Recumbent - Any Bent Riders also Diamond Riders?

I know that I seem to have more questions than sense, but since everything costs twice as much, we have to approach everything new very circumspectly. This was never more true than when we jumped out of an airplane last year!

Anyhoo, we are currently putting about 50 miles/week on the road bikes, putting some time in on an indoor trainer, and doing the occasional single track on the MTBs. In considering getting bent, we are both concerned that it might be an all or nothing decision - we already understand that we have to plan for both of us to be on the same kind of bikes.

As a bent rider, do you ever ride a diamond frame? either road or MTB? If so, do you find any difficulty in the switch or in maintaining conditioning?

Thanks again,
Fran & Nanette

I ride all sorts of bikes; recumbents, road bikes, small wheeled bikes, folding bikes, MTBs. I do find that if I haven't ridden a diamond frame for a while that it takes my shoulders, arms and legs a couple of rides to adjust back. If I haven't ridden a recumbent for a while I find that again it takes a bit of time to get used to riding the bent again.

BTW, by while I mean in the vicinity of a month or so.

Would you be using the recumbents to replace the road bikes or tour or use them as a complement to your existing bikes?

Would you be using the recumbents to replace the road bikes or tour or use them as a complement to your existing bikes?

At this point, we're hoping to just add them to the stable. Depending on our experience, they might become our main rides. However, as long as we are able, we intend to ride MTBs.

I bought a recumbent planning on using it as my main bike, but after a couple of years, I've found i use my road bike as my primary bike, and use my recumbent as a secondary bike. I do like having both though. Especially when my butt gets sore from riding my road bike.

I will say though that I find that unless i ride my recumbent almost exclusively (which I only did one summer), it really burns my quads riding it at even a slow pace, meaning there's no way I can get an aerobic workout on it. I still like it though.

As a bent rider, do you ever ride a diamond frame? either road or MTB? If so, do you find any difficulty in the switch or in maintaining conditioning?


No problem for me- I have 5 uprights and 2 'bents. I switch back & forth all the time. The uprights tend to be used for short rides, the recumbents for longer ones. However, several of the uprights aren't getting used much, so I'm selling them.

My experience was pretty common. I bought a first 'bent used to save money. Soon, the road bike was gathering dust in the basement. About 3 years later, I finally got around to selling it to a co-worker, who is happily using it to this day. In the meantime, I've acquired several more 'bents. The one upright I own is a hybrid that I used to commute with; I use it in the winter, when the roads are snowy or icy.

I ride both a mtb and a bent and I haven't noticed too much difference going between them, except that I hadn't been on the bent because of the winter months, so I haven't really taken too long of a ride with it yet. But for riding around town it doesn't seem to matter which one I use, depending on which one I want to drag back up the steps to the apartment when i'm done riding...

Shaggy

Yes. Currently 5 bikes. Two tilting trikes, one of which is a low racer, SWB and DF longtail both with cargo wings and FS MTB.

Each bike has it's purpose. The SWB and DF longtail both have integral racks and lower cargo wings so if I know I have to pack, I'll run one of those. The longtail has the edge since it can carry about double the SWB, which itself can carry at least 2 moving boxes of stuff. The MTB gets little use now that I am in a place without mountains, but I keep it because winter here can sometimes require the control that only full suspension and upright handling skills can deal with. One of the tilting trikes I keep for posterity as it once belonged to my mentor. The newer one is the one I ride most of the time when the weather is good. It has an easy to remove rear rack which I found out is both big and strong enough to carry a medium toolbox when I volunteered for a local community bike tune-up session.

:)ensen.

I ride crank forwards... not bents'. But I find I prefer them to my DF frame bikes. They're just fun!

Hello Fran & Nanette.

Unless you want to maximize your DF or MTN skills and fitness, I don't see it as exactly an all of nothing question. Though almost all my miles are recumbent, put me on a single track and I want to be on a mountain bike. I'm not anywhere near as good as if I rode single track on a DF all the time, but plenty good enough to have great fun.

Road riding for me is a bit different. Last summer I had the loan of a great road bike that fit me perfectly and was so light it wanted to climb hills on its own. I enjoyed riding it, but rather quickly discovered that riding a recumbent does nothing for one's upper body flexibility or ability to cope with a saddle. I have been fair spoiled by recumbents.

Your note seems to assume that one of you riding a DF and the other a recumbent would not work well. That's not been my experience. Unless you are dedicated to riding in a tight two person paceline you find no problem in starting with one recumbent. I often ride with DFs with no problem whatsoever. Type differences do require a bit of adjustment here and there, but nothing unpleasant.

Best wishes for a great riding season.

I commute on a recumbent and on the weekend, my Hard Rock is my utility bike.

I have both, but not too long after I started riding my recumbent I couldn't find a good reason to abuse my butt, back, wrists, and neck on my DFs. I still like them so I keep them, but if I had to choose, the DFs would have to leave. The trike's more fun and more comfortable and, at this point in my life, I don't have anything to prove to anybody.

Thanks to all for your input. I think that when Catrike gets the smaller frame Musashi to market, we'll buy one and go from there.
Fran & Nanette

I rode both until I had foot surgery, when it was likely my tri days were over, so I sold the racer. I just bought a single speed bike and am loving it.

I got a v-rex over the winter. Yesterday I was riding my DF to the library and found myself wishing I was on my bent. I like my DF for dirt and off road, otherwise I ride the bent.

After riding my new LWB bent last season, it immediately felt strange after that to be on a DF. Seemed like I was peddling behind myself, and the height from the road was rather disorienting. But during the colder season I leave my bent up in the country, and just ride my hybrid down here in the city-- a LWB would be impossible in NYC traffic. But the moment I am back on my bent I am comfortable. Still I like to ride my old country DF just to stand on the pedals every now and then and get that late afternoon rush. For some reason, I really enjoy riding the bent at night, watching the meteors streak by, knowing that if I go off the road in the dark I don't have far to fall. :)

i sold my mtb to finance my lowracer build, and stripped down my road bike for parts, lol !
but i still have two tall bikes...does that count ? !

I ride Road, XC MTB and a recumebent tandem. No problems at all switching.

I ride all sorts of bikes; recumbents, road bikes, small wheeled bikes, folding bikes, MTBs. I do find that if I haven't ridden a diamond frame for a while that it takes my shoulders, arms and legs a couple of rides to adjust back. If I haven't ridden a recumbent for a while I find that again it takes a bit of time to get used to riding the bent again.

+1 I love all kinds of cycling.

Ciao,
O^o

I just got my Slipstream this weekend. I already have two DF bikes (touring and road). I plan on riding them all regularly using available time as a driving factor. If I want to go for a long day trip I will use the Slipstream. If it's a weekday and I only have a couple hours of daylight or just want to take a quick spin I take the road bike (it's carbon fibre). My touring DF is more like a hybrid so I can use that when I go where the roads are rough. It has an aluminum frame and I have found bumps can wear on you. It now has a hydraulic seat post to soften the ride. I switched both my DF bike saddles to Brooks so I know I won't have any sore butt or chafing issues (I wear regular clothes while riding). I had a Motobecane years ago (a real Motobecane) which came with a Brooks seat. I didn't know squat about bikes back then; I just wanted the best bike in the store. I later learned the reason I never had problems with soreness was due to the Brooks. I rode that bike for 20 years so I can attest to the Brooks reputation.

Sold my last road bike when I realized that the Warfarin wasn't going to ease up on causing problems at the spot that I sit on an upright seat.

I ride my flatbar commuter bikes, MTB, and recumbents. I like having the full spectrum of the riding experience. On one end, there's cross country and downhill MTB riding where paying sharp attention to terrain and using your whole body is critical; on the other, there's the recumbent, where the bike almost pilots itself and the miles and scenery seem to flow by. DFs are somewhere in the middle.

For those of you who switch back and forth between a DF and a bent, how does your average speed compare? Perhaps a better way to ask the question would be to ask if a person on a fast bent would be able to keep up with riders on fast DF's assuming they are of equal strength?

For those of you who switch back and forth between a DF and a bent, how does your average speed compare? Perhaps a better way to ask the question would be to ask if a person on a fast bent would be able to keep up with riders on fast DF's assuming they are of equal strength?

Depending on the recumbent, I would say that they can be comparable or even slighter faster. For a few months last year, I used a road bike for a couple days and then road the recumbent (Rans V3) for a couple days. I don't think that the Rans V3 is the fastest recumbent but I was able to get slighter higher average speeds than on a road bike or relatively flat terrain.

Depending on the recumbent, I would say that they can be comparable or even slighter faster. For a few months last year, I used a road bike for a couple days and then road the recumbent (Rans V3) for a couple days. I don't think that the Rans V3 is the fastest recumbent but I was able to get slighter higher average speeds than on a road bike or relatively flat terrain.


Thanks for the info. That's just the sort of comparison I was interested in.

Some people mentioned riding upright bikes during the winter. I'm curious as to why. I thought the recumbent would be better on slippery roads--when you fall, you don't fall headfirst as you would on an upright bike. Is there a reason you prefer the upright bike during the winter?

I've seen the question of speed on a recumbent vs speed on a DF bike made many times on www.bentrideronline.com where the recumbent group is much larger than here. Most people answer that they are at least a few mph slower on the recumbent than on a DF, particularly when compared to a lighter weight road bike rather than a MTB. That said, most would also admit that they ride the recumbent much more than they do the DF bike if both are available.

I've seen the question of speed on a recumbent vs speed on a DF bike made many times on www.bentrideronline.com where the recumbent group is much larger than here. Most people answer that they are at least a few mph slower on the recumbent than on a DF, particularly when compared to a lighter weight road bike rather than a MTB. That said, most would also admit that they ride the recumbent much more than they do the DF bike if both are available.

I am riding faster 'bent than I was upright.

I am riding faster 'bent than I was upright.

What kind of bent and what kind of diamond frame are we comparing?

What kind of bent and what kind of diamond frame are we comparing?

I rode 25 miles at 16.5mph on a LWB RANS V3 today and yesterday rode 30 miles at 13.5mph on a KHS flat bar tandem. How's that for some random anecdotal data? Lots and lots of variables around why one would be faster (or slower) on a recumbent.
Most of my riding for ten plus years prior to taking up recumbents was on flat bar hybrids.

I rode df's exclusively for 40+ years, then 'bents pretty much exclusively for 3 years and now I'm back to both. While the df is fun in its own way, it's definitely slower than the 'bent (Kogswell P/R rando bike vs ActionBent Midracer), makes me sweat more, and causes more aches and pains riding the distances I like to do (200 - 1200k brevets and randonnees). The df works my upper body more than the 'bent, and training on the df improves my power output on the 'bent - 'splain me that one!
For you nordic skiers, it's kinda like classic and skate: they're quite different, but each one helps me do better at the other.

Gotta say, tho', that the 'bent is just plain more fun, more comfortable, and the heads up position keeps me in better touch with my surroundings. If I had to choose just one, I know which it'd be...

SP
Bend, OR

I'm significantly faster on my bents than I was on my uprights. Former road bike vs highracer or lowracer. (Fair comparison, racing bike vs racing bike.) But I refuse to take my nice bents out in winter for two reasons: 1) It's easier to keep the 'rubber down' in icy conditions with an upright. There are several reasons that I won't go into right now. 2) If I'm going to get salt and crud on a bike, it'll be on the cheap-to-replace upright, not the more expensive 'bents.

My Raleigh folder and mountain bike when I am not on one of my bents. No problems going both ways. :)

Some people mentioned riding upright bikes during the winter. I'm curious as to why. I thought the recumbent would be better on slippery roads--when you fall, you don't fall headfirst as you would on an upright bike. Is there a reason you prefer the upright bike during the winter?

That's pretty much what I was planning to do this winter. I'm going to use my upright when there's snow/ice on the roads because that's the one that has studded snow tires. If the roads are clear, I'll use my recumbent. I'm not sure as to why other people would use an upright over a bent in the winter.

Some people mentioned riding upright bikes during the winter. I'm curious as to why. I thought the recumbent would be better on slippery roads--when you fall, you don't fall headfirst as you would on an upright bike. Is there a reason you prefer the upright bike during the winter?

I have two reasons:

1st...I can throw my weight around a lot more and much easier on my Mountain Bike than I can on my recumbents which helps me to maintain my balance (physically not mentally) on icy roads. Ice and the ruts that form in the ice can be very challenging to ride over.

2nd...It's not feasable for me to clean the road salt and other crud from my bike after every ride, or very often at all fo that matter. I don't want to subject my beloved 'bents to that kind of neglect and abuse. I also commut on my Mountain Bike in wet rainy weather to be kind to my 'bents..

I ride both.I use the recumbent for cross country and the MTB for sidewalks and short rides also off road.My recomebent is a long wheel base with High PSI tires so no good off the hard road serface and can be to long on narrow side walks when turning.

I ride both. have a single speed flat bar bike and a specialized roubaix. Still monumentally faster and more comfy on the bents, especially after 50 miles. Still love the bents more, but like the zippiness and the ability to do tris on the uprights.

i sold my mtb to finace the building of my lowracer, lol !

but i do ride a double-diamond.....my tall bike !

I ride both, however at the moment seem to favor my DF. When going back to my bent it does seem to take a short time to regain my handling skills at slower speeds.

Hi Fran and Nannette,

I ride an ICE QNT Trike and Jannie rides a TREK road racing bike when we go out together. I also have a TREK street bike and Jannie has a TREK MTB. Yes if TREK ever make a recumbent I will buy one as they are bomb proof bikes, in my experience.

I think riding different types of bikes is good excercise for you. You certainly need different muscle groups to ride a recumbent but they come quite quicky.

If I had to keep only one bike I would keep my ICE Trike it is great to ride....especially if you are over 50 like me and don`t go out to break world records.

Steve

I do ride both but I find my diamond frames sitting more and more as I get older.My butt has got spoiled to that big seat and back rest.:lol::rolleyes:I ride a ES Sport AX.

Yes if TREK ever make a recumbent I will buy one as they are bomb proof bikes, in my experience.


Trek did make a recumbent and it tanked.

http://www.bicycleman.com/recumbents/recumbent-manufacturers-out-of-business/trek/trek.htm

That is when they must have had the BMW designers in. Practical but ugly. I am not suprised that thing tanked.

Steve

Yep. I ride a Sun EZ-3 USX HD trike for any long distance riding and my Trek 7200 hybrid for any quick trips and for racing and such.

That is when they must have had the BMW designers in. Practical but ugly. I am not suprised that thing tanked.

Steve

It tanked because it was a tank. I sold a Lightning Phantom to a guy that had one. The Phantom was half the weight of his Trek.

Those of us who were around for the R-200 could see disaster looming, although we all held out hope that TREK would come around. First, they decided it would be dual-suspension, because of course that would make a bike comfy, right? And 'bents are all about comfort! They also wanted to use aluminum, because at the time, they had their corporate identity tied up in Al. And monotube, because that lowered production costs but required a huge diameter. From there, they decided on a level top tube/main tube. Compact framesets weren't popular yet, and the sloping tube looked funny to the sensibilities. But that raised the seat. So they had to lose the front suspension. What they ended up with looked sort of like a RANS Rocket, but with rear suspension. Rockets were under a thou, the TREK would be $1600; so to give them a special feature, they incorporated a mid-drive. Now they could claim 40 gears; that's sure to be a fast bike, right? Interestingly, the $1600 price was announced before the front suspension was lost, but losing that feature did not decrease the MSRP of the final product.

In spite of the $1600 price tag for a heavy, tall, not-very-fast SWB, they sold quite a few just on their name alone. They had a few initial problems with shifting in the first year, but they got it figured out and things were going well. Until in the second year of production when the guy heading up the project had the audacity to croak. With no other support for a recumbent from within the company, they immediately dropped it, leaving all those dealers (you know, all the TREK shops who were required to put one R-200 on the floor as part of their licensing agreement) in a lurch.

In chapter 2, 'Super Dave' At Vally Bikes bought out the plant's remaining inventory and wholesaled them. They went like proverbial hotcakes. You could get one in an unopened factory box for $600, which of course made all the dealer inventories worthless. Dealers sued TREK, but AFAIK Dave's contract allowed it. BIG mess, and it's almost a given that TREK was burned badly enough that they won't be re-entering the recumbent market anytime soon.

I ride either DF's or 'bents depending on circumstances. If riding with a group of DF's, a hilly route or where slow maneuverability is required I will go DF. If the hills are less than 6-8% and I need to get somewhere in a hurry, it's the 'bent.