Day 6, a Bike for bad backs and my review

http://www.day6bikes.com/

And endorsement on their web site:

My Day 6 has absolutely changed my life. I had not ridden a bike for probably 30 years because of back pain with standard bikes. This bicycle has allowed me to ride our local bike path and I am up to 9 miles at a time. My new bicycle has caused a lot of interest from bikers on the bike path. I always tell them how it has changed my life.

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My take: This is not a recumbent or a semi-recumbent bike. Look at the videos, you sit upright.

A recumbent offers less wind resistance, Day 6 does not.

Since you sit upright, you are visible behind cars.

The 6" wheelbase and shallower (Easy Rider) fork angle is a bit tricky. At low speeds it is harder to control when starting out with pedals. You learn how to do it after a while.

Using the motor, it becomes easier, but it is more wobbly at slow speeds than a standard bike.

I noticed today that my knees are over the center of the crank-set and I get a lot of pedal power in this arrangement. (I am 5-8 and 174 lb)

There are no shocks and I wish that it had a front shock absorber.

The saddle is very wide and thick. If I plant my ass as far back as possible and lean against the back rest it is very comfortable and my feet are free to pedal..

I run the 26 x 2.125" tires at low pressure for comfort over bumps. (I hope that they will last 1,500 miles or so)

The Day 6 is aluminum, well made, and it appears to be very rugged.

I bought it used as a regular pedal bike, miles unknown, and I have about 600 electric miles on it after conversion.

I bought it for the electric conversion and battery placement and not because of a back issue.

If you have a bad back I would recommend that you take a test ride.

If you come to South Florida, you can ride mine.

Actually, depends on your back. That type bike kills mine. I need to stand the pedals, using my legs for shocks, to stand a 60 mile ride.

But each persons back injury varies, some can't bend over anymore, others can't stand up straight anymore. I'm the guy who needs to be straight, so a bent is just torture for me.

Highly recommended bike though, for anybody who can ride for hours bent.

dogman dan said:

Actually, depends on your back. That type bike kills mine. I need to stand the pedals, using my legs for shocks, to stand a 60 mile ride.

But each persons back injury varies, some can't bend over anymore, others can't stand up straight anymore. I'm the guy who needs to be straight, so a bent is just torture for me.

Highly recommended bike though, for anybody who can ride for hours bent.

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The Day 6 is not bent. You sit straight upright. like on a chair. No leaning back.

However, you cannot stand on the pedals,

For many bad backs, not just dogman dan's, is important not to be straight upright and receive shocks directly into the spine. For some people, leaning forward and carrying some weight on the hands is much more feasible.

Chalo said:

For many bad backs, not just dogman dan's, is important not to be straight upright and receive shocks directly into the spine. For some people, leaning forward and carrying some weight on the hands is much more feasible.

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Aha! That explains it well. Thanks.

I just have to eliminate the shocks to my back somehow, it uses up my back strength to take the shocks. As my back muscles tire, I get a full inch shorter, and then my nerves to my legs start to grind.

6 hours in a car seat has about the same effect, if the road is too rough.

dogman dan said:

I just have to eliminate the shocks to my back somehow, it uses up my back strength to take the shocks. As my back muscles tire, I get a full inch shorter, and then my nerves to my legs start to grind.

6 hours in a car seat has about the same effect, if the road is too rough.

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Have you tried a true recumbent tadpole with a mesh seat?

My back isn't terrible (yet) but it tires easily and my absolute favorite bike is my Terratrike Cruiser. That mesh seat is quite literally the most comfortable chair I own. The headrest is absolutely necessary to keep tension in the neck down.

Similar current models are the Rambler and Sportster.

Going to Pennsylvania to ride some nice bent e trikes next week. So far, no,, I have never rode a fully bent trike. I have rode a fully bent bike once, but not far enough to test it on my back. In big city traffic, I doubt I'll like my head that low. But out on the open road out west,, sure.

Chances are,, I won't be riding these sun trikes 50 miles either, because of the weather we'll be having. so it won't really be a valid test. Jason is flying me out to test ride all the trikes at electrictrike.com

In December ? Long underwear. Layers.

Ditto on hte suspended-mesh seats; that's why I built CrazyBIke2's seat that way (remember helping me re-lace the new mesh on it when you were here?)

I had built a wooden one curved to my back and butt, originally, but as comfy as it was it wasnt' anywhere as good as the simple straight-tubed mesh seat (would be even better with a mesh one built like the wooden one, but it was beyond my abilities).

I have an Ikea chair with a mesh back and a foam seat with flexible wooden base that's the seat on SB Cruiser, and the back is even better than CB2's...but the mesh rotted out in the sun cuz it was just stretchy cloth, and the foam/wood seat isnt' anything like as good as CB2's mesh. Havent' gotten around to making a mesh seat for it yet, but will eventually. Even so it's still better than a bike saddle.

I have some "beach chairs" that are basically a suspended mesh in a frame, that I intend to convert to seats for the trike and for a passenger (and for the Raine trike); simpler than building from scratch. (or at least, it should be).

dogman dan said:

Going to Pennsylvania to ride some nice bent e trikes next week. So far, no,, I have never rode a fully bent trike. I have rode a fully bent bike once, but not far enough to test it on my back. In big city traffic, I doubt I'll like my head that low. But out on the open road out west,, sure.

Chances are,, I won't be riding these sun trikes 50 miles either, because of the weather we'll be having. so it won't really be a valid test. Jason is flying me out to test ride all the trikes at electrictrike.com

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Sunseeker T3 CX looks fun. Nice and low slung. Low slung is really nice for slipping "under the wind" out here where the wind blows most of the time. I have had friends on "traditional" e-bikes complain about the "vicious headwind" when I had been riding happily alongside them and never even noticed the headwind.

For a higher seat, the SUN SEEKER Eco-Tad SX looks like it might fit the bill.

Interestingly, after spending a whole day riding bent trikes, none of them bothered my back much. But I noted immediately, that the streets I was riding on were in amazing good shape compared to what I'm used to. Sure, there were some potholes, but none of the tall heat cracks every 15-20 feet. Those are like riding over 2x2 boards every 20 feet around here.

The fat tad might have been the favorite. Pretty much all the lower slung, more bent ones were the nicest.

dogman dan said:

The fat tad might have been the favorite. Pretty much all the lower slung, more bent ones were the nicest.

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That one is pretty cool looking. Although the fat tires are HEAVY, they are worth their weight in gold in deep sand. They float over the top of sand that would defeat pretty much any more traditional bike. I have fat tires on my ranch bike and can ride literally anywhere on the 20 acres, including the muck heap, which is worse than the deepest sand.

As for deep recumbent, I now have more than 3000 miles on my Terratrike Cruiser and still LOVE the seat. It is comfy enough that I once fell asleep in it waiting for my riding buddy to buy a bottle of gator-aide. What can I say, it was just after 5am and I hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. He was scared I was dead -- I can think of worse places to die.

Wow never read so much junk from people who do not know anything about Day6 Bikes.
I have owned Day6 bike for many years. This bike is totally comfortable to ride especially for people who have bad knees or backs (yes perhaps a few exceptions).
The design of this bike is for QUALITY, COMFORT, and pleasure but the bike also rides and moves very well.

In fact a Bafang Mid-Drive motor works wonderfully helping folks get up big hills and just assisting and getting good speed when needed.

In my view for a Baby boomer, a large person, or someone who simply cannot stand the pain a normal bike gives them especially in the seat and hands area, then this bike is supreme.

Why would anyone want to ride on uncomfortable bikes which cause so much pain? If they are a racer or trying to set speed records then fine. But if one want to enjoy riding trails,
enjoy riding period then a Day6 Bike is perfect. With an electric bike kit even better. The vast majority of People who test ride my bike love it and many have purchased as a result.

Sounds like someone didn't actually read the various posts above, which are not discussing just the titular bike, but also other options, as well as different people's particular requirements.

Chalo said:

For many bad backs, not just dogman dan's, is important not to be straight upright and receive shocks directly into the spine. For some people, leaning forward and carrying some weight on the hands is much more feasible.

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Worst case scenario - upright on the rear of a tandem with no suspension. That puts a shock into the spine like nothing I have ever done. Doesn't particularly hurt until I get off the bike and realize what a beating I have taken. And I have a healthy back!

Just a quick note by a trike guy of nearly 10 years..



The plus'es are:

Comfort...At 66 I find I can still ride 4-5 hours with no problem at all and up to 8 hours with no back,butt or neck problems...the old legs feel like like you might expect from multiple hours of effort. ( As with every bike/trike I've ever had the first couple of miles are mildly unpleasant because of "stiffness". This is particularly true in early spring or after long periods of non-riding)
Recumbent trikes are great for many folks with physical challenges as well as being damn fun to ride.
I have worked with getting older folks back on bikes for a few years and have seen only a couple of situations where chronic pain was not reduced or eliminated by switching to a recumbent trike or recumbent bike

Safety: Some folks feel trikes are unsafe because of their low visibility. This is true, to a degree. I always have the "fluorescent dork flag" at the rear as well as a bright flashing light on the rear. I ride on low traffic roads or bike trails much of the time and have had very little interaction with motorized jerks.
On the plus side the stability of a trike greatly reduces the risk of accidents from road debris, highway cracks or many other causes of bike crashes. You will hit some potholes that a bike might avoid but that is rare and usually harmless.
The big plus is that you are able to really relax on a trike...look around.. and enjoy the moment. On bike trails I often ride with a beer in one hand because the steering is so stable

The down side;

Trikes are not as easy to transport as bikes. Newer folding trikes are a big improvement over the non-folding , but if you want to transport more than one at a time you will need a larger vehicle suach as a van or pickup.

Trikes are pricey
Trikes under a 1000 dollars are good begginer vehicles , but don't expect them to be light. The good thing is there is an ever increasing number of used trikes available as people find that they enjoy triking so much they want to upgrade to a Catrike or other mid range trike. Bentrider .com has good classifieds as well as the Facebook trike riders group.

schosser said:

Trikes are pricey

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OH BUT WHAT FUN!

I have found that one learns a lot by listening.

I actually lifted with my knees, and did all the right things, was the bloody picture of health. Ran 5 miles every morning and once a week did at least 10.

Then a bomb went off and I woke up in germany with my feet crossing... at the pelvis. Been a whole different kettle o fish since then.

I luckily don't have a lot of back pain aside from what the mostly correctly set pelvis provides. I have learned to work around the missing 7.2mm in my right leg, and the 1.5degree tilt differential between the two sides. Docs made it possible for me to stand and walk on my own, no complaints.

Ok, except one... Why do people hear about injury and immediately assume it is the whinging voice of a fat bastard? Sometimes it is. Sometimes you will find a person that has put a lot of miles on their chassis and spent more than a few days in the fender and body shop. Might behove ya to you know, STFU and read before speaking.

That said.

My issue with recumbent bikes is partially a concern about where I am riding (rural California is a wierd place) and the fact that it will do nothing to aid the reason I am looking at trikes. I have a tumor on my spine that is slowly going from peripheral neuropathy to straight up days when I can't feel my feet. I am told this will progress to the hips, and I am already getting progression in my left hand. it occasionally will start to shimmy on it's own and completely ignores my mental commands to nock it off, it is like trying to herd a cat.. that is attached to the end of me arm.

I look at the tilty bikes and wonder if I will be able to actually get to my feet once my arse is below my knee's I start to go full beached whale.

I can step off the stupid schwinn even on my worst days so far. I am just trying to eek out another year riding with my kiddo before I am riding a la-z-boy.