pressOn: August 2005

Becca whoppin' Middlebury

802 999 7035

Recumbent Triking in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Brian Remlinger of Jackson wheels down Cache creek in fine style on

the EZ Tadpole recumbent bike.

by Lane Presson

www.hobacksports.com

As with all new products, I find myself pushed by a consumeristic drive to obtain new and interesting wheeled-vehicles. The latest, EZTadpole, has proven to be the most functional and worthwhile purchase in the pedal power world. The Taddy is a three wheel design that puts two wheels up by the riders knees and one drive wheel in the back. The components are standard bicycle componentry with an exception for the seat which is the standard EZ mesh seat. The rider has a supine, or laid-back, position that puts the force of pedalling between the pedals and the backrest. The act of pedalling keeps the rider stable against the backrest. The best feature of the Taddy is it is completely balanced all the time. The three-wheel design allows the rider to use brainpower for anything other than wheel-balance. Two-wheel machines involve a complicated balance system that makes slow speeds and stops difficult to maneuver, so much so that two-wheel cyclists rarely acknowledge the presence of a stop sign and avoid them at all costs. This is dangerous as well as unhealthy for the image of human power. The serpentine motion of the two-wheel machines causes upper body muscles to contract; unnecessarily draining energy, which leads to stiff upper body muscles. For some inexplicable reason I can't ride a bicycle without a soured feeling that brings down the rest of my energy. Two and three wheel Recumbents drastically increase my energy supply both during and after a journey. The laid back position on the trike makes riding a blast, far superior to anything in the two-wheel world.

Kyle caught lunch at Yosemite

2005 Honda Civic -- Linda's Gray Fox

Walnut Valley, Winfield KS

VJ Day -- August 14, 1945

Literary and Historical Notes:

Today is the 60th anniversary of the day on which President Harry Truman announced that the Second World War had come to an end . You might argue that more human beings were happy on this day in 1945 than on any other day in history.