Recumbent bikes - Why?

[Scott R Nelson]

Every once in a while I'll see someone riding a recumbent bicycle. In fact a guy that I work with has sort of a semi-recumbent bike. It still has handlebars directly connected to the front wheel, but the pedals are forward. I really have to resist the temptation to call it a dorkcycle.

So what are the advantages that they have? And if there are any true advantages, why are they never used in the bicycle races that I've seen?

I happen to like my 1994 Specialized Hard Rock Ultra - the go anywhere bike. I wish we had bikes like that when I was a kid.

[Shaka]

Better for your back plus you can't stand up and put pressure on your joints. The seat is far more comfortable.

[SteelBlue]

They seem to help riders grow a really thick beard.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

They seem to help riders grow a really thick beard.

I guess I better pick one up.

[John McClain]

Sometimes after a long ride, I'll come home and my back and neck are pretty sore, so I can see the appeal of a recumbent, but the "fred" factor keeps me from getting one.

[Solon]

Sometimes after a long ride, I'll come home and my back and neck are pretty sore, so I can see the appeal of a recumbent, but the "fred" factor keeps me from getting one.

We looked at getting one for my father-in-law last summer. He's pushing 75 and still bikes about 50 miles a week but has neck, back, and hip trouble.

The biggest drawback we found to the recumbent bike is that it's less maneuverable. Its turning radius is much larger than a traditional bike. It's also harder for cars to see you. And they're really expensive.

So, the old guy is still cruising on his mountain bike.

[mtnbiker]

As others have stated, a 'bent bike is easier on the neck, back, and butt. They're supposedly more streamlined, so once you're up to speed, they can be quite fast on the straight and level. But getting up to speed is a problem. Climb? Forget it.

[PaloAltoCougar]

As others have stated, a 'bent bike is easier on the neck, back, and butt. They're supposedly more streamlined, so once you're up to speed, they can be quite fast on the straight and level. But getting up to speed is a problem. Climb? Forget it.

I recall several years ago Pete Penseyres (sp?) set a one-day distance record on a bike, riding a 'bent, by pedaling over 600 miles in 24 hours (that's an average of what, 25 mph?). He did it by doing loops on an abandoned airstrip in SoCal. Impressive, but how boring would that be?

[RC Vikings]

Whenever I see a bent I think to myself that it's nice that this really lazy person found a way to enjoy cycling.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Whenever I see a bent I think to myself that it's nice that this really lazy person found a way to enjoy cycling.

Near the end of my first century, I passed a dude on a bent who looked (and talked) just like Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons . As I passed him, I commented "I'll bet your butt feels better than mine does right now," to which he sneeringly replied, "I wouldn't know but I don't want to feel your butt." Well played, guy. Now eat my dust as we take this hill.

[creekster]

They seem to help riders grow a really thick beard.

Hey, that's my joke.

Recumbents are much easier on the back. I hear, but they climb like slugs, even worse than out triuple does. OTOH, if you get the real low ones you can buy yourself a really cool lycra fairing that multiplies the geek factor by at least 5.

[pellegrino]

so what I get from this thread is that there are advantages to the recumbent that nobody here really cares about. Oh, and it's dorky looking.