Recumbent - Need advice for a beginner

I used to ride bikes quite a bit while stationed in Turkey in the late '80s. After I got out of the Air Force in '91 I became a couch slug and put on nearly 100 lbs. I've now lost 53 lbs since February and have been back on a hybrid bike since early July. It may not sound like much to you guys but I've put close to 300 miles on the bike since then. The problem is that my rump doesn't seem to toughening up at all and any ride of over an hour causes numbness in my right foot and both hands as well as my groin area. The bike is adjusted properly. I know I could play the musical seat game or maybe figure out a better bike but everytime a see a 'bent on the Katy trail here in Missouri it just looks like such a wonderful ride. I"ve been looking at some of the more relaxed geometry road bikes but I keep coming back to the recumbents.

I hear people talk about recumbents not climbing well. In this forum I hear that rebutted. One of the things I read is that someone switched and it only took him a couple of weeks before he was climbing as well as he was before. What about someone who can't climb to begin with? I've finally started riding some rolling roads but what most of you wouldn't even consider hills really give me a workout. Will I have a lot of trouble on a recumbent?

I also know that as beginner I should probably be looking at a long wheelbase. The problem is I'm afraid that I will get tired of that pretty quick and then be longing for something with more performance. I THINK I could get the hang of it pretty quick but I just don't know.

Thanks to anyone who has had the patience to wade through this. I would greatly appreciate any help or advice you can give me.

Thanks.

Joe
Columbia, MO

My wife and I ride diffrent bents. Her's is a Bacchetta Giro 20. That is her frist bent. Mine is a Tour Easy. We do hills with no problem she is slower than I am but I ride more than she does. It took a couple of weeks to get the muscles to work but it was werth it. It took a couple of ajustments to the seat but we get no more recumbent butt. :)

I rode with a few LWB bents today while I was on a tadpole trike. I got my B#TT kicked! But it was a great ride. Those LWB seem like cadillacs and don't weigh as much as my trike. This was the first ride this season that really had me pushing hard. I've been off the bike for about 8 years, so ride, ride, ride, and things will get better. I've been trading fat for muscles so I still weigh 240 with over 700 miles this season. One thing I love about my trike, however... No matter how slow you go, you never fall over ;)

1. Don't buy what you think you'll get tired with. Ever.

2. No bike, no matter how costly or light, will make you Lance Armstrong. If you can't climb on an upright, you won't be any better on a bent. Depending on which one you buy, you may be much worse. My wife actually improved dramatically immediately, but she was on aheavy hybrid originally.

3. The only way to become a better rider is to ride. Lots, and train for your weaknesses. There is no panacea for determination and hard work. I busted my ASS to get speed and hill climbing ability.

Bents are the best bikes period, IMO, and I ride both kinds of bikes, but don't come into this with expectations of grandeur.

The only way to become a better rider is to ride. Lots, and train for your weaknesses. There is no panacea for determination and hard work. I busted my ASS to get speed and hill climbing ability.

Bents are the best bikes period, IMO, and I ride both kinds of bikes, but don't come into this with expectations of grandeur.

Well said. I'm climbing hills on my trike better than I ever did on my EZ Sport or hybrid, but that may be cause I've ridden a ton more miles than I ever did before. But since I can climb hills on my trike at whatever speed I can muster, I try to climb more hills cause it's fun to succeed. And, well, the coast down is great!

I too have worked on my speed. I'm still no speed demon, but I push myself to be faster. I find I can keep up with many roadies. BTW, I don't try to pass them if they pass me. I just keep up with them. It's a good way for me work more on my speed and it bugs them sometimes that they can't shake me.

it usualy takes atleast a few thousand miles to get your muscles at the same point as they were on the df.

Here's my experience: I rode a low-end MTB for about a year. My toughest hill (no laughing, please) is an average of about 5% and about 3/4 mile long. On the MTB, I'd drop down to about 6-7 mph before I reached the top. Then, in July, I bought a Lightning Thunderbolt SWB recumbent. I now climb the same hill at about 7-8 mph. So I'm actually a little faster uphill on the 'bent, although I'm just not a fast hill climber, regardless of the bike.

However, going DOWN the hill, I hit about 30-33, whereas I used to go about 26 on the MTB--and I feel much safer. So, my average speed through this particular little valley (about a 4 mile round trip) is quite a bit faster--probably 2 mph--on the recumbent than it was on the MTB.

Another observation: If I go for a while without riding up this hill, it tires me out. But if I ride it two days in a row, it doesn't feel so bad on the second day. And if I ride it several times in one week, it begins to feel--ROUTINE!

So the moral of the story is: Buy a recumbent and ride it up hills as much as possible.

I have hilly loops I've mapped out specifically to train hills. Without it I'd be just another recumbent getting passed by the roadies. Now only the faster roadies and pacelines beat me up the hills, and they are left in the dust before the next hill begins,never to be seen again.



Here's my experience: I rode a low-end MTB for about a year. My toughest hill (no laughing, please) is an average of about 5% and about 3/4 mile long. On the MTB, I'd drop down to about 6-7 mph before I reached the top. Then, in July, I bought a Lightning Thunderbolt SWB recumbent. I now climb the same hill at about 7-8 mph. So I'm actually a little faster uphill on the 'bent, although I'm just not a fast hill climber, regardless of the bike.

However, going DOWN the hill, I hit about 30-33, whereas I used to go about 26 on the MTB--and I feel much safer. So, my average speed through this particular little valley (about a 4 mile round trip) is quite a bit faster--probably 2 mph--on the recumbent than it was on the MTB.

Another observation: If I go for a while without riding up this hill, it tires me out. But if I ride it two days in a row, it doesn't feel so bad on the second day. And if I ride it several times in one week, it begins to feel--ROUTINE!

So the moral of the story is: Buy a recumbent and ride it up hills as much as possible.

Another observation: If I go for a while without riding up this hill, it tires me out. But if I ride it two days in a row, it doesn't feel so bad on the second day. And if I ride it several times in one week, it begins to feel--ROUTINE!

So the moral of the story is: Buy a recumbent and ride it up hills as much as possible.

That's my story too. I'm not certain of the grades on the hills around here on the back roads I ride. Now you've got me curious. So I guess I'm gonna go out and find the grades out.

Another point regarding how long it takes to acclimate to a bent. The more serious you were on the upright, the longer it takes, because the farther you have to go. Spencejim is starting as more or less a beginner, so it won't take long at all. I don't know about Katy Trail specifically, but most trails are pretty flat so hill climbing isn't an issue except for future planning. Most 2-wheeled, low-end bents will be the equivalent of an upright hybrid. To go a little faster, look for skinnier tires and lighter weight (the two traits tend to go hand-in-hand.)

A recumbent will probably be slower for you than a light upright will--but then, a light upright does you no good at all if you're not actually riding it. The recumbent will be comfortable to ride.

I have a LWB and I love it, it's a far more comfortable ride than any of the $1500-$2000 upright bikes I ever had.

Have you tried any recumbents yet at all? ....And how tall are you?.....
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I haven't tried any yet. I would like to but the local shops don't stock them. I think there's a place in St. Louis that specializes in them so I may have to run over there and check them out.

I'm about 5'11". Not tall but not short.

I have ridden a couple of road bikes recently. One was more of a racing bike and the other was a Trek Pilot. I really like the Pilot. I felt comfortable on it from the start but I didn't have a long ride. I really need to ride a bent. They look almost like you could go to sleep on them!

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm definitely going to give one a try before I make a decision.

Joe

I happen to own a trek pilot - it's my triathalon bike, actually! It's a wonderful bike and a smooth ride, up to 40 miles. After that it's just a chore. Most bikes are painful long before that. So if you go with an upright, I heartily recommend a pilot.

I was in St. Louis a few months ago and there is a large bent followiung there, and I believe a brand new shop, St. Louis Recumbents. There was a special recumbent rally there and it was a blast! Your best bet would be to find people who live in the area who will let you take a test ride on theirs - I do it all the time. ,a nd most of us go out of our way to help someone get started in recumbents.

Greg


I haven't tried any yet. I would like to but the local shops don't stock them. I think there's a place in St. Louis that specializes in them so I may have to run over there and check them out.

I'm about 5'11". Not tall but not short.

I have ridden a couple of road bikes recently. One was more of a racing bike and the other was a Trek Pilot. I really like the Pilot. I felt comfortable on it from the start but I didn't have a long ride. I really need to ride a bent. They look almost like you could go to sleep on them!

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm definitely going to give one a try before I make a decision.

Joe

I haven't tried any yet. I would like to but the local shops don't stock them. I think there's a place in St. Louis that specializes in them so I may have to run over there and check them out.
I'm about 5'11". Not tall but not short.
Joe
Your board email is turned off!... email me please, before you make the trip to St Louis.

There's two shops in St Louis that have recumbents; one is the Bike Center in Des Pere (St Louis): http://bikecenterstl.com/ , the other is St Louis Recumbents in Maryville,IL: http://www.stlbent.com/ .
Neither is better, both of these places are worth looking through.
And if you're driving that far, coming when they're both open and seeing both just makes sense anyway.

I was told that someplace in St Louis (around St Charles) has a couple Cannondale bents on hand, but I never went looking for them. I don't know anywhere else in the area that carries any.
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