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Recumbents are surprisingly faster on flats. There was an average
cyclist that got a recumbent and he is always taking pulls at the
front. He can easily motor at 25+ miles an hour. It is tough to draft
him cause he offers little wind protection. On hills this dude is
slow, but not amazingly slower.

One thing you should know about some recumbent cyclists is that they get
amazingly strong because they do so much riding. Most upright cyclists will
be almost as fast without half the work. Also, this drafting business screws
everything up.

There is a group of us that rides fairly fast. We go out every weekend
and go for 50-70 miles and we average over 20 miles an hour with 27-29
mile efforts along the way. There are more leisurely groups that ride
on weekends. A few of the guys in the leisure group got recumbents. On
occasions they cross groups and ride with us. The can hang on notably
well. In the past, they wouldn't have been able to do so.

It is all about drafting, isn't it?

For fast pack riding, there are some disadvantages to recumbents over
uprights. Uprights are more maneuverable and can accelerate faster.
also when we get in a rotating paceline, recumbents cannot rotate.
They cannot sprint. However, once they get going, they can motor fast.
The guys that ride on recumbents usually stay in the back and go to
the front to take pulls. On sprints and attacks, they may get dropped,
however, when the pack slows down, they can quickly get back.

Andres has got it exactly right!

I have never ridden a recumbent nor I intend to for now. I like my
bikes way too much. However, they are useful and can move very fast,
especially if you are riding distance alone.

Almost 100% of folks who get recumbents get them for comfort, not speed. Tom
Sherman may be the exception.

I think that recumbents are enjoyable and serve a purpose. They are
not better or worse than upright bikes. It's kind of comparing a road
bike and an mtb. The road bike will do better on the road and the mtb
will do better off road. having recumbents competing against road
bikes will have varied results depending on the course that you set,
the conditions, etc. Who cares. Ride what you like.

Recumbents are a million times more comfortable than uprights. That is one
huge 'better' difference that matters to most folks.

Overall I would say that recumbents are for the lone rider and is especially
suited for long tours. They are almost as fast as uprights on the flats and
are much slower climbing hills. Once you accept that minimal limitation, you
can be happy on a recumbent.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota