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Q. Are recumbents fast?
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A. Yes. Here's why.
Recumbents are more aerodynamic because the rider's profile on a
recumbent is smaller than on an upright road bike. If you were to
compare a 28 pound recumbent with a conventional upright bike of similar weight,
you will see an increase in your speed and it will be
easier to maintain that speed because of the reduced aero drag.
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Unfaired recumbents are not faster going up hills because you can't
stand in the pedals and exert additional torque as you can on a
standard bike. However, a correctly geared recumbent is built to climb
hills because it has lower gears. On hills, it will be slower going up
and a whole lot faster and safer going down. And with aerodynamics, a
recumbent can actually outperform a standard bike on hill climbs.
A high performance recumbent, such as a Rotator, will go faster than a
recreational recumbent or a touring bike.
And remember: in every speed event in which recumbents are
allowed to compete, they hold the records.
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- If you want to go fast, get a high-performance recumbent.
- If you want to go really fast, add on aero options like
a windshield and tailbox.
- If you want to go unbelievably fast, get a full streamliner.
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