Anybody else with a recumbent bike?

ExoPolitic

I have only ever seen my own recumbent bike in Ireland, there was loads when I was in London but I've only ever seen the one in Ireland?

How come?

Anybody else got one?

ED E

Are you a gent in your 50s(?) as I met one at East Wall a few weeks back.

mr spuckler

i see Mark Pollock on a tandem recumbent on the S2S north from time to time. other than that I don't think I've seen one.

C3PO

Why would anyone ride a recumbent bike rather than a normal one unless that had a physical reason for doing it? Are there any advantages over a traditional design? Genuinely interested question!

mordeith

C3PO wrote: »

Why would anyone ride a recumbent bike rather than a normal one unless that had a physical reason for doing it? Are there any advantages over a traditional design? Genuinely interested question!

I've seen a guy on one quite often in East cork. They're a lot harder to spot than a standard cyclist when driving.

C3PO

mordeith wrote:

I've seen a guy on one quite often in East cork. They're a lot harder to spot than a standard cyclist when driving.

I agree - I've seen them with flags on fiberglass poles to make them more visible!

ED E

C3PO wrote: »

Why would anyone ride a recumbent bike rather than a normal one unless that had a physical reason for doing it? Are there any advantages over a traditional design? Genuinely interested question!

Recumbents include Velomobiles which are fast as fook. But they're a rare sight.

doozerie

C3PO wrote: »

Why would anyone ride a recumbent bike rather than a normal one unless that had a physical reason for doing it? Are there any advantages over a traditional design? Genuinely interested question!

Personally, the appeal for me is:
* They are fast.
* They are a different challenge to get to grips with.
* They look fun. Only ever rode one a few metres but it felt fun too.
* They are another bike!

C3PO

doozerie wrote: »

Personally, the appeal for me is:
* They are fast.
* They are a different challenge to get to grips with.
* They look fun. Only ever rode one a few metres but it felt fun too.
* They are another bike!

I get that they are fast on the flat but up or downhill? They always look very slow when I see them on climbs and I'm sure they'd be hairy enough on a descent?

doozerie

I've seen someone go like the clappers on a recumbent up towards Sally Gap. He passed me out on the drag just after the steep section (approaching Sally Gap from Glencree side), he must have shot up the steep bit and he disappeared from sight pretty fast on the drag and I never saw him again.

I can climb okay on a good day (there is so little of me for gravity to grab hold of), but I couldn't even keep him in sight.

C3PO

doozerie wrote: »

I've seen someone go like the clappers on a recumbent up towards Sally Gap. He passed me out on the drag just after the steep section (approaching Sally Gap from Glencree side), he must have shot up the steep bit and he disappeared from sight pretty fast on the drag and I never saw him again.

I can climb okay on a good day (there is so little of me for gravity to grab hold of), but I couldn't even keep him in sight.

Fair enough! In that case, I wonder why they are inherently fast - is it the low profile or is the rider position more efficient?

ED E

Regular ones aren't really faster.


They're harder to climb with as you can't use your bodyweight for extra torque.

Lumen

I don't see why they should be slower uphill than seated climbing. Are they heavy?

Weird vulnerable "dog inviting belly scratch" position doesn't appeal.

Duckjob

C3PO wrote: »

Fair enough! In that case, I wonder why they are inherently fast - is it the low profile or is the rider position more efficient?

Both of those things you mentioned contibute to much better aerodynamics.

On an upright bike large frontal area (your torso) creates high wind resistance and that resistance increases exponentially at higher speeds (over about 25kph), so for example, the power needed to go from 45 - 50kph a multiple of that needed to go from 25-30kph.

This wind resistance increases at a much better rate with recumbents, so the faster you go, the more efficient they are over an upright bike. As another poster mentioned, velomobiles are more efficient again.

Nice speed and power calculator here where you can see what power is needed for diff bikes in diff scenarios:


Other big reason people like riding them - they're comfortable, even when you're going hard its like working out in a comfy armchair. People report being able to do 100-200km in a single session and just having tired legs - none of the pains normally associated with long sessions on an upright.

MojoMaker

I see one in the Castleknock/Phoenix Park area regularly enough.

Fighting Tao

I see one on the Rock road quite often.

kenmc

There's a velomobile out blanchardstown direction a few days a week

NamelessPhil

If it's a bright pink velomobile, it belongs to an Audaxer.

ExoPolitic

Wow I didn't expect so many replies so quickly!!! I have mine in Waterford, but travel to Dublin regularly.

I can manage 200km on mine no issue, but it is electric assist. No aches no pains after. Much more aerodynamic as mentioned with none of the draw backs of discomfort. On hills I'm still faster with my electric assist, cheating yes... but I'm more in to it for the sheer enjoyment of riding a silent bike across some beautiful scenery rather than the fitness side. And I'm 29 years old lol, a cycle technician by trade and just wanted an exotic bike to showcase my talents, this was it! I have a Challenge Hurricane, which has hub gearing and a cassette on the same wheel, hydraulic rim brakes so it really is exotic.

doozerie

ED E wrote: »

They're harder to climb with as you can't use your bodyweight for extra torque.

You may not be able to throw your body weight into the pedals, but on the other hand with any of the recumbents I've seen the seat extends up behind your hips and sometimes further up your back so you have something relatively solid which you can push against as you press on the pedals.

That provides a lot of benefit pretty much all the time. Certainly on the recumbent I briefly tried many years ago it felt like I was able to apply a lot more pressure to the pedals than on a regular bike because of the position and shape of the seat.

ED E

I'm just taking a guy who owns a dozen of them at his word.


There's a model that lets you pull your arms in to leaver against the BB, apparently you can climb like a rocket with it.

https://cruzbike.com/products/v20

tomasrojo

When I was, for the first and only time in a spotty employment history, flush with cash, I did think I might get a Windcheetah. I couldn't see it not being vandalised, and it seemed a bit hard to park, but I lived in Lucan and had to visit family in Kilmacud area quite often, so I was wondering whether a Windcheetah with a fairing might make the journeys a bit faster (it seems to be recumbents -- and Moultons -- with aerodynamic fairings that are the really fast human-powered vehicles).

Richard Ballantine was a relentless advocate of recumbents, a passion that outlived his 1970s advocacy of dog-choking.

C3PO

The last thing I need is another bike but I’m beginning to think a recumbent might make an interesting addition to the garage!!

AndrewJRenko

I used to see one around Morehampton Road from time to time. I like the idea of sitting back on not leaning on the hands and wrists. Do they suit taller gents like meself?

cython

mr spuckler wrote: »

i see Mark Pollock on a tandem recumbent on the S2S north from time to time. other than that I don't think I've seen one.

That's not just a tandem recumbent though. His stoker seat is (since he is paralysed) set up for hand cycling, while the pilot is more along the lines of a normal recumbent. Overall a very unique bike for someone in a fairly rare position in terms of disabilities!

doozerie

Recumbents open up some interesting, or mad depending on your point of view, sub-niches too. At the height of one of the nastier winters a few years back I found myself looking at 3-wheeled recumbents and thinking that I'd much sooner commute on one of those than my regular 2-wheeled commute bike fitted with its spiked tyres.

Once I started peering into that rabbit hole, I started thinking about the benefits of a recumbent with a full fairing for the wettest of days (which are actually very few and far between but I've never let facts deter me from the prospect of a new bike before and I wasn't going to start now). And then thinking about the feasibility of a much longer commute if using a recumbent. Etc.

By then I wasn't peering in any longer, I was inside the rabbit hole and barely holding onto its edges by my fingertips. I've still not fully dragged myself back out. I'm still happily married to my regular bikes, but I'm open to the possibility of an affair with a recumbent.

tomasrojo

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I used to see one around Morehampton Road from time to time. I like the idea of sitting back on not leaning on the hands and wrists. Do they suit taller gents like meself?

There was a dapper, tweedy fella who I used to see between Clonskeagh and Ranelagh.

It always brought to mind bikesnobnyc's quip about the resemblance to someone fighting off an eagle attack with his feet.

brownian

I used to have one, and enjoyed it. I do find, though, that a 'normal' bike lets you climb better, because of the whole getting-out-of-saddle thing. And 'bents are heavy. I sold mine on, eventually.

They are comfy, though. They go fast on the flat. You can see where you're going, without neck strain.

I do think cars can see you ok - but if in doubt - lash on a few lights.

There's an English guy out near Cleggan with a trike that looks really pleasant to ride. Saw him pulled up at Sweeneys for a pint!

ExoPolitic

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I used to see one around Morehampton Road from time to time. I like the idea of sitting back on not leaning on the hands and wrists. Do they suit taller gents like meself?

They'd suit you brilliantly, will reduce your wind resistance which is like 80 percent of the issue above 25kmh

AndrewJRenko

ExoPolitic wrote: »

They'd suit you brilliantly, will reduce your wind resistance which is like 80 percent of the issue above 25kmh

That sounds good, though comfort and visibility would be higher priorities for me than speed. I'm talking about city commuting rather than country spins.

Shai

So how does one go about buying a recumbent bike in Ireland? I'm having a really hard time finding bike shops selling these.

Muahahaha

Is there such thing as a bike as low as a recumbent but with the opposite body position, i.e. head first and your chest close to the ground with the cranks near to the rear wheel? Have always thought that such a riding position would be very aerodynamic. Would probably be uncomfortable to ride chest down for breathing but reckon it would be pretty fast.

doozerie

Muahahaha wrote:

Is there such thing as a bike as low as a recumbent but with the opposite body position, i.e. head first and your chest close to the ground with the cranks near to the rear wheel? Have always thought that such a riding position would be very aerodynamic. Would probably be uncomfortable to ride chest down for breathing but reckon it would be pretty fast.

The only one that springs to mind is:



From: this article about Graeme Obree

Muahahaha

Looks cool but would imagine balance is a problem. Some speed he got out of it for a homemade bike. Id wonder would making it longer so the entire body is lower and between the wheels make it even faster.

Duckjob

Can't see that being greatly comfortable for more than a couple of km trip!

Would much prefer one of these- Comfortable, protected from weather, very fast, on rolling hills rides like a rollercoaster, great for covering long distances.

magicbastarder

would it not be a beast to handle in crosswinds?

Duckjob

magicbastarder wrote: »

would it not be a beast to handle in crosswinds?

2 wheeled ones would be, but most road-based velomobiles are trikes underneath. That said, even being 3 wheelers, I understand high crosswinds can still make them a bit twitchy, especially at the high speeds they are capable of.

There is one model called the Quattrovelo which is fairly unique in that it has 4 wheels, and is supposedly super stable on cornering, high winds etc

mr spuckler

cython wrote: »

That's not just a tandem recumbent though. His stoker seat is (since he is paralysed) set up for hand cycling, while the pilot is more along the lines of a normal recumbent. Overall a very unique bike for someone in a fairly rare position in terms of disabilities!

a good point and well made! I'd forgotten about the combination of standard recumbent and hand bike.

continuing my tangent then, I also saw a hand bike on the Mullingar to Athlone greenway on Saturday, didn't look like Mark Rohan from what I could see but I'd have thought there wasn't too many of them around.

Lumen

Duckjob wrote: »

Would much prefer one of these...on rolling hills rides like a rollercoaster

Ridiculously slow going up, terrifying going down?

Apparently the typical weight of those things is 35kg!

magicbastarder

Duckjob wrote: »

2 wheeled ones would be, but most road-based velomobiles are trikes underneath. That said, even being 3 wheelers

cheers, looking at the photo again, i see it's a 3 wheeler, i thought it was a two wheeler.

Muahahaha

mr spuckler wrote: »

a good point and well made! I'd forgotten about the combination of standard recumbent and hand bike.

continuing my tangent then, I also saw a hand bike on the Mullingar to Athlone greenway on Saturday, didn't look like Mark Rohan from what I could see but I'd have thought there wasn't too many of them around.

I was only thinking a few weeks ago that it is surprising we don't see more people with paralysis below the waist out on hand bikes. Like I mean the public realm in Ireland is very badly set up for people in wheelchairs, they have problems getting on buses, trains, navigating footpaths, etc. Many are virtual prisoners in their own homes. But with the advent of greenways I would have thought we would see a good few out on hand bikes as it is a segregated route with decent surfaces plus it allows them to get decent exercise which is important when wheelchair bound. But I've only ever seen one, the lad on the Clontart to Sutton route.

Is it that canal greenways are still not accessible for them? I've yet to cycle the the Mullingar-Athlone route but how would it be for a hand bike user? Are there gates in the way? How about the hills leading up to canal bridges, would some be too steep for a novice user?

Duckjob

Lumen wrote: »

Ridiculously slow going up, terrifying going down?

Apparently the typical weight of those things is 35kg!

Velomobiles are often said to be "ridiculously slow going uphill", but that's an over simplification. what many miss is the fact that you can harness momentum in a velomobile in a way that simply doesn't happen with an upright bike.

It is true that if you are stopped at the bottom of a hill, you dont really have any choice but to drop gears and spin your way up.

In rolling hills scenarios, its often quite easy in a VM to build up to 60-70kph before a steep hill, use the momentum to get you up and still crest the top of the hill at 40kph, where, on a regular bike any momentum would be long gone before you are even a quarter of the way up.

As regards descending, there's plenty of videos of guys getting over 100kph on descents and they look pretty well controlled. Fastest I've done on a descent on my road bike is 67kph and it scared the bejaysus out of me

Lumen

Duckjob wrote: »

Many people quote the "ridiculously slow going up" idea, but what many people miss is the fact that you can harness momentum in a velomobile in a way that simply doesn't happen with an upright bike...In rolling hills scenarios, its often quite easy in a VM to build up to 60-70kph before a steep hill, use the momentum to get you up and still crest the top of the hill at 40kph, where, on a regular bike any momentum would be long gone before you are even a quarter of the way up.

120kg of mass going at 20m/s has 24000J kinetic energy, which will get you up the first 20m of a climb, and then you're on your own.

So yes, on a rolling road it might be fine, but anything that could properly be called a hill is going to be hard work.

Might be fun if I lived in Kildare.

Duckjob

Lumen wrote: »

120kg of mass going at 20m/s has 24000J kinetic energy, which will get you up the first 20m of a climb, and then you're on your own.

So yes, on a rolling road it might be fine, but anything that could properly be called a hill is going to be hard work.

Might be fun if I lived in Kildare.

Ah here well the sort of climbs you're talking about there are hard work anyway - they are for me in any case, regardless of what horse i've got

ExoPolitic

doozerie wrote: »

The only one that springs to mind is:



From: this article about Graeme Obree

Would hate to have a collision on that!!!

El Tarangu

Muahahaha wrote: »

I was only thinking a few weeks ago that it is surprising we don't see more people with paralysis below the waist out on hand bikes [...] But with the advent of greenways I would have thought we would see a good few out on hand bikes as it is a segregated route with decent surfaces...

I have yet to travel on one of the greenways, but I imagine that they have stiles or bollards to prevent cars using them, which could pose difficulties for someone with mobility issues riding a recumbent(?)

mr spuckler

El Tarangu wrote: »

I have yet to travel on one of the greenways, but I imagine that they have stiles or bollards to prevent cars using them, which could pose difficulties for someone with mobility issues riding a recumbent(?)

the Mullingar to Athlone one has what I think are referred to as staggered gates? and for each they've added extra tarmac at the side to allow you to make a wide swing at them, presumably to facilitate trailers in the main? therefore as long as width isn't an issue (and it shouldn't be) then they'd be able to get through ok.

cdaly_

Lumen wrote: »

I don't see why they should be slower uphill than seated climbing. Are they heavy?

Weird vulnerable "dog inviting belly scratch" position doesn't appeal.

You should try it out on the next one you meet. See how it's received...