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Old 11-20-08, 08:20 AM
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rhm
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
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Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

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Originally Posted by Xanti Andia
What are the drawbacks to a semi recumbent? How is it at high speeds or on sprints? Climbing? On bad / unpaved roads?

I want to try one, it does have some clear advantages. On our standard tandem our distance per ride is limited by time on the saddle for my stoker, once stoker is tired the ride is no fun, even if captain can take most of the pedal load. On a semi-recumbent looks like the stoker can really relax if he/she wants to.
All good questions!

My Opus II handles beautifully at high speeds; my wife and I hit 39.5 mph on a downhill a couple Sundays ago, and at that speed the thing felt perfectly stable. But it's rare we hit any kind of high speeds, mainly because the pilot (that's me) sits completely upright, so the aerodynamics are rather bad. I can't speak to sprints; but I assure you, when both riders exert themselves, you can get that thing moving very quickly. My Opus II has a conventional Northroad style handlebar, like an old 3-speed, which is comfortable, but the way the handlebar is set up, directly behind the stoker's seat, limits its movement. I'm not sure there would be room for a drop bar there. Some of the newer semi-recumbents have a goofy looking high-rise handlebar, which I haven't tried; I suspect it has the advantage of swinging wide around the stoker, allowing for a shorter wheel base etc. But as I say, I haven't tried it.

We haven't had problems climbing; there is some truth to the lore that recumbents are bad for climbing, but one can overcome that by spinning a low gear; and on the semi-recumbent, the pilot can still stand up and hammer if that's what's required. Even so, on some steep hills our speed has dropped to 6 mph.

Bad / unpaved roads? Now you've hit the nail on the head! Whereas a DF bike rider can always lift him/herself up off the saddle, the recumbent rider does not have that option. I always try to avoid bumps, and warn the stoker when I know we're going to hit one, but inevitably there are bumps, and they are uncomfortable for the stoker. For this reason alone we have refrained from riding off-road. We have ridden on dirt and gravel roads, and the bike handles fine in those conditions, if you can handle the noise (Ouch! Ow! Ooof!) coming from the stoker.

Other disadvantages? Well, it is big and heavy; it easily weighs as much as two ordinary touring bicycles. And it is very long. I have not tried transporting it by car, and wouldn't much want to. If we wanted to ride the bike across the country, for example, I really don't know how we'd get it out to Seattle or wherever we wanted to start from.

The farthest my wife and I have ridden so far has been about 50 miles, at an average speed of about 15.5 mph. We could have gone plenty farther if we'd had more time. You're quite right: the stoker can relax. On the Opus, the stoker does not need to pedal if s/he doesn't feel like it, so we have never encountered a situation where the stoker was too tired to continue.

I think the main reason you don't see them more often is that being custom made, they are expensive.
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