Photos by MJ Klein & Hui-chen
Yeah, I got bent, but not in the typical sense where I go drinking with my friends. This time my getting “bent” refers to my purchase of a recumbent tricycle [1].
[2]
MJ with Walter, the designer of the recumbent tricycle model shown here – The Artifice
Getting fat comes with getting older and not exercising. I love to exercise but I dislike pain. I’ve had enough of that already [3]. I’d like to be doing fun things for exercise and this is one of the most fun experiences you can have while getting quality exercise.
[4]
Not your typical “adult tricycle”
The wide seat is unbelievably comfortable. The leg position is like sitting on the sofa with your feet on the coffee table. This takes pressure off one’s heart and actually makes fitness goals easier to achieve.
[5]
Here, Kevin Kao, the owner of TW Bents [6] adjusts the length of the boom for my “x-seam [7]” size. Just looking at this photo of how fat I look in the trike makes me want to ride until I drop. That’s ok. I’m not the first person who bought one of these trikes to get into shape. The goal is to ride something and keep riding it. The angle of the seat and the headrest perfectly supports my spine and neck. This is the most comfortable thing I’ve ever ridden. The first ride I took when I got it home was over 7km long, with speeds topping 30KPH. When I’m finally in shape the possibilities are endless. Many recumbent riders have toured the entire island of Taiwan. I’ve met a few of those riders.
In addition to the speed, since this design (called a tadpole trike) doesn’t lean in turns, you feel G-forces similar to a sports car.
[8]
One cool feature about the Artifice is that it is a folding trike. You have to disassemble some parts to get it to fold up small enough to fit in your car, but it only takes about 10 minutes to do the disassembly and the parts are designed to come off and go back on easily. You could pack it up and ship it somewhere for an adventure ride. I haven’t tried to take it on a bus or the THSR, but I imagine if you had a couple of bags you could manage it. In this photo, the rear rack is preventing it from folding up small and we took the rack off to put it in our car for the ride home. Daily transportation would be better served with an automotive roof rack to get to ride sites, rather than folding. But still the folding feature is great when you need it.
Look for more articles about trike riding as I put on the miles!
Comments Disabled To "Bushman Gets Bent"
#1 Comment By Colby On November 28, 2008 @ 14:33
Looks like a nice ride, I see you have your matching shirt on. A bent bike club with weekly rides would be cool.
Chris is in an old school/custom bicycle club in Dover, NH. Its cool to see the group out riding. Its not a bad way for single guys to meet girls too. A few ppl in the club have an extra bike for guests to join in the fun. :O
#2 Comment By thenhbushman On November 28, 2008 @ 17:15
Colby » lol @ the shirt.
club rides would be good, i guess, except for the fact that it would be a club. i’m not big on clubs because sooner or later, someone takes control and tries to make others do what s/he thinks is best. bike clubs in particular are normally fully of some strongly-opinioned individuals who feel a certain way about biking. i just don’t want to hear it. i’ll ride by myself because i can go wherever i want and do whatever i want.
#3 Comment By Todd On November 28, 2008 @ 21:34
When I first got my bike after moving to Nantou, I rode with a group of cyclists who are parents of a few of my students. Now, I definitely prefer riding by myself: It allows me to enjoy two hobbies at the same time (biking and photography) because I can stop wherever I please to take a photo and not worry about slowing anyone down. I can also explore any interesting road along the way instead of just hearing the standard, “Oh, there’s nothing interesting over there.”
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#4 Comment By thenhbushman On November 29, 2008 @ 12:41
Todd » i’m with you on that one Todd. my “goal” is to have fun and not accomplish any distance or time based feats. i’m sure that you and i could ride well together though. 🙂 bicycling is a great way to do photography i think. thanks for the comments Todd.
#5 Comment By Stevo | China Travel On November 30, 2008 @ 05:25
Cool-looking ride. I’ve been thinking about getting a bike, but the roads here are far too dangerous. I’ll stick the stationary bike in the gym.
#6 Comment By thenhbushman On November 30, 2008 @ 22:24
Stevo | China Travel » there are lots of expats riding in China, and blogging on it too. you may find that it’s easier than you think Stevo.
#7 Pingback By Links 1 December 2008 – David on Formosa On December 1, 2008 @ 08:43
[…] The Bushman buys a Taiwanese tricycle. […]
#8 Comment By cfimages On December 1, 2008 @ 10:08
I know. David can ride down from Taipei to your place, then you guys can head down to Taichung and pick MT up, cross the river and I’ll join in and we can all descend on Nantou and join Todd on one of his great rides. 🙂
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#9 Comment By thenhbushman On December 1, 2008 @ 22:21
cfimages » man, that would be a cool ride, Craig! we should do it!
#10 Comment By Todd On December 2, 2008 @ 20:39
Sounds good to me!
Especially since I would be traveling the least distance 😉
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#11 Comment By thenhbushman On December 3, 2008 @ 23:09
Todd » hehehe!
#12 Comment By Mitesh Damania On December 11, 2008 @ 12:31
AKA the lazy man’s bike.
#13 Comment By Mitesh Damania On December 11, 2008 @ 12:32
Hey when are you going to put neon and spinners on that thing?
#14 Comment By thenhbushman On December 11, 2008 @ 12:53
Mitesh Damania » how about never?
#15 Trackback By MJ Klein On December 13, 2008 @ 05:56
@Wuss912 every rev it was making sounds – bad ones. recumbent trike: [12]
#16 Pingback By recumbent tadpole tricycles | Digg hot tags On December 19, 2008 @ 09:46
[…] Vote Bushman Gets Bent […]
#17 Pingback By Taiwan 2010 – Part IV – My Life After the Cows | Lone Locust Productions On June 10, 2010 @ 22:56
[…] I really want a bike like this. (OK, technically a trike) […]
#18 Comment By David Beavers On June 29, 2010 @ 19:48
Hi. Great posts, makes me wish I’d managed to get over to Thailand before having my two kids. I’ve read with great interest your posts on TW bents (that’s what brought me to your blog) but can’t find any numbers as to your height (weight I consider a moot point since I manage to ride a DF with no problems). I’m 6’5 (197cm) tall and weigh 123kg. Which of the TW bent trikes would you recommend? The folding idea is interesting since I live in Spain and would have to get one shipped. And how about the Cobra for someone my size? Thanks for any recommendations you can give me, and any advice for getting one to Spain.
cheers, David
#19 Comment By thenhbushman On June 30, 2010 @ 06:27
hi David, thanks for reading. i’ve recently lost a bit of weight and am down to 122 KG or so. there is a new larger trike model being developed for larger riders. it’s wider than the Artifice and also longer. i would recommend contacting TW-Bents and asking about the availability of the newer model in Spain. if they don’t have a local dealer, arrangements can be made to ship directly. take care, David.