Should I go recumbent???

[GrasB]

An addition to @Nigeyy 's post - the balance on a 'bent is very different from on a df/upwrong . As a result, it can take a wee while to get familiar with riding a 'bent, so allow lots of time for test riders !

Don't jump straight on to a very reclined low racer to start with... yes it looks great but they're the hardest type of 'bent to learn how to ride on. That said every 'bent requires a little bit of re-learning how to balance... except for trikes they obey a different rule set

 

[GrasB]

-can't stand on the pedals. You use a slightly different set of muscles and reel yourself up hills

However there is the bridging technique where you lift your self off the seat & all of your weight is supported by your shoulders & feet. It can't be used effectively on long climbs but can allow you to power a shorter climb. It is the equivalent of a sprinters out of the saddle burst, not a climbers rhythmic 'dance' up the hill.

 

[BlackPanther]

Cons
-poor value compared to dfs.

I agree with all the points you made, including this one, BUT only if you're talking of buying a new machine. Buy 2nd hand and you won't lose much, if anything.

Some of my bike history.

DF-Dawes Tanami, bought new £249, sold 2 years later for £100.

DF-Specialized Allez, bought new £350, sold 18 months later for £160

Recumbent-Bacchetta Strada, bought 2nd hand for £1000, sold 1 year later for £995

Recumbent-Optima Baron, bought 2nd hand for £1100, px'd 6 months later for same price equivalent.

Recumbent-Ice Trice 'S', bought for £1100, sold 18 months late for £1150.

This is how I justify my 'bent purchases to the Missus. If you buy 2nd hand through the forums, or ebay (as long can afford the higher than df bikes price) you won't be left out of pocket.

Another point to consider is this. Just how much would you have to spend on a top of the range road bike to get the equivalent performance of a sporty recumbent? Well, the answer is at least £1 million as such a road bike doesn't exist because it can't compete with the aerodynamics of a 'bent. How much would you have to spend on a df to get the same fun factor as a trike......ohhh I 'd say a couple of trillion pounds at least!

The only way I can sum up just how my Catrike 700 makes me feel is to 'say it with a smilie'...this one

 

[starhawk]

However there is the bridging technique where you lift your self off the seat & all of your weight is supported by your shoulders & feet. It can't be used effectively on long climbs but can allow you to power a shorter climb. It is the equivalent of a sprinters out of the saddle burst, not a climbers rhythmic 'dance' up the hill.

That's a technique to use on a "highseat" trike I have an Trice Q and I found that when I changed from "Ball of foot" to "Midfoot" position I could press much harder on the pedals enabling me to go uphill without changing to thoose "creeper" gears

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Worth keeping an eye out second hand
Trikes do tend to be purchased by those who look after their bikes so a second user one is more likely to be in good nick
I paid £800 for my Catrike Trail on eBay and it was in fantastic condition, a massive saving on buying new and there were no disadvantages, it was a well cared for beast. Only dowside was a Loooong drive from Sheffield to Aberystwyth and back one evening to buy it!

As for using it....

I did commute on it occasionally but now our office has moved, the route is queueing narrow roads and tram tracks - an upright is the only thing that I would be happy filtering in those conditions on. Without mudguards, standing water is thrown not up your back, but onto your neck.

To me it's a summer machine, superb to put in the car (it will JUST fit into my Skoda Felicia Estate - a small-ish estate, like a focus size) and take out for a day ride. Fun around the Derwent Valley. and ESPECIALLY fun downhill. Uphill is slower than on my upright but with low gears, just relax, spin up and enjoy the view. Don't even have to unclip to stop for lunch on a day ride, just reach back into panniers and pull out the butties!

I had a reason for buying it, I was suffering shoulder pains from an accident that made riding upright for any distance a problem for a while. Now I have it though, I love it. But not for every ride.

 

[ufkacbln]

Not sure that I agree about the Catrike only being a summer beast...........

 

[Scoosh]

Not sure that I agree about the Catrike only being a summer beast...........

Clearly an object of great fun and child-like adventure too !

Love it !

 

[ianrauk]

If I remember rightly @Trikeman posted a vid a few years back of him having jolly good fun in the snow with his trike.

 

[CopperBrompton]

He's hoping the ice will oblige with a return visit this year.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Indeed there are some weather conditions where the only form of cycle to ride is a trike.

 

[Scoosh]

Indeed there are some weather conditions where the only form of cycle to ride is a trike.

Are 'bent trikes not a bit low for keeping one's seat dry ?

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Are 'bent trikes not a bit low for keeping one's seat dry ?

First time I rode my Trice in wet muddy conditions I got totally covered in mud etc. over my front from my thighs up to my head - but my posterior remained dry.
I have now retro fitted some bodged mudguards to the front wheels which have reduced the amount of spray I end up wearing. In the cold I wear Ski Gloves and the wrists get absolutely caked.
I am sure that with good close fitting mudguards the problem would be much less of an issue......but maybe members with more recent recumbent trikes fitted with purpose built mudguards can confirm my supposition.

 

[Scoosh]

Maybe it's part of the appeal !

 

[CopperBrompton]

The standard mudguards work reasonably well on my trike, though the retro-fitted front suspension means they now sit a bit high.

 

[ufkacbln]

I have the stock mudguards on both the Expedition and the Gekko

I have no problem with water, mud and my seat is always dry unless I have been naughty and puddle surfing!