oberon

Planning a Natchez Trace Tour from Nashville TN to Zachary LA. I'm looking at different touring bikes and am very interested in recumbents, but unfortunately I can't find a thing on them. Any good sites would be helpful.

Also, any recommendations or warnings for/against any particular touring practices or products would be helpful.

Thanks.

NoReg

There is a recumbent forum right here. There are various fora on Yahoo. All the manufacturers have theri various sites. I was disappoited wtih recumbents for touring, but they seem to be gaining popularity. I had a 2 wheeler and found that in my regio cars were dramatically more likely to run one down. I never have never had any real trouble with cars while cycling, but on my bright yellow recumbent with the best german light system, cars often came near to running me down without seeing me. No question there is a lower windage factor with a low bent, but hills are much harder. On mine, getting re-started on a hill is a serious ballance problem, they are quite tippy compared to regular bikes, and starting from zero on a hill is very difficult, which explains the popularity of 3 wheelers. Bents have problems pushing them around, getting through narrow areas, carrying bags. There are better and worse touring rigs out there. I think you could be very happy with one, but it is a very different field, and bents aren't a solution to every problem in cycling. They are a solution with some advantages and a series of disadvantages all their own.

MarkCoatsworth

If you're thinking about a recumbent, go and rent one, try it out for a couple of days! I've met some folks who swear by them for long-distance touring; others who just don't like them at all. Personally, I want to stick to what I know (especially when it comes to repairs en route) so I'm all about the uprights. But it's a personal decision. Try one out!