Bassmanbob

I'm considering purchasing a recumbent bicycle (not interested in any trikes), and I'm trying to gather as much information as I can before doing any face to face shopping/ test rides. My situation and goals are as follows:
51 years old, 5' 6", having possible neck and elbow issues from riding a traditional road bike. They are being checked out medically now.
Goals: continue to commute to work 2-3 days a week, 1-2 short tours/ year and weekend long road rides. I'm currently training for a century and would like to do a few each year.

Why did you pick what you ride? OSS, USS, long bike, short bike, smaller front wheel or equally sized wheels?

Retro Grouch 

I started riding recumbents while I was recovering from two broken elbows.

My first move was a road trip to Hays, Kansas to test ride a Seavo tandem. I quickly found out we weren't going to be able to ride that bike but we could manage a Screamer with the smaller front wheel. The folks at Rans told us that they expected the Enduro Sport to replace the V-Rex so I bought a frame set and pieced one together. That was my first recumbent, I still have it and I still like it

iambent

Keep in mind at 5'6" you want to get a bent where it is easy to get flat footed on the ground. You would probably have issues with most of the big dual wheel stick bikes with getting anything but tippy toes on the ground.

Any of the long wheelbase bents (LWB) should be fine. Most of the 20"x26" short wheelbase bents (SWB) such as RANS Rocket, Lightning Phantom, or Bacchetta Giro should work. Of course try test riding if at all possible. That is the only way to know if a bike will work for you.

dual650c

The one disadvantage of all recumbents IMHO is that you can't look over your shoulder easily. They do have the advantage of not putting any strain on elbows, wrists or arms/shoulders.

FWIW, I moved from a DF to a trike before going to a 2-wheeled recumbent.

Anyway, my first 2-wheeled recumbent was a LWB - a Gold Rush Replica. I got a good deal on it and was looking for something faster than the trike. It was relatively fast and quite comfortable. The only problem was it was a Large and I should have gotten a Medium-Large. I liked it because it was comfortable - I know, I said that before. With a fairing, it was easy to go relatively fast and comfortable - there's that word again. The upright seating position was "familiari. The low bottom bracket made starting and stopping easy. Overall, it was simply a great machine as evidenced by the fact that I rode my first 100km on it within 2 weeks of getting it. Just plain comfortable.

I swapped off to a SWB - a Bacchetta 20/26 Giro and then a Bacchetta Corsa (650c) - after a year with the GRR. This was primarily due to wanting to lay back, not sit upright, because of lower back issues. The Giro's tiltable/non-fixed steering column caused me some minor handling and confidence issues which I probably could have overcome. But I went to a Corsa pretty soon with its lighter frame, carbon seat, matched-size tires and lower seat angle. The only issue that I ever had was finding/fitting a head/neckrest that was comfortable. The Giro was certainly never going to be as fast as the GRR or the Corsa. The Corsa "competed" with the GRR speed-wise - and would probably be considered the faster bike. However, I developed some non-cycling induced knee issues and my max consistent sustainable speed over 60+ or more kms is only about 15mph.

If I had it to do all over again, though it cost me more than "going straight to the end", I'd still own the Corsa but only after repeating "the journey". I learned something about my cycling preferences and requirements from owning and riding each bike/trike for at least 6 months. It took that long to acclimate and learn the advantages, disadvantages, quirks and idiosyncrasies of each bike and how I adapt(ed) to each.



Hopefully that answers your question in a manner that is helpful, not just "directly".

VegasTriker

Started riding recumlbent bikes in 2000. The nearest dealer was 300 miles away so what I bought depended on what showed up in the classified ads of our local newspaper (pre-CL). First was BikeE AT compact long wheelbase with OSS for $700. Bad choice. Pretty inefficient IMHO. Next was a 1997 Linear Long wheelbase for $500. Came with OSS installed and USS parts in a box. Tried riding it with both (at one time) and ditched the OSS bars within two weeks. I rode it 3,000 miles in the first 11 months. I crashed it a couple times and moved on to a trike but probably have about 7K miles on it so it wasn't a bad choice. I also own an Haluzak Horizon SWB that I bought used for $800 in 2004 when it was still in production and the MSRP was $2,300. It has USS. It's a nice bike with decent components and handles a lot quicker than the 84" long Linear. It's just a tad too far off the ground to be completely comfortable. I probably put 1,000 miles on it since 2004. It hasn't been out for more than a short ride in several years. I like riding trikes. Have about 40K miles total on three different trikes. To each his own.

MikeWMass

I bought a used SWB rotator because it showed up in the classifieds for $225, and I had been curious about bents. It is a dual 20" stick bike. It actually handles well and is comfortable on long rides. They are not made any more, but a low, SWB stick bike would be reasonable for your needs, IMO. (also, when I tip over, I don't have far to go!)

catgita

My first was the Lightning Phantom. It was a well refined and proven design with a lot of flexibility should I have wanted to change it up. A safe bet, not knowing where to try more in person. I ordered it from a shop that didn't carry bents. It was also one of the few available at the time that would fit me, at 6'-6".

For several years I thought it handled poorly, twitchy, until replacing the worn headset with a King. Wow, suddenly it handled beautifully. To this day the best handling bent I have ever owned. It had something newer designs have forgotten: low trail geometry. The older brands still use it on some of their more mature models.

Timzwichita

I bought a Challenge Furai with the under seat steering option and large wheel set option. I spent over $6,000. The build quality was excellent and the seat was comfortable. But I hated the bike. The steering was extremely twitchy. And the steer wheel would hit the chain in moderately tight turns. The handle bars were uncomfortably positioned. Visibility was poor. The whole thing felt unstable, not that I was going to fall, but i had to focus all of my attention on staying out of traffic. So that was kind of scary. Navigating any sort of low speed obstacle was extremely difficult. Pedal position was also a bit weird and I felt like it put some pressure on my knees, as I felt some discomfort in my knees on the few longish rides I did.
The dealership I ordered it through recommended, after all of my complaints, that I could come test ride all of his other brands and models. I really wish I would have done that first for some extended test rides. I had fallen in love with the Furai and just ordered it without consulting an expert. Expensive mistake on my part. And unfortunately I've never tried a recumbent again.
Good luck

Retro Grouch 

Excellent point!. Whenever somebody posts asking about a first recumbent, I always suggest they take a road trip to a recumbent specialty shop.

BlazingPedals

You can sort of tell what we bought by checking out the "post your recumbents (pictures)" thread. Why? I bought what I bought because I like them. For your goals, just about any good bent will work. Test ride and see what you LIKE.

chandltp

I picked a Bacchetta Giro 20. I like OSS so that I have an easy place to mount my speedometer, and it limits the use on non-standard bicycle parts.

I wanted the SWB so I could transport it on my standard bike rack. A LWB might have other advantages, but I like the SWB well enough.

I wanted the Giro 26 (2 of the same size tires), but the seating position caused numb toes for me (same reason I was shopping after owning a trike). I think in reality, the 20" front wheel makes starting and stopping easier. Just means I have to carry 2 size tubes.

The best thing I did was drive 3 hours to BicycleMan and spend 8 hours test riding. If I thought I liked a bike, I rode it at least an hour. I weeded out a few this way. I was almost ready to leave when I tried my Giro.. in about 15 minutes I was pretty sure it was the bike I wanted. At the end of my ride, I knew for sure.

Bassmanbob

Thanks folks; I appreciate your input. I totally agree about investing in a trip to test ride as many different bents as possible. Now I just need to find out where there are recumbent dealers in Florida (or the southeast).

Fortunately, tests that I had done on Friday have ruled out any neck pathology. I have an early, mild Cubital Tunnel Syndrome where the ulnar nerve gets trapped immediately after passing the elbow. It happens in cyclists from having the elbow bent for long hours at a time. I'm still considering a recumbent bike at this time for long duration rides, but so far I don't need to switch over to bents right away.

More input is appreciated!!!

JanMM

First 'bent was a CLWB RANS Tailwind bought ten years ago on a lark after seeing it fairly cheap on the local club's classifieds. Was able to ride it around the block after a couple of false starts so I got it! Turned out to be a bit small for me but rode it for a couple of years - worked well enough to get me addicted.

polyrhythmia

Last year, I took the plunge and got a Cruzbike QX100. Comes with 26-inch wheels, but with disc brakes and a chainring change, could use 20-inch wheels. Liked the simplicity of front wheel drive, and the way the bike can be steered with the feet. Could not find a bike shop anywhere close to try one first, but I really do enjoy riding it.

VegasTriker

You can find the location of most major dealers here 'BentRider Online » BentRider Sponsoring Dealer Locator. Just expand the map until Florida shows up. There are 4 dealers listed. These are all Bentrider sponsors but most major recumbent bike shops advertise on the site and would have links at the top of the page.

Robert C

I got a Bachetta Giro 26att. I wanted short wheelbase because I sometimes need to put it on the front of busses. I wanted the aloy frame because bents are already a bit heavy compared to traditional bikes. the only thing I may eventually change is to put 24" wheels on it. At 5'6" it is a bit too tall for me.

EriktheFish

After owning an Orca, Stratus, Tour Easy, I finally settled on a Stratus XP. But that's for touring and long rides. I ride a BikeE RX for city riding and a Vrex for fast riding.

rydabent

My first bent was a CLWB Rans Tailwind. It was a great bent to start with, and then sold it off and went to a Rans Stratus LE which I still have and has approx 16,000 flawless miles on it.

For what its worth for a shorter person, im only 5-8, IMO a LWB bent would be a great first bent. You can easily place both feet on the ground, and is easy to ride off.

Bassmanbob

Thanks guys. I check this thread every once in a while. VegasTriker. Thanks for the link. I've looked at it a few times as I continue to investigate bents.

starhawk

I was reading through a mag with "unusual bikes" until my eyes landed on a trike! Well we could say that I fell in love at first sight. But the price prohibited any move from my side I could just look it up on the internet and drool over it.
Then my parents passed away and I suddenly realized that I now had the means to purchase a trike! No trikes where available in Sweden, Carbontrikes had only a prototype which didn't look too good. The firs trike I had found, in the mag, was a Greenspeed so I began investigating it. The builder is in Australia and they had a dealer in Austria which they let take care of the european customers. I hade no good experience of earlier dealing with an Austrian firm so I began investigating other firms that built trikes. I found four one German One american one British and so Greenspeed popped up again. I have had good experience with british firms and am much more at easy with english then german, so I decided to contact ICE i England. I didn't know it then but ICE have one of the best customer service around so shortly after I ordered a Trice Q. I admit it was like buying "a pig in a bag" but as I said there was no dealer in sweden that had trikes so I had no option. The trike came en parts i two boxes, I screwed them together according to the manual and had my first testrun, and had a big smile on my face! Perfect!

Retro Grouch 

I love that story. I'm particularly impressed that you were able to assemble the trike having never actually seen one in the metal.

starhawk

Well it wasn't that hard, the manual was good and it was only a matter of tightening a couple of screws. The only other part was putting the crankshaft in, the manual said that you could be making a couple of attempts before getting it right and said "Grease is good, don't be afraid of using to much". I have never been afraid of grease so I greased the whole thing up and got it right the first try!
And then I actually rolled the trike up to the cycle mechanics shop and got him to help me putting the chain on and adjusting the gears, He wanted payment in the form of having a go with it and he liked it a lot.

Retro Grouch 

My first recumbent bike was a Rans Enduro Sport that I purchased as a frameset. I have a good amount of bicycle mechanic experience so I didn't expect to have much difficulty. It took me a while, however, to figure out all the cable routing issues and such since I had never previously examined a recumbent bike very closely. As I remember, my frameset didn't come with any instructions but maybe I figured I already knew everything and just ignored them.

VACaver

I spent a lot of time online doing research on different bikes before deciding to give the Giro 20s a try. I kept hearing how easy they were to ride, what an excellent brand it was, and how well the company treats customers.

I drove 4 hours to test ride one, really liked it, and ordered one direct from Bacchetta as soon as I got home.

bicyclebill1

Curious. Any reason you didn't favor the shop that had one for you to ride with the purchase from them?