Planning recumbents trip in Europe

[forester404]

Hello all.
I live in Israel and ride a Diamond Frame road bike. I am planning to travel to Europe this spring
for a 2-3 months bike tour. I am planning to use a recumbent because judging from what I know they
are more suitable for long touring than DF are ( I am planning on carying quite a lot of equipment
, probably a tent too).
Since recumbents are not imported regulary to Israel my plan is to buy one in the Netherlands.
it will probably take some time to adust to the different riding style, but that souldn't be a problem,
what I am a little worried about is how easy it will be to maintain the bike during a long trip.
It is probably very easy to find bikes and mechanics for DF bikes throughout Europe but isn't it
somewhat difficult when it comes to recumbents ?
The first thing that comes to my mind is the smaller front wheel, is it not going to be difficult to find
replacemant tubes (maybe i'll even need another tire ) along the trip ?
Are there any other parts unique to recumbents that may be hard to find ?
I know that the bents are popular in the Netherland so I don't expect problems there, but I am planning
to go to different parts of europe - southern, central, northern, probably not eastern this time...
Any tips are welcome
Thanks !

[palmersperry]

Most recumbents with smaller wheels seem to have 20", which is a reasonably common size - and you could always stock up on a pair of spare tubes when you buy the 'bent. If you really think you're likely to wear out a tyre, then you could get an extra one of them too ... Any decent LBS should be able to order something they don't have in a reasonable time, so in the worst case scenario you'd just have to stay in one place for longer than you planned ... :)

As for everything else (brakes, hubs, BBs, headset, shifters) is just going to be the same components as you'd find on a DF, so it shouldn't be major problem for anyone. As for the frame, well if you get a 'bent with a steel frame then in the (hopefully unlikely!) event of a cracked frame then anyone with a welder should be able to help you ...

[bentrox!]

You could carry a spare 20" folding tire along with spare tubes - it doesn't take up much space - or you could ride a dual-559 wheel recumbent and remove this concern entirely. Almost all components on a bent are standard bike parts. USS is apparently popular for touring because of the naturally relaxed arm position, however some steering linkage components may be recumbent-specific. That's something to keep in mind should you need to replace those parts. Racks and panniers will also be specific to your bent but you're not likely to need to replace those I'd hope. Check the specifications on touring models from Optima, Challenge, Flevo, et. al.

I assume you've checked out some of the recumbent tour blogs. There's a couple traveling from Europe to Australia on recumbents. I've lost their link but the last I checked they were in Thailand.

[forester404]

Thanks for the replies :D