what's the maximum speed on recumbents?
07-06-05, 10:49 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 13
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
what's the maximum speed on recumbents?
I don't own recumbents, but i'd like to know how fast they can go (Maximum speed on Flat straight road).
07-06-05, 10:55 PM
#2
Senior Member
As with any bike, it depends on both the specific bike and the engine. There is no "Maximum speed" that I can quote you, only how fast *I* have gone on *my* recumbent; and that will be faster than some and slower than others.
If you want to know how fast cyclists on this list have gone, try this thread, otherwise the question as asked is unanswerable.
If you want to know how fast cyclists on this list have gone, try this thread, otherwise the question as asked is unanswerable.
07-07-05, 11:01 AM
#8
Recumbent Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
Posts: 2,991
Bikes: Rebel Cycles Trike, Trek 7500FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
The human-powered land speed record of 80mph (ish) was set using a fully-enclosed (faired) recumbent. Is that fast enough?
07-07-05, 11:51 AM
#11
hateful little monkey
Join Date: May 2003
Location: oakland, ca
Posts: 5,274
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Originally Posted by lowracer1
3 feet over a curb............are you happy now?
Video, please.
07-09-05, 05:13 PM
#14
Recumbent Ninja
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,138
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
What might be a better question is, what is the fastest speed you've SUSTAINED for a mile on flat roads? For me (and I'm still a bent newbie and still building up leg strength) the answer is that over flat or a slight uphill, I can sustain 25mph for a couple miles with no problem. I expect that to be 28-30mph for 4-5 miles within 6 months or so.
07-11-05, 11:24 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Arizona, USA
Posts: 2,601
Bikes: Mercier Corvus (commuter), Fila Taos (MTB), Trek 660(Got frame for free and put my LeMans Centurian components on it)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I can sustain 29-30 for 3 or 4 miles. Hoping to extend that in the coming months.
__________________
Sunrise saturday,
I was biking the backroads,
lost in the moment.
Sunrise saturday,
I was biking the backroads,
lost in the moment.
07-11-05, 11:36 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,250
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
7 Posts
Originally Posted by Paul L.
I can sustain 29-30 for 3 or 4 miles. Hoping to extend that in the coming months.
07-11-05, 12:14 PM
#17
Recumbent Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
Posts: 2,991
Bikes: Rebel Cycles Trike, Trek 7500FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Oh, BTW, I was wrong about the land speed record. It's actually only 68mph, but it was still set using a recumbent.
07-11-05, 09:10 PM
#18
Senior Member
Originally Posted by jeff-o
Oh, BTW, I was wrong about the land speed record. It's actually only 68mph, but it was still set using a recumbent.
A bit closer to reality, I'll be 50 next month. I can pull about 27 mph, with bursts of 30+, for 10 or 15 miles at a time. I have no fairing, not even a tailbox.
Last edited by BlazingPedals; 07-11-05 at 09:18 PM.
07-13-05, 04:02 AM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Between the mountains and the lake.
Posts: 16,681
Bikes: 8 bikes - one for each day of the week!
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
There's a bloke here down under that's hit 97km/h on his Greenspeed tandem trike. I think we need one of those.
07-16-05, 10:21 PM
#20
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Portland Victoria Australia
Posts: 7
Bikes: Lightning P-38, MR Swiftlet Trike, Birdy Folder
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Expatriate
There's a bloke here down under that's hit 97km/h on his Greenspeed tandem trike. I think we need one of those.
I've hit 85 kph downhill on my MR Swiftlet and been airborn at 75 kph when I hit a bump. I think the maximum speed depends on how fearless you are....and I'm not! I was braking in the mountains at 70 kph and a kid on a BMX flew past......
I feel a lot safer at 70 kph on my trike than on my P-38. That's not logical - a blowout on either would probably dump me off.
Paul W
07-16-05, 10:33 PM
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Between the mountains and the lake.
Posts: 16,681
Bikes: 8 bikes - one for each day of the week!
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
I suppose that if you've got the nerves of steel, a recumbent provides an aerodynamic advantage that allows you to go faster than a traditional bike could go under the same circumstances.
07-18-05, 09:15 AM
#22
Dominatrikes
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Still in Santa Barbara
Posts: 4,920
Bikes: Catrike Pocket, Lightning Thunderbold recumbent, Trek 3000 MTB.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I only go about 18mph on flats. But I'm no racing geek and that's just me tooling along. I haven't measured yet, but I think I go about 14 on my mountain bike.
I think it's better to buy a recumbent for distance than for speed. I could ride all day long on a recumbent. Only a couple hours on a regular bike. Therefore, over time I can go much faster on a recumbent because I can cram a few days worth of DF miles into one day.
I think it's better to buy a recumbent for distance than for speed. I could ride all day long on a recumbent. Only a couple hours on a regular bike. Therefore, over time I can go much faster on a recumbent because I can cram a few days worth of DF miles into one day.
07-20-05, 12:47 PM
#24
Recumbent Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
Posts: 2,991
Bikes: Rebel Cycles Trike, Trek 7500FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Originally Posted by funbun
Isn't there is a terminal velocity for all objects?
07-30-05, 12:42 PM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Outside Stockholm in Lidingö
Posts: 120
Bikes: Radius Marco Polo and Challenge Fujin
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I think all this talk about speed is somewhat uninteresting. A far more interesting question on recumbents is how far can you go without being exhausted. In terms of length I think a recumbent surpass any known DF model. If I were to participate in Race across America I would choose a recumbent not because of better speed but because of better ergonomy. In other words the main reason for using a recumbent is that you use your strength of body more effectively and more economically
