Outdoors/Adventure

Easy riders

As with many cyclists who have chosen to ride those funky, laid-back recumbent bikes instead of conventional upright models, Gary Souza made the switch because of injury.

Back? Neck? Shoulder?

"No," said Souza, a 45-year-old cyclist from Sacramento. "It was, like, a more sensitive area. I use the term 'crotchasarus area.' "

Ouch.

Long an avid cyclist who put in impressively high mileage on his standard diamond-frame bike featuring a fancy titanium cutaway saddle, Souza in 1997 suffered a serious rupture near his prostate. His doctor told him to stay off the bike for a year.

That was unacceptable.

"Riding is a near-spiritual experience for me," Souza said. "I'm thinking, 'I can't not ride for that long.' "

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He had seen a few quirky souls, mostly aging baby boomers, pedaling away on what seemed like a modified Barcalounger. These riders always drew snickers from serious cyclists. But Souza was desperate.

"Riding a recumbent often is social suicide," Souza said, laughing. "I kind of secretly rode the recumbent to stay in shape."

Jump ahead a year: Injury healed, Souza's doctor gave him the go-ahead to resume riding a regular bicycle. Back in the saddle on his first ride, Souza felt uncomfortable in the standard hunched-over position. That tingling in his hands was back. Shoulders pinched. His head over the handlebars felt, well, awkward.

"After 100 yards, I turned and went home," he recalls. "I sold all three conventional bikes that I owned at the time."

He's been laid-back ever since.

BOOMER BIKE

If you think you're seeing more recumbent cyclists on the bike paths, you may not be mistaken.

Though experts estimate recumbents make up only about 20,000 of the 15 million bikes sold annually in the United States, anecdotal evidence suggests that they are increasingly becoming an option for a growing demographic -- baby boomers, mostly men, who want the speed of a high-performance bike without the back-wrenching side effects of their Lance Armstrong fantasy life.

"They're popular," said Scott Johnson of Anchorage's Bicycle Shop, who estimated he sells about dozen a month during spring and summer. "They're sold out of one of our stores right now, so I guess that's some indication."

Former Barrow mayor Jim Vorderstrasse, who now manages apartments in Anchorage, is a longtime recumbent fan.

"For years, I went without ever seeing any," he said. "Now it's not uncommon ... I see a couple a night."

That doesn't include the 20 he owns -- some here, some in Barrow, some in Oregon where he has family.

He's surprised he doesn't see more.

"I never quite figure out why they didn't catch on more -- whether it's a cost thing or because they're kind of conspicuous," he said.

"They are a serious cycle."

DYNAMIC DESIGN

Though Johnson said many of his customers mention injuries as they scope out the bikes, speed and comfort are other reasons cyclists choose the low riders

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"It's like pedaling your recliner," said Rose Austin of Paramount Cycles in Anchorage.

At one end of the recumbent spectrum is Daniel Runyon, 34, a registered nurse from Carmichael, Calif., who chose his bike for its speed.

"I like to go fast," he said, mentioning the recumbent's low-to-the-ground aerodynamic design. "My average cruising speed is easily 4 mph faster than on an upright frame. That's the difference between driving an SUV and a sports car."

At the other end is Ted Sommer, 49, a scientist from Davis, Calif., who chose his bike for comfort.

"Back problems," he said. "A physical therapist told me I was going to have to give up long rides.

"Think of it this way: Try sitting at your desk, on a little wedge of a seat, hunched forward for several hours. Wouldn't you rather sit back with plenty of room?"

Recumbent users often speak with evangelical fervor. But they also know the bike's design has limitations. Long-wheelbase bikes measure up to 7 feet, making them hard to transport on a rack. They steer differently. Hills are more challenging. And the price tag (a decent "starter" bike runs about $1,000) is steeper.

And as 51-year-old Eric Warp of Fair Oaks, Calif., warns, you must learn how to ride all over again.

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"It's a different set of muscle groups, mostly the quads," he said. "It takes a good six weeks of riding to get used to the musculature."

Staff and wire reports

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