Anyone gone back to 'normal' bikes?

[deejayen]

I've been riding recumbents for years now, and own some different designs, so I think I have a fairly balanced view of their pros and cons.

I'm kind of wondering if a regular bike might make more sense for many types of riding...

[[XAP]Bob]

I occasionally dabbled in older bikes, or in tandems...

And I've relatively recently got an upwrong trike, because I don't want to leave my 'bents outside a shop.

However since I can't ride two wheels any more (I might be able to stoke, that's yet to be tested though) I've no desire to go back to upwrong for anything other than avoiding having to push up the hill in a wheelchair.

[Jdsk]

Do the experiment... and please tell us the results.

Jonathan

[deejayen]

I don't think it's that straightforward.

I've stuck with recumbents, and have found that you do need to ride them regularly in order to gain/retain 'recumbent legs'. However, whenever I hop onto a 'normal' bike, they feel very 'natural' and able to handle many different riding situations without a worry.

There are obviously many different designs of recumbents, but in my experience, while they may excel at some things, they will generally have some fairly significant drawbacks which means they don't have the all-round ability of a typical road bike.

[Grldtnr]

I don't think it's that straightforward.

I've stuck with recumbents, and have found that you do need to ride them regularly in order to gain/retain 'recumbent legs'. However, whenever I hop onto a 'normal' bike, they feel very 'natural' and able to handle many different riding situations without a worry.

There are obviously many different designs of recumbents, but in my experience, while they may excel at some things, they will generally have some fairly significant drawbacks which means they don't have the all-round ability of a typical road bike.

I share your views, I never really gone away from up wrongs, for certain things they are the right bike for the job, constant recumbenti g is also necessary to maintain 'bent leg's, I am on the look out for a reasonable SWB recumbent to add to my collection, have been tempted a few times on a long bike, but i am set on SWB. at the moment, the Kingcycle is such , or any other Stick type 'bent, there was a rare 'Longstaff' 'bent on this forum , I didn't follow it regretfully , as the price was a bit rich, for a passing fancy

[hercule]

My reasons for riding bents I the first place were “just because”. Now, however, I really can’t ride more than 20 mins on an upright without my neck going into agony. My Brompton and a Dutch style e-bike get used regularly for short trips of a few miles. The trikes get used for anything further, or for pleasure (the e-bike is not really that much fun to ride but it can certainly haul heavy loads from the shops. My kickbikes have actually logged more miles over the last few years than all the rest of my bikes put together, though.

[UpWrong]

I originally converted to bents because of a bad neck from riding drop-bar uprights. My neck has recovered but now my wrists and shoulders suffer on uprights. But I have found the best upright position for me: flat bars quite high, swept back grips, slack seat angle, narrow sprung saddle, suspension forks. I can manage 3 hrs a day comfortably, 4 hrs gets tough. But this is an eBike doing a 46 mile commute. I've been pondering trying an eBent but not sure if it would work as well.

[Paulatic]

I did but to be fair I only rode laid back for just over a year. It never became easy. I never got the legs and as a lot of my routes start by going uphill getting to the top seemed to take for ever.

[Psamathe]

...
I'm kind of wondering if a regular bike might make more sense for many types of riding...

In general I think a major factor for some will depend on the reason why rider is on a recumbent, particularly trike. I remember reading somewhere that around 50% of recumbent trike riders are on recumbent trikes due to mobility & balance issues. Some factors might change over time eg mobility might improve.

Ian

[[XAP]Bob]

I started off because they intrigued me, and turned out to be pretty nice.

Now I can't do two wheels (upright or recumbent), and that's never changing.

I think my upright will get used for nipping into town, but unless I figure a safe way to tow the wheelchair (and that would be hilarious - just for the looks I'd get) it will have to be limited to places I know well and can hobble just inside the door on sticks.

There is a small (on a bike) but significant (when self propelling in a chair) hill between me and town, and unfortunately it's not much better on the way back (profile is a bit like a square root sign √ you'll have to imagine the bar)
At some point I might get myself an electric scooter to butcher to give me some assistance for times like this.

[Grldtnr]

I started off because they intrigued me, and turned out to be pretty nice.

Now I can't do two wheels (upright or recumbent), and that's never changing.

I think my upright will get used for nipping into town, but unless I figure a safe way to tow the wheelchair (and that would be hilarious - just for the looks I'd get) it will have to be limited to places I know well and can hobble just inside the door on sticks.

There is a small (on a bike) but significant (when self propelling in a chair) hill between me and town, and unfortunately it's not much better on the way back (profile is a bit like a square root sign √ you'll have to imagine the bar)
At some point I might get myself an electric scooter to butcher to give me some assistance for times like this.

Maybe hitch up the 'Wheely' as a side car?

[roubaixtuesday]

I've been riding recumbents for years now, and own some different designs, so I think I have a fairly balanced view of their pros and cons.

I'm kind of wondering if a regular bike might make more sense for many types of riding...

I rode a recumbent for a year due to a medical issue, and wouldn't go back, though I can see the advantages. My reflections:

- a 'bent is great if you can't ride an upright
- there is some cycling where it would be "better", particularly long rides in flat, windy areas and where you're not negotiating traffic.
- for most of the cycling I do (and I think most other people too), an upright is distinctly "better": more manoeuvrable in traffic, better view over cars and hedges, better on hills, easier to transport, significantly cheaper.
- I also found I attracted quite a lot of unpleasant attention from motorists - abuse. Others don't seem to get this, so maybe I was just unlucky.

So unless you personally need one, or just like them, I agree - for most people an upright makes more sense.

I always love to see one out on the road though - vive la difference!

[Psamathe]

I think people need to distinguish between 2 and 3 wheel recumbents when they describe their experiences as some comments about recumbents made apply to 2-wheel bents but not to 3-wheel bents.

Ian

[deejayen]

I was interested in recumbents for ages, but bought my first, a Windcheetah, after suffering from numb fingers on a 400k audax while riding my fixed wheel bike. The trike was a shock to the system!

Since then I've bought a few other recumbents, and have generally been able to make them go okay. When I've ridden in CTC or audax groups I've often been the first to the top of steeper climbs. However, my perception is that I'm putting in a fair bit more effort than the other riders. Most recently, I've been riding a heavy LWB bike, which I thought I was riding at a decent pace considering the type of bike it is. However, I went out the other night on an old classic road bike, and even though my legs felt a bit 'dead' on the upright bike, it just seemed faster for less effort.

As I said, all recumbents are different, so my laid-back highracers are aerodynamic but fairly highly strung, so seem happiest on the open road. However, the reclined seat makes it more difficult to spot pot holes, especially when it's dark and raining (I wear glasses which are harder to keep clear when laid back). One has a dropped chain which makes it more difficult to manoeuvre, and the other has dicey handling due to a weight distribution thing. There's also a risk of heel strike on slow climbs. My lower bikes are okay, but then there's front wheel drive (wheelspin on steep climbs) plus difficulty 'pushing' the bike, and eyes at headlight level etc. The USS LWB is fairly benign, but it's not going on a train, and it weighs a ton, so I'd struggle to lift it over barriers to cycle paths etc.

I'm not ready to give up recumbents yet, but I watched that guy cycle down through Europe, and his road bike was able to cope with varied terrain and conditions from good roads to forest tracks, and on twisty cycle paths etc. He also did some night time riding in rain\sleet. He was able to take his bike into hotel rooms and disabled toilets, and when a route was closed due to snow he was able to bypass the obstruction by hopping on a train.

[a.twiddler]

I used to think that the various aches and pains I experienced on a conventional diamond frame bike were just par for the course but after decades of riding, trying adjustments here, tweaks there, my riding distance decreased before I suffered the same discomforts. The main feature was that the bars were becoming ever higher. Curiously, I'd had low stepover folding bikes over the years and found them easier to get on with, particularly round town. I'd tried flat barred bikes and mountain bikes but the latest incarnation of a drop barred tourer turned out to be the least worst option for a reasonable distance ride. There were still the eventual numb fingers, neck stiffness, foot soreness and so on but for local trips it was bearable for its versatility. Probably out in the real world beyond the rareified atmosphere of a cycling forum, those local distances are what most everyday cyclists do, and if I didn't push the boundaries I wouldn't know any different.

It wasn't until I bought a cheap fairly local recumbent on a whim that I began to realise what I'd been missing in terms of comfort. It happened to be the right bike at the right time for me. After the initial learning curve I made a point of riding it just about anywhere I rode my tourer including off road. Sometimes, due to being a LWB its extravagant length caused awkwardness but I never felt any doubt that I could master this beast. It's not fast, but neither am I on an upright these days. Other recumbents have come and gone but I've stuck with this one.

I've had a recumbent trike but having not ridden it much in two years that has now been sold. I had to admit that recumbent trikes are just not for me.

I've still got a folder as that serves a purpose. I still have my upright tourer but not having ridden it for about two and a half years it's been kept for sentiment more than anything, and probably if I had a chance of getting a worthwhile amount for it in current market conditions I would have sold it by now. Would I go back? Only if the bike in question served a particular purpose that outweighed the benefits (to me) of the recumbent bike. Otherwise, no.