Recumbent - 'bent newbie

Coming from a roadie, I know absolutely nothing about recumbents but find myself wanting to try. I have been seeing different style designs with higher steering, lower pedaling; and then lower steering, higher pedaling. Are there any links where I can find newbie info about recumbents? Can someone here explain what I might be interested in trying? Thanks.

bfloyd,
There are a gazillion different configurations of 'bents for different uses and different riders! What type of riding do you want it for? How big are you? If you like to attract attention, ride a 'bent! It has put fun back into riding for me. I'll never go back to a roadie.
If you see a 'bent with a rider about the same size as yourself, ask for a ride or ask a lot of questions. We won't ever miss an opportunity to convert someone to the dork side. ;o) Find an LBS that has some and ride to discover the many differences.
I see you are in OH. If not too far from me, you could see mine.....I have 2. Once converted, you start collecting!

........jim

My favorite source of info would be Bentrideronline.com, with recumbents.com being another choice. Both have databases for all the different bents. IMHO the forums at Bentrideronline are better - higher traffic and more participants.

Hi, I've written a few articles for my website that might be useful to you: http://www.rebel-cycles.com/newride.html

bentrideronline is also an excellent source for information on recumbents - possibly the best on the 'net.

If you want to see how many kinds of recumbent styles there are just start typing in recumbent and another word in your search engine and you will come up with all kinds of possibilities. If you want to see a physical bike then you have to look for that LBS, or has been said watch for riders and ask...

Hi, I've written a few articles for my website that might be useful to you: http://www.rebel-cycles.com/newride.html


I read the first page of your explanations, at least. Good so far. It looks like you've put a fair amount of thought into the writeups. But I'd take issue with the statement about SWB coming in only two forms: highracers and lowracers. Lowracers have the seat at or below the rear axle. The classic check for a lowracer is if you can put your hand on the ground to balance when you stop. Highracers have always been considered to have two big wheels, and a very reclined seat - on the order of 30 degrees. Another feature of racers - high or low - is a high bottom bracket, as much as 9 to 11 inches above the seat. In between the two racers is the largest group: 'standard' SWBs. Before there were racers of either type, there were the 'standards,' and they're still the most popular type today. The standard SWB will usually have a large and a small wheel, with 26/20 being the most common configuration, neutral bottom bracket height, and seating between 35 and 80 degrees. Of course, you can further splinter the 'standard' group with terms like 'mid-racer', 'quasi-low,' and others, but what they describe is just a model that doesn't quite fit into the more extreme groups.

bfloyd,
There are a gazillion different configurations of 'bents for different uses and different riders! What type of riding do you want it for? How big are you? If you like to attract attention, ride a 'bent! It has put fun back into riding for me. I'll never go back to a roadie.
If you see a 'bent with a rider about the same size as yourself, ask for a ride or ask a lot of questions. We won't ever miss an opportunity to convert someone to the dork side. ;o) Find an LBS that has some and ride to discover the many differences.
I see you are in OH. If not too far from me, you could see mine.....I have 2. Once converted, you start collecting!

........jim

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Jim - I'm not too far from you at all. I'm in West Liberty. The nearest LBS to me is in Springfield (you probably know the one). I'm not sure if they have 'bents there or not . . .

From searching, I have found that Sun seems to have the least expensive entry models??

What should you try? Everything you can get your hands on that's within your budget. Don't let the price tags fool you. A guy rode the mountains around Lake Tahoe for the MS150 on a Sun EZ-1 this year.

bfloyd,
The thing to do is ride as many as you can get on. The LBS in Springfield does have some bents occasionally, even some used ones, too. Don't shop so much for price, but for fit and feel! The LBS in Xenia handles Sun and usually has 4-8 on the floor and a trike or two. Depending on your size I could get you rides on a Sun LWB, an Actionbent SWB, and a Baron lowracer. PM me with your specs if you wish and we could do a sell job on you! :rolleyes:
I am assuming you are in Logan Co? Lots of W. Libertys!
I think you can beat Sun's prices sometimes.

...............jim