Originally posted by ORBIT
Why have recumbents got such a bad image?
My wife hates me riding mine,infact she will not ride a bike with me if im on the recumbent.
We have had some new people next door.I went out on my recumbent,and when my wife found out the first thing she said was "No body saw you did they"?
In many circles, cycling is seen as a sport or as entertainment. Depending on who you talk to, cyclist must have a racing bike with "appropriate" clothing, or they must be mountain bikers, or using comfort bikes, etc. I suspect your wife likes to fit in the group and even to hide in it (whatever type of cyclists she prefers), and at best, she seems like a casual cyclist. Around here, we might call her a groupie.
When you ride your recumbrent, you don't fit in perfectly in her group. You don't have the "proper" bike, probably not the "proper" clothing, and you don't look like an occasional cyclist, because you had to train (even modestly) to be able to ride on your recumbrent.
P.S. Continue to use your recumbrent !