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How to transport a recumbent?What are the best ways to transport a recumbent? I haven't tried to put it on my trunk mounted bike rack. Seems like it would be kind of top heavy. I got it home by removing the seat, and pedals and shoving it in the back of my Honda Civic. But that would be a pain to do much.
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transporting a recumbent in / on a car
I have been carless for a long time, so my experience consists in transporting my short recumbent bikes in other people's cars once in a while.
A pivoting handlebar that can fold down over the seat makes the bike significantly more compact. Lightning can sell you one, and sometimes older ATP Vision pivoting handlebars turn up used. I use the older Vision bars on my Stealth and P-38. Various RANS and Burley folding handlebars could be adapted to the Lightning with a little ingenuity. There are probably others I can't think of right now. Removing the front wheel can help. Folding bikes - like the Dahon and the Birdy - sometimes use special pedals that fold upwards and make the bike more compact for transport. Don't know if these folding pedals are any good as pedals though, and I assume that they are not clipless.
The seat on my Stealth is attached with the same hose clamps you can buy at Home Depot or Lowe's for fifty cents a pop. These take time to tighten and loosen. But Lightning can sell you some little clamps that tighten and loosen with your fingers. These are probably available elsewhere too. They might expedite seat removal and attachment, but I suspect that they are not as secure as cheap hose clamps.
On the tandem listserv a number of riders have been singing the praises of a vehicle called the Honda Fit. Though fairly compact, it is alleged that a tandem bike can be stuffed inside of one. It is also supposed to get good gas mileage.
That about exhausts my ideas for transporting your bike.
Safe riding,
Joel Dickman