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I am seriously considering getting a recumbent trike, probably one in a tadpole configuration, and was weighting up how much time I would save during my commute when compared to my normal bike.

Currently, I ride Giant Cypress and my speed averages about 22kmh on my commute. My commute is about 16kms, one way, and is over a mixture of forest trails and asphalt bike paths.

I am also thinking about using the recumbent bike over the winter months as well.

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I would expect that a recumbent will not be as comfortable on forest trails. – Mac Sep 5 '11 at 22:59
Some say recumbent's are faster on flat ground than a road bike, opinions vary. I think you get more power to the pedals on them than an upright....answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101024210914AAihb2Z – Moab Sep 6 '11 at 3:14
One would think that, but bent riders I've talked to say that bents are at a disadvantage on uphills, which doesn't make sense if you can apply more power. – Daniel R Hicks Sep 6 '11 at 11:08
Strange, I would have thought that a trike in a delta configuration would provide more power to the pedals and also have more traction due to the two driving wheels? ie faster up a hill. – tehnyit Sep 6 '11 at 11:18
@Mac, is that because a conventional bike has better suspension properties than a recumbent trike. Some of the recumbent tikes with suspension system looks pretty comfortable. – tehnyit Sep 6 '11 at 13:57
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5 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

All other things being equal (which admittedly, they never are), a recumbent trike will be slower. It has more frontal area, more rolling resistance, and more weight.

I don't have a recumbent bike, but I do have a conventional racing bike and a recumbent trike (a very low-slung tadpole, not a delta). On a frequently-ridden 37-mile loop, my average speed on my racing bike is about 15.5 mph, average on the trike is 14.3 mph. So at the speeds and distances you're riding, the net time difference won't be that great.

All that said, the trike is a lot of fun.

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+1 - the fun factor is definitely one of the aspects I am looking towards :-) It also sounds like that to go any faster, a fairing of some sort is needed. Thanks! – tehnyit Sep 6 '11 at 13:55
up vote 3 down vote

Bike speed is primarily limited by wind resistance, and a major factor for wind resistance is "frontal area". I would guess that most trikes have more frontal area than your standard upright bike, so it's unlikely that you'd see a speed improvement.

But maybe someone else can point to some actual test data.

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Here are some actual test data: bentrideronline.com/messageboard/… These data show that a (tadpole) trike (the Vortex) has roughly the same CdA as a rider on a standard road bike with hands on the brake hoods -- that is, more aero drag than a rider on a TT bike or in the drops on a road bike, but less than a rider with hands on the bar tops, or on a MTB or a city bike. However, this particular trike has much higher rolling resistance. – R. Chung Apr 16 '12 at 22:15
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I should clarify that among trikes, the ICE Vortex is considered to be fairly low, reclined, and aerodynamic; this means that the "typical" trike will have higher CdA than measured for the Vortex. – R. Chung Apr 16 '12 at 23:07
up vote 3 down vote

World human powered bike speed records are indeed on recumbent bicycles. But they are very long, flat roads where a rider can move through 60 gears (30 speed chain, and a 3 speed internal hub). They also have larger wind screens.

I have ridden both, and just flat cruising the recumbent will be faster, but hills, corners, and stops are the great equalizer. Every time you slow down or stop, things will seem to balance out on your total times.

So go for what is comfortable, easy to lock up on your commute, and not a hazard to others. I assume bing on a shared bike path the tadpole trike will be harder to pass and be passed safely.

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I have real concerns about the options on passing other bikes. On my commute, I ride across a bridge where the bike paths is, lets say, optimsed for upright bikes. Sometimes, there are motorised scooters coming in the opposite direction. There is no way of passing safely and at speed in this situation. – tehnyit Mar 26 '12 at 22:17
up vote 1 down vote

It all comes down aerodymanics (less wind resistence) which is why recumbents were banned from the UCI. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle for more info.

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I just purchased a tadpole TerraTrike Tour II Elite and I can't say enough about this particular design, make and model. I made myself keep going today, and was able to do 25.2 miles... my first time on the local bike path. What an exhilarating experience! I ended up at this page as I was curious if riding my tadpole is suppose to be easier than riding a conventional speed bike. A seasoned cyclist I met on the bike path commented that tadpoles are not faster. I know at one point she zoomed right by me, but then again, she is an avid bike rider... I am still green, just starting out.

Thinking it through, it seemed at first that the Tadpole would be faster, but then when I considered that there's drag from two front wheels and a wider mass in the front of the tadpole, it almost seems to me as the effort to ride either would be about equal, all things considered.

One thing that's for certain is that the tadpole is far more comfortable for a middle-aged gal like me. I also enjoy being able to see clearly what's in front of me without straining my neck. There's 27 speeds, so going up hills seems much easier, but when cruising on the open trail the higher gears are much more of a physical workout than the 18 speed I use to ride.

I highly recommend this model of tadpole. TerraTrike Rocks!!!

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