OK am back. Sorry, prior post was made whilst at the theatre (pre performance, of course).
Right. There are a few things that'll help you get started on the recumbent road.
First (assuming its not heresy to mention it) is to throw your net far and wide when it comes to forums. Here, yacf, bentrideronline are all good resources. The more you read, the more you'll pick things up.
Next is to come to terms with some of the words you'll hear to describe bent specific things. This will make it easier to communicate your needs as well as generally identify what people are on about
- OSS (over seat steering, aka Above Seat Steering)
- - With hands close to your chest, often called "Hamster" or "Mantis" - twitchy but precise
- - With arms outstretched, often called "Superman" - relaxed, but can be tiring.
- USS (being the under seat equivalent - very relaxed, but with limited turning circle)
- - Being direct or indirect, based upon whether there's a single pivot or a linkage bar to allow steering.
- LWB (long wheel base - front wheel in front of the pedals - very stable. fast with a fairing. not very agile)
- SWB (short wheel base - front wheel behind the pedals - very agile)
- CLWB (compact long wheel base - front wheel in the vicinity of the pedals - reasonably agile, reasonably stable, resonably aero)
- Tadpole (trike which is wide at the front and narrow at the back)
- Delta (trike with two wheels at the back and one at the front)
Knowing the manufacturers will help a little. Challenge, Catrike, ICE, HPVelotechnik, Bacchetta, Hase, Raptobike. Most of their sites are pretty good.
Next up: Find a good shop. One who can help you elucidate what you want from the 'bent, the money you're prepared to put down, the state of the engine, and the sheer practicalities of ownership. Kevin at DTek is local and comes with a very good reputation.
Then get out there and try some. Cadge other riders for their opinions, read up on ride reports, immerse yourself in it and it soon starts to make sense.
In Europe / UK, the 'bents I run across most often are OSS lowracers and USS SWB tourers. The American's bias towards LWBs and 'crankforward' designs. High racers and trikes are still fairly unusual over here, but gaining popularity on both sides of the Atlantic.
I find direct USS (as per my Streetmachine) and indirect USS (Furai) totally intuitive on a two wheeler, but have never got on with OSS in any form. Plenty I know have the opposite. You may get on with both, or neither. Unfortunately there's no substitution for getting on one and finding out.
Find somewhere that has a reasonable range of solutions on hand, and be prepared to spend a few hours trying out different ideas. Balance improves after the first few tries, and a week later its almost perfect. 'Bent legs take a little longer and I got mine after about 1000 miles. Desire to N+1 your bent comes after a year.
Andy.