Naw. Prior to the surgery I was able to ride 25 miles on a normal bike. I had to stop every 5 miles to rest the hip. The pain is completely gone now, so I expect to be biking better than before, so no need for a trike.


Bikeclub, many people who've had a hip replaced say they should have done it years before. I confirm that. Yes, it's major surgery, but I delayed it because it seemed like such a huge thing and I thought the recovery would be long and painful. It was neither. I'm referring specifically to the anterior approach, in which no muscles are cut. You can end up with numbness in the thigh (as I have), which I think is a small price to pay for being pain free. You can also end up with one leg longer than the other. I have a 1/4" difference which does affect my gait but it's tolerable and within acceptable norms.

To answer your question, my surgeon asked me to start by biking 30 minutes at a time on easy terrain. Our main concern was mounting and dismounting, in part because my bike is a tad too big (1/2" or less top bar clearance) and I keep my seat fairly high (leg hardly bent at all; I've ridden like that my whole life). People in this forum taught me to mount by laying the bike on the ground and stepping over the frame, which is pretty easy to do.

The other concern, of course, is falling off the bike and breaking the prosthesis. You have to find a balance between reasonable caution and not being fearful of normal activities. You could break the prosthesis in many different ways in normal daily life. That's not going to keep me off the bike but I'll be more cautious than before. No more roads full of pot holes, turning around in narrow spaces, jumping curbs, or sandy roads.

One last thing: I wasn't allowed to use my indoor trainer this winter because the trainer and the front wheel support raise the bike up another two inches, making mounting even harder.