The recumbent is king

What model were you riding? I recently had to switch to a recumbent due to some permanent neck and hand injuries. I am riding a Schlitter Encore "high racer". It is very comfortable but I find it a poor climber compared to my conventional bikes.

rob nol said:

I recently rode a azub recumbent and now realize how grossly inefficient upright bikes are aerodynamically.... its gotta be 30% more aero dynamic and uses 30 percent less effort and passing the guys in a paceline as a solo rider a..and sooo much more comfortable

You should probably wait until you try some serious climbing and descending before you make such sweeping pronouncements. There are good reasons that the majority of people I encounter on recumbents ride them because they have an injury or other condition that precludes them from riding a standard bike. It keeps them riding, but it's rarely their first choice. These days, recumbent trikes seem to be all the rage.

BrianNystrom said:

You should probably wait until you try some serious climbing and descending before you make such sweeping pronouncements. There are good reasons that the majority of people I encounter on recumbents ride them because they have an injury or other condition that precludes them from riding a standard bike. It keeps them riding, but it's rarely their first choice. These days, recumbent trikes seem to be all the rage.

I'm one of those on the injury list as I stated above. I was to the point of having to stop riding my road bikes after 20- 30 minutes.I've been on a recumbent since June. It has kept me on the road. However it doesn't hold a candle to my beloved road bikes. The handling is crappy at slow speed and on loose gravel. I'm 25% slower on most climbs. Poor brakes (not discs) compared to any of my rim braked road bikes. I have set some PRs on descents but none with switchbacks. I haven't been on any group rides as I know I'd lag far behind on the hills. I'd love nothing more than to be able to get back on my '88 Marinoni, Colnago C50, Ritchey BreakAway or Giant Cyclocross bikes. Sadly they are all for sale.

BrianNystrom said:

You should probably wait until you try some serious climbing and descending before you make such sweeping pronouncements. There are good reasons that the majority of people I encounter on recumbents ride them because they have an injury or other condition that precludes them from riding a standard bike. It keeps them riding, but it's rarely their first choice. These days, recumbent trikes seem to be all the rage.

Tries are unsafe in my opinion.... and after riding the azub recumbent I firmly stand behind what I said

Jimbo S said:

I'm one of those on the injury list as I stated above. I was to the point of having to stop riding my road bikes after 20- 30 minutes.I've been on a recumbent since June. It has kept me on the road. However it doesn't hold a candle to my beloved road bikes. The handling is crappy at slow speed and on loose gravel. I'm 25% slower on most climbs. Poor brakes (not discs) compared to any of my rim braked road bikes. I have set some PRs on descents but none with switchbacks. I haven't been on any group rides as I know I'd lag far behind on the hills. I'd love nothing more than to be able to get back on my '88 Marinoni, Colnago C50, Ritchey BreakAway or Giant Cyclocross bikes. Sadly they are all for sale.

The azub has suspension disc brakes total comfort... and way less air drag..... climbs are slower for me now but I'm not used to it yet... the huge reduction in air drag more than makes up for it.I don't know what kinda geezer recumbent ur riding but the azub is made for speed

Jimbo S said:

What model were you riding? I recently had to switch to a recumbent due to some permanent neck and hand injuries. I am riding a Schlitter Encore "high racer". It is very comfortable but I find it a poor climber compared to my conventional bikes.

Azub max... climbing the only drawback... if ur not in a competition its not an issue

BrianNystrom said:

You should probably wait until you try some serious climbing and descending before you make such sweeping pronouncements. There are good reasons that the majority of people I encounter on recumbents ride them because they have an injury or other condition that precludes them from riding a standard bike. It keeps them riding, but it's rarely their first choice. These days, recumbent trikes seem to be all the rage.

Go to YouTube azub vs roadbike....it captures the essence of what I'm saying

rob nol said:

The azub has suspension disc brakes total comfort... and way less air drag..... climbs are slower for me now but I'm not used to it yet... the huge reduction in air drag more than makes up for it.I don't know what kinda geezer recumbent ur riding but the azub is made for speed

Here's my "geezer". A carbon framed Schlitter Encore "high racer" with HED Ardennes wheels, Ultegra compact 2x11 with clutch rear derailleur and FSA K Force light cranks.

rob nol said:

Azub max... climbing the only drawback... if ur not in a competition its not an issue

It is a drawback on group rides in hilly terrain. I get dropped off the back like a stone and don't want to hold the group up.

Jimbo S said:

Here's my "geezer". A carbon framed Schlitter Encore "high racer" with HED Ardennes wheels, Ultegra compact 2x11 with clutch rear derailleur and FSA K Force light cranks.

Nice ride theres no reason u shouldn't be ...flying down the road.... hills are slower but everything else is faster.... more comfy and less effort

rob nol said:

I recently rode a azub recumbent and now realize how grossly inefficient upright bikes are aerodynamically.... its gotta be 30% more aero dynamic and uses 30 percent less effort and passing the guys in a paceline as a solo rider a..and sooo much more comfortable

After 3 weeks on the azub I'm sticking with my comment it is sooo much better than the giant upright wind grabber that is the road bicycle

rob nol said:

After 3 weeks on the azub I'm sticking with my comment it is sooo much better than the giant upright wind grabber that is the road bicycle

Enjoy your ride!

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rob nol said:

I recently rode a azub recumbent and now realize how grossly inefficient upright bikes are aerodynamically.... its gotta be 30% more aero dynamic and uses 30 percent less effort and passing the guys in a paceline as a solo rider a..and sooo much more comfortable

I’ve been riding a carbon fiber recumbent for 3 years now. Bacchetta CA 2.0 with carbon fiber cranks. I live in SW Florida for 6 months and 6 in the mountains of NW North Carolina - off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yes ,we have mountains to climb - 5 to 7 mile climbs with grades of 3 - 18% + . Yes ,they do climb slow but fly down the mountains. Yes, I did make the switch due to numbing of the fingers, neck and seat problems. On the flats I’m 2 mph faster but climbing is a lot slower however short rollers are no problem. I’ve just picked up a racing trike - Catrike 700. It is a blast to ride. I’ve recently climbed Mt.Mitchell with it and the decent was a blast.

I will never go back to a road bike.

Jim Steed said:

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I’ve been riding a carbon fiber recumbent for 3 years now. Bacchetta CA 2.0 with carbon fiber cranks. I live in SW Florida for 6 months and 6 in the mountains of NW North Carolina - off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yes ,we have mountains to climb - 5 to 7 mile climbs with grades of 3 - 18% + . Yes ,they do climb slow but fly down the mountains. Yes, I did make the switch due to numbing of the fingers, neck and seat problems. On the flats I’m 2 mph faster but climbing is a lot slower however short rollers are no problem. I’ve just picked up a racing trike - Catrike 700. It is a blast to ride. I’ve recently climbed Mt.Mitchell with it and the decent was a blast.

I will never go back to a road bike.

How much more aerodynamic is the recumbent.... a lot.... road bike riders need to draft each other to hide from the wind since that riding position is nothing but a giant air catcher

Jim Steed said:

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I’ve been riding a carbon fiber recumbent for 3 years now. Bacchetta CA 2.0 with carbon fiber cranks. I live in SW Florida for 6 months and 6 in the mountains of NW North Carolina - off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yes ,we have mountains to climb - 5 to 7 mile climbs with grades of 3 - 18% + . Yes ,they do climb slow but fly down the mountains. Yes, I did make the switch due to numbing of the fingers, neck and seat problems. On the flats I’m 2 mph faster but climbing is a lot slower however short rollers are no problem. I’ve just picked up a racing trike - Catrike 700. It is a blast to ride. I’ve recently climbed Mt.Mitchell with it and the decent was a blast.

I will never go back to a road bike.

Jim Steed said:

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I’ve been riding a carbon fiber recumbent for 3 years now. Bacchetta CA 2.0 with carbon fiber cranks. I live in SW Florida for 6 months and 6 in the mountains of NW North Carolina - off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yes ,we have mountains to climb - 5 to 7 mile climbs with grades of 3 - 18% + . Yes ,they do climb slow but fly down the mountains. Yes, I did make the switch due to numbing of the fingers, neck and seat problems. On the flats I’m 2 mph faster but climbing is a lot slower however short rollers are no problem. I’ve just picked up a racing trike - Catrike 700. It is a blast to ride. I’ve recently climbed Mt.Mitchell with it and the decent was a blast.

I will never go back to a road bike.

I still have my tt bike and use it regularly...i just switch off recumbent one day tt bike the next.... upright bikes still have a place in my workouts

BrianNystrom said:

You should probably wait until you try some serious climbing and descending before you make such sweeping pronouncements. There are good reasons that the majority of people I encounter on recumbents ride them because they have an injury or other condition that precludes them from riding a standard bike. It keeps them riding, but it's rarely their first choice. These days, recumbent trikes seem to be all the rage.

Exactly, when I lived in S Calif I use to fly by recumbents while climbing mountains, and then I discovered they can't handle as well coming down winding mountain roads so I would fly by them there too; true on a long straight descent they are faster, and can be faster on flat level ground if the rider is good. If you live on flat land with straight roads then their great for that, otherwise you'll get tired of it real fast.

Yesterday I ventured out on Giant TCX cyclocross bike. It was my first ride on a conventional bike since I purchased my Schlitter Encore. Say what you want but the conventional is lighter, has better handling, braking and climbs so much better than a recumbent. As for speed, my avg speed was 4kph higher than the recumbent on the same route. I live in a hilly area, If it weren't for my injuries I'd pick a conventional over a recumbent any day.

if you have back issues or some other injury and a regular bike is paining you and a recumbent does not then by all means a recumbent is the best bike for you regardless of its shortcomings in a couple of areas. When I injured by lower back and had to have fusion with rods I test rode a recumbent and hated it because the legs pushing on the pedals put pressure on my lower back and it pained me whereas a normal bikes that I have did not do that nearly as bad; but I had to test this to find out if it worked better, now I know the answer for me, and you know the answer for you! If a recumbent would have worked better for me I would have made the switch because riding something is better than riding nothing regardless of how it performs up hills etc; thankfully for me I was able to keep my current herd of bikes and not have to buy something completely different and sell the herd.