Recumbent Biking

[I_luv_saber]

Does anyone have any experience with recumbent biking?

I'm really wanting to start biking to work. I need to workout more, it'd save on gas, and I like being environmentally conscious when I can...

Anyway, one of the things keeping me from starting is the fact I have a really bad back. It would really suck to have my back seize up on me while I'm riding!
So, I've been looking into recumbents as a possible solution. The initial investment is a bit more expensive... but in the long run it may be worth it.

My concerns are:

1) Visual profile. I've heard mixed reviews here. Some say that the low profile makes drivers have a hard time seeing you. Others say that the more unusual bike will draw more attention and make you more likely to be seen by drivers. Thoughts?

2) Safety. Is there anything that makes them more prone to crash? Less? In the event of a crash, is it worse or better than an upright?

3) Turning radius. Can I make turns as well as an upright?

4) Hills. How much harder is it to tackle a hill?

If anyone has any experience with this and could offer some advice, I'd appreciate it!

[tchwojko]

In the Seattle area we have lots of cyclists.

Everyone I've talked to with a recumbent swears by them. Most recumbents have an orange flag sticking up up on the back that makes them visible. When driving I've never had more difficulty seeing a recumbent than a regular bike.

I've started to look into a recumbent trike. With a trike, there's no problem staying upright, so you can take hills more slowly. Possibly more effort, but with more stability. You can't stand up, however. A very small turning radius is possible, as well.

From what I've read, they're more efficient as well, both because of aerodynamics and body position.

I haven't heard any serious downsides to a recumbent.

[Jon_H_2268]

I used to Ride a Recumbent and I loved it! most of the hype that recumbent riders spout are quite true. it's a very comfortable ride that on flats and downhill can go rather fast!

to answer your questions:
1) Visibility I have found is not an issue as most people slow down to take a look at what you are riding! if you are concerned with the lower profile attach a flag

2) on paved roads there is nothing very different from a riding perspective. offroad or on gravel the bike handles very differently than an upright bike. it is possible but it takes a very different skill set. the one fall I had with my bike I was pushed from the road (by my brother who didn't believe I could ride faster than him) at 43 km/hr and left me with some roadrash on my leg and shoulder. had I been on an upright I would most likely have hit my head (I found this out this past week when I fell and did hit my head -- glad I have a helmet!) What I'm saying is that if you are in a crash and you get hurt it will be different parts of the body due to the mechanism of the crash but neither is inherently more safe than the other.

3) turning radius is dependent on whether you are riding a Short Wheel base or Long Wheel base. I rode a Medium-Long wheel base and regular cornering on a road was easy to do. doing donuts or weaving in and around traffic, not so much

4) Hills will slow you down, but you more than make up for that on the way down! if you learn to spin Hills are less of an issue, but if you mash your pedals they will be a real pain!

I now commute on a Fixed gear road bike. the reasons for my switch are due to a few specific factors: I ride year round in Ontario so Icy roads are a bit more challenging (see off road comment). there is an awkward intersection that requires me to turn right then immediately left while crossing two lanes of traffic during rush hour that I found to be challenging to maneuver in Recumbent. storage at my house was more challenging for the recumbent than the fixie.

had those issues been more manageable and money not been such an issue I would have kept the recumbent too!

Comfort, Breathability, Speed/efficiency are all big selling points in my mind!

[telkanuru]

The trade off is you look retarded.

[I_luv_saber]

I used to Ride a Recumbent and I loved it! most of the hype that recumbent riders spout are quite true. it's a very comfortable ride that on flats and downhill can go rather fast!

to answer your questions:
1) Visibility I have found is not an issue as most people slow down to take a look at what you are riding! if you are concerned with the lower profile attach a flag

2) on paved roads there is nothing very different from a riding perspective. offroad or on gravel the bike handles very differently than an upright bike. it is possible but it takes a very different skill set. the one fall I had with my bike I was pushed from the road (by my brother who didn't believe I could ride faster than him) at 43 km/hr and left me with some roadrash on my leg and shoulder. had I been on an upright I would most likely have hit my head (I found this out this past week when I fell and did hit my head -- glad I have a helmet!) What I'm saying is that if you are in a crash and you get hurt it will be different parts of the body due to the mechanism of the crash but neither is inherently more safe than the other.

3) turning radius is dependent on whether you are riding a Short Wheel base or Long Wheel base. I rode a Medium-Long wheel base and regular cornering on a road was easy to do. doing donuts or weaving in and around traffic, not so much

4) Hills will slow you down, but you more than make up for that on the way down! if you learn to spin Hills are less of an issue, but if you mash your pedals they will be a real pain!

I now commute on a Fixed gear road bike. the reasons for my switch are due to a few specific factors: I ride year round in Ontario so Icy roads are a bit more challenging (see off road comment). there is an awkward intersection that requires me to turn right then immediately left while crossing two lanes of traffic during rush hour that I found to be challenging to maneuver in Recumbent. storage at my house was more challenging for the recumbent than the fixie.

had those issues been more manageable and money not been such an issue I would have kept the recumbent too!

Comfort, Breathability, Speed/efficiency are all big selling points in my mind!

Thanks for the input!

Could you elaborate a little on how you take hills?

Thanks!

The trade off is you look retarded.

I generally do anyway, so I may as well pick the one that suits me better!

[I_luv_saber]

In the Seattle area we have lots of cyclists.

Everyone I've talked to with a recumbent swears by them. Most recumbents have an orange flag sticking up up on the back that makes them visible. When driving I've never had more difficulty seeing a recumbent than a regular bike.

I've started to look into a recumbent trike. With a trike, there's no problem staying upright, so you can take hills more slowly. Possibly more effort, but with more stability. You can't stand up, however. A very small turning radius is possible, as well.

From what I've read, they're more efficient as well, both because of aerodynamics and body position.

I haven't heard any serious downsides to a recumbent.

I've been looking very seriously into it... especially since Fresno is pretty flat and there aren't really any hills to speak of. What's really been holding me back so far is the cash to invest in one...

I'm sure it would be much nicer for my horrible back, though...

[Nolano]

I built myself a recumbent bike almost two years ago now, and have probably put more than 2000 miles on it.

1. Both points are valid. If you're worried about it, get a flag like someone else said. I'm personally drawn towards pirate flags, myself.

2. I've only had one bike accident since I started riding it, and that was when I lost traction, and it was very minor. That's your primary weakness, is due to your very low center of gravity, you have less control when things get slippery. I think that recumbents are safer in general, because you're less likely to hit your head if you crash.

3. It depends on your recumbent. THe easiest ones to learn to ride are generally long wheelbase, but those have the largest turns. I ride a short wheelbase recumbent, and after getting used to it, it's very easy, and I can make very tight turns.

4. I won't lie, they're harder. But it makes you that much stronger of a rider for the downhill. In general, the way I look at it is upright bikes have better acceleration, recumbents have better top speed. Acceleration helps more for hills.

I love mine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...o/100_0674.jpg

[Slacker]

Recumbents are the darndest-lookin' things, but getting very popular. I saw a segment on TV last week about them (PBS?) I would think your back would be fine on one, and think how strong your legs will be!

[K O'N]

I ride a Bacchetta Corsa with 700 wheels. I like it. You can see something besides the road! Amazing. It's comfortable and fast. However, to me it's not really like riding a bike, it's more like riding a low-powered scooter. You can't hop a curb. You can't dab a foot if you start to slide. I have a few thousand miles on mine, and I still start off saying to myself, "Eh, I don't know about this". I don't have the same feeling I do on my Bertin road bike. But 40 miles later I'm happy on the Corsa, and I'd be dying on the Bertin.

It's fast downhill and on flats. Uphill you're ok if you usually sit and spin, not so ok if you like to stand and stomp, you're ok if your bent weighs less than a tank, not ok if you bought a Chinese frame that looks like a bike but weighs 32 lb. Weight matters uphill.

If you're trying to get away cheap, watch ebay. You can get a good deal there, but a good bike still costs something.

Oh yeah, visability. Get a highracer with full sized wheels, you're almost as high as a DF bike.

K O'N

[I_luv_saber]

Thanks for the input everyone!

Nolano, I had thought about doing that myself, but I think I need to get more into bikes before I would consider taking on such a project. Plus I'm not very good with building stuff . Looks cool, though!

[Nolano]

I should note I had a full bike shop at my disposal, 4 years of experience doing that kind of stuff in addition to people with far more than that, custom made 4130 cro-moly tubing, and a 45% discount on parts... It still took me the equivalent of probably several weeks at full time and more than $800. It's a bike that would cost $2000+ new, but it's not a project for the lighthearted and/or lightskilled.

I still didn't do as good a job as I would have liked, I've gotten much better at welding since then.