Gain with No Pain!?

So, why don't more people buy recumbent bikes? (Link to Wikipedia definition and detailed explanation about recumbent bikes..)

Years ago, back in 1995, I lived in Edmonton and one of my co-workers was a bike building nut, who introduced me to recumbent bikes. With his help -- and lots of it, I admit -- I even built one back then and rode it for several years. Short distances, to be sure, I did not bike long distance then, just 7-10km back and forth to work.

(My homebuilt, an old photo)

It was a heavy beast -- 45-50lbs if I recall -- but fun to ride. There's nothing quite like cruising along in an "easy chair" as you bike. You can't be shy though, as the attention it drew was incredible. On level ground I was definitely faster than on my regular bike, and going down hill... well I would coast and my wife on her regular bike would have to pedal to keep up. Aerodynamics are a huge win there. The downside was climbing hills. There the weight of this thing, as well as just the general characteristics of a recumbent bike, held me back. General comfort though, was a big win - no bum pain. Ever.

Anyway, I sold it after about 6 years, as the frame was cracking and I didn't have the tools or ability to weld it up. Not to mention that all the hills here in London required far to much effort to climb, so I wasn't using it that much.

But now with all the bike training I've been doing, as well as reading about all the other folks' experiences on tour, I find myself thinking again about recumbent bikes.

Just look at all the complaints in the seatosea blogs from people about sore behinds! Actually, I don't need to look, I feel it myself when I train. Already at 15-20km into a ride I start to feel sore in my backside. Then there is the numb/tingling hands, and the occasional stiff back and stiff neck.

Why do we put up with this?

I'm starting to think that maybe my next bike will be a recumbent. There are more of them on the market now, and while some of the nicer ones are up around the $3,000 price point, so are plenty of high end road bikes. In the used market, and the lower-end market, there are plenty of choices out here around the $1,000-$1,400 price point.

(A High End Example:
The HP Velotechnik Grasshopper FX, it retails for
about $3400 in Toronto at the Urbane Cyclist.
It is fully suspended, and it folds in about 60 seconds.)

(Or on the modest end this is a Taiwanese import from tw-bents
imported in the US by Actionbent, and in Canada by
Rebel Cycles who sell it around the $1000-$1200 price.)

(and of course, you folks in Western Michigan might
want to check out Terra Trike in Grand Rapids who
make and sell several models of recumbent tricycles starting at $1000)

Recumbent bikes used to be a lot more money than conventional bikes. They still tend to cost a bit more, since they're just not built in the same amount of volume. But the prices have come down a lot in the past 5+ years. And when I think of the fact that I spent over $200 on padded bikes shorts and gloves which I wouldn't need on a recumbent...

Oh well, time will tell.

We'll see if 2 weeks on tour pushes me more one way or another.