Dang NON-MBB's don't have enough pedal steer to be stable

[Rick Youngblood]

Finally got my wife out on the bike path today for a little ride. Tc noticed her right sifter was locked up and not sifting. So I hopped on the Tour Easy to see what I could do to fix the it, as a good husband should do. Leaned back placed right foot on pedal, and off I went went...but not straight, not in control . The TE, which is know for it's extreme stability and ease to ride right out of the box with very little learning curve, was all over the place, weaving from side to side, wobbly, and the front end shimmied like a belly dancer . This dang NON-MBB had zero pedal steer and was un-ridable. Where's my beloved pedal-steer?!

I must admit however, I've not ridden a NON-MBB in over 14,000 miles, riding the Vendetta and Silvio exclusively.

Just goes to show you, everything takes a little practice to lick .

Just a side note, I owner and rode a Tour Easy about three years ago.

Bob, stop drooling over the blue sky, your going to short circuit the iPad !

EDIT: I should clarify, I'm not saying an Easy Racers Tour Easy is unstable or difficult to learn. On the contrary, it's probably one of the easiest and most forgiving recumbents to learn and ride. I highly recommend them to the crowd that wants something easy with little to no learning curve.

 

[Zzzorse]

What's the wheelbase on the Tour Easy?

 

[Rick Youngblood]

What's the wheelbase on the Tour Easy?

Depends on size, TE's come in various sizes from XS to XL. But similar to any other LWB recumbent.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

I forgot to mention - sorry, this old age stuff, I'm still trying to get used to it .

While riding TC's Tour Easy up and down the bike path, I noticed my arms had the same imput, or counter moves as if I was riding my Vendetta, which in turn was causing the TE to wobble. So, in conclusion, it was not the TE that was wobbly, it was me .

There becomes a time when counter peddle steer becomes subconscious and natural.

 

[RojoRacing]

What's the wheelbase on the Tour Easy?

"DAYS" as in it has wheelbase for days

 

[Robert O]

I did the same thing two weeks into my V20 experience. Tried to ride the old high racer, scared myself back into the car one morning. Six months in, now I can switch off.

 

[DavidJL]

Non-MBB recumbents certainly don't have enough pedal steer to ride no handed. Can any non-MBB recumbent bicycle be ridden without hands?

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Non-MBB recumbents certainly don't have enough pedal steer to ride no handed. Can any non-MBB recumbent bicycle be ridden without hands?

There is an old video on the net of a guy riding no hands on a Rans Velocity Squared 2 on a curvy road. Very impressive.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Six months in, now I can switch off.

It shouldn't be a problem to go back and forth between bikes after getting acclimated to the MBB. It took me a few runs up and down the bike path for my brain to get rewired, and not not look like a drunken biker. But after riding MBB for exclusively for nearly 14,000, it was quite a surprise the first few minutes on the TE just how MMB conditioned I am. This is why we recommend while learning the MBB, to stay off any other bikes until you get the hang of it.

 

[super slim]

Finally got my wife out on the bike path today for a little ride. Tc noticed her right sifter was locked up and not sifting. So I hopped on the Tour Easy to see what I could do to fix the it, as a good husband should do. Leaned back placed right foot on pedal, and off I went went...but not straight, not in control . The TE, which is know for it's extreme stability and ease to ride right out of the box with very little learning curve, was all over the place, weaving from side to side, wobbly, and the front end shimmied like a belly dancer . This dang NON-MBB had zero pedal steer and was un-ridable. Where's my beloved pedal-steer?!

I must admit however, I've not ridden a NON-MBB in over 14,000 miles, riding the Vendetta and Silvio exclusively.

Just goes to show you, everything takes a little practice to lick .

Just a side note, I owner and rode a Tour Easy about three years ago.

Bob, stop drooling over the blue sky, your going to short circuit the iPad !

EDIT: I should clarify, I'm not saying an Easy Racers Tour Easy is unstable or difficult to learn. On the contrary, it's probably one of the easiest and most forgiving recumbents to learn and ride. I highly recommend them to the crowd that wants something easy with little to no learning curve.

View attachment 2665

When you are as close to the North Pole as Bob (Ratz) is, then summer is only in July!!!

 

[LMT]

Non-MBB recumbents certainly don't have enough pedal steer to ride no handed. Can any non-MBB recumbent bicycle be ridden without hands?

I could ride no Low Baron no handed. Albeit on a flat smooth road.

 

[MrSteve]

Hah!
Nice to know I'm not the only one, Rick!

Long, long ago... before the last dinosaur died, I tried to ride a jet ski.
Those boats sure do feel like motorcycles, but countersteering just spat me overboard every single time.

Then, just a few years ago, I test rode a Honda Silver Wing motorcycle for a friend.
That thing wobbled under me just like your wife's Tour Easy did under you.
Me feet and hips were doing most of the steering... the fix was to relax.
Relaxing fixes everything.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

When you are as close to the North Pole as Bob (Ratz) is, then summer is only in July!!!

SS, our Summer is supposed to start in July. But...hot weather here comes many months earlier. Even with the funky winter season this year, colder and rainier than normal...or at least what has been normal, we are forecasted to have a week in the triple digits, up to 108 F or more. Usually May through end of September we get 90-100's. Redding seems to be unique, we get hotter weather than many cities 100's miles south of us, which logically should be the opposite.

Steve, years ago we had one of them old time stand up Jet Skis, they take a lot of practice to ride standing up. But falling is fun, you get wet and cooled off, and no road rash.

Relaxing is the key!

 

[ratz]

Balance is a funny thing; when I go to the Midwest Recumbent Rally I like to ride the stick bike; I look like a fool. Much better on the trikes.

I think I could still ride a Jet Ski If I have the right protective gear.


Pretty sure I can still jump out the side of boat and hang on



Good Balance



Good Result



And some time; when you think it's easy it just goes really bad



Yup balance is a funny thing.

I'm so old now my kids think those are bad photoshops instead of instamatics from the 80's.

 

[Balor]

 

[billyk]

Back on thread.
I rode a standard recumbent (BikeE) for 8 years of daily commuting before selling it and getting my Quest. Last week a friend rode by on his BikeE so of course I had to try it. No can do! Wobbled like crazy! Took me several minutes before I could ride any distance without putting my feet down every few seconds.
On the other hand I regularly ride DF bikes without any difficulty.
Muscle learning is strange ...