I road and mountain biked a lot.  I think as a result my neck is wrecked.  X-rays, MRI, etc indicate a lot of bad things, so if I ride a road or mountain bike now, I can last about 5 minutes before the pain in my neck is unbearable.  My shoulders are toast, too, not sure if that's from biking, but could be the pounding from the handlebars.  I think a recumbent is the answer, especially after talking to a recumbent rider who indicated he switched because his neck was also in bad shape.

To my question, can you recommend a recumbent bike at $2000 or under?  I know that's on the low end, but not ready to sink 5k in one.  A two-wheel or a trike, not sure which is better?  And how do you transport them if you only have a hatchback?  Thanks.

I just sold my two trikes, and went back to a bike.

You lose about 2mph, lose the ability to climb hills, and you'll be slower than shit endurance wise as you only use one muscle group vs two. And you can't use gravity to help you so all power is generated by forcing your back against the seatback.

You're not getting a softer ride on a trike...it's rougher. A lot rougher. My Catrike Pocket was nearly unbearable on anything other than smoothed bike paths. And this is a $2700 trike.

My Catrike Dumont was much better, but still rode rougher than my Specialized Roubaix. But they are over five grand.

Just know what you're getting in for. My wrists and elbows used to hurt really bad on my Diamondback Century 4. Getting a proper bike fit and a more compliant bike (Specialized Roubaix vs Diamondback Century) made all the difference for me. I'm more comfortable than I ever was on a trike.

My 3 wheel recumbent experience is limited to watching a bike shop employee sell an expensive one to an older couple then take it out on the street to check the gears and roll it in the middle of the road.


Getting a proper fit helped me with hand and neck pain as well. An “endurance” bike helped, Cannondale Synapse Carbon has treated me well.

If you're just looking for transportation or general recreation, it seems like moving to something like a beach bike with a more up-right sitting position would be better than a recumbent. Keeping your head over your spine and body weight in your core instead of your arms has to be helpful.