An Idiot's guide to recumbents?

[seraphina]

(Apologies to the forum for a several year absence; reality had a nasty habit of getting in the way....)

I am coming into a small windfall in the near future, and barring unfortunate events happening to the house, it is currently earmarked to purchase something Fun. My thoughts have turned towards a recumbent; I am already in possession of a road bike and a more sensible Jack-of-all-trades, but have hankered after a recumbent for a while.

That said, I am at a loss as to where to start. My knowledge of recumbents is limited to thinking they look like fun. I know virtually nothing else - manufacturers, how they ride, how to set one up, what to look for etc. I would be very grateful for links and starting points - I had a look for sticky posts etc but couldn't find anything immediately obvious.

 

[andytheflyer]

Bike or trike?

 

[Scoosh]

Not really possible - idiots don't ride recumbents.

 

[seraphina]

Andytheflyer - Probably a trike, based on nothing more than I think they look cooler...

I shall try not to lower the tone too much if I get on board a trike!

 

[andytheflyer]

I'm far from the most experienced bent rider on CC - others better placed will be along to advise. I ride a bent bike - so cannot real help with a trike. However - some general observations.......

IME, bents (of both types) may be ridden (but not necessarily so) by people who have a restricted mobility, or suffer from recurring pain or discomfort when riding a 'normal' (DF - Diamond Frame) bike. I get problems with hands, neck and arms riding a DF bike, but I still ride one - alternating the bent and the DF to give my body a change.

Bents in general are probably a bit slower overall compared to a DF bike, trikes even more so - but that's not a hard and fast rule. Bents are slower uphill because you can't stand on the pedals to use body weight to turn the cranks - but they may well be faster downhill and on the flat because of much reduced wind resistance. You have to build up new muscles to ride a bent - muscles that you don't use as much riding a DF bike.

Bike bents are a totally different riding experience - I had to re-learn how to ride - others on here have had similar experiences. Trikes don't present that problem - no need to balance.

The upside is that both bent bikes and trikes are supremely comfortable (once you get used to them). The sheer speed downhill, because you sit closer to the road, can be exhilarating. They also attract a lot of attention because they are not common. I only began riding a bent last November when I saw one that I thought I'd like to try on eBay - and it's been a really positive experience (after a frustrating period of getting it configured to suit my physical attributes!). I love it, and ride it regularly, as well as my DF road bike.

@SNSSO (a moderator on CC) rides a trike and she will no doubt be along to advise.

Bents do not have much in the way of retail support in the UK - Laid Back Bikes in Edinburgh and DTek in Norfolk (Cambridgeshire??) both specialise in recumbents and can help with parts. There are a number for sale on eBay, but you really need to know what you want to ride before you buy. Both Laid Back and DTek offer a road test before you buy. Having said that, all but the cycle parts (i.e essentially the frame) are either road bike or mountain bike parts - so there's not really any problem with maintaining or upgrading most bents. Sometimes you need to get creative with standard components to get them to work on a bent, but then that's half the fun.

Stick with the established manufacturers and you won't go far wrong. Having said that, @voyager on here builds her own electrically-assisted trikes, and very good they look too! Horses for courses - you need to lay hands on one or two to see what you might like.

 

[voyager]

(Apologies to the forum for a several year absence; reality had a nasty habit of getting in the way....)

I am coming into a small windfall in the near future, and barring unfortunate events happening to the house, it is currently earmarked to purchase something Fun. My thoughts have turned towards a recumbent; I am already in possession of a road bike and a more sensible Jack-of-all-trades, but have hankered after a recumbent for a while.

That said, I am at a loss as to where to start. My knowledge of recumbents is limited to thinking they look like fun. I know virtually nothing else - manufacturers, how they ride, how to set one up, what to look for etc. I would be very grateful for links and starting points - I had a look for sticky posts etc but couldn't find anything immediately obvious.

Andytheflyer - Probably a trike, based on nothing more than I think they look cooler...

I shall try not to lower the tone too much if I get on board a trike!

@andytheflyer Thank you Andy And we build and fly RC planes

@seraphina Without a locale on your profile its difficult to be able to offer any help in the way of a test ride etc.

At a few years the wrong side of 60 we are getting the best of both worlds from our e-trikes either a fast "local town shopper " or a laid back pace touring machine .

Some of our exploits are featured in the zombie fest thread ,

If you are reasonably local , you are welcome to have a test ride

regards emma

 

[BlackPanther]

(Apologies to the forum for a several year absence; reality had a nasty habit of getting in the way....)

I am coming into a small windfall in the near future, and barring unfortunate events happening to the house, it is currently earmarked to purchase something Fun. My thoughts have turned towards a recumbent; I am already in possession of a road bike and a more sensible Jack-of-all-trades, but have hankered after a recumbent for a while.

That said, I am at a loss as to where to start. My knowledge of recumbents is limited to thinking they look like fun. I know virtually nothing else - manufacturers, how they ride, how to set one up, what to look for etc. I would be very grateful for links and starting points - I had a look for sticky posts etc but couldn't find anything immediately obvious.

I've owned a number of bents.

2 wheelers
Bachetta Strada (high racer)
Optima Baron (low-racer)
Rainbow Lyner (mid-racer)
Raptobike (lowracer)

Trikes
Ice Trice 'S'
Catrike 700 'R'
Ice Trice QNT

Briefly, the high racer was the easiest to learn to ride, and fast (Stradas are very light.) Lowracers-I didn't really get on with the lowracer Optima-was very difficult to ride at slow speeds, and I got rid of it pretty quickly BUT my current lowracer, the Raptobike is now my regular commuter, and now I've put in a few months I feel supremely confident on it. The midracer Lyner was a heavy, slow beast, but speed isn't everything to everyone. If you want to plod along touring, it could be ideal.......I'm a speed freak.

Trikes.....both Trices suited me very well. Very comfy, reasonably quick, and they're bullet proof. The Catrike was only a tad slower than the Strada/Raptobike, and a bit more fun around the bends.......but a tad harsh over bumps, and not as good a build quality as the Trices.

If you want speed and are new to bents, I'd start with a light high racer. If you want comfort, you can't beat a Trice, or if funds permit, an Ice sprint......or if you're truly loaded, an Ice vortex (drool) there's one on eBay at the moment for 3 grand.

If you're ever round Doncaster way, you're welcome to try my Raptobike, or Trice. Most members are enthusiastic about their machines, and would be more than happy to regail you with stories/experiences they've had over the years. All us bent riders want you to become.....one of us.....one of us......one of us.

 

[mickle]

Ride a few. I've got a demonstrator Kettwiesel if you can make it to York and a demo Ice trike coming soon too.

 

[arallsopp]

Yep. What @mickle said. Ride a few, then hone it.

No offence intended, but at present, you're on the ground, watching aircraft and saying "I wouldn't mind buying a plane and learning to fly... Based upon looks, a Stealth bomber is probably the one I want, but I've also heard the new A380 is really comfortable for long distance work."

'Bents are more diverse than uprights, and you have some really fun learnings to make. If I can help, I will. Where are you based?

 

[starhawk]

Bents are slower uphill because you can't stand on the pedals to use body weight to turn the cranks -

Old myths die hard, on the DF you don't get a free help by standing on the pedals, you have to use your muscle power to get your body on top of the pedal, so you don't get that body weight on the pedals for free. On a trike on the other hand you have the back of the seat to use which in actuallity means that you can use more power than on a DF, on the DF you can only use your weight but on the trike you can use all power in the legs. A friend tested it and found that he could press equal to his weigth plus 10 kg more.
Now on a trike you usually don't use all of your muscle power it's not good for the knees in the long run, and you have some weight to pull up so you creep slowly up on a low gear, theres no problem with balance as on a two-wheeler. If you want to go faster uphill you can get an e-trike some manufactors have a number of variants to choose from or you can buy a kit as I did.

but they may well be faster downhill and on the flat because of much reduced wind resistance.

They may not be faster downhill, a trike is faster! I tested it against a friend rolling downslope (and he is a bicycle mechanic and keeps his bike in tip-top condition) and I rolled away from him in my trike. On the flat you notice that wind is no longer a factor, you note in which direction the wind is blowing but it has no longer any effect on you, headwind makes no noticable difference.

You have to build up new muscles to ride a bent - muscles that you don't use as much riding a DF bike.

That is also a myth, you are just rotated around your pelvis there is no difference in the way you use your legs

The upside is that both bent bikes and trikes are supremely comfortable (once you get used to them). The sheer speed downhill, because you sit closer to the road, can be exhilarating. They also attract a lot of attention because they are not common.

Amen to that! the comfort of a trike is wonderful, and you get a whole different riding experience due to the way you ride, on a DF you mostly stare at the patch just in front of your bike, in a trike you have the whole landscape just in front of you and just take it in, it is a wonderful experience. Thats why bent rider has the famous "bent grin". Due to the fact that trikes are not common they attract a lot of attention also from cars, I immediately noticed that cars are much nicer to you when riding a trike, they take a wide berth when passing you and let you cross the road ahead of them. Once it was even ridiculus, I got stuck on a cyclepath with my front wheels in front of a curb and my backwheel in a sandheap (the cyclepath was in the process of being restored) but on the crossing of a road about 10 meters ahead the cars waited patiencently for me to extricate myself and cross the road.

"Stick with the established manufacturers and you won't go far wrong." is a good advice, they usually have very good customer service, I bought my trike from ICE and their customer service is excellent!

 

[steveindenmark]

3 things spring to mind about trikes. I had an ICE trike an so have some experience.

First you need a lot of space to store them, unless you get a folder.

If you want to transport them somewhere to ride, you need a big car or have to make a roofrack for the car.

They are invariably expensive.

I also had. Bacchetta Giro 26. 2 wheel recumbent.

Again it was expensive.

Personally, if I got another 2 wheeler it would be a low rider.

Do not worry about traffic not seeing recumbents, they do. In fact they slow down and get in the way so their kids can gawp at you out of the rear window.

Good fun but not as fast as a roadbike in my experience and you need patience if going up big hills.

 

[BlackPanther]

Can I just kill dead the rumour that recumbents can't climb hills. I've gained countless road bike scalps up quite steep hills. Imho, anything other than monster hills can be climbed just as effectively as on a road bike. Of course, trikes especially tend to be substantially heavier, but you can just drop down into granny gear, and climb it at 1-2 mph if necessary. Try that on a road bike without getting a major wobble! I've not yet encountered an unclimbable hill on a 'bent.

Also, I occasionally go for group rides. Up until a few weeks ago, I'd always went on the road bike.....mainly to 'fit in'. But then I tried the Raptobike. No problems, other than having to ride slower on the flat and even on steep uphills. On the downhill we had a little race with me starting from the back. Not only did I fly past the group, I did so without pedalling. Indeed, I didn't need to pedal for about half a mile after the descent, then had to ride slow to allow the group to catch up. Next ride out I'm going to take the Trice so the speeds should be similar. Bents rule!

 

[mickle]

I wish people wouldn't refer to recumbents as 'bents'.

 

[ufkacbln]

I wish people wouldn't refer to recumbents as 'bents'.

OT


I had a wonderful time atthe HPV World Championships a few years ago

There is a US website called Bent rider on line

Trying to explain that to some groups in the UK could misinterpret their TShirts (especially in Brighton) did not go down well

 

[DaddyPaddey]

Following my accident on a DF I used son's KMX Kart trike for a month-lots of big grins.He wanted it back so I went out and bought a 2 wheel HP Grasshopper. After 2 months and 500+ miles, including the Coast to Coast and back, it has gone back to Kinetic in Glasgow. Being on the wrong side of 65 I had terrible trouble getting on and off without my feet catching in the cables, perhaps it would have been better if it had not been the underseat steering. I could ride it ok, and quite quickly but had difficulty on the hills steeper than 1:10 and the balance at slow speed. Also getting off on a steep hill was amusing to everyone else as it kept rolling off downhill with me hopping after it. Suffice to say I am awaiting my new Scorpion trike to bring back the grin and would strongly advise any newbie who wished for a 2 wheel bent to have a proper trial beforehand.