Recumbent bikes are not as fast as regular ones right?

Question

Recumbent bikes are not as fast as regular ones right?

Answer 1

Other things being equal, (riders in decent shape, have had their bikes over a year)  a good racing $2000 recumbent will  smoke a $2000 triathlon or racing bike EVERY time.

The 'bent will lose about 8 seconds on a 1/2 mile hill climb, then regain that and another 8 seconds on the downhill.  On the flat with the same energy expended, the 'bent Will be about 3mph faster.

This is why 'bents are not allowed in sanctioned bike races; its just too much of an advantage.

At 25 mph and above, almost all rider energy is spent overcoming aerodynamic drag.  Look at the profile of the two different bikes and rider posture, figure out the wind drag.

Answer 2

Recumbent bikes sit low to the ground and are very fast, faster than a roadbike perhaps, depends on the rider and how good he is. Recumbent bikes do not climb hills as well as a roadbike. hope this helps

Answer 3

Which models are you comparing? Most entry-level recumbents are built heavy with fat tires and should be compared to 'comfort bikes.' So yeah, they're slow. At the other end of the spectrum are the racing recumbents, which watt for watt are way faster than any upright. How much faster? My current recumbent is like going everywhere with my own 3-man paceline pulling me.

Recumbents have a different speed profile - much like a tandem, they tend to be faster on the flats and downhills, and slower on the uphills. They also tend to do better in both headwinds AND tailwinds. The fast recumbents rely on aerodynamics for their speed. When it comes to climbing, it's all a matter of wattage to weight; once everyone clatters into their climbing gears, aerodynamics don't mean much.