Thinking of building a Recumbent

[BATFINK]

Ok guys having recently sat in a recumbent and feeling so comfortable in it i really want to build an E-Recumbent commuter, almost finished my full suspension build but really fancy a recumbent for a 30 mile commute twice a week, better aerodynamics, less strain on body etc, Having never worked on a recumbent what sort of things do i need to consider if i go for it,

Can standard hubs be fitted in between rear dropouts?

I love my MAC geared hub 1000watt and 48volt 20 amp ping i get over 30mph with full suspension mountain bike - could i order the same kind of hub or is there a geared hub i can use to get close to 40mph. I say geared because i enjoy pedalling. Anybody any idea what sort of speed id get with a similar setup on a recumbent. Also i love to pedal and work just as hard on my E-Bike as i do on a normal bike except obviously i am going a lot faster

is there a special kit you can buy to mount and use RC motors? it just seems there is already a chainguide midway through the frame on most of these so maybe a mid drive would be easier to fit here though im not sure about reduction, FFR trikes does a kit for Trikes but not sure if that would fit.

Any recumbent experts out there recommend me something, i have included a picture of the CHALLENGE recumbent bikes as they seem really cool.

 

[BATFINK]

Oh and whats the maximum width of tyres these take and can you use tyres like schwalbe marathons, (probably a silly question)

 

[MattyCiii]

I suspect you've seen this post (http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=45080#p656874) since you posted in the thread. I have to agree about having suspension - though my experience with recumbents is limited.

My experience is with a HP Velotechnik Grasshopper - full suspension front and rear (current model is here: http://www.hpvelotechnik.com/produkte/ghp/index_e.html

I'm sure things vary by maker, but my bike used standard stuff: 406mm wheels front and rear with standard 135mm rear drops and 100mm front. Standard chainrings, cranks, etc.

I love riding that bike, taking curves at high speed, as you lean into a turn you can feel the bike squat, and it feels almost like flying. And that's pedal only.

If you indeed build the whole bike, note that seats are available for purchase off the shelf (http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=38648), or you can simply build your own.

 

[Pat Eaton]

I have been comuting on a Burley Koohsah with electric assist for 3 seasons. (12,000 km so far) I decided to go with a front hub motor for weight balance. You will find most recumbents have greater weight on the rear. With 36v and a 9c motor I average 36km/hr.

This bike has no suspension, so I use phat tires.

I have just build a delta trike form Atomic Zombie. It will have a partial shell for weather protection and reduced wind resistance. It also has suspension.

My comute is 36km each way and I try to do 3-4 times a week when the weather is good.

I say go for it, you won't be disappointed.

 

[BATFINK]

<null>

Thanks Matty, some good tips, that first thread you linked me too I don't recognise, but I did find a cool shop from your links with regards to seats, hostelshop looks good, are recumbents more popular in the USA than here in uk?

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[BATFINK]

Thanks Pat, I really like the sound of that, il have to sell a couple bikes first or the wife will kill me but I definitely want one before the year is out there's a local shop that will let me test drive one so il take it a whirl and see how I enjoy it

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[MattyCiii]

...hostelshop looks good, are recumbents more popular in the USA than here in uk?

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I think recumbents are more popular in Europe than USA, I always thought UK would be somewhere in between. I bought my bike and several accessories from Hostel Shop, they run a tight ship & have good people.

I think with your skills and some specialized components (e.g., the seat) you can build an excellent recumbent. Do a google search of DIY recumbents, a lot of people hack and weld BMX bikes into 'bents. I met a young man awhile back who built an under-seat steering (USS) 'bent himself. Those are a bit more tricky because you have to offset the steering bar. But things like rod ends to make that happen are easy to come by over the Internet.

 

[John in CR]

For a commuter ecumbent I think Kamil at Velokraft has the best I've seen.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24887#p506183

 

[veloman]

Look up cruzbike and you'll see many homebuilds with that design using cheap WalMart full suspensions. I am going to build an extended one to mimic the geometry of the above green Challenge mid racer. Dual 26" wheels.

 

[ebent]

I ride a Catrike Pocket with a 750 watt hub. It is a tadpole trike. There are advantages and disadvantages 3 wheels vs 2. For my purposes the trike works fine. Had it since 05 and motorized in 2010. I am done with normal bikes. I love the comfort factor. The whole idea adds to the grin factor. Good luck on your build.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

I had a SWB Action Bent for a couple of years. I tried a couple of front hub motors on it, a Crystalyte 406, which was fine, but tended to wheel spin a bit in the wet and was a bit too heavy (it upset the handling of the bike a bit) and also a small Tongxin hub motor. The Tongxin was great, a very good match for the 'bent, as it provided enough assist power for hills and was fast enough (when over volted a lot) to keep up with normal cruise speed.



The advantages of a 'bent are comfort, high speed, less power needed. The disadvantages are less visibility to traffic, it's harder to look behind you (because of the angle of your neck when in a reclined seat) and stability is poorer than an upright bike at low speeds (like when climbing hills or when setting off from a stop).

 

[StudEbiker]

If you are not going to build your own.... there are two full suspension recumbents I know of that I think would make excellent conversion candidates. One is the RANS Vivo, and the other is the Trek R200 Recumbent. They can both be found relatively cheap which is going to be an important consideration since it sounds like you are on a budget.

After riding my non-suspension Bike-E for a full season now, I am convinced of two things. I'll never build another upright electric bike and if I ever build another recumbent it will at least have rear suspension.

Here is a bike I recently saw here on ES that I think is pretty ideal for a home built recumbent. If I was going to build one from scratch I would definitely use many of the elements of this build.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44816&start=15#p654712

 

[Jim the Nomad]

For the past 2 months, I've been commuting 23 miles per day (round trip = 46 total), 4 days a week on a non-suspended long wheel base under-seat steering recumbent with a simple BionX (I know, much better ways to go electric than BionX)

Thoughts:
-You want suspension. All bumps will be transferred directly into your back in a way that your back was not designed to absorb. At E-bike speeds, those bumps can hurt.

-People notice the recumbent aspect and sort of expect it to be faster than an upright bike. You wouldn't think it, but it gets some stealth points.

-If you're planning to do some pedaling, expect to be useless at it for awhile. Recumbents use different muscle groups than your upright bike (your stair-climbing muscles, to be specific).

-You might get "recumbutt." Make sure your body weight is transferred to the bike through your back as well as your butt, otherwise your butt will get numb.

 

[veloman]

I consider myself a very strong cyclist (use to race), on my road bike. But on my Trek R200 I feel like I can't apply any power. I almost couldn't make it up a hill in my neighborhood. So it's good to read that it takes time to develop those muscles. I certainly was having trouble getting my heart rate up compared to my upright bikes. I took pictures of my frontal area, and with a laid back position on the R200, it's a sold ONE HALF the frontal area of my ebike! That's got to be good for at least a couple hundred watt savings at 25mph?

 

[neptronix]

Test ride a few before buying. I find the 2 wheeled recumbents to handle very poorly.
The first time i saw one, i saw a guy trying to ride it and he kept falling off.

 

[Chalo]

So it's good to read that it takes time to develop those muscles.

It takes time to get used to the fact that your body can't perform in that position the way it can on a real bike.

Make no mistake; most 'bents are slow, in spite of the fact that their aerodynamics should make them much faster, because they impair their riders' ability to function.

That would not be a problem per se for most e-bikers, but the handling and vehicle manageability are even worse than what they do to your output at the pedals.

 

[pkirkll]

They are very strange to ride and take some getting used to, but some guys obviously love them.

They were too quick for me. I could see myself making a slight move and crashing.

They are easier on the wrists and butt tho, no doubt....

the poster before made a good observation about how difficult it is to look behind you.... i almost crashed everytime i looked around---or worse i would swerve out in to traffic the way i turned my head to look back.

I will go back to a higher seated trike soon..one made for old men like me.

i had a low trike, but it was difficult to see (by traffic) and i never felt comfortable riding in traffic,,,,kinda like a cockroach running across the road....i could see under the cars great!..

personally, i would rather have three wheels when it come to recumbent...or 4

 

[pkirkll]

I consider myself a very strong cyclist (use to race), on my road bike. But on my Trek R200 I feel like I can't apply any power. I almost couldn't make it up a hill in my neighborhood. So it's good to read that it takes time to develop those muscles. I certainly was having trouble getting my heart rate up compared to my upright bikes. I took pictures of my frontal area, and with a laid back position on the R200, it's a sold ONE HALF the frontal area of my ebike! That's got to be good for at least a couple hundred watt savings at 25mph?

Veloman,
Just like, "real" bike, geometry there are many different bent geom's---i looked up a picture of the Trek and it has no elevation difference in your crankset to your hips,,, if you try out a bike that has the crank above the hips a little you will like it better for power...the trike i had was about 6 inches higher than my hips and i could use all my body muscles instead of just my quads to power it,,,, they are still slow on hills---- but they will smoke the lycra boys going downhill...just remember not to harrass them too much because if you dont have electric,,,they will pass you on the next hill :wink: and verbally abuse you...

I just rode an event in eastern co with an AB-TA-1 --we went 180 miles in 3 days,,, prior to this event, i had never ridden over 20 miles on a trike or a bike,,,so that should tell you that they are easy for the average Joe to get on and ride. I weigh 260 and am 58 and not so good of shape.
So i am a fan of tall recumbents...(seat 16 to 18 inches off ground)
Sorry if i strayed a bit.....

 

[veloman]

I consider myself a very strong cyclist (use to race), on my road bike. But on my Trek R200 I feel like I can't apply any power. I almost couldn't make it up a hill in my neighborhood. So it's good to read that it takes time to develop those muscles. I certainly was having trouble getting my heart rate up compared to my upright bikes. I took pictures of my frontal area, and with a laid back position on the R200, it's a sold ONE HALF the frontal area of my ebike! That's got to be good for at least a couple hundred watt savings at 25mph?

Veloman,
Just like, "real" bike, geometry there are many different bent geom's---i looked up a picture of the Trek and it has no elevation difference in your crankset to your hips,,, if you try out a bike that has the crank above the hips a little you will like it better for power...the trike i had was about 6 inches higher than my hips and i could use all my body muscles instead of just my quads to power it,,,,..

I was wondering about that. I did ride a Catbike Musashi a few years ago and remember being able to put more power into it.

I am likely going to sell the Trek R200 since I need a 26" rear wheel anyway. Instead, I am now planning to build a Cruzbike clone for dirt cheap.

 

[ebent]

Make no mistake; most 'bents are slow, in spite of the fact that their aerodynamics should make them much faster, because they impair their riders' ability to function.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Whittingham Is a link of the fastest land speed on a bike. Bents are not slow. Otherwise Sam would not have chose a bent.

 

[veloman]

Well, he did say "most" bents are slow, which is not a bad observation if you consider most bent riders are more casual and like to cruise around slow, and don't have full streamlined bodies like Sam's.

There are quite a few fast bents, like the low-high racer guys. They may not win a hill climb, but they will do a century undoubtedly faster than an upright.

 

[StudEbiker]

I am likely going to sell the Trek R200 since I need a 26" rear wheel anyway.

Wish you were closer. I'd love to electrify a R200.

 

[ebent]

A couple of years ago I went to a Catrike rally in Winter garden, Fl. A typical big turn out. It was on the West Orange Trail. A beautiful reclaimed rails to trails. Ups, downs, bank left and right. They sent out 3 groups. First group 40 mile round trip, a 20 and a ten. I was motorized so run with the big dogs. It was quite a unique and pleasureable experience. The end of the first half is a bathroom and a set up of drinks etc. 20 miles out. The first eighteen miles the group of ten trikes were moving around 20 to 22 mph. strong atheletes. Then for the last 2 miles they are kicking it at 26-27 mph. Me with motor have just enough throttle to pass them but it was a blast to be among them. Anyway, they were going fast! And plenty of slower riders too. Demographics add to the slower riders. Expensive bikes (recumbents) cost a lot and it is the boomers mostly with the money. There was a 50 something guy with a beer belly, had no shape, but he was the fastest. Beat the limber back flat belly young athletes!

 

[BATFINK]

all great advice guys thanks, i think the number one priority would be for me to test ride a bike and see how i like it, theres a local recumbent dealer near me and you can go out for a days riding and i suppose i will really see if i like it then but in my quest for something different im thinking the challenge of riding it would be a lot of fun.

 

[StudEbiker]

Test riding different bikes is a great idea. You can't expect to get on a bike with entirely different geometry and mechanics and expect to be a fast and nimble as you are on a style of bike you've been riding since you were three. It just doesn't work that way.

I put over a 100 miles on my Bike E in a parking lot (pedaling) before doing any real riding in traffic in order to get use to the new style of riding. Also, a mirror on the left side is a necessity. I am approaching 1,000 miles on it after making it electric and I feel I am as nimble on it now as I was on an upright. I have to tell you too there is a great sense of ease over being reasonably certain that if any kind of accident should happen the chances of me going over the handlebars are close to zero. Now when I get on an upright bike I feel so high and extra aware of the danger of going over that I never felt before I knew the difference.

Like I said in my first post. Based on my experience, I will never build another upright bike, and when I build another recumbent it will have a rear suspension at least.

Get out and ride some different bikes, but just don't expect to have the same skills on it that you have on your upright bike. It takes some time.