Recumbent Exercise Bicycles

recumbent bikes?

Public Comments

1. yes. 'Course, that question is a tad vague...
2. .....they look funny as heck..........and from what I've seen, they are extremely unstable at low speeds. One of the funniest things I've ever seen was a tandem recumbant....took me several minutes to stop giggling after they went past me...
3. Rucumbant are aweome! Me personally I ride a Townie 21 Art Its only Semi Recumbant and great on the knees check them out they have a whole like of then www.electrabikes.com I work at a local bike shop near me and we sell them they are great
4. Your question is obviously vague so I would like to address one type of recumbent: the high-racer recumbent. Some pros and cons are listed below. As in all things, some of these items are subjective. Pros * Fast. Has performance parts, such as its tires, wheels, gearing. * Comfortable (as in all bents). Your butt and back are fully supported. An upright (but tilted-back) riding position, so your neck is always comfortable. No pressure on hands, wrists, arms, or shoulders. * Looks great, as opposed to some other bents which look rather boring (again, this is subjective). Cons * Expensive. The cheapest high racers cost around $1,700, which is what I paid. * Considerable learning curve. Starting and stopping fluidly as well as turning tight corners take a while to learn. Also, getting up to your top speed capability will take about a 500-1000 miles, because on a high-racer you use different muscles, and the muscles you have used in cycling you now use differently.
5. I've been riding recumbents for over 10 years. On my road bike I was a middle-of-the-pack rider. On my lowracer, I win ALL of the sign sprints, and can drop the pack like a bad habit whenever I want to. Climbing? I'm no better, but no worse either. Everywhere else, I'm way faster. Bents look different because they are, and that's a good thing.
6. comfortable? Yep! Fast? Yep real fast. Legal on the official bike racing circuit? Nope, they are tooo fast. Expensive? Yep 'cause the volumes are low and they don't get the big mass production advantage. Conversation starter? yep if you ride a 'bent, you will get lots of chances to meet people and answer lots of questions.