Recumbent Exercise Bicycles

Based on physics, is it more difficult to climb hills on a recumbent bike than a conventional bike?

I am not a physicist but there must be some scientific explanation about the hill climbing characteristics of a recumbent bike vs. a conventional bike. From my belief about leverage, a conventional bike would be much superior to a recumbent.

Public Comments

1. No. From physics, the work required to move a given mass to a higher elevation is a function purely of the mass and the elevation; from a power point of view, time is added as a variable. I do not see why you would think that "leverage" would be a variable. In fact, recumbents are more efficient for a couple of reasons: less energy is wasted in raising the cyclists' lower legs against gravity, and the brace against the back provides a stable reaction force. Try one and you will see. Recumbents are kind of awkward, also expensive, and they seem a little scary at first, and they can be dangerous and tricky in traffic, but out on a country road, the miles and hills you can do on a recumbent compared to a conventional bike are amazing.
2. Recumbents are just dogs on climbs. Most riders going up hill on recumbents use gears much lower than singles or even tandems and if they stop on a serious mountain grade then fergettaboutit. Yes, the amount of work done is the same, but recumbent riders can't seem to generate the same power (work/time) that singles do. I think on a single one is able to apply higher torque to the pedals than on a recumbent giving you more power in a climb or accelerating away from a stop. 'bents keep up fine with singles on the flats. So once the riders are at a cruising speed the recumbent rider appears to be able to deliver the same amount of horsepower as a single to maintain the speed. Downhill recumbents rule.