Recumbent - Foul weather riding?

Okay, 'bents don't play well in the snow and ice. Well, some trikes would be fine...

But for the normal, non-frozen types of precipitation, do you guys make it just fine?

I've been kicking around the idea of trying out recumbents for a while now, it's just finances wouldn't allow. But now that the household is down to one vehicle, I'm going to buy something a bit more appropriate for my commute. Right now, I'm lusting after a DF that is steel, with a belt drive, IGH, and has disc brakes. Only thing is, for that kind of money, I could buy something like a V-Rex...

Can't go wrong with a V-Rex. When I ride to work, it's on my Rex. I try not to ride any bike when things are wet, but have ridden home from work on occasion in the rain with no problems other than wet. I keep a rear fender on all the time and a front fender when there is any chance of rain.

I live in the Seattle area so if I choose not to ride in foul weather, I would end up not riding that much at all. My Giro 20 is my all purpose, urban-assault commuter bike. When purchasing it, I had it upgraded with disc brakes, Primo kevlar tires and fenders. I litterally ride everywhere with it!

When I used to ride a DF bike, I was less inclined to ride in foul weather because that would just add an additional element of misery to my bike riding experience. So I tended to not ride as much due to this aspect. Now that I have switched to a a recumbent, riding in rainy and cold weather doesn't faze me because I'm not in pain and better able to put up with other less pleseant elements of my riding experience.

Rain and wet roads do not bother me at all. In fact I feel safer on my recumbent than on my old DF because I have a lower center of gravity, I'm able to put my feet down to help stablize myself if I need to, and flipping over the handle bars is near impossible. Also add the fact because I look so strange on the road, other moterists are more inclined to give me more room when passing me than when I had my DF.

Honestly I would give the V-Rex a try opposed to steel IGH rig your considering, you would very well find yourself favoring it to any DF bike you already have.

You just need a couple of little things to pedal through foul weather.

(1) fenders
(2) raincoat w/ hood (I keep one stowed on my bike)
(3) Marmot wicking underwear (the fabric wicks sweat away from your body so if you sweat in cold weather the sweat disappears into the fabric rather than stay on your skin and cause hypothermia
(4) warm gloves and vinyl gloves to put inside them in case it rains torrential downpours
(5) rain pants (to keep your legs dry from rain as well as from sweat)

Check out this thread about raingear for use on recumbents: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?666353-Rain-gear-for-recumbents

I do find it a bit more uncomfortable on a bent in heavy rain than on a DF bike - as head position is tilted up to the sky vs down towards the road.

So, riding a bent in the rain can be done with the right gear and attitude. What about in high wind situations? We had 20-30 mph out of the North today, which meant I was battling cross and quartering winds most of my ride.

I might be a little crazy, but I actually enjoy riding in the rain. I got soaked this morning today commuting to school on my trike, but it was a blast. I was wearing rain gear and had a nice, dry change of clothes that I changed into when I got to campus. I'd personally much rather ride in the rain than drive my car in it.

So I made it a point to go to the nearest LBS that specializes in 'bents. He had a used Volae and a new Sun SWB, the rest were either trikes or LWB. Just from the seating position, the more upright stance of a LWB would minimize rain in the face. But the trike was just sooo comfy to sit in...

So, riding a bent in the rain can be done with the right gear and attitude. What about in high wind situations? We had 20-30 mph out of the North today, which meant I was battling cross and quartering winds most of my ride.

You just struggle. Some people can be happy with the constant adjustments high winds require, some it reduces to blithering mush. A couple friends of mine toured through Washington and Oregon last June & July, sometimes battling 30 to 40 mph winds. They had to cut some days short, but they completed their journey. FWIW: they're both grandparents, nearly retired, and they ride socked Fold Rushes.

I was out today in slush and ice on my EZ3 here in Anchorage. It was fun except got a little rooster tail spray off the rear wheels which I could put fenders on, but my rain coat handled it well and soon that spray will be frozen! I was thinking about putting a fairing back on it and maybe a body stocking. I put a studded tire on the drive wheel yesterday and that cut down on my three wheel slides around corners! I have a pair of sunglasses with interchangeable lens so I can put in a clear lens and have eye protection against snow and rain. It's a little more work then my tour easy but I enjoy the stability during this transistion to full blown winter. I've been riding my two wheel recumbents all summer so hadn't ridden the EZ3 in awhile and I must say it's been great fun on the ice and wet. Understandably I feel very confident. I have lights and a flag as well. Would definately recommend the bent over the diamond!! I have loaned some of my friends who were torn between the two my trusty old low back 7 speed Bike E to get comfortable with the bent twitch. After a couple of weeks they were able to relax and enjpy the comfort and ready to plunk down the money for their own bent. I had a friend buy a beautiful Cannondale Bent II off of Craigslist here in Anchorage last month and he is quite happy. Like me, it's his major transportation.

I ride a trike, and living near the west coast of the Netherlands, rain and wind are a given.
As my trike is my main or even only transport, I ride it in every kind of weather.
While I prefer to ride in nice sunshine, I will not be held back by rain.
Fleece and rain jacket instead of a wintercoat, it hardly ever gets below freezing point here, but I have not used my rain trousers in a long time.

Last winter we had a decent amount of snow, loved it with the trike, while I used to hate all slippery roads on my uprights, up tp the point of walking half the 5 km commute on the worst days.

So riding through the rain sounds pretty much like a non-issue. What about through standing water or the stuff headed for the storm drains? I'd imagine that the trikes would have the better traction, but the low seating position looks like one's rump could get more than a little wet...

Personally, I prefer uprights in the rain. On my recumbents, rain pools at my chest, lap, and elbows. On the plus side, having a high bottom bracket means my feet don't get wet as quickly, but sooner or later they still get wet. On a tadpole trike, I would expect my seat to get wet from front wheel spray, even if using fenders. It might be sacrilege to say on this forum, but as much as I like my V-Rex, the belt drive bike might have more utility.

And I have another question that is somewhat weather related- regarding headwinds. 'Bents are supposedly more aero, even without a fairing, right?

What about the effect on tadpoles, given their much wider profile? Battling 20+mph headwinds almost daily for 2 weeks on my flat barred DF is starting to get a little tiresome.

The nice thing about being closer to the ground is that the wind is not as bad.

That said, when I have done rides in strong headwinds on my MetaPhysic hiracer, I sure had an easier time of it than the DF riders with me.

And the nice thing about the hiracers with a high bottom bracket that I have had a chance to ride in the rain is that the hardshell seat catches the water flying off the back wheel, and the water flying off the front wheel hits the bike, not me. Not sure how the V-Rex would compare.