For What Purpose Do You Want A Recumbent Bicycle?

by Andreas Stiasny

There are a lot of different manufacturers and models of recumbent bicycles. Especially as a beginner it is difficult to decide which one to buy. The decision for a specific model depends heavily on the kind of riding you are doing or planning to do. The different styles of riding can not always be isolated from each other and usually you will not only practice one of them but your choice should be based on what will be the main purpose. There are different requirements for the bikes for different styles of riding. For now we will distinguish between the following (in alphabetical order):

• Commuting - going to work every day
• Racing - always as fast as possible
• Recreational Riding - relax in your spare time
• Touring - spend your holidays on the bike

You can easily see that somebody who wants to improve the one hour world record needs a completely different bike compared to somebody who wants to ride to work every day. We will have a closer look at each of the mentioned purposes.

Commuting

When riding to work you will usually have some city traffic and unless you ride a very long distance speed is not important. For city traffic visibility is essential. Your head should be positioned high enough to see all other road users and high enough to be seen by others. If your bike is so low that you can hide behind a car you are endangered. Visibility can be improved with a signal flag but it helps only to be seen. You can't see through the lower parts of a car. Your bike should have at least some capacity for luggage transport to be able to use a brief case or a day pack. The best choice for commuting is usually a so called compact long wheelbase bike with a higher seat and a rather upright back rest. Suspension is only needed if you face bad road conditions but it improves comfort and the additional weight is no problem. If you commute over a distance longer than ten miles you might also be interested in a model recommended for touring or racing and you should look for a possibility to take a shower and change clothes before appearing in the office.

Racing

For racing you need almost the complete opposite compared to commuting. Speed is everything and comfort, luggage and visibility are much less important. The key to speed is good aerodynamics and low weight. You should look for a bike with a very low and reclined seat and you might be interested in a fairing and wheel covers. Suspension adds to the weight. You must decide whether you prefer low weight or comfort. Above seat steering causes slightly better aerodynamics than under seat steering. Remember that such a bike is not recommended for heavy traffic. At least you should use a signal flag when riding in traffic.

Recreational Riding

The decision for a bike for recreational riding depends on how fast and what distances you want to ride. Usually it will be somewhere between commuting and touring. You might also be interested in a recumbent trike. One of the big advantages of recumbent bikes is that you can ride comfortable at different speeds.

Touring

For touring bikes the focus should be on comfort and luggage transport capacity. If you spend several hours a day on your bike you need to have a comfortable seat. For a bicycle vacation you need to be able to carry your clothes, food and maybe camping gear on the bike. Suspension is recommended because you never know how bad the roads will be. For long distances under seat steering is more comfortable than above seat steering.

Summary

Your preferred style of riding should have a major influence on your choice for a recumbent bike model but it will not be the only one. There are other factors and some things are just a matter of taste. If you are a real enthusiast you also might want to own more than one recumbent bike. Maybe one for commuting and one for touring or recreational riding.

The most important recommendation is to take any possibility for a test ride. Many dealers offer test rides. If a friend or relative owns a recumbent bicycle ask for a test ride. It is difficult to evaluate a recumbent bike without riding it. The choice for your own bike will be much easier after you have ridden a few different models.