I’m really excited to have my good friend Hugh author this post. Hugh has ridden his recumbent from coast to coast, and has toured extensively on upright bikes over the last two years as well. I feel he has a very firm grasp on this often asked question. recumbent vs upright touring? Here’s what Hugh has to say:
About Me:
I got into bicycle touring on a whim when I decided I was going to stop going to college and bike across America. At the time my bike experience amounted to cruising around town as a kid on a BMX bike and later on a mountain bike from the 80’s. During the spring I started researching bike touring in my college dorm room. I found ACA’s TransAmerica Bike Trail, and another interesting thing called a recumbent bicycle. I few months later I set out from home with a new Bacchetta Giro 26 recumbent touring bike and a Bob trailer with my camping gear.
Since then I have also toured the Pacific Coast on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and am currently riding the same Surly on the Oregon section of the TransAm. I’ve also done a lot of bike commuting on both bikes, and done a few overnight bike camps. The following observations are based on my experience with the Bacchetta Giro 26 and the Surly Disc Trucker.
I’d like to focus on a few key differences between the two types of bicycles that I think are most important. These are comfort, convenience, efficiency, riding experience, and style.
Comfort:
As part of my initial research into bicycle touring I talked with a family friend who said “the key to bicycle touring is comfort.”
I went to Coventry Cycle Works (now Recumbent PDX) to test ride a recumbent. My first impression of the Giro, a short wheelbase high recumbent, was “Wow, this is fun!” Riding the Giro there is no neck, wrist, shoulder, or elbow discomfort—your arms simply rest on the handlebars. The other major comfort advantage of a recumbent is the seat. Sure I still want to stand up every hour or so, but I don’t get a tender bottom like I do on an upright—even with a broken in Brooks saddle. Another element of riding a recumbent is that it uses different muscles. When getting used to the bike your quads will feel tired. This goes away after you condition yourself to it for a few days.
The one way I find upright bicycles more comfortable is riding in the rain. The downward head tilt (that causes neck discomfort) of an upright bike keeps the eyelashes working to keep rain out of your eyes. With that said, a recumbent is profoundly more comfortable to ride.
Convenience:
My recumbent rig was long. The bike itself is substantially longer than an upright bike—add on a Bob trailer and I had to find extra long spots to park at a grocery store – not a big deal, but when it comes to putting the bike in the back of a car or on a bike rack, it can get awkward. The racks you’ll find on city buses will accommodate a short wheelbase recumbent, but racks that go on the backs of cars can be hit or miss.
When riding a recumbent, your leg runs parallel to quite a bit of the chain. Wearing shorts or tight fitting pants this isn’t an issue, but taking a quick ride to the hardware store can leave grease stains on your pants. Compared to the ease of putting on a leg strap and hopping on the Long Haul Trucker, this is a major damper for using the recumbent as a town bike. Not really a factor in touring when you know you’ll be wearing appropriate clothing all the time, but this has influenced which bike I ride around town.
As far as bike parts go, aside from the frame and handlebars, a recumbent uses standard bike parts. There are some specialty pannier racks and light mounts that you can get for recumbent too!
Efficiency:
I rode my Long Haul Trucker 56 miles today in about 5.5 hours. I think on average I had a similar pace on my recumbent. The aerodynamics of a recumbent bicycle are far superior to an upright that I find bombing hills on an upright somewhat underwhelming. My long haul trucker rarely gets above 30 going down a hill—my Giro has no problem speeding past that. Overall, at the end of a day of riding, you will be less tired on a recumbent in part because it’s a more efficient bike, but also because your arms and shoulders haven’t been holding your body up all day.
One of the knocks I read about recumbents is that you cannot stand to increase your power output. While true, you can push against your back. This has the advantage of not limiting the force you can apply to your weight.
Riding Experience:
Riding Recumbents is infectious, as demonstrated by Guthrie
Recumbents are fun! It may take a week or two to get used to the sensitive steering and the wobbly feeling of lying down, but believe me it’s well worth it. Touring on a recumbent is like driving a sports car on the freeway. Short wheel base recumbents feel very responsive; yet have a wider turning radius than an upright bike. The bike feels a bit like what I imagine a bobsled to be like. When you bank around a corner you feel the seat supporting your back giving the sensation of riding rail. Being low to the ground makes banking even more exciting. I also test rode a long wheelbase recumbent, and although very comfy, felt too clunky compared to the Giro’s sports car like performance.
One of the little mentioned advantages of a recumbent bicycle is the upright view. Your head naturally sits upright atop your shoulders making it easy to look around at the scenery (as opposed to down at the road ahead). With this benefit comes the cost of seeing what’s right in front of your front wheel, but if you’re touring on pavement it’s a good sacrifice to make.
As a consequence of not being able to stand on the pedals, riding on rough gravel roads is particularly unpleasant. Your back will be right above the rear wheel, so any bump you hit is directly transferred into your shoulders. Having limited mobility to influence your balance, the bike will feel unstable. A short wheelbase recumbent is definitely a pavement queen.
Style:
An upright bike is pretty standard, but on a recumbent I’ve received positive and negative extra attention. Teenagers shout about how strange it is, but the strange machine intrigues everyone else. Many want to try it, and it’s always fun to share!
Conclusion:
Getting a recumbent touring rig is no small commitment. The bike and accessories you will need put the cost near $2,000. With that said, if you’re getting a bike to go on a lot of long rides I recommend going to a shop where you can test ride a recumbent. It’s probably not the one bike to rule them all, but a fantastic bike for going on a joy ride.
After several long tours on an upright bike and having general discomfort in the taint area, I’m considering a recumbent.
I’m curious about the tire size on the recumbent, 26in vs getting a Bacchetta 700c. Did you notice any “slowness” with the 26inch tire on the recumbent?
I know there’s a lot of debate over tire size, but I can attest that I have toured on 700c and 26 inch and I definitely noticed the 26 inch feeling like a tug boat compared to the 700c.
Thanks for any help!
Andrew
Greetings Andrew,
First, you CAN get a Bacchetta Giro touring recumbent WITH 700c wheels! This will make the seat a little higher, which can be a little awkward for shorter people, but wouldn’t be an issue for most people.
To answer your question, riding my recumbent was the first real bicycle experience I’d had as an adult, so riding on 26 inch wheels felt normal. Since, on my Surly I’ve experienced 700c wheels. I don’t notice a difference – the difference between the frontal air resistance is the main thing, though all those small things like skinny wheels add up.
Cheers and happy riding!
-Hugh
Try a Dutch recumbent the Flevobike Green Machine of you don’t want the dirt of the chain.
I’ve been riding a GreenMachine since 2009 and it’s wonderful. If anyone has any questions, I can try and answer them. I can even order you a GM from Flevobike as I am a dealer, if you decide you have to have one. http://www.planetearthcycles.com
Hey Hugh,
Great writing! Long Haul Trucker is a nice recumbent bike.
Keep up riding!
– Guadalupe
I’ve got both…the LHT doesn’t come close to being a recumbent!
I live in Florida where most of the roads are flat or rolling at best. I am thinking of getting a recumbent but wasn’t sure of what kind of gear set would be best. What are the differences?
Hi Greg,
Thanks for writing! Most riders think in terms of “tall” or “short” gearing which informs the use of the bike. Tall gearing is great for areas where you have relatively flat terrain, and want to be able to max out at at a higher overall speed, or to really get the most out of descending hills and mountains as they occur, as the air resistance is lessened with a recumbent, and taller gearing allows you to easily get pedaling up to ~50mph on longer descents.
Short gearing is much better for touring (in my opinion) as it offers better transitions between lower speeds where you’re changing gears often to maximize your comfort and pedaling motion when steering a loaded bike. I personally like the trade off because once on the road, I spend far more time switching between gears at 8-12mph than I do needing to hit that higher top speed.
As far as gear sets go, there is a wide variety of options on the market, but generally, a low gearing crankset would be 26/36/48 tooth (which is standard for Surly’s Long Haul Trucker bike lineup), wheras a higher geared crankset may have 28/42/52 or such, which would give you better gearing to go fast.
Hope this helps, and definitely test ride a few models if they’re available from your local bike shop if you can as that’s a great way to feel out the differences.
Cheers!
– Guthrie
Enjoyed your article and posts. I have a Bacchetta as well with 700 c wheels. Interestingly I also have a Surley LHT. I’ve toured on both. Mostly supported tours like Bicycle Tour of Colorado and BT Virginia. But also 2 fully self contained tours. San Francisco to LA and LA to Phoenix.
No doubt, recumbents are more comfortable. They go much faster on down hills. And take less energy on level ground. They are slower on uphills and mountains. I like riding both.
I started a blog just after retirement that has a few of my past and current biking adventures. And a couple of other posts that I seemed be called to write.
We have a tour planned in August that will be posted there if you have any interest. I’m new to this blogging stuff, but do enjoy writing.
Thanks Again for your article.
Tommy10 in Texas
[email protected]
I’d highly recommend a 20 inch giro over the 26. Those big front wheels put your neck and back in a rather strained and awkward position, and personally, leave my feet and legs a bit too far off the ground somehow.
I love the feel of the 20. Connected, in control, close to the ground when I need to stop, stable, and relaxed. Neck is upright, which is much nicer. To me that is a huge deal. I don’t feel like I’m perched awkwardly on a 20 like I do on a 26.
No doubt Jeff…& for the uninformed…20 inch means smaller front wheel than the rear! I more normal seating position!
Flowood is hosting a recumbent rally and convention in Brandon from May 1 to May 3 and a tour of the Natchez Trace from May 4 to May 9.
I posted earlier this year before our tour from Florence, Oregon to Missoula Montana. We just finished that tour. [email protected].
We cycled 11 days. We had 2 rest days. We used Adventure Cycling maps which were a part of the Trans America Route. I rode my Bacchetta Corsa A70. We were supported by my Sweetheart in an F150 pickup.
849 miles. 11 cycling days and 2 rest days.
There were 3 other riders on high performance road uprights. Cervello and Cannondale. They were much faster than me on the uphills. Or should I say they cooked me on the long climbs. And I smoked them on the down hills. Or should I say the descents.
In the end we all made it to our destinations. 2 Riders stopped before the Oregon border. 2 Riders make it to Missoula. All by design due to time commitments.
None of us were loaded. We were light weight tourist. I wish I could have climbed faster. Yet they were not happy when I p0ssed them on down hills.
My take away is this: You have to decide. Do you want t0 keep up with your weekend friends? Or do you want comfort with proximity to them at the end of the day?
Most of my friends are road hogs. They like speed. They like touring, but they like speed. And they like being first to the end.
I voted for comfort and I’m glad I did.
Having said all of that, I have to say, its a break even for me. I’d go either way. Especially if I didn’t have peer pressure on a tour. Which I had on this tour.
Tom Standley – Woodlands Cycling Club – Houston, Texas
Thanks for the insight Tom! Glad you had a good ride!
Cheers,
– Guthrie
Great info! I’m considering making the switch to recumbent for a Pacific Coast ride next spring…not looking forward to the neck, arm/shoulder, and butt strain of my upright. What recumbent-specific bike parts are good to carry for emergencies? An extra chain?
Thanks!
Alex
Hi Alex,
I’m not as familiar with recumbent parts to carry for long tours as emergency parts, however the chain question is an easy one – recumbent chains (after original) are almost always just combinations of two chains found at your local bike shop. Shops can buy chain in bulk if they do a LOT of chain volume, however in medium to small shops you’ll most likely just end up buying two chains and linking them together at the correct pin link count. A chain tool integrated into a bike multitool however, WOULD be an excellent thing to bring along :)
Traveling Two (http://travellingtwo.com/10067) also recommends a mirror, which I’d imagine can be handy too.
Regards,
– Guthrie
There aren’t many recumbent-specific parts except for frame, seat, and steering. Re the chain, all you need is a chain tool and a quick link specific to your chain (e.g. 10-gear on rear, etc.). If you break a chain, only the weakest or most stressed link would break. The chain tool removes the broken link and the quick link repairs the chain until you reach a bike shop. Example a couple of weeks ago, a recumbent trike rider in my group broke his chain. I had the chain tool and another rider had the quick link. The repair was good for the day until the bike shop. I ride a Catrike Expedition recumbent trike. If you are considering recumbents, include 3 wheels in your search.