[blindkid] Bicycling & Other Fun Activities

[Richard Holloway]

Eric,

In case you’re still bike shopping, I don’t think I posted these things before, but there is a great bike shop that ships recumbents all over the web called the Hostel Shoppe. They sell more different kinds of recumbent bikes / trikes than any shop I’m aware of in the country. Certainly one of the biggest and best, and I’ve found they are super easy to deal with over the phone. Nice people. I’d love to visit their shop, but I don’t get to Wisconsin very often, as in the next time will be my first time— not that I wouldn’t love to see that part of the country— quite the contrary. Pictures I have seen are most inviting...

http://hostelshoppe.com

This other shop (below) is one I just ran across— I’ve never dealt with them, but they have all sorts of bikes, including various "special needs" designs and even the 2, 4, and 6-passeger surreys like you mentioned renting before. If you want to vend ice-cream from a bike, they can help you out with that as well— they run the gamut for certain… Absolutely worth looking at, but I have no direct experience with them at all… They are in Dearborn, Michigan.

http://www.industrialbicycles.com/index.htm

And finally, if you want recumbent bike info and classifieds for used bikes, as well as info through forums and the like, 'Bent Rider Online is great. Highly recommended. (‘Bent Rider, as in Recumbent) I blame them for my first recumbent purchase, for which I have zero regrets— a nice little single-seat Greenspeed Recumbent. Most comfortable and fun cycle I have ever ridden or owned— I test drove one locally and began searching for a used one like it the same day— would love to have bought new but that wasn’t in the budget, and honestly, the used one has been wonderful. Wear and replace items like tires and gears didn’t last as long, but apart from that, I have no complaints. I’ve had that cycle for 9 or 10 years now...

Here is their site:
http://www.bentrideronline.com

Oh—  here is an ad from bent rider for a used Greenspeed Tandem that looks great, for less than half the cost of a new one. This one includes headrests, which I have on my single and not on my tandem, and I can tell you, they’re worth adding. In fact I will probably be ordering some for my main tandem soon…
http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=110309

	-RH

On Jul 19, 2014, at 2:11 AM, DrV <icdx1111 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Richard,
> Thanks for sharing all the info & insights.
> Weight & portability certainly are important considerations. 
> I think it would be fun to rent a quad for a ride along the beach/strand.
> The tandem tricycle looks very intriguing for longer-term us.
> Have a great summer!
> Eric