I have always been a casual bike rider, but in the last five years or so I have used bicycling as a way to keep my weight under control and break the monotony of running. Inexpensive mountain bikes were my initial choice and I enjoyed trail riding combined with bike paths. I started increasing my distances and riding the roads a little, but noticed occasional numbness in the groin on longer rides and pains in the back and wrist (which I broke a long time ago). My first club ride was done on a $300 dollar mountain bike and everyone else had expensive bikes and gear. I was the only guy with a kick stand, disk brakes, and 2 inch+ tires. One guy passed me and said “I can hear your tires.” On this particular ride I saw my first two recumbent bikes. One was a low racer of some type and the other was a Bacchetta Giro. Maybe I have been living under a rock but I really don’t remember seeing any recumbent before, but I was definitely interested. I bought a used Sun EZ-Speedster AX and really enjoyed it for awhile, but soon the modifications for speed began. I enjoyed the conversations and looks from others for awhile, but that isn’t what kept me going. I found myself trying to convert my Speedster into a Bacchetta Corsa and actually did a pretty good job of it but I couldn’t overcome certain design issues. Five months later I was riding a Bacchetta Corsa and lovin’ it! My friends think it looks pretty wild and are often surprised about how easy it is to ride after the initial few seconds of adjustment. Charles D. Morrison
Originally posted on bacchettabikes.com on March 18, 2011.
