Weird, old, 1970s era Shimano recumbent that I found on Google Images.
- Thread starter Grant
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Folks on the streets say same about stretch cruisers, but when you try one you realize how wrong that assumption is
I have never tried one either, but i gladly would if i have a chance!
That looks like a Hypercycle. The seats on those bikes were terrible and the short wheelbase puts more weight onto the little front wheel so the handling takes a bit getting used to. I have a S&B recumbent which was the product of two of the guys that had been involved in the Hypercycle. It's basically just a modern version of the same design. It's probably the most fun to ride out of any bike I've owned.
Looks like a penny-farthing being ridden backwards to me.
The lay down ones are pretty good, I just worry about getting run over even with the flag...
I had a Bike E several years back. The seat was like a lazy boy, but the riding position made it hard to balance and pedaling with feet way out in front was difficult. It was also nearly impossible to turn and look behind because of the balance issue.
I always suspected that about the Bike Es a LBS was trying to sell years ago, but I never actually tried one.
All the long-bearded tenured professors in Cambridge that ride recumbents say they're very comfortable, but climbing is their weakness (and being visible!). They ride the lower recumbents or tadpoles, though—never seen anything like the Hypercycle except for an experimental bike that was ridden backwards and the rider used a special be-mirrored helmet to see (IIRC from years ago, it wasn't meant to be a realistic proposal, but was designed by some MIT guys to test some theory on kinematics or such).
The reason I don't build a recumbent is the fear of getting run over. It's bad enough with the idiots out there even on an upright . . . it's bad enough even in my car!
All the long-bearded tenured professors in Cambridge that ride recumbents say they're very comfortable, but climbing is their weakness (and being visible!). They ride the lower recumbents or tadpoles, though—never seen anything like the Hypercycle except for an experimental bike that was ridden backwards and the rider used a special be-mirrored helmet to see (IIRC from years ago, it wasn't meant to be a realistic proposal, but was designed by some MIT guys to test some theory on kinematics or such).
The reason I don't build a recumbent is the fear of getting run over. It's bad enough with the idiots out there even on an upright . . . it's bad enough even in my car!
It seems backwards, but I've found that drivers pass slower and give more room when I'm riding the recumbent. It may be that it stands out as something unusual so maybe people give it a little more thought.
As for a trike, I'll definitely prefer a recumbent with wheels in front over the standard. The seat and stability are miles ahead of anything else. I'd get one with the seat higher than the tadpoles, like a Terratrike.
Staying on topic, here's a Huffy trike from 1984 and some other strange looking recumbents:
Staying on topic, here's a Huffy trike from 1984 and some other strange looking recumbents:
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@kelvin hahnel has a cool tadpole recumbent, very comfortable.
I'm thinking about selling my Surly Troll and ECR to fund a nice recumbent bike like a Tour Easy. I love my Surly's for sure, but the associated pain involved to ride them sucks all the joy out of it. I have a SUN EZ-1 Lite recumbent, and its virtually pain-free. A step up to a better bike would be my next goal.
We have a BikeE here, purchased for when my wife was dealing with neck and shoulder injuries, it served it's purpose well. Hers was a full suspension model with a very cool, dual spindal chain management system.
Comparing recumbents to upright bikes is as useful as comparing cruisers to modern mountain bikes.
Comparing recumbents to upright bikes is as useful as comparing cruisers to modern mountain bikes.
I cheerfully disagree! All bikes have so many subtle differences, but there are major differences between recumbents and upright bikes. Sure, Diet Pepsi and Sprite are both soft drinks, but which will kill you quicker?
Mountain bike forums have discussions of tuning shocks for different compression rates depending on suspension design so that you can run your desires amount of sag while using full travel without wallowing in the low-mid stroke...still want the bike to feel lively, right. On these forums we discuss spray paint and patina.
