It's only harder to climb with a recumbent as you cannot use your weight...it's all legs. I rode a recumbent for awhile after I had a neck injury. I really grew to love that bike, but eventually back to standard as I like to trail/dirt ride. Recumbents are not so forgiving on the bumps. It will take some time to rebuild your recumbent legs...it really works the outside part of your quad muscles. Feels good though..