Tell me about Recumbents...

[Night Train]

I think your average speed between the two (or three if you include a DF) would depend so much on terrain. On the level I would probably imagine bent bike, bent trike, DF bike but I think a novice would go faster on a bent trike as it is easier to use. Apparently a bent bike is difficult to balance and either you can or you can't is the impression I got today.

 

[NickM]

...I'm imagining 250watts input on a trike versus a standard upright, is it fair to say the road bike would be fastest (but not as comfortable)?

Some answers (but not all of them) here; but as Night Train says, terrain would make a big difference. All machines effectively have the same mass once accelerated to speed - unless, that is, you go up a hill...

 

[dodgy]

If I had a trike, I could do a good job of providing some metrics to indicate speed expectations. I'd simply re-ride an already completed ride on the Trike, I'd use my Garmin Edge 705 (which records elevation, speed, heart rate etc) and together with weather information from a Sporttracks plugin I could give a reasonable idea if a trike is faster on a given type of ride (taking into account that I'll likely get faster as I become accustomed to muscle groups required).
It's too much money for me to risk, though. I'd be heartbroken to spend a couple of grand on a trike only to find it's slower (yes I know it's about comfort and fun, too).
Starting to fall out with the idea

Dave.

 

[squeaker]

General impression I get from BROL, and my own experience, is that unfaired trikes are about 10% slower than unfaired recumbent bikes.
You could have a look at Kreuzotter to get some ideas of what's going on, but the only trike there is a Velomobile (Quest): undoubtedly the way to go fast on flat ground, but a bit of a leap from a TCR2!

 

[dodgy]

General impression I get from BROL, and my own experience, is that unfaired trikes are about 10% slower than unfaired recumbent bikes.

If that's the case, they're roughly about the same speed as a standard upright road bike? I have no interest in recumbent bikes, it's the comparison between trikes and upright bikes I'm interested in.

Cheers,
Dave.

 

[NickM]

...I have no interest in recumbent bikes, it's the comparison between trikes and upright bikes I'm interested in.

I'm not sure why you've abandoned the idea of a recumbent bike, Dave - something like a Challenge Fujin SL seems closest to your original wants.

All recumbents have something to offer, whether they major on comfort, carrying capacity or "glamour"/speed... I wouldn't dismiss any type out of hand without having a go first. Most recumbent riders end up with more than one (he said, as the owner of five... and I haven't even got a trike yet*)







*although I do have one of these

 

[BentMikey]

Says the Fujin owner.

 

[squeaker]

Terrain?

If that's the case, they're roughly about the same speed as a standard upright road bike?

Likely to be very terrain dependent - see here for comments from a fit triker on a hilly event.
(Maybe PM LeeW, as he now has a Fujin SL2....)

 

[dodgy]

If I had a trike, I could do a good job of providing some metrics to indicate speed expectations. I'd simply re-ride an already completed ride on the Trike, I'd use my Garmin Edge 705 (which records elevation, speed, heart rate etc) and together with weather information from a Sporttracks plugin I could give a reasonable idea if a trike is faster on a given type of ride (taking into account that I'll likely get faster as I become accustomed to muscle groups required).
It's too much money for me to risk, though. I'd be heartbroken to spend a couple of grand on a trike only to find it's slower (yes I know it's about comfort and fun, too).
Starting to fall out with the idea

Dave.

I've now gone and bought a Speedy, watch this space for some comparison data
I must be bloody mad.
Dave.

 

[NickM]

I've now gone and bought a Speedy... ...I must be bloody mad.

Classic!

Don't worry; it's a good kind of mad

Have you read this?

And can we expect to see you at a BHPC race meeting soon?

 

[Johnny Thin]

Kingcycles RULE!! I liked my first one so much I got a second

However... they use obsolescent wheel sizes for which decent tyres are impossible to find. There's a way round this, but it entails getting a framebuilder involved, so it's a bit of a project... A better first recumbent might be a Speed Ross/Orbit Crystal - about £350-400 on t'Bay, and they come up every few months.

Second that - I've had both and have passed on the KC, I prefer the Ross in all respects and it's also got a stiffer seat for climbing. I wish I'd got one of the many eBay offerings before I got the chance to try a KC and bought it right away.

I've just had one of the many glorious rides home I do during the summer, country lanes all the way in sunshine, the Ross isn't mega fast on the flat but is very nippy and accelerates quickly and handles reliably, no chain interference or even chain noise. I averaged 15.7mph over 22 miles on rolling terrain; of course plenty of roadies could beat that but they're much fitter than me and I'd prob be looking at 13mph for my upright.

 

[dodgy]

Classic!

Don't worry; it's a good kind of mad

Have you read this?

And can we expect to see you at a BHPC race meeting soon?

Nick, I think I've read almost every reference to performance trikes on t'internet

Dave.

 

[NickM]

Long weekend, new trike - woohoo!

Does life get any better? I hope you have a grand time.

 

[dodgy]

Thanks Nick, I am looking forward to it. It's a second hand one (from a reputable seller), I'm planning on getting the rebuild kit from AVD in case there's any wear in the UJ or the brakes need fettling. I really enjoy working on my bikes, but not as much as I enjoy riding 'em
So a loooooong drive tomorrow to pick it up, but I'll be riding it at the weekend. The first ride I will do will be to replicate a fairly recent ride of about 25 miles to see how the speeds compare (taking into account I'll get slightly faster as I become accustomed to the new position).

Cheers,
Dave.

 

[andharwheel]

I took my windcheetah over some local hills at the weekend including an infamous hard climb 'The Suie'. No problems, third in the group. Scared myself silly on the descent well over 50MPH.