Originally Posted by
catgita
I don't know why people are so worried about how a bent compares to a racing bike. Racing bikes are unpleasant to ride in so many ways, and impractical, which is why it is a shrinking segment of the market while every other category is growing by double digits.
I rode bents for 6-7 years, arguing the same things about how superior they are. Well, now I ride a mid century French style Rando bike and have no desire to ride my stable of bents. I just love the rando.
One day, riding my Phantom, a woman looked at me most seriously and asked "do you get a better workout that way?", and I replied "yes, but only for my grin muscles".
Back in the early 70s during the gas "crisis" most everyone got a "racing" bike mainly because that was all that was available. The racing bike lines then hit a huge decline when mountain bikes became available. They took another small hit when more recumbent became available.
Now one segment of cyclist, the long distance cross country riders are migrating to bents for the comfort and the view.