POLL: Are non-recumbent riders looking at their front wheel over 50% of the time?

[Jake1]

Trying to clear things up after reading a post and shaking my head in disbelief.

We all, I assume ride some sort of human powered/motor powered vehicle akin to a bicycle. So I am trying to clarify how people actually ride compared to how someone thinks we are riding.

Here is quote from, I can only assume, someone who has not ridden upright bikes/trikes before, or who went on what must have been very short rides before running into or off of something.

The quote: "great percentage of the time DF riders are staring down at their front wheel."

"DF", a generic term that does not cover all upright bikes/trikes only diamond frames; and it is not appropriate since it has nothing to do with front wheels, and ignores all other upright style/non-recumbent frame styles used various bikes/trikes/quadrapedes, etc. using "Y" frames, step through frames, "beam" frames, etc.

Speaking for myself, and very shortly after I learned to cycle at the age of 4, I know that on any given ride I might glance down right in front of my wheel (never really at the wheel itself unless you count the fractions of a second) to ensure I miss some road/trail hazard. The only other time is if I have potential damage (out of true) and I am quickly off the bike doing a proper inspection. So I figure I might (inadvertently at that) look at my front wheel for about 30 seconds to a minute (obviously not continuously) during an hour or more ride which is well under 1% off my total riding time if even that much. I find myself instead looking at the roadway in front of me, and the view around and behind me a "great percentage of the time" instead of looking down at my front wheel.

How do all of you cycle? Head primarily looking down, or head primarily looking forward?

If you answer head looking down, please do it on a trainer and not the road for the sake of everyone's safety.

[rydabent]

The higher the seat, and the lower the handlebars, the more the time that is spent looking down at the front wheel on a DF bike. It starts to hurt when holding your head up too much of the time.

[Criminal]

(05-19-2025, 10:09 AM)rydabent Wrote:  The higher the seat, and the lower the handlebars, the more the time that is spent looking down at the front wheel on a DF bike. It starts to hurt when holding your head up too much of the time.

"higher the seat, and the lower the handlbars" have nothing to do with looking down at your front tire; it does have to do with head and body angle though. Maybe that is where you are confused. On racing bikes having your upper body in a more aero position is optimal and that causes your head angle to appear that you are looking down, but your eyes are still looking forward (there are little muscles surrounding the eyeball that control our eyes independently of where our your head is "looking"; amazing-learned that around 3 yrs old). Do not base your interpretation of where a rider is looking based on head angle since the eyes are are not looking downward but instead are looking forward.

On time trial bikes where bars used to be mounted to the fork crown with 24"-26" were always looking forward since, aside from safety, it is a more inefficient position with helmets designed to conform to the contour of their backs; and if "looking down" they would go slower and of course be unprepared for an in extremis situation. Having pain in the neck/back is true for many trying to ride in a more aero position, but that still is not related to looking down, but instead is from looking forward; and that may be relating to improper fit and set up of the bike. If you cannot ride aero without pain you won't be doing it for very long and you'll probably get a different bike or set your present bike up for a more riding comfortable position be it still aero or not. Of course, in your opinion it does not matter since you seem to think that on a DF bike you will always be looking down due to pain from looking up even if riding a DF bike with your upper body in a perpendicular position to the ground. Your argument holds no water reality.
The simple question is how do you ride a bike looking down for the majority (over 50%) of the time while riding and not have an accident? First thing I taught my kid; do not look forward to avoid anything, just make sure you watch your tire (my God!, the medical bills and funeral I had to pay for).




Edit: I did not comment on this because of a like or dislike or recumbents (I have ridden a 2 wheel recumbent bicycle many years ago); but instead because of the potential of a falsehood being spread to others.
Thank you @Jake1 for putting this out there in the light of day as many people thinking of getting a bike might get the wrong idea and possibly the wrong bike based on something that is obviously not true.
My poll vote would be 0% (though I went 1% to cover my butt) as I would do not count quick glances near my tire; but I'm not looking at the tire specifically and never more than a glance unless riding through glass and other crap to avoid it; but I am actually looking at the road surface.

I have to agree with the OP's logic @rydabent. You must have been riding incorrectly, or watched others riding incorrectly. Face it; you cannot safely ride ANY bike looking down. Get Real! We are not talking riders in a pro peleton here (and even they are not looking as avoidance of other cyclists is required.


Hey, what do you think riders on these 'bents see in front of them a "great majority of the time"? So now how do you rationalize your debate point?

[rydabent]

(05-19-2025, 10:58 AM)Criminal Wrote:  

(05-19-2025, 10:09 AM)rydabent Wrote:  The higher the seat, and the lower the handlebars, the more the time that is spent looking down at the front wheel on a DF bike. It starts to hurt when holding your head up too much of the time.

"higher the seat, and the lower the handlbars" have nothing to do with looking down at your front tire; it does have to do with head and body angle though. Maybe that is where you are confused. On racing bikes having your upper body in a more aero position is optimal and that causes your head angle to appear that you are looking down, but your eyes are still looking forward (there are little muscles surrounding the eyeball that control our eyes independently of where our your head is "looking"; amazing-learned that around 3 yrs old). Do not base your interpretation of where a rider is looking based on head angle since the eyes are are not looking downward but instead are looking forward.

On time trial bikes where bars used to be mounted to the fork crown with 24"-26" were always looking forward since, aside from safety, it is a more inefficient position with helmets designed to conform to the contour of their backs; and if "looking down" they would go slower and of course be unprepared for an in extremis situation. Having pain in the neck/back is true for many trying to ride in a more aero position, but that still is not related to looking down, but instead is from looking forward; and that may be relating to improper fit and set up of the bike. If you cannot ride aero without pain you won't be doing it for very long and you'll probably get a different bike or set your present bike up for a more riding comfortable position be it still aero or not. Of course, in your opinion it does not matter since you seem to think that on a DF bike you will always be looking down due to pain from looking up even if riding a DF bike with your upper body in a perpendicular position to the ground. Your argument holds no water reality.
The simple question is how do you ride a bike looking down for the majority (over 50%) of the time while riding and not have an accident? First thing I taught my kid; do not look forward to avoid anything, just make sure you watch your tire (my God!, the medical bills and funeral I had to pay for).




Edit: I did not comment on this because of a like or dislike or recumbents (I have ridden a 2 wheel recumbent bicycle many years ago); but instead because of the potential of a falsehood being spread to others.
Thank you @Jake1 for putting this out there in the light of day as many people thinking of getting a bike might get the wrong idea and possibly the wrong bike based on something that is obviously not true.
My poll vote would be 0% (though I went 1% to cover my butt) as I would do not count quick glances near my tire; but I'm not looking at the tire specifically and never more than a glance unless riding through glass and other crap to avoid it; but I am actually looking at the road surface.

I have to agree with the OP's logic @rydabent. You must have been riding incorrectly, or watched others riding incorrectly. Face it; you cannot safely ride ANY bike looking down. Get Real! We are not talking riders in a pro peleton here (and even they are not looking as avoidance of other cyclists is required.


Hey, what do you think riders on these 'bents see in front of them a "great majority of the time"? So now how do you rationalize your debate point?

That picture of a recumbent is not typical. And on a tadpole trike, the rider is reclined, and has a wide field of vision.

[Sybian]

I cannot say I look at my wheel; but as I ride I do see others looking downwards (biking or not). That has just gotten exponentially worse over the past 5 to 10 years. They are not looking at their wheels though, but at their screen/many screens mounted on the handlebar. Perhaps that is being seen by others and interpretted as looking at their wheel. That being said, it has nothing to do with cyclists but with everyone who is hypnotized by the trash they need to be continually consume every second. Hard to look forward when entertaining yourself by watching a screen all day while cycling, walking, working, eating, driving....

My only question is where do recumbent riders mount their screens (or are their rider's ethics higher than standard bike riders by eschewing screens on their recumbents), and would recumbent riders be just as distracted as anyone else regardless of whether they are cycling, walking, etc. if recumbent riders also had screens mounted on their cycles?

I really do not think it has anything to do with what you ride, but instead has to do with your attention to the job at hand, but which today's society has somehow gotten brainwashed into the idea that they are missing out on something of extreme (trivial) importance, and the the content of whatever shite they watch (from their heartrates to porn) is more or at best equal to the job at hand.
"The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that almost 6,000 people on foot were killed in fatal pedestrian accidents in 2017, a huge increase from just a decade earlier. Researchers attribute the spike to increased use of cell phones by walkers..."

Just add some wheels and speed, and cellphones merely become an efficient low cost method of random voluntary euthansia culling the human herd of the overly foolish. Any of you who have ever manually answered a phone while cycling, driving, etc. can check that box; hopefully you have not been responsible for the care of others at the time and have not caused damage or injury resulting from your behavior. I really do not care if you get hurt since you would have already shown a disregard for own safety, as well as others by acting irresponsibly if the phone is your priority.

Keeps your eyes foward!

[Flowrider]

I mountain bike 90% of my rides and if I'm climbing a very steep hill I'll look at my front wheel as I climb. For me focusing on my wheel makes the climb just a bit easier

[GirishH]

Like Flowrider, when it comes to riding up hills/steep sections I look down to distract myself from the challenge ahead of me. I don't necessarily look at my front wheel, I just look at the road/trail in front of me.

When it comes to distracted riding, I can be distracted even when I am looking ahead especially if I am lost in some thought or enjoying the scenery too much. Just the other day, I almost rode off the road because I was too busy enjoying the mountains-clouds and greenery in front of me..

[Criminal]

(05-22-2025, 09:54 AM)rydabent Wrote:  That picture of a recumbent is not typical. And on a tadpole trike, the rider is reclined, and has a wide field of vision.

I did a TYPICAL web search for "recumbent tricycle" on a TYPICAL search engine, Google; and received TYPICAL results showing many types of TYPICAL trikes with BOTH SINGLE AND DUAL FRONT WHEEL designs (9 total: 5 "tadpole", 4 "delta"; pretty freaking TYPICAL!). They were TYPICALLY in stock and could TYPICALLY be shipped within 24 hrs.
NOT TYPICAL MY ....!
Rydabent, just because they are not your type does not mean they are not typical, and it does not make your "looking at the front wheel" joke of an argument any less ludicrous. Can you not deal with any rational opposition without irrational dissent and weak debate points?

Again, fellow cyclists I am just setting the record straight. Here is a recumbent rider who is deluded about bicycle riding which he/she/they admittingly did for 60 years looking down at his/her/their bike's front wheel 50% of the time per their own vote in the poll. And thus far, even taking an assumed skewed 50% vote by rydabent, the amount that the other riders are saying they spend "looking down at their front wheel" is less than 10% of the time, and if you throw out the 0% and 50% votes as outliers the average would be 2.8% which is a far cry from the unjustified exagerated statements put forth by rydabent.

We can only wait for rydabent's next $!#backwards "rationalization".

---

(05-28-2025, 06:21 AM)GirishH Wrote:  Like Flowrider, when it comes to riding up hills/steep sections I look down to distract myself from the challenge ahead of me. I don't necessarily look at my front wheel, I just look at the road/trail in front of me.

When it comes to distracted riding, I can be distracted even when I am looking ahead especially if I am lost in some thought or enjoying the scenery too much. Just the other day, I almost rode off the road because I was too busy enjoying the mountains-clouds and greenery in front of me..

Thank you for backing up the fact that riders are not looking at their wheels, but instead, though apparently "looking down", are actually looking forward in order to avoid obstacles dependent on conditions. So in essence you do not really look at your front wheel at all (aside from expected quick glances), and although you did not vote I am going to plug in 2.5% into my calculations just to add more data; and demonstrate that the baseless claim about upright bike cyclists looking down at their front wheel all the time is biased and uninformed.

[rydabent]

Actually accurate research would have come up with the fact that by far the most popular trike, is the tadpole trikes like mine.

[Criminal]

(06-06-2025, 09:56 AM)rydabent Wrote:  Actually accurate research would have come up with the fact that by far the most popular trike, is the tadpole trikes like mine.

It does not matter what type of tricycle you ride (although per tricycle dealers tapole recliners are lower than delta trikes regarding average eye level, and thus have the more reduced view of the 2 recumbent tricycle designs; both of which still have a more reduced view than non-recumbent bikes and trikes). A tricycle dealer states: tadpoles "This design is lower to the ground"; deltas "Delta trikes sit up higher than tadpole trikes typically do."; and thus have the better view.
It still does not change the fact that you admitted to the world that you looked down at your front tire 50% of the time when not riding a recumbent tricycle (and also that you could not ride a normal bicycle without neck pain even while looking at the ground 50% of the time), but you still apparently think everyone else else does as you do when not riding a recumbent tricycle. I think that is the intent of this thread; looking at front wheels or not, right?

So now you do not look at front wheel(s) while riding your tricycle; good for you. Glad you like your tricycle; nothing wrong with that. Also, nothing wrong with the vast majority of cyclists from 2 yr olds to centenarians who are able to ride bicycles and other non-recumbent vehicles while not looking at their front wheel like you did 50% of the time per your vote. Nothing wrong with those who cannot ride a non-recumbent bike or trike and require a recumbent tricycle for whatever the reason (such as not being able to ride a non-recumbent bike/trike without neck pain or back pain even while looking down at their front wheel 50% of the time) and regardless of age.

Were/are you a politician? You seem to skirt the issue and forget the topic which works well in politics.

[rydabent]

The fact remains, if you are on a DF bike, and in the drops, if you hold your head in a natural up right position, you are looking at the front wheel. To see ahead, you have to crane your neck up in an UNNATURAL position, that in time hurts. Been there, done that, for 60 years.

[rydabent]

(06-06-2025, 06:42 PM)Criminal Wrote:  

(06-06-2025, 09:56 AM)rydabent Wrote:  Actually accurate research would have come up with the fact that by far the most popular trike, is the tadpole trikes like mine.

It does not matter what type of tricycle you ride (although per tricycle dealers tapole recliners are lower than delta trikes regarding average eye level, and thus have the more reduced view of the 2 recumbent tricycle designs; both of which still have a more reduced view than non-recumbent bikes and trikes). A tricycle dealer states: tadpoles "This design is lower to the ground"; deltas "Delta trikes sit up higher than tadpole trikes typically do."; and thus have the better view.
It still does not change the fact that you admitted to the world that you looked down at your front tire 50% of the time when not riding a recumbent tricycle (and also that you could not ride a normal bicycle without neck pain even while looking at the ground 50% of the time), but you still apparently think everyone else else does as you do when not riding a recumbent tricycle. I think that is the intent of this thread; looking at front wheels or not, right?

So now you do not look at front wheel(s) while riding your tricycle; good for you. Glad you like your tricycle; nothing wrong with that. Also, nothing wrong with the vast majority of cyclists from 2 yr olds to centenarians who are able to ride bicycles and other non-recumbent vehicles while not looking at their front wheel like you did 50% of the time per your vote. Nothing wrong with those who cannot ride a non-recumbent bike or trike and require a recumbent tricycle for whatever the reason (such as not being able to ride a non-recumbent bike/trike without neck pain or back pain even while looking down at their front wheel 50% of the time) and regardless of age.

Were/are you a politician? You seem to skirt the issue and forget the topic which works well in politics.

There is an old saying-------------we get too soon old, and to late smart. It would be interesting to know of your view point when you get to be 87 like I am. By the time you get to be my age, going with the flow, and wanting to be part of a group, doesnt mean much anymore. But truth does.