Recumbents: I still don't get it.....

gtvlusso

I mean, why?

Why try and commute on a recumbent?

Track standing - No
Getting foot down quick, if need arises - urmmm....
Visibility in traffic - sh1te unless you have a little flag.....
Little flag - looks ghey
Pulling up anywhere means that the nose of the recumbant is usually sticking out - bit silly
Maintenance - looks tricky
Changing tube - looks tricky and heavy

There must be some pluses, I just cannot see them. Please educate me....

wgwarburton

gtvlusso wrote:

I mean, why?

Why try and commute on a recumbent?

Track standing - No
Getting foot down quick, if need arises - urmmm....
Visibility in traffic - sh1te unless you have a little flag.....
Little flag - looks ghey
Pulling up anywhere means that the nose of the recumbant is usually sticking out - bit silly
Maintenance - looks tricky
Changing tube - looks tricky and heavy

There must be some pluses, I just cannot see them. Please educate me....

Recumbents have essentially two advantages- dramatically lower wind resistance and an armchair for a seat.

Cheers,
W.

Kieran_Burns

You forgot to mention, really slow uphill and when it rains you get a small lake accumulating in your crotch

EKE_38BPM

I saw BentMikey once and instead of putting his foot down, he would put his hand down. He followed me up Bromley Hill and stayed with me. He was behind so I don't know how much effort he was putting in, but he was right behind me at the top when I turned around to see if I had dropped him (I wasn't trying to, honest).
His carbon fibre panniers looked very cool (and aero) but I can't remember a flag.
Maintenance can't be that different from a 'normal' bike.

I'd love to give one a go and if I was doing some seriously long distance touring, e.g. crossing the Australian Outback, I think it would be my steed of choice because of the reduced wind resistance and armchair-like 'saddle'.

rick_chasey

Kieran_Burns wrote:

You forgot to mention, really slow uphill and when it rains you get a small lake accumulating in your crotch

Not if you have this bad boy
http://youtu.be/jUgXtZFdUcs

UndercoverElephant

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I'd love to give one a go and if I was doing some seriously long distance touring, e.g. crossing the Australian Outback, I think it would be my steed of choice because of the reduced wind resistance and armchair-like 'saddle'.

Plus, there are so few people, nobody would see you riding it. Result!

eyko

There is a one round my way where the owner has take one of those little kiddies bike. Created a little mount to raise the front wheel. And cycles along with his kid ridding the little bike on the back (kid must be 5-7yrs old?).

CyclingBantam

I would love to try one. They look rather fun to me.

They are a bit unusual as well which isn't always a bad thing.

Kieran_Burns

I must admit - given the nature of my commute - a 'bent would be fun

stuaff

A friend of mine & BentMikey's rides a 'bent on account of multiple spinal injuries- he was operated on with the strict provision he did not get back on a regular bike, ever. The hospital staff did, however, agree that a 'bent would be perfectly OK. Eighteen months after the op he did LEL on it!
I'd have a trike myself, purely because I'd fear I'd be falling over rather a lot. ICE Vortex looks like a lovely bit of kit. I think there would, like switching between geared and fixed/SS, certain advantages for 'upwrong' riding from developing the different muscle groups that 'bent riding involves.

edhornby

my brother had one ages ago.... I had a few goes on it but wasn't that impressed, great for country lanes for a change but no way would I commute on one.

jimmypippa

WGWarburton wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

I mean, why?

Why try and commute on a recumbent?

Track standing - No
Getting foot down quick, if need arises - urmmm....
Visibility in traffic - sh1te unless you have a little flag.....
Little flag - looks ghey
Pulling up anywhere means that the nose of the recumbant is usually sticking out - bit silly
Maintenance - looks tricky
Changing tube - looks tricky and heavy

There must be some pluses, I just cannot see them. Please educate me....

Recumbents have essentially two advantages- dramatically lower wind resistance and an armchair for a seat.

Cheers,
W.

If you see some of Bent Mikey's youtube videos, he passes roadies like I pass full suss mountain bikes.

Reason enough.

redjeepǃ

I work with somebody who commutes on a Hasse recumbant trike and uses it as his main (only ?) means of transport 365 days a year.

He's done some big sportives on it, and tells a story of one he did in Germany with a long downhill where he couldn't brake because of cramp in his hands and ended up overtaking cars at over 70kmph.

Headhuunter

I'm sure I read somewhere that fully covered and streamlined recumbent bikes are the quickest and most efficient bikes known to man, the only reason pro riders don't use them is because they're not allowed under race rules...

Having said that I probably wouldn't want to use one on the commute, it just makes you so much less visible to traffic and also means that you lose onme of the major benefits to cyclists, the ability to see across the roofs of cars and other traffic...

The Rookie

I regularily see a trike 'bent on the uni campus where I work, has a mast for a flag and lights....can't filter though

A work collegaue is busy designing an electrically assisted 'bent for his 18mile commute, he'll probably do it as well as he's also built a 36" wheeled mountain bike. He used to have a conventional one and has managed 30mph sustained for several miles on it - lack of wind resistance and all that - mind you he's also had 50mph out of his loaded tandem downhill.

Simon

prj45

Rick Chasey wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

You forgot to mention, really slow uphill and when it rains you get a small lake accumulating in your crotch

Not if you have this bad boy
http://youtu.be/jUgXtZFdUcs

If you want to see that sort of bike up close the british version is at a new cycle shop in Ealing tomorrow.

http://www.there-cycling.co.uk/blog/gen ... nvited.php

Don't think most of the other bikes in there would interest the speedfreak racers on here though!

SimonAH

Definitely not for commuting (main problem is that they are just too unweildy at either end of the journey) but for a Sunday blast down country lanes? Yes, yes I would.

One of the Mike Burroughs Rat Racers would just about fit the bill oi reckon.

ndru

Headhuunter wrote:

I'm sure I read somewhere that fully covered and streamlined recumbent bikes are the quickest and most efficient bikes known to man, the only reason pro riders don't use them is because they're not allowed under race rules...

http://hembrow.blogspot.com

This bloke commutes with a velomobile which essentially is a fully covered recumbent trike - he commutes 37miles each way... and it takes him under an hour - talk about efficiency. But then again he lives in NL and he is lucky enough to have dedicated bicycle tracks there so no mixing with the traffic.

notsoblue

I'd love to try one. Must be great for long tours. Or if you have hemorrhoids.

gtvlusso

So, positive points:

Great for people with injuries, possibly disabilities.
Efficient cycling technique
Comfy seat for distance

Still not won over on this one....come on, win me over!

stuaff

gtvlusso wrote:

So, positive points:

Great for people with injuries, possibly disabilities.
Efficient cycling technique
Comfy seat for distance

Still not won over on this one....come on, win me over!

Long downhills...OK, it'll hurt on the way up, but the payback is massive!

jimmypippa

Today I saw a couple on a tandem touring recumbent. They looked to be having fun.

BentMikey

Still amazed how people think you can't see a recumbent. Easily ten times more visible in traffic than an upright bicycle. I'm anti-hiviz, but I wonder how hypocritical that stance is because I feel considerably less visible and less safe riding my upright instead of the recumbent.

They have disadvantages, but for my particular 45 mile round trip commute, it's teh awesomes. Packed city traffic, and a short commute, and I'd take the upright because the recumbent isn't so good on very tight ducking and diving through traffic, it's a bit too long for that.

greg66_tri_v2.0

BentMikey wrote:

Still amazed how people think you can't see a recumbent. Easily ten times more visible in traffic than an upright bicycle.

Eh?

That's like saying it's easier to see someone who is lying on the floor than someone who is standing up.

BentMikey

How do you stay in your lane on the road?

graeme_s-2

The Beginner wrote:

I regularily see a trike 'bent on the uni campus where I work, has a mast for a flag and lights....can't filter though

Do you work at UoW? That's one of my colleagues. He does filter on it, and when he switched from an upright to the bent trike he found that he was actually more visible. People are just so unused to seeing someone riding a 'bent that they really notice you.

EKE_38BPM

Good to see BentMikey posting again.
After I saw him just before Bromley Hill last year he stopped posting.

Am I that horrible?!

Clever Pun

jimmypippa wrote:

WGWarburton wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

I mean, why?

Why try and commute on a recumbent?

Track standing - No
Getting foot down quick, if need arises - urmmm....
Visibility in traffic - sh1te unless you have a little flag.....
Little flag - looks ghey
Pulling up anywhere means that the nose of the recumbant is usually sticking out - bit silly
Maintenance - looks tricky
Changing tube - looks tricky and heavy

There must be some pluses, I just cannot see them. Please educate me....

Recumbents have essentially two advantages- dramatically lower wind resistance and an armchair for a seat.

Cheers,
W.

If you see some of Bent Mikey's youtube videos, he passes roadies like I pass full suss mountain bikes.

Reason enough.

I pass full roadies on a brompton.... maybe we should all ride those?

spen666

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I must admit - given the nature of my commute - a 'bent would be fun

Yeah but you'd never get up that hill

jonny_trousers

I've heard the 'comfort' argument used a few times, but any time I've seen someone riding a recumbent they look to be straining their neck like buggery.

They may be fun to ride, but they look like suicide to me.

Kieran_Burns

spen666 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I must admit - given the nature of my commute - a 'bent would be fun

Yeah but you'd never get up that hill

this would be a problem how? (it's not part of my commute)

This is my normal commute:

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/13678261