Alligator

I really love biking. I've tried almost every type of bike, and am currently riding a foldable bike and road bike for most of my riding. However, the one bike I have not tried is a recumbent. I really don't have a reason to get one, but I can't get them out of my mind.

I've watched a bunch of videos. I've checked out the new recumbent web sites. But something in the back of my mind is holding me back. Why???

Steamer

Are you really asking us to psychoanalize you over the internet?

Or do you have a different question we actually have some hope of answering?

Alligator

I guess I'm concerned about either the look of a trike, or what other cars/bikers will think. I'm worried they may not give a recumbent the same room on the road, or will not want to share paths the same way. Has anyone encountered this?

10 Wheels

Try some Test rides.

I ride on the roads and traffic gives me more space.

Steamer

Recumbent bikes aren't an option? Some recumbents are almost as high as regular bikes. You can see and be seen just as well.

As for low recumbents, there are ways to compensate.

I have not had any issues with others sharing the road differently. If anything the recumbent tends to garner more courtesy.

Who cares what other people think?

Edited to add: It probably is true that recumbents aren't a good choice for people who are insecure.

10 Wheels

Here a Friend's Video to show what his rides are like.

Retro Grouch 

I finally made the leap to a tadpole trike this July. It's taken me a long time to get my head around to making that conversion. Now that i've done it, I wish that I wouldn't have waited for so long and wasted as much money as I did on halfway measures. In a nutshell, it's brought the "carefreeness" back into my cycling.

Good luck.

VegasTriker

A visit to a recumbent shop will probably cure you of any desire. The purple Catrike Expedition pictured above without any of the accessories sells for $2,550 and the Catrike 700 I own is $2,950. See the list of Catrikes here Utah Trikes Catalog - Trikes, Upgrades & Accessories Good trikes (the ones worth owning) just are very expensive.

My CT700 is the third trike I owned since May 2003. It's a serious addiction and there are no 12 step programs for us. It has many benefits though. The comments I get from people who see me riding are always positive and most drivers give me a wide berth when they pass. As to visibility, if you can't see a bright blue 7 foot long object waving an orange flag, you should give up your license and quit driving.

10 Wheels

$1500 with only 150 miles on it. With rear rack, fender, 3 new bags for touring, computer, flags

meadowlark

I had the same itch about eight years ago - and was smitten by a Bacchetta high racer. I test rode it a few weekends, and ended up buying it! I loved that bike! Thought I looked cool, easy on my back, could look around. It was awesome.

I practiced riding in a nearby cemetery for weeks, and finally took to the streets. I won't bore you with the details, but I sold it as quickly as possible after that. I am fairly sure it was my lack of ability, but I crashed 2x, tipped over, had to wait until no cars were around to go from a stop, and was never able to climb a hill.

The person who bought my bike said it took him 5,000+ miles to get used to a recumbent. I was't sure I would survive that. So, my advice is to rent and ride. Not purchase until you are 100% sure.

VegasTriker

Well yes, high racers are not the easiest recumbent to learn to ride but if the second owner took 5K miles to get used to riding it and still persisted he must have been very determined. I owned 3 different recumbent bikes and 3 trikes. Many people tried the bikes (Linear LWB, Haluzak Horizon SWB and BikeE AT. The 84" long Linear was a piece of cake to ride. Nobody ever crashed it and most could ride in a straight line with just a few minutes on it. The Zak was a bit more to handle and fewer people tried. Again, nobody crashed it. The BikeE probably had more than 50 people try it out as I took it to a major Boy Scout show and let people ride it. I crashed both the Linear and the Zak but that was in quite a few thousand miles of riding them. I don't know any dedicated cyclists who haven't crashed if they ride a lot of miles.

meadowlark

The person that bought my recumbent was very experienced - he added my bike to his stable. I think he was encouraging me, and hoping I might keep trying. My response to the OP was to make sure and try a recumbent - more than a few times - before buying.

Retro Grouch 

The trouble with buying used is that there's usually just the one. Recumbent bicycles are a developing technology. There are a plethora of designs and variations on those designs and they all ride a little differently. If you test ride any one, you might like it and you might not but that doesn't mean that you will automatically either like or hate all other recumbent designs.

Another thing to consider is the broader experience of living with a recumbent. How are you going to transport it with your car? Where and how are you going to store it?

My general advice for anybody considering buying a recumbent is to visit a recumbent specialty store. A typical bike store with just 1 or 2 recumbents on the floor won't do. A recumbent specialty store, because they have several models, tan talk intelligently and openly about the plusses and minuses of each design with less fear of losing the sale. A recumbent specialth store will also know how other riders have worked through the transportation and storage issues.

JanMM

Big problem with buying recumbent bikes is that the recumbent specialty stores mentioned by RG above are few and far between. My first 'bent was bought used locally, the next two I ordered from an LBS, sight unseen, and our 'bent tandem was bought online from a 'bent specialty store hundreds of miles from us - again sight unseen. Of late, it's probably considerably easier to find a store with 'bent trikes than bikes.
If a road trip to a store with 'bents on hand, of the style(s) you are interested in, can be arranged, that would be ideal.

Jeff Wills

Google says you're 220 miles from one of the biggest and best recumbent shops in the U.S.:
https://hostelshoppe.com/
Take a weekend, go there, test a bunch of bikes & trikes, ask questions, ponder a bunch, eat some cheese. What have you got to lose except a weekend?

Shahmatt

The main reason I switched was for safety. Recumbent riders get lots more space on the road! Even a low rider minus a flag is easily spotted. Just the unusual shape of the vehicle catches the eye.

Alligator

Thanks, this is all great advice. I was only aware of one local shop with about two models on display.

chandltp

I was convinced I wanted a trike. Ended up with an ICE Sprint. Unfortunately, I was so sure of what I wanted I didn't test ride long enough. No matter what I did my toes would go numb after ~45 minutes (and get very painful after 3-4 hours). Of course when your toes are screaming in pain, you question everything else about your ride.

After about 18 months I gave up on it and traded it in for a Bacchetta Giro 20. My numb toe problem is almost completely resolved. For me, the 2 wheels and higher seating turned out to be a plus. I find it easer to ride on poorly maintained roads and I can see over the sides of bridges when I'm riding again. Sure, 2 wheels can have some downsides. But for me, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I still love the *idea* of a trike.. but the reality is 2 wheels with a higher seating arrangement works better for me (plus I have spot for 4 panniers for longer trips)

But like others have said... ride as many as you can. If you find one you like, ride it for at least an hour. I drove 3 hours (each way) to test drive at Bicycle Man. I was there test riding almost the entire day. It was well worth the trip. Would have been worth an overnight stay if necessary, too.

And oh yea... stop worrying about what other people think. I've never gotten any negative comments from cyclists at charity rides on either of my recumbents. And as for non-cyclists... well, they already thing most cyclists are weird.

Retro Grouch 

Yup. I learned a new word today. While riding my trike past some 20 somethings, this lad gave me a thumbs up and shouted "Sauce! So much sauce." I'm assuming that's good.

If somebody here knows what it means and it's not good - keep it to yourself.

Steamer

It is good. It has a similar meaning to bling.

BlazingPedals

That perfectly illustrates why I'm not a trike guy at heart. My rides look more like this.

Shahmatt

Beautiful ride. Therapeutic to watch. The vehicle with open boot at 9.50 didn't look very safe.

What were you averaging? 24mph?

What cycling computer is that?

Shahmatt

Also, on the theme of safety, a recumbent will normally allow you to go faster. Faster means you match vehicle speeds more easily.

Vehicles have more time to judge your position on approach and overtake relative speeds will also be slower. Also you'd likely suffer less overtake passes on account of your higher speed, especially in the city. All of this is good for safety.

BlazingPedals

That was taken at the end of a 90-mile ride. The final 1.4 miles was a Strava segment and I averaged 28.3, but 24 is probably a good guess as to the entire stretch. The computer is a Garmin 500. It's too bad the light was so bad; you only get a glimpse here and there of the readings.

Shahmatt