How is a recumbent bike different from a normal bike?

Answer 1

A normal bike has you riding upright or hunched forward while a recumbent has you leaning backwards, like in a reclining chair.

IMPROVING ANSWER: A recumbent bike is not as good for going up steep hills, because you cannot stand on the pedals and use your body weight. Your legs go in front of you, not underneath you. Also, I find that I like to lift my buttocks off the seat every few minutes for comfort and good circulation, but this is difficult or impossible while riding a recumbent. Also, a recumbent is difficult to steer for new riders, but only for the first hour of riding of the first day. A regular bicycle doesn't really use the turning of the handlebars to turn--it uses the shifting of your body weight. At low speeds a recumbent will actually turn by conventional steering, and this is a difference that takes some getting used to. One last thing: The handlebars on some recumbents have to be high, putting your hands up near your shoulder level, so that if you turn the handlebars while pedaling your knees will not strike the handlebars. I like my recumbent bike and my diamond-frame standard bike also.

Answer 2

Lying down! The two parts of the sentence mean the same thing. It's a bit like saying 'I'll stand up on my two legs'. How else would you stand up?

Incidentally, laying down is the incorrect usage of the word lie. You don't lay down, you lie down. If you lay down then you have to lay down something, e.g. 'I'll lay down my arms.' That's because lie is an instransitive verb, requiring no object, whereas lay is a transitive verb and requires an object. No end of people say 'I'm going to lay down for a while' and it's quite wrong.

Answer 3

A recumbant bike is a bike that rides lower to the ground than a normal bicycle. The rider's weight is better distributed on a recumbant bike than on a standard bike because your body is at more of reclined positing rather than an upright position. These bikes are more ergonomically correct than regular bikes.

Answer 4

A recumbent trike is a bicycle that places the rider in a leaning back position. The weight of the rider is distributed in a more comfortable manner than traditional bicycles.

Answer 5

Lying down, or nearly so, is a recumbant position.

Answer 6

A recumbent exercise bike is a bike that has a seat that is in a reclined position. The riders weight is distributed over a larger area, supported by the back and buttocks.

Answer 7

A recumbent exersize bike is a bike that has a seat that is in a reclined position. The riders weight is distributed over a larger area, supported by the back and buttocks.

Answer 8

Laid back, reclined, feet forward.