Now I want to share with you news and information on traveling by recumbent bicycle. The skys the limit! The main reason I ride a recumbent bike is because it is much more comfortable than an upright bike. My particular touring setup is also very aerodynamic because most of the gear is in the slipstream behind me. The bike climbs more slowly than most bikes because it’s slightly heavier, but it doesn’t slow down as much in a headwind. By the way, both of my recumbents are custom made (one of them being a long wheel base). Both fo the have underseat steering. The ideal bike to use for touring and riding is the Easy Racer - Tour Easy, LWB. For me, headwinds are the most depressing aspect of bike touring. I like climbing mountains on a bike because climbing gives me a reward: an exhilarating descent and good views on the way up and down. But there is no reward after pedaling into a headwind all day long. So I appreciate riding a bike that is faster in headwinds than most other loaded touring bikes (upright or recumbent). First time recumbent riders going right for the ease and fun of trikes and seasoned ‘benters are enjoying a new cycling experience. Most trikes are slower then their two wheeled counterparts, but the fun factor can out-weigh the limitations. For those with physical balance issues, there is no question. Trikes open up a world of fun, pain-free cycling.

The route starts off on a rather winding corkscrew road, slowly making its climb up to Sylvan Pass (el. 8530 ft./2600 m.). The pass was named after nearby Sylvan Lake and was formed by frost action breaking the rocks. Stop at the summit. It’s truely breathtaking! Having made the strenous climb up Sylvan Pass, now comes the easy downhill glide towards the heart of Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake. Our next stop will be at the shores of majestic Yellowstone Lake. Watch for bears!

Yellowstone Lake  is the largest body of water in Yellowstone Park. The lake is 7,732 feet (2,376 m) above sea level and covers 136 square miles (352 km²) with 110 miles (177 km) of shoreline. While the average depth of the lake is 139 feet (42 m) its deepest spot is at least 390 feet (118 m). Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet (2,133 m) in North America.

Sharing our roads….
 Riding a bicycle is a fun and an exciting hobby and is a big source of exercise. In many countries, it is encouraged as an alternative to motor vehicle travel. In the United States, approximately 900 bicycle connected deaths and half a million bicycle-related injuries are treated in hospitals every year. It is a shared responsibility between bicyclists and other larger forms of transportation in a complex traffic atmosphere. Bicyclists of any age should not join in traffic until they attain a confidence about their bicycle and the traffic rules.

The most important thing in bicycle safety is knowledge of road positions. Cycling along the wrong side is the foremost reason for bicycle-car crashes. A good bicycle helmet can provide fine protection for every bicyclist. It reduces the possibility of head injury by up to 85 percent at the time of collision. Young bicyclists should be encouraged to ride under the direct management of adults.

A cyclist primarily requires a well maintained and functional bicycle. Bicycle maintenance is easy and it needs only basic tools. Always choose a bicycle that suits the rider’s ability and the kind of riding. An oversized bicycle tilts your balance and obstructs control. A rider should regularly check safety-critical apparatuses such as brakes, headsets, tires, wheels, headlight, pedals, chain, and handlebars.Traffic violations cause a number of bicycle accidents. Like other drivers, bicyclists also must obey street signs and traffic rules. Here are some bicycle safety tips: always ride carefully, never ride with headphones or against traffic, give pedestrians the right-of-way, and keep the bicycle in good condition. Always remember to ride the bicycle near the right-hand edge of the road. Never carry another person on your bicycle, use hand signals at the time of turning or stopping and take special care on rough or slippery surfaces. Try to avoid cycling at night. If riding at night, equip your bicycle with good head and tail lights and wear brightly colored clothing.

Bike riding is an outstanding low-impact form of exercise with proven cardiovascular benefits. Unfortunately, a lot of people each year have to stop experiencing those benefits as they quit riding because of annoying aches and pains in the neck, shoulders, wrists, back, and groin. With increasing age comes decreasing ability to handle stresses from which our younger bodies rebounded relatively easily. Accumulated wear and tear can cause tissues to develop adhesions which can pull on sensitive tissues. It can also cause thinning of joint cartilage diminishing the ability to withstand normal compression. It’s clear that the very design of the upright bicycle design, especially road bikes, asks normally non-weight bearing joints in our bodies to become weight bearing, putting the rider at an increased risk of injury in several ways. On an upright bike, we don’t ride on the “sits bones”, the wide bones of the pelvis. Rather, because of the forward lean, we tend to bear weight on the narrow pubic bones at the front of the pelvis and the soft tissue immediately behind it called the “perineum”.

     The other main point of contact are the small bones in the hands and wrists. The strong forward lean can create significant stress to the low back discs and potentially over-stretch the ligaments and muscles in the low back area. It’s not uncommon to get off a bike after a long ride and have take a few minutes to get comfortable standing upright again. On the other hand, recumbent bikes allow the rider to sit on the bones s/he’s meant to sit on and the wrists and hands don’t have to bear any weight. The low back is also usually supported by a reclined seat back. Disc pressure is significantly reduced in this posture. Perhaps the worst “wear and tear” problem from riding an upright occurs to nerves and arteries in the perineum. Researchers have found that the pressure caused by the saddle can diminish blood flow through the arteries and compress the nerves there. These arteries and nerves go to the genital areas and there are consequences to the repeated trauma here. Genital numbness is quite common, anywhere from 50-90% of male cyclists have experienced it. Now if it occurs every once in a while, its long term effect is unlikely to be an issue, but if repeated day after day, year after year, the genitals will begin to malfunction. Erectile dysfunction is thought to occur in 1 of every 4 to 8 serious cyclists. Reports of both impotence and loss of interest in sex rise with mileage ridden. Other difficulties arise from the standard biking position. The most common is undoubtedly neck pain. The forward lean force the head to look down towards the road. The only way to look ahead is to strongly contract the neck muscles on the back of the neck. This contraction leads to significant compression of the small joints of the neck and it doesn’t take very long for these joints to become uncomfortable under that load. Additionally, the muscles easily tire in this position. Pain from either one or both of these structures will eventually force the rider to look down to stretch out the tissues. This of course means taking your eyes off the road, not necessarily the wisest thing to do. On an upright bike, the center of gravity is higher than on a recumbent so broken bones are more likely from falls. In particular, during rapid stops the natural tendency of the upright is for the back of the bike to rise and throw the rider forward over the top of the handlebars onto the road leading to head and hand injuries can also occur. (Not surprisingly, head injuries are the most common cause of serious injury and death in bicycle accidents.) Collar bone breaks are also common. On the other hand, it’s almost impossible for a long wheel base recumbent to flip forward. Short wheel base recumbents with their relatively high center of gravity can also flip, but since the feet are forward to start with, the rider will usually land on his/her feet. In rapid stops, the back ends of long wheel base recumbents tend to rotate so that the fall is actually a sideways fall. Since the center of gravity is lower, bones breaking are unlikely unless it’s at a higher speed. It’s certainly possible to land badly on an outstretched arm which can lead to a dislocated shoulder, but usually it’s just a lot of bruises and scrapes. The main concern in recumbents about stops and even slowing down is “leg suck”, something that most recumbent riders quickly learn not to do. Leg suck occurs as the rider tries to put her foot down as the bike is slowing, a natural reaction. However, given the seated position, the lower leg is essentially dragged beneath the bike and is unable to get out of the way. This can result in ankle injuries, though rarely breaking it. Should you consider a recumbent. There are certainly advantages, particularly from a health perspective. Of course, that’s not the only thing we consider when choosing bikes, but if there’s one guarantee in life, it’s that as you get older, the health perspective becomes more and more persuasive. Happy riding!