Elkhound said:
1. How hard is it to learn to balance on a recumbent? It LOOKS hard, but looks can be decieving.
2. Is it true that recumbents have problems on hills? Please remember that I am from WEST VIRGINIA, so what someone from Kansas, or Illinois, or Iowa probably doesn't know what we call hills.
3. Which is better, a bicumbent or a tricumbent? Of the former, what are the relative advantages of a long wheel base vs. a short wheelbase? Of the latter, what are the relative advantage of delta vs. tadpole?
Please forgive an ignorant newbie. (Note: No LBS here regularly sells either bi- or tricumbents. They'll order them, but I have no way to do a test drive.)
1) Balance is only an issue the first few times out (unless youre buying something really radical like a low racer). Everyone worries about it, but it's rarely an issue. Living in the hills I would suggest you stay away from the longest wheelbase bikes because at low speeds they can be a bit tricky but even then it's not as bad as you might think.
2) I live in Southwestern NY on the side of a 2 mile hill and I have no problem. But if you want to fly up hills don't expect it overnight. Bents use slightly different muscle groups than an upright so they take a bit of getting used to. I think they are slightly slower up hills (depending alot on the type of bent and the weight) but not as bad as some would have you think.
3) 2 wheels or 3 is dependent on what you want. I think 2 wheels is lighter and has less rolling resistance so they are faster but 3 wheels are a riot. The main advantage for you might be that a 3 wheeler makes it easier to stop halfway up a hill and rest (just hit the brakes).
Long and short wheelbase is another tough one. Generally I think short wheelbase tends to be better at slow speeds and long wheelbase tend to be a bit more stable on those long high speed decents. Of course alot of this depends on geometry and I've ridden some short wheelbase bikes that felt dang near perfect at all speeds. But that is generally my experiance and I'm sure others will probably disagree.
My advice for your first bent, sight unseen, would be to get something of a moderate wheelbase with a crank that is about lvl or just above/below the seat. That seems to be the most comfortable arangement for the novice.
I havent ridden a delta trike but my guess is that the higher seat height makes them a bit more unstable in turns at speed. The advantage is that you see more and are more easily seen.
I hope that answers some of your questions. Alot of the questions you ask are dependant on price range too. A Volae Century is my next bike but I don't have $2k atm....
Check out The Bicyclemans website. He has some good general info about different bikes and their positives and negatives.