Recumbent Rides

[grldtnr]

Every one's different , it depends on the design or model , but you can think there are savings of around 10% in effort , with an increase in distance achieved.
There is less wind drag, substantial increase in comfort, and if riding a velomobile, the slipstreaming achieved from a fully faired Velo is phenomenal.
Against is initial acceleration, climbing ability, and able to filter through traffic, but overall you will be significantly faster for less effort, once you are recumbent fit, you do use your muscles in a different way, and need to build up your recumbent legs

 

[a.twiddler]

Why are you asking these questions? It seems to me that you've had plenty of answers on the "How Hard do you Push Yourself" thread while applying the same negativity to the person who gave you those replies. You've made your mind up. As you say, it doesn't appeal. It's not for everyone. I'm sure you'll find plenty of other appealing threads without having to go off topic on the Recumbent Rides thread.

 

[Binky]

Why are you asking these questions? It seems to me that you've had plenty of answers on the "How Hard do you Push Yourself" thread while applying the same negativity to the person who gave you those replies. You've made your mind up. As you say, it doesn't appeal. It's not for everyone. I'm sure you'll find plenty of other appealing threads without having to go off topic on the Recumbent Rides thread.

Negativity? The only negativity has been directed at me.

As for asking questions, well sorry for showing an interest and taking up your valuable time.
Perhaps this then is why there aren't many riding recumbents given that sort of attitude you display to someone curious about them.

 

[kingrollo]

How can those which are virtually horizontal be more visible? Most I've seen have a flag mounted to help this but the actual bike and rider are so low.

It's an age old argument.

I used to ride a recumbent - and going downhill on a recumbent is serious , serious fun.

I was conscious of being less visible but worked around it with a flag and some high intensity lights. But what I found was more of a problem is your own visibility is more restricted imo.

Imo you are less visible. But here is the wrong place to ask !!!!

Go onto the nails n forum and ask if cycling is bad for your knees or your back or is dangerous........people get very tribal about there hobby !!

 

[Binky]

Ah OK, good to get another opinion as all others so far are convinced recumbents are more not less visible.
Doesn't matter, I was only offering my opinion(and one I know a lot of other road users share) that to me the ones i've seen certainly when I've been driving in traffic and come across them make me concerned for their safety. I did wonder about the cyclists own visibility as well but never got that far as seems the natives are hostile....

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Lovely weather today, Spring is in the air. A total of 55km, mix of lanes and a bit of greenway that was drier than I was expecting.

 

[grldtnr]

You vsay your curious, but not enough to come over to the dark side, what's the matter Lager bog, afraid you may go d the one true light?
At the very least you have shown an interest, the least you could do is at least give one a try......
You never know, until you do!

Ah OK, good to get another opinion as all others so far are convinced recumbents are more not less visible.
Doesn't matter, I was only offering my opinion(and one I know a lot of other road users share) that to me the ones i've seen certainly when I've been driving in traffic and come across them make me concerned for their safety. I did wonder about the cyclists own visibility as well but never got that far as seems the natives are hostile....

So , your bi - curious , means you are secretly wanting to have a go , even if you are feining disinterest?

Go on , have a go , the many trikes are easiest to learn, but be warned it's addictive.
Just lie back and think of England.....

 

[Binky]

Lol. No.

I was curious about a few things but your post has convinced me I'll never ride a recumbent.

BTW, what's a lager bog?

 

[PaulM]

I asked this of one of the recumbent riders here but no response as yet but my question is what prompted those of you on recumbents to ride them?
I know very little about them and rarely see them where I live so was wondering as compared to regular upright bikes there are way fewer recumbents to my knowledge.
Is it a comfort thing? A more relaxed way of cycling? Something else?

My first impression which may be wrong but it's what occurs to me is those which the rider lies almost flat seem very vunerable in traffic being so low down. Is this true?

My neck was giving me problems after 25 years of riding drop-handlebar bikes. Recumbents are much kinder to the body, and to the heart. If you want to tour of a bike, riding for many hours day after day, then nothing beats a recumbent for comfort. The other main benefit if you ride one of the more laid back recumbents is that headwinds are less tiring. There are numerous ways to improve visibility if that worries you.

 

[Webbo2]

My mate got one due to neck and shoulder problems preventing him from riding a regular bike. However he found that at times people would shout their praise from the side of the road as he went past. They seemed to think he had some major disability because he was riding an recumbent.

 

[404 Not Found Anywhere]

Visibility: practically every vehicle that overtakes me does so on the other side of the white line when I’m on my recumbents. I can remember the one close pass I had 10 years ago. By contrast, riding an upright is terrifying by comparison with close passes much more frequent. My non-cycling wife, who did ride a bent trike for a few years, says she is much happier I’m on a low trike than an upright bike.

Speed: just about any of my ‘bents is faster than me on an upright. Yes, I may be faster on the upright for the first 20 minutes (but marginally so) but will then be crippled and have to stretch out the neck and shoulder spasms for the next hour. I can ride my bents all day.

Personally and selfishly I don’t want everyone riding recumbents. The “unknown object” effect I think is a large factor in motorist behaviour I think and if they were everywhere motorists’ familiarity would breed incaution.

 

[FrankCrank]

My mate got one due to neck and shoulder problems preventing him from riding a regular bike. However he found that at times people would shout their praise from the side of the road as he went past. They seemed to think he had some major disability because he was riding an recumbent.

I do all my recumbent riding back in Thailand, and this reminded me of my American neighbour there when he saw me on my trike.
He suggested I put a tin can on it so folk could pop coins in it for me, out of pity for the poor disabled foreigner

 

[Psamathe]

My mate got one due to neck and shoulder problems preventing him from riding a regular bike. However he found that at times people would shout their praise from the side of the road as he went past. They seemed to think he had some major disability because he was riding an recumbent.

I've found that common in France. Often getting cheers and/or thumbs-up out of car window leaving supermarket car prks. Once on a canal towpath a tourist boat with 20+ people sitting all started clapping as we passed each other. Once cycling through a town and a passed a group of school children being lead by teachers and as I passed they all started clapping.

I asked French recumbent riders why and they (several) have said it's because you are being different and not related to disability.

Ian
Edit: Corrected "French Rides" to "French riders" - I asked other recumbent French riders.

 

[Psamathe]

Visibility: practically every vehicle that overtakes me does so on the other side of the white line when I’m on my recumbents.

Same experience. Often cars hang back not wantingto pass even with plenty of space and visibility.

My belief (open to being corrected by those more knowledgeable) is that drivers "seeing" thing isn't an issue, but rather "registering" or not filtering out normal/no danger is the issue. On a bent you are different and driver really registers you as in "what's that ... interesting ...".

I've always taken the view that even on a low'ish bent you are still the size of a large oil drum and if a driver can't see a large oil drum in the middle of the road in front of them then you are not save watching TV in your sitting room in the evening; but then add bright flashing lights and a hi-viz flag to your oil drum.

Ian

 

[grldtnr]

Lol. No.

I was curious about a few things but your post has convinced me I'll never ride a recumbent.

BTW, what's a lager bog?

It's a spewcheck spelling mistake. It should have been lager boy.
But you admit you were curious, so was I 30 odd yrs ago, tried out a few ,one of them an original Mike Burrows Wind cheetah,, whoo ! Hoo ! what a ride, I couldn't afford that no way, but I did buy a recumbent Trice trike,
But never say never about riding on the dark side,
If you remember the days back when you were building and riding soap carts, ( if you ever did? ) then that's the sort of reaction you get riding a proper recumbent, only this time you have brakes ,gears and everything.
Don't be dismissive, you might be missing a lot!