Originally Posted by
markw
I regularly pass people climbing on my recumbent. In RAAM this year, the first TS was 3000 feet higher than the start, and both recumbent teams came through at the same time, with only 2 other teams in front of them. There are light sub 20lb bents out there, and I've come to the conclusion that if you can't climb on a regular bike, you won't be able to climb on a bent either.
I've also seen light guys like Jim Kern and Michael Wolfe fly up climbs. The ONLY thing that you really can't do is stand, so you gear down and spin. I'm riding one in socal with hills everywhere, and have no problems keeping with the groups. You have to admit, there's something cool about an all carbon recumbent on 404's.
Maybe it's not fair or well deserved, but recumbants have a reputation for being heavy and for being poor bikes for climbing. I have noticed that recumbant riders generally don't climb well during organized centuries; etc in hilly terrain. Maybe this is in part due to recumbants being a less mature segment of the biking industry, and many of the earlier models were heavy and poorly engineered... I'm just guessing.
I talked with one recumbant trike rider about this after a particularly hilly century... he said that it is more difficult to engage your glutes on a recumbant due to the riding position. He also felt that there was a disadvantage in not being able to stand.
Another recumbant turn-off for me is the effect that recumbants have on pacelines. You can't catch much draft off of them because they are so low, so recumbants generally hang out at the back of pacelines or form pacelines together when there are recumbant riders of similar abilities. I love being able to fall into many different available pacelines during large events with my "regular", upright bike. And I enjoy the group/team aspect of working in a paceline. I feel like I'd be giving that up with a recumbant.
Still - there is no denying that recumbants are fast... more aero and faster than traditional bikes. I'm sure recumbants are more comfortable, though I've never tried one. And those Bachetta recumbants sure are cool looking, especially with their deep-section carbon wheels. I had no idea that they were that light... 21lbs! I may get one someday for distance riding when my budget will accommodate it. I may simply physically require a recumbant to compete in distance events later in life because I have sculliosis (my spine is twisted to the right, causing back pain).