rydabent

Just to stir things up a bit, I ask just who do they think they are kidding. In the DF vs bent argument, how can DF riders claim they are as comfortable their bikes as a bent rider is? They are sitting on a narrow hard seat, and we are mainly setting on a lawn chair. In the argument DF riders seem to forget that most of us bent riders have put tens of thousands of miles on DF our selves. From experience we know where of we speak.

modelmartin

'Bents are dorky. Just sayin'.

rebel1916

Your trolling lacks subtlety and finesse.

VegasTriker

You have only to read the posts of the endless quest to buy the right (most comfortable) seat for a DF to realize that you are correct about comfort of DF bikes vs recumbents. BTW, many of us are old enough and wise enough to not give a crap about how dorky they look. I'd rather be a dork who rides thousands of miles a year that not-a-dork who rides a few hundred miles a year if that much.

cplager

I have a good friend who rides at a much higher level than I on DFs. For him, it isn't a question if 'bents are more comfortable than DFs (he agrees they're not), but rather if DFs are comfortable enough (and for him, they are). He rides his bike and I ride mine (and he'd have to ride a lot slower if we ride together ).

I agree that 'bents would make sense for a lot of people who haven't tried them. Hopefully more and more people will try them in time.

BlazingPedals

I think this is the crux. I believe that few cyclists are lucky enough to have the bike "disappear under them" as some claim; but that's not necessary. All they really want is for it to be bearable. To most, it's just not worth investing in a new style bike and all the modification of their riding style, just to avoid what is a minor annoyance to them. And when pressed about that minor annoyance, they'll emphatically deny it exists at all, just to avoid the debate.

In the meantime, if someone on a Safety Bike complains that they can't keep up and I'm "cheating," I tell them that, by their own mantra, it's the engine not the bike, and if they really believe otherwise there's nothing preventing them from getting a bent, too.

Roopull

I lust after recumbents... The first time I saw one zip past me like I was sitting still when I was actually pushing as hard as I could, I was sold. The fact that the guy looked like he was taking a nap may have influenced me a bit.

I am not immature enough to care what other people think of how I look.

There are two reasons I do not own one.
1st, I live in a very hilly area and am concerned about climbing hills. I am naturally a pretty good hill climber. That's probably my biggest cycling strength. Would that transfer to a recumbent?
2nd... price. I can get very good traditional road bikes for $400 all day long. I haven't seen a decent recumbent anywhere near that. Spending that kind of cash on something I consider to be a gamble is a bit much.

Alas, the lust is there.

zonatandem

Over 300,000 miles so far on DF bikes. At age 81 still riding comfortably 100+ miles a week.
Yes, have tried a couple bents, and so far see no need or reason to get one.
We are both happy what we are riding . . .

rydabent

I would rather look "dorky" than have the back of my neck, and my rear end hurt on a century ride. Further on my bents I sit up and get to see the whole route rather than staring at a front wheel a good percentage of the time.

Robert C

I rode 68 miles today on my Bacchetta. . . my legs are a little sore; but the rest of me feels fine, There is no way I would feel this good after ridding that far on a safety bike (I will admit that my face seems a little sun burnt, nothing serious, I can just feel the presence of my skin).

So what if I look a bit dorky, there is nothing I can do to look as cool as some of you; so I see no need to put up with the pain of trying.

Northwestrider

I'm happy and comfortable on my DF, I'm happy and a bit more comfortable on my bent. Bent's IMO will become mainstream if their maneuverability were to somehow improve, and the cost were to lower. For a large portion of society , bents are simply too expensive.

gregf83 

Last week I went for a 1 1/2 hr hike up a ski hill (1200 m elevation change) and my legs burned and back hurt most of the way. I did it for fun but was never what you might call 'comfortable'. If I want comfort I'll stay on the couch....

CommuteCommando

I have ridden both and there are pluses and minuses to both. Recumbent are more comfortable, and I would consider using one if I ever went on a multi day tour. They are slightly less stable; if you get in a bad attitide, it is more difficult to correct by shifting your weight. They are more expensive than comparably equipped DF's due to economies of scale. That last is why I don't have one.

cplager

And I see no reason to suggest you change.

I want you to be happy riding a bike. Or trike. Or unicycle.

And you are. So we're golden.

cplager

I do stay on the couch. It just happens to have two wheels.

rydabent

Look at the DF seat. If you go to a well stocked LBS, or look in a cycling catalog, there are a ton of different DF seats. You would think at after more than 100 years someone would have come up with a seat that is comfortable. With all those seats available, it is logical to assume no such seat exists.

wphamilton

I'd love to get a 'bent some time, for several reasons. Not because of saddle comfort however -practically any DF saddle works for me.

I'd get a low racer with a long wheelbase and adulterate it with one of my home-brew Coroplast full fairings, maybe hide an electric drive in there somewhere.

WrightVanCleve

Logic would be sound if there were not so many hind ends and preferences for seat type.

I have found a seat I'm comfortable with, Serfas RX. Others don't care for that seat. Some feel it is too bulky or soft. Their rear end, their choice.

Personally, I would not like sitting on a recumbent. I don't care for the way I'm positioned. Maybe when I get older or if I have to be bent over due to a back problem, but for now, I would rather have a DF bike.

Floyd

sports car, SUV, limosine...there is a variety in 4-wheel transport too...I suppose somewhere there is a blog/forum on whether one or the other is better. I like my long wheel base & my trike...but do ride DF once in a while, the 2-speed bendix and the "stair-stepper" bike that I just bought, cause someone had it and I could buy it. so I do have some variety in life.

La Tortue

I've seen very few recumbent riders happy with their seats after they ride for awhile. They constantly cut , change, or add on expensive modifications. Then they move to the head rests and the unhappiness goes through the roof.

BlazingPedals

You're not just making that up to stir things up, are you? I've never heard of such a thing; and there are over 100 bents in my bike club.

gregf83 

Same thing applies to shoes. There are thousands of different shoes available because manufacturers haven't figured out how to make a comfortable shoe.

La Tortue

One word "no", it is based on ten years of close observations of the recumbent species. A strange group those recumbent riders, very strange indeed.

jyl

DF saddles can be comfortable for long rides. I rode 50 miles today and never noticed my saddle. I rode 100 miles earlier this month and spent about 5 minutes thinking "hmm my butt is sore" which isn't bad for a several hour ride.

You just need (1) the right saddle for your anatomy and riding position, (2) padded shorts, (3) get out of the saddle occasionally, and (4) to ride with purpose.

The last point, (4), is often overlooked. The harder you press down on the pedals, the less pressure on your butt. I'm not talking about pedaling while standing. I mean when you are riding hard, although you are seated, your butt is sort of floating on the saddle.

Roopull

Yeah, I gotta agree with this point. I don't really care about the debate going on, but one of the things I hear from new cyclists is that the "seat hurts."

It's not a seat. It's a saddle. The difference being that you sit in a seat, but a saddle just stabilized you on the bike. On a bike, your weight should be divided among your hands, feet and butt or "sit bones." Getting it right, though, takes practice... well, not really practice, but experience. Just ride. Focus on getting the weight off your butt & it's golden.



That being said, there's something incredibly alluring about cruising 10 mph faster while reclining in a chaise lounge.