I strongly disagree that recumbents (bents) are less visible than uprights (wedgies).  The two instances in which I have been hit by cars were both when I was on an upright, including one where the driver glanced in my direction and then went back to looking left but decided to proceed anyway -- she said she never saw me, and I never saw her face clearly enough to know before she was on top of me.

When I ride one of my bents, the more natural and comfortable position of my head means I absolutely know whether I've been seen or not, because on a bent you ride through the world with your head in it's best visibility position (eyes front, not pointing down).

Also, there's the weirdness factor -- bents are still exotic bikes in most places, so they tend to be more apparent to most drivers.  Even more important, when viewed from the front (the most narrow visual angle for the driver) a bent rider's face draws the driver's attention in a way that a torso does not ... humans are programmed from birth to pay attention to faces.  Riding a bent means that my face is forward and my head is either at eye level or below eye level for drivers, which makes my face much more visible to them (compared to an upright bike, where the drivers often have to look up to see the rider's head, and then they're only seeing the top of a helmet, which isn't as visually arresting).  And, of course, from any other angle, a bent is far more visible than an upright -- most bents are longer than wedgies, and the weirdness factor makes them stand out.

In addition, I have a compressed air horn on my bents -- my better visual angle makes it possible for me to know if I've been seen.  When I see a driver at a stop light/sign, their face usually registers clearly that they've seen me.  If I don't see that acknowledgement in their face, I give a short toot as I approach the intersection to make them look.  If they don't look at me (typically because they are looking the other way, trying to find a spot to enter traffic), I won't cross their path.  Car drivers are morons and both my collisions have involved people in that situation -- simply too important to take another half second to notice a bike proceeding down a bike lane.

Finally, this bike ought to have a flag -- I won't ride any bike in the city without one.  They won't prevent all moron car drivers from failing to see you, but they help.  

Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.

and so graceful and beautiful to watch. What an inspiration. Thanks, BioD.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

The Amsterdam video is very nice, especially the dogs at the fountain.  But: 1. what does it look like when the weather turns cold or rainy?; and 2. "capital," as in "capital city," is spelled with an "a," not an "o."

Peddling while reclining uses a different set of muscles, or a reduced set, than peddling while sitting upright.  Peddling a peddle-boat, whether or not it is shaped like a swan, can be murder.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

One of the popular stunts lately has been for politicians to live on food stamps for a week (i.e., only consume the amount of food that they could purchase with food stamps for the week).  It's an enlightening exercise.

So I think that's what we need to get real biking amenities, biod.  We need politicians to forswear their cars for a month and have to live on shank's mare, biking, and public transit.  Not a problem in many major cities, but a nightmare in many state capitals (where the state transportation bureaus and planners are) and in virtually all suburbs.  Do it during the school year so that their children suffer the imprisonment that carburbia creates -- a teen's inability to get anywhere without a chauffeur.  

It's interesting to note that the Dutch are now the tallest people in the world, a status long held by Americans -- it's a good overall indicator of total population wellness, and it's sensitive to nutrition and population fitness.  We have, by putting ourselves in motorized wheelchairs so much, created a self-fulfilling prophecy -- and presto! suddenly we have lots of old people who can't move much because of a lifetime of sitting, either at work or in their cars.

Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.

Great bike!  Now substitute an inflatable clear plastic pod for the wind screen for crash and weather protection.

And two rear wheels for most commuters, but that would take more train space to.  For the adventurous this is perfect.

Would mass production in china bring the price down to under 1000 bucks?

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And arm pedaling power would be nice as well.  Compensating for the lower power of 'bent design.  Normal biking uses the whole body when you stand up and pedal.

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But gimme a break, English is so f**ing hard to spell, dn that s*t.

Of course: "Pedal," a beautiful word of Latin origin ("pedalis," "having to do with feet," from "pes, pedis," "foot"), is to be distinguished from "peddle," "sell, as by an out-of-doors, mobile vendor to a customer whom the vendor approaches."

But, in my own defense, by way of mitigation, "to peddle" is a back-formation from the noun "peddler," which I suspect is an English naturalization of the Late Latin "pedalaris," "one who travels by shank's mare."  So, what goes around comes around, and it is all the same in the end.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

I've never been hit on my bike (but, true to form for most bike-geeks I know, my first thought would likely be the safety of my beautiful chameleon-green Fat Chance, rather than my not-so-beautiful fuzzy red noggin) but I have been hit twice whilst walking home from work in Boston.

Boston is, IMO, one of the most walkable major cities in America, due to the compact nature of the city proper, but yes, the drivers can be a wee bit crazed.  Beware, Bostonians - walking to work (especially across the Charles) is not without it's hazards!  But, it's still better than driving, and much faster than the Green Line.

A revolutionary act.  All of us spelling bee runners up have suffered enough.  throw off the illogical chains of irrational conformity.  Are we drones or are we human?

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Now if only it could be made safe and affordable.

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