Recumbent - Newbie-Help with bent choice

Hi all. Hoping to purchase my first recumbent sometime in March. Since I'd only ridden an old Bike E several years ago I took advantage of yesterday's springlike weather here in PA and drove to a recumbent dealer for some test riding. I'm looking at either a Bacchetta Agio or Giro 20, or a Rans Stratus. I took both the Agio and Giro on long test rides and did fine but am still unsure whether to go SWB or LWB. I plan to go back in March and ride both again, as well as a Rans Stratus, which wasn't available at the time. The Agio was "get on and ride" without any problems. With the Giro I was ok once the dealer gave me some hints on getting started. My typical rides are country roads with little traffic and long group rides....ie MS 150. That said dh and I do occasionally ride where there's traffic...suburban...and hope to do some self supported weekend tours at some point. I don't care about climbing speed. I'm leaning toward LWB. What are your thoughts on the Agio vs. Stratus?

Pat

Personally, I like smaller bikes. They are easier to transport, take up less room in the garage or storage, generally weigh less than LWB.

SWB do maneuver differently than LWB, most people consider them "twitchy", but with enough practice, most anyone could master the maneuvering of SWB recumbent. Once you've mastered the SWB recumbent, riding in big city traffic is just as any other bike.

Where are you in PA? do you ever plan to take your recumbent public transportation or trains? if so, SWB would be more acceptable by the operators. I've taken my recumbent on trains and buses in philly.

I'm just south of Philly. I haven't taken a bike on public transportation yet but I do see a LWB as a problem there. I didn't feel real stable on the SWB...maybe I was oversteering?...but it was my first time riding one. The shop guy was actually surprised how well I did, though. Car transport for a LWB isn't a problem. Hubby and I are used to transporting a burley tandem and the LWB I looked at are a wee bit shorter, total length, I think. Thanks for your input.

The biggest difference between the Agio and the Stratus is the pedal height. The Strat's is low and the Agio's is high. It's going to be a personal preference thing - which do you feel you get the best power output? Don't worry about starting and stopping issues at this point, because neither is extreme and whichever you get, you'll learn it and it will be second nature.

The Giro will also do fine for the kind of riding you describe, especially if you get some underseat racks for it. With the Giro, the seat height may be the biggest issue, i.e. can you reach the ground OK while seated?

I'm just south of Philly. I haven't taken a bike on public transportation yet but I do see a LWB as a problem there. I didn't feel real stable on the SWB...maybe I was oversteering?...but it was my first time riding one. The shop guy was actually surprised how well I did, though. Car transport for a LWB isn't a problem. Hubby and I are used to transporting a burley tandem and the LWB I looked at are a wee bit shorter, total length, I think. Thanks for your input.

Feeling of instability on SWB recumbents is normal, since you're not familiar with maneuvering a new bike. Saddletime will fix that problem eventually, but if you have a LWB bike that take up storage room, or can not be easily transported by other means, that is something that can not be changed.

I myself ride out alone into the suburbs quite a bit, more than often into areas where I'm unfamiliar how to get back to where I started, in case I suffer a mechanical, I would like to have a bike that could easily be transported in a small car or compact truck. Granted that I'm somewhat mechanically inclined that I take off the seat/wheels of my recumbent quite easily for more compact storage. Number of times I have been able to hitch rides from strangers when I suffer mechanical failure that could not be taken care of roadside and I was glad to have a compact bike that could easily be fitted into a car's trunk.
For me, it's all about being compact and versatile.. if I could pack my recumbent into a suitcase, I'd take it everwhere I travel.