Chopper recumbents in New Mexico - Steve Briggs

PO Box 2048, Port Townsend, WA 98368
RCN#59 Sept./Oct. 2000
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■ In Our Next Issue...
We road test the Burley Limbo LWB;
We look into the ‘Big Wheel Cult’ of
recumbent riders modifying their bikes to
accept two full size recumbent wheels;
Touring Europe by recumbent;
■ On the Cover...
Chopper recumbents in New Mexico.
Absolutely Recumbents’ head mechanic,
John Roberts, reincarnates a LWB
DeFelice into a real bad boy.
■ In Our Last Issue...
RCN#58 was mailed in late June and
included road tests of the J & B
Supercruiser EZ1; Radius C4; V-Rex;
Turner T-Lite; a look at the Rohloff hub;
a look at the Mountain Cycle Quad
design; and we offer ideas on what to do
with you Vision on a rainy day.
Editorial License
The PT Kruise
Sometimes it seems as though I’m the luckiest
guy around. My daily bike ride allows me to
pedal around paradise. The smells, scenery and
experience can be surreal.
The ride takes me throughout the Quimper
Peninsula at the ‘end of the road’ in and
around the small Victorian Seaport of Port
Townsend, Washington that we now call home.
The ride basically starts whereever I happen
to be. Being that this is a peninsula—you can
head out in at least three directions. I often
head south out of town on the Larry Scott Trail
towards Old Fort Townsend State Park. The
trail runs along the edge of the bluff overlooking
Port Townsend Bay, Marrowstone and
Indian Islands.
Most recumbents can navigate this course
easily, though extreme positions, high BB’s and
skinny tire folks should proceed with caution.
Watch out for dogs, walkers...and base
jumping parachutists! There is some kind of
wind condition off the bluff that allows these
adventurers to jump from the bluff and sit aloft
and play with the wind and their parachutes.
The other day I came head on with three
landing on the trail.
If you find your way to Otto Street there is a
funky bike junk yard/furniture store. You can
literally ride for miles without ever seeing a car.
I find the unpaved and offroad miles comfy
and enjoyable on the right recumbent. Only
when the trails get very wet, or with more
extreme pedaling configurations does it
become a problem.
There are some great unpaved roads, trails
and singletrack that go for miles. It is MTB
heaven. The state park has lots of good trails.
Needless to say, riders are very surprised to see
a recumbent on the trails.
Once you find your way back to town, the
trailhead is at the end of Port Townsend’s Boat
Haven marina. Every day there is some new
boat in, out or near the water to gaze at. If boats
are your thing, this is Mecca. If bikes and boats
do it for you, don’t ever visit PT or you’ll never
leave. A must stop is the marina bulletin
boards, where sailors, charters, boats, bikes,
cars, RV’s and even rooms and houses for rent
are all advertised. You then pass the historic
Adventuress sailing ship, the Coast Guard
Station and the fishing fleet. This is also motel
row and traffic starts to pick up here.
By the time you get to the main street
through town, ferry traffic can also be a
concern. Downtown PT hosts the Keystone
(Whidbey Island)—Port Townsend Washington
State Ferry, which takes cars, RV’s, bikes and
people from the Olympic Peninsula to
Whidbey Island. North of Whidbey is
Deception Pass and Anacortes, which is the
gateway (ferry) to the San Juan Islands. PT also
has a passenger (and bike) ferry direct to Friday
by Bob Bryant
Harbor on San Juan Island.
Being that PT is a small town, you must ride
slowly to take it all in. Cruising through town is
lots of fun. Refreshments can be had at the
world’s best hot dog stand, Dogs-A-foot (try the
foot-long with everything), Elevated Ice Cream
(try the Espresso Sundae: coffee ice cream, 2
shots poured over the top with whipped cream
and chocolate sprinkles) or down the street to
the Point Hudson Marina seafood dive for fish
& chips & chowder in a yurt with a view.
There is a nice beach here to ponder life, and
a great lookout to the point. In this location, you
have a birds-eye view of the shipping lanes into
and out of Puget Sound. Riding on through the
marina you will see Pygmy Kayak (sells wood
kayak kits). You will inevitably see some
paddling around the marina on demo rides.
I once saw Jim Weaver (Counterpoint
Recumbents) heading out for a test paddle.
I also have run into several other recumbent
cyclists in this area.
After gazing at all of the marina activity, and
lingering around town, head out and over to
Fort Worden State Park (a bloody steep and
difficult recumbent hill climb). This is where
Debra Winger and Richard Gere filmed “An
Officer And A Gentleman.” Exploring the park
is a day trip in itself providing spectacular
views from the old military bunkers North to
Vancouver Island and the San Juans with the
shipping lanes in between. On a few occasions
I’ve seen Trident nuclear subs stealthing past
and recently, cruise-ships on their way to
Alaska. This state park is perhaps the nicest and
most underrated park in the state of Washington.
I have never been to a nicer beach in this
state (rivals those of Oregon).
The ride continues out to North Beach and
beyond. Along these country roads lie additional
loops diverting to such equally beautiful
spots as Discovery Bay and Marrowstone
Island.
It isn’t quite nirvana, but it’s damn close.
We have our share of traffic from the big city.
And being at the end of the road, there are lots
of trucks and folks in a hurry on the highway.
The pleasures of life are magnified on a
bicycle—especially of the recumbent variety.
It really doesn’t matter what I am riding as long
as it is comfortable, capable and dependable.
My speeds have actually decreased because
there is so much to see. As many locals do, I
spend a lot of time staring at the water and
sitting on logs at the various beaches around
town.
If you have followed my riding history
through RCN you might detect a change over
the years. My bicycling these days is more
fulfilling than it has ever been (with the possible
exception of the Slumgullian tour in ‘97).
I seldom wear cycling outfits (Lycra) anymore,
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