My wife rides a Performer JC-70 AL tadpole trike, I ride a DF Colnago road bike. I have ridden her trike on many occasions and love riding it, when she lets me. It's fun, it's fast and yes, I've even passed a few DF riders on it. It's what I rode during the time I injured my shoulder, since I was able to steer it with one hand. No matter what I did, I couldn't ride the road bike with the shoulder injury, not even on a trainer. I have also ridden two wheeled recumbents and they too, are fast and fun to ride. Having said that, I would much rather ride my road bike than the trike or a standard recumbent. I ride at least 30 miles a day, six days a week and don't have any aches or pains from riding my road bike. My cycling team does close to a dozen charity rides a year with many of them being 100K and century rides. I don't get aches and pains from those rides either.

Personally, I don't think anyone is foolish, dumb or better off for riding one type of bike over another. The main thing is that you're out there riding on something and not sitting on the couch or on the porch watching the grass grow. To make statements like "There just is too many compelling reasons for most cyclist to ride bents. Most cyclist that ride for fun and exercise would be far better off on a bent." is like DF riders making a statement that those that ride a bent do so because they just can't cut it on a DF even if they've ridden one before. Ride what you want and don't worry about what someone else likes to ride. If someone wants to change from one type of bike to the other, they'll do so. It seems like this ridiculousness comes up every time someone mentions bent vs DF.

BTW: If I continue this cycling addiction as I get into my seventies and find that my road bike no longer serves me well, you'll be seeing me on a bent of some kind. Until then, I'm very happy with what I ride and have no current plans of converting.