Recumbent - Recumbents - Where to start?

I'm probably not the first person to ask this here, so please bear with me...I had lumbar surgery recently and riding my standard upright bike appears to be continuing to aggravate my symptoms, even after surgery. My physical therapist has been after me to get a recumbent, and I can see the benefits just from riding a stationary recumbent in his clinic - more comfortable seat and more back support and lumbar stability that my upright bike. My problem is that I've seen so many different models and styles of recumbent I just don't know where to start. Can someone please point me to some good links that compare the different makes and models? Much appreciated!

I'm probably not the first person to ask this here, so please bear with me...I had lumbar surgery recently and riding my standard upright bike appears to be continuing to aggravate my symptoms, even after surgery. My physical therapist has been after me to get a recumbent, and I can see the benefits just from riding a stationary recumbent in his clinic - more comfortable seat and more back support and lumbar stability that my upright bike. My problem is that I've seen so many different models and styles of recumbent I just don't know where to start. Can someone please point me to some good links that compare the different makes and models? Much appreciated!

Have a look at www.bentrideronline.com for reviews of various models. I suspect that if you are looking for a bike to minmise the impact on your back you may want to look at suspended or long wheel base recumbents for extra cushioning.

Good luck with your recovery from surgery and back problems.

Visit the Bicycle Man (http://www.bicycleman.com/) in Alfred Station, NY for test rides. He has one of everything. I'm not kidding.

Visit the Bicycle Man (http://www.bicycleman.com/) in Alfred Station, NY for test rides. He has one of everything. I'm not kidding.

I was just there today and he has an impressive selection of 'bents all assembled and ready to test.
There's several trikes, tons of LWB and SWB all set to go. The place is amazing, and I made room on the showroom floor for one more bike if you catch my drift. ;)

Be prepared for sticker shock. Recumbents are not produced in the quantities that other bikes are. I also recommend visiting a shop like The Bicycleman. Test ride everything you can, including in the hills. Different bikes/trikes will feel different to you.

I agree with previous posters - go somewhere you can ride many different types.

Also be prepared for a bit of learning curve and adjustment. I moved to a recumbent for similar purposes about 3 years ago. My first few rides were pretty tense, and I'd say it took a season to fully adjust.

Thanks for the responses, I'm in Portland on the west coast, I believe Coventry has the best selection in town. bentrideronline seems to be heavy on the trikes, I think I'm more interested in two wheels.

... bentrideronline seems to be heavy on the trikes, I think I'm more interested in two wheels.

Sometimes the trike people get, er, more 'enthusiastic' about their machines, but I think most of their members are on 2-wheels. This list has occasionally been accused of alternately being trike-dominated and trike-hostile. It's good that the forum has experienced people in both camps.

First thing you gotta do is grow a beard, Randy. :D

Oh crap, I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore.
Hi nice bent-rider guys who would never hurt a guy dressed as a sex kitten! :o

Hopefully someone from Portland will chime in, but if not, there are some really avid people from that area in on the other two major recumbent forums.

:)ensen.

First thing you gotta do is grow a beard, Randy. :D

Oh crap, I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore.
Hi nice bent-rider guys who would never hurt a guy dressed as a sex kitten! :o

You're out-numbered in here, pilgrim.:notamused:

First thing you gotta do is grow a beard, Randy. :D

Oh crap, I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore.
Hi nice bent-rider guys who would never hurt a guy dressed as a sex kitten! :o

We'll get you riding one of these yet, you cross dressing nut.;)

Get a mirror, maybe two. One for each side. Riding a 'bent "feels" different to me. In traffic that I never think twice about on my Trek, I "feel" differently on my 'bent. It takes a while to get used to the difference. After riding my 'bent time after time, getting on my road bike makes me feel like I'm riding on the top of a ladder.

Thanks for the responses, I'm in Portland on the west coast, I believe Coventry has the best selection in town. bentrideronline seems to be heavy on the trikes, I think I'm more interested in two wheels.

I'm sorry to hear about your back. I hope you feel better soon.

Yep, Coventry's the place for new recumbents in Portland -- lots of different bikes you can test ride there.

Bentrideronline does have an active trike sub-forum, and admitedly the home page there is a bit trike-heavy right now, but that's not always the case. The folks posting in the forums there ride quite a variety of two-wheeled 'bents and crank forwards. You'll find most of the folks there to be helpful and friendly. From the home page, click "Message Board" to get to the forums.

I'm not an expert by any means, but I'll share what I think I know. There are two basic types of recumbent bikes: long wheel base (LWB) and short wheel base (SWB). With LWBs, the front wheel is in front of the bottom bracket, which is relatively low. It's sorta like a "regular" bike, but longer, with a lower, more comfortable seat. The Tour Easy is a classic LWB: http://www.easyracers.com/06-tour_easy.htm. If you want to try that type of bike, there are some used ones for sale locally at the Oregon Human Powered Vehicle forums: http://www.ohpv.org/forums/index.php?board=7.0.

A SWB bike has the bottom bracket higher, and in front of the front wheel. There are variations, such as high racers, low racers, and compact LWBs, and there's quite a variation in frame shapes, as you've probably seen. A Bacchetta is one example: http://www.bacchettabikes.com/recumbents/bikes/giro20.htm. Here's a different kind of SWB: http://s177.photobucket.com/albums/w232/opdragonfly/VK2/?action=view&current=5708VK2bweb.jpg

You can find recumbents through Craigslist, too.

The folks at bentrideronline and at Coventry can give you tons of information, and they certainly know a lot more than I do. Good luck with your search, and have fun.

adrienne

Not to add more confusion, but if you've been an avid road cyclist, you may want to also consider a front-wheel drive recumbent. Offerings like the Cruzbike Silvio (http://www.cruzbike.com/silvio.html) offer the best of both road bike and recumbent worlds according to its fans.

Maybe I missed someone else answering the question, but what KIND of riding do you want to do with your bent? Were you a tourer or a speed-junkie on your road bike? That will help us steer you in the right direction more than anything.

I'm simply looking for a bike to commute on and use around town, I've looked at enough web sites and gathered enough information now to know that I probably want a LWB model. My commute is only about three miles each way and I'm unlikely to put more than 20 to 30 miles on at a time, almost exclusively in the city.

First thing you gotta do is grow a beard, Randy. :D

Oh crap, I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore.
Hi nice bent-rider guys who would never hurt a guy dressed as a sex kitten! :o

The beard is easy, it's the cap with the propeller that takes time to get used to wearing.

For a short commute at a lower price a Sun EZ-1 is about the cheapest bent, and can be found on Craig's list sometimes for a decent price. I have a Cycle Genius Sparrow that lists new for $100 more than the EZ-1, but both tires are the same size.

Thanks for the responses, I'm in Portland on the west coast, I believe Coventry has the best selection in town. bentrideronline seems to be heavy on the trikes, I think I'm more interested in two wheels.

Coventry's definitely the shop to got to for recumbents and trikes. Go in and chat, take a test ride, see what you like. If you still want more, the OHPV folks will talk your ears off. We've got our forums working: http://www.ohpv.org/forums/ , so you can see what we're chattering about.

BTW: Bill Bates is selling his Cruzbike Silvio, while I'm selling a couple Tour Easies:
http://www.ohpv.org/forums/index.php?topic=108.0
http://www.ohpv.org/forums/index.php?topic=109.0

Definitely start with LWB bikes like the Rans Stratus LE, Sun EZ Sport or an Easyracers Tour Easy. Upright sitting with back support really helped my back problems. bk

So you say now. Wait until you get going on a recumbent, leaning into a 90 degree turn and peddling through it is very addicting. Check out all of them at Coventry. Take your time on this decision.
Mark

I also had lumbar surgery. Neurologist painted a gloomy picture of my post surgery capabilities. It drove me into lightweight backpacking (centered around GoLite Gust) and recumbent biking (Rans 2008 Stratus XP). I found a great bike shop Bikes@Vienna in Vienna, VA. Good luck with your search. You are not alone. And the Truth is out there .... okay, losing it now, should have stopped sooner .... 8)