Recumbents Explained
Here at ICE we’re proud to have a wide range of customers, from those buying their second or third trike to first time recumbent buyers. We’ve put this section of the site together to give an introduction into the world of recumbent bikes and trikes and what makes them so addictive and exciting!
So what is a Recumbent?
A recumbent bike or trike is a bike or trike where the riding position is reclined with the rider’s feet being placed in front of their body as opposed to the more upright riding position found on the traditional diamond framed bicycle.
Why a Recumbent?
There are a thousand different reasons to ride a recumbent. The excitement of the descent, the thrill of experiencing the sights and sounds of new places, knowing that you’ve done the journey powered by legs and willpower, the first ride of spring after the cold of winter: all these form what is arguably one of the most enticing machines known to man.
Great Comfort
The saddle has long been the bane of a cyclist’s life. Many designs have come and gone, but the basic problem remains, high load on a small area equates to a lot of pressure on delicate parts! A recumbent gives a comfortable seat which spreads the load over a bigger area. Many riders choose a recumbent due to back problems and find the recumbent seat gives the comfort they need to keep riding.
Aerodynamics
At 20 mph most of an upright bike rider’s energy is spent overcoming air resistance. Air resistance is affected by the drag factor (a factor that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment such as air or water) and the frontal area of a bike. Due to their unique riding position, recumbents have a lower frontal area which reduces air resistance. This means that on the flat, a rider on a recumbent will be travelling at a faster pace than the same rider would be on an upright bike. When fitted with aerodynamic fairings, recumbents can go even faster. The world speed record for recumbents on the flat is now over 80mph (130km/h) – though we can’t promise all riders can achieve this speed!
The Ultimate Distance Machine
Recumbents are frequently used for long distance rides and world tours. The combination of great comfort, performance and speed makes them machines which you can happily spend many hours in as the miles and landscape speed by.
Types of Recumbents
At ICE we manufacture recumbent bikes and recumbent trikes. As you would expect bikes have two wheels while the trikes have three wheels.
Types of Recumbent Trike
There are two main types of recumbent trike, the delta type, which has two wheels at the rear of the trike and one at the front. The other type of recumbent trike is the tadpole type. Well loved by recumbent riders, the tadpole trike gives a thrilling ride combined with exceptional comfort. The inherent low centre of gravity gives exceptional stability and the seat gives great comfort particularly when combined with suspension.
At ICE we manufacture three folding tadpole trikes, the ICE Adventure, the ICE Sprint and the ICE Vortex.
Fancy a recumbent? Use our recumbent chooser tool to find the one for you.
Types of Recumbent Bike
There are two main types of recumbent bike, long wheelbase and short wheelbase. Long wheelbase recumbent bikes have the front wheel well in advance of the rider and are quite easy for new riders to master, however they are not quite as portable as short wheelbase recumbent bikes. Short wheelbase recumbent bikes have the front wheel located beneath the rider and provide scintillating performance combined with great comfort and mobility.
ICE make three short wheelbase recumbent bikes, The ICE B1 20 inch wheel folding recumbent bike, The ICE B2 26”/700c performance recumbent bike and the ICE B3 recumbent bike with a 26” rear wheel and a 20” front wheel.
Fancy a recumbent bike? Use our recumbent chooser tool to find the one for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I be Seen in Traffic?
Many new recumbent riders are understandably nervous about their visibility in traffic. The team here at ICE all regularly ride and we’ve learnt a lot about how other vehicles respond to traffic.
Visibility does not seem to be an issue – we’ve found that due to the rarity of recumbents, car drivers actually seem to notice recumbents more and give a wider berth than a traditional diamond frame bike. All ICE trikes are supplied with a high visibility flag and we sell a range of lights which further enhance visibility in dull or dark conditions.
Can I Climb hills?
ICE trikes and bikes are developed in Cornwall in the west of England. Cornwall is famed for its hills! Our roads are rarely flat, our development riders rack up many miles and complete many climbs during product testing. To climb steep hills on a recumbent, riders need to master the technique of spinning (maintaining high pedal revolutions) whilst using a wide gear range found on ICE trikes and bikes. When this technique is combined with a well designed seat frame, fit recumbent riders aren’t too far behind fit upright riders on the climbs … and on the flat and downhill? Well, let’s say other riders only really see the rear wheel shooting off into the distance.