Ivan
Guru
Before I ordered my Silvio 2.0, I scoured the forums to find out what it would be like to ride a recumbent in heavy traffic. I could not find much info and the contextual problem also is that "heavy traffic" in one country is not the same as "heavy traffic" in another. I ride my DF to commute in Singapore, a highly urban environment and I share the roads with all sorts of vehicles. How does Silvio 2.0 fare in a commuting environment compared to a DF? Read on...
MY BIKES AND COMMUTES: I own a Brompton S2-LX, the penultimate folding commuter. I would often to multi-modal commuting, riding to the train station, taking the train to work with my Brompton. Then in the evening I would ride 27km home, taking 1hr 10 min. I also own a road bike, Cervelo S2, which I ride BOTH ways to work. Sometimes I take the long route of 46km in the morning and the direct 27km return in the evening. I have been enjoying this. Due to work schedule and recovery time, I don't do this every day but try whenever I can. Now I own a Silvio 2.0 and most of my ride time will be on this commute.
THE RIDE WITH TRAFFIC: Today's Ride -- http://connect.garmin.com/activity/365826131
Singapore is a heavy traffic city, we don't have bike lanes and our roads are not wide. Thankfully, traffic is fairly orderly and the road conditions are generally good. Here is a picture of a typical intersection. This is now my second time commuting to work in this traffic and I am 6 weeks into Silvio (my first recumbent).
Other riders have said that vehicles give more space to recumbents due to the fact that we are unusual on the road. I have found this to be true. I have now removed the flag I had in previous photos as I feel confident enough. I do not ride very close to the left but usually "take the lane" by riding about 1/4 or 1/3 of the lane from the curb. My awareness of surroundings on Silvio is much better than on my DF due to (a) forward view much better and (b) two mirrors which the position allows me regularly check cars approaching from behind. When I was practicing with the mirror on my DF handlebar I could see behind but not check so regularly as I had to look down to check. With Silvio, I am still looking forward. I must also add that the Zefal Spy looks really nice on Silvio!
Knowing when the take the lane in traffic is essential for safety no matter what bike you ride, however I find it is EASIER to take the lane with Silvio because (a) cars are more curious so slow down and (b) I am going faster on Silvio. My sister also suggested that drivers from behind think I'm handicapped! "It's a miracle!" can perhaps be heard when I stand up at a traffic light.At one point a bus passed me unnecessarily close. This is a common occurrence here. I was pleased that this didn't faze me, in other words, I was as safe on Silvio as on my DF after 6 weeks of riding. At other time I have to stop at an intersection with cars all around me. 2 weeks ago this made me nervous. Now I'm much more natural.
The picture above shows the traffic stopped behind me at a light. I am glad I wasn't on the other side of the road!! Typically when I come to a light I will split the lanes of several cars to get to the front. You can see in the pic about 4 vehicles stopped behind me. Now on Silvio I can do this lane splitting, not 100% as confident as on my DF, but I can do it now. The best for this is my Brompton by the way! With Silvio at my current skill level, I sometimes ride straight through the cars (for example if roads were as wide as in the US), but when it is very tight I will unclip, sit up with my butt on the seat back (not the seat pan), and scoot thru with my feet.
I discovered a particular skill is useful with Silvio/Vendetta in traffic...one needs to be able to be scooting along then, while the bike is moving, slide down into the seat, lift up both legs and begin pedaling away without stopping. Really important in traffic when the cars start moving while you are scooting in between them! I am not as smooth on this yet as on my DF, but my progress rate suggests that I will be there with some more practice.
Another skill that it is important in urban traffic is different types of stopping. The first is the regular stop where I put one foot down, the other stays clipped in and I am still resting my head on the headrest. The second is when I need to stop and stand up and I found it is best to do this in a single fast motion. This can be achieved by putting down both feet while the bike is STILL MOVING. On a Vendetta, or a Silvio setup like mine with low handlebars, one cannot sit up straight while on the seat pan. By putting feet down and sitting up while the bike is STILL MOVING, the forward momentum of the bike helps you stand up and pushes your butt up onto the seat back. If I don't do this then stopping and sitting up is a multi-step affair and takes more energy than this fast method.
I stopped among nicer surroundings for the above pic near a reservoir I pass by on this long route. On the way here I crested a short hill and met two DF guys. They looked well kitted out in matching jerseys on the training ride. This was a long straight stretch and they looked like strong riders (more muscle on those tall Caucasian bodies than small Asian me anyway). "Good morning!" I yelled as I passed them, then cruised at 40kph on that nice stretch. Was hoping they would give chase but I didn't see them in my rearview mirrors...
On another stretch I managed to catch the draft of a large vehicle. I do this on my DF when I deem it's safe, and was wondering how I would fare on Silvio. The answer...very well! I managed to accelerate to stay with the vehicle then cruised at 40-50kph for 7 minutes until it turned off the main road.
While it is a bit more troublesome storing and wheeling Silvio out my front door than my DF, she more than makes up for this in the ride. I would say that for a short commute of <30 min then the simplicity of a DF may be better. My Brompton excels at these short commutes. But for my long commute which approaches 1 hour (2 hours round trip), the Silvio's speed and comfort is wonderful and with practice one can handle heavy traffic conditions. Though I hardly ever carry luggage (I bring clothes on the days I take the train or drive), I can imagine that Silvio will handle this much better than my road bike. Again for short-rides however, simply wearing a backpack and riding a DF may work, but for long commutes, Silvio is wonderful.
SPEED: After only 6 weeks of riding Silvio 2.0, my first recumbent, my legs are not fully 'bent developed and my skills are not fully developed. However on this ride, a course I frequently take, I averaged 31kph when I usually 28kph on my DF. For a solo ride with some stops and slows due to traffic this is good for me! Yay!
MY BIKES AND COMMUTES: I own a Brompton S2-LX, the penultimate folding commuter. I would often to multi-modal commuting, riding to the train station, taking the train to work with my Brompton. Then in the evening I would ride 27km home, taking 1hr 10 min. I also own a road bike, Cervelo S2, which I ride BOTH ways to work. Sometimes I take the long route of 46km in the morning and the direct 27km return in the evening. I have been enjoying this. Due to work schedule and recovery time, I don't do this every day but try whenever I can. Now I own a Silvio 2.0 and most of my ride time will be on this commute.
THE RIDE WITH TRAFFIC: Today's Ride -- http://connect.garmin.com/activity/365826131
Singapore is a heavy traffic city, we don't have bike lanes and our roads are not wide. Thankfully, traffic is fairly orderly and the road conditions are generally good. Here is a picture of a typical intersection. This is now my second time commuting to work in this traffic and I am 6 weeks into Silvio (my first recumbent).
Other riders have said that vehicles give more space to recumbents due to the fact that we are unusual on the road. I have found this to be true. I have now removed the flag I had in previous photos as I feel confident enough. I do not ride very close to the left but usually "take the lane" by riding about 1/4 or 1/3 of the lane from the curb. My awareness of surroundings on Silvio is much better than on my DF due to (a) forward view much better and (b) two mirrors which the position allows me regularly check cars approaching from behind. When I was practicing with the mirror on my DF handlebar I could see behind but not check so regularly as I had to look down to check. With Silvio, I am still looking forward. I must also add that the Zefal Spy looks really nice on Silvio!
Knowing when the take the lane in traffic is essential for safety no matter what bike you ride, however I find it is EASIER to take the lane with Silvio because (a) cars are more curious so slow down and (b) I am going faster on Silvio. My sister also suggested that drivers from behind think I'm handicapped! "It's a miracle!" can perhaps be heard when I stand up at a traffic light.At one point a bus passed me unnecessarily close. This is a common occurrence here. I was pleased that this didn't faze me, in other words, I was as safe on Silvio as on my DF after 6 weeks of riding. At other time I have to stop at an intersection with cars all around me. 2 weeks ago this made me nervous. Now I'm much more natural.
The picture above shows the traffic stopped behind me at a light. I am glad I wasn't on the other side of the road!! Typically when I come to a light I will split the lanes of several cars to get to the front. You can see in the pic about 4 vehicles stopped behind me. Now on Silvio I can do this lane splitting, not 100% as confident as on my DF, but I can do it now. The best for this is my Brompton by the way! With Silvio at my current skill level, I sometimes ride straight through the cars (for example if roads were as wide as in the US), but when it is very tight I will unclip, sit up with my butt on the seat back (not the seat pan), and scoot thru with my feet.
I discovered a particular skill is useful with Silvio/Vendetta in traffic...one needs to be able to be scooting along then, while the bike is moving, slide down into the seat, lift up both legs and begin pedaling away without stopping. Really important in traffic when the cars start moving while you are scooting in between them! I am not as smooth on this yet as on my DF, but my progress rate suggests that I will be there with some more practice.
Another skill that it is important in urban traffic is different types of stopping. The first is the regular stop where I put one foot down, the other stays clipped in and I am still resting my head on the headrest. The second is when I need to stop and stand up and I found it is best to do this in a single fast motion. This can be achieved by putting down both feet while the bike is STILL MOVING. On a Vendetta, or a Silvio setup like mine with low handlebars, one cannot sit up straight while on the seat pan. By putting feet down and sitting up while the bike is STILL MOVING, the forward momentum of the bike helps you stand up and pushes your butt up onto the seat back. If I don't do this then stopping and sitting up is a multi-step affair and takes more energy than this fast method.
I stopped among nicer surroundings for the above pic near a reservoir I pass by on this long route. On the way here I crested a short hill and met two DF guys. They looked well kitted out in matching jerseys on the training ride. This was a long straight stretch and they looked like strong riders (more muscle on those tall Caucasian bodies than small Asian me anyway). "Good morning!" I yelled as I passed them, then cruised at 40kph on that nice stretch. Was hoping they would give chase but I didn't see them in my rearview mirrors...
On another stretch I managed to catch the draft of a large vehicle. I do this on my DF when I deem it's safe, and was wondering how I would fare on Silvio. The answer...very well! I managed to accelerate to stay with the vehicle then cruised at 40-50kph for 7 minutes until it turned off the main road.
While it is a bit more troublesome storing and wheeling Silvio out my front door than my DF, she more than makes up for this in the ride. I would say that for a short commute of <30 min then the simplicity of a DF may be better. My Brompton excels at these short commutes. But for my long commute which approaches 1 hour (2 hours round trip), the Silvio's speed and comfort is wonderful and with practice one can handle heavy traffic conditions. Though I hardly ever carry luggage (I bring clothes on the days I take the train or drive), I can imagine that Silvio will handle this much better than my road bike. Again for short-rides however, simply wearing a backpack and riding a DF may work, but for long commutes, Silvio is wonderful.
SPEED: After only 6 weeks of riding Silvio 2.0, my first recumbent, my legs are not fully 'bent developed and my skills are not fully developed. However on this ride, a course I frequently take, I averaged 31kph when I usually 28kph on my DF. For a solo ride with some stops and slows due to traffic this is good for me! Yay!
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