I ran across an online article about this so I thought it might make a good subject. I have been riding recumbents since 2007 and have more than 135,000 miles on them as of now. When I made the switch from diamond frame bicycles to recumbent bicycles it was a game changer as I experienced so much comfort. It was great. I fell in love with recumbent bicycles. I rode them for a couple of years before fabricating my first tadpole trike. I made this move from bike to trike as winter was fast approaching and I wanted to keep riding.
I want to state upfront that riding a recumbent uses different muscles than a diamond frame bicycle does.
Riding is my only source of exercise. Certainly a diamond frame bike will provide exercise, but at a high cost. My body let me know it daily. I have no way to accurately compare the exercise level between a standard diamond frame bike and a recumbent bike or trike, but I personally don’t think there is much difference.
I will say this … adding an electric motor into the picture does change things somewhat. I have noticed that it is necessary to keep the power level down low which will greatly limit the speed of the trike and thus make it possible to pedal adding to what the motor is providing. If the power level is turned up then the trike goes too fast to contribute anything by pedalling as “spinning out” occurs. I still get exercise by pedalling, but it is “faux pedalling” or fake/phony pedalling … causing the cranks to go round and round but not pushing hard enough to contribute anything. Spinning out simply means pedalling at the highest cadence you are able to sustain. And pedalling at a high RPM is not something most people can do for very long.
Another factor is one’s physical condition and ability. I have noticed that my maximum speed I can maintain is decreasing year by year as I am aging … almost 78 now. I saw it go from about 24 mph down to 23, then 22 and slowly year by year it kept going down until last year it was 15 and now this year it is about 13 mph. I am getting old, but thank God I am still out there riding. So sometimes I keep the power level down to the number 2 out of 9 setting so that I am actually helping propel the trike and maximize my exercise.
Of course, the maximum speed one can obtain is also very dependent upon what the gearing is. Some trikes offer better gearing than other trikes.
And the total weight one is pedalling also comes into play. The less weight avails higher speeds obtainable on a flat surface. And, of course, the more weight we are pedalling has the opposite effect.
The design of the trike has contributing and limiting effects as does how the trike is outfitted.
One’s motivation to ride is also a key factor in how much exercise we get. If we are not motivated we won’t be getting much exercise. It is easy for our motivation to drop off and we can find ourselves making excuses as to why we are not riding or riding as long, as fast, etc.
There other factors that effect our riding. I did not mention the weather … a very important factor indeed and one we have no control over.
Where we ride … what kind of surface we ride on certainly effects the exercise we get.
Well, like ol’ Forest Gump, that’s about all I have to say about that.
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
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