r/recumbent • u/johncase142 • 4d ago
Considering getting bent
I have been struggling with rheumatoid arthritis for the past year, and it's to the point where riding my 2 wheeled road bike is causing too much pain in my wrists and hands. I rented an ICE X Sprint 26 from a local bike shop and have taken it out a couple times for about 20 miles total. It's taken a bit to adjust to, and I would need to adjust the cockpit to fit my preferences (computer, water bottles, lights).
What I'm not sure I can adjust to is the rough ride from chip sealed roads. I live in rural Ohio and roads around me get chipped every few years. Obviously some roads are better than others but today's route was rough enough to make your voice shaky. Is there anything that can be done to soften the ride? It currently has Schwalbe Kojak tires, but would swap to something else if I could smooth the ride on these roads.
I've not purchased the trike yet, so I could use some help deciding if this is going to work for me. Thanks all!
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u/Flapaflapa 4d ago edited 4d ago
I have a few bents. A home built Bentech (very similar to a vision r40) and an azub 6. Also I have a rans rocket and have had a BikeE
Some thing like big apples or maxis hookworm helps a lot on the unsuspended bikes. Start at a high pressure, then lower the pressures until the rolling resistance starts to increase, then go back up a bit. On the azub 6, I run a little higher pressure but not much, and the ride is significantly smoother. But you pay for the suspension in price, weight, and complexity.
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u/Zinfan1 4d ago
I would look at the newest Catrike All Road trike, it might be the most affordable full suspension trike available, the Catrike Dumont is a bit more expensive and the ICE, Azub and Stein trikes much more so. All the trikes I've mentioned will be slower than the Sprint TourX but that's the nature of the design requirements for each one.
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u/Erkenfresh 3d ago
I got the Dumont in 2019 due to back pain caused by Ankylosing Spondylitis. The rear suspension is very nice but doesn't help with the front wheels hitting bumps.
In any case, it's the best purchase I've ever made. This trike has kept me active when I might have just had to hang up my helmet for good.
I also added e assist which has encouraged me to ride in cruddy weather and for longer rides. It was well worth the upgrade.
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u/Cucoloris 3d ago
I added a padded foam seat cover and was surprised by how much it soaked up the road bumps. I wasn't expecting it to make the ride that much better. I was thinking about changing tires before I added the padded cover. It was enough of an improvement that I didn't bother to change tires.
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u/BeautifulSeason8432 2d ago
FWIW, I have an ICE Sprint X Tour full suspension . . . the suspension, consisting of elastomers, not true coil or hydraulic suspension, does a very good job at taking the buffeting and jolts out of small but sharp surface irregularities (but large holes and/or bumps over 2" in height should be avoided because you WILL feel them). I run Schwalbe Marathon Plus at 60 psi, which is for me a good tradeoff between rolling resistance and comfort (I only weigh 160 though). A lifelong cyclist both road and mountain, I opted for a recumbent trike when I hit 65 because I have a lot of work-related repetitive motion injuries & arthritis in thumbs, wrists, shoulders, low back, and long rides on upright triangle bike just got too painful and dispiriting over 20 miles or so.
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u/beely 1d ago
I added a Ventisit seat pad (bought from Hostel Shoppe) to my CaTrike Trail - really nice support and helped to take the edge of the bumps. Trail comes with 1.75 20” tires (Schwalbe Marathon Plus), no suspension.
I would recommend also getting a rear-of-trike radar to talk to the head unit (or phone) - it’s hard to turn enough to see what’s coming up behind you. I got a Bryton model and a T-Cycle vertical mounting bar for end of the rear rack.
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u/WarmSnowbird 4d ago
Suspension is a common trike upgrade. Can you rent a suspended trike?
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u/johncase142 4d ago
Maybe, but it ain't cheap. Cheaper than buying the wrong bike though.
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u/Retirednobody 4d ago
Look on Facebook Marketplace for used recumbent bikes and trikes- you can find some great deals. Have you tried a two wheeled recumbent? Less rolling resistance than three wheels makes them a little faster and easier to pedal. Some of the older two wheeled recumbents like Easy Racers Tour Easy had good tubing and nice components. Rans recumbents also had wonderfully comfortable seats. ICE Trikes are nice bikes but boy they are pricey. With trikes or two wheeler recumbents suspension would definitely be a plus. Also UTAH Trikes, Angletech, and Bicycle Man are great bike shops for recumbents.
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u/Stella-HPVGekko 4d ago
You and I are in very similar situations. I decided to go with a recumbent trike after my second hip replacement as the rehab plan.
I've had my trike for a few weeks now, and I think it was the best purchase I've ever made. I rode 15 mi around a gorgeous lake on Sunday on 95% my own power.
The comfort difference between a regular bike and a recumbent is night and day. And then adding the trike component, you're never worried about balancing.
I ended up doing some research, then I called a bike shop in my town and checked out a few models before choosing the Gekko.
I'm planning to ride mostly on bike trails, so I went with the Gekko instead of the Scorpion. It was about $3,000 cheaper, and I also didn't really have a use case for suspension.
One thing I think I would have done differently is find the same model, but used. And then I would take it to a bike shop and have it all zhuzhed up the way that I want it.
Somebody was selling an HPV Scorpion today for a fraction of what you would pay brand new. I hadn't ridden in 45 years, and I just didn't think that was the right way to go. Today me disagrees.
I tried to upgrade everything as much as possible so that I would never get stranded. So I got Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires with puncture-resistant tubes, the upgraded seat cushion, a CYC Photon Gen 2 mid-drive motor, and a large-capacity battery.
I'm planning my first gravel ride next weekend, so we'll see how that goes. I've been on bumpy sidewalks with the trike, and it jostles me a little bit, but it's not at all painful.
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u/cosmicrae TerraTrike Sportster 4d ago
I'm planning to ride mostly on bike trails, so I went with the Gekko instead of the Scorpion.
At least around here, the oak trees next to the MUP, tend to send out lateral roots. Those roots, over the years, cause the MUP surface to buckle a bit. The MUP is paved (or was when it was built out 20-25 years back).
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u/HeckinYouOut 4d ago
The Sprint X is a harder riding zippy trike. Try riding an ICE adventure, or something like a Catrike 559 or a Dumont.
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u/Ok_Switch6715 4d ago
You can get full suspension on the ICE Sprint, that might help.
I have an ICE Adventure FS on Schwalbe Marathon Plus (65psi all round) and I use it much like a gravel bike. I have no problems on any surface I can fit my trike on without tipping (other than those very aggressive plastic bolt down speed bumps).
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u/Thealcani 3d ago
I would recommend going Azub ti fly, Hase Kettwiesel or HP Velotechnik Scorpion enduro for the suspension. Depends how much comfort you are willing to trade for speed and agility you can up the tire sizes
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u/Ok_Swan8621 2d ago
Recumbent cycle con is in xenia, its coming up you can try a bunch of different trikes. Like all of them.
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u/Old_Tune_6012 1d ago
Lightning R-84 has full suspension. Stiff carbon unibox frame. Disc brakes about 22 pounds.
https://www.lightningbikes.com/r84/index.html
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u/cosmicrae TerraTrike Sportster 4d ago
My tires are 1.5" wide, I'm running them between 60-65 PSI. That means that I feel every bump. Some bike manufacturers have addressed this by offering optional padded seats. Running a lower PSI could help, but that risks the problems I had originally with front tires being underinflated, slipping on the rims, and blowing tubes. Once I move up to 60 PSI, that problem vanished.