Tim

Louisville's Relaxed Recumbent Riders' Group

Dedicated to the idea that cycling can be comfortable!

Tim, the bentdude

Tim is one of our group home-builders. His first two recumbents were creations of his own design. The second, which he called his "Bentmobile," certainly showed how experience could be a good teacher. It was a good, solid, rideable bike, and its debut on the Wheels of Justice ride in 1999 showed that Tim was a capable rider as well as a builder!

This is an early shot of the Bentmobile under construction. The bottom bracket was eventually added in front of the head tube seen here. The seat cushion is in place, but the above-seat steering is not yet built.

This is the Bentmobile at its first public appearance, the Derby Festival Legal Aid Ride in April of 1999.

Tim now has a RANS Rocket and a home-built low racer. I don't have any images of the low racer, but he joined us on a Saturday evening ride recently, and showed off his trailer. He built this trailer, based on the BOB design, so that his son could ride with him.

New on April 14th! Tim unveiled (to Don and me) his newest ride--another home-built bicycle (surprise!). Tim, Donald and I met at Seneca Park for our monthly ride. The ride was rained out (bummer!), but we spent some time in the Crescent Hill station of the Louisville Water Company talking about bikes and ogling Tim's handiwork.
The frame is aluminum aircraft landing gear strut tubing layered with carbon fiber. The ultimate strength is much greater than the wall thickness of either material alone, and the carbon fiber looks pretty cool! This one is a high racer-type bike, with dual 650c wheels and a very reclined seating position. The handlebars are in the "Superman" style currently popular with the racer set. I rode the bike inside for a few yards to get an idea of how it feels. I'd need to spend a bit more time on it to get comfortable with the position and handling, but it shows promise. But, enough of my carrying-on, have a look for yourself!