Road Cycling - Modern Road bike speed vs. Recumbent bike speed?

Modern high end road bikes are weight about 15 to 17lbs. However, I do not see recumbent bikes are weighted even close to high end road bikes.

The long drive chain, the heavy chair and the long and oversized main tube are all increasing weight. I am starting to think that lighten a recumbent bike is nearly impossible.

Most people thought recumbent bike is faster since it is more aerodynamic but I think that it is already old school thought.

Moreover, riding a recumbent bike is not as efficient as a road bike because a rider need to lift up both leg, plus he cannot use his body weight to help pedalling when going uphill.

On flat ground the recumbent will be faster due to aerodynamics. Get over it.

Air resistance increases with the square of velocity. If you double the speed you quadruple the resistance. Cutting air resistance is THE ONLY way to go very fast.

There are some low racers out there in the 8Kg weight range. It took me a couple of seconds of searching to find an 8.5kg M5 lowracer.
On the flat and down hill the recumbents have a substatial advantage but up hill they suck big time, although it apears some of the newer ultra light weights are improving the hill situation.
Actually on a road bike you have to lift up both legs (one after the other) on a recumbent you push and pull horizontally so you don't have to lift up your legs assuming you clip in.

even if the weights and riders where identical, a rider on a standard road bike will out-climb the 'bent (assuming the climbing speed is low enough to rule out the 'bent's aero advantage) because you can't stand use your legs against your arms on a 'bent.

I have been on a ride where a guy on a ti 'bent came to a stop and fell over trying to climb a steep grade.

Modern high end road bikes are weight about 15 to 17lbs. However, I do not see recumbent bikes are weighted even close to high end road bikes.

The long drive chain, the heavy chair and the long and oversized main tube are all increasing weight. I am starting to think that lighten a recumbent bike is nearly impossible.

Most people thought recumbent bike is faster since it is more aerodynamic but I think that it is already old school thought.

Moreover, riding a recumbent bike is not as efficient as a road bike because a rider need to lift up both leg, plus he cannot use his body weight to help pedalling when going uphill.

I ride and build a lot of my recumbents. I have been riding bicycles for over 60 years. I ride a recumbent because I like to enjoy long slow country rides. If I can not climb a hill I get off and walk my recumbent.

After building many recumbents I can tell you that a recumbent will never be light like the one that Lance Armstrong fellow rides. It is impossible to weld a frame and make it light to support the weight of a fellow who has his feet stretched out in front and his back and head stretched out in back of the frame. Recumbents will always be heavy compared to the fancy new regular bicycles in carbon fiber.

It is true that a recumbent is not efficient like a regular bicycle for riding. When sitting down I can not jump over a pot hole, RR tracks, rocks or glass on the road. I will get off my recumbent and walk. I do not want a flat and I am not racing at my age so I am in no hurry.

I enjoy riding my homebuilt recumbents and I go slow and laugh a lot. I have been building my own since 1980. Lately I see very bad attitudes by young recumbent riders. They call me names when they I tell them I walk my recumbent up a hill. Some of them brag about racing their recumbent against regular bicycle riders who do not know they are challenged to race. Those foolish people pretend they are racing at century rides with children and families on tour. Ridiculous.

I say if they want to race they should race their friends at an organized recumbent race.

If you see a recumbent rider posting about how fast they are compared to regular bicycle riders or how they "smoke" roadies with their expensive "low race" recumbent I say do not get mad just laugh about them and their behavior. Youngsters with bad attitudes like that are ruining it for everyone who rides a bicycle or recumbent.

The fastest bicycle riders will always be the riders who train to race regular bicycles. There are no recumbent riders who train for the Olympics like Fred Markam or Sam Whittingham from Canada. Those athletes race recumbents called streamliners that are very fast but not practical for everyday use. Sam has to be duct taped into the streamliner shell by a support crew when he races.

Recumbents will always be slow bicycles and fun for folks like me who like to ride slow, walk up hills, smell the roses and laugh. A poll at a recumbent forum says that most recumbent rider are 45-55 years old. Not many young people want to ride recumbents or know how to build one.


Wave Hi when you see me walking my recumbent up a hill.

Spuds

If I can not climb a hill I get off and walk my recumbent.

I will get off my recumbent and walk. I do not want a flat and I am not racing at my age so I am in no hurry.

Recumbents will always be slow bicycles and fun for folks like me who like to ride slow, walk up hills, smell the roses and laugh.
Wave Hi when you see me walking my recumbent up a hill.

Spuds

Hey Spuds, with as much walking as you do, wouldn't it be easier to just start off walking? That way you wouldn't have to push that heavy ole bike... Ha!

I don't know about you but if I had a recumbent I think I would still want to ride fast, and I bet it wouldn't let me down.

The long chain still creeps me out. There has to be a better way.

Hey Spuds, with as much walking as you do, wouldn't it be easier to just start off walking? That way you wouldn't have to push that heavy ole bike... Ha!

I'm no longer am one of those young whipper snappers I use to be. Some of those old war injuries caught up to me so I walk up hills and drag up my homebuilt recumbent. It weighs about 40 pounds and was welded from throw away bicycles. I hear some of the race recumbents from Belgium weigh 20 pounds including some of the fancy expensive carbon fiber "low race" styles. But they still climb slow with the legs in front of the rider.

Man was not built for bicycle climbing a hill sitting down with legs in front. That is why the regular bicycle works the best climbing hills and mountains.

I see there is a young 50 year old fellow out in CA who rode a recumbent up hills in a 24 hour race and came in 2nd place. A 30 year old youngster beat him on a regular bicycle by a few minutes. Jim Kerr is the recumbent fellow and the only rider in the USA who can ride a recumbent like that. Most everyone else on a recumbent is slow and has a hard time climbing hills. If they say they are fast climbing a hill on a recumbent they are telling make believe stories.

I just keep smiling and tooting along with my recumbent. Walking up hills and smelling the roses in the recumbent lifestyle.

Enjoy the roads,
Spuds

recumbent...

why????

recumbent...

why????

i ask the same thing when i see so many people driving SUV's or cadillacs.
if you don't ride what you like, you aren't going to like riding. right..?

I guess, I just don't like it when people get all ideological about their bikes.

I hate it when people start spoutin' off about why their way is better.

I like Spuds' outlook.

Why?

21lbs. of titanium and carbon comfort...

http://www.barnardesign.com/aero.jpg

I ride with a bunch of roadies in a club, so even though I ride a recumbent, I read this road cycling forum.

If recumbents weren't fast, they never would have gotten banned from UCI sanctioned races. A quick search on the history of recumbents will confirm that: http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/~tlinden/winforb.html

It does take more dollars to get a lightweight recumbent. And, the fact that I'm slower up hills, but out-coast everyone else downhill, makes it a bit tough to fit in on club rides. However, for some folks like me with back problems, bents are the only possible ride, so I've gladly become my club's token geek bent rider. :)

I guess, I just don't like it when people get all ideological about their bikes.

I hate it when people start spoutin' off about why their way is better.

I like Spuds' outlook.

Ziggurat,
We are all in the cycling brotherhood. Unfortunatley some sassy recumbent folks foolishly boast about "smoking roadies" on recumbents. The bicycle riders they "smoke" are not aware they are in a race. Some of these rude youngsters need a good lesson or two from real bicycle racers.

When you pass me walking up a hill with my recument I will wave and smile.
Spuds
___________________________________________________________

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=7750

"So, he took a shortcut to save face. About a mile later, here he comes behind me as I'm waiting for a light. He slinks away down a side street and I never see him again. Ha ha ha! I really smoked him, didn't I!
Diane"

"Smoked a roadie!
Cool - you mentioned before that you'd like to do that, now you have. Chalk one up! Good job.
John Yount"

"Smoke 'em if ya got 'em
The first of many! Congrats on a the start of a promising career.
John Foltz aka Blazing Pedals"

"Diane, congrats, and keep on smokin' 'em.
Tim"

"Great job Diane! Really love the part about the failed shortcut!
I'm_Bent"

"WooHoo! Good one! Keep up the good work. Now we can see where you've been by the trail of exhausted DF'ers laying by the road side. Congrats.
Bent Brian"

"Diane when you start dropping them on the uphills and let them catch up on the downhills, be sure to let us know. Now THAT'S really fun.
-John Strada Aero"

"That is so cool! It is time for you to put a notch in the crank arm!
Bentcruiser
Derek
Burley Canto"

I see there is a young 50 year old fellow out in CA who rode a recumbent up hills in a 24 hour race and came in 2nd place. A 30 year old youngster beat him on a regular bicycle by a few minutes. Jim Kerr is the recumbent fellow and the only rider in the USA who can ride a recumbent like that.

One other fast "young fellow" on a recumbent is 47-year old John Schlitter (on the Bacchetta Aero in the post above). John Took first place and set a new course record (6:34:10) in the 167 mile Bike Across Florida last year (not many hills though) ;) .

AB

John Schlitter is a fine young man. I never see sassy words by posted by John Schlitter anywhere. John Schlitter can teach a lesson or two or three about winning and racing to some of those recumbent people who only brag about "smoking roadies".

Spuds



One other fast "young fellow" on a recumbent is 47-year old John Schlitter (on the Bacchetta Aero in the post above). John Took first place and set a new course record (6:34:10) in the 167 mile Bike Across Florida last year (not many hills though) ;) .

AB

I believe my lowracer is a secret weapon in the same way the English longbow was in medieval times. The French could see how a longbow worked, but didn't believe it was a superior weapon even as it was decimating their soldiers from beyond crossbow range. In the same way, I can destroy the fast guys in my club who used to dump me without so much as a second thought. They can see that I have almost no frontal area, they comment that there's no draft behind me, but when I wail on them in a sprint, they think it's because I'm Superman(tm). Even when I tell them, "it's the bike," they don't believe me!

Even my bike has disadvantages, which is another way of saying, "it's not for everyone." Along with way more speed than the average recumbent, mine has what might be euphemistically called, 'advanced handling characteristics.' And the different speed profile makes it hard to ride WITH my friends on uprights. But I'm willing to live with the 'downs' because overall I love riding it so much. Bikes exist in all their variety because we're all different. Enjoy what you ride, respect others' choice of machines.

I see there is a young 50 year old fellow out in CA who rode a recumbent up hills in a 24 hour race and came in 2nd place. Actually, it was pretty darn flat compared to the roads he normally rides. He calls the ones at Sebring, "rolling hills".

Does riding a bent work the same muscles as riding an upright bike?

Just wondering since you are in a different position, maybe it uses you're glutes more or something.

Anyway, the general conclusion I have come to after reading articles about bents vs "conventional" bikes is that bents are faster on flats and downhill while traditional bikes are faster up hills.

Spuds, I have met a few of those young bent riders who think they can "smoke" me just because I'm on a regular bike. I do agree that they need to go out and ride agasint someone who is actually prepared to race. Blowing by me while I'm riding my mtb with my 5yo sister yelling "sucker!" is not the most prestigious race to win:rolleyes:

I can destroy the fast guys in my club who used to dump me without so much as a second thought....

More foolish talk from a recumbent rider. "Destroy the fast guys", "Smoke roadies". Nothing but big talk. Can you destroy fellow recumbent riders at a Human Powered Vehicle race with other participants riding the same low race bicycle?

If so let us all see how much "smoking and destroying" you can do racing recumbent folks at an organized Human Powered Vehicle race. I bet a roll of duct tape you will be the one who gets "smoked".

Spuds
Walking my homemade recumbent up hills and smiling all the way.

all this talk of 'bents....

I may have to get one;)

I switched to recumbents due to a neck injury. I'm glad there are many choices available in recumbents today. I enjoyed light, responsive DF road bikes for many years (still own one), and now I enjoy a light, responsive recumbent. It's all good...

What does "DF" mean?

is it diamond frame?

To "counteract" my earlier post about the rude 'bent riders, there are many more nice 'bent riders around here than rude ones. There is one group of older guys I see almost every morning on my way to school. They all wave and say hello to me even though I'm just a kid on a mtb going to school.

I'm sure the majority of 'bent riders are nice. But it's the few rude ones that get stuck in you're mind.

What does "DF" mean?

is it diamond frame?

To "counteract" my earlier post about the rude 'bent riders, there are many more nice 'bent riders around here than rude ones. There is one group of older guys I see almost every morning on my way to school. They all wave and say hello to me even though I'm just a kid on a mtb going to school.

I'm sure the majority of 'bent riders are nice. But it's the few rude ones that get stuck in you're mind.

Yes, diamond frame.

The other side of this coin are the individuals on DFs that criticize recumbent riders as "freaks", "old guys on lounge chairs", etc, etc. Unfortunately I don't think any particular class of bike rider has a monopoly on rudeness... :rolleyes:

Personally, I've never ridden a 'bent but would really like to try one out. They look like a lot of fun.

When I see them I can't get the thought out of my head of not being noticed out on the road by cars. With the low profile of a recumbent, it just seems they would be less visible. Anyone who rides a 'bent find this to be the case?

Reading posts by folks like Spuds really gets me fired up about a life of cycling. No matter what type of bike you want to ride, just keep pedaling. Gotta love it!

When I see them I can't get the thought out of my head of not being noticed out on the road by cars. With the low profile of a recumbent, it just seems they would be less visible. Anyone who rides a 'bent find this to be the case?

No, visibility is not a problem. In fact, the oddity factor seems to enhance visibility.

BTW, Spuds is a well known troll and should be taken with a grain of salt.

-Dennis

No, visibility is not a problem. In fact, the oddity factor seems to enhance visibility.

BTW, Spuds is a well known troll and should be taken with a grain of salt.

-Dennis

I am sad that another youngster is calling me names. Do you also laugh at me when you see me walking my recumbent up a hill?

I bet Johnny Schlitter will never laugh or say mean things to harmless old folks who have to ride and walk for exercise.

Next ride you better eat some salt. If you do not you will be cramping up and falling over and then someone like me Spuds McDoogle will have to help you to the emergency room.

Walking up hills and smelling the roses in the recumbent lifestyle.
Spuds

I believe my lowracer is a secret weapon in the same way the English longbow was in medieval times.

Awesome :p

How much faster on flat ground is a low racer compared to a road bike? I'm guessing maybe 4-5 mph better for average speed.

Awesome :p

How much faster on flat ground is a low racer compared to a road bike? I'm guessing maybe 4-5 mph better for average speed.

Not much faster. 4-5 mph faster on a recumbent? Maybe going down a hill but not on a ride with lots of hills and flats. Any bicycle rider will be fast on any regular bicycle or recumbent if they train and race with dedication. Simply buying a recumbent will not make a rider fast. I know of some ride reports on the internet about a group of recumbent riders that raced against regular bicycle riders. Only two recumbent riders were faster than all of the regular bicycle riders. One of them was a recumbent racing champion and the other raced a recumbent that was called a streamliner. All of the others benters were slowpokes on recumbents.

A lot of recumbent riders pretend that they are faster than regular bicycle racers. Be cautious when someone post a message saying they ride a recumbent and they are faster than CAT 1/2 regular bicycle racers. There are only a small handful of recumbent riders in North America who are fast with race records to prove it. They are outstanding people. Most of the other so called "fast" riders are spinning tall tales about recumbent speed.

Heavy recumbents like the one I built will have to be walked up hills. I like to ride, walk and smell the roses.

Spuds

Aerodynamics the recumbent definitely has the advantage.


But then I take a look at other things?

1. Small diameter tires.....increased rolling resistance
2. Biomechanics....don't know enough to comment except you can't stand during sprint to use your bodyweight as an advantage
3. Gearing? Probably need really big chainrings to make those 20" tires work. Dare I say 60-11?
4. Drivetrain efficiency.....can't be better than a road bike with all that chain

I think spuds likes to ride, walk and smell the roses.....

Modern high end road bikes are weight about 15 to 17lbs. However, I do not see recumbent bikes are weighted even close to high end road bikes.

The long drive chain, the heavy chair and the long and oversized main tube are all increasing weight. I am starting to think that lighten a recumbent bike is nearly impossible.

Most people thought recumbent bike is faster since it is more aerodynamic but I think that it is already old school thought.

Moreover, riding a recumbent bike is not as efficient as a road bike because a rider need to lift up both leg, plus he cannot use his body weight to help pedalling when going uphill.

http://groups.msn.com/BicyclingForumPicPost/trainingsetuppics.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=6996

19.8 lbs with a heavy rotor crank and a hed3 rear wheel. Throw on a lightweight crank and rear wheel then there ya go. close to 17lbs. And yes it is fast. 4 :13 solo nonstop century with 3 (1 mile) 8% climbs.

I think spuds likes to ride, walk and smell the roses.....

he likes eating PBJ sandwhiches too. (read some of his posts)

Aerodynamics the recumbent definitely has the advantage.


But then I take a look at other things?

1. Small diameter tires.....increased rolling resistance
2. Biomechanics....don't know enough to comment except you can't stand during sprint to use your bodyweight as an advantage
3. Gearing? Probably need really big chainrings to make those 20" tires work. Dare I say 60-11?
4. Drivetrain efficiency.....can't be better than a road bike with all that chain

1. See photo
2. The seatback serves as the platform to push against, in place of bodyweight/gravity.
3. See photo
4. Granted, though minimal

Enjoying the discussion... :)

http://barnardesign.com/bike-aero.jpg

Spuds Wrote:


I'm no longer am one of those young whipper snappers I use to be. Some of those old war injuries caught up to me so I walk up hills and drag up my homebuilt recumbent.

Way to lay it down, Spuds!

I used to tour in my younger years, and after a 30 year layoff, I'm set to get back into it this summer. My girlfriend, who has NEVER toured, is a bit nervous about the miles and the hills here in Wisconsin... I tell her: "if you can't make it up, just hop off and walk up."

Even as a 17-year-old, I remember stepping off the Dawes and walking the rest of the way to the top of a long hill down in Green County... to be honest, I wasn't thinking about being frustrated or losing time; it was refreshing to stop the whistling of wind in my ears for a few minutes and take in the dead quiet of a midwestern day in the country, and enjoy the sprawling vista... just before I hopped back on and went screaming down the other side.

I can see the charm of a recumbent -- especially if it gets someone with some nagging ailment back in the saddle. I also think it's important for all riders to remember that bikes are not only there to help us cover the greatest distance in the shortest amount of time; they also get us out so we can enjoy being OUTSIDE... at whatever speed we are moving at.

Aerodynamics the recumbent definitely has the advantage.

4. Drivetrain efficiency.....can't be better than a road bike with all that chain

What does length of chain have to do with efficiency? The long chain makes for better chain/gear alignment which equates to higher efficiency.

-Dennis

Aerodynamics the recumbent definitely has the advantage.


But then I take a look at other things?

1. Small diameter tires.....increased rolling resistance
2. Biomechanics....don't know enough to comment except you can't stand during sprint to use your bodyweight as an advantage
3. Gearing? Probably need really big chainrings to make those 20" tires work. Dare I say 60-11?
4. Drivetrain efficiency.....can't be better than a road bike with all that chain

alltheway,
You are correct.
1. Small tires increase rolling resistance (heck I'm an old foggie and rolling resistance won't help me none).
2. No one riding a recumbent can stand on the pedals when climbing. Hard on the legs, hips and back to sit and climb a 20% grade. Most recumbent folks like to ride on flat roads and avoid hills most of the times.
3. Those low race bicycles with BMX tires need huge chain rings going down a hill. If a low race bicycle has a normal rear bicycle wheel no big chain rings are needed.
4. Drivetrain efficiency is not good on most low race recumbent bicycles. The chain will rub the front wheel on some. Others use long chain tubes and idler wheels that rob chain line smoothness. Regular bicycles have much better chain line efficiency. A lot of benters do not want to admit that but the shorter the chain the better the efficiency.

Heck all my homebuilt recumbents use 3 bicycle chains and I walk up a lot of hills.

Spuds
Riding, walking up hills and smelling the roses all the way.

im curious if someone has taken the same rider and compared wattage outputs on both a standard rodie and a recumbent. obviosly they will be working the muscles slightly differntly, but id love to know how much power can be generated comparatively on each.

http://www.tctimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12609929&BRD=2524&PAG=461&dept_id=494488&rfi=8

some recumbents are slower than road bikes. Some recumbents are way faster than roadbikes.
I had an average speed of 24.8mph for 62 miles at this race and won against 34 cat 1 and 2 racers who entered. It was not a uscf race or uci, but it had a cash purse, so this is why they entered the race as well as myself. I also took the course record.

Some riders are slower than other riders. Some people choose to walk their bikes up a hill while others like to hammer up the hill. I hammer. I had no problem on my lowracer with a tail fairing doing a 26% grade hill at the Hilly Hundred. I also didn't get passed by anyone going up that monster. Its about the engine as well as the bike.

As for the people who say that a lowracer is slower than a df going uphill? What difference does it matter to you on the diamond frame about who is faster up the hill. Even if you are 2 mph faster going up the hill, you aren't going to see the difference since I'm 2 miles ahead of you already. On rolling courses like the hilly hundred, you must realize the speed difference between lowracers and uprights. On a downhill I hit 56mph while some other upright riders only managed to hit 43mph. That extra speed creates a lot of extra momentum where I can crest the next hill at over 30mph while the upright riders lose momentum half way up and are struggling to stand on their pedals doing 7mph. My bike with tailfairing is 24 lbs and 19.8lbs without. There isn't a huge weight difference here between an upright and a racing recumbent. The lowracer has much reduced drag so carries speed much further.

Spuds will contradict every last word I say because that is what himself and his other alter ego's also do. Notice that new users will pop up and reply and agree with everything he says. He's been kicked off bentrider online and cycling forums already. He's being tame right now, tryng to gain trust in people, but beware, he will take over the forum just as Tom Sherman has done at Alt recumbents.rec.

alltheway,
You are correct.
1. Small tires increase rolling resistance (heck I'm an old foggie and rolling resistance won't help me none).
2. No one riding a recumbent can stand on the pedals when climbing. Hard on the legs, hips and back to sit and climb a 20% grade. Most recumbent folks like to ride on flat roads and avoid hills most of the times.
3. Those low race bicycles with BMX tires need huge chain rings going down a hill. If a low race bicycle has a normal rear bicycle wheel no big chain rings are needed.
4. Drivetrain efficiency is not good on most low race recumbent bicycles. The chain will rub the front wheel on some. Others use long chain tubes and idler wheels that rob chain line smoothness. Regular bicycles have much better chain line efficiency. A lot of benters do not want to admit that but the shorter the chain the better the efficiency.

Heck all my homebuilt recumbents use 3 bicycle chains and I walk up a lot of hills.

Spuds
Riding, walking up hills and smelling the roses all the way.


Spuds has never ridden a lowracer, and being his age, as he says he is, (which by the way isn't true) doesn't know anything about lowracers......... chains rubbing on tires? whatever.

im curious if someone has taken the same rider and compared wattage outputs on both a standard rodie and a recumbent. obviosly they will be working the muscles slightly differntly, but id love to know how much power can be generated comparatively on each.

I've found on the imagic trainer, on the average for a 10k time trial, I can generate 16 more watts in the upright position on the flats, but can generate 35 more watts on average climbing. The heartrate goes higher in the recumbent position during the climb compared to the road bike, so yes this can effect the overall climbing speed. If you fatigue quicker, you tend to want to lower the heartrate a bit to conserve energy. On a hilly course on the trainer, I'm slightly faster on the roadbike. On the road, the lowracer is way way faster. I did the same 10 mile timetrial course over 7 minutes faster on the lowracer.

im curious if someone has taken the same rider and compared wattage outputs on both a standard rodie and a recumbent. obviosly they will be working the muscles slightly differntly, but id love to know how much power can be generated comparatively on each.

Roadgator,
To find a legitimate answer to your question you can contact a young intellectual fellow by the name of Matt Weaver in California. An outstanding recumbent racer who has access to a wind tunnel.

There is another very nice bright fellow by the name of Rich Pinto in Florida who can give you answers that are legitimate.

Do not be fooled by some benters at cyclingforums.net who talk about power when they only play with stationary trainer toys that are not accurate devices to measure power or watts. Some of the "all watts talk no action" benters never race Human Power Vehicle events or streamliner machines like Matt Weaver, Sam Whittingham or Fred Markam who also race both recumbents and regular bicycles. Those fine people can answer your question truthfully.

I bet a roll of duct tape that Matt Weaver, Sam Whittingham or Fred Markam can tell you about accurate comparative power results.

As for me I can care less about watts when I walk my recumbent up a hill while eating my PBJ.

Spuds

God damn! I feel like I jut read a thread from another universe... *shudders* Please, go back where you came from you crazy 'bent people... WOW... Spuds I must say you are an interesting character, or at least have created an interesting persona.

Pro : They're faster on flats and downhill.
Con : They're recumbents.

http://www.tctimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12609929&BRD=2524&PAG=461&dept_id=494488&rfi=8

some recumbents are slower than road bikes. Some recumbents are way faster than roadbikes.
I had an average speed of 24.8mph for 62 miles at this race and won against 34 cat 1 and 2 racers who entered. It was not a uscf race or uci, but it had a cash purse, so this is why they entered the race as well as myself. I also took the course record.

Some riders are slower than other riders. Some people choose to walk their bikes up a hill while others like to hammer up the hill. I hammer. I had no problem on my lowracer with a tail fairing doing a 26% grade hill at the Hilly Hundred. I also didn't get passed by anyone going up that monster. Its about the engine as well as the bike.

As for the people who say that a lowracer is slower than a df going uphill? What difference does it matter to you on the diamond frame about who is faster up the hill. Even if you are 2 mph faster going up the hill, you aren't going to see the difference since I'm 2 miles ahead of you already. On rolling courses like the hilly hundred, you must realize the speed difference between lowracers and uprights. On a downhill I hit 56mph while some other upright riders only managed to hit 43mph. That extra speed creates a lot of extra momentum where I can crest the next hill at over 30mph while the upright riders lose momentum half way up and are struggling to stand on their pedals doing 7mph. My bike with tailfairing is 24 lbs and 19.8lbs without. There isn't a huge weight difference here between an upright and a racing recumbent. The lowracer has much reduced drag so carries speed much further.

Spuds will contradict every last word I say because that is what himself and his other alter ego's also do. Notice that new users will pop up and reply and agree with everything he says. He's been kicked off bentrider online and cycling forums already. He's being tame right now, tryng to gain trust in people, but beware, he will take over the forum just as Tom Sherman has done at Alt recumbents.rec.


That is amazing for a young fellow on a recumbent. Congratulations. Maybe some day you will race at a Human powered Vehicle race with recumbent folks that ride and race recumbents. Lots of fun to race folks with the same bicycle like no tail fairing, bubble fairing front or rear, full fairing and streamline machine.

I have a couple questions for you lowracer1.
Will you be racing HPV events this season or do you plan to go to regular bicycle races where no on else has a low race tail fairing?

How many of the regular bicycle riders in your "course record" race had a low race tail fairing like yours?

I wonder what would happen if they all had the same low race tail fairing bicycle. What is your comment?

Will you ever race other HPV fellows without your low race tail fairing?

Or do you plan to forever race regular bicycle racers who ride standard bicycles who do not rely on low race tail fairings to go fast?

Now that I have learned some recumbent people do race I hope to see you at a Human Powered Vehicle race. I will give you a roll of duct tape if you can win a HPV race with no low race tail fairing.

Spuds
Walking hills with my recumbent and smiling all the way.

I don't know about you but if I had a recumbent I think I would still want to ride fast, and I bet it wouldn't let me down.

The long chain still creeps me out. There has to be a better way.
the long chain is not an isse and will alst longer and it gets less dirty too. I can ride with jeans and not have to roll up a pant leg.

The only reason I have to show up at an Hpv race this summer, which will be all of them, is to confront you in person. I know who you are. You aren't fooling anyone here. Think about it guys.............. why would an old fart with no interest in racing, who builds junk recumbents from broken bikes he picks out of the trash, have any interest in recumbent racing and be able to reel off all the names of the recumbent racers if he weren't one himself. Because I chose not to do any hpv division races last year and pursue some other competitions, he keeps ragging on me. He is harrassing me about riding superstock and not stock class like his other friends. All the competition used to be in superstock class. The majority of the competition has moved back to stock class for reasons unknown. Spuds had been ridiculing me for months now and I can't tell you what I'll do when I see him. I don't know yet but you can bet it won't be good. Thats all.

Now that I have learned some recumbent people do race I hope to see you at a Human Powered Vehicle race. I will give you a roll of duct tape if you can win a HPV race with no low race tail fairing.

A roll of duct tape? what happened to the 10 grand you promised over at cycling forums. I hate trolls. Hey JOhn, does this count ignoring him? sorry grrr

Now that I have learned some recumbent people do race I hope to see you at a Human Powered Vehicle race. I will give you a roll of duct tape if you can win a HPV race with no low race tail fairing.

A roll of duct tape? what happened to the 10 grand you promised over at cycling forums. I hate trolls. Hey JOhn, does this count ignoring him? sorry grrr

Spuds seems to know a lot about recumbents/racing for a guy eating PBJ's walking his duct-taped homemade recumbents up hills.


Spuds has a "colorful" profile if you read it. :D What is a velomobile?