Lets Talk Stretch Value

[deven_science]

I ONLY ride stretched bikes. I'm 6'-3", and I cannot comfortably fit on a regular frame, unless I wanted a banana seat and apes, and I haven't found a banana seat yet that I can sit on for more than a mile. I love stretches. The seat tends to sit lower, so that when you're stopped, your feet can go to the ground without having to stand up or come off of the seat. With a set of moon bars, they tend to feel like riding a recumbent, very comfortable. Off the top of my head, I think I now own eight stretch bikes, and I've built countless more. It's the only way to go, and as Ichoptop said, once you get one, you'll never go back.

 

[deorman]

There are a couple different makers of the frame type in the original post. Big bear-on-a-bike guys have been known to bend the tail section on some of them. You don't look like you have to worry about that. Complete bikes go for 250 - 500 clams, for whatever that's worth.

 

[honestherman]

I have only gone for a ride on a stretch bike for about 500 feet. For those who ride them all the time, Can you ride one of these 20--30 miles like any regular bike? I wonder if they will ever make it into production for sale in discount stores. Where you will see them more on the street?

 

[Flying Zombie]

I ONLY ride stretched bikes. I'm 6'-3", and I cannot comfortably fit on a regular frame, unless I wanted a banana seat and apes, and I haven't found a banana seat yet that I can sit on for more than a mile. I love stretches. The seat tends to sit lower, so that when you're stopped, your feet can go to the ground without having to stand up or come off of the seat. With a set of moon bars, they tend to feel like riding a recumbent, very comfortable. Off the top of my head, I think I now own eight stretch bikes, and I've built countless more. It's the only way to go, and as Ichoptop said, once you get one, you'll never go back.

Man, your tractor bike always gets me to pause,. the seat is an inspiration and the overall build will be heaven to find to collectors in 200 years., Amazing work on all your bikes.

Im really interested in working on one, but Id really like to ride one sometime soon first. Get a little bit of a personal feel for the bar length and the seat drop..how traffic looks,.

Im 5'9" stocking feet, and find myself somewhat fortunate for being a shorter fella..,In regards to your Banana Issue; I cant say I blame you in the least for finding a complete lack of comfortability in the Regular ones. Try one of these..

The rare ones I think came in purple, black and red.. I scored the green with the bike, but given its Loaflike shape, with a tail lift and the plush ridges on top, its perfect, and you can just remove cover from pan with this one and stuff it as much as you desire.

 

[deven_science]

I have only gone for a ride on a stretch bike for about 500 feet. For those who ride them all the time, Can you ride one of these 20--30 miles like any regular bike? I wonder if they will ever make it into production for sale in discount stores. Where you will see them more on the street?

I regularly go on 12-18 mile rides. For me, they work beautifully.

 

[Sosume]

My stretch with a Harley seat and rear fender has been made into an electric trike.

photo below will have the Harley seat and a few other mods when finished. 48 Volt 1000 watts of power. At 73 this has become my outdoor mobility scooter.

 

[karl]

The advantages of stretched frames for me are:

Lower center of mass = more stability, less drag.
Longer wheelbase = more momentum.
Being able to easily get my feet on the ground.
More comfortable placement of pressure-points.
Being a longboard-skateboarder, i like the feeling of steering with my weight.
That said, you cant use your weight to pedal, because you cant stand
on them, so all the propulsion has to came from your legs.
A backrest could be an advantage.

Heres a few of mine:

I built them lightweight for speed and function, both are 3spd nexus,
nmbr2 is my daily ride on the streets of Amsterdam,
It is fast accelerates great and i have driven it for a lot of km a
day without problems.

A short history of stretching bicycles:

H. Jarvis 1902:

1932 Mochet Velocar

Modele Sport Recumbent Prototype

On the 7th of July 1933 Francis Faure rode a velocar 45.055 km (27.9 miles) in one hour on a Paris velodrome and thereby smashed the almost 20 year old record by Oscar Egg.

The following rules would be in effect in UCI (Union Cycliste International) sanctioned racing from after that point in history on:

• The bottom bracket had to be between 24 and 30 centimeters above the ground.
• The front of the saddle could only be 12 centimeters behind the bottom bracket.
• The distance from the bottom bracket to the axle of the front wheel had to be between 58 and 75 centimeters.

In other words:
The geometry of racingbicycles is not based on effectiveness,
but on rules set almost a century ago by persons who had an interest
in maintaining their standard.

Its funny that some people get almost angry when confronted with
these facts, and it is a bit of a pity that innovation of and research into
the effectiveness of frame-geometry has halted ever since.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-...03534&feature=player_detailpage&v=l_tXuvsfuEU

http://www.helsinki.fi/~tlinden/winforb.html
http://www.oldbike.eu/museum/1930s/...elo-velocar-modele-sport-recumbent-prototype/
http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/velocar.htm
https://quarterlybicycle.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/charles-mochet-and-the-velo-velocar/

 

[seangee]

I absolutely love my stretch, and don't want to go back. I picked up my dyno knockoff (my first cruiser) last year after being into mountain bikes for the last 25 years. It rides surprisingly smooth.

I keep my seat as far back and low as possible, sitting right above the fender. I've been thinking about a motorcycle seat as well. As far as riding, it is a lil wobbly to start but rides effortlessly once you get going. As far as posture, I have back problems and riding this bike actually makes my back feels better whereas my Electra cruiser hurts to ride. The Springer front end takes up a lot of the bumps in the road making it feel like you are just gliding. There's nothing like it. It's also my 12 year old daughters favorite bike to ride.

 

[seangee]

I wish I had an actual dyno, because I heard they ride much better than the knockoffs, but I couldn't be happier with what I have

 

[seangee]

It does take up a lot of room in the garage though, and it might be hard to justify keeping it if I didn't ride it every day

 

[Sosume]

My stretch in the process to be an electric trike.

 

[seangee]

You can keep from getting the wobbles starting at a stoplight if you just take a step or 2 and glide before you start peddling