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Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Well, they weigh more than a bike of course. But how much - that depends on the make and model, just as for any bike And the energy use depends on weight.
The plus side of course is that they are much more comfortable. When I ride a long distance on any of my uprights, my bum and shoulders and neck hurt, as well as having tired legs, but on the recumbent, it's really only the tired legs, because the position is so relaxed. So I may have used more effort, but I'm much more comfortable, and comfort is probably the limiting factor for me on a long ride.
The downsides, as any trike rider will probably agree are:
1)Storage, if your space is limited (if you have a garage, it's fine, but they do take up more space than a bike). I rent a quarter of a lock-up off a friend for mine. And it's virtually impossible to take one on a train, and if you need to carry it in a car, that's a consideration.
2)Cost. It's a more specialist market, mostly small companies making smaller batches than the big multinational bike makers. So a new trike will mostly be well over the £1000 mark. However, recumbent owners are perhaps likely to be upgrade-junkies, so good second hand machines are always out there, and there are recumbent dealers who have a wide range.
3)Hills - a double edged sword. Recumbents are slower up hill. However, the beauty of a trike is that you can heve a really low gear and winch yourself up, and not fall over. On the other hand, once you're at the top, then the fun starts. Being more aerodynamic, a recumbent will descend faster, and a trike especially will be very stable - I'll let my trike roll down a hill at speeds I wouldn't dare go near on my uprights.
4)Muscles - not a drawback, but it takes a while to get used to riding one, because you use slightly different muscles - you push against the seat, rather than honking down on the pedals. Mileages vary, but you have to be aware that at first it feels different. And learning to ride a recumbent BIKE can feel tricky to start with, because of the different posture. A Trike is just sit down, and go.
5)Stardom (if you're a shy retiring sort) - people usually haven't seen one before, and often look at you, kids often shout 'cool bike!'. The upside of this is that drivers often haven't seen one either, and for that reason they 'see' you better than when you're on a normal bike, and often give you way more room. Yesterday, I had two drivers wave and smile at me!
Brands: Well, there are many. I now have a Catrike a US make (I was lucky enough to be able to buy a demo model, which is why I have that brand). The leading British makers are probably ICE (I previously had a very early version of theirs, and I covet a new one). But there are plenty of others. If I may be allowed a plug for Velo Vision, we have a links page:
http://www.velovision.com/links.html
Here you'll find links to recumbent manufacturers, and dealers in the UK. It's a very good idea, if you can, to test ride a few. D-Tek in Cambridgeshire usually has a big selection, although it's on the wrong side of the country for you.
The British Human Powered Club are dedicated to recumbancy, esp in racing terms, but also for day riding, touring and so on. They have a forum whihc might be useful. (also of course, there's the HPV section on Cyclechat, in Special Interests)
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
That's a lot of reply. We recumbent riders tend to be a bit evangelical. It's just such fun! There's a thing called the recumbent grin, looks like this:
The plus side of course is that they are much more comfortable. When I ride a long distance on any of my uprights, my bum and shoulders and neck hurt, as well as having tired legs, but on the recumbent, it's really only the tired legs, because the position is so relaxed. So I may have used more effort, but I'm much more comfortable, and comfort is probably the limiting factor for me on a long ride.
The downsides, as any trike rider will probably agree are:
1)Storage, if your space is limited (if you have a garage, it's fine, but they do take up more space than a bike). I rent a quarter of a lock-up off a friend for mine. And it's virtually impossible to take one on a train, and if you need to carry it in a car, that's a consideration.
2)Cost. It's a more specialist market, mostly small companies making smaller batches than the big multinational bike makers. So a new trike will mostly be well over the £1000 mark. However, recumbent owners are perhaps likely to be upgrade-junkies, so good second hand machines are always out there, and there are recumbent dealers who have a wide range.
3)Hills - a double edged sword. Recumbents are slower up hill. However, the beauty of a trike is that you can heve a really low gear and winch yourself up, and not fall over. On the other hand, once you're at the top, then the fun starts. Being more aerodynamic, a recumbent will descend faster, and a trike especially will be very stable - I'll let my trike roll down a hill at speeds I wouldn't dare go near on my uprights.
4)Muscles - not a drawback, but it takes a while to get used to riding one, because you use slightly different muscles - you push against the seat, rather than honking down on the pedals. Mileages vary, but you have to be aware that at first it feels different. And learning to ride a recumbent BIKE can feel tricky to start with, because of the different posture. A Trike is just sit down, and go.
5)Stardom (if you're a shy retiring sort) - people usually haven't seen one before, and often look at you, kids often shout 'cool bike!'. The upside of this is that drivers often haven't seen one either, and for that reason they 'see' you better than when you're on a normal bike, and often give you way more room. Yesterday, I had two drivers wave and smile at me!
Brands: Well, there are many. I now have a Catrike a US make (I was lucky enough to be able to buy a demo model, which is why I have that brand). The leading British makers are probably ICE (I previously had a very early version of theirs, and I covet a new one). But there are plenty of others. If I may be allowed a plug for Velo Vision, we have a links page:
http://www.velovision.com/links.html
Here you'll find links to recumbent manufacturers, and dealers in the UK. It's a very good idea, if you can, to test ride a few. D-Tek in Cambridgeshire usually has a big selection, although it's on the wrong side of the country for you.
The British Human Powered Club are dedicated to recumbancy, esp in racing terms, but also for day riding, touring and so on. They have a forum whihc might be useful. (also of course, there's the HPV section on Cyclechat, in Special Interests)
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
That's a lot of reply. We recumbent riders tend to be a bit evangelical. It's just such fun! There's a thing called the recumbent grin, looks like this:
