The Bicycle Patent blog is created and updated by Bob Shaver.
My email is shaverlaw@gmail.com
About Me:
I starting cycling when I was in college, in the late ’60s, early ’70′s. I couldn’t a nice bike then, but I had a cheap Royce Union which I painted yellow and shined up its bright work. After I got it looking as bood as possible, I crashed it into a parked car and destroyed it.
I got a Raleigh and after I got my first job out of college, I bought a 1973 Motobecane. I still have that bike, and refurbished it a few years ago.
I hurt my lower back in about 1980, and have had back incidents on and off. In 2006 I really had a dusy, and feared my time on the bike was over. About then I saw a recumbent trike and instantly knew that would be a fun ride, and would not hurt my back. I saved up for awhile, and in 2008 bought a Speed model of trike, made by Catrike. I have not missed a day of commuting since then. The ride is something I look forward to all day.
Commuting by bike hits me nicely in several ways. For one, it is a period of guaranteed aerobic exercise each day. I figure its 25 minutes that my heart is in the training zone. It is also fun, because I get so zoom down Shaw Mtn Road in Boise at 30 mph, and zip around the curves while leaning over the side of the trike. The trike also saves me $50 per week in gas, and lots of money in letting us get by with 2 cars when we have 3 drivers. I could ride my sweet old Motobecane now without worry about my back, but the trike is just so dang fun that I have no desire to ride leaning over forward.