We have already seen several videos with recumbent theme on the world famous GCN. You can see an overview of them here. In the latest one, Hank took a 50km / 31 mile ride over a mountain pass in Wales, UK and the result is on the edge between promoting recumbent bikes and damning them.
I always wonder when watching videos like this whether they actually contribute to the popularity of recumbent bikes and trikes, or to their ridiculation. Riders are often sitting on recumbents for the first time or have little experience with them. Their bikes are poorly set up, no one has properly instructed them on how to ride them, and the conditions they ride in often don’t match their abilities or the bike itself. And that’s exactly what happened in this video. Hank went down on the ground a few times, his riding was wobbly and overall he struggled a lot on the bike. It’s hard to believe that a video is actually a paid promotion for Cruzbike.
On the other hand, it has to be said that Hank admitted several times that he had little experience with the bike and that if he had spent more time on it, his experience would have been better. Cruzbike should also be thanked for their efforts to promote recumbent cycling at GCN. At the moment, they may be the only ones among two-wheelers whose bike actually fits into GCN, and who are big enough that their bike could be promoted on such a YouTube channel.
What I also consider modern is the video in which Maria Parker reacts to the GCN video and comments on some of its moments. For that she has earned a lot of praise from Cruzbike supporters. Especially for the fact that she can comment on both positive and negative moments.
You can find both of the videos below.
Global Cycling Network, or GCN, is the world’s largest YouTube channel (3+ million subscribers) with a focus on cycling. In recent years, it has not shied away from slightly more marginal parts of cycling, such as cargo bikes or recumbent bikes.
