Recumbent - Is the traditional recumbent dying?

Where did all the bents go? All I ever see online is trikes, trike, trikes. I know they're recumbent too but as someone who's flipped back & forth and contemplated another bent I'm surprised at what seems to be a total shift to trikes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Click on the Recumbent Blog or Bentrider and most of the photos, and certainly most of the reviews, are trikes only.

Where did all the bents go? All I ever see online is trikes, trike, trikes. I know they're recumbent too but as someone who's flipped back & forth and contemplated another bent I'm surprised at what seems to be a total shift to trikes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Click on the Recumbent Blog or Bentrider and most of the photos, and certainly most of the reviews, are trikes only.

I noticed this too. I for one will continue on my two-wheeled recumbent until ballance is no longer possible :rolleyes:.

Don't knock it, if you haven't tried it! I have and I am still on 2 wheels. I think, right now, more technical innovations are being applied to trikes and that gets the attention of writers/blogs. I still see 2 'bent wheels outnumbering 3 when I am riding. Have to admit, they are fun, but I'm not ready to switch!

Bents still outsell trikes by a wide margin. And there are far more bents in the marketplace.

There is room enough for both. Both should have a higher marketshare. I know a lot of 50+ riders who would be far more comfortable on bents and trikes, but who regard it as some sort of personal weakness to ride one.

I've test ridden trikes a few times, but didn't enjoy the ride nearly as much as on my two-wheel bents.

I know a lot of 50+ riders who would be far more comfortable on bents and trikes, but who regard it as some sort of personal weakness to ride one.

Yeah. Comfort, speed and efficiency are for wusses.

SP
Bend, OR

Bents still outsell trikes by a wide margin. And there are far more bents in the marketplace.

This seems to be so in general, although it's interesting.... when I bought my Gold Rush back in 2005 from a leading recumbent dealer in Portland, OR (Coventry Cycles, great shop!) they were just getting into trikes and seemed a bit dubious about them. When I revisited them in August, they had them all over the floor and an employee said that they sell more trikes than 2 wheeled recumbents now. That may be peculiar to their local market, though.

I ride a trike and really enjoy it. I'd probably ride a bike too, but I've found it far easier to find a trike that fits me than a bike. There seem to be more trike models that will fit shorter x-seams than bikes. Trikes also have a zero learning curve. I'm sure that helps generate interest in them. I can't say that I see more trikes than bikes, however. Just the opposite in fact. Far and away, the largest number of riders in my local recumbent group ride bikes, not trikes.

Just pay no attention to the trikes, unless you are so inclined.

I am so surprised I only chose my trikes to ride this season past. I have many good bents, including JanMM's old Rans Tailwind. They were all awesome. A third wheel would have made them awesomer. I picked up a cheap Sun delta last winter for slick-street stability and was unable to climb off. Now I have Trizard (Rans) lust.

Where did all the bents go?.

I saw an Easy Racer today; so they aren't ALL dead yet! :D Everything seems to be almost frozen in time with that crazy economy. I made 3 loans and paid them off early before; but I tried to borrow for another trike and got turned down. Can't borrow for cars, appliances, or trike collections.

I need a cardboard sign; on one side THE END IS NEAR and on the other side: WILL WORK FOR A TRIKE.

Bents still outsell trikes by a wide margin. And there are far more bents in the marketplace.



What is your basis for this statment? Rob Gentry at RBR has told me he sells more trikes than bikes. I am not sure for how long this has been the case, but it has been at least for a couple years.

There are indeed many passionate trike fans!
Would be nice to see real numbers for recumbent sales, but those figures are not generally disclosed, as I understand it.
However, consider RANS and Bacchetta. Major US 'bent players and they only sell one trike model between them.
The 'bents I've seen in Central Indiana, on the roads, have been largely bicycles. That's not sales numbers, of course.

Trikes also have a zero learning curve.

Not if you go fast they don't. I decided against a trike when after a test ride I realized I'd have to learn how to ride without tipping it. In fact, out of ever major recumbent category (and I've tried them all) trikes were the only ones I couldn't just get on and go.

IMO, a trike just isn't a good design for a top heavy vehicle like a cyclist and it only gets worse if you want to see eye to eye with other road vehicles.

Since when is any recumbent considered "traditional?" Face it, we're unusual no matter how many wheels we have.

The trike market is more affordable than when I first got into recumbents, and I'm sure that's playing some sort of role in their rising popularity. But I think they're a long way from 'taking over.' There are a few in my club right now. A few years ago, a whole bunch of people got them and tried to ride them with their regular group. That didn't work too well. For the rest of that year they rode together as a trike-only group, often lagging behind the rest of the riders by an hour or more; and by the next spring most of them had been sold. I think there's about 3 left, and they don't get much riding time except when there's ice on the roads.

I think its fantastic that there is so much variety, even in a niche market like the recumbent: hi-racers, lo-racers, SWB, LWB, USS, OSS, 2 wheels, 3 wheels, 4 wheels, motorized, motor assist, and any number of after-market customizations.

Possible explanations include:

Market. The two-wheeled bent market is a bit more mature than the three-wheeled.
Price. Entry level trike prices are down.
Skills. Many riders have some issues when first trying two-wheeled bents.
Fun. So far this year, my trike has almost twice the miles as my my two-wheeled bents.
Family. My spouse rides a trike, so when we ride together I'm also on three wheels.
Area. Trikes are great for watching the scenery. If you ride in a beautiful area, you are in trike land.

I only see a very few Trikes tooling about around here vs. many two wheelers. In fact, I've only seen two trikes.

I often daydream of how much easier a Trike would handle the ruts, snow and ice that is so common on my winter commute. My two deterents however are the low ground clearence (I don't believe I'd enjoy bottoming out on one of those deep ice ruts), and the lack of height (aka. visibility)for riding in traffic. Bikes aren't a common sight in my part of town during the winter months so I feel I need every advantage I can get to survive the commute.

I use a Volae Tour in nice weather and it works out just great, but for now I'll have to stick with a Mtn. Bike in the snow and rely on good fortune my sense of balance to get where I'm going.

Come to think of it, I've got an old Schwinn Town & Country out back. I wonder.......

What is your basis for this statment? Rob Gentry at RBR has told me he sells more trikes than bikes. I am not sure for how long this has been the case, but it has been at least for a couple years.

I've seen the national sales statistics. Bents outsell trikes by a wide margin. More than 3:1. SUN sells several thousand bents each year, they are the predominant bent seller in terms of both units sold and authorized dealers. No trike manufacturer comes close to Sun's bent sales. Sun is the leading trike manufacturer too.

Not that many LBS even carry trikes. Some of them are the only shops in their region to sell trikes, thus they capture pretty much the entire trike marketshare in their area. If there are multiple shops selling bents, then it is quite possible that at the few shops carrying trikes, that their trike sales could be higher than bents.

Just did a bit of checking on authorized dealerships for Catrike. They make some nice trikes. But according their database, they have only 3 authorized dealers in the entire state of New York, only 2 in Michigan, only 1 each in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Indiana, and Kansas. They are doing better in certain areas, like having 11 shops in Texas and a bunch in California and Florida.

So if you walk into the only Catrike dealer in Pennsylvania, you'd probably be told that sales are pretty good.

Hopefully sales will continue to grow.

I've seen the national sales statistics. Bents outsell trikes by a wide margin.

I don't mean to pick on anybody, but that should read two-wheeled 'bents outsell trikes...

Trikes are bents, too! :)

I've seen the national sales statistics. Bents outsell trikes by a wide margin. More than 3:1. SUN sells several thousand bents each year, they are the predominant bent seller in terms of both units sold and authorized dealers. No trike manufacturer comes close to Sun's bent sales. Sun is the leading trike manufacturer too.

Not that many LBS even carry trikes. Some of them are the only shops in their region to sell trikes, thus they capture pretty much the entire trike marketshare in their area. If there are multiple shops selling bents, then it is quite possible that at the few shops carrying trikes, that their trike sales could be higher than bents.

Interesting. Are these figures public? If so, a link would be great. Are you sure they aren't lumping recumbent bikes and trikes together and by trikes they are referring to upright trikes? I have to wonder this because for some reason you keep using the term 'bents to mean recumbent bikes, as if recumbent trikes are somehow not recumbents.

Anyone who was at the RBR rally this past year is not likely assuming recumbent bikes outsell recumbent trikes by much. The rally was about 50-50 bikes-trikes. At BROL, the trike forum is the second most popular section, right after "general forum". And most of the reviews in recent years have been about trikes.

You could be right about the sales figures, but from where I stand trikes sure have the momentum right now.

I love both my two and three wheeled machines. I won't be giving up either any time soon. :thumb:

A few people graduate from DF's to bents, and some portion (not all) of those graduate to trikes. Not too many folks go directly from DFs to trikes, at least in my experience.

Just did a bit of checking on authorized dealerships for Catrike. They make some nice trikes. But according their database, they have only 3 authorized dealers in the entire state of New York, only 2 in Michigan, only 1 each in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Indiana, and Kansas. They are doing better in certain areas, like having 11 shops in Texas and a bunch in California and Florida.

So if you walk into the only Catrike dealer in Pennsylvania, you'd probably be told that sales are pretty good.

Hopefully sales will continue to grow.

I think Rob at RBR would tell you that a very large percentage of his sales are out of state and over the phone. Sales to locals and semi-locals are pretty well irrelevant.

I realize one shop doesn't make the market - I'm just sharing what I know about that one little corner of it FWIW.

This thread should be titled: 'Are recumbent trikes killing off bikes?'

The answer would be no, probably not.

Interesting. Are these figures public? If so, a link would be great. Are you sure they aren't lumping recumbent bikes and trikes together and by trikes they are referring to upright trikes? I have to wonder this because for some reason you keep using the term 'bents to mean recumbent bikes, as if recumbent trikes are somehow not recumbents.


My bad, I was using the term "bent" to mean two-wheel recumbents and trike to mean three-wheel.

As far as I know, these numbers are not published on the web. But they could be. They didn't come from the individual manufactures but rather were survey results from bike shops. At least most of them were. I did see Sun's annual sales figures, but again don't know if those were published on the web.

As far as anecdotal evidence, I work in Madison, Wisconsin where thousands of college students and city commuters use bikes. I work a block from the main bike path that runs into downtown and I walk & ride that path frequently. I've seen dozens upon dozens of two-wheel bents, they are getting more popular. I've seen, over the past 6 months, maybe 3 trikes, all deltas.

In my rides on bike trails in Wisconsin & Minnesota over the past couple of years, I've seen increasing numbers of two-wheel bents and bent tandems. I've seen a few delta trikes. I have never seen, anywhere at anytime, someone riding a tadpole trike. Likewise when I've been driving, and I drive all over Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota.

I've seen the national sales statistics . . . .

Where did you find these, Tom?

From all indications the 2 wheel bent far out paces trike sales. I ride a 2 wheeler, and tried to get my wife to ride my old one. However she didnt like it. She now says she may be open to riding a trike since there would bo no learning curve, and not having to worry about tipping over. I can see the advantages of a trike, and probably would share it when she wouldnt be riding with me. Either way they are both bents, be happy and ride what you like.


s

I own 3 trikes and 3 two-wheeled bents. I'm a mixed family. :thumb:

Where did you find these, Tom?

Actually, an owner of a bike shop let me see them. He pays some ungodly amount for inside industry data.

Tikes apply to a new market though that a recumbent bike cannot supply. People like me who have bad balance for whatever reason and feel embarassed to ride a delta "granny" trike in public. I loathed going riding on my delta. avoided it when i could because i felt stupid on it. on my tadpole i love it and try to ride whenever weather permits. Recumbent tadpoles are the main sellers these days with the deltas coming in behind. not as many people go with a delta as can easily be seen by the number of tadpole models vs deltas. still, trikes cater to people who just can't ride a 2 wheeler. recumbent bike or upright, you've got to have good balance to ride em. a trike you just gotta sit there and pedal. as people learn about them of course thier sales will go up. people who thought they'd never ride a bike or would never again suddenly have that option available again to feel younger and have fun. Just my 2 cents.

I own 3 trikes and 3 two-wheeled bents. I'm a mixed family. :thumb:

Between my wife and me, we have 5 recumbent bikes and 5 uprights. I'm getting ready to sell 4 of the uprights so I can buy more recumbents- maybe a trike and a velomobile- and work on the streamliner project that's in a variety of pieces in the garage.

Wanna wanna wanna:

http://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/vector/lg-vectr.jpg

I think the Vector is one of the prettiest streamliners ever made. Certainly not the fastest anymore, but who could possibly NOT want one?

I think the Vector is one of the prettiest streamliners ever made. Certainly not the fastest anymore, but who could possibly NOT want one?

+1

I think the Vector is one of the prettiest streamliners ever made. Certainly not the fastest anymore, but who could possibly NOT want one?

I'd love to see what the Vectors would do on a long, high-altitude course like Battle Mountain. And... yep... probably the most beautiful streamliner (powered or not) ever made:
http://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/vector/vector.htm

This seems to be so in general, although it's interesting.... when I bought my Gold Rush back in 2005 from a leading recumbent dealer in Portland, OR (Coventry Cycles, great shop!) they were just getting into trikes and seemed a bit dubious about them. When I revisited them in August, they had them all over the floor and an employee said that they sell more trikes than 2 wheeled recumbents now. That may be peculiar to their local market, though.
Portland has lots of hills, stoplights, and other things that are not conducive to tooling around so I'm not surprised to hear this.

Some types of bents (especially lowracers, highracers, and LWB's) really need a bit more space. In town, my favorite thing to ride is a trike. On rollers or flats, it's a highracer.

I ride both DF Road Bikes and I also have a trike (Catrike 700). All I can say is that Trikes are FUN,,,,,,FUN...,,,,,,,,FUN!!!!!!!.

And they are extremely stable also........

Actually, an owner of a bike shop let me see them. He pays some ungodly amount for inside industry data.

Huh? "Bicycle Retailer", the industry magazine that publishes such sales figures, is free to dealers.

So who can help me out?

My wife and I have a significant amount of tandem riding experience but zero recumbent experience. Due to an injury we are probably going to buy a recumbent tandem this spring. So far I haven't seriously considered a trike for 3 reasons:

1. 3 wheel tracks to manage around small pot holes and the like.
2. I don't think that the lower seating position would appeal to us.
3. I have issues with 20" wheels.
4. We like to do rides that start by driving out somewhere. I'm thinking transporting a recumbent trike tandem would be harder.

Am I missing something obvious? I don't feel like I've got enough knowledge to even know what questions I should be asking.

I think the Vector is one of the prettiest streamliners ever made. Certainly not the fastest anymore, but who could possibly NOT want one?

It is pretty. I look at it and try to imagine myself riding it on a sunny, 90+ degree day.

I imagine that demographics are in favor of trikes over the long run - at least for a while...

So who can help me out?

My wife and I have a significant amount of tandem riding experience but zero recumbent experience. Due to an injury we are probably going to buy a recumbent tandem this spring. So far I haven't seriously considered a trike for 3 reasons:

1. 3 wheel tracks to manage around small pot holes and the like.
2. I don't think that the lower seating position would appeal to us.
3. I have issues with 20" wheels.
4. We like to do rides that start by driving out somewhere. I'm thinking transporting a recumbent trike tandem would be harder.

Am I missing something obvious? I don't feel like I've got enough knowledge to even know what questions I should be asking.

Riding a bicycle helps us to maintain and improve our sense of balance and can help keep us from falling down, which is especially important as we get older. (I turn 60 this week! Yee-ha!) You don't get that balance benefit riding a trike. That's my healthcare provider slant on this subject.
Trikes: Heavier, slower, harder to transport,etc.
If you have mastered upright tandems, you likely will have no trouble mastering a 'bent tandem. There will be a learning curve, of course.

So who can help me out?

My wife and I have a significant amount of tandem riding experience but zero recumbent experience. Due to an injury we are probably going to buy a recumbent tandem this spring. So far I haven't seriously considered a trike for 3 reasons:

1. 3 wheel tracks to manage around small pot holes and the like.
2. I don't think that the lower seating position would appeal to us.
3. I have issues with 20" wheels.
4. We like to do rides that start by driving out somewhere. I'm thinking transporting a recumbent trike tandem would be harder.

Am I missing something obvious? I don't feel like I've got enough knowledge to even know what questions I should be asking.

No, all of those reasons are valid. However, I've seen some gawdawful fast trike riders, but they've been so fit that it's hard to imagine them slow on anything human-powered*. I think trikes are good for people who have balance issues or who are simply content to mosey along.

*I've known Keith and Alex Kohan for almost ten years now. Alex started on a trail-a-bike behind his dad's recumbent trike:
http://snorlax.lampi.org/images/010527/05270017.JPG
They did Cycle Oregon 2002 together on linked Kettweisel trikes, and were dang fast.
They've graduated to seperate recumbent bikes now, and Alex is doing well on his own: http://www.ohpv.org/events/albums/alex508-2008/

You think 3 wheels makes it tough to avoid potholes? Try 9: http://vimeo.com/4382706

It is pretty. I look at it and try to imagine myself riding it on a sunny, 90+ degree day.

Yeah, I remember seeing the Vectors run at the IHPSC's in Southern California in the late '70's. They always parked them under canopies and they usually had electric blowers ventilating them until it was time to run. *Sigh*.

Note: this thread is 14 months old. If that offends you, close it immediately!

Some new data on the OP question from Recumbent Journal:

http://tinyurl.com/2ugrqd9

"Across the country trikes were by far the leading recumbent type being sold. The ratios of trike to bike sales varied from two trikes per bike, to 8 to 1, to 11 to 1. Many (shop) owners said customers came in to look at bikes and left with trikes."

Around here, I think the recumbent bike to trike ratio is fairly balanced. I've seen about 4 bikes and 3 trikes other than mine. Unless you count the 4 recumbent bikes I saw in a 10 min period when I was passed by a bike race. Then the balance is heavily shifted to the two wheelers.

I'm not seeing many trikes at all. 2-wheelers aren't dominant, they're virtually the entire market (where I live.) Maybe it's different for the MUP crowd, but I don't go there.

+1
+2

Where did all the bents go? All I ever see online is trikes, trike, trikes. I know they're recumbent too but as someone who's flipped back & forth and contemplated another bent I'm surprised at what seems to be a total shift to trikes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Click on the Recumbent Blog or Bentrider and most of the photos, and certainly most of the reviews, are trikes only.

Gee, I sure hope not, we just bought "2-Sun Recumbent bikes, (not trikes) last week!! The trikes are kinda cool but there out of our lowly budget, unless we want a "internal" 3 or 8 speed trike! LOL, we've got 24 gears, (some duplicate I'm sure) and with all the HILLS here in Colorado Springs, I WISH my 11-32 was a 11-34, may look at "smaller chain ring set's"!

[QUOTE=tcs;12097200]Note: this thread is 14 months old. /QUOTE]

Better for me to look at 16 or more years. In 1977 4 Easy Racers were on my college campus. Now I see 2 in town if I am lucky.
In about 1980 were parades (one I was in) and a museum show with unusual bikes. i have been in 2 more parades but bents faded away.
In the early 2000s the Mayors Race was going strong- Florida to California; ending here with a show, speeches, booths. Since 2003: gone.
At least 14 bicycle shops- 2 off which sold bents. None do now.
I have had several bicycle links for a very long time from everywhere. Thousands and thousands of bikes. I saw 1 velomobile in an Amstersdam parade.
I went to a Ciclovia (Sunday Streets) in San Francisco in 2010. Hundreds of DF bikes; but only 1 velomobile, 1 SWB bent.
I hate to sound pessimistic about vehicles I love and ride. The recumbent industries seem to have more ups and down with no sensational spurts. Location may help.