My New Bike

The new bent (a 2006 RANS F5 LE) has 26 inch road tires on the front and rear (my BikeE has 16 inch on the front and 20 inch on the rear) so tire size and rolling resistance is very much like a normal road bike. Since it is a short frame recumbent, something has to give, right? What they do is put the crank and front derailleur in front of the front wheel. The only problem with this is that the front tire can hit your heel if you turn too sharply and aren't paying attention. Had that happen a couple of times (only happens at slow speeds) but no falls yet and now I am getting the hang of it so it really isn't a problem anymore. Have done about 5 rides on it so far .. about 110 miles total. Click the photo for a larger view.