Originally Posted by
BlazingPedals
I think all recumbent riders understand quite well. The fast bent riders aren't claiming to be better/stronger riders than the uprights, they're claiming to be faster. Recumbent riders recognize that the bike and rider are both parts of the same package; so optimizing the bike is just as valid as optimizing the engine. Roadies recognize this too, thus spawing a large market for upgrade parts; but there's a UCI line that's taboo for them cross. That line doesn't bother us, else we wouldn't have bents in the first place. In any forum but this one, if a newbie asks how to get faster, the answer is always "work on the engine, changing bikes will make no significant difference," along with platitudes about Lance winning some hypothetical race using a Huffy. That argument won't fly here.
Look, maybe people in this thread (specifically the 'bent side) feel like I'm stepping on some toes or dissin' their choice of bike, I'm not. I've said nothing to the effect of indicating that one is better than the other, it's simply a matter of preference.
Each bike has it's advantages, and one advantage that a 'bent has in
spades is being significantly easier to push through the air. I hear
you specifically say you're aware of that and I can clearly see that you understand why that invalidates the "roadie vs 'bent" argument. However, there are other 'bent riders participating in this thread that appear to have a rather large "chip" on their shoulders because they feel others criticized them based on their selection of bicycle. And as a result of this criticism we have all this over-zealous "ZOMG I TOTALLY SMOKED LIKE ELEVENTY MILLION ROADIES WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT!!" threads.
My one and only point is that any results of a "roadie vs 'bent" race are invalidated on the basis that a recumbent has a
significant aerodynamic advantage over an upright.
Let's examine a different, more applicable analogy. Suppose you are in a track and field race on foot, say the 400m. Your opponent starts from the blocks, but you get a significant 50m head start. Obviously you win the race, but what kind of victory is that?