I’m planning to get a recumbent trike later this year, but am a bit overwhelmed by the choices: delta vs. tadpole, OSS or USS, various upgrades, and that’s before I even get to particular brands. Can anyone here shed a little light on the options?
Hi!
My neighbor had a Scorpion trike from Velotechnik in Germany that he used for commuting to work. I have tried it a few times and it was lots of fun, comfortable and very fast. The only downside I can think of with a recumbent trike is that it takes up a lot more space compared to the two wheel version. You will be passing a lot of people and space can be an issue if you plan to ride daily in and out of the city.
If I’m allowed to dream a little I would go for a Nocom carbon racer from Velokraft
http://www.velokraft.com 
/MarcusR
What are you going to use it for? Recreation, commute, other?
I’m curious about why you would prefer it over a regular bike.
I presume there are some good reasons/advantages, I just don’t know them.
One thing I always think, when I see people riding them, is that it looks like going uphill would be ergonomically difficult
because you can’t lean forward. Also, I have the sense that being upright would let me react more quickly to unforeseen events.
This probably just demonstrates that I know nothing about them.
My greatest concern with trikes is weight and visibility. They weigh sometimes twice what a good road bike weighs and even ten to twenty pounds more than a good commuter bike. And then there are the car drivers who go right over recumbents as happens here where we live. We have a few two wheel recumbents who ride with us “old guys” on Tuesday mornings, but it’s hard to draft those things so they get a free ride from the rest of us “normal” people. 
are these trikes or bikes? Why a trike?
Thanks for the replies, guys 
Marcus - Yes, I haven’t got the space to store a recumbent at the moment; we’re going to have to wait till we’re in a house with a garage rather than this apartment. But that gives me time to research it properly. Do you remember whether your neighbour’s trike had over seat steering (with high handlebars) or under seat steering, and what you thought of it?
I.D.10-t - recreation and exercise. Eugene has a ton of fantastic bike paths all over the city. Some are bike lanes in high traffic areas but I would mostly avoid those. Others are bike lanes in low traffic areas and many are dedicated paved bike trails. Martin got a new (regular) bike recently and has been able to go 6 to 12 miles a day on very clear dedicated paths.
Emmline - medical reasons. I find it extremely uncomfortable to ride a regular bike (backaches, pelvic pain, neck pain etc.) and don’t enjoy it. A recumbent should solve or at the very least reduce these problems. Plus they’re cool. Yeah, my instinct was that hills would be difficult too but apparently that’s not the case. As long as you have the gearing to handle it, they can do any reasonable incline. A bit slower than a normal bike but they make up for it by speeding down the other side more quickly (as they are more aerodynamic).
Dwest - the ones I’m looking into are in the 35-40 pound range, but I don’t know what a regular bike weighs. Visibility is a mild concern but as I don’t plan on riding in heavy traffic I’m not that worried. There are SO many cyclists (and some other recumbent riders) here in Eugene that I think most drivers have half an eye out for them anyway!
Jim - they come in bike or trike varieties but I prefer trike. No balance issues and if I end up at the park or something, I already have a seat!
Have you gone to CAT there in Eugene?
And you might find this some help as a reference http://www.recumbents.com/home.asp
My current road bike is 19lbs, aluminum frame, it’s big and heavy because I usually destroy lighter bikes. One of my commuter/market bikes is 22lbs, the other 26lbs, both are steel frames. Have you explored other seating positions for a two wheeler, maybe been fitted by an experienced fitter? Most of the folks I ride with who use recumbents seem to like under seat steering, and they appear to be able to respond to riding conditions just as easily as those of us who sit higher.
I don’t think so. This is far cooler. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zogHUxXNtNs
dunno, looks like it might get warm in there 
back on topic these are cute
Naw, hardly ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8gxX89A0qw
I own too many bikes! I got 'bent in the early '90s. I’ve test driven quite a few 'bents. I’ve owned a couple. The first was the TourEasy and I’ve owned a Trek R200 for about ten years. The Tour Easy was a long wheelbase two wheeler. It was very comfortable over long distances. It was difficult to transport due to the size of the frame. The R200 is a short wheelbase two wheeler. It has small wheels and a rear suspension and above seat steering (the steering mast is hinged at the headset). It is quite comfortable as well thanks in part to the Rans seat and easy to transport. It is also quite a bit more manuverable than the Tour Easy. Oh, I also had a BikeE briefly (I still have most of the parts for a second one including a frameset.) That was a medium wheelbase two wheeler. It was more of a recreational/commuter bike. So that’s three I’ve owned. Hmmm, there are also parts and blueprints in my shop to make two Bentech designs when I get the chance.
Recumbent trikes are in a world apart from the two-wheelers. I do not claim experience with any of them. They are fun to operate though.
I think it is important that you try a recumbent before you buy it. Different models will work better for different bodies. And the many different configurations present a challenge/advantage for taller or shorter riders. I am on the short side. I like Rans bikes quite a lot. The best way to see and test ride a few 'bents is to either find one of the rare dealers that carry few brands and models or to take part in a tour which caters to recumbent riders. 'Bent dealers will often lead rides where you can try a few models during the tour. There are also a few forums supporting recumbent riders which you might want to seek out.
Two general comments about 'bent riding. It is difficult to ride long distances without being interrupted by gawkers asking. “What the heck is that thing?”. And while they area very comfortable way to travel, they do take some time to get used to. Balance is quite different from a “wedgie” bike and depending on the particular recumbent you select it can take a period of adjustment. Of course a trike mitigates that issue. Climbing hills is a whole different matter as well.
If you are in Eugene, you are near the heart of the recumbent world in the US. You should be able to find a few aficionados out that way to help you out. Best of luck!
Feadoggie
Haven’t been to CAT yet but it’s on my list. I’ve hit five other bike stores and have only seen two recumbents in stock.
Feadoggie - excellent! Can you recommend a good forum where I might have a shot at encountering some fellow Eugenians? I haven’t yet had the chance to flag down a rider, lol, and the bike shops I have been to so far couldn’t suggest anyplace where I could meet other riders.
Whoa… Go ahead and ride a recumbent for almost any of the reasons you mentioned. Have fun and enjoy the fresh air, but please do not try to bring coolness into the equation. Recumbents are many things, but they are not cool. For some reason most recumbent riders I see are podgy bearded white guys who look like they’re on their way to Morris dance practice. Half of them seem to still sport those horrid Bell Biker helmets from the '70’s, made to look even worse by large helmet-mounted mirrors. 
True cool on a bike can only be achieved with a lugged steel Italian frame, tubular tires, and Campy Super Record components, including friction shifters mounted where G-d intended- on the down tube. The only exceptions might be American hand-built lugged steel frames with SunTour Superbe components.
So, let’s review:
-Lance Armstrong, awesome and intimidating, but not cool.
-Eddy Merckx, cool.
-Fausto Coppi, the definition of cool.
-Jacques Anquetil, very classy, but not cool due to frames made of Vitus rather than Columbus tubing and French-thread bottom brackets.
-Wool Bianchi or Molteni jersey, cool.
-Lycra jersey, not cool (and way not cool if you are more than five pounds heavier than when you were a junior in high school).
-36-spoke wheels with high-flange hubs, cool.
-Any rim that requires a longer than standard valve stem, not cool.
-Freewheels with more than six cogs, way not cool.
-Anyone riding a fixed-gear bike with no brakes who has never ridden on a track, the antithesis of cool. Posers have always been the enemy of cool.
Remember that cool is not necessarily efficient or practical. It may not even be a desirable goal to all. It is, however, what it is.
(Opinions expressed are the writer’s own and likely the product of nostalgic reminiscences of the days when he was almost cool. Feel free to disagree with my definition and form your own. If yours involve brifters, though, don’t expect me to agree with you.)
I can think of two off the top of my head. I’ll add the caveat that I haven’t participated on these forums in a long time though.
http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/index.php
http://www.recumbents.com/forums/
Hope that helps.
Not cool, huh?
I’ve never ridden my 'bent to a Morris dance!
Feadoggie
Even the “Doper Cannibal” rides carbon.
A friend of mine has two recumbents and he invited me to ride with him one day. This is when I was living in Vermont, and I can attest to the fact that climbing serious hills is indeed a challenge, and really, really slow. We climbed a seven-mile hill, and at the steepest part near the summit I was having trouble keeping my balance because I was moving at a speed of something like 0.2 miles per hour. I can also confirm that going downhill is a LOT faster on a recumbent than a standard bike; I read somewhere that most of the world records for speed on bikes were set by recumbents.
In the end, I didn’t like the experience very much, mainly because it reminded me too much of what I do all day: sitting in a chair at a desk. But my friend rides a recumbent because he has carpal tunnel syndrome and cannot use a standard bike; I would consider one if I couldn’t use a regular bike.
