunately, I have never finished painting
it because I do ride it so much.  Back when I first put it together,
I primered all the parts, and that's how it remains.  That's really
OK, because it has been a project in process from the beginning.
Almost every time I ride, I think of something else I want to do to
it.  But that is slowing down over time.  One of these days when I
decide it is finally finished, I will tear it all down and actually
paint the whole frame like it deserves.

I hadn't been to the Hostel site before. Thanks for the pointer. It
appears that the fork they have is "Alloy/Steel", which I assume is
weldable/brazeable. I still need to weld/braze if I want to put disc
brakes on the front, as they require a special adapter. Previously,
the only suspension forks I could find were made of aluminum. I'll
call Hostel and ask sometime about the USS part, although I suspect
the Bentech arrangement will work, too.

Thanks for the great info!

Mike

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "benderbinder"
<benderbinder@y...> wrote:
> Michael,
> Why do you need to weld to your suspension fork?...
> ... look into a part I saw in the Hostel shop catalog...
> ...Vision makes a part to add to a suspension fork
> for their bikes that adds the underseat steering option.

Michael,
Why do you need to weld to your suspension fork?  My guess is
underseat stearing.  You might want to look into a part I saw in the
Hostel shop catalog  I don't know how well it would work with the
bentech plans but Vision makes a part to add to a suspension fork
for their bikes that adds the underseat steering option.  It might
just work.

Hi Simon,

I posted earlier this evening and then realized I hadn't responded to
your gracious welcome. (I think this puts me squarely in the rude
category.) :o(

Anyhow, I joined cuz I'm building two (slightly modified) SWBs and
wanted to add anything I could to the discussion. As I've noted
elsewhere, I've also got the Long-Easy plans and will likely build
that one in the near future, too. I've even thought about partial or
full fairings for the distant future, just to complete the insanity.

Regards,
Mike

--- In bentechriders@yahoogroups.com, "Psi" <notabout@l...> wrote:
> Hi,
> I'd just like to say Welcome to Michael and Craig and thanks for
> joining the group in its infant stages.
> Hopefully there will be more information appearing as time goes on
> that will be of use to future builders or just a bit of general
chat
> to help those of us about to start our first project.
> Whatever your reason for joining good to have you along for the
ride,
>
> Psi.

Hi All,

I've just started on my bikes. Here's the status so far.

Annie, my girlfriend, ordered the plans for both of Dom's bikes for
me a couple of weeks ago (early birthday present!). We're gonna put
together two of the SWBs, hopefully on the same set of jigs. I may
build a Long-Easy for myself later, because Annie doesn't seem to
have much interest in that model.

I didn't have any tools, so a trip to the hardware store was in order
upon receiving the plans. I bought a Delta 10" drill press, along
with all the bits, a ball-peen hammer and center punch, some quick-
clamps, cutting oil, and so on. It's amazing how few tools you get
for $270. :o( Although I was pleased to see the drill press was only
$99. I'm putting the press together today, as the instructions say
you have to clean all the exposed metal parts with kerosene and then
wax them with floor wax. (I'm using car wax on a coworker's
recommendation.)

Most of the tubing is slated to arrive tomorrow (Monday). It turns
out that Aircraft Spruce (AS) no longer carries 1-5/8" .049 wall
tubing (the bit that attaches to the bottom bracket (BB) and slides
into the main boom). I was disappointed at the brusque email response
to my query to AS, but can't complain about the tubing prices. I'm
still looking for a supplier for the 1-5/8" tubing. Dom has
graciously offered to send me some at cost plus shipping, but I'll
look around a bit before putting him out. (I don't think he's in the
business of supplying parts, mind you.) You have to buy in 6' lengths
from AS, but this wasn't much of a problem for me since we're
building two bikes.

I'll be building the bike in my apartment, and am debating whether to
use the dining table (bachelor pad ;o) or set up a sawhorse workbench
in the spare bedroom. The plus is that I get a work surface I can
bang on; The minus is that it's more stuff to haul during the next
apartment move. In any event, I'll have to lay down a tarp or
something to preserve the carpets.

A trip to the bike store was pretty informative. I priced a bunch of
parts. Annie and I would like to put disc brakes on the bikes. Those
cost $139 for a set of front and rear brakes. The guy at the store
informs me that disc brakes don't add any width to the axles. They
do, however, require a braze-on for the bit that attaches to the
chainstays or fork (front or rear). I'll make this piece out of the
1/4" chrom-moly plate I ordered for the drop-outs and have it welded
on by the shop when the rest of the frame is welded. This brings me
to my next point. I tried to find a set of 20" suspension forks, and
could only come up with forks made of aluminum. This is no good for
brazing, and the cost is about $100 per fork. I recall seeing some
plans for a suspension system that you build into the headtube and
may be able to do something along those lines. I've opted for USS, so
that may complicate things a bit. (Does the linkage attach to the
moving part of the fork? If so, how is steering affected?)

As you can see, this will be quite the adventure. I'll post more as I
know more, and maybe post some pictures, too.

This forum was a great idea, Simon. I'm sure we'll all have loads of
fun here!

Regards,
Mike

Not having the shop tools does make it difficult.  I'll have to post
photos of all my mitered tubes sitting around waiting for a little
finishing here and there.

It has taken me two years off and on.  Partly because of lack of know
how and partly because I'm trying to beg barrow and steel use of the
tools nessesary for the job.  I now own a pipe bender, a tube
mitering jig, and a grinder.

I think things would have gone better if I had talked to the right
people so I'm glad to see this forum getting started.

Thanks

Hi,
I'd just like to say Welcome to Michael and Craig and thanks for
joining the group in its infant stages.
Hopefully there will be more information appearing as time goes on
that will be of use to future builders or just a bit of general chat
to help those of us about to start our first project.
Whatever your reason for joining good to have you along for the ride,

Psi.

Hi there,

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

I first found the Bentech site when I was looking for plans to build
a recumbent bicycle. After looking at the ready builds I knew that
there was no chance of me being able to afford one for a very long
time. So I wondered if I could build one of my own as I'd seen a few
at a number of bike rallies and figured it couldn't be that hard.

I bought the plans and studied them for a while and realised that I
could build one and cheaply. However I have no tools, AT ALL (or
didn't then). So I priced up all the tools I'd need to build my
frame, I couldn't borrow any as I'd just moved to the area and didn't
know anyone with the right sort of hardware (story of my life :-]  ).
That was the point when I realised I had a problem my frame budget
would cover the purchase of the tools but would leave nothing to pay
for the materials I'd need to build the actual frame.

After much soul searching and the burning desire to own a recumbent
bike I contacted Dom who at the time was still supplying tube and
framesets and ordered a frame set from him. I was back on course.
The main chain set I already had from my touring bike that I'd
assembled years ago and it was still in good enough condition to
start the build with (I plan to upgrade the components when funds
allow) and the front wheel was just a cheapy from the local bike shop
(LBS).

The frame I had powder coated locally for about £40.00 which I
thought was reasonably priced and managed to get it done in English
Racing Green (the closest I'll ever get to owning a Jaguar - it's a
boyhood thing) so was a very happy smiley person for days after.

I had a friend of a friend ream out the steering tube for the under
seat steering and had it all together in a couple of more days and
was then stuck with two problems, handlebars and chain. Both were
available but none of my LBS are cheap and the prospect of paying
over £30:00 just for chain was gut wrenching (my old LBS back home
did the same chains for £3:00 each - mail order was looking
tempting). Luckily a chance conversation with a roady friend told me
about a shop that the racing boys use who could do the chains for
half price so I managed to secure the necessary for £15:00, that I
could live with. After the purchase of a pair of old "Cow Horn" bars
and a cheap stem I was away.

She went together like a dream and I was pootling about by the end of
the weekend getting everything just right and set correctly. What a
sight, I spent much time after she was first built just looking at
her when I wasn't out at work.

The first couple of rides were mind blowing, the comfort and ease
with which this bicycle handled where great. I've had some experience
or riding a number of different recumbents so didn't find it to hard
to get going (unlike the first ever ride) but spent the afternoon
riding round a local car park just to get used to some of the more
unusual handling characteristics of a swb uss recumbent.

Something I did notice was this is not a bike for the shy - I was
beeped at, questions on it's comfort, queried about its price as well
as cheered and applauded as I passed a local pub (thanks guys) you
get noticed, oh boy do you get noticed. This does have its advantages
however; motorists seem to see you more on a bent than they do on a
bike.

After work and moving house and a bout of ill health and then leaving
work totally, I finally got round to pulling the "Freak Flyer 2" (for
that was the name she had become known by) out of the garage with the
intention of reconfiguring the steering. The bars I bought are a
funny shape and I haven't been able to route everything so the chain
doesn't rub on the chain when I steer and that started to bug me and
I wasn't going to spent any more money (as I didn't have any to
spare) so it was time to go OSS.

I spent last weekend making the changes to the bike rerouting cables,
butchering an old stem and a bit of tubing I found in the corner of
the shed and had OSS with ease. The first ride on the new bike was a
delight no more chain rattle and I felt more secure having something
in front of me (psychological I assume after having ridden a normal
bike for other 30 years). It was great, after not having ridden for
nearly 6 months and to be back out at the beginning of spring on my
recumbent again; life doesn't get much better than that.

Thanks for indulging my rambling and if you ever decide to build your
own recumbent as I will one day (this winter) I can't recommend a
Bentech to you highly enough,

Regards and clear skies,

Psi