Recumbent - Looking for opinions and advice

I am intrigued by recumbents and have ridden several (following advice I read here). The ones I have ridden are quite nice, easy to ride, comfortable, and none of that “back of the neck” ache I sometimes get from my hybrid. However, I live in the middle of a city (Washington, DC) and one of the true pleasures of cycling is riding from my front yard, down 16th Street, through Adams-Morgan, past Dupont circle, over to Georgetown to hook up with a bike trail or crossing over to Virginia to the trails over there or riding Rock Creek Park -- and then riding back home. I see the Bents being great on the trails or out on county roads; but what about riding in city traffic? Would I ever get used to it? Do most of you ride in city traffic? Seems scary to me.

Here is a car analogy: If I am taking a 1,000-mile car trip on interstate highways, a Lincoln Town Car is comfortable and easy to drive. Where I live, such a car would be more trouble than it is worth for every day use.

So, if I get a Bent, should I plan on hauling it to the trails or less crowded roads to do long riding and keep my hybrid as my town bike?

As long as you can stay upright and steer without wobbling all over the road (which most people can do after only a few hours on a recumbent), then you'll be fine.

You'll probably find that cars give you more space when they pass. This is either because they want to get a better look at you, or they're just not sure how much room you actually need.

One thing that you, absolutely must get, is a mirror. Either get one that attaches to the handle bars, or to your glasses/helmet. You will not be able to turn your head quite as much on a recumbent.

As long as you can stay upright and steer without wobbling all over the road (which most people can do after only a few hours on a recumbent), then you'll be fine.

You'll probably find that cars give you more space when they pass. This is either because they want to get a better look at you, or they're just not sure how much room you actually need.

One thing that you, absolutely must get, is a mirror. Either get one that attaches to the handle bars, or to your glasses/helmet. You will not be able to turn your head quite as much on a recumbent.

I ride my Burley long wheelbase recumbent in traffic quite a bit and it is great, as would the easy riders, etc. Just drop your feet when you stop, remembering to gear down prior to the stop.
Traffic seems to see me fine, although iIdo fly a fair sized American Flag when I ride in traffic - It keeps the Rednecks away.
I have no experience with short wheelbase recumbents in traffic.

I commute in city traffic most days on my Bacchetta Giro 26. I threw myself in the deep end by doing it on the first day I got it, and it's only gotten easier from there. Ditto on the mirror, but I reckon they're pretty useful on an upright as well. I wouldn't ride without one.

The question is, are you used to riding in traffic? The bike is really irrellevant. If you're not, the most important thing is to develop your traffic awareness and skills like changing lanes safely etc. You can do that on any bike. If you're used to riding in traffic already, you'll not notice much difference other than a more positive reaction from passers -by.

I commute in city traffic most days on my Bacchetta Giro 26. I threw myself in the deep end by doing it on the first day I got it, and it's only gotten easier from there. Ditto on the mirror, but I reckon they're pretty useful on an upright as well. I wouldn't ride without one.

The question is, are you used to riding in traffic? The bike is really irrellevant. If you're not, the most important thing is to develop your traffic awareness and skills like changing lanes safely etc. You can do that on any bike. If you're used to riding in traffic already, you'll not notice much difference other than a more positive reaction from passers -by.
Thanks for the insight. One of the bikes I am seriously looking at is the Giro 26. How did you select it and what do you find to be its best and worst features??? I ride a lot in traffic, so have developed pretty good traffic sense. I am just concerned that the lower riding position of a Bent would make seeing more difficult.

A 26" rear wheel will put you at about head-level with most car drivers.

You'll need a Penny Farthing to be placed at head-level with Hummer drivers, though. ;)

Thanks for the insight. One of the bikes I am seriously looking at is the Giro 26. How did you select it and what do you find to be its best and worst features??? I ride a lot in traffic, so have developed pretty good traffic sense. I am just concerned that the lower riding position of a Bent would make seeing more difficult.

Dual 26 like the Giro should put you pretty high.

Thanks for the insight. One of the bikes I am seriously looking at is the Giro 26. How did you select it and what do you find to be its best and worst features??? I ride a lot in traffic, so have developed pretty good traffic sense. I am just concerned that the lower riding position of a Bent would make seeing more difficult.

It was a bit of a punt actually. One of the criteria was being able to get replacement parts easily, and in non-recumbent-land Brisbane, that means as many standard parts as possible. Tyres, wheels and running gear are all readily available anywhere they sell mountain bikes. A two-wheeler was also important for slipping through traffic, and the relatively high eye level of the highracer clinched it. It was also priced pretty well compared to other high racers, and there was actually an Australian dealer that I could order from, thus avoiding having to deal with import duty and customs etc. myself.

I didn't test ride any other 'bents, and in fact had never even ridden one before buying it, which goes against the conventional wisdom here, but I really didn't have much choice. Apart from a bit of trouble with numb feet, I haven't looked back. It also took a bit of getting used to riding. I hear high racers (or any high bottom bracket bikes) have a bit of a steeper learning curve, but I have nothing to compare it too. Starting off in particular was a bit wobbly for a few weeks, but nothing too serious. It's all good.

To help with numb feet:

1. Loosen your shoes. Your feet expand as you ride, and tight shoes put pressure on your feet.
2. If you use clipless pedals, move the cleats as far towards the heel as possible.
3. Make sure that the boom length is correct

99% of my riding is done in traffic in the Phoenix area. It is not much different from riding in traffic on any other kind of bike. Just make sure you are very visible to traffic (bright colored clothes, lights at night, etc.), and also a mirror is a must on a recumbent.

G'day
this is my first post on this forum, and like the first ride on my Giro 26 I might be a bit wobbly, so stand well clear.
My experience is a bit like Allisters. I had no experience on recumbents, but decided to jump in at the deep end. I decided on the dual 26 because I believed they would provide the best ride on a variety of road surfaces, and be more suitable for touring, which was what I intended using the bike for. I purchased my Giro online from the Australian distributer Flying Furniture based in Canberra.

My first serious ride was on the Great Western Australian Bikeride. This was a 783km 14 day (11 days of actual riding) tour run by Bicycle Victoria (http://www.bv.com.au/) from Albany to Perth in Western Australia. It proved to be a steep learning curve, but I figured better to make my mistakes on quiet WA rural roads, than the mean streets of Melbourne. I encountered the usual problems of bent novices - starting , hills, wobbling, recumbutt - but survived and feel much more confident on it now. I'm still not totally convinced of recumbents vs D-Fs as commuters. It seems to me conventional bikes have an advantage because the higher riding position gives considerably better visibility on them. Certainly, in the type of commuting I do, which is on suburban roads contending with traffic, pedestrians, railway crossings, roundabouts...etc I still think I'm better off on my trusty hybrid. However, Allister's attitude seems to be the right one - just do it.

WHIRL (Washington Happily Independent Recumbent Lovers) rides every Saturday at 8:00 AM through Rock Creek park - you might consider checking out their web site (they are very unofficial) and possibly going up to Viers Mills to get some opinions from the participants. Some of them are very committed to recumbents and use them for commuting in the DC area.

I live in Columbia and sadly am effectively out of range for commuting to my job near GW university. Plus the traffic around here is pretty bad. I'm sure some of the WHIRL folks would be happy to give you the benefit of their local knowledge and experience.

Jim

A puzzle from Boulder, Colorado: From time to time I encounter recumbents that truck right along on the flats, but really bog down on the hills. Just looking at a recumbent I had guessed that the riding position would be superior on hills. Does anybody have an explanation for this?

A puzzle from Boulder, Colorado: From time to time I encounter recumbents that truck right along on the flats, but really bog down on the hills. Just looking at a recumbent I had guessed that the riding position would be superior on hills. Does anybody have an explanation for this?

A recumbent doesn't allow the rider to stand on the pedals and apply all their body weight into climbing the hills. Instead, all the pushing power must still be supplied by the strength of the rider's legs alone. With training, much of the difference can be made up, but unfortunately most recumbents will always be marginally slower up hills.

Keep in mind, that some recumbents are better "climbers" than others. The Lightning P-38 is an example of a good climber.

I find that I can be quite a bit faster on hills on my bent. I find that on DF's I pump as hard as I can using my(considerable,lol) weight to push, but I seem to stall out usually. On a bent though, I get as much speed as I can at the bottom, set it to a medium low gear once the incline begins, and just motor up. I'm not as fast as a roadie DF rider who is a burlyrider(muscley) but I'm faster than I used to be. The seat back makes all the diffference, and I'm not even mashing my knees up.

I just walk uphill. It's better for my bones.

Over rollers, a bent has an advantage. Road bikes seem to decrease in speed at the bottom of hills - I do not know why this is. A recumbent will not stop, so it has a speed advantage which means on rolling hills I am faster than a road bike.

On a big long hill, I get my arse kicked. And then I make it back on the next downhill. I'll often play this back/forth thing with pacelines for a while until we either hit a steep, long hill, when they trash me, or a set of rollers and flats, where I trash them.

I still ride both a fast road bike and a lowracer recumbent, and I notice this difference every single time.

I see the Bents being great on the trails or out on county roads; but what about riding in city traffic? Would I ever get used to it? Do most of you ride in city traffic? Seems scary to me.

So, if I get a Bent, should I plan on hauling it to the trails or less crowded roads to do long riding and keep my hybrid as my town bike?

I live in Adams Morgan or Mt. Pleasant or Lanier Heights depending on which map you use. Two of us in my building have recumbents. We both also have DFs. For two years I commuted every day to Alexandria on the bent. I preferred cutting through town to using the trail. If I use the bent I must ride in traffic. My usage for the bent is only for longer rides. Quick trips within a mile and locking up on the street is mostly for the upright. Out to Bethesda or Springfield or Falls Church I go either way, all day rides are always bent rides. I got used to traffic.

I began with a mirror but when it broke I stopped using it. Now I just crane my neck. In traffic you're usually keeping up or overtaking the cars so you're looking over your shoulder to see if there is something faster than you like a bike messenger or scooter when you deviate from your line. I keep my seat in its most prone position so looking back is a combination of chin lifting and head rotation for me.

Traffic riding: My head is about as low as a roadie tucked down and I can't stand up. So the problem isn't car drivers seeing me it is seeing around them to plot a course among the cars. Its just more efficient on my upright.

Headlights. In traffic at night the oncoming headlights bother me on the bent. They seem to shine more into my eyes. Again on an upright you'd reflexively sit up.

Fumes. In traffic on an upright you can sit straight up and move you self up a little above bad fumes. That little bit seems to make a difference. The worst are those busses with exhaust pipes at the lower right. Who's the genius that came up with that design?

Hint: When returning from the W&OD trail, the Whitehearst freeway gets you downtown pretty quickly and avoids the M street congestion.

Anyway, ride it, don't haul it.