Some of the (more successful) hpvs that I have built ( Israel Urieli )
In 1988 I bought my first touring bicycle as a 50th birthday present to myself and discovered that I was above the age that I could contort my body to that ridiculous position, and maintain it on a long tour. I suffered wrist pain, lower back pain, "tokhes" pain (Yiddish for "backside"). I subsequently tried Moulton bicycles, which were then the only touring bikes available with front and rear suspension, but with no relief. There seems to be a fundamental incompatibilty between the seat of a regular upright bike and the human anatomy. I then discovered recumbents, and in 1991 I converted my Moulton AM7 into a Mutant Moulton recumbent bicycle. I was however put off by the unaesthetically long chain and lack of portability of all the available recumbent designs. It seemed ridiculous to me that one would need a van to transport a recumbent to a point of departure, so I decided to design my own. I went to visit the guru - Don Harse , and threw myself at his feet "Teach me" was all that I could utter, and he did. Within a few months I had built my first recumbent design, posthumously named " Legbreaker 1 " (1993). Spending a sobering 6 months on crutches I decided to discontinue that series and start the Grasshopper series.
The underlying theme of all my bike designs can be summarised in the following seemingly conflicting requirements:
-
Comfort - that requires the recumbent seating position - like on an armchair with wheels. I do not know of any household that uses bicycle seats in their lounge, or around their diningroom table.
-
Portability - the ability to take the bike apart, pack it in a duffle bag, and submit it as an item of luggage. This should not require going to the bathroom with degreasing soap and a change of clothing.
Grasshopper 1 (1994)
Grasshopper 5 (2000)
Trip to Ireland (Summer 2000)
Trip to Tuscany, Italy (Summer 2001)
Cycling a little bit of Brittany & Canal du Midi (Summer 2003)
Banff (Canada) and Northwest USA (Summer 2004)
Paris, Yiddish in Brussels, Cycling in Brugge (Belgium) (Summer 2005)
Cycling The Golden Ring of Russia (Summer 2007)
Summer 2008:
-
GOBA (The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure )
-
Cycling the North Coast of Lake Erie (5 MB .pdf file)