I want to give you a sense of what a first visit to the Bicycleman is like.  Usually, customers have seen someone on a bike path ride by with a weird looking bike and that leads to some internet searching.  If the person is within a six-hour drive, they eventually end up giving us a call and go on a road trip. 

Our job is to ask a ton of questions to find out what has them interested in recumbents, and then match them to something that fits their needs.  Often there is a physical issue that is making it uncomfortable to ride their current bike.  Sore butt, stiff neck, back problems, half-body stroke, numb feet, balance issues-something has made it no fun to ride, and they miss doing it.  Other times it’s new bike fever and they want to try something exotic.  We are definitely full of exotic. 

We start by greeting everyone and by getting a sense of what got them interested in recumbents.  We have all been here over ten years, some of us twenty, and have heard it all.  Don’t be shy.  The more information you give us, the better we can help. 

I usually give thumbnail sketches of what the different types of recumbents are and what they excel at.  From there, we figure out what sounds like something of interest and dive deeper.  I try to have people give one a try early in the conversation.  I find that it helps figure out which of the many paths we want to go down.  Some people take to two-wheeled recumbents right from the start, others feel like they are learning to ride bike for the first time and are nervous.  For them, we try a recumbent trike which is something anyone can have fun riding immediately.  We may try a two-wheeler after they have success riding the trike or we stick to three-wheelers.  There is no right or wrong answer, some things will check more boxes of what works best. 

After more rounds of trying different types of bikes or trikes and doing the “better or worse” comparison, like at the optometrist office, we usually have a couple that are clear winners.  We encourage taking a longer test ride, usually after a trip to the local diner to get a chance to digest all the information. 

Sometimes people feel like they have learned enough and are ready to pick out accessories and take something home with them.  Other times they have “information overload” and need a second visit once they have had time to think.  That’s fine with us, we know most people who visit end up buying from us and usually bring a friend or two the next visit. 

There are local places to stay listed on our website.  The nearest large town is Hornell, NY which has the usual chain motels.  We are just down the road from Exit 33 on Route 86 which runs along the Pennsylvania border of New York in the Finger Lake region.  Hope to see you soon.