Recumbent Bikes

[kajero]

I have had two pretty serious accidents on my hybrid bike. One was because of sheer stupidity, the second one I don't know what happened.

I was in a group ride both times. I just think maybe I shouldn't ride with a group as well.

I don't know if i want to give up riding altogether. Does anyone here ride a Recumbent Bike? Can you tell me anything about them? I think they would be safer because they have three wheels and are closer to the ground.

I have a new road bike at the LBS. I bought before the accident but hadn't gone to pick it up. I can buy a recumbent for nearly the same price. The LBS will let me trade it for the recumbent.

[carolp]

I have a recumbent trike. It does not handle as well and it's a ***** on climbing. I'm not sure how long or far you ride; that would make a difference. If you're talking about tooling around the neighborhood, a trike is great fun, but for long rides, it's just so very slow. I'm fortunate that for "real" rides I ride a tandem with my husband.
That being said, if you are really strong you can make decent time on a trike. Several people ride them on AIDS Lifecycle, which is a seven day ride from SF to CA. But they tend to get out earlier and might not take as long at rest stops.
If you are a serious rider, you would want to get a good one. Possibly Greenspeed or one of the better Terra trikes.
They are incredibly comfortable-- no saddle sores or shoulder issues, which is another good thing about them.
Two-wheel recumbents can be as fast as a regular bike, but it sounds like you are talking about a trike.

[Owlie]

Three-wheeled things do not corner as well as two-wheeled things. Visibility in traffic may also be an issue, since they're lower.

[Fredwina]

I have several friend in CA who have trikes and love them. Some of them just did the MS ride(metric) in Long Beach.
They do have the repuatation for being slower, but some folks are able to keep up with DF's and two wheel recumbents.
You may also want to look at Catrike - they're another good brand.

[MomOnBike]

Not all recumbents are three-wheeled and unfit for distances. I'm planning on taking my two-wheeled recumbent across the western US this summer, even though it (and I ) are on the heavy side.

As for the trikes (or any bike, upright, recumbent, whatever), the standard advice is to go and try some out. You'll never know if a bike is for you until your backside is in the seat and your feet are spinning the pedals. Yes, trikes tend to be lower than upright bikes, but there are flags out there if you are concerned about that.

Go try some different trikes out. At least you'll have an informed opinion afterward.

[smilingcat]

some one else has a similar thought!

I'm still riding my 2 wheel bikes. I too have had several major crashes and have started on a tadpole setup 3 wheel recumbent bike. Lot shorter distance to the ground for your head, hard to tip over.

I say "started" is because I've decided to go with a velomobile. Fully enclosed fairing trikes. Cost of velo's are really expensive. Some are around $12,000 or more. Problem of buying in Europe and having it shipped plus hangup with customs. Is it a bicycle? or what?? I think you can buy blueveloUSA.

So I'm designing and building my own.

Design goal:
full suspension
150-250W electric motor assist with regenerative braking
spend extra for LiFePO4 (Lithium phosphate rechargeable) min 20Ahour
full canopy over my head so I can stay dry in wet northwest weather
cargo space to carry 2 bags of grocery plus bit extra
fit in my prius!!

The electric assist is for hill climbing. There was a chart on energy required to travel at some speed 30Km/hr, around 20MPH. Standard bicycle requires around 270W, deep aero position drops this to 217W and mango velo only requires 78W of power. Average rider is only putting out 100W to 150W. Having a 150W motor is like having a stoker on a tandem without the weight of a second person. You don't need 400W or 500W motor. Smaller lighter motor, smaller battery.

Oh I do have an graduate degree in engineering, electronics so motor and motor controller, battery is not a big thing for me. Big thing for me is learning about vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, BUILDING the thing.

I've been learning a lot about vehicle dynamics and composite fabrication. and