Port Hedland. Bob Reynolds reckons that’s the furthest anyone rode one of his Flash ‘Easyrider’ recumbent bikes.

Recumbents place the rider in a laid back position with the pedals forward of the rider’s hips. Riders choose the design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed over a larger area than an upright bicycle. Most recumbents also have an aerodynamic advantage too; the reclined, legs-forward position of the rider's body presents a smaller frontal profile. In fact the world speed record for a bicycle is held by a recumbent rider. While the basic design has been around since the late 19th century the comparative rarity of recumbents lends them an air of innovation.

Once long term Flash frame builder Bill Shackleton taught Bob how to braze bicycle tubing he set to work prototyping his idea. The first design, a prone bike, was abandoned due to poor rider visibility.

Conventional ‘diamond frame’ bikes are strong and light, but they place the rider high up and a fall such as the one 16 year old Ron Witt had in his teens can result in serious injury. Ron dreamt of owning a long wheelbase bike with a low centre of gravity for years after his accident and had even mocked up his own design out of timber. Driving through Midland one day he was excited to see a display of five recumbents outside the Flash shop. Ron commissioned a recumbent with the intention of touring.

In 1985 he set off on his first long ride - Port Hedland and return. Loaded touring can be slow at the best of times but strong headwinds on the road north saw Ron’s speed rarely go above 11kmh. On a 500km side trip to Shay Gap, where tailwinds boosted him to 40kmh on gravel roads, the Flash’s long wheelbase handling was surefooted and relaxed.

Ultimately Bob Reynolds sold a dozen Flash ‘Easyriders’ from the early 1980’s to the early 1990’s. Ron Witt still rides a recumbent. He was part of the team for the locally designed Cruzbike Sigma for which he holds two patents.

This photo taken by Ron Witt near Meekathara is of motorcycle tourist Koichi Misu.