The Recumbent Bicycle

I ordered this book for my husband and he enjoyed it very much. He keeps it out for reference and there are many irems he can refer to. Very good, informative book. Very rapid shipping .

The land speed record for a recumbent bicycle under special conditions is 136 mph! Most speed records are more in the area of 65 mph. "Benders" can ride many miles in a day and claim not to feel tired. Those things alone should make any cyclist want to know more about the pros and cons of recumbents. The best advice in the book is to rent different styles of recumbents for personal trial before buying or building. Many design parameters are discussed for the person who wants to build his own "bent." No actual plans are given, but there are plenty of pictures of different designs others have used. A large number of additional sources are listed. Much of the book deals with the advantages of a "bent" over a conventional bike. I wish the book had included actual plans for both a short wheel base model and a long wheel base model. If you have any interest in a "bent," get this book and read it.

I bought Gunnar Fehlau's book, "The Recumbent Bicycle," while shopping for my first recumbent bike. There's a lot of recumbent bicycle information available on the web, but most of it is disjointed. This book covers the topic of recumbent bicycles in an organized and cohesive way. It introduced me to the different types of recumbents and their merits. The chapter "Basics of Recumbent Design" was particular helpful in contrasting the advantages and disadvantages of short vs. long wheelbase geometries. The history of recumbents provided interesting background information. The author has a sense of humor. The treatment is technical where required, but at a layman's level. The section on aerodynamics is the only one containing mathematics. I read the book over the course of several weeks, both before and after buying my bike. The index is comprehensive and that made it easy to lookup various topics when I wanted to refer back to specific points. The photos and illustrations are good and clear. If you want to compare specific brands and models, subscribe to the various recumbent bicycle email lists. Read specific product reviews and owner comments at the recumbent and other bicycle web sites. Models change each year so a book detailing specific models would become out of date quickly. I highly recommend "The Recumbent Bicycle." This is the only book I could find devoted to recumbents, and luckily it's a good one.

I have just read Gunnar Fehlau's "The Recumbent Bicycle" book and found it to be a most informative Recumbenteer's handbook. It's coverage from grass roots right up to current standards is a "must do" for anyone that is interested in building (or improvement modifications) on a recumbent. "It will keep many a Recumbenteer from re-inventing the wheel". Lonnie "Capt. Dink" Morse

I give this book a top rating because it has almost no competition. No other book that I know of deals with recumbent bicycles in this breadth and depth. Of course it also helps that it is extremely readable and full of cool pictures. Lots of interesting stuff here, from the history of these odd vehicles to the latest speed records and excellent tips on how to get one for yourself. Very well written (considering it's a translation) and well-suited to anyone who might be interested in these bikes, even if they have no previous knowledge. A bargain at twice the price!