bjjoondo 

I'm a newbie to bents, only have about 1,500 miles on two bents (LWB/CLWB), the difference is that on a DF, you can stand up and "torque" pedals as hard as you want, using your legs like, "driving pistons". On a bent, you can't do that, the best way to get up the hill is to "SPIN" and not mash, LOL, it's a lot easier to run out of "spin" than mash, at least for ME! So I look at the overall bennies of bent's, less sore bunns, less sore shoulders, less sore wrist's, being able to "look ahead" without straining your neck. Recumbents aren't perfect, at least for me, they seem harder on the "knees", unless your a natural spinner, which I'm NOT. Still I'll sacrifice having to work harder up hill to get the other "bennies" that I get riding a recumbent. JMHO, YMMV.

gcottay

Facts are indeed facts but opinions vary. Here's my revised version after many thousands of miles on various recumbents.

1. If you see a hill then climb it. Some bents do climb better than others but, like all bikes, the motor is the most important part. Avoiding hills just teaches you to avoid more hills.
2. If you need to go across town, through town or near a town you will find many recumbents fine rides and the longer the ride the more you appreciate it.
3. If you enjoy riding with a group, sharing a pace line, sprinting for city signs, riding with no hands, standing, sitting forward on a saddle, sitting back on a saddle, stretching your torso, looking behind you without a mirror you may have some adjustments to make. If pace lines are your thing then look first at high racers. Most casual groups have no problems with recumbents.
4. To be fair, they are very comfortable which should be a concession as people look down at you and say "on your left" before you gain speed. For some riders it does take a while to become a strong recumbent rider.
5. Don't get a recumbent because you read about the land speed records and want to be fast. Speed is still mostly about the motor.
6. Though most people who try bents end up loving them there are a few for whom the relationship just doesn't work out. When they try to sell their bikes they will usually ask too much so bargain hard.

scarabeoguy

I fully agree with all of your points. However, the Easy Racers Tour easy / Gold rush is one of the best representations of the genre.

JanMM

Where, oh where, is the OP?

AlexZ

+1.........

Mr Gnome

He went ta trollin` on down at Lester creek.

himespau 

If I had unlimited money, that would be perfect. Our heads would be near each other so we could talk, she'd be in front so she could see the road (she's more of a look around rider) whereas I just like to get out and ride, though we could both see well, and she'd be recumbent so she wouldn't have her usual saddle problems. Not sure it'd extend tall enough for her 6' or so height, but it's not really an issue as I don't see being able to afford that anytime soon. Still that looks awesome.

rodar y rodar

^^ Yeah, I like all those attributes that you pointed out. And I`m also in the situation where there just ain`t no way I could justify the price
Might get lucky and find a good deal on a nearby Screamer. There have been a few on BROL classifieds for very sweet prices, but wrong geographics for me.

gavtatu

i dont care what anybody else says....
1. hills, i dont find them a problem.
2. around town (as oppose to city), no probs for either high or low racers.
3. i ride on my own...all the time. only two other bent riders here !
4. comfort, i can stretch out, drop my arms, lay back in seat and stretch.
5. longest single ride i've done is 110 miles, i would not have fancied that on a DF !
6. i just love being different !
7. i have just done 2k miles on my homebuilt, that fact amazes me.
8. i `heart` my bikes !

SoonerBent

I love how the OP uses one of the heaviest, longest bents to make the point that bents aren't efficient. I'm just coming back from a couple of years off a bike but from two to six years ago I had a Bacchetta Corsa. Arguably one of bentdom's hot rods.

On it I found:
1. I could climb with anyone I could climb with on a DF.
2. On flats I could walk off and leave a lot of riders that I could not on a DF.
3. My setup was very reclined and therefor very aerodynamic. Headwind, what headwind?
4. I've done at least a hundred centuries. All of the ones on a DF I was done, finished, kaput when I crossed the finish. On the Corsa I was ready for more.
5. Comfort? It was a rolling back massage. Who could ask for more?
6. I rode a lot in town. To work occasionally. Lots of weekend breakfast rides, etc. No issues at all after a break in period.

Now things have changed for me. I bought a RANS Tailwind to get myself back on a bike. Now it's all about being comfortable, enjoying the ride and socializing with my fellow cyclists. Not trying to run off and leave them.

bkaapcke

I really do think LWB recumbents mainly appeal to older riders who aren't in a huge hurry and want more comfort during their workout. It's what sold me on them when I was 55 and still has me on one at 62. Go back to a DF? Not even if you gave me one. bk

A paceline? What in hell for?

kennytb

Thank you for a much better reasoned/stated post.

JanMM

Older? I'm a mere 61.
I guess I'm not in a huge hurry but I am in a bigger hurry than I was a few years ago riding hybrids. The long 'bent certainly, for me, does go consistently a bit faster and a lot more comfortably. Can't beat that combo.

15rms

The seceret to life is enjoying the time passing bye. For me this includes comfort. Riding my bents is far more rewarding then when I use to ride a road bike. Speed is not there for me however the excercise still is good.

bobbycorno

And the problem is....?

SP
Bend, OR

ps - If you were looking for a truly FAST 'bent, you made a poor choice. Sounds like you were looking for a 'bent Madone, and the TE is the 'bent equivalent of a Surly LHT.

rydabent

gavtatu +1

I might take issue on your one point about being different. What other people think is of little care to me. It still remains that there are so many pluses to a bent it is overridding for the ave cyclist that rides for fun and exercise.

Since I am in the snow belt, I dont ride when it is cold. At 72 it takes about 500 miles to get my bent legs back in the spring. The hill argument is always brought up, but after getting your bent legs, and being able to "wedge" between the pedals and the seat back, hills pretty much ceases to be a problem. As someone else pointed out just ride up them. The rest of the pluses of bents should make them the bike to ride for most everyone.

Yakapo

I recently purchased my 1st bent - Bacchetta Strada. I've probably put a few hundred miles on it. On rides longer than 10 miles on my hybrid I got severe neck pain. I've probably spent thousands of hours hunched over in front a computer. Outdated eyeglass prescriptions probably made me lean further forward.

Now in my new bent I get ZERO neck & shoulder pain. Yes I get passed on hills. However my old riding buddy used to leave me behind riding around white rock lake (about 10 miles & very little incline). Now I can effortlessly leave him behind. And no butt pain or wrist pain. I don't even bother with clipless pedals. I'll keep my DF for times that I'll be riding on city streets where there will be traffic or a lot of stop and go.

Right now my only complaint is that its a little hard to see over the handlebars. I just can't really see the ground right in front of me. I raised the handlebars as high as they would go to avoid hitting my knees. Now I'm considering lowering them a little.

gcottay

He got lost trying to route himself around hills. <G>

Once he gets a few more bent miles under his belt he may have some additional wisdom to share.

rydabent

There are so many arguing points in this thread. In my real world, I ride further faster and longer on my Rans Stratus. For me that says it all for bents!!

BlazingPedals

I admit, I find this one a bit funny.

Riding with a group: I enjoy riding with a group of uprights and have no problem. They just can't draft me. And when I ride with a group of recumbents, which I also enjoy, they can.
Sharing a paceline: Who needs one? My lowracer is the equivalent of having a 3-man paceline pulling me as fast as I can draft. The paceline can only go as fast as the front guy can pull, which is about 3 mph slower than me (assuming equal strength.)
Sign sprint: The group has quit doing those because they can't win one from me.
No Hands: I couldn't do this with my last 2 uprights, either, due to aggressive geometry. Don't see the diff.
Stretch torso: WTF??? Is that like claiming you can't get up off the saddle to let the blood back into your butt? You'd only need to stretch if you were uncomfortable.
Need Mirror: OK, ya got me. OTOH, I don't need gloves or padded shorts.

The OP illustrates what happens when someone gets a recumbent 'just to try one.' They expect it to be just like an upright, except for the saddle. They have no reason to work through the differences, and often go back to their upright wondering what the big deal is. This guy apparently posted his disappointment before he even learned to ride it.

farnorth51

Your mileage will improve with a bent. All this talk of speed reminds me of the teenager that likes to burn his dad's tire off from down the street.

The Smokester

Lots of good points made here. One variable to consider is the power efficiency (power to weight) of the rider.

Generally speaking, bents have better aerodynamic efficiency which gives them an advantage when going fast (>15mph, say). Bents (23 lb, say) are also generally heavier than (the "equivalent") DF's (16 lb) which puts them at a disadvantage going up hills (>+3% grade, say). But, if you can hold enough power (>>200 watts) and therefore maintain a fast speed up a hill then the natural aerodynamic drag advantage of the bent can more than compensate for the increased weight even going up the hill and you will go faster on the bent.

So, stronger riders can see a speed advantage to bents in varied terrain that weaker riders will not be able to access.

bobbycorno

Lurking and chuckling...

SP
Bend, OR

AlexZ

I don't think so.....I think he read a lot of performance drivel like from Smokester above, got all excited and bought something he is sorry for.
So he expressed his opinion and sold that dog on Craiglist!

BlazingPedals

The best candidates for 'bentdom are the ones who have an emotional stake in succeeding and who do their homework before buying. AFAICT the OP failed on both counts. Those who expect speed had better be buying a racing model, and be willing to put the work into learning how to ride it; and by that I don't mean not wobbling. I mean a 'bent has a different speed profile and there are different techniques/riding styles used in order to maximize the advantages and minimize the disadvantages. Upright riders do this without even thinking about it because everyone else rides that way too. Recumbent riders have to ride differently, whether they realize it or not. The OP failed to even learn his starts; it's no wonder he wasn't impressed.