Originally Posted by rockingdoc
I am a daily commuter in London traffic (10 miles each way), year round. Lots of stop-start at traffic signals, and squeezing between lanes of stationary vehicles. My problem is a pain in the neck. No seriously, I fell off my MTB a couple of years ago damaged some discs in my neck and it isn't getting better. On a road bike, with my neck positioned in forced extension, I get neck pain and numb hands after about 30 mins. I think the riding position on a recumbent will be better for me, but is there a type of recumbent which can cope with heavy traffic riding on a daily basis?
I'd go with a cheap CLWB if I were you. Cheap because you don't want to cry if someone saws off the padlock and nick your bike in town, CWLB because I think it's the most practical and agile in town. Well, SWBs might be more agile, but I'm not very confident with a chainwheel full of teeth sticking out in front of pedestrians and cars. But that's just me.
Out of curiosity though, commuting 10 miles, you probably don't have time time to get butt pains on your bike, so why don't you try installing a higher stem, maybe a slightly wider saddle, and ride more dutch-style, to relieve your upper body (and, well, shift the load to your rear-end that isn't yet affected by problems presumbably). Surely your road bike would become ugly as sin, but in the short term it might be a cheaper solution to your neck pains than a brand new bike. Unless you're also attracted to bents and this is a good rationale to get one of course, which I fully understand :-)