An article about the evolution of bicycles and not one word about recumbents.
I saw my first recumbent bike as a child in the 1970s. I didn't know what it was but I did know that it made sense to me. I have been riding a recumbent (as it turns out, not that different then the one I saw over 40 years ago) for over 12 years now; and it's contribution to changing my interaction; no, my relationship with the world around me cannot be overstated by calling it eye-opening.
In my teens I was at competition level cycling. But coming from a small town, and a poor family there was no way I could ever compete. I cycled everywhere, as that was the only way I could get around. I would even ride to nearby towns 40 miles away, just to see if I could; alongside a 2-lane highway.
Cycling was how I explored my world. Computers & books fed my mind, cycling fed my heart and my insatiable wanderlust. But even with all the freedom that a bicycle gives you, that traditional diamond-frame upright bicycle limited that view to 4 feet infront of the bike. The uncomfortable hunch, bent neck, and numb genitals was a labour of love that while freeing me to explore, still left me shackled to a narrow view of the world. Riding a recumbent opened that view into a panoramic vista.
This is now the 3rd age of biking, electrically assisted cycling. The more people that try it, the more people will want to do it. It is fun in a way that awakens the inner glee that only comes from childhood. There will always be 'purists' that believe that the way they suffer is the only "real way to do it".
You don't have to suffer. Embrace the evolution, and enjoy the ride.
That aside I like the idea of recumbents. I've test driven them several times, adjusted to my body, even with the Rohloff speed hub. Whee! Almost effortless 50 kph on flat grounds! Alas. Several things I don't like in reality. They are more heavy. Not good. Riding uphill is strange, depending on the seat you can push into the pedals, but it's not the same like you'd push from upright with your full body weight down into them. But the real deal breaker for me was more limited vision in flowing traffic from down there. Couldn't get used to it, and felt much more unsafe regarding situational awareness.
It's much more comfortable, looking forward, and in a seat meant for comfort, not speed.
That said, it wasn't so easy to find that style of bike given all of the mountain bikes and road bikes.
Still, it was easier than finding a recumbent, which is why my wife has.
She loves her trike, but there are some downsides. Some are specific to a trike (we've found it hard to find a bike shop that will work on it; biking on dirt paths is harder because of its width requirements).
One more generic problem is she often doesn't have the panoramic vista that I have. Most notably when we're biking through a field when the crops are high. All she sees is the plants, which I am usually able to see over.
OTOH, she loves the attention her trike gets. Lot of people want to try it out.
It is harder to do a shoulder-check when changing lanes.
"Abandon the bike and dive to the side" is not an option. But, I don't ride in those kinds of traffic conditions either.
When I was in university I rode in Toronto. That city is so hostile towards cyclists that I had cars TRY to hit me; intentionally try to run me off the road, and worse. I never needed to dive off my bike there either. I wouldn't ride my recumbent there unless I could stick to dedicated and secure lanes.
I saw my first recumbent bike as a child in the 1970s. I didn't know what it was but I did know that it made sense to me. I have been riding a recumbent (as it turns out, not that different then the one I saw over 40 years ago) for over 12 years now; and it's contribution to changing my interaction; no, my relationship with the world around me cannot be overstated by calling it eye-opening.
In my teens I was at competition level cycling. But coming from a small town, and a poor family there was no way I could ever compete. I cycled everywhere, as that was the only way I could get around. I would even ride to nearby towns 40 miles away, just to see if I could; alongside a 2-lane highway.
Cycling was how I explored my world. Computers & books fed my mind, cycling fed my heart and my insatiable wanderlust. But even with all the freedom that a bicycle gives you, that traditional diamond-frame upright bicycle limited that view to 4 feet infront of the bike. The uncomfortable hunch, bent neck, and numb genitals was a labour of love that while freeing me to explore, still left me shackled to a narrow view of the world. Riding a recumbent opened that view into a panoramic vista.
This is now the 3rd age of biking, electrically assisted cycling. The more people that try it, the more people will want to do it. It is fun in a way that awakens the inner glee that only comes from childhood. There will always be 'purists' that believe that the way they suffer is the only "real way to do it".
You don't have to suffer. Embrace the evolution, and enjoy the ride.