I currently ride a nice Mercian DF/upright to work, about 25miles each way. It's flattish country, with few small rises, nothing serious. The last 5 miles is inner-city riding - busy multilane traffic with potholed roads.

I'm not a fast rider, usually the trip takes me 1.5hrs.

As nearly 20 miles of it is on open road, I keep wondering about trying a recumbent, seeing if I can trim that 1.5hrs down a bit.

Are any recumbents suitable for this sort of mixed riding? I just can't imagine a trike being usable/safe in the city riding bit.

I own a Volae swb bent and I commute on a Cannondale R800 - 25kms each way, 50kms each way if I don't take the train.

If I take the train the ride is mostly rural highway. If I do the full ride it is 50% high traffic urban.

The bent is fine for the highway part, but I wouldn't feel comfy mixing it up with rush hour commuters in the city. OTOH I feel totally fine riding my R800 in heavy city traffic and it is comfortable for a 1-2hr commute. The R800 also fits into a bike locker at the transit station much easier than my bent. In the end I use the R800 95% of the time and I save my bent for long distance rides in the evening and weekends when traffic is a little more sane.

Would you be comfortable on the bent during that last 5 miles of the ride? If so go for it. If not its not worth saving a few minutes and making yourself uncomfortable.

And finally because I can sprint easier and climb better on the R800 my times would not likely be any faster on my Volae - unless I had hellacious head wind.

I am not a commuter so can not speak with authority but will put in my 2-cents... I do ride bents and my overall speed is not 'that much' more than when I rode/ride DF. So depends on what you call trimming the time. You can probably take off a few minutes, so if minutes count in your schedule of the day then you may think that you are gaining. I don't want to hit on a sore spot for DF, but the comfort level would be worth more than the minutes trimmed in my books. I would not feel any more or less uncomfortable in traffic, considering that I can control the bike...there is not a disadvantage with a bent. In fact I would consider the bent better in that you can see more without raising your head. again just my 2...

So nice to read balanced, honest information.
Thanks guys.

I commute regularyly on my bent, and have done so on my upright as well. Given that it's 5:30-6am, I'm not on top of my game, but I can't say that my bent gives me much advantage in speed for the 7 miles I ride. When I do longer commutes (running errands or whatever) I would say the speed/time is still the same, due to the stop and go function of the city.

If I had your commute and miles and miles of open road though, I'd be MUCH faster on the recumbent, without a doubt. However, that's me. As with any bike, it's still going to be about the engine most of the time. Don't expect to suddenly cut that time in half or anything. But you will be commuting more confortably!

I commute by recumbent daily. It is only about 4.5km and is all inner-city riding. A recumbent is perfect for commuting because your head is looking up not down in front of your wheel. You would need to have a mirror on the 'bent because it can me more difficult to turn your head to look behind you. You would also probably want a flag so that buses, trucks and SUV's can see you easier.

There are two main types of two-wheeled recumbent - Long Wheel Base (LWB) and Short Wheel Base (SWB). SWB 'bents usually have quicker handling and may feel twichy for the first few rides. I have not ridden any LWB 'bent but they are reputed to be extremely comfortable and easy to learn on.

A recumbent uses different leg muscles than an upright so it may take a while to be as fast or faster than on your upright. A recumbent can also be slower on the hills as you cannot stand to power up any steep sections. I am very slow uphill on my recumbent and get passed by just about everyone.

One thing to decide is whether you want small wheels or big wheels. Small wheels are usually stiffer, accelerate faster but don't ride over bumps so well.

You want to try and ride as many types of recumbent as you can before you buy one to see what suits you best. A good place to find out more information and tests on various recumbents is www.bentrideronline.com.

Here is a piccy of my daily commuter.

My 2 cents, based on a dozen years or so of mostly 'bent riding:

If your main goal is improving your speed, a 'bent likely won't do it. Most likely when you make the switch, you will be slower, at least until you get used to the new bike.

Whether or not you are ever as fast on a 'bent than you are on your DF depends on how much riding you do and you own ability to adapt. I am more comfortable on my 'bent than I am on any DF and I ride more because of that - but I don't think I'm as fast. Just my impression though, valid numbers are hard to prove thoughy, as I don't ride DF bikes often enough to get scientific comparison.

-Lee

Current stable:
2004 Bacchetta Giro 20
2006 Strida 3.2
Formely owned
1997 Vision R44u
2001 Rans Rocket

1998 Vision R44

I'll echo the opinions of the others. Unless you get a racing machine, you're unlikely to be significantly faster on a bent than on an upright. And a racing machine isn't what you want to commute on - you'll need fenders (on a racing machine - eeek!), there'll be chain marks on your pants, stuff will be falling out of your pockets, and lighting will be an issue. Although some bents can be lots faster than DFs, I don't like to recommend them on that basis alone, because not everyone sees those results.

I cummute to work (not every day and not much during the winter) on a Rans Tailwind. Prior to last March, when I got this bike, I used a Novara Big Buzz hybrid to commute. I continued to commute on the hybrid while I adjusted to 'bent riding. I didn't initially think that I would feel comfortable riding 'bent on my suburban/urban commute for six months to a yeat. However, after a couple of months, I was enjoying the Tailwind so much that it seemed natural to ride it to work. So, that's what I've been doing since then. The Tailwind's double 20" wheels probably make it a bit more nimble and maneuverable than a longer LWB.
It's much more comfortable than my hybrid and I tend to maintain a bit faster average speed. I pay a lot more attention to the view in my helmet-mounted mirror than I used to and plan ahead more carefully before lane-changing. Can't say that I feel any more or less safe riding 'bent than upright.

Hairy... Maybe you should just admit to yourself that you simply want to be 'bent and get one. Justifying it just doesn't make sense. It is simply another mode of riding an HPV. BTW, Trikes are a blast regardless of where and when you ride it.

I always found that the key to commuting with any kind of bicycle is having theft-proof parking.

I think I should just admit to myself that I want to faster - but without getting a new body.

I used to ride on a hybrid, got the drop-handlebar mercian, and knocked 10 min off my travel time.

I keep reading stuff about how fast the recumbents are, and wondering if this is only in race conditions or if it would apply in mixed traffic and rough roads. I think you have all answered the question.

The answer to that question is, "it depends." Most bents are not racers and only give a 10%-15% reduction in frontal area, so the speed advantage is slight. Not as much difference as going from a hybrid to a road bike. Outfit it with utility stuff like fenders and lights and add in some traffic lights, stop signs at busy intersections, etc, and you might not see any difference except in comfort.

That makes me think I'd be better off fitting race blades (narrow fenders) and aero bars to my current DF, and ditching the rack with pannier(s).
On the flat I average 19mph on this bike; with 65mm mudguards (fenders), a pannier rack and 30l pannier.

Wonder what I'd manage on a road race bike?

I think the safety debate has been resolved; people will see you simply because you're incongruous. Furthermore, you can improve your visibility with flags, brilliant decals/clothing, flashing xenon strobes, etc. I've never been missed, and I don't put myself in a position to be in a blind spot. Ultimately, only you know the traveling conditions in your neck of the woods.

You may or may not be faster; everyone is different, and almost every bent is unique. Certainly the ride will be infinitely more enjoyable esp. given your rolling terrain in contrast to a time trial position where you spend the entire trip day after day staring at the asphalt.

I originally got my first 'bent to add fresh vitality to my commute; little did I expect to get hooked so completely. CAUTION: These things can be severly addicting.