I'm considering 'going 'bent' in the next few months, and I'd like some recommendations on recumbent bikes that are capable of touring. (I've toured on upright bikes, but as folks who have seen me ride can tell you, I have some physical difficulties with them.) I currently pull a trailer with my upright bikes, so I could continue to do that with a 'bent unless it's not safe to do so.

A fellow bent commuter I knows just picked up a tour easy.. I mean it is already in the name and everything Alot of long wheelbase bikes are nice for long rides this one is by easy racer but I know RANS has a few that I have seen on long rides carrying or towing big loads.


This is my new commuter/touring rig. I like to be able to put my hands down at stops instead of unclipping I wouldn't tow a trailer with it due to the rear suspension and non triagulated frame though.

I have no experience with recumbents, but have always loved the idea of long journeys with them. Though I admit to being relatively uninformed about the different designs, I would want to tour on a trike so that I could lounge in it at camp and generally not have to balance it all the time when not riding, or riding slowly. Greenspeed and windcheetah trikes come to mind as especially cool. maybe one day ill get to try one for a week or two.

Bear in mind that recumbents are not great on off-road situations; whereas on an upright bike you can always lift your weight off the saddle when you see a bump coming, you can't do that on a 'bent.

Also, bear in mind the common lore that recumbents are bad on hills. There is some truth to that, but not so much if you spin a high cadence. Basically if you get up hills by putting your weight on the pedals, you won't like a recumbent because you can't put your weight on the pedals.

I'm not an expert on recumbents. I have one, an old Counterpoint Presto, but it's the only 'bent I've ever ridden. My advice would be to try to ride some different 'bents, both long and short wheel base, as many as possible, and for a minimum of 10 - 20 miles on each (preferably a lot more).

It takes a while to get used to riding a recumbent; the hard part is that you really have to relax your whole upper body, and "just relax" is easier said than done. When I got mine, last summer, I did a few short rides around the neighborhood to get the feel of it, but I really couldn't tell what it was good for until I took it for a long ride. After about 70 miles my arms were so tired I had no alternative but to relax them and then, finally, I started to get comfortable. When I got home my odometer read 100, and my legs were painfully tired, but I was comfortable.

The novice will almost certainly be unstable at low speeds (I sure am), so it is hard to make tight turns; I haven't tried it with a trailer, but obviously that would be even harder. It shouldn't be impossible, but I'd suggest you don't try it until you're comfortable on the bike in all other respects.

I've owned quite a few bents. I initially got into them for comfort reasons and figured I'd want to tour on them, but I solved my comfort issues on my upright bikes and prefer them for touring.

Having said that if I suddenly had ergonomic issues I couldn't solve on an upright I'd tour on a bent without hesitation.

The biggest problem with bents is there are so many types and they are all so different from one another. You can tour on just about any bent other than the uber fast uber light racing machines. So you need to figure out how you like the different types of bents and how your body feels on them. This is complicated by the fact being new to bents your first test rides will be awkward and if you pick the bent that rides best after 10mins of test riding you'll find it isn't the bent you want to ride 3 months down the road when you are accustomed to them.

I'd test ride whatever bents you can find locally. Hopefully several times for as long as they'll let you. If your local bent selection isn't wide think about flying/driving to a big bent dealer like the Hostel Shoppe where you can ride everything imaginable. They will also be able to discuss your particular ergonomic needs and what you want to use the bent for to help you narrow down the field as they have done so for many customers.

Once you've decided on a bent and bought one - give yourself 1000miles to figure it out properly and get your "bent legs". You'll find climbing initially is harder than your upright. After some acclimatization that will get easier - although I've never had a bent that climbed as well as an equivalent quality/weight upright bike.

A lot of people go through 2 or 3 bents before they find the one that clicks and they fall in love. Consider buying used at first as you can save $$$ and resell for most if not all of your purchase price if you don't love that model. The classifieds at www.bentrideronline.com are good - I have bought sold several bents there with no issues.

I'd like to leave you with one thing - don't believe the bent evangelists who say bents are the best thing since sliced bread and don't believe the bent haters that say bents are toys that can't climb. The truth is bents are a really cool type of bike that are good for many riders - they have their pros and cons.

Thanks for the information and links. The physical problems are long-standing, but I've toughed them out because I was new to cycling and I didn't know they wouldn't work themselves out with time. Here's a worst-case example - at the end of my first metric century. I generally keep a better posture, but every now and then I just stop fighting. (Guess which one is me!):

Check out https://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/index.php

No need to tough them out. Bents will offer you a totally different ergonomic position compared to an upright bike. Depending on what your particular issues are and if you have a doctor you deal with regularly you may want to get his/her input into your selection process. You can find all sorts of seating positions on bents from very reclined to very upright [like a chair] and with BB positions that are low/medium/high with respect to the seat. You end up with a lot of options - some of which will work better than others.

I tour on a HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte. It's built for touring, and is great for it. It's very comfortable. I has ubder seat steering, so your arms are relaxed. It takes four panniers: two on the rear, and two under the seat. I've done three tours on it, and highly recommend it.

Yes, I completely agree -'bents are just different, not necessarily always better or worse. Different types of recumbents can result in very different handling characteristics. I take claims of superiority for either type with huge grains of salt.

I will say that when I do the US coast to coast, I'd like to do it on a 'bent, if only for the more relaxed head up view that allows me to see more -at least that is what I find.

but I would say more then 1000 miles to get your legs in shape

Precisely how long it will take for any particular rider to adapt to a particular bent is impossible to say..it could be 500miles or 5000miles. However, after 1000miles you'll have a good handle on a bent and know how your body is adapting to it.

The important point is that if you are bummed it's hard to climb hills on your bent and you've only got 100miles on it don't despair things will get better with more riding.

I bought a new EZ Racer (LWB) do do a cross-country tour from St Augustine to San Diego (ACA Southern Tier route; east-to-west). Got as far as Austin, TX before the hills finally did me in. I did a lot of training on the 'bent before the tour and traveled 1400 miles to Austin before determining that I couldn't climb the hills on the 'bent. Maybe a different 'bent would do it, but me on that 'bent couldn't.

I've had a RANS V-Rex for a few years, and I love it for long-distance riding. I'd say it took a season to get comfortable and in-shape. The longest tour I've done is 6 days/600 miles self-supported solo. The great thing about that tour was, at the finish I was tired but nothing hurt. With my lower back issues, that's amazing.

Like others say, ride as many different kinds of bents you can, and pick what feels best.

I haven't started touring yet, but I have been riding my 'bent trike for almost 3 years now and slowly increasing my distances. This year, I've covered roughly 1300 miles (up about 400 from last year) and plan on starting to tour this year.

My trike isn't that good off road. Not because I can't get my rump off the seat over bumps, but because of the low clearance of my rear derailleur arm. It's a mud scoop, but as long as I don't slam it into rocks and roots, it manages fine.

As for the hill issue, I've had an easier time on hills with my trike than I ever did with a DF bike. With my back I hadn't been able to ride a DF in 3 years and on my test ride with my trike, I had to tackle a fairly significant hill. I remember cringing because on DFs, no matter how low I geared, my speed would stall because of my knees, weight off the saddle or not, and I'd have to walk up the hill. To my delight and surprise, I pedaled up that hill smoothly. Slowly, but fairly easily and smoothly. I think that says something given an out of shape woman who hadn't ridden a bike in 3 years with bad knees.

Can't put your weight in the pedals going up a hill when in a 'bent? True. Instead, you put your back into it. The force I put in the pedals is transferred to the seat through my back and hips, though I can only do that for a few cranks before my knees scream. Even when I was 20 and rode my much beloved DF, many hills I had to walk up because of my knees. With my trike, the only hills I've had to walk up are muddy unpaved ones that my slick tires couldn't get traction.

I've noticed Historian mention problems with his back and hips, so don't know if the force transferring from legs to back on hard pushes would be a problem for him.

I'm not saying that what common lore says is wrong. I'm just saying what I have experienced with my trike. Of course, I accepted long ago, I'm odd.

I'm a multi 'bent user and my favorite touring 'bents are Easy Racers. I have a Tour Easy (like the one the above post) and a Gold Rush:



I tour on upright bikes too but I much prefer the Easy Racers.

HP Velos are nice for touring if you don't mind the weight.



In the earth of the future most cycletourists will be riding 'bents if you ask me. In fact I'm pretty sure they'll be on Gold Rush's.

I sometimes pull a two-wheel trailer or a BOB behind my 'bents but I would never go on a long tour with a trailer. I don't like the extra weight of a trailer turning my bike into a brick.

If you insist on using a trailer you could pull it with just about any bent (although most of the short wheelbase 'bents will handle badly at high downhill speeds) and some of the short wheelbase manufacturers recommend against trailers. You could even use a Bacchetta Grio 20 ATT



or a a Volae Century, for instance.

I don't have any real experience of riding LWB (Long wheel base) bents such as the RANS Stratus or Easy Racer Tour Easy, apart from a short test ride. The Stratus was very comfortable to ride but I found that the small unloaded front wheel very sketchy of the gravel road I tried it on. If I was going to tour on a LWB I would want one that you can put small front panniers on to weight the front wheel.

I have toured on two different rigid SWB (short wheel base) bents. Both had 20 inch wheels front and rear. One was an Australian bent called a Flying Furniture and the other is a RANS Rocket. I liked the Flying Furniture but sold it due to the design of the seat not agreeing with me - my legs would go numb after about 60km. I did a 900km tour on my Rocket in January this year and really enjoyed it. I am not going to be using the Rocket for touring anymore as I want even more comfort.

I have decided that unsuspended small wheeled bikes are fun for races and events but I want suspension to take the edge off. I have now a locally made home-built fully suspended SWB that is based on a Toxy recumbent which I use for commuting and will use for touring.

I like touring by recumbent because you are sitting looking up at the road and scenery. You will want to try as many different recumbents as possible before you decide which one you want for long touring. I would check out the revues on Bentrider Online to get an idea of what type of bent you would like.

It will take several hundred km to train the different muscles that you use riding a bent to be as strong as on your current bike. One thing to be aware of is that it is very difficult to lift yourself out of the seat of a bent on the move - you have to ride around or through obstacles like potholes and take the bumps.

Re: lightly loaded front wheels on long wheelbase recumbents

Indeed long wheelbase recumbents have lightly loaded front wheels. It's the nature of the beast and the light load in front allows for a 20" wheel which is lighter and has less air resistance. You have to ride accordingly. The light front wheel can more easily slide on sandy surfaces and ice. It's not an issue once you get used to it. It's no different than taking into account slippery surfaces on the front wheel of a motorcycle, which is equally prone to front wheel slides. In winter I run a stickier (softer rubber) front tire at a slightly lower pressure so it sticks to ice better.

That being said, long wheelbase recumbents like the Easy Racer are road bikes, like almost every recumbent. Slippery off-road conditions are better served by a mountain bike with knobbies.


Photo: My Tour Easy on a sandy surface.

Sounds like you gave it a good try. What sort of daily mileage were you doing?

I am a low-altitude flat-lander in my early fifties. Not 1400 miles or cross country (yet) for me. But I managed to do a 5-day self-supported tour around Taos, NM and keep up with two 18 year olds,-- them on upright bikes, me on my Tour Easy. There were a number of long and challenging climbs on our route and the alititude ranged from 6000 to ~10,000 feet. Longest daily distance was 50 miles. Average was in low 40s.

I've also done several short tours in hilly southern Oklahoma. No, it's not flat there. My touring companions riding upright bikes, we managed to find a pace that worked for us.

For self-supported touring, I think the climbing differences between upright bikes and recumbents may not be as great as some people think. Not that there's no difference, but the extended climbing techniques on a fully loaded touring bike are much the same whether recumbent or upright. Low gearing and spin, spin, spin.

There are other challenges for bicycle touring than hills. Wind, for instance. A lower profile bike may be a real advantage into a stiff headwind. And for carrying stuff, the underseat/mid-ship racks on some recumbents are hard to beat.

In the end, it is a personal choice, what you like, what's comfortable and works for you.

Jon

So folks, if I get a 'bent, say, at the end of January or February, do you think I'd be acclimated enough to it to use it on Spinnaker's 390 mile GAP/C & O tour in June? I live in PA, so riding in the winter is problematic.

A 'bent on the C&O? You're a brave man :-)

-R

Other folks have ridden them on the C & O.

I'm sure they have, but they're the exception rather than the rule. I probably have 2k C&O miles, I've never seen one.

-R

I have mild scoliosis, a shorter left leg, a right knee that is severely knocked and is toe out 25 degrees, a left knee that doesn't have a full extension, and a pelvis that 'looks' to the left. On top of that I have problems with coordination and muscle strength that keep me from being able to pedal standing up and from mounting a bike 'properly'.

I don't think a 'bent will be a problem for me to ride, or to climb on one, since I can ride a bike, although not well. Some of the problem, and discomfort, I have on upright bikes is bio-mechanical - since I can't mount properly by lifting myself onto the saddle when in motion, I need to have the saddle low enough that I can balance on one foot, which interferes with efficiency. I have saddle problems because I can't sit 'square' in the saddle, since my pelvis looks left. I'm hoping a 'bent will allow me to avoid these problems in my future rides.

I regularly ride my recumbents on rail trails and non-paved multi-use paths. I rode my BikeE recumbent pulling a BOB YAK trailer on the unmaintained Caprock Canyons Trailway. Worst parts were deep (2-3") loose sand. I can ride my Volae high-racer (650x23 tires) on a packed surface rail trail near my house,
but I prefer my Tour Easy (medium width touring tires) or BikeE (wide tires) for non-paved surfaces.

I have no experience with the C&O trail. Looking at the pictures and reading the descriptions, it looks like some sections could be challenging, but I think that would have more to do with tire choices than bike geometry.

https://bikewashington.org/canal/plan-tires.php
https://www.footprintpress.com/Articles/BikingtheCO.htm

Check out the recumbent tour journals at crazyguyonabike.com:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/c...octype=journal

Particularly journals by Wayne Estes cover a fair amout of unpaved miles on a SWB recumbent.

Jon