I've actually gone to a shop and had a go on a load of different recumbents, and my initial thoughts are:
* they're not that much faster than uprights
* USS ones seem a LOT easier to handle - not what i expected
* ASS ones are *very* twitchy and difficult to corner on
* they are comfortable, quite good fun, and very intriguing
* trikes are good fun round corners, but seem quite a bit slower on the flat, even though in fact are probably only a tiny bit slower.
* I'm not sure I'd want to go out and spend a four figure sum on one
* although I am intrigued to ride one again.
To expand on the speed perception: in fact they didn't even seem as fast, on the flat, but I make a certain allowance for developing different muscle groups. What's more the two wheelers seem faster than the trikes, even though they're probably not that much at all. That may have been just 'cos it felt 'less safe', I don't know - but i was expecting the closeness to the ground to result in a feeling of greater speed, but it didn't appear to.
When I rode a pretty much fully recumbent under-seat steering one, i found it quite manageable round corners. But an above seat steering one (a challenge hurricane) of about the same level of recumbent-ness- woah! Tricky. I kept having to try and consciously decide what percentage to actually turn the bars and what percentage to try and bank it - I sense that's something that should come naturally and that's the learning curve, but it definitely is a big learning curve. Big, though whether steep, or not - I can't really tell yet - which is something i probably need to glean next.
I think for me, riding a trike would be the equivalent of downhill MTBing - you basically do it *just* for the descents, and everything else is work that's basically done to get you to the top of the hill. I dont' think they're good enough as all-rounders for me to get one.
So in summary, really: (a) I'm glad I have tried them out. So if nothing else my comments on them won't be able to be batted down with 'but you haven't ever ridden one' !
, and (B) although i wasn't completely disappointed in what they might have to offer what i want out of cycling, they didn't 'wow' me like I thought they might.
I think the only one that I could probably enjoy using regularly and not just use a few times and then stick in the garage or sell again, would be one similar to the challenge hurricane. I think that if i got one then once i developed the muscle groups to get it up to speed then the speed that I would be able to maintain would possibly be slightly higher. I've no doubt that I would be perfectly capable of learning to ride it to an acceptable degree for a spin round the lanes. However, what I haven't decided yet is whether the time investment in the learning curve of riding it to a good degree, would be worth the increased fun associated with that, such as riding fast bends, downhill etc. What's the learning curve like - does it just 'click', suddenly? Or do you just get better gradually
I thought the fujin looked my ideal 'bent, so I'm glad i didn't go and buy one as that's even more difficult than the hurricane to ride - however if i was getting a bent at all i'd be more likely to get a cheap used one as my first one and then move on when i had mastered it, if i wanted to.
I wouldn't consider myself as in the market for one, like i thought i would be, although I do think that sometime i might have a bash at riding a fully recumbent ASS one for a few miles on a proper ride to see just how difficult I think it's going to be to learn.
* they're not that much faster than uprights
* USS ones seem a LOT easier to handle - not what i expected
* ASS ones are *very* twitchy and difficult to corner on
* they are comfortable, quite good fun, and very intriguing
* trikes are good fun round corners, but seem quite a bit slower on the flat, even though in fact are probably only a tiny bit slower.
* I'm not sure I'd want to go out and spend a four figure sum on one
* although I am intrigued to ride one again.
To expand on the speed perception: in fact they didn't even seem as fast, on the flat, but I make a certain allowance for developing different muscle groups. What's more the two wheelers seem faster than the trikes, even though they're probably not that much at all. That may have been just 'cos it felt 'less safe', I don't know - but i was expecting the closeness to the ground to result in a feeling of greater speed, but it didn't appear to.
When I rode a pretty much fully recumbent under-seat steering one, i found it quite manageable round corners. But an above seat steering one (a challenge hurricane) of about the same level of recumbent-ness- woah! Tricky. I kept having to try and consciously decide what percentage to actually turn the bars and what percentage to try and bank it - I sense that's something that should come naturally and that's the learning curve, but it definitely is a big learning curve. Big, though whether steep, or not - I can't really tell yet - which is something i probably need to glean next.
I think for me, riding a trike would be the equivalent of downhill MTBing - you basically do it *just* for the descents, and everything else is work that's basically done to get you to the top of the hill. I dont' think they're good enough as all-rounders for me to get one.
So in summary, really: (a) I'm glad I have tried them out. So if nothing else my comments on them won't be able to be batted down with 'but you haven't ever ridden one' !
, and (B) although i wasn't completely disappointed in what they might have to offer what i want out of cycling, they didn't 'wow' me like I thought they might.I think the only one that I could probably enjoy using regularly and not just use a few times and then stick in the garage or sell again, would be one similar to the challenge hurricane. I think that if i got one then once i developed the muscle groups to get it up to speed then the speed that I would be able to maintain would possibly be slightly higher. I've no doubt that I would be perfectly capable of learning to ride it to an acceptable degree for a spin round the lanes. However, what I haven't decided yet is whether the time investment in the learning curve of riding it to a good degree, would be worth the increased fun associated with that, such as riding fast bends, downhill etc. What's the learning curve like - does it just 'click', suddenly? Or do you just get better gradually
I thought the fujin looked my ideal 'bent, so I'm glad i didn't go and buy one as that's even more difficult than the hurricane to ride - however if i was getting a bent at all i'd be more likely to get a cheap used one as my first one and then move on when i had mastered it, if i wanted to.
I wouldn't consider myself as in the market for one, like i thought i would be, although I do think that sometime i might have a bash at riding a fully recumbent ASS one for a few miles on a proper ride to see just how difficult I think it's going to be to learn.
