Recumbent Style Bicycle Question

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Does anyone have experience with these style bicycles?

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Mostly making fun of people riding them.

I have only seen people riding the 2 wheeled versions or the trikes have 2 wheels forward. I would imagine you could find a high end second hand bike for that budget.

Have they made a better bicycle seat for men?

Get an Electra bike. Cruiser style so it has the pedals in front of the down tube which allows a more upright comfortable riding position.

You won't win any speed awards, but you will get a good work out. Watch out for hilly terrain as you can't rise in the pedals like with a regular bike.

Was curious about how much a Recumbent weighs. Looks like they’re between 40 - 50 pounds. The high dollar ones are in the mid 30’s.

I’m no “Weight Weenie” but weighed my bike, albeit without chain, last night and it’s just over 16 pounds.

New respect for the guy that does fly bys on me. His does not look to be an inexpensive rig. His whole body can’t be more than 18 - 24 inches high on that deal.

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or you are.....well.....you know.

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Yeah I’m a Group Q rider ;). I own it.

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I've been riding my bike for the last ten years

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So there is a lot of good info in these replies...especially about bike fit. But this is the part that stuck out to me. There has been a lot of advancement in the last 10 years, not withstanding knowing if your bike was used at the time you started riding.

You could prob do a lot to your current bike to improve fit. I was hot and heavy into the market of a new bike for the same reason. However I spent time adjusting the seat height, fore/aft, and most importantly twisting the handle bars to correct wrist angle. Over the next few weeks I replaced the drivetrain (crankset, chain, cassette) and bottom bracket bearing. I adjusted the front derailleur for some silky smooth shifting. Now the bike is top notch, I love it more than ever, and I guess technically saved myself $1000. I still want to get a new bike at some point...but I sure as hell got mine to the point to enjoy a lot longer. Btw, my bike is a 2012.

The thing to remember too is, the bike market is flooded with choices. Nowadays you need to know more about the terrain/paths you'll be riding on. I'm guessing you live in LA...I did for 33 years, but now I live in Chattanooga, TN. My neighborhood alone has more hills than I ever encountered in all of Baton Rouge. So gearing is significantly more important than ever. That being said...most road bikes dont really need more than a compact crankset (50-34T) and you'll find the nicer the bike, the larger the cassette (8 speed entry level, 10 or 11 in the upper end). You could even consider 1x bikes with a single chainring up front...no front derailleur at all.

If you do want to spend $1500, you'll be able to get a nicer one. But you got some choices. Drop bars or straight? Aluminum with a carbon fork or steel? Tire choice is going to be one of the most significant factors for terrain. With the right range of rims to fit a 700c tire, your choices are damn near limitless. I'm not a fan of the recumbent for healthy, typical people. If you have any physical limitation, by all means go for it though. If the only way a person can enjoy themselves is because they have to be in a mostly relaxed position, then the recumbent makes sense.