A recumbent trike is your companion over long distance journeys. The advantages of a trike are impressive – they allow you to exercise your ‘recumbent muscle groups’ without causing severe strain to your neck, wrists or shoulders. There are two main types of recumbent trikes, the tadpole trikes and the delta trikes.

The Delta trikes are the ones which come with one wheel in the front. The other two wheels are placed behind the front wheel thus forming a type of triangle. This is the ‘steering wheel’ that drives at least one rear wheel. In some models, the steering wheel may drive both the rear wheels. The one-wheel drives tend to pull to one side while climbing or accelerating. This can be bothersome for the rider. The delta trikes are usually inexpensive and come with over seat steering. The OSS offers the rider the advantages of an aero dynamic position that makes it simpler to ‘walk the bike’. In a delta trike, you can even mount your computer on the bike with ease. The recumbents are typically higher and easier to get in and out of, as compared to the tadpole variant. However, these recumbents are also bulky and heavier. They are the less sporty ones and are often priced at much lesser figures as compared to tadpole trikes.

The other type of recumbent trike is the tadpole trike. This trike is designed in just the opposite manner; it has one wheel placed behind and two wheels at the front. Thus, it has two steering wheels that drive the rear wheel. These bikes come equipped with under seat steering. This makes the riding experience more relaxed and comfortable. The tadpole trikes sit lower than the delta ones and are regarded as the sportier variant of the two. The reason for this is obvious; these trikes are designed to be sleek, lighter, smaller and faster. However, it is more difficult to get in and out of these trikes. The tadpole trikes are more expensive than the delta ones. They are less maneuverable at lower speeds and are easier to control at higher speeds. Thus, they are meant for the more serious rider who frequently travels over long distances.

The choice of a trike entirely depends on you. You might want to ask a few questions. Do you wish to travel longer distances? Is a trike a necessity or it an object of pure pleasure? Your purchase decision entirely hinges on the purpose of owning a trike. Before settling for one, you might wish to take a test ride. It might seem to most readers that a tadpole trike is the best choice, but whether it is the bike for you depends on what you find comfortable. There are many people who prefer the more bulky delta trike as well. Never buy one without a test ride because you might happen to be one of those who enjoys riding a bulky trike over a lighter one!

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.