I was flipping through the new issue of Popular Mechanics and saw a story about the latest recumbent bike (a 72-speed model for ONLY $3300!). Anybody have one? or use one?
Are there any diferrences in the excerise benefits between the two?
I worry about folks riding recumbents getting hit by cars. They’re so low and hard to see! But they sure are cool.
Popular mechanics? Why don’t you check with somebody who’s less techno-struck? Like Consumer reports, or a medical site.
They look to me like a back injury waiting to happen.
Recumbent bikes and trikes are my current obsession and has been for over a year. They are wonderful! Recumbents are incredibly comfortable - it’s like sitting on a couch, there is no pain in the butt even after a long ride. Since you aren’t crouhcing down, you get a great view of the road ahead and the scenery around you - it feels very liberating. Recumbents put very little stress on your hands, arms and back, so people with medical problems in those areas can usually ride without pain. Some recumbents are very aerodynamic and can be faster than road bikes. And they are, for some reason, incredibly fun and exciting. I can’t describe it, you’ll have to try them.
There are some disadvantages as well. They are produced in smaller numbers so they tend to be more expensive than upright bicycles - an entry bike such as a BikeE starts at around $600. They tend to be slightly heavier than upright bikes, and since you can’t stand on the pedals, are somewhat slow going uphill. But the comfort alone makes up for these disadvantages, in my opinion.
It isn’t fair to make generalizations though. There is a huge variety of recumbent bikes. Some are extremely low and fast, built only for racing. Some are suitable for touring, others for commuting, some are compromises between these. There are even fully suspended ones for off-road riding (not MTB trails, but dirt roads and such).
Not all recumbents are so low as to be dangerous in traffic. Most touring recumbents are as tall as passenger cars. Riders of lower recumbents often use flags to make ourselves more visible, but the danger is not as great as you might think. Would you hit a dog if it was running along the side of the road? Not unless it made unpredictable moves.
Now, the one you saw on Popular Mechanics was probably the Greenspeed GTO recumbent tricycle. I haven’t read the article but I heard about it, and the specs sound right. I bought one of these last month and I can say that unlike most “products” that appear in that magazine, it is not a geek toy. It is a well built, practical vehicle. Greenspeed has been making recumbent trikes for many years and they are considered one of the best. I think only ICE and Windcheetah are in the same league, and having done test rides on all three, I believe Greenspeed is the best. The price is reasonable considering many high-end mountain bikes cost more.
If any of you are interested, try reading BentRider Online, an on-line recumbent magazine. Or flip through the on-line catalogue of Hostel Shoppe, a recumbent specialty shop. IHPVA runs several mailing lists on the topic, including one specifically on recumbent trikes. YellowBikes imports European recumbents. M5, a long-time Dutch recumbent manufactuer, makes some very cool recumbents, including the Carbon Lowracer which weighs just 8.5 kg total.
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- They aren’t all that expensive, but the do cost more than regular bike-store uprights. Anything more than the regular 21 or 24 speeds is undesirable; it means extra parts involved, and extra weight.
I originally planned to buy one, but over time that changed to plans to make one. I got the torch but didn’t get to the bike this summer; maybe in the spring…
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- They aren’t all that expensive, but the do cost more than regular bike-store uprights. Anything more than the regular 21 or 24 speeds is undesirable; it means extra parts involved, and extra weight.
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- By the by, how in the heck do you steer that fancy Carbon Lowracer thing? The chain drapes right alongside the front wheel… -or just maybe all the roads in Denmark are straight. Usually bikes like that have another little cogwheel on the head tube area to raise the chain up above the front wheel. - MC
That’s true for bikes, but recumbent trikes are different. On a trike you can ride as slow as you want and not fall over. Extremely low gears are useful for crawling up steep hills on a fully loaded touring trike. I’ve taken my trike on mountain roads and had to use the bottom gear on my 72-speed system. And they are quite fast on flat roads or downhill, so you want your high gears as well. My other trike (a Trisled) has a 3x8 drivetrain and I have run out of gears on both ends.
You can turn the front wheel about 10 degrees without hitting the chain. If you turn it further the wheel rubs against the chain - it still handles OK but I imagine it’s not good for the chain or the tire. An extra idler pulley would indeed solve the problem, but that would increase resistance and slow you down. This bike is for racing only - it’s not meant for riding in the city. M5’s other models don’t have chain-wheel interference, and are better suited for touring or city riding.
If you want to see bikes built for real speed, check out the WISIL page (especially the links at the top labeled “Monday” through “Saturday”) and Matt Weaver’s Speed 101 page. Matt’s bikes are completely enclosed in streamlined shells and don’t even have windows. He uses a CCD camera instead, feeding images to a little LCD screen mounted in front of his face. He managed to reach 78 mph which would have been a world record, except Sam Whittingham did 80.55 mph at the same event (see the above WISIL link for details and photos).