I'm not bent
 

A recumbent has been on my wanted list for a while. Today I test rode a Bike-E bent (blue). It's the one that looks like an I Beam with wheels It a single front ring, 7 rear cogs, and an internal 3 gear hub for a total of 21 gears. The seat could only be adjusted forwards and backwards.

After an initial issue staying balanced while starting from a stop I got in a few hundred yards. I found the bike to be slow, cumbersome, and not as comfortable as a regular drop bar road bike. She was listed at $250; I might have taken her for $100 as a good deal. I realize the Bike E does not represent the potential of bents. For now, my interest in bents has waned.

Do you have a physical issue with a DF? Otherwise why bother?

I had the use of a Tailwind one summer. After getting used to it (trying to clip in on an incline, climbing in super low gears because of less leverage spinning my legs like a hummingbird but going about 3mph, etc.) I gave it up. Made me nervous with my head no higher than a truck's tire, couldn't get up off the saddle and so on. Were I injured or disabled, I'd take one up in a minute to avoid quitting cycling. Otherwise, back to my DF.

$250 is a decent deal for a Bike-E. Those are easy-riding, comfortable bents that are on the slow side. Certainly one short ride isn't going to be enough to evaluate if one would actually enjoy riding a bent. The change is too dramatic to accommodate that quickly.

I was uncomfortable on my first couple or three rides. Now I greatly prefer riding a bent over a diamond frame. Not to say that everyone would, for of course there is no one bike geometry that is best for everyone.

Hers a deal on A recumbent I just saw on craigslist (SMILE)

http://lexington.craigslist.org/bik/1682225310.html

"super fast" :D

If you are interested in a decent 'bent, I've got a Burley, which I have ridden about 400 miles, but realize I really don't like it. I am in Reston, so if you want to send me a note, we could get together on Sunday and you could try it out. It is literally brand new--as the original owner only rode it about 100 miles...

train safe-

Could this be the start of a whole new niche, a splinter group of recumbent enthusiasts?

Wooden you wanna have one of those 'bents?

What does DF stand for? I had a friend on a recumbent who referred to "normal" bikes as "upright bikes."

Yep, I'm pining to ply the highway on one. Sure enough!

"DF" = Diamond Frame or an upwrong bike!

Slow and cumbersome pretty well describes BikeE's. Imagine if you wanted to get into cycling from some other high-performance aerobic sport and your first (and so far only) test ride was on an old coaster brake Huffy cruiser. I wager you'd be looking for another sport very quickly. Do yourself a favor and try out a real performance-oriented 'bent, like a Lightning, Bacchetta or RANS.

SP
Bend, OR

IME, speed, comfort and fun for starters. Have YOU ever ridden a good 'bent?

SP
Bend, OR

I had a Tour Easy bent for a few years. I just never could warm up to it, so sold it and went back to df bikes. I would like to try out one of the performance oriented bents sometime.

Jim

robtown, you may never feel at home on a recumbent. Some people don't. But I certainly wouldn't make that determination based on a ride on a BikeE. Try some others.

No criticism intended, just a diff of opinion: I've ridden Bike E's quite a bit (friend sells them in his shop), and i liked them. my conventional bikes are pretty decent, an Atlantis and a Rambouillet from Rivendell, and I'm comfortable on them, so it's not a physical issue. I did my regular commute on the E and thought i was slower, but the time was in my normal range. it climbs worse, standard for a 'bent, but i cruised on the flat at about the same speed or a little faster. Fore and aft seat adjustment is all you need, because the pedals are out front--there's no need for the seat to go up and down.
If I had to choose just one bike now, I'd keep the atlantis. as I get older, though, i suspect a recumbent will look more attractive. I doubt i'll settle on a Bike E, but since I'm in a position to afford a moderately priced bent, i'm at least going to ride a few this summer and shop around. I have some physical issues related to old injuries that haven't limited me in the past, but are beginning to show up, and i think a carefully chosen 'bent will prolong my cycling career.
Anybody in the market for a 64cm Rambouillet?

64cm? You're a rider the rest of us can look up to.

Took our Vibe to the tire store yesterday to have the wheels rotated/balanced and rode on home and back later on my Big Buzz hybrid, which spends most of it's timing hanging from a hook in the garage. It was a fun ride but I was reminded of how much more relaxing red lights are on my 'bents: Just put both feet down and relax in the Comfy Chair versus a one-footed tippy-toe balancing act. (I can only trackstand for short periods).

There are many happy Bike-E riders. I admire their tolerance, strength and endurance against adversity.

Because of their great price and easy adjustment we considered buying a Bike-E as a guest bike but, after a test ride, decided we did not really want to get into Eight Amendment cruel and unusual punishment suits. <G>

The Tour Easy bents are not slow bents. People have set speed records on their LWB designs, although while using a fairing. Although many will find a light weight SWB low-racer to be faster. A guy covered 53.43 miles in one hour on a fully faired (enclosed) Tour Easy on level ground. I think there has been something like 40 or 50 world speed records set with their bikes.

I know my Tour Easy seems pretty quick, even with me on it! I often cruise along at 18+mph in the middle ring (42T) with at least 2 or 3 smaller cogs left to shift up to. If I had the legs to run the big ring that sucker would probably break the sound barrier!

My Volae is no slouch either. I generally run that around 15 to 18 mph in the center ring (39T) with more gears left for up-shifting. I replaced the original 38T and 48T rings with a 39T and a 52T because I was disapointed in the performance. What a difference a few extra teeth makes!

I have to agree that "performance oriented" wasn't my best choice of words, since they can really move along with the right set of legs for the engine. Maybe "sporty or quicker handling" would of been a better choice. Also, I found that I missed standing to pedal once in a while.

Jim

I thought about getting a bent when I firt got back into cycling. Tried a Semi recumbent Giant Revive. Very comfortable and I would still have it if one of my friend's wife hadn't fallen in love with it when she discovered she could ride it without wrist pain. Still even after getting into a better shape and going to a DF road bike I considered a bent as a N+1. I have seen some of them out on the flat moving at least as fast if not faster than I do on a road bike. But hills are another story and I live in a valley. However if I ever get to the point where a DF is too hard for me to ride I am interested in a Cat Trike. After all you would always have your chair with you even on a hill.

The only problem with 'bents in general, is that they are low, low enough that your nose is pretty much at the same level as the exhaust pipe in an SUV/small truck/cube van, not a place you really want to be in heavy truck traffic.

Hmmm.... I must be doing something wrong. I'm right at eye level with drivers in normal passenger cars on my semi-low 'bent. (Significantly lower than most.) The position you describe fits a low racer pretty well, but those are a TINY fraction of the 'bents on the road.

SP
Bend, OR

The Revive is comfortable. Very slow, but comfortable. A really nice bike for people who find more traditional designs to be challenging.

As to your comment about seeing some that are faster on flats than road bikes. Given an equivalent engine (rider) most bents will be faster than road bikes on flats. Some will be significantly faster. The aerodynamics are better on many bents. And a bent with a performance-oriented fairing on it, will waste a road bike on flats.