Recumbent - Typical sustained speeds?

Hi, all! I am extremely new to this whole recumbent thing (never ridden one yet) but am considering giving it a try. I am interested in using it (a tadpole trike probably) to commute to work: a distance of approximately 19.2 miles over mostly flat/gently hilly terrain, mostly on a highway with some small-town streets at either end.

On an upright bike this would take me about 90 minutes: I was hoping that using a recumbent could shave that time considerably.

So, I guess my question is: what kind of sustained speeds do all you experienced recumbent-folk get out of your machines?

On flat ground, I can sustain 30km/h on my tadpole trike. Hills will take a chunk out of that, dropping me to 25km/h or so. On downhills you'll go real fast, on uphills you'll slow down. You will probably find that a trike will NOT take any significant time off your commute.

HOWEVER, a trike is way more fun to ride, is safer (go ahead, hit potholes head-on!), and more comfortable. Did I mention it's way more fun to ride?

I'll never go back to an upright bike.

On most rides over average terrain with flats and hills I average from 16 to 17 mph, assuming light auto traffic and minimal stop signs and red lights. I'm older though (62) and have a weak left leg from a previous stroke and back surgery, so younger riders could beat that easily.

A trike will usually be slower than a 2 wheeler over a set course, the trike is safer and more relaxing than a 2 wheeler IMO but if you want speed build a full fairing on it (adds lots of speed and removes wind as a concern) or buy an aerodynamic (laid back) 2 wheel bent.

On most rides over average terrain with flats and hills I average from 16 to 17 mph, assuming light auto traffic and minimal stop signs and red lights. I'm older though (62) and have a weak left leg from a previous stroke and back surgery, so younger riders could beat that easily.

Geez, my best average speed is only 13.1 mph. I am such a WUSS

Im averaging about 20-22mph(35km/h) on a flat ATM. And i spin up the hills in the easiest gear. My legs are pretty well built right now. Im doing about 25miles 5 days per week. Half the trip is hills though, with one monster hill coming back into town. Ive taken 10-15 minutes off the same route (all dependant of wind) in the past 4 weeks.

The time will seem to pass quicker. This is because you don't have many of the pressures on the body that an upright has. This mainly means the back. Even though you don't probably notice it riding a recumbent to work or something is straining as you are hunched over and your back is working very hard just to keep straight. This does not occur in a recumbent.

I rode a century this past weekend in 5h 10m including all stops. That's about 19.4 mph and there's no way that I could have averaged that on an upright even 20 years ago in my prime.

Dennis T

Thanks very much for the replies, guys and/or gals. Based on what most of you are saying, it sounds like I could turn what would be a 90 minute trip into something much closer to an hour by switching to a bent. And all the comments about comforts and safety are persuasive too!

Now all I gotta do is save up the dough. Even the low-end bents aint cheap...

I admire you for your proposed commute. There's no way I'd bicycle for an hour to get to work. More power to you!

I admire you for your proposed commute. There's no way I'd bicycle for an hour to get to work. More power to you!

Well, I'd rather not do the commute AT ALL really, but I may have to (I'm thinking of relocating to a rural area). And in thinking about it I have developed several reasons why an hour on a bike/trike is better than 20 minutes in a car...

1. I don't like driving. Never have. I don't even own a car, haven't driven in over 12 years, and (naturally) consider myself to be an unskilled driver.

2. Since I don't own a car already, it would be considerably cheaper to buy (and maintain) a bent trike than a car (although some of the high-end models I've seen are 6-7,000 USD+, which is insane...).

3. As trite as it might sound to some people, since a trike uses no gasoline, I will be doing my little bit to both help the environment and reduce our national/cultural addiction to oil (with all the attendant problems that come with it...). Plus I won't be shelling out wads of dough at the pump. :D

4. As it stands right now, I already do about 60-90 minutes of cardio exercise at the gym. If I start doing this trike-commute thing, I can pretty much skip that bit and proceed straight to the weights. Less time at the gym = good.

5. Like all good "Plan A"s, I have a "Plan B" to back it up. My lady-friend has a car, so on the days when it is pouring down rain/snow/sleet, or I'm feeling like a wuss because of having a slight cold or whatever, I can beg her for a ride instead. But, I'm such a stubborn SOB that those days should be quite rare...

I would be hesitant to expect such a large speed increase. I have found my speed on a SWB recumbent to be equal to an older road bike (23#). I am approaching 2500 bent miles, along with an equal number of DF miles over the last 2 years and I am still faster on the DF on an hour ride. On the other hand I have several centuries on the bent and would never give up the comfort. But I would not expect a big time savings unless you are buying an all out performance bent.

Bent.

Since it hasn't been noted yet I'd thought I'd say--all recumbents are probably more comfortable to ride than an upright bike, but not all are especially more-aerodynamic. The aerodynamics is really where the recumbent advantage lies. Bikes that have lower pedal positioning (such as LWB's and CLWB's) are capitalizing on the comfort advantage of recumbents, and usually don't boast of amazing aerodynamics because they may be not much faster than an upright bike.

For maximum aero advantage, you'd want a short wheel base bike that has a very-reclined rider position. Usually, the higher the pedals are located relative to the seat, the more aero the rider position probably is.You are probably most likely to get this positioning with a highracer, but not too many companies sell inexpensive highracers. Actionbent is one, their supplier has a couple more with not as good specs.

....If you find a cheaper used small-front-wheel SWB, it can often be converted to a highracer by adding on a longer fork and bigger front wheel, but one problem with this is that it may not have any way to attach a headrest. With an upright position you don't need a headrest but on a very-reclined seat, you may. So then you will need to find one that you can attach, or you may need to make one somehow yourself.

*-of course, an awesome athlete can get on anything and pedal it to amazing speeds, but speaking strictly in terms of a bike's naked aerodynamics.
~~~~~

It's going to depend hugely on the terrain. I can hold 17-18 mph for 35-45 miles on a rail trail, but this drops sharply to ~14 or even less in hilly terrain. I'm 54 and by no means buff, riding a SWB highracer Volae with a moderately laid back seat. My understanding is that faired LWB bikes are faster on the flats and downhill, but considerably slower (due to weight) climbing.

The engine counts for a lot, although if you're riding every day you'll soon be excellent condition!

I swapped bikes so my buddy could test ride a Bacchetta Aero and I wanted to try a Catrike Speed. It was actual work to maintain a 20+ mph pace on the Catrike on flat ground. He walked off and buried me on the test loop with the Aero. Way less effort on an Aero than it is on the Trike to go the same speeds. Of course, when we swapped back, he couldn't hold the pace. This is a guy who just turned in a 2nd place at the Metamora 4x50 by doing 200 miles on a trike when he should've been on a Bacchetta. :)

If you want to knock out a 20 mile commute in an hour, it won't be any problem on a 2 wheel bent. I'm doing it right now in San Diego with hills in just over an hour. 1:03 Tuesday, and 1:05 today. With flat terrain, a 20 mile commute by bent would be a sub hour deal.

Of course, this depends on the engine. When I started riding again in 2000, 12 miles took an hour on my MTB with slicks. Moving to a Road bike and just getting miles on the legs got me down into the 35-40 minute range. So if you get a bent to commute on don't expect to be fast until you get the legs to go with it. :) I'd look at a Bacchetta Giro for a commuter, or perhaps a Cafe.

Well, I'd rather not do the commute AT ALL really, but I may have to (I'm thinking of relocating to a rural area). And in thinking about it I have developed several reasons why an hour on a bike/trike is better than 20 minutes in a car...

1. I don't like driving. Never have. I don't even own a car, haven't driven in over 12 years, and (naturally) consider myself to be an unskilled driver.

2. Since I don't own a car already, it would be considerably cheaper to buy (and maintain) a bent trike than a car (although some of the high-end models I've seen are 6-7,000 USD+, which is insane...).

3. As trite as it might sound to some people, since a trike uses no gasoline, I will be doing my little bit to both help the environment and reduce our national/cultural addiction to oil (with all the attendant problems that come with it...). Plus I won't be shelling out wads of dough at the pump. :D

4. As it stands right now, I already do about 60-90 minutes of cardio exercise at the gym. If I start doing this trike-commute thing, I can pretty much skip that bit and proceed straight to the weights. Less time at the gym = good.

5. Like all good "Plan A"s, I have a "Plan B" to back it up. My lady-friend has a car, so on the days when it is pouring down rain/snow/sleet, or I'm feeling like a wuss because of having a slight cold or whatever, I can beg her for a ride instead. But, I'm such a stubborn SOB that those days should be quite rare...

Korovan,

From your statements above you should really consider this:

http://www.electric-cycle.com/index.html

RunAbout Cycles has been building electric cycles and serving the alternative transportation community since 2004. We specialize in crafting electric hybrid tricycles, and our staff offers quality support for a wide range of electric cycles, including electric tricycles, bicycles and motorcycles. RunAbout Cycles’ recumbent adult tricycles are fun, healthy, and environmentally friendly. Using their electric-assist, you can drive wherever you need to go, be it to the store, to work, or into the country, up to a range of 80 miles. We at RunAbout Cycles are here to answer any questions you may have about our company, our services, or our electric cycles.

----- Also

http://ecospeed.net/products.html

Electric Mid Drive Kit, Sun EZ-Tadpole Trike
Electric Mid-Drive with mounting hardware for Sun EZ-Tadpole Trike. Bolt on installation for motor unit. Slight modification of right handgrip required for throttle installation. Battery mounts on top of rear rack. Does not affect Pannier attachment.

Prices are for the mid-drive and batteries only. For you commute get the 750w and 30a battery, just add trike.

----- Also

For speed the EcoSpeed GRR with fairing and body sock should be faster than anything less than a full faring racer.

----

You could really cut your time using one of these, and add some solar panels, battery at home and a charging system and really be independent.

-- Brandy

Reality check for you Korovan...
Trikes are way comfortable and easy to ride even if you are going slow since balancing is never an issue.

The Actionbent Tadpole Trike is a real value compared to other manufacturers. They are well made and have good components already installed. 90% of the components are standard bicycle parts. You just need to add a rack and trunk, and you're set.

Your 12+mph average can easily be maintained with a trike but don't expect to shave off a half hour on your commute. It will be the same road day after day after day. Bents are known to be slower on the climbs.

If you really want to make this investment a true commuter, I'd consider electrifying it for those "not so good" days. I would recommend looking into the BIONX systems which can be added to the trike for as little as 15 lbs but will cost you as much as the trike. This is a regenrative system that can charge on the downhills and work with you on uphills. This was my plan for mine, but I enjoy peddling just as well. Rain will suck no matter what you do. You will likely have a puddle under your @rs on any bent. If you want to go without the power assist, just switch out the rear wheel and loose the battery box, and loose 15lbs quickly (5 minutes max).

Also know that trikes have one dis-advantage... You are tracking 3 wheels (3 lines) and this puts you on a plane. If the roads you ride are smooth, no problem... but on any bent, 2 wheel or 3, all the road's bumps will be transferred to your torso. You will feel a lot more on a trike than on a 2 wheel bent or an upright. Lowering the tire pressure will help this, but it will slow you somewhat (not too much).

Some of the Actionbent Tadpoles, as well as other brands, can be had at a great price used. One ABTT was for sale for $1K on the Yahoo Actionbent forum with only 5 miles on it. A Wizwheel is for sale at $600 in a LBS in Eugene, OR. It may well be worthwhile keeping an eye out for deals (although I wouldn't know why anyone would sell a good quality trike :) )

Good luck on your quest

Peace

I swapped bikes so my buddy could test ride a Bacchetta Aero and I wanted to try a Catrike Speed. It was actual work to maintain a 20+ mph pace on the Catrike on flat ground. He walked off and buried me on the test loop with the Aero. Way less effort on an Aero than it is on the Trike to go the same speeds. Of course, when we swapped back, he couldn't hold the pace. This is a guy who just turned in a 2nd place at the Metamora 4x50 by doing 200 miles on a trike when he should've been on a Bacchetta. :)

If you want to knock out a 20 mile commute in an hour, it won't be any problem on a 2 wheel bent. I'm doing it right now in San Diego with hills in just over an hour. 1:03 Tuesday, and 1:05 today. With flat terrain, a 20 mile commute by bent would be a sub hour deal.

Of course, this depends on the engine. When I started riding again in 2000, 12 miles took an hour on my MTB with slicks. Moving to a Road bike and just getting miles on the legs got me down into the 35-40 minute range. So if you get a bent to commute on don't expect to be fast until you get the legs to go with it. :) I'd look at a Bacchetta Giro for a commuter, or perhaps a Cafe.


Unless the engine is me! I my best time covering the 6 miles to work is 12 min and 13 seconds. That's averaging a hair over 33 mph and averaging 810 watts with burst to 1360. Going homes best time is 15 min 45 sec. That's a bit over 25 mph and both ways involves a couple of 8% short climbs and descents.

Unless the engine is me! I my best time covering the 6 miles to work is 12 min and 13 seconds. That's averaging a hair over 33 mph and averaging 810 watts with burst to 1360. Going homes best time is 15 min 45 sec. That's a bit over 25 mph and both ways involves a couple of 8% short climbs and descents.
Wow, you are my hero :rolleyes:

The Wizwheelz is gone. I wish I could say that I had it but some insensitive jerk bought it before I had even saved any money!lol.

For me it depends on the road condition. Typically over the roads around here (not so good) I average around 18.5mph on a mornal tour of at least 100k with a lot of stopping and starting and no racing - just trying to keep a good pace. On HHH, at the 60 mile mark my average was slightly below 23mph.

On great roads, I'll average at least 26mph - more like 28, sustained on the flats, and many times I'm well over 30mph for miles.

On hills - it depends on the severity of the hill. Low rollers don't really decrease my speed but by a mile or two. I'm still well over 20mph at the crest. Steep hills get me down anywhere from 16-8 depending on grade and length. I've occasionally dropped below that but it's rare and it's WAY steep.

Unless the engine is me! I my best time covering the 6 miles to work is 12 min and 13 seconds. That's averaging a hair over 33 mph and averaging 810 watts with burst to 1360. Going homes best time is 15 min 45 sec. That's a bit over 25 mph and both ways involves a couple of 8% short climbs and descents.

I don't believe you. Not even Lance Armstrong can boast numbers like that. So either you need to get your he-man legs to France next year, or re-do your calculations. ;)

I don't believe you. Not even Lance Armstrong can boast numbers like that. So either you need to get your he-man legs to France next year, or re-do your calculations. ;)
Oh I thought I was the only one :D . 33mph is possible- but as an average speed? A fully-faired trike may do it easily over the same distance.......on a good day :lol:

Even with my not-so-light LWB, I'm WAY faster than on a DF bike. The headwind kills me on an upwrong. I barely notice it on the bent.

6'6" is a huge sail when on an upwrong.

Unless the engine is me! I my best time covering the 6 miles to work is 12 min and 13 seconds. That's averaging a hair over 33 mph and averaging 810 watts with burst to 1360. Going homes best time is 15 min 45 sec. That's a bit over 25 mph and both ways involves a couple of 8% short climbs and descents.
Ummmm... "I want what he's having for breakfast!"

HOWEVER, a trike is way more fun to ride, is safer (go ahead, hit potholes head-on!), and more comfortable. Did I mention it's way more fun to ride?

I'll never go back to an upright bike.

How trike is safer at speed than a bike (recumbent or otherwise)? I'm not being a butthole or anything I just don't understand, since a bike is like a boat or a fighter jet in that it leans in the same direction it turns. I just don't see how trike can beat that.

You mention hitting potholes, but even SUV drivers avoid potholes.

A trike is safer because it's very difficult to tip over. If a car grazes you on a bike, you might tip over. On a trike, you're less likely to fall. If you ride up a short 1" high curb at too shallow an angle on a bike with thin tires, you could wipe out. Not so on a trike. If you hit a steep pothole on a bike, you could be thrown off. Not likely to happen on a trike.

Also remember that on a trike, you can still lean into turns. You just lean out of your seat. Here is an excellent demonstration on a Windcheetah: 9MB movie (http://www.a-v-d.com/MOVIES/windQT.mov)

Of course, I always try to avoid potholes if possible. I'm just not afraid of hitting them anymore.

Also remember that on a trike, you can still lean into turns. You just lean out of your seat. Here is an excellent demonstration on a Windcheetah: 9MB movie (http://www.a-v-d.com/MOVIES/windQT.mov)


Wow, that's fast.

Wow, that's fast.

Looks fun, eh? ;) The Windcheetah has a very unique steering mechanism that allows the rider to lean over really far. Most trikes have a less flexible steering system, though you can still lean out of the seat, just not as far. I certainly do, for tight turns.

One disadvantage to leaning a bike is that the small patch of rubber in contact with the road is taking all the forces of the turn. It takes very little to loose traction on that patch of rubber... A pebble, a rutt, sand, small chunk of missing asphalt. Normally you catch the next piece of road with the tire pretty quickly so you can recover. But if you're on the edge, you go down.

On a trike, you are on the magic carpet. A full plane of contact. You do have to mind your center of gravity but the road itself is much less of a worry. Trikes will "skate" with the right tire setup... Sort of like "icing" in foosball. Stuff you simple cannot do on a DF or 2 wheel bent at high speed.

If a trike does go over, unlike a slide on a DF, you will go over violently. It would be comparable with grabbing a pedal on the road and doing the flip-flop to the other side, although not as bad as you are already lower to the ground.

Looks fun, eh? ;) The Windcheetah has a very unique steering mechanism that allows the rider to lean over really far. Most trikes have a less flexible steering system, though you can still lean out of the seat, just not as far. I certainly do, for tight turns.
Jeff... This might work as an over-steering system for a trike LINK (http://www.recumbentparts.com/main.html?c=10&k=193627484&b=675870662&t=5^Handlebars^^&e=1) Should be easy to adapt to an AB :)

Jeff... This might work as an over-steering system for a trike LINK (http://www.recumbentparts.com/main.html?c=10&k=193627484&b=675870662&t=5^Handlebars^^&e=1) Should be easy to adapt to an AB :)

Now there's a nifty mod idea. Though to do it properly, I'd have to weld a boss onto the frame. I don't think clamps would be strong enough (or relaible enough).

Now there's a nifty mod idea. Though to do it properly, I'd have to weld a boss onto the frame. I don't think clamps would be strong enough (or relaible enough).
Think about this Jeff... The ABTT has 4 bolts beggin' to be used for just such a purpose ;)
[use spacers where the current bolt heads are]

Think about this Jeff... The ABTT has 4 bolts beggin' to be used for just such a purpose ;)
[use spacers where the current bolt heads are]

Ha, you're right, that may work...

The one thing that I have noticed since I have started commutting, is how energized I am when I get to work. If I went the short route to work, I could ge there in less than 20 minutes. I ride a trail that takes 50 minutes to get me there. I usually only commute when I work the night shift, and the ride really helps me stay awake and I am more alert.

BTW, I have a new best avaerage speed. 16.4 MPh over a 36 mile stretch. I have also increased my avg speed on my day to day loops too. Now up to 14.9 from 13.1. Still a wuss going up the hills, but getting a little more respect on the flats

Hi, all! I am extremely new to this whole recumbent thing (never ridden one yet) but am considering giving it a try. I am interested in using it (a tadpole trike probably) to commute to work: a distance of approximately 19.2 miles over mostly flat/gently hilly terrain, mostly on a highway with some small-town streets at either end.

On an upright bike this would take me about 90 minutes: I was hoping that using a recumbent could shave that time considerably.

So, I guess my question is: what kind of sustained speeds do all you experienced recumbent-folk get out of your machines?

Old post, but hopefully you're still considering a trike and the commute. Whether or not you'll be faster on the trike than on your DF depends on a bunch of things, but it is doable.

My commute is about 17 miles, one way, and I'd describe the route as you have, as mostly flat, some rolling hills, but there is a fairly nasty hill both coming and going, that slows me down to about 10 to 13 kph (it used to slow me down to 4 - 5 kph when I started). It's all paved with mainly 80 kph speed limits, except for maybe 1 km on one end and 8 km of lower speed limits on the other, but none of these areas have anything that would slow me down aside from a couple stop signs. Three summers ago when I started commuting, I weighed about 240 lbs, my trike weighed about 65 to 70 lbs (rack, bags, gear, lunch, fenders, clothes,etc) so at about 300 lbs total, it initially took me about 65 to 70 minutes. I was also in pretty bad shape due to a long period (3 years or so) of inactivity due to a back injury and operation. I switched my tires from 65 psi models to high pressure Maxxis (110psi) and later Kendas (95/100psi) and was able to get the commute time down to the low 50 minute range by the end of the first year. By the end of the 2nd year, the times were down to the high 40's with a best of around 46 minutes. This year, on a new Catrike Speed, the times were in the 43 to 45 minute range, and my best to date is 42 minutes 10 seconds.

Now the whole time I was commuting, I did it with 4 to 6 other riders, 3 on half decent quality MTBs with high pressure road slicks, 2 roadies and one triathlete. We all rode with the intent of trying to get some fitness benefit out of the commute, and on Fridays, we had "PB Day" where you went as hard as you could and tried to beat your old PB, it was also sort of unspoken that you'd try to set "THE" PB as well. I was usually last or 2nd last in the first year. Anyway, as time progressed, there were fewer and fewer riders that could keep up with me on PB Fridays and the only one who can still beat me, but only by about 40 secs (I believe), is the triathlete. Now how good of a triathlete he is, I don't know, but my performance against the clock is improving steadily, so that's my main concern.

With the new trike, aside from it being lighter, which I believe plays a minor role, the biggest thing I noticed was the seat angle which is 35º on the Speed and about 50º on the old trike, and the 1" Stelvios on the Speed vs the 1.5" Kenda Kwests on the old trike. For me, tires make a really big, and definitely noticeable effect on the ability to ride fast. The wind resistance too, once you get up around the 20 mph mark also feels quite different. Now if over the same period I was riding a DF would I see the same improvement? Likely pretty close to the same, but on the the low trikes, on days with half decent headwinds, from riding with these guys for so long, I can see I am putting out far less effort to fight the wind than they are and usually lead out the whole way on those days. I also can compare the trike performance to the high racer. Good high pressure tires (albeit 26"), same 35º seat angle and about the same weight. I really notice the extra wind I have to deal with on the high racer compared to the trike. I find the wind "pulses" (due to ground clutter, boundary layer issues, etc) more on the trikes and has a more "steady" feel on the high racer and a pulsing wind is easier to ride into than a steady one of the same strength. Whenever I ride anything that has a more upright seat than the 35º, it feels like I'm riding with a sheet of plywood strapped to my chest acting like a huge speed brake.

So, depending on the seat angle and tires on the trike, I think it shouldn't be difficult for you to do it in considerably less time than the 90 minutes, again though, I don't know exactly what the route is like. If you like to work at it and try to push a little each day, you'll obviously improve further like I did. If you used a two wheeled bent, you'd be guaranteed to be faster, and depending on the average wind conditions, a low racer two wheeler could be faster still. There are some very fast trikes out there like the Windcheetah, the GS SLR, the Speed and the new 700, etc, not to mention some homebuilts. There are a number of factors to weigh in, but if you wanted to be faster than your DF, with the right trike and tires, you very well could be.

25hz... are you using a fairing? That might just be the one touch you need to reel in that triathlete ;)

I found that in the beginning, I was 10 minutes slower on my bent over my hour-long ride to work. After time, I began matching my old speed I had on the upright bike.

I think it takes time to develop the right muscles for the job.

I believe that Hostelshoppe has quoted a 10% reduction in frontal area for a typical bent vs. a typical upright ridden on the hoods. That's noticeable but not huge. Don't expect huge speed gains with a bent unless you get a full-up racing model. Personally, I love bents but my commuter bike is an upright. In fact, it's the upright-est bike I could find - a hybrid. It's slower but more practical. Why? I wear my office clothes for the commute, and my bents would get chain gook on my pants. When it rains, my rain suit works better when in the upright position - water doesn't pool at my elbows, stomach, and butt. I can balance better in dicey conditions such as ice or heavy snow. Salty slush ruins chains, and my upright only uses one at a time, not three. And when I get to the office, the upright takes up less space in my cubicle. By putting fenders and lights on my hybrid and making it a utility commuter, it frees my bents to be sportier, bereft of all the extra weight. Besides, I can still ride my bents to work in good weather if I want.