Bicycles are about as green as you can get.
They're economical and provide great exercise.
But a lot of people draw the line at hunching
over those skinny, hard seats. There are bikes
that offer more ways to ride, whatever your age
or size. Lucy Martin reports:
"This pump gets used a lot, so sometimes it
doesn’t want to stay on."
(Sound of employee operating tire pump)
The air pump beats the gas pump every time.
Bikes are pretty simple to use. No gas, no bus
fare. Check the tires and you're good to go.
(Sound of blast of tire pump air)
A lot of people who don't bike now wish they
could too. And that's where recumbent bikes can
help.
(sound of entry bell chimes, door opens and
closes)
"A recumbent is a bike where you sit down with
your feet out in front of you and it's
comfortable like your office chair. It's
comfortable like the chair you watch TV in. It
puts you in a seated position like the car you
drive."
That's Peter Stull. Nearly 30 years ago he took
a one-room school house and turned it into a
business called The Bicycle Man. The small store
in Western New York has become a magnet for
shoppers interested in bikes that feel good.
Employee: "Where you guys coming from?"
Customer: "Ottawa, Canada."
Employee: "Yeah? Locals."
People regularly travel long distances to check
out the extra-large selection.
"We have a couple kinds of customers. And one is
the customer who is a serious road-bike geek for
decades and he just got a report, from the
doctor, saying 'you can't' because of wrist,
neck, prostate - something - you can't ride
anymore. Or, maybe runner, can't run anymore.
And they really want to stay active. They come
to us."
Stull sees plenty of brand-new bikers too. They
come in every age and shape. His motto is 'Ride
before you decide', because there are so many
variables to consider.
"You know, if you look at a racing bike, you
give up everything for speed. But did you want
speed? Or comfort? Or Durability? Or foldability?
Or - would you like me to show you the
compromises on our design?"
Stull spends a lot of time testing and tinkering
in the shop out back. He's on a quest to build
even better bikes. No single style can do
everything for everyone. But Stull says
recumbents can solve a number of common
problems.
"If you're uncomfortable--like have a pain issue
on a traditional bicycle? This will probably
eliminate it. If it's a hip or a knee issue,
maybe it won't help. If it's a balance issue,
then maybe a trike recumbent, with three
wheels."
I had to try the cool trike bikes. I wasn't sure
what to expect. They were amazing. Really low
and super fast. But they need a lot of room to
turn. Stull says trike bikes give some of his
physically challenged customers the bike freedom
the rest of us take for granted.
(Sound of Stull greeting customers)
Saturdays get busy. I asked John and Deb Wegman
why they bothered to drive 90 minutes from
Rochester.
John Wegman: "My wife. (laughter) Yeah. That's
it! Exactly!"
Deb Wegman: "Be honest."
John Wegman: "Well, we wanted to try them
because they're supposed to be very comfortable
and a different kind of ride. And this is the
place to come, because you can't find them
anywhere else. All the other bike shops have
maybe one. And you can test drive it in the
parking lot for a hundred yards, maybe."
Lucy Martin: "And you're about to go out on a
ride of as long as you want?"
John Wegman: "Right. And we can come back and
try another one, and do it again, if we want
to."
Recumbents are hard to find. They can cost a bit
more too. But Stull says any good bike that's
cared for should last for years.
(Sound of a car whooshing past.)
After maybe 20 minutes, John and Deb come back.
John Wegman: "That was a lot of fun - a very
comfortable ride."
Deb Wegman: "It was great! Yeah, I'm actually
going to have them change the seat, on that one
'cause I'm interested in the wider seat."
Lucy Martin: "Try that bigger seat?"
Deb Wegman: "Yeah."
The Bicycle Man carries basic recumbents all the
way to slick racers. They sell regular bikes
too. Whatever buyers chose, Peter Stull
recommends taking enough time to find the right
bike for each body. He says comfortable bikes
get ridden. The rest just sit around and rust.
Recumbent bikes are beginning to catch on across
the nation. But, active baby-boomers might just
make bicycle shops think about peddling more of
them.