Which Recumbent?

An instruction from ACE Recumbents in Winterswijk

Recumbents with two wheels

  • Apply the brakes before sitting down (otherwise you will reverse immediately).
  • A short ‘sitting’ walk while trying to steer gives the quickest sense of balance.
  • If the recumbent bike has a 3-speed hub, set the left rotary handle to ‘1’ (driving away is slightly easier).
  • Raise 1 pedal and pull it slightly towards you so that you can gain some speed (otherwise you will not get going properly).
  • Release the brake and try to drive away in a quiet place (because you might need some extra room).
  • Look far ahead.
  • If it is not possible, brake immediately and put your feet on the ground before falling over.
  • Try to relax, it will be much easier.
  • The body is fixed on the chair and does not cooperate. You have to steer a little more than usual, that feels nervous but you get used to it.
  • If you are steering sharply (turning, sharp turn), stop pedaling as otherwise the heel could hit the front wheel.
  • The right-hand derailleur gears should only be shifted during gentle forward pedaling. So switch to a lighter gear in time before you have to stop. If the bicycle is equipped with hub gears, you may also shift while stationary.
  • If a front derailleur is shifted on the left, it should also only be operated during gentle pedaling.
  • Most recumbent bicycles can brake very hard ‘, so be careful in a group.

Good luck

Recumbents with three wheels

These are stable, so almost anyone can drive away on them.

Please note that if you take a hard turn, you could fall over! Just like a car that turns too fast. Pay particular attention to the combination of: speed, sharp steering and braking.

There is nothing wrong with gentle cycling. Are you a bit scared? Then we’ll walk along for a while. You can see that it is not so bad.