mcd
Well-Known Member
Catrike - I think I've got the same setup on my bike - except I've got the smallest rear sprocket and a proportionally smaller chainring. Maybe a bit more wear on the chain, but other than that, the same gears with less metal to carry around!
Arallsopp - what you say is quite correct - recumbents can utilise a greater range of gears - especially when going up hill with the higher cadence that helps make up for not being able to 'get out the saddle'. But those considering buying a recumbent should not be too preoccupied with getting as many gears (or widest range) as possible. Choose a range of gears slightly lower than what they are used to, and adjust it once they've ridden the machine for a good while and have a better idea of what will suit them.
I know of a recumbent bike & 14 gear Rohloff combo that comfortably completed a Land's End to John O'Groats tour (though maybe the descents were propelled by weight of luggage and bike rather than a high enough gear!) and with the chainring replaced for not a very much larger one, was used for racing.
I suppose in that example, a double chainring would mean that the bike could be used for long distance touring and racing interchangeably without the need for any allen keys. Though whether the riders legs could take that sort of abuse on a regular basis
is another matter 
Arallsopp - what you say is quite correct - recumbents can utilise a greater range of gears - especially when going up hill with the higher cadence that helps make up for not being able to 'get out the saddle'. But those considering buying a recumbent should not be too preoccupied with getting as many gears (or widest range) as possible. Choose a range of gears slightly lower than what they are used to, and adjust it once they've ridden the machine for a good while and have a better idea of what will suit them.
I know of a recumbent bike & 14 gear Rohloff combo that comfortably completed a Land's End to John O'Groats tour (though maybe the descents were propelled by weight of luggage and bike rather than a high enough gear!) and with the chainring replaced for not a very much larger one, was used for racing.
I suppose in that example, a double chainring would mean that the bike could be used for long distance touring and racing interchangeably without the need for any allen keys. Though whether the riders legs could take that sort of abuse on a regular basis
is another matter 
