A recumbent is a bicycle which has an altered appearance compared to what most people know as a bicycle. The overall body frame is slung lower than traditional style bicycles, with the seat set toward the back of the bike. Steering for the recumbent bicycle can differ with the manufacturer, but is usually set either right above the seat, or directly below it.
With the steering above the seat, the recumbent bicycle rather resembles a laid back chopper style bike. The under the seat steering recumbent bicycles have the handles right below the bottom of the rider. To access the steering, the rider needs only relax the arms and grasp the handle bars. The under the seat steering takes just a bit to get used to, but once you've ridden a short distance it feels quite relaxing.
Some of the advantages of the recumbent bicycle is that with the seat positioned as it is, the rider gets to use the back of the seat to push against is need be, giving the legs more thrusting power. The overall positioning of the rider's body is also much more relaxing than traditional bicycles, as it is in a reclined state. Recumbents also sport a seat which is much wider than regular bikes, and seem more like a posh office chair than bike seat. Add the fact that the recumbent bicycle causes very little stress on the legs, arms and lower back and you can see why it could be a nice choice for your next bike purchase.
The disadvantages of a recumbent are that they are not massively produced and sold at discount stores. Rather they are a specialty bicycle that must be fitted to the rider. Some models are made for people of a certain height, so adjustments in length and wheel sizes may need to be made. Of course, the type of recumbent you get could be determined by health factors such as obesity and circulation problems. People who are overweight or have circulation problems would need to go for the long wheel base recumbent bicycle.
Because recumbents are not massively produced, and differ in production materials they tend to run much higher in price than regular bikes. Depending on the type and manufacturing materials, recumbent bicycles run from $500 to $2000.
Of course if you're looking to get something really out of the mainstream, you can also get a recumbent tricycle. There are two models, the tadpole and the delta. One has two wheels positioned in the front, (tadpole) and the other model has two wheels in the rear (delta). These tricycles tend to remain much more stable at higher speeds than their two wheeled counterparts. Recumbent tricycles are usually slower than two wheeled recumbents.
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