shoerhino

Someone posted this ad in a local Craigslist:

"Lay down mountain bike - $500

I think they call them recumbent which means to lay down on your back.

Do any body have lay down mountain bike for sale!! I want to ride the mountain trails but dont want to bend me back. I think a spring on the front wheel would make it better to. I want a good one that will take some big jumps and fast downhills with rocks and not break."
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/bik/357666074.html

Is that safe? I can't imagine that you could take big jumps on a recumbent bicycle, as it seems like you have less control over the balance.

Velo Dog

You could certainly ride fire roads and gravel paths on a bent--I've done it a little on a Bike E, which is almost a recumbent--but it's just not suited to real offroading for a number of reasons. One is that you can't climb well. At least around here (in the Sierra), it takes all I have to get up the mountains. On a bent, you can't stand up to put your weight on the pedals, so you're limited there.
You also can't absorb shock by taking weight off the saddle. I ride a hardtail MB most of the time, occasionally my old full-rigid Bridgestone, and I'm off the saddle at least as much as I'm on it over bumps. Full suspension would help, but you'd still be at the mercy of the terrain.
I don't have much recumbent experience, but I, at least, wouldn't feel secure lying down in technical stretches. You shift your weight laterally and fore and aft constantly on a mountain bike, to balance or change weight distribution for climbing or braking. I don't think that would be possible on a 'bent.
And depending on configuration, the wheelbase might be a drawback. One of those long-wheelbase recumbents would be completely unmanageable on some of our local trails.

Trsnrtr

Check out the videos on this page:

https://www.azub.cz/en/hardcore.php

Dr.Deltron

"Safe" is a relative term. I used to have a Haluzak Traverse, full suspension MTN recumbent. Taking jumps on it was a whole different ballgame than what I learned ridibg BMX!!!
Instead of landing rear wheel first, you had to land with both wheels at the same time.
If the rear landed first, the shock would compress, the front wheel lands and the rear shock extends, effectively tossing you OTP! (over the pedals. It's a recumbent, remember?)
And I never could get the bike to tabletop.

As for climbing, you just have to have low gears & pick a good line. Then spin like mad!

Sadly, Haluzak has gone away. But the link above shows a similar full suspension recumbent.
Give it a whirl and let us know!