Originally Posted by
WhyFi
Yeah, ~9% is a lot. Also, not being a recumbent rider, I have to ask: aren't most 'bents a little more aero than this, the author's bike? It seems rather higher than what I'd expect to see.
Yes. The "High" Baron pictured above is a nice 'bent, but it isn't a racebike. There are much more aerodynamically efficient 'bents out there. For that bike, with a rando rig (maybe a couple of small bags etc), 9% seems about right.
Run the same test with an M5 and a fully reclined seat and you'd get a bigger difference, run the same test with a Sun EZ1 and it would probably go the other way.
Of course the difference gets larger the faster you go. P~ v cubed.