Recumbent bicycle in China?

[Pengyou]

I have always been interested in recumbent bicycles but never had the time to look into it. I am wondering...I have a little time now..and a little money..I am thinking about getting a recumbent - probably a 3 wheel recumbent with an electric motor - but am trying to decide if it would be too dangerous. What bothers me is that the recumbents sit much lower to the ground - which is why they are easier to pedal (better aerodynamics) but will make them harder to see and put me closer to the trash, etc on the ground. Does anyone have any opinions on this?

[adrianlondon]

I spent half a year in Beijing and cycled around the place most days.

I didn't see any recumbents either being ridden or for sale (although I wasn't really looking for the latter).

I don't think you'd be safe in a big city as, with the population as high as it is and most Chinese surviving by behaving in total conformity with everyone else, you'll be stared at in total shock. So much so that the drivers staring at you will forget not to run you over. Same for other cyclists and all the pedestrians. They'll be falling over you.

Outside of the big cities (ie in a field somewhere) you'll be fine and you'll probably love the attention you get.

All in my opinion, of course.

[johnmck]

I had a friend in the US who insisted on getting a "recumbent" bike even though everyone tried to talk him out of it, concerned about his visibility. He insisted that having a little flag attached to the bike would make him visible enough. Unfortunately 6 months after he bought the bike he was hit by a car and killed. I strongly advise against these bikes, I know that they are technically superior to normal bikes but that is not enough. Cycling is dangerous enough and you are highly vulnerable to other people's mistakes, visibility is everything.

[adrianlondon]

They were quite popular in the UK around a year or two ago. I thought they were quite visible as they usually had two or thee large flags attached to the back, flapping around.

However, I don't see any recumbent bikes any more. Maybe they're all squished under bendy buses and lorries. Or the cyclists got fed up with people staring and laughing at them. I don't know.