Ask the Recumbent Bike Rider

In My Humble Opinion
1

Spring’s here (or almost, for some of us), and I know many people are looking to buy new bikes. This is my shameless attempt to convince you to at least try out recumbent bikes. I’m not involved in the recumbent bike industry at all, I just love riding them and wish someone had told me about it earlier. I’ve been riding them almost exclusively for over 3 years, and have gone through about 7 bikes so far so I think I’m qualified to answer your questions. I’ll start off with a few obvious questions:

Q: Aren’t they just for disabled or old people?
A: No! There are plenty of young active riders. I’m in my late 20s myself. There are many high-performance recumbent racing bikes available, as well as more sedate models suitable for touring, commuting or just weekend fun.

Q: What’s so good about them?
A: Absolutely no pain in the butt, for a start. There’s also very little stress on the arms, neck and back. I know some computer programmers who got recumbents to prevent or relieve RSI. The excellent view is also a great advantage - since you are not leaning down, your face naturally faces forward and you can enjoy the view. And a lot of people find it very fun to ride. There is not much statistics on safety, but I feel much safer on a recumbent; when you fall on a recumbent you land on your butt, not your helmet. The low center of mass allows you to use the front brake effectively without flying over the handlebars.

Q: Isn’t it dangerous to ride such a low bike?
A: Most recumbents aren’t very low at all. Currently my everyday ride is the Bike Friday SatRDay. On this bike I’m taller than most compact cars. Even on lower bikes, visibility is usually not a problem because car drivers tend to keep their eyes on the road ahead, looking for low obstacles.

Q: How well do they climb?
A: Somewhat slower than an upright bike, because you can’t stand on the pedals. Instead you drop to a lower gear (most recumbents have 24 or 27 speed drivetrains) and spin. Also you tend to make up for it with the faster time on flats and downhills.

Q: Aren’t they expensive?
A: Kind of. The most affordable I can recommend with good conscience is the Easy Racers EZ1, which is $549 MSRP. But if you read any magazine they’ll tell you that you should pay $400 (or similar number) for a decent mountain bike. I’d say a $550 recumbent is roughly comparable to a $400 mountain bike in terms of quality and components. That’s not much extra to pay for the advantages IMHO. There’s also used bikes and eBay.

Q: Any other disadvantages?
A: You can’t jump a recumbent, so they’re useless on off-road MTB trails. (Gravel and unpaved roads are fine.) Recumbents also tend to be a little larger and heavier than comparably priced upright bikes. And like everything else in the world, some like them, some just don’t. You have to try it out to see how you like it.

Q: Any good links?
A: BentRider Online is a good place to get general information. Their Buyer’s Guide is very comprehensive and has links to manufacturers’ web sites. The Hostel Shoppe (mail-order recumbent shop) web sites is also informitive.

2

Do you know that lots of us ‘regular’ bike riders just roll our eyes when we see you?

3

I have to mount the kerb regularly on my daily commute - I presume this means a recumbent is out?

4
      • Recums are way more cofortable than uprights, plain and simple. … I have wanted a Bikee for a long time, haven’t had the bux. I wouldn’t buy a recum that didn’t have rear suspension at least. I was going to attempt to build one myself out of a couple suspension Wal-Mart bikes, but never got round to it. My particular problem is I am a chubby 270 lbs, would still be at least 230 if I was slim. Not a lot of bike shocks made for that kind of weight around, only the air shocks can handle that and they would have to be pumped up to maximum if I only used one (-I thought about using an ATV shock in back).
        ~
5

Do you get a really good buzz on with your face always at tailpipe level?

[Homer]

mmm … Diesel

[/Homer]

6

What was your own experience in learning to ride it? How long did it take? How many times did you fall during the process? (I don’t mean to be negative - I just want the facts.)

7

Do you know that lots of us ‘regular’ bike riders just roll our eyes when we see you?
Yes, and we couldn’t care less.

I have to mount the kerb regularly on my daily commute - I presume this means a recumbent is out?
If you mean jumping onto the sidewalk over a 4-inch curb/kerb, then no, I can’t do that on a recumbent. I can handle about 1.5" on my bike if I slow down enough.

I don’t understand why it’s necessary though. Bikes belong on the road, and in most countries bikes are not allowed on the sidewalk at all. If you ride in a sensible and predictable manner, you shouldn’t have to use sidewalks for evasive actions.

Do you get a really good buzz on with your face always at tailpipe level?
As I said in the OP, I usually ride a fairly tall bike. I’m higher up than most car drivers. I do own a low trike (a Greenspeed GTO), and I try not to use it in the city for this and other reasons. Trikes are a lot of fun though.

What was your own experience in learning to ride it? How long did it take? How many times did you fall during the process?
It took me about 5 minutes to get the hang of it, and after 30 minutes it felt very natural to me. Funny thing is, after a few days I tried my old upright bike again and that felt downright scary. It only took me a minute to get over that, and after that I was able to ride either type comfortably. I didn’t fall down at all while learning. I’ve fallen 3 or 4 of times since then due to slippery roads or reckless riding. In all cases I landed on my butt, and I have yet to get an injury from riding a recumbent.

8

Unfortunately BikeE went out of business, as you probably know. There were quite a few new BikeE CT’s offered on eBay for $300, I don’t know if they’re all gone. I think the Scooterbike is the lowest priced suspended recumbent now. The one reviewed in that article is expensive, but I’ve seen 7-speed versions for around $600. Or you could look for a used Trek R200. Those come with air shocks and should cost less than $600 used.

Personally I’ve never felt the need for rear suspension. A relatively fat tire (around 1.75") gives a very comfortable ride, and if you choose one with high pressure you don’t sacrifice speed at all. The Tioga Comp Pool 20x1.75 is a good choice for a 20" wheel - it’s a slick tire (no tread pattern) and rated for 85 psi.

9

How is the maneuvering at high speeds on a downhill? I am concerned that the longer wheelbase unacceptably expands your turning radius. This could be really undesirable if you need to dodge some object or debris during a steep descent at +40 MPH. I’ll freely admit that you have a lot less distance to fall and can plant your feet much quicker. What I like most about recumbents is the superb energy yield from your leg motion. Having your back against something really ups the output. Compare what sort of weight you can hoist with a leg lift versus a leg press and it quickly becomes clear.

Here’s a question. How much more effecient are recumbents versus a traditional ten speed road bike?

10

I would love to try one out. How/where can I do this?

11

Long wheelbase does increase turning radius but only at very low speeds. At high speed, turning radius is not limited by the length of the bike.

I don’t have much experience with steep descents on road bikes so I can’t really compare. My fastest recumbent bike is the Bacchetta Aero and I feel comfortable doing +40 MPH descents on it. The trike is even better for descents, as long as I keep all three wheels on the ground. (Which I don’t always do - it’s easy to lift one wheel, and quite safe to do so except for the reduced maneuverability and braking ability.)

Actually this can be a disadvantage, because it means you can put a lot of stress on your knees. It’s better to keep the cadence high.

This is a much debated topic. It depends a lot on the choice of recumbent bike and riding style.

Assumign the same power output from the rider, speed is mostly determined by how aerodynamic the bike is. That means small frontal area. Vision Recumbents has done a wind tunnel test and their result is here (PDF file). Basically the result is that their VR40, a typical all-purpose recumbent, is more aerodynamic than a road bike rider holding the top of the handlebar, but less aerodynamic than a road bike rider in the full “aero tuck” position using aero bars. Their high-performance model compares well with the “aero tuck” position. Then there are “lowracers” like the M5 Lowracer which are designed for racing, and are more aerodynamic than any upright road bike. On the same page you’ll see a fully faired (enclosed) lowracer which is the ultimate in human-powered speed. Currently the world record stands at 81.0 MPH. There are also “highracers” (like my Bacchetta) which are designed to be as aerodynamic as possible without making them low, thus allowing good visibility.

But the other part of the question is which position allows the rider to output more power, recumbent or upright? Most people seem to think that the upright has a slight advantage, since the recumbent rider is locked into a single position and can only use the same muscles. So a recumbent would be a poor choice for a hill climb race where aerodynamics is not important and power output is everything. If the course has a fair amount of descents and flats then the superior aerodynamics can more than make up for the reduced power. And for long distance races, reduced fatigue and pain are definite advantages for the recumbent rider.

12

There are some bike shops who specialize in recumbent bikes, but only a handful of them in the US. Tell me where you live and I might be able to direct you to one. If not, most major cities have at least one bike shop that carries recumbents. Manufacturers’ web sites usually list their dealers, but not all of them stock the bikes so call around and check. Here are some of the major US manufacturers:

Bacchetta
Easy Racers
RANS
Vision

You can also ask on the BentRider Online message board. There’s bound to be someone nearby who can direct you to a good shop, or even let you try their own.

13

Does that thing really have 72 gears? You must be constantly shifting! I once had a 21 speed MB, and I seldom used more than 7 of the gears except on very steep hills. 72? :eek:

14

You’ve obviously never ridden a bike in Dublin. You could theoretically just sit in the traffic but if I wanted to do that I’d just drive to work. For part of my journey, the traffic makes two lanes when there’s really only room for one. So it is solid vehicles from about six inches from the kerb right out to the white line. Along with all my fellow cyclist commuters, I ride on the path on these stretches. Luckily the path is wide and pedestrians are used to sharing it with cyclists at rush hour. The police turn a blind eye - they know it’s the only sensible option. Of course roadspace should be dedicated to cyclists but in Dublin they usually only do that where it’s easy i.e. the road is wide and there’s plenty of room for bikes anyway.

BTW, you didn’t need to be so preachy.

15

I meant to say that I’d love to try out a recumbent for leisure purposes but it wouldn’t suit for commuting for the reasons stated as well as reduced manoeverability at low speeds etc.

16

OK, in that case I have no problem with it. I thought most European cities were very strict about not allowing bikes on sidewalks. England was pretty strict when I used to live there. And in the American cities I’ve been to, roads are wide enough that riding on a sidewalk is unnecessary.

I actually live in a city where bikes are allowed on the sidewalks. There are slopes at the ends and at regular intervals for cars to cross, like all sidewalks. I have no trouble riding up those slopes on a recumbent. Fat tires help.

I’m sorry if I offended you. But I feel it’s important to follow traffic rules and ride safely, and I have no patience with people who don’t. They make all cyclists look bad and make life difficult for us. It’s a serious problem in Japan; I’ve seen people ride through a red light on the wrong side of the road while reading text messages on their cell phones.

17

It sure does. But it doesn’t mean you have to use all the gears. I seldom use more than 8 gears on this trike, but it doesn’t hurt to have the extra-high and extra-low gears available for when you need it.

Recumbents in general need wider gear range than upright bikes because you are locked in one riding position. You can’t stand on the pedals so instead you use lower gears. Trikes benefit from having even wider gear ranges. They’re low and heavy so they descend very fast, and if you want to pedal while descending you need extra high gears. And unlike bikes, trikes don’t lose balance at low speeds so you can make use of the extra-low gears. You can pull a trailer filled with camping gear and still climb any hill, albeit very very slowly.

18

I just want to clarify that that wasn’t directed at manwithaplan. I was just trying to explay why I was “preachy.” I’ve never been to Dublin so if you say riding on the sidewalks is widely accepted and safe, I have no problem with it.

19

No problem.

Just to clarify, it’s widely accepted at particular problematic locations. The cops would have no hesitation in stopping you anywhere else.