bnelson

does anyone make a bent that could be ridden on gravel roads or fire roads or is it not feasible?

bobkat

I have an older Burley Koosah LWB geared down with shortened cranks that I ride on gravel a lot. However, because there is less weight on the front wheel than a regular mountain bike, you have to watch turning corners on loose golfball sized gravel. It's definitely not a mountain bike, but easy to take the dog out for a run on back roads and works well in winter if there isn't frozen ice around.
With the shortened cranks and appropriate gearing it climbs pretty well. The weak link is the engine rather than the bike.

purplepeople

The right tires on any number of recumbents will allow gravel roads with relative comfort and control. Think of it like snow tires on a car; it might not go off-road, but it will handle muddy dirt roads with more certainty.

:)ensen.

aenlaasu

Jensen! That tilting trike looks intriguing! I can't tell if you use underseat steering at all or if it's all the tilt to turn?

As for off-road, my trike in general handles fine on most surfaces. I even went down an old logging road full of rocks of around 1" diameter. An uncomfortable ride, but managable. Loose gravel and sand, I avoid because I sink and my rear derailleur starts scooping the ground and getting beat up. Swapping to a 26" rear wheel would fix that problem, but I resist it because of storage issues.

ronrich

Have a look at Lightfoot Cycles in Darby, Montana.
They make just the thing that you are looking for in several forms, but the best is probably their
RANGER recumbent, with two 26 inch wheels.

Rode one at the Seattle Bike Expo, but had known of the company for 5 or 6 years.

Ron Richings

www.momentumplanet.com

cat0020

Momentum keeps you upright, especialy when riding on gravel surface, directional and velocity change need to be performed with tact.. to stay upright.

purplepeople

The one in the avatar has USS. The tilt and the steer are independent. Like most experienced riders, I hardly move the handlebars at all, even for tight turns.

:)ensen.

gcottay

+1 Unless the going gets really tough, you don't even need aggressive treads, just some width. A pair of these Greenspeed Scorcher 20x1.5s on a Rans Rocket handle gravel and dirt. I had them on the shelf for my wife's trike and threw them on "just temporarily" about a year ago.

bobbycorno

As others have said, pretty much any 'bent will work, as long as it'll take wide enough tires, at least 1.5". F'rinstance: https://www.ransbikes.com/ITR83.htm and https://www.azub.eu/CZ/gallery/ And, over at BROL (bentrideronline.com), there's a regular contributer who does mountain bike RACING on his 'bent! (tho' I think he rides a one-off special LWB).

SP
Bend, OR

15rms

I would second the suggestion to look at Lightfoot. I have a Ranger and love it. It is billed as a bike that can handle moderate trails. They are even making a suspended model if you can spend the money.

purplepeople

I was thinking something similar to a 1.95 K-Rad or Holy Roller. Slicks on gravel or dirt have to be ridden with a lot more care to maintain traction on either the steered or drive wheel(s).

A flatland tire might be better if the ride has both smooth and dirt on it.

:)ensen.