Workstands: How to hold your bike up to work on it...
things I've done:
- Add the Linear chain idler (something around $70). This is almost essential in my
opinion, because without it that long chain swings back and forth, especially when you're
riding hard, and it causes the bike to "autoshift" into (usually) higher gears.
When I first got the bike, this caused me to lose my footing on the pedals a few times
with near-disasterous results. Oh - a trick from a local Vision rider: slice an old
innertube into 1/2-3/4" cross sections (like small, thick rubber bands) and stretch
one around the wheel of the idler -- it won't make much noice then. And by the way, the
idler pulls up the bottom run of chain, the non-drive side, which means that it
adds very little resistance to your pedaling. In fact, because the chain is tighter, the
bike will feel more responsive, because you won't spend the first 1/2" of your
power stroke tightening the chain. (Of course, with clipless pedals, you may not have a
part of your stroke which allows the chain to go slack, anyway...)
- Take off the kickstand, if you got one. My bike was made when Linear was between
suppliers for some part of the kickstand, so they sent me one for free later. I appreciate
the gift! But I don't really need a kickstand, and plan to use the mounting block for
something else, like a fairing.
- Change to clipless pedals. In my case, I use Shimano 323 pedals wich are heavy, but have
both and SPD clipless side and a "regular" side, so I can allow people to try
out the bike without the hassle of cleats as well!
- Add a stem to the down-tube, and use a cut off handlebar to mount lights, cycling
computer, mirror, etc. Actually, I haven't found a mirror which reaches far enough out to
see around my body. I'm thinking a motorcycle mirror might work...
- DeSqueek and DeCreak it! You can squirt a little of your favorite lubricant between the
frame and the aluminum chain-guard to keep that from creaking, and you can use lithium
grease (as Mark Matarella used to) or paraffin (like I do) on the two parts of the frame
that fold. With those three spots somehow lubed, your Linear may not creak at all!
- Attached Zefal fenders, partly with the supplied mounting hardware, partly with packing
tape.
- I've drilled three holes horizontally through the I-beam, to permit me to run a U-lock
through the bike. Steve at Linear says the bike used to come with a row of ellipsoidal
holes down each side of the beam, but people were afraid it weakened the frame, and it
costs a fair amount of time and energy to make those holes... Anyway, three
3/4" holes has not seemed to hurt my bike in any way.
- I've also drilled two additional small holes in the top of the I-beam, to provide a
couple of extra seat positions.
- Used fiberglass reinforced packing tape to attach various doo-dads, such as a piece of
bent aluminum to hold a lead-acid battery for my Cygo-Lite light, and an antenna on which
I have attached a Spin-kite.
- Change the gears -- the front chainwheels were 24-36-46, and I find that in Bloomington,
I should (to save my knees) shift down to the 24 more often than I want to, because
that's a skittish shift. So, last week I change middle chainring to a 34 tooth one, which
seems just about right -- now, if I need to drop to the granny gear, it's for good
reason, and I'm gonna tend to stay there for a while. I may swap the back gears for ones
with a wider range, or maybe even swap out the 7 speeds for an 8-speed subsystem...
- Add a (mountain bike) rack and panniers.
- Attach a B.O.B trailer.
- Add more and more lights and reflectors... I have one red flasher on the upper left
corner of the seat back, on on the fender, a white flasher in the front, the Cygo-Lite,
and I have mounted the Vista-light which wasn't really good as a front light) on the
handlebar left side so that it lights me up, and shines on some of the many
reflective tape pieces I have tacked on the sides of the I-beam.
- Add a flag -- I attached solid antenna to the left seat post and it flies a 2'
spin-kite. The angle of the post makes that kite stick out to my left so that cars give me
a little more room than they did before.
Again, I invite you to email me, and send me pictures of your own
modifications to your Linear!
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Linear riders' pictures and pages in descending order of when I put them on this page...
- Mark Rehder has a new page which includes pictures of his Linear and trailer. Mark has gone car-free!
- Jack Williams has made a really nice page about his Linear and included Dave and Charles' kickstand and idler modifications. Well done!
- Here are pages of all the pictures of Linear riders I've been sent but which aren't otherwise categorized.
- Bill von Novak has mounted a Zap! electric motor to his LWB Linear.
- John Bell moved the bottom bracket on his LWB to the top of the beam and painted it red.
- John Strait's page has some nice pictures and his own "Cool Bike FAQ", and also a description of how to customize a roof rack to transport your bike by gasp! car...
- Peter Fors page includes a
Linear as well as several inspirational home-builts
- Alan and Dawn Felson's bike page
- Barry Beuerhausen, a Linear
rider and dealer in Texas
- George Hall's home page
- Three pictures of Mark Bruce's converted Linear tandem, description to be posted soon...
- Mike's new Compact LWB Linear
- Cool animated GIF of a Ryan
rider. (Well it looks like a Linear...)
- Torsten Lif, who has toured
Europe and the Swiss Alps on his Linear.
- Gary Walsh, from Ontario.
- Ken and Carol Lyon's story of a trip with two recumbents.
- I wish I knew who this was!
Contact me if you are he, or if you know?
- I got all these references from Kathy Bilton's 'bent folk web page, which will also give
you pointers to riders of many other recumbent bikes and their adventures.
- Mark Matarella's great recumbent site -- this
is new, created in March of 1997. And then there's People
Mover's (just one character different) -- a dealer in recumbent bikes, in Orange,
CA-land. They have pictures from a brochure by the manufacturer of the Linear as well as information on several
other brands of recumbents.
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Mail archives for
the Linear Resource Mailing List
- Here are, in no particular order or of particular use (yet) detail shots of my Linear, mostly taken with either a Sony Mavica or translated from video with a Snappy.
- Here are some Snappy captured video stills of me riding my LWB .
- Here's a page of links to pictures of my Linear tandem.
The next four pictures were taken in motion using a Casio QVC30a digital camera. For
$730, you'd think it could do better than this... I'll be waiting on that purchase!
Instead, I'll use film and a scanner for now.
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- The Recumbent Bicycle FAQ.
- RCN - Recumbent Cyclist News -- one of the few recumbent-oriented printed periodicals, and an excellent source of information! (opens in a new browser window)
- The online recumbent publication you should keep an eye on: 'BentRider Online, edited by Bryan Ball. (opens in a new browser window)
(Help me fill out this section, folks!)
When I help someone who has never ridden a recumbent try my Linear single, I usually
tell them that the secret is "lay back, relax, don't hold yourself away from the seat". I also
usually run along side them holding one of the seat-back corners until they really start to get
their balance. After that, of course, it's a matter of keeping enough speed to make the steering corrections
feel smooth. In fifteen minutes, they don't feel like they're going to fall over on every turn and start. After a week of riding, they start to feel comfortable. In about 6 months of practice a new rider can become really excellent.
I also use my Linear tandem to expose people to recumbency -- that's a lot easier, since the
captain pretty much controls the balance on a Linear tandem. Again, I tell them to relax back into the seat
and I explain that our pedals are linked together so they do have to pedal (and stop) with me.
Here're some pictures of how the Linear can be carried in/on another vehicle:
Here're some pictures of how some of us carry water...
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May 12, 2006
Actually, it turns out you can go home again.
Hey, email me about your Linear! Or, visit some of my other recumbent bike pages: Terratrike,
Greenspeed,
Bike SatRDay,
Trek R200,
Bloomington Area Recumbent Riders page.
