friday1970

I took a leap of faith two years ago and bought an Optima Baron Lowracer. I rode a BikeE only once before. The Baron brought much fun back into my rides. Being low to the ground and flying through the twisty trails of our local parks is simply amazing. I couldn't never replicate that feeling on my road bikes.
I'm at least 1.5mph faster than my road bikes, and I'm able to ride longer with the comfort that recumbents provide.
I still ride my road bikes, but no where near as much as my recumbent. It's just that much more fun.

Alligator

That's crazy! I average maybe 18 on my road bike. That video makes me want to reconsider a 2-wheel recumbent instead of a trike. The low down look and feel is really nice.

I just wish it wasn't winter here in Minnesota. It's time to put the studded tires on my other bike.

Alligator

Okay, one more question - how are 'bents in the snow?

Jeff Wills

It depends on the equipment, but this says "pretty good" to me:
ITV documentary of Maria Leijerstam's record breaking trike ride to South Pole now online | road.cc

chandltp

I don't know that I'd ride my SWB in the snow. Maybe a long wheel base or a fat tire trike.

VegasTriker

Three wheels yes, two wheels no. I wouldn't take either of my recumbent bikes out on slick roads much less in snow which is rare but happens every year or two. It's just too hard (nearly impossible?) to regain balance once you go into a slide. Two really nasty hematomas that made my hip hurt like hell for weeks was enough to convince me to try out a trike in 2003. After that, I rarely ride my two wheelers.

BlazingPedals

My bents would take to snow about as well as a triathlon bike would. If we're looking for blanket statements about 'bents, it's fair to do the same with uprights, right???

Alligator

Well, I do put on studded tires and ride year round in Minnesota. I'd certainly feel a lot safer with a trike than on two weeks in any form.

Recumbomatic

Of course, it depends on the recumbent. But as far as my RANS Rocket (now sold off), surprisingly capable. When I lived in Denver, I used to ride the Rocket on hard-packed snowy streets and bike trails all the time. And this was with 20x1.75 road slicks, mind you. The only trouble I encountered was occasionally getting bogged down in the deeper furrows near the curb (when letting cars pass on narrowed roads, for example), but I think that would affect most bikes anyway. As long as the roads were plowed, it was mostly no problem.

I don't think I would try that kind of riding on my V3 LWB, the front wheel is too lightly loaded and it's not too fond of abrupt changes in direction.

rydabent

Back in 2005 after looking at ads for recumbents, I took the plunge and bought a Rans Tailwind. Of course the comfort was there, but when I rode my usual DF route, there was a problem. I got home too soon, and wish I had picked a longer route. I soon did since the bent was faster. At the time I had a road bike and and mountain bike. They never turned a wheel again. They are long gone. I now have a LWB Rans Stratus, and a TerraTrike Cruiser. Between the two I have accumulated approx 20,000 very comfortable miles. I am 78 and ride approx 2500 miles a year.

So to answer your question----------------Yes bents are that good.

scbvideoboy

I bought a 2015 Baccetta Corsa 700c in July 2015 on a " I need to ride more impulse" and have ridden like 4 times. Fell over once while trying to start. The high pedals and built in un-stability with no hands on handle bar leave little desire to challenge traffic. Looks good as a hanger queen. Lets not mention the pain it is to transport in a small car to the only suitable area to ride in brevard county. But as they say, more miles to get comfortable. Meanwhile I bought a Trek 29'er MTB in June 2016 and love that, I can ride out of the garage and the local MTB trails only a few miles from home.

Jeff Wills

It took you more than 4 rides to learn to ride an upright. You need to give your Bacchetta a fair trial.

One thing I always see upright rider do when they first try a recumbent is that they get a death grip on the bars and try to push and pull to make the bike go. Relax your upper body completely and concentrate on pushing from the hips. A very loose grip on the bars helps, too.

scbvideoboy

Oh yeah, last time I was on it I felt really good. Every time I'm in the garage I'm like damn I need to get that thing out on the road. Too many excuses I guess...and too many projects especially now I've been re energized on the FWD trike builds.

BlazingPedals

It took me a couple hundred miles to feel comfortable with my V-Rex. Subsequent 'bents took less time, usually the first half of a club ride. Even when learning the V-Rex, riding the upright bike was not going to happen, although I considered it each time!

JTBiker

We have ridden a side-by-side recumbent, made in White Bear Lake MN, for 20+ years... over 47k miles total... mostly on Florida but also just about every trail in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The bike is 49" wide and we have never had a problem meeting or passing other riders on trails. Once you ride a recumbent, you may never go back to two wheels, especially for senior riders.

Bo... (also a senior rider)

JanMM

A sociable bike (side-by-side) as opposed to a tandem bike (one - or more - behind the other).
Picture?

reggieray

I rode road bikes for eight years and got the aluminum Bacchetta Corsa in order to go faster. All I cared about was going faster.

That's still all I care about. I averaged 29mph through the westbound Niles Canyon segment in the east San Francisco bay area, defeated a Cat 1 rider and claimed the throne. Long may I reign.

It takes some practice to learn, like anything else. You will crash (at least on a high racer)...but you will be able to ride for miles and miles and miles with no pain other than that which you inflict on yourself, which is how you achieve victory anyway.

Even the crashes aren't as bad as on a road bike because the distance you are falling to the road is much shorter. Minor road rash is all I have gotten on the bent, compared to landing on my teeth on the road bike.

It's getting harder and harder to go back to the road bike because it is so much slower and so much hurtier than the bent.

Whosoever holds this hammer...

rydabent

You must know about the usual warning that is very true. Once you start riding bents, you will be hooked and will seldom ever right a DF bike again. As noted in my first post it happened to me. From what I have read, it applies to more than 90% of cyclist to start riding bents.

Alligator

So what difference in speed and effort am I looking at for two wheels vs. three? Is there even a noticeable difference?

reggieray

I don't know about three-wheeled bents, but on my Bacchetta Corsa I can go at least 20, if not 21 or 22mph for roughly 200 watts (flat road no wind) whereas on the road bikes I have, 200 watts gets me 18.5mph on a good day. That is using Michelin Power Competitions and latex tubes and the seat reclined pretty far back.

Steamer

Trikes are significantly slower. For me, average speeds are about 15 to 20% different.

My 2 wheel recumbents are higher, though, and the low altitude of trikes lends to a higher perception of speed, all other things being equal. Point is, the trike FEELS about as fast as the bikes when riding, but it, in fact, is significantly slower.

On most of my rides I don't really care how fast I am, so it's not typically a problem.

VegasTriker

Yes, there is a noticeable difference. It's been a while since I rode either of my two wheeled recumbent bikes but I remember switching over and being very aware the trike was slower. First off it is heavier. Even my ~$3K Catrike 700 weighs more than the much cheaper used Linear LWB and Haluzak Horizon SWB. You have 3 wheels on the road so frictional losses are higher for the trike vs the 2 wheel bike. That didn't stop me from using as my primary form of recreational riding even after I had the choice.

BTW, the distance between the ground and me made little difference in a crash. I never got a painful hematoma in a DF bike crash but got one hell of a bruise on my hip, not once but twice after crashing the Linear.

Rollfast

Did you first notice this lying on a couch?


hmm...a zootable case for trrreatment.

RL7836

If your area is fairly flat & you want multi-season use & speed, you might want to consider looking at a velomobile ...