Sore butts

[mucknort]

The one thing I wonder about is visibility on the road, especially in city/high traffic areas.  Is it an issue with you bent riders?  It seems they are way lower and would be harder for drivers to see.

Actually, at this point drivers seem to notice bents MORE since they are more unusual looking to most drivers. I do a lot of city/high traffic riding when I'm not touring and have not had any problems with "visibility". Bents come in different heights, but most are at a height equal to most drivers.

I've never tried a trike, and inquired on a recumbent forum regarding how low trikes are to the ground and if drivers see them. The answer was overwhelmingly that trike riders received much greater room and respect from drivers than when they were on any other type of cycle.

[wildandcrazy]

Here's my 2 cents.  Been on two 1000 mile tours so far.  The bike's fit is extremely important.  One half inch, one way on another, up or down, forward or back, and a few degrees of tilt can make a huge difference.  Get the fit right first, but don't be afraid to tinker with it.  Things change over time.  You can gain/lose weight or become more flexible.  You can spend all kinds of time and money trying to find the perfect saddle.  Just as a Brooks has a break in time, so does your butt.  The more you ride, the more comfortable you become.  Keep extending your distance, but give yourself enough recovery time between rides.  Your butt will adapt.  On our tours, my wife and I wear ordinary shorts and use the stock saddles that come with Trek 520s.  Our butts may be tender for the first few rides of the season, but quickly adjust.  We do use Ex-Officio underware and it makes a big difference.

I forgot to say that we are in our sixties.

There is no problem with recumbents if that's what someone prefers.  The question is about butt pain, so you can try things like simple adjustments and waiting a couple of weeks for your butt to adapt, or you can go right out and spend a thousand or more for a different ride.  There must be thousands of new bicycles hanging in garages that were only ridden once because they were sized wrong.  I don't know, but would assume that if the distance from the seat to pedals is wrong on a recumbent, you wouldn't want to ride it very far either.  Again - Nothing wrong with recumbents if that's what one chooses.  Limos are even more comfortable.