For my cycling friends on a normal bike who may be considering a recumbent... Today, I got to borrow the recumbent in the photo for a roughly 14 mile ride along a multi-use path in Dallas, TX while on a little vacation. Ive been pining for a recumbent for a while, so I was anxious to try this out. First Impression... Its heavy. Its heavy enough so that youd probably need help getting it into the back of a truck, and dont even think about a roof rack. On the flipside, its incredibly comfortable... Like sitting in a recliner. No joke. Can you get a workout on something you could nap on? Once I started riding, I quickly realized Id not be setting any speed records on this thing. Starting from a stop, the weight is quite apparent. Once youre moving, though, the weight disappears for the most part. On the flats, where Id easily be doing 18 on my normal bike, I was struggling to hit 14. Once I got accustomed to the slower pace and quit worrying about speed, I really started to fall in love. My head was on a constant 180 degree sweep since I wasnt staring at the ground, but sitting upright and looking where I was going. Unfortunately, Texas is pretty ugly compared to Georgia, so there wasnt much to look at. I lazily draped one arm on the handlebars and just cruised. This is working out? Id been told you cant let go of the handlebars on a recumbent, but thats not true of this model. While you cant *steer* hands free like you can with a normal bike, it does zip along in whatever direction its pointed when you let go. Perhaps other configurations are different. The front fork angle is pretty shallow, so that probably helps. Actual steering is something that took some getting used to. Obviously, you cant lean into a turn much, though I often felt I needed to. Turning at speed was - in a word - terrifying. Unless you slow down to a crawl, itll tip up in two wheels, slide on hissing tires or both. I managed a top speed of 22.6mph and wouldnt dare do much more than that. I would hate to have to execute an evasive maneuver on this thing. Itd probably make Rowlands pterodactyl attack seem like a speed bump. On the bright side, the brakes are fantastic. It has center pulls in the front & a disk in the back. I actually managed to hit the brakes hard enough to slide forward in the seat, holding myself on the bike with the handlebars and pedals. Those brakes were quite reassuring when going down the few hills in the area, and Im thankful they are few. While climbing hills is a challenge, you certainly can. You just do it slowly. Very slowly. Theres no mystery in why recumbent are so slow on hills. Just get on one & you instantly realize your legs are doing ALL of the work. Your core strength is irrelevant, and you dont have the benefit of being able to put your body weight over the cranks. The hills in central Texas are tiny. Even these little humps suck all the speed out of your ride. I literally got down to a slow walking pace when climbing even the most modest of hills. This kinda hammers home the point about not worrying about speed. Its harder to go fast, handles poorly when fast, dies on a climb, but stops on a dime. Its like the bike was telling me to take it easy and just relax. So, thats what I did. But, can you get a workout going this slow? Absolutely. One thing is certain, if youre aiming for a firm butt, get a recumbent. Your butt muscles are the only muscles you use more when riding a recumbent. Everything else translates well. I got a little sweaty and had no muscle issues or discomfort at all aside from slightly tired butt muscles. All said, I still want a recumbent, but just a different style. Id want something designed more for speed, and either a tadpole style or 2 Wheeler.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 19:41:13 +0000
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