After weeks of waiting my Recumbent Trike finally arrived! In two days and two rides, I put on a little over sixteen miles with no pain in my back, no shoulder or hand pain, no sore bottom, no pain anywhere! A Recumbent Trike is definitely a great choice for someone suffering with back pain. I think it is the reclined riding position that makes a difference. The seat is reclined so most jarring from road conditions is absorbed differently from a two wheel bicycle.
I have a 2011 Catrike Trail. Catrike has been in the Recumbent Trike business for a while, and their trikes have an excellent reputation for quality and value. My Catrike Trail looks like the picture. The frame is handmade and the rest of my Catrke was hand assembled at Catrike Florida Company headquarters. Catrike is a success story being one of those few products that can claim, “Made in America”.
Riding a Recumbent Trike is a whole new experience from riding a bicycle. If you have ever ridden a go-kart or a kids Hot Wheel it is almost the same. Body english is important if you are going faster than an upcoming turn permits. Add a little gravel on the trail and get ready to slide a little. In two short rides I have found riding a Recumbent Trike is fun!
When I tired of peddling it did not matter, in a worst case all I would slow down gradually with no worries about balance and forward movement. I was able to talk on my cell phone, drink water, or put one hand across my midsection while riding on the bike path. My feet stayed on the pedals using pedal clips, and the reclined position is relaxing as I pedaled along.
Today, riding my few miles on a major bike path was interesting. There is some talk about Recumbent Trikes being slower than bicycles, and I think that is true to a point from my one hour observation ride. I was passed four times, and I passed four riders. That put me in about the middle of the pack speed wise. That was okay considering today was the fastest I have gone in quite a while anywhere outside of a car and only the second day of riding in over a year.
I averaged about ten miles per hour comfortably which was about the speed of most of my bicycle riding a few years back. With a Recumbent Trike wind resistance is cut way down, no worry about keeping your feet on the pedals, and no balancing and otherwise adjusting as you ride along.
Speed bumps and curbs which were a major concern for me due to what seems like very limited ground clearance of Recumbent Trikes, turned out to be a non-issue. The curb drop from my driveway,and multiple speed bumps on the street getting to the bike trail may as well not even of been there as I rolled right over all of them.
I also had concerns about metal pipe/posts placed across trail entrances to keep vehicles out and off of walking/biking trails. These too are not a problem. There is a few inches of extra space to get through the posts and on to the trial.
On to the differences if you are used to riding a two wheel bicycle. On a recumbent trike you are in a very relaxed position, almost as if you were sitting in a reclining chair. You are also sitting only a few inches from the ground. The view is quite different, and makes me think of what the world view is like for small children. You need to pay attention to where the rear wheel is in relation to the surface you are on. The front wheels seem to absorb road bumps much better than the rear wheel does.
My only major concern at the moment is rear vision. If you look at the picture on the handles you will see the trike in the pictures has twist shifters, Normally mirrors are mounted on top of the hand grips above the twist shifters. My Trike has Bar End shifters so that inch circle of real estate is used by the shifters. I am considering either those little glasses mirrors or a mod of some type. You Tube and the web are full of trike mods so maybe with a little research I will find something simple and effective for mirror mounts.
If I feel I need more shock absorption I can put on fatter tires which add cushioning. I can also add some padding on the seat, and adjust the seat recline to different positions depending on my mood.
Going down hills brings back that thrill from when I was a kid! Being so close to the ground and picking up a lot of speed due to low wind resistance adds a new level of fun to bicycling!
I am not sure at this point if I would take my Recumbent Trike out on the streets in heavy traffic. When I was riding my two wheel bicycle(s) regularly, I was hesitant to take them out in traffic most days too. I think the traffic question depends on rider, traffic, and specific situations.
I am something of a speed junky, and from what I read flat peddling on a Catrike Trail, top speed is between twenty and twenty-five miles per hour. I thought that was rather slow, and it may turn out it is. Fortunately like any two wheel bicycle there are modifications that can be made, mostly to the gearing. Recumbent Trikes have one more advantage over bicycles. The rear tire may be removed and a larger wheel and frame installed. Doing this increases top end but the price is paid at the low end. If hills are not an issue a larger rear wheel may be a good option.
Lastly, and a big concern for many is price. Any Recumbent whether a Recumbent Trike or Recumbent Bicycle is more expensive than a comparable two wheel bicycle. In the case of Catrike and many recumbent trike or bicycle companies, Recumbent Trikes are made individually by hand. Hand made means more expensive than average because the building is completed one Trike at a time, to order..
For many Recumbent Trike Riders higher price meant going without for a time to be able to afford a recumbent. In my case, at the present it was worth it. My back is happy, I am happy to be riding again, and so far my Catrike is more fun than a two wheel bicycle, and better built than many bicycles on the market.
There are more expensive and less expensive Recumbent Trikes out there, depending on your wants and needs. The other brand I was seriously considering was Terra Trike. They make a quality product and have been in the business a long time. They are less of a hit in the wallet which makes them an attractive purchase. In many areas when comparing, I thought when it was a coin flip between the two companies Trikes.
I included these links if you may want to look further at Recumbent Trikes. I have no relationship with either company, other than satisfied customer.
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