A recumbent trike is a tricycle that allows the rider to sit in the reclining position. The seat is designed to be comfortable and the rider can rest his back against a support while riding. The result is fantastic – the rider sits comfortably and travels distances while enjoying the cool breeze!

In essence, a recumbent trike is a variant of the recumbent bicycle with the extra wheel. The bicycle too is designed so that the rider can position his back comfortably against the back rest. Both the bicycle and the tricycle have an ergonomic advantage. The trikes are very comfortable to ride with the added benefit of safety and ease of use. The trikes offer a full frontal view and come with the added benefit of a lower center of gravity. To ride a trike, you need not learn the art of balancing. The activity as easy as sitting on a chair that is provided with pedals and wheels!

In a conventional bicycle, the rider learns the fine art of balancing along with proper ‘positioning’ of his body weight on few inches of seat. In the case of a recumbent trike, the rider can evenly distribute his body weight along the back rest and wide seat. The performance level of these tricycles is more superior as compared to the conventional models. The recumbent trikes are known to have outperformed the upright ones on long distance journeys. So much so that they have been banned from being used in international racing events!

Recumbent trikes can take you over longer distances as compared to the upright bicycles. The reason for this is obvious; a recumbent is like a seat that places no stress on your wrists, buttocks, neck or shoulders. Hence, long ride journeys become easier and less stressful. Many of the trikes place a rider in the ‘aerodynamic tuck’ position. As a result, you can easily pick up appreciable speed while riding.

A recumbent trike can be used on steep roads as well. You may not be able to stand on the pedals while exerting extra pressure in climbing steeper roads, but you can definitely make good use of the leverage that a resting back offers. Recumbent trikes usually sit low and hence, are believed to be unsafe for riding. Although they sit low, they are easily visible to the eye of the automobile driver and hence, can be ridden on roads without any fear. While riding one, do keep in mind that you engage a different set of muscles and hence, may experience ‘pain’ in the initial days. Recumbent trikes are very easy to learn, and an excellent choice for people who have medical problems.

Purchasing a recumbent trike is simple – all you need is your favorite search engine. You will come across many e-vendors who sell them. Alternately, you might even want to look up the manufacturers’ websites for purchase options. These tricycles are reasonably priced and usually come as fully assembled pieces. The recumbent trike is your answer to a fun filled outdoor activity session.

Recumbent bikes are the ‘riding chairs’ that make your journey comfortable. These bikes have a seating provision that supports the backs of the riders while riding. These recumbents have two variants – the recumbent bicycles and the recumbent tricycles. The tricycles run on three wheels while the bicycles, as the name indicates, run on two.

Recumbents are popular amongst riders for many reasons. They are easy to learn and balance. Besides, they allow you a comfortable seating position with the body weight being distributed over the entire area of the back rest and seat. A recumbent bike rider may not be able to ‘stand on the pedals’ like a conventional bike rider does. However, he can use the back support as leverage for gaining extra power while pedaling. The results are stunning; the recumbents can run at real high speeds that may even pose as a competition to the performance of the conventional bicycles! In fact, the recumbent bikes are known to have outperformed the conventional bikes in terms of speed on many occasions.

A recumbent bike can go to sufficiently high speeds. Recumbent riders mount the bikes in a natural ‘aerodynamic tuck position’. Hence, the rider can pick up good speed on the roads. High racers, which are the most recent additions on the roads, are in fact faster than the upright bicycles. The aerodynamic tuck position is the secret of the rider’s comfort. In an upright bicycle, it is difficult to maintain this position for more than a mile or two. However, the recumbent bike makes it easy to maintain this position and thus, the rider can concentrate his energy into gathering reasonable speed.

Another reason as to why the recumbent bikes can travel at higher speeds is the comfort of riding. A recumbent rider can pedal comfortably in a seated position. The ergonomic design of the bike prevents any unnecessary stress on the wrists, neck or shoulders of the recumbent. He can exert more pressure while pedaling and thus, reach up to great speeds. The great stability offered by the bikes makes it possible to go for ‘stress free high speed’ rides.

Francis Faure crossed the previously set speed records in the year 1993. He used a recumbent bike to achieve this feat. As a result, the Union Cycliste Internationale without delay enforced a ban on using recumbent bikes for racing events. The U.C.I. felt that the recumbent rider had an undue advantage of maintaining the aerodynamic tuck position for longer durations of time. Thus, recumbents were rarely manufactured on massive scale. Of late, the numerous advantages of this ‘green biking option’ have come to light. More and more people are turning to the recumbent bikes owing to the fact that they offer a relaxed riding experience.

A recumbent trike is the perfect answer to make a long journey comfortable and hassle free. The conventional bicycles require the rider to position his body weight in the narrow space of a few inches of seat area. At the same time, he must master the fine art of balancing. In case of a recumbent trike, the rider is freed from the balancing part – he has the added advantage of distributing his body weight over the surface of back rest and the seat. The advantage is obvious; incidents like ‘loss of balance’ do not occur. The riding experience is comfortable and undoubtedly safe.

The stability of a recumbent trike is of great advantage especially for winter rides. Snow covered roads can become slippery and dangerous for two wheeled rides. The recumbents run on three wheels, and hence are a more stable and easier to ride over the snow. Trikes are a wonderful option for people seeking total stability. They can function effectively as ‘safe carriers’ for self arranged travel expeditions. The recumbents are very steady at the corners and can be learnt without much effort.

The stability of a recumbent trike over ground covered with gravel, soil and sand too, is admirable. The danger of slipping and skidding over loose gravel while riding the two wheelers is imminent. For the trike riders, this danger is conspicuous by being absent! The frontal area is usually smaller thus allowing for an obvious aerodynamic advantage. In event of an accident, the rider would fall over shorter distance thus minimizing the severity of injury.

In case of narrow turns, you do not need to drop a pedal. A recumbent trike will allow you to glide past these tight turns. Riding on these turns could not have been easier and the more experienced riders can even master brake steering. Applying a brake is a smooth experience on a trike. You do not need to pull up to a stop after you apply the brakes. The trike will come to a standstill gradually and smoothly.

The biggest advantage of riding a trike comes on steep climbs. You do not need to put in efforts to balance the recumbent while climbing steep climbs. You can perform the feat much easily and without worrying about ‘holding on to seat’. This is precisely the reason why recumbent trikes score over conventional bicycles when it comes to climbing. The simplest example of stability in case of a trike is the fact that it needs no leaning post or kickstand. You can simply pull your bike into a ‘parking zone’ and get out of it. A trike has many advantages over a conventional bike. It has superior performance capacity and is easy to use. This ‘cool deal’ that does not need organic fuel is every environmentalist’s dream machine.