How do you handle hills?
 

Today on a ride with my road bike my and a recumbent changed leads a few times and I forgot to check when he was stopped how he was doing things.

IIRC a recumbent is just, two wheels so I don't see how one could get going. I understand if you come to a stop you can throw a leg down, but how do you get going (especially uphill) without falling over?

Also saw a tourist on a road bike. It was pretty neat seeing one while I was on a bike.....usually just see them while in my car sometimes.

It works like any two-wheeled people-powered cycle:
You put your feet on the pedals.
You pedal the pedals.
The bike moves forward.

Next time, remember to watch....

To be honest, it's usually a rather cumbersome looking operation until you get momentum moving forward. It takes some getting used to, but it's not a big deal if you remember to downshift prior to stopping.

practice, right gear, best foot forward..and make those lil silent grunting noises to yourself !

To the contrary, a recumbent may have more than two wheels. It can have 3 or 4 wheels depending upon the model. Starting out in the middle of a hill on a trike is no problem at all. I rode many thousands of miles on two wheeled recumbents before switching to a trike. The most crucial thing was to remember to downshift BEFORE coming to a stop but that also applies stopping on level ground. Smoothly starting out on a steep hill in a high gear may be nearly impossible but it is possible to gear down even when stopped, just much more difficult than on some road bikes.

Important to be in a gear when you stop that you can start in. If hill is somewhat steep I sometimes find it necessary to head downhill a little ways to get some momentum and do a U turn in the road.

I never realized that upright riders need a running start before they could throw their legs over the saddle and take off. I always thought they did it the same we we recumbent riders did: Start pedaling and the bike starts moving.

I rarely have a problem getting started up hill or down, I never have to put my foot down at an intersection, I don't need a kickstand either or something to lean my ride on when I'm not on it. Then there's always having my camp or beach chair with me......then there's the E-BOB

If you chose the "right gear", bring one pedal towards the top of the stroke, using a strong push off motion, letting the other foot just come up with the stroke on the other pedal, starting uphill is not real tough, jmho. Yes, it's a bit different than a DF BUT if your in the "wrong" gear on a DF starting uphill it's not much FUN either! ;)

Several good points made here. The biggest truth is that no one can start up hill after a stop as well as a trike rider. Beyond that pratice, and the right gear will work every time.

Lol thats good stuff.

If you stop while biking up a hill, it is very hard to start pedaling again. Until you have developed 'bent legs', it is much too hard. That is why I always stop after cresting the top of a hill. It makes starting up again much easier.

Of course, if you get tired on a long uphill climb, this might not be possible. In that case, you should just try to find a level spot where you can start your bike rolling from a complete stop.

If you try to start pedaling uphill after it gets dark, it is even harder. Very hard to keep your balance. Of course, this depends on the geometry of your bike. If your crank is higher than your seat, it makes it more difficult to start up from a rest, particular uphill. If your crank is lower than your seat, I imagine it would be easier to start up from a stop.

I suggest that you limit the length of the uphill roads on which you pedal your bicycle, and that you limit the steepness of the hills you climb on your bicycle, until you have develop your 'bent legs' to the point where you can pedal uphill in low gear without zig-zagging too much from side-to-side. This will take time, and progressively harder effort.

Nah - if you wait until dark to start; then you can walk to the top because nobody will see you and it didn't happen!