Commuting - Why not ride Recumbents???

As far as i heard about recumbents. I think they are better than conventional upright bikes in all aspects.
they are faster, more comfortable, and safer. I don't know why people aren't riding as many recumbents as uprights?
I'm planning on buying one soon.

They handle like a semi and have the visibility of someone laying on the ground. If they were so fast, I think we'd see a lot more recumbents on the tour... they are very inefficient for hillclimbs and any fast maneuver. Its a trade off of performance vs. comfort as with anything. That being said I do like to ride a bent from time to time, but the maintenance is enough to keep me away.

don't forget they tend to be more expensive to buy and harder to put on a bike rack to drive to a ride

They aren't better in all aspects, but for some people the benefits outweigh the negative aspects. All bicycles are a compromise. Contrary to seely's reply, since there are so many different types of recumbents, you can't make broad statements like that. Some handle superbly. Some are very twitchy to ride. Some accelerate well, and some are indeed very fast. In general you can't climb well on any recumbent because you can't stand up and apply your weight to the pedals.

And the tour, like most bicycle races, specify conventional design frames. Lance was once quoted as saying that if they were legal, his team would be giving them a try...if Trek would manufacture it.

very nice quote, how ever... i wonder how it feel like going over 65 mph on the commuting road... lol.

I don't know why people aren't riding as many recumbents as uprights?
--- Speaking for myself, since I already have a perfectly functional upright I'm not in a hurry to get rid of it. However, as my body ages and as my bicycle wears out, a recumbent will be next for me.

They are more aerodynamic and faster on the flats but you really can't stand up and climb can you. Or go sprint for the sign. Or bunnyhop over curbs and potholes while cutting in and out of traffic.

very nice quote, how ever... i wonder how it feel like going over 65 mph on the commuting road... lol.

The average, or even faster than average cyclist will never hit anywhere near 65 MPH anywhere. 50 is pushing it. I've been near 40 on my Allez, and my wife was right there with me on her recumbent. That's on significant downhill runs, although not mountainous.

She has no problem cruising right around 23-24 MPH on flat, smooth pavement, and hers is a more relaxed recumbent, the EZ-Sport.

Properly riding a recumbent requires filling the "cockpit" with ham radios, and wearing a propeller-beanie-helmet.

The average, or even faster than average cyclist will never hit anywhere near 65 MPH anywhere. 50 is pushing it. I've been near 40 on my Allez, and my wife was right there with me on her recumbent. That's on significant downhill runs, although not mountainous.

She has no problem cruising right around 23-24 MPH on flat, smooth pavement, and hers is a more relaxed recumbent, the EZ-Sport.

24 mph on an EZ-Sport is impressive. That's not a low racer or a light bike by any means. Good for her.

As far as i heard about recumbents. I think they are better than conventional upright bikes in all aspects.
they are faster, more comfortable, and safer. I don't know why people aren't riding as many recumbents as uprights?
I'm planning on buying one soon.

There's a certain stigma attached with a recumbent and people tend to think you're disabled or crazy. It's similar to riding a folding bike where people think you're strange or crazy. The bottom line is that cost and peer pressure are keeping millions from riding recumbent bicycles.

24 mph on an EZ-Sport is impressive. That's not a low racer or a light bike by any means. Good for her.

Thanks...she really does stroke it out pretty well. We have some spots on our "daily" 12-14 mile route that are flat, or maybe a little downhill, and very smooth, so the opportunity to fly cannot be neglected. We did the ride twice today, once with the kids and once without, first run was 14.1 miles in under and hour. She topped out around 28, and according to my computer there's nothing more than a -1% grade.

i heard the world record of recumbent bike speed is 80mph. (with out drag)

The 80 MPH HPV recumbents bear the same resemblance to a practical recumbent bicycle that a Ferrari F50 bears to a baby carriage.

In any case, I don't quite understand what's up with this post. Are you deliberately trying to get people riled up? That's not exactly regarded as a cool thing to do. The way you're asking the question implies that there is no good reason to not ride a recumbent, despite their clear superiority to upright bicycles. That's a foolish leading question there. There are a few reasons why most people don't ride 'bents. A lot of it has to do with a certain degree of discrimination and stereotyping, but probably at least as much is due to the fact they are still seen as pretty new-fangled. Most folks don't really see a need for one. After all, why have a recumbent when you already have a perfectly good upright bicycle? When you break it down, a 'bent doesn't offer the sort of clear and immediate superiority that would be required for a mass exodus from the wedgies. Speed is a non-argument for a real bicycle on real roads in real conditions, so there is no sense in making it. I myself have ridden a recumbent and loved it, but I see no good reason to buy one for myself. It really comes down to personal preference.

I have no doubt that, in time, recumbents will become more popular as the "fringe" discrimination against them vanishes, but I highly doubt that they will surpass or even equal upright bicycles in popularity in the forseeable future.

If you want a recumbent, ride one. One of the commuting forum regulars rides one, and loves it. Why? I haven't asked, but it's presumably because she likes it - the same reason that someone would ride any bike. Is it better? Clearly you think so. I happen to like them, but I don't think that they're better enough to really warrant my owning one right now. Better, in this case, is subjective.

On a clear open road, 'bents have the advantage but as nitropowered noted, you can't do all the moves required in the urban jungle. You can't shoulder the 'bent to carry over a footbridge. Storing the bike requires more room, OK in the suburbs but not in an apartment.

Properly riding a recumbent requires filling the "cockpit" with ham radios, and wearing a propeller-beanie-helmet.

I want one. A recumbent would be nice, too.

I never really thought much of recumbents to be honest, that is untill I saw a trike at the last CM ride... wow! i'm in love with that machine! The trike config just makes more sense to me as it puts you in the lowest position possible and eliminates the balance issue so you can wrap it in a carbon fiber/kevlar aerodynamic shell and set up as a pedal/electric hybrid. I think it would absolutely fly and be so very energy efficient. It's the car of the post-oil future.

I see lots of people riding recumbents on my commute - especially the year-round commuters. On the coldest winter days, it's probably 40 percent recumbents out there. (I have a reverse commute, live in the city and work in the 'burbs, so I have a good perspective.)

I think the reason you don't see more of them is that regular bikes are much more readily available. Walk into any bike shop, and you might see one recumbent, but you'll see 50 or so regular bikes, in all different price ranges. The sales people are likely to know a lot about those bikes, and be motivated to sell them, and very little about recumbents.

I have no interest in getting one because I ride in city traffic and like sitting up taller than the cars (and at least as tall as the suv's).

If they were so fast, I think we'd see a lot more recumbents on the tour...

Yeah. You would.

If they were legal. The bikes are very strictly regulated. Not even aero bars are permitted on non tt stages, so bents are definitely out.

i like being able to fly throw the windows and kill whoever may run me over.

What's wrong with commuitng on a 'bent? I do it regularly. Seems that traffic gives me more respect than when I'm on a DF. Get lots of positive comments too. I find the 'bent far more comfortable and about as fast as my road bike. Hill climbing is easier but albeit a bit slower.

What's wrong with commuitng on a 'bent? I do it regularly. Seems that traffic gives me more respect than when I'm on a DF. Get lots of positive comments too. I find the 'bent far more comfortable and about as fast as my road bike. Hill climbing is easier but albeit a bit slower.

I noticed this too on a group this weekend. A guy on a bent took the lane yet the cars didn't honk! Bent riders in general have to take the lane just about because they're much wider. They would easily be in the door zone by riding the same line as a road bike.

I don't have a beard, so I can't ride a recumbent.

Since the original post is rather trollish, I'll respond in kind:

My theory is that most 'bent riders never knew how to properly set up a road bike- hence they believe they are uncomfortable.

Frankly, I commute on an old fixed gear conversion. No fussy parts to break or adjust. I'm usually slower going up hill and downhill - compared to a geared bike.

My theory is that most 'bent riders never knew how to properly set up a road bike- hence they believe they are uncomfortable.


damn, beat me to it. :)

Why I dont ride a recombent:

(First: a disclaimer. I'm not writing this to inflame anyone. If you love your bent, fine by me. These are my personal views ;) )


I like to be able to see over the hood of the suv next to me at the stoplight, not looking at my reflection in its huge chrome bumper. In turn, I like to be seen by the aforementioned suv as well

I can carry more stuff on a conventional racked and bagged bike

Smaller wheelbases handle better

Lighter

ease of general maintenance, expense of parts

ease of maintenance in the field

Hills suck (and yes, I have indeed tried a bent on a reasonable hill. I dont mind going slow, but I genuinely did not care for going up on a bent)

The classic lines of a traditional bicycle are far mor attractive than a pod with an ugly crank out front

:) Trust me, its not peer pressure. I dont care how widely accepted bents ever become, if I wanted to sit in a lawn chair, I'd be on my back porch with a beer and a bratwurst :beer:

That all said, if I end up with a medical issue that prevents me form riding an upright, I will most certainly get a bent or trike or whatever I need to keep riding :)

If space and money weren't as limited, I own a recombent. But alas, both are limited and I must limit bike ownership to two. The recumbent didn't make the cut....

It's the puddles that keep me from even condsidering it. It's bad enough trying to keep my legs dry when it's pouring—I can only imagine what it would be like with my butt 12" (33 cm) off the ground. I'd be wringing a half a bucket of water and sand out of my shorts every day. Maybe a nice recumby with a floorpan…

I ride narrow bike lanes / shoulders very close to traffic going 45 MPH. I have to be high enough for them to see me, and me to see their eyes. A regular bike is just barely big enough to see into the eyes of SUV drivers (of course, not big enough for trucks, which is why those cyclists in NYC got killed by trucks recently... no mutual visibility). I won't even commute with dropped handlebars for that reason.

Visibility is your most important asset in bike safety. I wouldn't sacrifice an inch of it if I didn't have to.

Cost. I really, really, really want a trike, but they're just so expensive! I'd go out and get one today if a decent trike (say, the Catrike Speed) were priced below $1000. But at $2300, it takes just a little more penny-pinching to be able to afford. I'll get one eventually, don't get me wrong. But anyone else, when they compare prices of a decent DF bike and a decent 'bent will gawk at the ~$1000 price difference.

It's a nasty circle really. Recumbent builders produce in small quantities, which drives up prices, which makes them harder to sell, which means they sell less, which results in build quantities staying small.

It's a nasty circle really. Recumbent builders produce in small quantities, which drives up prices, which makes them harder to sell, which means they sell less, which results in build quantities staying small.

I do coke to work more hours to make more money to buy more coke to work more hours to make more money to buy more coke to work more hours......
-an old anti drug public service announcement

A little advertising would go a long way to break the circle, but I think some of the older companies ie Easy Racers are satisfied with their size and output as long as they have customers willing to pay their price- and people have been paying it for over 30 years.

I ride a recumbent, and coincidentally I rode my mountain bike to work yesterday out of curiousity. I wanted to see the difference now that the recumbent isn't new to me anymore. Here's what I found:

- Drivers are more polite when I'm on the recumbent. They pass too closely and are rude and don't see me on my mountain bike.

- The mountain bike felt way faster all around to me. I have no computer so I can't say if it was just an illusion. Score one for the MTB on speed.

- By the end of the day riding the mountain bike my crotch hurt like hell, my elbows hurt, and my neck had a big crick in it. And I didn't even go to recumbents because of pain complaints.

- I didn't get as sweaty riding the mountain bike. I get a sweaty butt riding the recumbent.

- To assure visibility to SUVs on my recumbent I have a flag pole with an assortment of flags I try. The other day I noticed that farmers in the fields use mylar streamers to scare away the crows, so since drivers have about as much sense as crows, I put mylar streamers on my flag pole. Goofy and nerdy for sure, but whatever works.

- All this talk about the wheel base being too long or the bike not being easily fixed is nonsense. I have a short wheel based recumbent and it is no longer than a regular bike. (The bike does take up more space, or seems to, with the cranks like a buzz saw out in front.) The entire back end of the bike is a regular bike. I have a regular 26" rear wheel, 8-speed cassette, regular rear rack and paniers, the chain is normal but long, the front cranks and chainrings and bottom bracket are all the exact same parts, as are shifters, derailleurs. Pretty much only the front half of the frame, front wheel and forks, and seat are different. Oh, and fenders dude. No mud if you have fenders and yes they make them for even 16" wheels.

- Today's recumbent ride after yesterday's mountain bike ride felt a bit arduous. Both bikes seem like they weigh about the same. I think you get a little assist from gravity when the pedals are below you instead of out in front. And maybe it felt faster because it was different. I certainly remember a lot of days riding my mtb home and feeling like I was pushing through molasses.

- Recumbents tend to come with 170mm cranks and now after riding both bikes I'm convinced recumbents should have 155mm (or so) cranks instead. Too much wasted energy. I'm going to change them.

- After only 8.5 miles on the mountain bike I was pretty messed up (elbows, neck, crotch), but I was able to go 30 miles 12 weeks after having a hysterectomy on the recumbent. At the end of that ride I was a little tired (because of the hysterectomy) but wanted to go for another ride. They are that comfy.

- Price: MTB was $500, recumbent was $1000.

I commute on a high-racer and find I can see over most hoods. I put about 14000 miles in on my roadbike and had been constantly trying to get so I could regularly average over 20mph on my commute. I did it once over 2 years on the roadbike. I have always had back pain on a roadbike no matter what the position when climbing hills or pushing a headwind. Pain got chronic after a 400k Brevet and took me completely off the bike. The recumbent fixed that problem. Also, within a month I was able to average over 20 a couple of times a week. I pulled over 40 minutes off my fastest solo 100 mile time. Whether this was due to my body being able to put out more power because of the different back position or aerodynamics or both I don't know. What i do know is I get yelled at less. I am a good bit faster (I have even beat a few of my best times on hilly routes strangely enough), and I am more comfortable. I do find it is harder to squeeze into the back of a car. If I was in the environment where I was constantly jumping curbs and hopping potholes this might not be feasible but I know every pothole on my route, I have wide lanes or bike lanes all the way and make a grand total of 4 or 5 turns over 24 miles with no steep hills involved. So for me yeah, a recumbent is the best solution.

Incidentally recumbent was $1900. My last commuter paid for itself in a summer so I figured the recumbent was likely worth it at the amount of mileage I pile on.

I never really thought much of recumbents to be honest, that is untill I saw a trike at the last CM ride... wow! i'm in love with that machine! The trike config just makes more sense to me as it puts you in the lowest position possible and eliminates the balance issue so you can wrap it in a carbon fiber/kevlar aerodynamic shell and set up as a pedal/electric hybrid. I think it would absolutely fly and be so very energy efficient. It's the car of the post-oil future.
Like this (http://www.velomobiles.net/)?

I own a recumbent, and I want to get ride of it. It's slower, not much, 17-21 mph vs 21-25 mph on the flats, turning is bad, try turing around on a bike trail with a recumbent thats hard. Only recumbent I like is the Sun EZ-3 USX, but the frame is not tuff enuff for communting. Don't get me wrong I would ride a recumbent for fireworks and pardads, but thats it.

Good Luck

Geek

Properly riding a recumbent requires filling the "cockpit" with ham radios, and wearing a propeller-beanie-helmet.

That is funny stuff! :roflmao:

Unfortunately, I also see many bent riders as being somewhat dorky. But heck, most drivers see me as being somewhat dorky for just being on a bike.

A little advertising would go a long way to break the circle, but I think some of the older companies ie Easy Racers are satisfied with their size and output as long as they have customers willing to pay their price- and people have been paying it for over 30 years.

I have high hopes for Catrike, I really hope they try very hard to grow as much as possible. They have great products to sell, now all they have to do is advertise, promote, and build build build!