Originally Posted by Rowan

You sit on that bike and let the engine do the work; on a bicycle you have to pedal. It's a whole different set of dynamics.

Originally Posted by twahl

It's been done, but there are a couple of significant problems. one is the neck strain caused by looking where you are going. Another is that it doesn't give you anything to push against. With a traditional recumbent, you use your hips to push against, with a traditional frame you basically push against your own weight. With what you are looking for, you'd have to secure the shoulders to have something to push against. Perhaps the biggest problem is that you would be laying on your chest, restricting your ability to breath.

It's just not an efficient design.

There are several shown here.

Originally Posted by Alpha52

Forward Recumbent is an Oxymoron...
re·cum·bent
rɪˈkʌmbənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-kuhm-buhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. lying down; reclining.

Originally Posted by StephenH

Another wee little problem with the prone position is that any collision is headfirst instead of feet first.

Originally Posted by Doug5150

"Prone" bikes are where the rider is lying forward, as already shown.

Somebody on bentrideronline took these photos of a guy with a specially-constructed bike similar to what you describe; I don't know if there's a name for such a thing, and nobody who responded in the original thread said they had ever seen any other bike quite like it. The photographer noted that this guy appeared to be going 3-5 mph faster than anyone else around the park.
http://www.norcom2000.com/users/dcim..._backward.html
The seat is obviously not a stock component.
The cranks have extensions welded onto them; I would guess that the extensions are angled just because that was an easier way to weld a longer seam. In the original photo you can zoom in and see the weld, so the end sections don't pivot or adjust at all.
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