Comfort in bicycling

To really enjoy a bike ride, comfort should be a major factor.  Practicality of course is a close second, but comfort must come first.  Metroe delivers comfort, but in order to get there, we had to do some homework. 

In order to dispense with the traditional triangle bicycle seat, pedals had to be removed.  The physiology of the human torso requires the hips to be provided space to create the pedaling motion.  Because of the design of the human pelvis, the triangular seat is needed to support the pedaling motion.    Unfortunately, the triangular bicycle seat also requires the majority of our torso’s weight to be supported at the base of the pelvis, which is less than ideal. 

Recumbent bicycle designs have adopted a wide variety of reclined seating in order to take the pressure off of the pelvis and onto the lower back while still allowing the hip motion needed for a human-powered bicycle.  These designs ultimately provide more comfort to the rider, but introduce challenges in balance, starting, stopping and cargo capacity.

The only clean solution to distributing the human torso’s weight in the manner we are used to for comfort is to remove the pedaling action.  Prior to the invention of the hub motor, this was not possible.  Now, a seat that can provide support and comfort can be used on a bicycle, allowing thousands who had forgone use of a bicycle the ability to use one again for everyday, neighborhood errands, or simply to enjoy being outdoors and moving through nature.

 

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