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A recumbent bicycle is a variety of Bicycle which places the rider in a seated or Supine Position (rarely, in a Prone position). Recumbents hold the world speed record for a bicycle and were banned from international racing in 1934. The back of the rider is supported, and the rider's legs extend forward to pedals that are at about the same height as the Seat . Steering is either above- or over-seat steering (ASS or OSS) using a Handlebar in front of the rider, or under-seat steering (USS) using a handlebar under the seat. The wheels are often smaller and/or farther apart than on an Upright Bicycle . Records of recumbent designs go back to the early days of cycling, however recumbent use was not widespread until the late 20th century. Recumbent riders hold world speed records for unpaced, human-powered vehicles. Tricycles form a substantial part of the recumbent market (far more so than they do for uprights); the generic term "trike" tends to be applied to these as well. DESCRIPTION Due to their variety, several ways are used to categorize recumbents. These include wheelbase, wheelsizes, steering system, faired or unfaired, and even front-wheel or rear-wheel drive. Wheelbase Recumbent bicycles may be classified according to their Wheelbase : long wheelbase (LWB) models have the pedals located between the front and rear wheels; short wheelbase (SWB) models have the pedals in front of the front wheel; compact long wheelbase (CLWB) models have the pedals either very close to the front wheel or above it. Within these categories are variations, intermediate types, and even convertible designs (LWB to CLWB) - there is no "standard" recumbent. Wheel sizes The rear wheel of a recumbent is usually behind the rider and may be any size, from around 16 inches to the 700c of an upright racing cycle. The front wheel is commonly smaller than the rear, although a number of recumbents feature dual 26-inch (ISO 559), ISO 571 (650c), or ISO 622 (700c) wheels. Notable among these are "highracers", such as the Bacchetta Corsa and Strada or Volae Team, or the "LWB-style" RANS Stratus XP. Larger wheels generally have lower rolling resistance; the trade-off is a higher profile with its accompanying air resistance. Highracer aficionados also claim that they are more stable, and although bicycle stability increases with the height of the centre of gravity above the ground, the wide variety of recumbent designs makes such generalizations unreliable. Another advantage of both wheels being the same size is that you only require one size of inner tube. The most common arrangement is probably an ISO 559 rear wheel and an ISO 406 (20- Inch ) front wheel. The small front wheel and large rear wheel combination is used to keep the pedals and front wheel clear of each other, avoiding the problem called "heel strike" (where the rider's heels catch the wheel in tight turns). A pivoting-boom front-wheel drive configuration also overcomes heel strike since the pedals and front wheel turn together. Pivoting boom front-wheel drive (PBFWD) bikes may have dual 26-inch wheels or larger. Steering Steering for bikes can be generally categorized as over-seat (OSS) or under-seat (USS). Most tadpole trikes are USS. USS is usually indirect -- the bars link to the headset through a system of rods and Bell Crank s. OSS is generally direct -- the steerer acts on the front fork like a standard bicycle handlebar -- but the bars themselves may extend well behind the wheel (more like a Tiller ); alternatively the bars might have long rearward extensions (sometimes known as Superman or Kingcycle bars). Chopper-style bars are sometimes seen on LWB bikes. Drive |
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