Road bike vs. recumbent comparison

[Bill Wightman]

I rode the 2018 Texas Time Trials (very hilly) 6-hour as a noobie and we had light rain toward the end. I was doing a certain downhill consistently at 43 mph with a crosswind when it was dry and on the last lap it was all very wet (oops) and I was being blown sideways about a foot and I thought I was going to die right there. At the very least my expensive cassette derailer cannot withstand another grinding material removal of 1/4" sliding sideways down the road. The outer hinge is already missing .09" of material into the joint. So I don't care if it is faster or slower, it is definitely more dangerous and that does not press my joy button.

 

[RojoRacing]

So I just finished the final week of the CruzBike winter TT challenge with a new PR in both time and power but it wasn’t a weak 1% gain like previous weeks.

Ok final week is in the books for me with a 27 second PR with 317 average watts. That’s a 3.5% increase in power and my highest recorded 30 + min effort in the last 3 years I’ve own a power meter. That’s an insane increase in power for someone at my level so how did I do it? Was it a special donuts? Or maybe a super dooper burrito? No it was the results of racing the DF bike for 200 miles 4 days ago and holding some of my best power for 9 hours.

So how does tiring myself out during an ultra distance race result in a 3.5% gain in power only 4 days later? Shouldn’t I still be reviving from such a long and hard effort? Well yes and no. I’m not going to go into the details, I’ll let others on here quote studies and stuff of how fitness and fatigue arcs work but the short version is after an single day ultra race you can make some insane gains that week. This is actually the first time I actually planned an effort specially to take advantage of the scenario. The last time I happened to experience it was like 4 years ago when crushed a 24hr MTB race with other 250 miles and then won my first ever 90 min XC MTB race against an aspiring young pro who’d id never beaten before. Back then I thought it was just a fluke but @ratz inlightened me by taking my training data and graphing it on a chart showing me how my utter lack of structure training makes for a pretty damn good training schedule, go figure.

So now my best 20 min power on the V20 is 3.5% higher then the DF bike. If I was 10% stronger on the DF right now like some of you are I’d be a national level rider :lol. Keep up your efforts on whatever bike you’re riding because power increases should transfer across all platforms.

 

[ed72]

My FTP increased 8% in less than one week after doing a 900 mile week recently (400k and 600k and several zone 1/2 rides in the 70-90 mile range). Zone 1/Z2 is underrated in cycling or it could be the new pad or increased plasma volume of a Snow Bird suddenly spending a week in 80F temps. But hill climb don't lie and I got 8% more watts. Cross country skiers and other endurance sports typically spend more time and sessions in lower power ranges; so, the "junk miles" notion is just that.

Interestingly, at least one study has shown that power increases do NOT transfer across all platforms. Increases on a recumbent transfer to upright power; however, power increases gained on an upright do not transfer significantly to the bent. (I've posted the study in the past.....too lazy to find it again)

 

[Osiris]

Yesterday I got a vivid reminder of one of the main reasons I ride a recumbent: safety. During a group ride, one rider unexpectedly slowed her speed in the paceline, causing a collision with the rider behind her. One was knocked unconscious when her head hit the pavement, and seemed to be bleeding profusely from a gash in her forehead. The other woman was conscious but apparently in too much pain to respond to questions. Both had to be transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital.

I didn't say anything at the time, but I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that had they been riding recumbents, the most they likely would have suffered is a bit of road rash. Certainly no one would have been launched over the handlebars resulting in a head first collision with the pavement. I was involved in just such an accident years ago while riding my diamond frame in a paceline. While I and several other riders only landed on our sides, the impact from striking the pavement from that height was enough to fracture my femur. I've had a number of crashes on various recumbents since then, including two high speed crashes, but in each case, the only result was leaving a bit of blood and skin on the pavement, injuries so minor that I was able to continue the ride.

 

[Opik]

Yesterday I got a vivid reminder of one of the main reasons I ride a recumbent: safety. During a group ride, one rider unexpectedly slowed her speed in the paceline, causing a collision with the rider behind her. One was knocked unconscious when her head hit the pavement, and seemed to be bleeding profusely from a gash in her forehead. The other woman was conscious but apparently in too much pain to respond to questions. Both had to be transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital.

I didn't say anything at the time, but I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that had they been riding recumbents, the most they likely would have suffered is a bit of road rash. Certainly no one would have been launched over the handlebars resulting in a head first collision with the pavement. I was involved in just such an accident years ago while riding my diamond frame in a paceline. While I and several other riders only landed on our sides, the impact from striking the pavement from that height was enough to fracture my femur. I've had a number of crashes on various recumbents since then, including two high speed crashes, but in each case, the only result was leaving a bit of blood and skin on the pavement, injuries so minor that I was able to continue the ride.

I certainly think of it sometimes. How on high speed, it is my head that will be propelled forward first, meanwhile, on a recumbent you have feet first. I also think USS is probably safer as if you a crash you can "get out" easily while with OSS, you can be blocked from getting out and crash into the handlebars.

Being closer to the ground is also a big plus

 

[ed72]

Speaks more to not riding with inexperienced riders more than the riding platform.

My experience is quite the opposite. Recumbent crashes an order of magnitude more frequent than on uprights and not terribly pleasant. YMMV.

 

[Norton]

I do pray the ladies are ok.
I 'm shopping for a new bike. Considering a two wheel Recumbent or a Trike.
Trike just seems safer and more comfortable..

 

[Pollock]

Yes. And no.

I have had some mild vertigo issues for a few years. Reclining at 20-30 degrees has set it off but my old bike with 40 degree seat was fine. Months before the S40 came out, I bought an ICE Sprint 26RS. Great trike overall. I am faster on the trike than my old bike (Trident TWIG) and can carry a ton of gear if needed. Stability is great on a trike 99% of the time. With the mesh seat, comfort is really up there. I had no pains after 6 hours of riding.

I have done the usual things to make my trike visible on the road such as a large, tall flag and two tail lights (one on the rack and one on the flag pole). I rarely ride my trike on the roads as I do not actually feel safer on it. I know I am lower and potentially easier to miss (hence the flag). I am also slower than a good, quick 2-wheel recumbent. A grumpy driver behind slow traffic is less likely to pass safely.

Also, keep in mind you can flip a trike. If you do, you end up with even more weight pushing you into the road. If you do get a trike, spend some time in a parking lot to learn the limits of it.

For me, if the S40 was out before I ordered the trike, I would not have a trike right now. I am not fully comfortable on the S40 in traffic yet, but I do feel safer on two wheels and higher up.

I do pray the ladies are ok.
I 'm shopping for a new bike. Considering a two wheel Recumbent or a Trike.
Trike just seems safer and more comfortable..

 

[Norton]

Thanks for taking the time to post such valuable info. I really appreciate it!

Off subject for a minute. I've been interested in Cruzbikes for the last couple years and a lurker on the forum. I commend the people on this forum for being such friendly, helpful, and willing to share their knowledge. Such a helpful forum.

If I get a Cruz bike it most likely would be a Q-45 or possibly an S-40. I want to be able to sit up and see the scenery, not a speed demon. Guess that might change if I had a speedy bike though lol. I've had back surgery in the past and need a comfortable bike.

I have though about a trike being hard to see. I do want to ride some roads not just trails.

I do keep reading posts on here about people falling though. That's what's scares me. I'm 69 and really don''t want to fall.

 

[Barefoot Biker]

don''t want to fall

I don't think anyone wants to fall. I take a lot more risk than many, but you can easily dramatically reduce the risk of falling. First, when learning to ride, you have to treat it as though you are learning to ride a bike. Spend the time to coast down sitting up, then laying down, then pedaling backwards. Do these things repeatedly. Spend time on all of the low speed skills, especially starting and stopping. Do not add speed to the equation until the week after you're certain you have it all down. It's easy to get in over your head, but if you approach it like that, the probability of a fall is very near to zero. Once the learning is out of the way, well to be honest, you'll keep learning, but the risk of falling will change more to your other decisions.

Some day I want to make a spreadsheet of every fall and near miss I have seen in our group and categorize the causes and injuries. So far for me, the number of falls per mile is no different on the Vendetta vs. an upright. My guess is that the probability of breaking a bone is higher on the upright, but our sample size is pretty small and likely more influenced by the riders than the bike.

 

[Pollock]

I dokeep reading posts on here about people falling though.That's what's scares me. I'm 69 and really don''t want to fall.

Keep in mind, posts about falling are going to seem more common. We usually don’t post about the 10 mile uneventful rides It is similar to online reviews; people without problems don’t post so it seems that all products constantly fail.

If you do decide to go with a trike, there is nothing wrong with it. There are many trike riders on BROL who ride the roads with no issue additional issue other than being on the road. I would suggest posting there if you want other opinions and thoughts on riding a trike on the road. Don’t get me wrong, I have ridden on some roads, but I feel much more vulnerable on my ICE. It is likely just mental for me

For me, learning and (early) stability pretty much are ranked as

1. Trike
2. Rear-wheel bent
3. CruzBike

The CruzBike just takes more time to be comfortable as it is different from other bikes. There is nothing wrong if CruzBike just ends up not being for you. I picked up riding a rear wheel bent pretty much immediately. After learning one, riding other similar bikes was no issue. Going from my old bike to a high racer would likely taken just a bit more time.

I would suggest finding a dealer than has a big selection of trikes and bikes near you. Then go several times and figure out which ones you like. If they have a CruzBike, plan to spend longer with it than other recumbent bikes. For me, it took several test rides before I finally bought my S40. After my first QX100 test ride, my back/shoulder area was sore for days

 

[Osiris]

Speaks more to not riding with inexperienced riders more than the riding platform.

My experience is quite the opposite. Recumbent crashes an order of magnitude more frequent than on uprights and not terribly pleasant. YMMV.

I don't know what any of this has to do with what I wrote. Nowhere did I claim that you're more likely to crash on a DF than on a bent. Recumbent riders only account for a tiny fraction of all cyclists, so the only way your last statement could be true is through a sampling error.

 

[ed72]

I don't know what any of this has to do with what I wrote. Nowhere did I claim that you're more likely to crash on a DF than on a bent. Recumbent riders only account for a tiny fraction of all cyclists, so the only way your last statement could be true is through a sampling error.

You wildly claimed DF riders would likely have only had road rash had they been on a bent. I disputed that rather politely. I consider it pure hogwash to be frank. Where is the study or data to support that old saw? I have had 4 broken ribs and other injuries crashing on a bent and have read sufficient accounts of broken hips from recumbent crashes to question whether bents are any different than uprights WRT to injuries.

The operative word in my sentence was "and". I addressed your point and provided my opinion and experience. I could have got all pedantic and numbered. I think my statement has a lot to do with what you wrote although if you notice, I did not reply to you directly although your "fact" statement is why I did write. Risk is a combination of the likelihood of an incident and its severity. That is why my sentence was constructed in two parts. Frequency (likelihood) and Severity (not terribly pleasant) were simplifications. For the record, I have performed such assessments professionally (incidents and accidents) and was trying to merely expand and provide an alternative view.

I didn't say anything at the time, but I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that had they been riding recumbents, the most they likely would have suffered is a bit of road rash.

 

[ratz]

Ok folks this threads not moving stuff forward for the community. If you just 2-3 people want to debate you can continue in a private conversation thread via the message feature. Threads locked now and will remain readable but also moving to the general conversation forum this one is reserved for discussing the V-series bikes.