None said:Low to the ground, probably handles far better than those upright standing e-scooters.
Chalo said:That would be true if it had three or four wheels. Two wheelers don't work like that, which is why so few of them are low-slung.
None said:Chalo said:That would be true if it had three or four wheels. Two wheelers don't work like that, which is why so few of them are low-slung.
Regardless the number of wheels, if you have majority of weight between front & rear wheel, at or below the level of the axles; the more stability you have with your vehicle.
Chalo said:Again, incorrect for single track vehicles. The lower the center of mass, the more difficult it is to maneuver a two wheeler. That's why bikes aren't set up like that (except lowracer recumbents, which are hard to ride and incompetent at maneuvering).
Warren said:Chalo said:Again, incorrect for single track vehicles. The lower the center of mass, the more difficult it is to maneuver a two wheeler. That's why bikes aren't set up like that (except lowracer recumbents, which are hard to ride and incompetent at maneuvering).
Says the guy who has ridden exactly how many recumbent designs, exactly how many miles?
Warren said:Chalo said:Check how this low CoM recumbent goes around a turn:
Does that look like good handling to you?
Did you watch the video? It is a homebuilt carbon fiber bike, which he is demonstrating is way too flexy.
Not . . . really.None said:Regardless the number of wheels, if you have majority of weight between front & rear wheel, at or below the level of the axles; the more stability you have with your vehicle.
Chalo said:In the video description, he says it's "very comfortable and well-behaved", which I think we can assess for ourselves by watching the video. Let's just say I would not agree to supervise children he characterized as well-behaved.
Warren said:Chalo said:In the video description, he says it's "very comfortable and well-behaved", which I think we can assess for ourselves by watching the video. Let's just say I would not agree to supervise children he characterized as well-behaved.
So he says it is fine, and you say it is not, based on your prejudice. Got it.
Warren said:Direct observation proves that bicycles are a novelty for people with special needs, and insoluble problems, that keeps being tried and keeps failing to make a case for itself. The opinion of the transportation world, as a whole, says SUVs are the perfect form of transportation.
Wrong.Chalo said:Again, incorrect for single track vehicles. The lower the center of mass, the more difficult it is to maneuver a two wheeler.
Chalo said:That's why bikes aren't set up like that (except lowracer recumbents, which are hard to ride and incompetent at maneuvering).
None said:Recumbent is similar to the setup of this e-scooter, as a recumbent rider of many different recumbents, they are more stable and easier to ride than most upright bicycles.
Chalo said:You're talking to someone who's ridden a bunch of different recumbents over a span of over three decades. You can fool yourself maybe, but definitely not me.
Chalo said:'Bents have had generations to establish themselves as normal, but they haven't. It's not because of some grand conspiracy; it's because they suck in a variety of ways. Terrible handling tops the list. If there are exceptions to this rule, why have none emerged and become normalized? The simple answer is that there aren't exceptions.
None said:Why have none become normalized? simple answer: cost.
Due to low volume of recumbent sales & market share, production costs is much higher than regular diamond framed bicycles.
No companies don't want to lose money by producing limited production that have little demand in the market.
Trek, Cannondale are big name companies that had recumbent offers, but never updated their design after one single production run; likely have lost money on every single one they sold due to the non-standardize production, frame-prep, packaging & shipping.
My easy estimate would be that regular bicycle production easily out pace recumbent production a million to 1 in history of bicycle production, worldwide.
RunForTheHills said:Well, cost, but also safety/visibility, a poor reputation for being able to climb hills (non-motorized), and the cool factor. Although the cool factor is relative, they do get attention because they are rare. They are also not very agile and wouldn't do well on a technical trail. They do have their benefits as well and allow some people who couldn't otherwise ride a bike do so.
None said:Recumbents do require different muscles to adapt to its climbing ability, but just as any bicycle; it's the rider that determines how well a bike can climb.
The more you ride, the better climber you are at the bike that you ride with.
Does a road bike or time trial bike rides well on a technical trail?
Just as different types of bicycle suit different type of cycling, recumbents are not meant to do everything well.
On safety/visibility, cars tend to give me more room on the road when I'm on my recumbent vs my road bike.
Why? because drivers don't often see recumbents on the road.
About visibility of the rider's field of vision, maybe one might be limited in how far they can turn their heads to see behind while riding a recumbent; but mirror can fix that issue, same as a road bike.
On a recumbent, the rider is not straining their neck to keep eye up on the road, which makes visibility easier to obtain for the rider.
RunForTheHills said:Now you are being dishonest. It is not different muscles, it is the inability to leverage your weight over the pedals. On a diamond frame, you can get out of the saddle and shift your weight forward to climb steep hills.
RunForTheHills said:A road or time trial bike may not be well suited for trails, but you can still bunny hop them and stand on the pedals to absorb bumps with your knees. Look up the Road Bike Party videos on Youtube to see what can be done with a road bike by a professional with the right technique.
RunForTheHills said:As for safety, because they are so low to the ground, recumbents are much harder to see than upright cyclists. Hence the flag most bent riders attach to their bikes.
RunForTheHills said:I am not trying to bash recumbents, they do have the benefit of a much more comfortable riding position and seat that allows people to ride that can't sit on a normal bicycle saddle. But they have many disadvantages also.
None said:RunForTheHills said:Now you are being dishonest. It is not different muscles, it is the inability to leverage your weight over the pedals. On a diamond frame, you can get out of the saddle and shift your weight forward to climb steep hills.
Actually, a recumbent with proper back support; a rider can exert more force than just his/her own body weight to the pedals.
Who's being dishonest?