Recumbants for urban riding
 

I'm considering getting a recumbant in the future, and I am very impressed by the comfort and reduced air ressitance (faster faster faster) but I'm wondering how practicle a bent would be for urban riding. I mean like biking around going to stores, going to parties, and locking it in all these different locations. What are the practicalities, and are recumbants a bigger target for thiefs (either they want to steal it because it's so expensive, or don't because it's really unique and hard to sell? I don't know). I'm just curious. Regradless I'm probabbly get one anyway but use it more for fun and less for daily utilitarian riding unless of course it is good at that.

You can seriously load down some bents for fast commuting. Check out HP Velotechnik Grasshopper for one. It's an awesome bent. Bents are so rare I have no idea about theft possibility, but I protect my investment the same way I do my 2k road bike.

I've been using mine to commute to work for two weeks and it has worked really well. Bike rack at work is in a high traffic area and I lock it up pretty good. Anywhere else I keep it in sight.

As far as safety in traffic is concerned I can see no difference between a Df and a recumbent: all cyclists are equally exposed to the dangers of urban traffic. As for practicality I would say that a recumbent is more versatile and practical. You can use it for short trips and more important for long travels around the world if you like. The comfort of a recumbent exceeds by far that of a Df.

Recumbents can be tricky to ride for the uninitiated, let alone a bike thief who's trying to jack your rig in under 30 seconds. Doesn't mean it can't happen though. You can install quick-release pedals; at least make it a hard get away (unless he has a buddy and they throw it into the back of some truck or something).

I would have no problem taking my Rocket anywhere, except for one thing: I'm pretty paranoid about someone stealing my seat, even if it were just for their fun. Many recumbent seats adjust so easily that they can also be quickly removed; not only that but many recumbent seats cost as much as a few cheap DFs. Coming out of the store, etc., and having your seat missing will severely hamper your ride home; I guarantee it.

Also, 'bents are not always faster than DFs; just more comfortable to ride.

(My own solution to this quandry was purchasing a Brompton. While I am still able to ride a DF, I will.)

From the ol experience "feet "on to what I've heard, the SWB probably is the best suited for urban conditions because of the ease of handling due to the size. For flat out speed on the road I have a High Racer and just because it's more funner. For short commutes, riding in the city, etc. I'll use my BF SAT R DAY lower bottom bracket postion SWB because of the handling reasons and sight line.

And as all the gurus say: "Test Ride. Then Test Ride. Then Test Ride Again."

Good luck in your search..it's part of the fun.

I've been commuting on my BikeE for the past 5 years. I double lock it with two different kinds of locks while I'm in work. Use a "shower cap" to protect the seat if rain is threatened. Get lots of waves and smiles from other drivers and walkers. I use a cheap old baby trailer I got at a yard sale to haul groceries, and whatever else I need to move that's bulky. Pannier racks and a backpack hold everything I need for the daily commute, including a change of clothes, raingear, toolkit and spare tubes, cellphone, lunch, snacks, PDA, with plenty of room for lots more.

My bike was stolen once, when I stupidly forgot to lock it. It was gone for 10 minutes. The first cop who saw it without me on it, stopped the culprit. By the time I called 911 they already had my bike back to me. The beauty of living in a small town, and being conspicuous.

It won't be faster than most other kinds of transport, but it will be fun and comfortable. You'll probably find the commute to be the high point of your day, regardless of weather.

For urban riding a short wheel base (SWB) has quick handling and a small turn radius. I can make u-turns in less than the width of a city street. Getting between parked cars is not a problem. If potholes or poor streets conditions are a problem where you live then a rear shock may be a plus. My web seat takes up most of the bumps that I encounter. Seeing upcoming holes is easy because of the upright position of most SWB bents.

The handlebars on most bents do not stick out into traffic any further than those on a df although a bent may give the impression of taking up more room.

The only problem I have had is locking the bike. I carry a cable and a U-Lock. Panniers work as well on a bent as on a df. If you commute on a df the biggest difference you may notice is that you are not stressed out when you get to work and even less stressed after riding home.

Cars give you a bit more room because they are not sure what you are going to do. You are out of their frame of reference so they treat you as though they are encountering a strange new situation and not just passing another pesky cyclist taking up their roadway.

My opinions vaguely echo the others on the list. If you're worried about visibility in urban conditions, you'll probably feel safer on a SWB, because they tend to be taller. For speed you might want to look for a dual-26" bike. There are several brands available. Of the bunch, Bacchetta and Volae are 'stick frames', and have nothing you can put a lock through. So when you lock the bike, you're basically locking the wheels and hoping nobody wants to pinch the frame by itself. RANS, on the other hand, sells the Force5, which features a triangulated main frame. It's the only one of the bunch that I'm aware of that lets you run a lock/cable through the frame.

Disclaimer: Since I own a V-Rex, my views are automatically suspect as a member of the Church of RANS. 'C. of R.' disciples are known to be somewhat fanatical about their bikes.

Others that have triangulated frames: Lightning P-38, Cycle Genius, HP Velotechnik, Longbikes Eliminator, Maxarya, and Sun (no SWB from Sun).

Sun DOES make a SWB bike. It has a triangulated frame to run a lock cable through and was introduced in 2004. The upper line aluminum version weighs 36 lbs...not a lightweight, but not a BigHa either and it comes with decent componentry. Here's a web address:

http://www.sunbicycles.com/03/html_0...edster_sx.html

Hope this helps. BBJ

Yes, there are plenty of SWBs that have triangulated/trussed frames. Including my V-Rex. The differentiation being that they are not dual-bigwheel. Sorry if I didn't make myself clear.

I was adding some that are easier to lock.

I ride my bike in downtown Savannah Georgia. Not the biggest of towns but big enough to be called urban I suspect. I have a short wheel base actionbent and I don't have any trouble at all. I lock it up with the rear wheel in the rack. It takes up more space than others but people don't miss it. They're too busy asking themselves, "what is THAT?!"

For the stick style frames, I find the masterlock cuffs do nicely and I have an Onguard Beast chain to lock that to the rack, then a really thick chain and storage lock (to resist bolt cutters). Pretty much if they undo the cuffs, then they still have to get the wheels off of it, or if they take the wheels off they have to carry an awkward frame around with a big ol seat on it. Anyway, it has worked for me so far. I heard if the thief can't get your bike in 30 seconds to a minute (at least if you don't leave it all night) chances are he won't risk it in most cases.

Recumbents are fun, so if that's your purpose for getting one you won't be disappointed.

They can also be utilitarian. I use mine to ride to work.

I always figure that anybody who tries to steal it will have to walk away with it because I'm short so the bike won't fit hardly anybody. It's not like a DF bike where if it doesn't fit you can still ride it. Even if it did fit, it's not easy to ride if you've never done it before.

If your purpose for getting one is to be faster, you may be disappointed.

I am new to recumbent bikes too, and ride a LWB of my own build. Although I am improving my technique, I am yet more comfortable on a DF in tight city traffic from the particular point of stopping and starting, especially at intersections where I will make a turn right or left. However, I am more comfortable on the LWB from the perspective of motorists giving me more space, and I also am better able to see whether a door of a parked car is about to be flung open into my lane. Sometimes, I wobble intentionally if, in my mirror, I detect a motorist about to squeeze me. Of course, my recumbent tadpole trike provides comfort and safety even in the tight traffic, except that the car doors make me nervous. For me, the disadvantage of recumbents of any kind in tight traffic is the difficulty to jump a curb and take a short cut away from a grid lock or to cut a tight U turn. Fortunately, where I ride, this is a rare problem.

Because my rides are longer that just a mile or two, I prefer the recumbents over the DF for the body comfort factors. Think: butt, wrists, hands, neck. Also, the recumbent rider position is simply much more pleasant for me.

For the fastest ride in an urban area with traffic, I think the DF may be recommended. However, I am thinking of a more leisurely though efficient pace and gaining the pleaures of recumbentcy.

Jim

I hear this repeated often, that recumbents aren't necessarily faster than DF bikes. How true is this?? I'm considering getting a Catrike Road to replace my new DF, which unfortunately I'm not totally satisfied riding. It's a fine bike for sure, but I don't think I'm suited to be a DF rider. My current bike is rather twitchy, and it feels unstable, at least compared to the 30+ lb steel beast I was riding before. I dunno, I just feel like I should be on a recumbent.

Now if only I'd thoroughly considered that BEFORE spending $880 CDN on a Trek 7500FX, I'd be in an even better position to sell this to my wife. Maybe it would have been a good idea to give it a longer test ride too... :/

But anyway, back to the speed of recumbents. I want to go fast. I don't want it to be a lot of work. I like the bulletproof stability of a trike (though I've never ridden one). I need to carry a single rack bag to commute to work. Would I be faster on a Catrike Road than on my Trek? It's a given that I will be more comfortable, but it's all about going fast without a lot of effort.

There are impassable hills that concern me, no matter what route I take to work. It's like riding to the epicentre of a ripple on a pond. Would this also be a problem?

Finally, parking at work isn't much of an issue, since it would be double-locked in a high traffic area.

Thanks for the help...

It's true, many or maybe even most bents will not get you more speed than an upright. Blanket statements can be dangerous to make, but generally it takes a racing-oriented bent to surpass a good road bike in speed capability. Or a fairing on a sporty-type bent. There are about a dozen Catrikes in my club, and all the owners agree, they are NOT faster than a road bike. One trike here even sports a fairing, and it's still slower than the rest of the uprights in the group. Note that I'm comparing them to road bikes, not hybrids. Just for reference, here's some rough representative numbers for my various bikes over a 20-30 mile ride in gently rolling terrain.

Trek 7500 (hybrid) - 13-14 mph
Trek 1000 (road) - 17-18 mph
V-Rex (SWB, unfaired) - 17-18 mph
V-Rex (SWB, front fairing) - 18-20 mph
Baron (lowracer, unfaired) - 19-24 mph

As you can see by my numbers with the uprights, I'm not Cat 1/2 material! Also, bents don't always make me faster. But you can probably figure which bike I like best for fast club rides.

Since getting my Strada 2 weeks ago I have set 2 personal bests on 2 different routes (one of which is fairly hilly). I Find that in 3 out of 4 types of terrain I am faster and in Steep hills I am a little slower. Overall I think I am a few MPH faster.

Thanks for the comparison. However, you also have to consider whether your legs are tuned more for recumbent or DF riding, which could be affecting your performance on the Treks.

It's slightly concerning to me what you said about the catrikes, I'd have hoped that they would perform a little better than "NOT faster than a road bike." Is it the weight, the added friction of an extra wheel, or just slight inefficiencies in the design? What models do they ride, Pockets or Speeds?

I'm gonna check out the Baron though, that's the kind of speed I'm looking for...

I rode the Trek 1000 from '91 through 96, and my speeds were pretty consistent throughout that time period. It is now sold because I stopped riding it for some reason. :) I got the 7500 at the same time as the V-Rex, and for about 5 years I rode the hybrid daily to work and the V-Rex on club rides, with occasional bad-weather rides on the hybrid because it had the fenders. With fully optimized fairings, I once managed a 60 mile ride on the V-Rex with a 23 mph average. With the 7500 I never averaged more than 14.5 for 30 miles, and that was an exceptional effort. I'm sure it could have been optimized to be a little faster, but not enough to make it compete with a real road bike. A lowracer is definitely the ultimate weapon in the war against slowness!

Here's a pic of 4 Catrike Speeds at a recent club ride. Of the four, only the middle two riders have uprights too; the yellow helmeted one has a DeRosa IIRC, and the green jersey has a Seven. On their uprights they can keep up with the main group easily; on the trikes they have to ride off the back. But, they say the trikes are so much fun that they don't care (if that's any consolation.) At the other end of the results spectrum, a Wizwheelz TerraTrike currently owns the recumbent record at the National 24 Hour Challenge.

[QUOTE=<Major SNIP> At the other end of the results spectrum, a Wizwheelz TerraTrike currently owns the recumbent record at the National 24 Hour Challenge.[/QUOTE]

Blazing,

Sorry to go OT, but I thought Jim Kern on an AERO did something like 480 miles in 24 hours on an AERO a month or so ago at umm Sebring? A guy on a WizWheel did more miles than that in 24 hours? What were the miles and where done?

till you get onto the 20mph rage aerodynamics is not super critical. so ify our not a fast rider on a regular bike don't expect to be one on a bent.
I haul heavy 130 pound loads on my trailer on my limbo.

Sorry Steve, but going into an over 10 mph headwind at umm whatever speed, I'll take how I feel on a bent versus an upright because of the aerodynamics. Also, the aerodynamics of a bent, again at whatever speed, requires less energy thus you'll feel far "more betterer" at the end of a metric or century. The areodyanmics even at slow speeds allow you to ride longer distances simply because you're using less energy: Less to pedal. Less to hold yourself up. Less fighting pain.

YMMV