I'm just starting to read about recumbent bikes, including the different styles, features, etc., and I'm currently looking for dealers in my area. There is one within an hour of where I live, though at the moment they don't have a lot in stock. As I continue to learn I may reach out to folks here for some guidance.

First of all, I'm not sure if I want a recumbent bike. My reason for searching this out is for a while now I'm had some nagging neck and shoulder issues. I see a physiotherapist regularly and while this therapy has reduced the discomfort, I'm still finding that during and after a ride I'm continuing to have some issues. I'm working on my posture on and off the bike, with some minor improvements. The pain isn't bad (7/10 on/after a ride and 3 to 5 out of 10 most other days), but it's not going away after a few months of therapy and changes, so I'm thinking down the road and being relatively young (40), I want to continue to ride a bike for as long as I can (I love cycling, bikes, fitness benefits, touring, etc.)...hence the possibility of a bent bike.

If I didn't have this issue, I wouldn't be searching out a recumbent, for me it's simply a way to continue to ride without (hopefully) doing any damage to my body. I'm still figuring out the cause(s) of my neck/shoulder issues and whether riding a bike aggrevates it...once I reach a certain point on this path of discovery

While I have several bikes at the moment, I'm mainly a roadie. I ride before work for 1-2 hours (with lights when it's dark), and 3-5 hours on Saturday or Sunday. I do some 2-4 day credit card tours now and then. I also have a mountain bike and a bike for gravel roads, but I would be just focusing on road for now, to replace the majority of riding I do today. I may even continue to ride bent and regular bikes and see what happens with my neck and shoulders. If I was to go the recumbent route, I would be riding country roads with only a couple of lights getting out of town. There are cars, and sometimes trucks, that pass but it's not like busy city riding. So far I've looked online at Bacchetta bikes, as they're available at the dealer I mentioned above.

If you can ride a road bike or MTB on the roads, you can ride a 2-wheeled recumbent on the same roads. Wander on over to 'BentRider Online and check out the forum and dealer locator with a quick link in the upper right hand corner of the page. BentRider Online Forums - Powered by vBulletin Be ready for some sticker shock. Sometimes you can find what you want used which may save you quite a bit to get started. I bought one of my three trikes from a seller on bentrider and saved approximately half of the then current price. It lasted me 9 years and 27K miles so it was well worth the expense.

If you want a longer ride on a bent to try it out, you might ask if there are any riders in your area that would let you borrow one, or have an extra and go riding with you.

I've loaned mine out to a coworker once. (luckily he was close enough in size I didn't have to adjust it), and he bought one two weeks later (a much nicer one than mine, too!) .

The nearest Catrike dealer to me also rents a few of them out, might check with yours.

I prefer a pain level of 0/10 after a couple hour long ride. A recumbent may not bring you down to zero depending upon the source of your pain but if you get one that fits properly it should reduce the pain a lot. You are not bent forward with weight on your hands and arms. In my case I am reclined at a 25 degree angle with all of my weight on my back and butt. It is spread out over a much larger area than a narrow seat. There is no road or MTB that could ever match it for comfort.

Depending on the bike shop, they have no issues letting you ride for a couple of hours. Unless it was obvious I didn't like it, I took at least an hour test ride on each of the ones I was considering before I bought one. I was there at opening and they didn't have the sale finalized until about 15 minutes after closing (not me, computer issues on their end). BicycleMan was very accommodating. It was a 3 hour drive each way and well worth it. If you have a shop like that within a reasonable distance, call them up.

BTW, I ended up with a Bacchetta Giro and so far I like it much better than my ICE Sprint.

With spine issues, and that includes neck, it's best to test ride to discover the 'best' position for you. Sometimes reclining helps, sometimes it makes things worse. For starters I'd recommend trying something with a fairly upright seat, which would produce a 'neutral' neck position. The further you recline, the further your neck will have to be declined in order to see. That's totally opposite compared to riding an upright. A neck rest might help, too.

Thanks everyone. Still researching...and with winter coming I may not decide to pull the trigger until the spring.

Good advice above... do try more than one if you can, or even if you can't, find a way, before you buy...so the idea that you will do some looking between now and spring is good.

A friend of mine in the randonneuring club was having problems with neck pain on long rides and switched to a Bacchetta specifically for that reason. And it worked, too. She's ridden a 1200k and a 1500k this year.
She's still slower going uphills, but fine otherwise.

I was hoping to buy by the end of December, but it looks like I'm going to lose a couple of weeks due to shoulder surgery.

Since you are a roadie, you're likely looking at your best alternative to a road bike in a Bacchetta like stick bike. Rans and Schlitter also make great stick bikes. For the feel of the sport, speed and balance, cornering etc, the stick bike can't be beat. There is so little stress on the shoulders, wrists and back it's hard to believe until you ride one. Trikes are great for stability and ease of use but sitting so low to the ground, especially on city streets or country roads, many find scary. And don't worry about the awkward feel on your first rides on a stick bike. That will disappear over a few rides. I've had mine for 5 months and the comfort allows me to ride again, and hours at a time now. Only disadvantages to a DF road bike is the inability to stand on the pedals on very steep hills, (mild to moderate hills you may likely go faster on a recumbent as you can push into your seat) and at speeds where you are almost at a stop and trying to turn is more difficult. But waiting for a light to turn, you can, like on a DF bike, stand almost still pointed straight ahead.

Ride one for 20 miles and you may never go back to a DF bike.

I also went with a recumbent (terratrike rover) because of shoulder issues. I'm young too (45), at least for shoulder issues, and it's not fixable short of joint replacement. Putting weight on my shoulder (like a regular bike) hurts a lot, and just holding the arm out in front doesn't do it any favors. I went with the tadpole trike with the low steering and it fixed all the problem -- I can ride again!

That's a good point. There are multiple methods of steering a 'bent, and some may work better than others for a particular condition.* Trikes usually have USS (Under Seat Steering.) Stick bikes usually have OC (Open Cockpit) steering. There is also the 'praying hamster' position. For that, imaging your elbows at your sides and bent at approximately 90 degrees. IOW, the handlebars are about a foot in front of your chest.

Edit: I'm going to add an asterisk, because while recumbents might be a good solution for physical disabilities, I don't like to promote the implication that they have no other use. 'Bents are potentially a good choice for anyone who is not interested in organized racing.

Indeed, they are a good choice for anybody looking for comfort or an aerodynamic advantage.

Yes - I got my bent to go faster, not for any physical issue. The lack of ANY pain after long rides is an added plus.

I've been riding trikes since '06, I'm on my 2nd Catrike, 3 trikes in all. I started with a larger recumbent trike (Rotator Comfort3) still seemed low to the road to me. After 3.5yrs. I test rode then bought a Catrike Trail, this trike is even lower to the road with 20" wheel all around. I rode the Trail for 5yrs after I installed the UtahTrikes 26"wheel conversion, then bought a Catrike Expedition. The Expedition has a 26" rear and 20's up front with 30gears... it's a sports car. I originally bought the trike when the carpel tunnel and osteo arthitis in my wrists robbed me of the cycling I enjoyed. I also started touring which never would have been a thought when riding in the MTB days.

?!? HPRA and ABR and UMCA is NOT organized racing? News to me! Geez! Now I have to give that prize money back!

+1. Speed AND comfort.

You know what he meant. Organized racing where they dope.

I bought a Giro a couple of weeks before Christmas. After one ride on it I was kicking myself for not buying a bent years ago.

Aside from some toe numbness, I have ZERO pain whatsoever.

I didn't say there were NO racing opportunities. The opportunities are pared back quite a bit.

Every other weekend for ABR + 4 weekends of HPRA + a week at BM is plenty for me.

YMMV.