Recumbent E-bikes

[PCeBiker]

I found some videos,..

Check this one out !!,..
He gets it going from a stop !!

That looks stupid easy !!!
I'm sure you can pull it off, especially with a throttle for hill starts,..

 

[Art Deco]

What about lifting each leg up in front of you to get on to the pedals?

View attachment 199146


Maybe try sitting on the edge of a chair and try lifting your legs up in front of you to get an idea?
It may not be as easy as lifting your legs straight up like on a regular ebike?

Even with a throttle to get you going, it may be difficult to lift your legs up in front of you?


And as you and I have told many others,..
Is there any way you can take one for a test ride ??


Maybe the company is willing to send you a video of someone actually getting the thing launched and going ??

Honestly, that video idea seems like a reasonable request , especially if there is no test ride available. Even if they have to make one on the spot, they should want to address the mount and dismount question for other potential customers , and post it somewhere people can see it. And loading and unloading to a van or truck as well.

 

[Catalyzt]

Very interesting. I wonder, how much do these contraptions weigh?

There have been a few threads here on recumbent e-bikes but not much discussion on logistics, such as starting and stopping.

As I get older, my back and butt are becoming limiting factors in my ability to do the long distance rides I like so much. With some success, I've explored every bike seat you can imagine trying to increase riding comfort. Many help with butt fatigue but none offer any back support. Seats with a backrest don't allow proper pedaling for bikes with an upright riding position.

Lately, I've been seeing more recumbent e-bikes on the trail, and I'd like to explore the possibility of getting one. The low models are too close to the ground and would be an issue for me getting on and off. I'm seeing higher built bikes now, such as this one:

View attachment 199083
I've never seen anyone mount or dismount one though and I'm not sure how difficult it would be to stop or get started without tipping over. Has anyone here had any experience with these bikes, and if so, how easy would they be to handle for an old guy like me?

I also see a lot of e-trikes on the trail and I considered one for a time. The problem is the width. Many trails I ride have vehicle barriers with bollards that are too close together for a trike to get through without folding up or dismantling. On several occasions, I've seen riders on trikes forced to turn back when encountering barriers like these:

View attachment 199084 View attachment 199085 View attachment 199086

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

There are a few gates in the Verdugos-- and elsewhere, I think-- that are even narrower than that, the posts or bollards or whatever are much closer together. I had to lift Seeker (46 pounds) to get through. If there was no rear mudguard, you might be able to stand a recumbent on its hind wheel and walk it through?

I don't do much actual riding on gnarly trails, but I've been on a few where the trail itself is a solid intermediate with one advanced segment that you just can't read... and on power line, which is kinda the north side of Griffith Park, I hit a spot I couldn't passwhere I had to pick up the bike and turn it around while standing on a boulder...

For that reason, recumbent would be tough for me (and I decided that ride I'd never have a bike over 45 pounds.) But for bombing around Mt. Hollywood drive or scrambling to my weekend AA meeting... looks awesome, if you could resolve the visibility issue!

 

[Art Deco]

Very interesting. I wonder, how much do these contraptions weigh?


There are a few gates in the Verdugos-- and elsewhere, I think-- that are even narrower than that, the posts or bollards or whatever are much closer together. I had to lift Seeker (46 pounds) to get through. If there was no rear mudguard, you might be able to stand a recumbent on its hind wheel and walk it through?

I don't do much actual riding on gnarly trails, but I've been on a few where the trail itself is a solid intermediate with one advanced segment that you just can't read... and on power line, which is kinda the north side of Griffith Park, I hit a spot I couldn't passwhere I had to pick up the bike and turn it around while standing on a boulder...

For that reason, recumbent would be tough for me (and I decided that ride I'd never have a bike over 45 pounds.) But for bombing around Mt. Hollywood drive or scrambling to my weekend AA meeting... looks awesome, if you could resolve the visibility issue!

That comment on bollards reflects on all the crap infrastructure that bikers have to deal with, so I won't comment on it here. But weight should certainly be listed.
There is only one recumbent that I see occasionally around town ... not electric and a young fit rider, but it looks big and heavy. A nice feature of that bike is a big windscreen that seems to actually work since the rider's head is lower than the windscreen, and he claimed that it cuts the air resistance enough that he goes faster on it than his old regular bike, FWIW.

 

[Marcela]

Maybe something like this.

 

[6zfshdb]

Very interesting. I wonder, how much do these contraptions weigh?


There are a few gates in the Verdugos-- and elsewhere, I think-- that are even narrower than that, the posts or bollards or whatever are much closer together. I had to lift Seeker (46 pounds) to get through. If there was no rear mudguard, you might be able to stand a recumbent on its hind wheel and walk it through?

I don't do much actual riding on gnarly trails, but I've been on a few where the trail itself is a solid intermediate with one advanced segment that you just can't read... and on power line, which is kinda the north side of Griffith Park, I hit a spot I couldn't passwhere I had to pick up the bike and turn it around while standing on a boulder...

For that reason, recumbent would be tough for me (and I decided that ride I'd never have a bike over 45 pounds.) But for bombing around Mt. Hollywood drive or scrambling to my weekend AA meeting... looks awesome, if you could resolve the visibility issue!

Unfortunately, there are several vehicle barriers on one of my favorite local trails like this:

The opening is so narrow that my OEM handlebars wouldn't fit through. It was one of the reasons I replaced them with the Jones H bars shown above.
It is quite apparent that the designers of these barriers are not cyclists.

 

[6zfshdb]

Do you wear padded biking shorts?
They're irreplaceable on long rides.

In addition to padded shorts, I use another trick to ease butt discomfort. On some trails I ride, when possible, I select a trailhead near the middle and ride in both directions. On my way back on the first leg, I stop at the truck and change saddles. I keep one with a different design mounted on a spare seat post and just swap them. The feel of a different saddle eases butt pain considerably. Unfortunately, this isn't always possible, especially on long point to point rides.

 

[Gionnirocket]

In addition to padded shorts, I use another trick to ease butt discomfort. On some trails I ride, when possible, I select a trailhead near the middle and ride in both directions. On my way back on the first leg, I stop at the truck and change saddles. I keep one with a different design mounted on a spare seat post and just swap them. The feel of a different saddle eases butt pain considerably. Unfortunately, this isn't always possible, especially on long point to point rides.

I totally agree.... and just positioning yourself slightly different on the same saddle helps too. I do similarly with my hands by moving them to a pair of horns on the end of my bars. I also try not to ride like a statue in perfect form but will try and stay loose and shift weight by doing an imaginary slalom with anything on the path like shadows.
I don't change out on a ride but no matter how comfortable I find a saddle, after a few months it's not the same. So I rotate to a slightly different saddle and that's good for a similar time period.
My a$$ prefers variety