A recumbent bike is a bike in which the rider is seated in an upward-facing position. This position is known as a supine position. This is the most common position for riding a recumbent bike, but there are rare cases in which recumbent bikes have the rider seated in a downward-facing or prone position.
The pedals are located at about the same height as the seat and there is a support provided for the back. This makes for a very comfortable riding, since you are actually sitting in a seat and not on top of a narrow, hard saddle, which can cause quite a bit of discomfort, particularly in your rear, especially over long distances.
The handlebars are located at shoulder level, above the seat or below the seat at a convenient location, and allow your arms to hang down naturally. The former type is called Above Seat Steering (ASS) and the latter, Under Seat Steering (USS).
Most recumbent bikes have two wheels, though some have three. The power to run these machines is provided either by your hands or feet, or in some cases, both.
Recumbent bikes do take a bit of getting used to, since the location of the steering and other handling equipment may seem a bit weird by normal standards. Recumbent bikes can be hard on various parts of the body, depending on the type you use. So even if you are a very fit bike rider, this machine may have you use muscles in your body that you normally would not on a conventional bike.
Let’s come to the most controversial topic regarding recumbent bikes – speed. Official speed records for recumbent bikes are governed by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA). In IHPVA sanctioned events, all land speed records are held either by recumbent or semi-recumbent bikes. However, they were banned from international racing in 1934.
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