Originally Posted by Doug5150
Recumbents are mainly about riding comfort.
Some bents are faster than an upright (for the same exertion) while many are slower, but just about any recumbent will be more comfortable than an upright is.
~
I would say that as of recent years, recumbents are no longer just about comfort. When you see us lowracers blowing by the pack, and all the speed and distance records being broken every month by recumbents, it's definately becoming as much about performance and aerodynamics. I didn't get into benting for comfort, I got into it for speed. I wanted to be able to maintain above 19mph for many many miles and I didn't want to have to insert myself into a dangerous paceline to do it. Bents gave me that freedom.