Rockadile
08-13-06, 09:12 AM
They look like they are kinda made for road use only right?
Recumbent - Is there a recumbent for trails?
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Dchiefransom
08-13-06, 09:23 AM
If you mean trails with gravel, any recumbent you feel comfortable riding there would be good. Trikes do well on crushed gravel trails. The Lightfoot Ranger is made to handle the stuff you might be thinking about.http://www.lightfootcycles.com/ramodel.htm.
cooker
08-13-06, 09:44 AM
Not exactly a recumbent but how about this (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/cn/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?model=10823)?
No recumbent is going to handle tight windy technical track very well due to the long wheel base, and obviously you're not going to bunny hop logs, but this at least seems to have a shorter wheelbase that would allow tighter corners and the more upright position means you could probably stand up and lift it over an obstacle more quickly than a normal recumbent.
No recumbent is going to handle tight windy technical track very well due to the long wheel base, and obviously you're not going to bunny hop logs, but this at least seems to have a shorter wheelbase that would allow tighter corners and the more upright position means you could probably stand up and lift it over an obstacle more quickly than a normal recumbent.
jeff-o
08-13-06, 10:06 AM
How complex are the trails? Stuff normally reserved for mountain bikes, or just flat, crushed gravel trails?
If you want something for MTB trails, you could pick up a KMX trike. For less demanding trails, virtually any trike, SWB or LWB recumbent could be outfitted with wider tires and would work fine.
If you want something for MTB trails, you could pick up a KMX trike. For less demanding trails, virtually any trike, SWB or LWB recumbent could be outfitted with wider tires and would work fine.
Rockadile
08-13-06, 10:10 AM
Mostly a crushed gravel flat rail trail, but the gravel is chunky in some sections. No technical stuff really at all, just bumpy sometimes.
jeff-o
08-13-06, 02:18 PM
Mostly a crushed gravel flat rail trail, but the gravel is chunky in some sections. No technical stuff really at all, just bumpy sometimes.
Oh, then a trike with fat tires would work fine, as would most LWB (long wheelbase) recumbents. SWB (short wheelbase) recumbents won't be quite as good, you'll have to pick one that can take the wide tires and has les twitchy steering. Also, don't attempt any hard turns in gravel on anything other than a trike.
Oh, then a trike with fat tires would work fine, as would most LWB (long wheelbase) recumbents. SWB (short wheelbase) recumbents won't be quite as good, you'll have to pick one that can take the wide tires and has les twitchy steering. Also, don't attempt any hard turns in gravel on anything other than a trike.
Doug5150
08-13-06, 05:15 PM
...which isn't what the OP mentioned--but it is worth noting. Most singletrack can be navigated on a 2-wheel bent. Generally you can take a 2-wheeler a lot more places than you can a trike.
,,,,
Also if your recumbent handles poorly because the front wheel is "skittish", then you probably have the front tire overinflated. A lot of people simply pump up both to the same pressure because they want the least rolling resistance--but it also results in the least traction, especially lateral traction in loose gravel.
Assuming that both tires are the same width and that the rear wheel carries more weight than the front--the front tire should be inflated to a pressure that is no greater than the proportion of weight that it carries, relative to the rear wheel.
So assuming 100-PSI max tires and the REAR inflated to 100 PSI,
--For a bike that runs a 55 rear/45 front weight distribution, the front shouldn't be more than about 80 PSI.
--For a bike that runs a 60 rear/40 front weight distribution, the front shouldn't be at more than about 66 PSI.
--For a LWB that has a 66 rear/33 front weight distribution and 100 PSI tires, the front shouldn't be at more than about 50 PSI.
~
,,,,
Also if your recumbent handles poorly because the front wheel is "skittish", then you probably have the front tire overinflated. A lot of people simply pump up both to the same pressure because they want the least rolling resistance--but it also results in the least traction, especially lateral traction in loose gravel.
Assuming that both tires are the same width and that the rear wheel carries more weight than the front--the front tire should be inflated to a pressure that is no greater than the proportion of weight that it carries, relative to the rear wheel.
So assuming 100-PSI max tires and the REAR inflated to 100 PSI,
--For a bike that runs a 55 rear/45 front weight distribution, the front shouldn't be more than about 80 PSI.
--For a bike that runs a 60 rear/40 front weight distribution, the front shouldn't be at more than about 66 PSI.
--For a LWB that has a 66 rear/33 front weight distribution and 100 PSI tires, the front shouldn't be at more than about 50 PSI.
~
JohnH
08-14-06, 04:11 PM
I recently took my wife's RANS Stratus (http://www.ransbikes.com/Stratus.htm) on a 120-mile ride including highway; smooth, crushed-gravel trail; "dirt" road (more rocks than dirt) and several trestles with crushed rock ballast. When the loose stuff got over a couple inches deep I ran into trouble - I even had to walk a couple of spots, maybe a total of 50 yds out of ~60 miles off-pavement. It handled the rest pretty well. I took her bike instead of mine because my dual-20" SWB handles gravel rather poorly.
Oh and try these folks: www.benderbikes.com
Oh and try these folks: www.benderbikes.com