How to convince others of trike safety

[Attheback]

I am keen to get a recumbent trike but am getting some opposition from concerned family members who think they are too unsafe. Can anyone give me any good information to convince them they are OK?
I'm 67, have 3 road bikes and typically go on 40 mile rides at weekends some in town some in country so am used to riding, I want to do some 200k audax rides but know that my current setups will be too uncomfortable for this

 

[classic33]

Recumbents aren't as common on the roads, so they tend to draw more attention than a bike.

Most common thing said against their use is that you're lower down, so you'll be harder spot. See the above.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Why do they think it is unsafe?

 

[classic33]

Worth a read.
https://recumbentgourmet.com/cycling-and-bike-tours/cycling-safely/

 

[simongt]

What you need to take into account that because you use your leg muscles differently on a 'bent, you'll need to get used to that. Comfort wise, they take a lot of beating although slower on the uphill, advantage is gained downhill and on the level.
Agree on the visibility point as most drivers vision is 'tuned in' to seeing cyclists on normal uprights, not one rather lower down. Having said that, not all 'bents are low down models.

 

[MichaelW2]

People are always pointing out recumbents to show how hard they are to see. Their invisibility turns heads everywhere.

 

[derrick]

If they are so safe, Why are there not more people using them?

 

[sheddy]

^ Price, availability and harder to store

 

[bobcolover]

I use a 2 wheeled recumbent to commute [ pre-covid] and ride at weekends, approx 60- 80 miles a week. I wear hi viz, cycle sensibly, leave my hi power flashing front and rear lights on , at dusk this goes on https://uk.lumoshelmet.co/ [kickstart version]. I say to friends ' most people look twice'.
I think recumbents are safe. Ice trikes are lower but most people ride them with a flag, and some put a light on the pole.
I am also 67 and have been riding recumbents for 20 years.

 

[a.twiddler]

If you are the shy and retiring type, you might find the constant attention a bit much at times. Other road users in my limited experience never fail to see you, and they definitely give you plenty of room. I use a 2 wheeled LWB recumbent which is not as low as some, but a trike would have even more road presence with the bonus of being harder to fall off. With a tadpole trike you also have the advantage of really good brakes which allows you to keep what speed you have gained in the knowledge that you can stop sure footedly even on bad surfaces.

I am not a sporty rider, and ride within my limits. I use lights in poor visibility but don't generally wear high vis. The bike has the usual set of front, rear and wheel reflectors. It even has pedal reflectors which might be just visible in headlights but are probably more noticeable to low flying aircraft. The strange appearance of the bike itself is probably its greatest safety feature. It is very eye catching. I do have a multicoloured windsock and a pole but stopped using it early on when I saw the effect it had on horses, which we often see locally. They definitely don't like it. The bike itself otherwise doesn't bother them. Maybe a light on the pole would be worth a try.

Remembering the rite of passage I underwent while learning to ride this beastie I can now say that I believe that recumbents are safe, and I certainly feel safe when I am out on mine. I would say that any slight disadvantage in speed is outweighed by the ability to be able to keep on going with far less of the aches and pains you get on an upright, which means you keep your concentration on the ride and not your body. You have a far better view of the road ahead and the surroundings and there is also the wheeee factor when you can let it go on the downhills and push up your average speed. Unless some really bizarre incident happens you are unlikely to fly over the handlebars. On a trike I believe it is possible to roll it but you would need to be doing some unfeasible amount of speed to do that.

I would add that I am 68 and have been riding recumbents for less than a year, though I have been riding conventional bikes for many years before that. You're never too old to try new experiences, and it's certainly opened up a new world of cycling for me!

 

[Scoosh]

Recumbents are a bit unusual, so people (pedestrian and in car) are more likely to say "Oh Wow/Cool !" and give you a wide berth => safer overtake and generally more room. Yobs on a cyclepath are more inclined to move over and comment favourably as you pass than stand in the middle of the path and block the route. Children point you out to their parents, or parents point you out to their children; one cannot be an 'anonymous cyclist' when riding a 'bent ! People are nice to you, people are interested in the bike. There can be a thought that we might be Disabled (more so on a trike), so we get a bit more room.

I've even had some yoofs in a slightly 'sketchy' area of Fife call out "EPIC COOL BIKE, MAN !" as I rode past on my low-rider 2-wheeled Fuego.

Agree totally with the comment ^^^ about flags and horses. I have a flag on a pole and was proceeding slowly up a steep hill when a horse and rider were coming down. I stopped (naturally to let them pass safely, nothing to do with the 17% gradient ) and started talking to the rider as she approached, which is usually the best way to keep horses settled. I gave my excuse for stopping and she thanked me and said that the flag was more likely to be the issue as the horse was not fully settled. Hand on flag, job done, happy horse, rider and recovered cyclist !

Have a read through many of the threads in this section, as this question/concern is oft-quoted and there are lots of user-experiences given.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I passed someone on a recumbent a few days ago who had 3 large dayglo yellow flags on poles - no way anyone was failing to spot that bike/trike

 

[numbnuts]

Been riding a trike now for five years, I was worried at first being so low down, but that was soon passed as most drivers went the other side of the road to pass me.
I've had loads of great comments from everybody and get loads of waves from all ages.
I bought it as a fun thing, but I have found it so practical it can carry so much heavy shopping without becoming unstable.

I wrote this last year and it's still true today, as others have said when a driver see's you it's "WTF is that", they have seen you sorted
Controversial to some, flags do you need them, well I do big bright and bold, enjoy when you get one

 

[mickle]

I could be argued that recumbents are more likely to be seen by drivers than regular bikes as their attention tends to be centred on the road . That is to say: below the horizon. The bulk of the visible area of an upright cyclist is therefore at the edge of or outside the driver's focal point. Also, in human perception something low down tends to register as nearby, whilst things higher up tend to register as far away. This *might* illicit a swifter response in drivers coming up behind recumbents. My experience is as has been mentioned upthread, drivers do see you and then they slow down and give you a really wide berth. The slowing down also seems to slow down the vehicles behind. Honestly, I never felt safer on the road that when riding a recumbent

 

[Bad Machine]

I concur with others' experiences that recumbent trikes get "seen" and are given a suitably wide pass by most drivers. Arguably, I can't help but think those drivers who pass too close when you're on a trike are the same kind of driver that would pass too close if you were on an upright.........

To fly a flag or not ? Your choice. I do, yes, because bends in the road, hedges, grass verges and parked cars are all obstacles to a motorists view. A moving flag may well be seen before me and my trike. And as it's always behind me, it's no obstruction to my view.

As said already, flags do spook horses - more than flashing lights - but I'm now used to laying the flag down until the horse(s) and rider(s) has passed. My flagpole can be lifted out of its upright position easily. I was told that standing upright and talking to the horse rider as they approach reassures the horse that you're just another human. Seems to work for me. 2 minutes delay, max ?

Whilst I've tried a light on the pole for night rides (which does work), making a flag with 3M Scotchbrite reflective material is a simpler idea (my current preference).