Need advice ona 1st recumbent or semi recumbent

GrantRichardson

After visting the bike shop the other day i really want to get a better bike than my $53 walmart special MTB. If you saw my other post my mom bought a 21 speed Electra Townie. Its sort of a semirecumbent but it not i guess a real semi recumbent.

What i want is a good quality i guess light weight bike. Her bike is real light.
I want a bike that will be easy to pedal fast. My Avg speed on my cheap walmart bikes is about 10mph over a 3 to 4 mile ride. I want a real confrontable bike so thats why i am looking into the recumbent/ semi recumbent type. Which is better a recumbent or semi recumbent? I had a chance to sit on a recumbent trike and it was nice and confrontable. I almost went to sleep on it.LOL
I am new to bikes so i dont know much about them. I live near Albany GA and the shop in ALbany is the only one i know of.

blazingpedals

It's hard to predict what you'd like in a recumbent or semi-recumbent. What are you willing to pay? Price is always a MAJOR factor for a first-timer, because recumbents are expensive compared to low-end uprights. If you like your mother's Townie, maybe that would be a choice. I think the Sun EZ-1 starts around $600-700 and might be a good choice since any bike shop in the world can order one from their catalog. I'm not necessarily recommending one, because I think they are heavy and have poor components compared to their competition; but availability is going to be another major factor for you unless you can find a shop that speaks 'recumbent.'

BigEZbentman

Hello all, this is my first post on this forum.

I just purchased a new recumbent last week. I got the Sun EZ-Sport CX. It is a notch faster than the EZ-1 and looks very stylish (lots of curves). It comes with the usual middle line hardware, Sram and Shimano. So far I have put 46 miles on her and plan to do at least 10-15 miles a day. About 10 years ago, I was a member of a local club and used to do about 50 to 100 miles a week on a diamond frame. I have since had 2 laminectomies and really can't go the distance any longer on an upright. I seem to have no trouble with the recumbent.

You must bear in mind that a recumbent is not as as easy to operate in a crisis situation. You have little or no help from body english, only your control of the front wheel. Tight turns can be hair raising so be aware of that also.

Overall, I think I have made the right choice with the EZ-Sport. I'm over 60 years old and even with my present muscle atrophy, I can maintain 12-15 mph without too much effort. Having tried the EZ-1, I do know now that a 26" rear tire (EZ-Sport) "does" make a difference in ease of pedaling and improved speed. Later, as I get really used to it and do some club rides, I will probably upgrade the chainrings to more teeth.

Research and test ride several models before you make your choice.

Good luck!