Flying Furniture is a Canberra, ACT / NSW based Australian business supplying cyclists with a range of the world's best folding bikes, recumbent trikes and recumbent bikes - comfortable, fast and of the highest quality - for touring and transport, Australian made and imported.

Question: HOW TO CHOOSE A RECUMBENT BIKE ?

A good approach is to "email Ian for advice".

So, email Ian answers to these 2 questions:

How tall are you?
What riding do you want to do on a recumbent?

Click here to email ian@flyingfurniture.com.au:

And read on for more discussion....

I've divided recumbent bikes into a few different types with overlapping categories and each manufacturer listed in the left margin may make a model in each category:

1. Recreational recumbent bikes
2. Commuting recumbent bikes
3. HIGHRACER recumbent bikes
4. Touring recumbent bikes
5. FAST touring and "AUDAX" style recumbents
6. ULTRA high performance recumbent bikes

* RECUMBENT BIKES for RECREATIONAL RIDING from: M5, Optima, Velokraft, HPVelotechnik, Bacchetta, and custom models from Flying Furniture.

Recreational bikes: These bikes may be some of the best value and least expensive available and for example include the Bacchetta CAFE and Bacchetta AGIO and really any of the bikes and models listed here - it just depends on your own personal budget and riding style. A recreational bike should also be really easy to ride like the Bacchetta's and if possible very easily adjustable to fit a very wide range of riders. Most of the recumbent bikes in a "recreational" category are usually also general purpose enough and have a decent carrying capacity for touring too. I have some new Flying Furniture models in this category from just $1490 - please email for details.

* RECUMBENT BIKES for COMMUTING from: M5, Optima, Velokraft, HPVelotechnik, Bacchetta, and custom models from Flying Furniture.

Looking for a commuter bike? You can use just about any of the recumbent bikes I sell for commuting. The bikes I have selected all can be fitted with some luggage carrying capibility, whether this be sidebags or panniers or a seat back "top bag" that hangs from the rear of the seat. I guess that one provisio is that you might not use an ultra light performance recumbent to commute everyday if you are a heavy rider but some are strong enough to be used everyday eg Velokrafts are custom built to suit the rider size, weight and expected uses. Or you might decide a really low bike doesn't sound suitable for heavy traffic? With over 5 years experience riding a recumbent 32km across Sydney and 5 years before that of commuting on a Mountain or road bike, I do understand that a certain height bike can be better, but with this experience I can also say that I found a recumbent bike with a seat height of just 450-500mm the safest of any bike (and this includes the mountain and road bike) for my old commute in Sydney. At a seat height of 450mm or more you can see everything you would from a car seat and "traffic" gives a wider berth because you are riding something different to the usual road user. And of course certainly with the newer "highracers" your head height is really no lower than on an "upright" rider who is leaning forward to the handlbars. Other things like the position of a mirror on the handlebars in front of you allowing you to be aware of all traffic around you, the ability to ride faster to keep up with "traffic" better and also the ability to brake harder and stop faster, without fear of going over the handlebars, means lots of added safety for a recumbent bike rider in traffic.

* RECUMBENT BIKES - the new HIGHRACERS from: M5, Optima, Velokraft, and of course from Bacchetta.

HIGHRACER bikes with two 26"/559mm or 571mm wheels span many, if not all of the other categories here. Some are excellent commuters, tourers and some are indeed very aero and super lightweight, ultra high performance bikes. This category has been led and defined by the Bacchetta bikes like the GIRO 26, STRADA, CORSA, AERO and the new ultra-light BACCHETTA CARBON AERO. Bacchetta designs look pretty simple (they aren't) but the engineering is well thought out (with specially ovalised tubing etc) and now the engineering is very well proven with the 2005 Race Across America victory (4900km in 6 days). These bikes combine comfort with a high seat which is great for urban riding. Why are Bacchetta's the world's most popular HIGHRACER? Unlike other "highracers" from Europe etc which use the "one frame fits all" strategy and different seats and a telescopic boom/crank piece for leg adjustment, BACCHETTA have gone that one step further and have designed different frame sizes for different sized riders. The European made HIGHRACERS eg M5, Optima etc are all really limited to riders above 180cm (5'11") as, really, if you are any shorter than this you possibly shouldn't be on them. The shorter you are the more the cranks just get closer to the front wheel and you get wheel/crank overlap - that is generally bad news. I'm lucky that I'm 181cm tall so just fit them. The very clever engineers at BACCHETTA find that using a fixed crank position and a sliding seat and the different frames sizes available for different height riders they can overcome the "crank/wheel overlap" - the cranks are always a fixed distance from the front wheel so a 165cm/5'6" rider up to a 200cm plus / 6'6" rider can just as easily ride and turn a BACCHETTA highracer around on narrow path or road as any they can a recumbent with small wheels. Great design from BACCHETTA. Bacchetta's are easy to ride too. They are very easily adjustable to fit a very wide range of riders using the different frames sizes and there are BACCHETTA models from the GIRO 26 tourer to the AERO to match everyone's different performance tastes and budgets. NEWS: I also have a new very lightweight "Flying Furniture highracer" in this category from just $2590 for the shorter rider and there is a new sub-7.5kg HIGHRACER from M5 - email for details.

* RECUMBENT BIKES for TOURING from: M5, Optima, Velokraft, HPVelotechnik, Bacchetta, and custom models from Flying Furniture.

TOURING: Touring is a recumbent's real forte and they make excellent touring bikes. Every manufacturer makes a touring bike that will carry enough luggage for either lightweight credit card touring or a fully loaded camping tour. In the touring category some bikes are suspended and some are not. It is personal preference and sometimes a budget choice. The great thing about any suspended recumbent is that pedalling doesn't make the suspension pogo at all - your legs push mostly horizontally and suspension acts vertically so there is no energy lost into the suspension. And with appropriate racks and sidebag panniers (that hang over the seat - you can carry a heavy load this way easily) or standard panniers you can even carry a full camping and touring load even on a dual supension bike - many with the load fully suspended too (ie not attached to the suspension). Dual suspension recumbent touring bikes start at around $2500*. Bikes like those from M5 and OPTIMA, for example the M5 ShockProof, M5 26/20, the OPTIMA LYNXX and the HPVelotechnik bikes all have an excellent history of touring, local countryside touring and "expedition-round-the-world" touring too. If a suspended bike is outside your budget with some minor adjustments you could use the $1490 unsuspended recumbent "commuter" bike as a tourer too or a Bacchetta Cafe or Giro. On any recumbent your weight is spread out over a much greater area than on a normal saddle so bumps aren't focussed at your saddle and handlebars and so bumps aren't as critical on a recumbent. Many people do tour on unsuspended recumbents.

* RECUMBENT BIKES for FAST TOURING and "AUDAX" from: M5, Optima, Velokraft, HPVelotechnik, Bacchetta, and custom models from Flying Furniture.

FAST bikes: In this category are both the ultra high performance super fast bikes in the next category below and some of the lighter unsuspended touring bikes from above. There are now quite a few excellent choices that would see you faster overall (higher average speeds) than you would ever be on a lightweight upright road bike and on these recumbent bikes you can now finish a long day ride or Audax ride earlier and in MUCH greater COMFORT and with less fatigue too! Email me for my current selection and list of bikes to check out from the ranges. Some to look at are the Bacchetta Strada, Corsa, Aero and Carbon Aero or an Optima Stinger Race, Cheetah, Cougar or BARON, or an M5 Titanium or carbon model or a lightweight Velokraft carbon fibre machine. Prices now start at a very reasonable $2590* for a lightweight, very comfortable, very good aluminium frame bike, the new "Audax Racer" with carbon triple cranks, 24 spoke wheels, 27 speeds and rear vision mirror included.

* RECUMBENT BIKES in the ULTRA HIGH PERFORMANCE categories from: M5, Optima, Velokraft, Bacchetta.

ULTRA high performnace bikes: Firstly I have to say I think steel is very dead for ultra high performance recumbents and I manufacture in lightweight cromoly steel so I don't have a Flying Furniture model in this category. Lightweight steel performance bikes just get too flexy and saggy when you try to ride them REALLY fast. Some aluminium framed recumbent bikes probably should be removed from this category too now the "super light AND stiff when you pedal them" carbon-fibre bikes are available but the OPTIMA bikes eg BARON etc with their superb frame stiffness and proven durability do have many carbon fibre components available so you can reduce the weight of the OPTIMA bikes quite considerably. The BARON is still the best, fastest and most user friendly Aluminium frame lowracer out there for these reasons. Also check out the Velokraft range. So why are these all called "ultra high performance"? Put simply these recumbent bikes are way way faster than even the most tricked out upright time-trial road bike on the flat and downhill because physics is physics and these bikes simply slip through the air ie they more aerodynamic - the rider is in a VERY aero position - AND now some recumbent bikes are LIGHTWEIGHT enough to keep up with the uprights on the climbs too. (Uphill it gets down to total weight and the power output of a rider that is important). A LIGHTWEIGHT recumbent bike has ALL the benefits of a more comfortable more aero position without the weight and hill climbing penalty. (In my opinion, as well as new and not very fit recumbent riders who would climb hills slowly on any bike, and hey everyone is allowed to climb hills at any speed they wish, indeed as long as they are riding I'm happy, {rant on} it isn't the recumbent position that reduces climbing ability but simply the extra weight of many poorly designed heavy, unrefined recumbents {rant off}). The ultra high perfomance class has taken off in the last few years - M5 first had the aero advantage worked out and then the lightweight OPTIMA BARON evolved and as the BARON has been even further refined, new lighter model carbon-fibre bikes have appeared - again first from M5 with their M5 carbon lowracer and now the M5 titanium bikes and the new sub-7.5kg M5 carbon-fibre HIGHRACER model. Velokraft also have been making beautiful carbon-fibre bikes at 7-8kg weight). In 2006 the OPTIMA BARON now has many carbon fibre parts available to make them a sub-9kg lightweight and fast! As an example of the performance that is possible here, I don't know anyone with even a standard BARON {ie a BARON without lightweight bits} who isn't faster than they were before they got a BARON. This says that aerodynamics is still most important, but do go as lightweight as you can for the most speed and fun and reap the rewards! You will be COMFORTABLE and MUCH faster on a lightweight and aero recumbent bike than ANY other bike - I am without any doubt much faster on a recumbent than my old lightweight road bike! As a starting point some to look at are the Bacchetta Corsa, Aero and Carbon Aero or an Optima Baron, or an M5 Titanium or carbon model or a lightweight Velokraft carbon fibre machine. Anyway please explore the links at upper left on this page and contact me at the number or email below if you require assistance. I've helped many people who haven't visited for test rides to choose a bike suitable for the riding they do and actually get started riding a recumbent bike - if you can balance a standard upright bike you can certainly also ride one of the good, well designed recumbent bikes I've carefully selected.


Flying Furniture also has many accessories and parts to suit your needs and your bike or trike including:

Radical Design trailers and bags, Chariot child trailers, Burley child and luggage trailers, ROTOR cranks, Windwrap (Mueller) front fairings, Velocity wheels, Pantour suspension hubs, Carradice luggage bags, Chariot child trailers and M5 aerodynamic tailfairing/tailboxes for extra speed!
Follow this link to the accessories page.