Easy Rider by photosynthesis
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Description
On New Years Day, my wife & I were walking with some friends & we saw this guy riding down the street on this interesting bicycle. The thing that stood out for me was the backrest, which was kind of like a chair back - almost vertical & extending all the way to the riders shoulders.
We stopped him to ask about it & he was very happy to talk about it, let each of us sit on it to see how it felt & allowed me to take this photo. In addition to the back support, it had very cushy, springy shock absorbers that were very different from a typical bicycle. He told us that he had some serious physical issues that required surgery & that he had somehow convinced his doctor to write him a prescription for this bike - which cost about $2,000. As much as I thought it looked cool & felt comfortable, I won't be spending that much money on a bicycle & I don't think my health insurance would pick up the tab.
He pointed out all the features of the bicycle, stated that it was made by a company named Cannondale & proudly boasted that their bicycles were manufactured in the good old U.S.A. Personally, as a consumer, that doesn't mean a lot to me. I don't go out of my way to buy products made in this country. I look at various factors like quality, price, service, ethics, etc & then make up my mind. All other things being equal, being made in the U.S.A might be a tiebreaker for me, but other things are very rarely all equal. American products must compete in a global market &, after all, many American manufacturers depend on people in other countries buying our products. Anyway, I was curious about this company, googled them & found, ironically, that they were bought by a Canadian company about 5 years ago & that they've moved almost all their production to China. Funny how people's perceptions & beliefs often don't align with the real world...
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Comments (9)
jayfar
An excellent shot and a super bike. Sadly most things are now made in China to whom we may be totally dependent in a few years time! Frightening isn't it!!??
CarolusB
Dennis Hopper - Eat your heart out!
2ni
These bikes are known as recumbent.
photosynthesis
Yes, I've seen recumbent bikes around for many years, but typically the backrest is inclined at a significant backwards angle so that the rider is almost lying down. This one was almost perfectly vertical.
UVDan
That is a great looking bike! Now that it is made in China, they can bring the price down to $89.95 at WalMart.
Faemike55
Wonderful capture. I'll stick with the Bike I have
auntietk
In the 80s I had a Toyota that was built in California, and my partner had a Ford truck that was built in Canada. (You can tell by the VIN number.) It's a lovely sentiment to think we can buy US made goods, but even an American company doing manufacturing in this country can't label their product "Made in USA" if ANY of the components come from another company. It's like thinking you can live off the grid and be totally self sufficient, until you think about how much wheat you would need to grow to make your own flour for bread. A nice idea, but not all that feasible. (Was this in Pleasantville? Surely not ... there's this man out riding a bike, and I see a car in the driveway behind him.)
photosynthesis
You're right, Tara, it's not in Pleasantville - it's in Central Point, which is the town just north of Medford.
MrsRatbag
It looks like a very comfortable bike, I'd like to give it a try. But I can't afford that kind of money for a bike, that's for sure. An excellent shot!
junge1
First of all I like Tara's comment. I agree with you as to your shopping habits. This country (the USA) allows you to have freedom of choice, I exercise that right. I always look for the 'Best Deal'. For me, that includes price, perceived quality, and many other factors. If it happened to be made in the Good ole US of A so much the better. Now to the bike. I like it, whether I would shell out $2000 is another matter. Cannodale bikes are well-known for high quality mountain bikes. Its true, they are still being made, and if they are made by an Canadian-owned company, so what. The economy is so global nowadays, that if a product is made in the USA, where do the individual parts come from, where does the raw material come from? I agree with you, I consider all the factors and then buy!
danapommet
I like the twist at the end of your narrative and also some of your comments. I'm with you and Sig when it comes to buying big expenditures!