wturber
1 MW
donn said:wturber said:I've been intrigued by both two and three wheeled recumbent bikes for long time. I'd love to get the aero advantage they offer, but the low profile and question of traffic visibility has always been a concern for me. Other concerns have been cost, storage, transport and lack of general nimbleness/versatility when riding in bike lanes, road shoulders, and and sometimes sidewalks.
I just now got to this thread and saw this. I made a comment in another thread yesterday about over-sensitivity to risks inherent in things we don't do. That low profile visibility issue was going to be an example, but I deleted it for brevity. It comes up enough among non-riders, that I suppose practically every non-rider who might care about my welfare would eventually get around to worrying on my behalf. I've had an upright cyclist stop and lecture me about not having one of those flags ... when he could see with his own eyes that I'm as tall as the average car.
Sure. You are as tall at your head height. Which mean you are way less visible than a car with just your head at that height. An upright bike is more visible (head and upper body) and it allows the rider to see more (easier to twist and look around). If I stand on the pedals, I can improve on all of those things. A recumbent is generally less visible than an upright. That's a negative that matters to me. Maybe I weigh it too much. But surely it is a factor worth considering.