Recumbent E-bikes

[John Bowman]

The most obvious issue to me is not being able to pedal out of the seat which is a huge advantage on long hills.

Standing is a disadvantage on long climbs. You use more energy and cadence is too low, inefficient.

 

[jabberwocky]

Tried an e-recumbent tadpole. My main concern is that your head is right at bumper level. I tried it a few times and felt very vulnerable at intersections. You cannot see over the vehicles, and if you get hit your head will impact a car or truck, and then the ground. Way more favorable odds, vision, and visibility on a standard bike. Also, due to my aggressive riding style I kept flipping the bike.

Lol, as the owner of a recumbent tadpole. They vary in stability; mine (a mid 2000s vintage Catrike Speed) is super low to the ground and pretty hard to tip. But the inside wheel lifting up in hard cornering is part of why they are fun. Its a different experience than riding a bike. You feel the cornering forces. But if you get too overconfident you can definitely flip them.

You are very right on visibility. A flag helps others see you, but you really have to be mindful around parked cars and such. And a mirror is basically a necessity; you can't really shoulder check whats behind you like a standard bike.

I don't ride mine all that much, and when I do its mainly on the quiet town side streets or the local MUP. Its a great MUP cruiser, the one near me is oriented axially to prevailing winds, so you sometimes get wicked headwinds that can make riding the normal bikes pretty miserable. When you're 24" off the ground the wind is almost a non issue.

 

[Chargeride]

Standing is a disadvantage on long climbs. You use more energy and cadence is too low, inefficient.

Well if I google Tour de France hill climb, I get a shed load of riders out of the saddle, I always go out of saddle high gear on a conventional bike.

 

[John Bowman]

Well if I google Tour de France hill climb, I get a shed load of riders out of the saddle, I always go out of saddle high gear on a conventional bike.

You are not a TDF rider. Watch video above, when amateur riders stand to try and keep up with recumbent, they slow down. Standing is great for sprinting or short hills, but after 1 minute forget it.

 

[Chargeride]

Im not sure of the context here, where have they been, how long has he ridden and what level is he.

 

[John Bowman]

Im not sure of the context here, where have they been, how long has he ridden and what level is he.

Solvang Century, mile 85. Around year 2010.

 

[Chargeride]

Im going to have to look into this, theres more to that overtake than better efficiency

 

[John Bowman]

Im going to have to look into this, theres more to that overtake than better efficiency

I have done that ride, after 85 miles on a recumbent I am not tired from a high pressure narrow seat, standing up to relieve pressure, or for climbs, or bumps. The roadies are. At beginning they passed me. After halfway I was passing them. All the standing takes extra energy.

 

[Chargeride]

I use it to relieve lactic build up while keeping moving, on a recumb I would have to stop

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Lol, as the owner of a recumbent tadpole. They vary in stability; mine (a mid 2000s vintage Catrike Speed) is super low to the ground and pretty hard to tip. But the inside wheel lifting up in hard cornering is part of why they are fun. Its a different experience than riding a bike. You feel the cornering forces. But if you get too overconfident you can definitely flip them.

You are very right on visibility. A flag helps others see you, but you really have to be mindful around parked cars and such. And a mirror is basically a necessity; you can't really shoulder check whats behind you like a standard bike.

I don't ride mine all that much, and when I do its mainly on the quiet town side streets or the local MUP. Its a great MUP cruiser, the one near me is oriented axially to prevailing winds, so you sometimes get wicked headwinds that can make riding the normal bikes pretty miserable. When you're 24" off the ground the wind is almost a non issue.

Yes the Catrike Speed has a 2.5-3 inch ground clearance. That would not work on speed bumps and 50% of my terrain. They are good for a casual cruise. I Seriously considered a four wheeler.

You are right about cornering and the perception of speed so low to the ground, they can be fun.