PERFORMANCE RECUMBENT INC.

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Why a Recumbent * History * Philosophy

Comfort, Speed, and a Great Experience

The web has brought the recumbent bicycle to an even higher level of acceptance and satisfaction to the many riders around the world. The new popularity of these bikes has brought about a great sensation to the bicycle riding public. Recumbents hold the one hour and 4000 meter pursuit records along with many other speed records. Comfort was an interesting side result of the engineer's quest for world speed records. No More sore behinds, knees, backs, hands, arms, numb hands, necks and less fatigue make for a better riding experience. Recumbent rider experiences greater comfort and a better view. You tone and strengthen your stomach muscles. You use you body strength instead of gravity to help push the pedals. Pushing on the pedals is like using your legs when you put your back against an object like a refrigerator to move it. A conventional bike uses gravity, your weight, your knees and your arms to try to develop the leverage to push the pedals and your heart has to pump the blood all the way to the bottom of your feet and up again. On a recumbent the heart is on a more even level with your legs allowing for more energy with less heart strain. This makes it easier for blood, food and oxygen to reach you muscles. Recumbents are not any more dangerous than other bikes. If anything they are safer with their lower center of gravity and being close to the ground. The design results in your feet absorbing the impact of a possible crash and better handling. With your weight over the rear wheel, recumbents stop faster. Automobiles can see you easier, because your body is in the car driver's site. I am 58 years young and have a bad knee, and back and I can ride for hours and get off the bike feeling great and ready to go again. I can't ride my other bikes for more than a 1/2 hour without a sore knee, back and bottom. Thanks to the recumbent I can now ride a bike again. I find this amazing because my knee hardly lets me go up stairs. Once you Go recumbent you will never go back.

A Little History Recumbent

Bicycles have been around for over 100 Yrs.

In 1892 the recumbent was intoduced and in 1895, the recumbent made it's presence at a bicycle show in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1914, the bike manufacturing giant, Peugeot, entered the recumbent marketplace with a recumbent. The Frenchman , Charles Mochet, made new cycling records in all the books books. When one of his riders, named Francais Faure , set a new world record for the hour on one on July 7, 1933, covering 45.056 kilometers. The United Cyclists International (UCI), banned the recumbent bicycle from any of the races it sanctioned. The UCI decision killed the recumbent bicycle for the next 5 decades. Then in 1979 Gardner Martin produced the first Easy Racer recumbent and Dick Ryan, of Ryan Recumbent manufactured the Avatar and Jack Baker introduced the Hypercycle ( predecessor to S&B Recumbents). E.I. Dupont, the chemical company, offered $15,000 to the first human powered single rider machine that could top 65 miles per hour, a new era in bicycling had begun. Engineers went to work, it was the recumbent design, which is 25 to 33% more aerodynamically efficient than a conventional upright bicycle, and the physical stress on the rider was greatly reduced. This combination of aerodynamics and less physical fatigue made it possible for a two wheeler to produce such speed. In 1986, a recumbent bicycle built by Easy Racers and ridden by Fast Freddy Markham captured the $15,000 prize. This victory gave a thrust to the reborn industry that Martin, Ryan and Baker had tried to revitalize. Now 100s of manufacturers and a strange variety of recumbents have sprouted up around the world. Recumbent Cyclist News began to help promote recumbents in 1990. These builders have received great reviews from a satesfied public.

Performance Recumbent

We have done our best to assure you the best in comfort, speed, handling with an attention to detail. These bikes are designed to give you the right heart to leg ratios and the best back position possible. We believe in the products we sell. Young or old you will enjoy riding a recumbent. On 2 wheels or three you will find it a pleasure. It is great exercise for those who can't ride a regular bike and more fun than a regular bike. Just try One I know you will love it. I was reluctant to do so because of my knee but I found it to be one of my best experiences. I ride as much as possible now and love it.