Can a recumbent bike win a time trial?

Here at GCN, we’ve enjoyed an obsession with recumbents for a long time. We’ve pitted a recumbent against a moped, toured a record-chasing team of recumbent designers, and watched Hank crash them on more than one occasion.

That obsession is borne out of their incredible designs. Essentially bullets on wheels, they’re capable of reaching hair-raising speeds, making them the fastest leg-powered, two-wheeled vehicles available.

Or are they? And how would a recumbent stack up against the fastest type of bicycle, a time trial bike? To find out, GCN’s James ‘Hank’ Lowsley-Williams entered a local 10-mile time trial, except he took to the start line with a recumbent road bike provided by our friends over at Cruzbike.

A victory would usually be beyond Hank’s grasp, but would the new recumbent machine be enough to transform him into a time trial-conquering machine? Watch the video at the top of this page to find out, or read on for more background on recumbent bikes.

Read more: Is this the fastest bike you can buy? Battle of the recumbents

What are recumbent bikes?

Mechanically, recumbent bikes work in much the same way as regular bikes. They have two pedals that power a drivetrain, which moves the wheels to propel the bike forward.

That’s about where the similarities end, though, as aesthetically they are worlds apart. Far from being a gimmick to garner attention, the appearance of recumbents is an essential ingredient to their speed.

The name refers to the laid-back position adopted by the rider on the bike. Creating the bullet shape, the rider and bike are usually covered by an aero fairing to form an aerodynamic profile that cuts through the wind. It results in a bike that is up to 20 times more aerodynamic than a normal upright bike, which equals more speed…a lot more speed! Currently, the recumbent speed world record stands at a dizzying 89.5mph.

Hank’s Cruzbike forewent the aero fairing - which isn’t safe for everyday riding - to create what Cruzbike says is the fastest recumbent road bike available.

Hank wasn’t on the hunt for any world records, though, and only had to average much more modest speeds to claim time trial glory.

Could he do it? Watch the video to find out.

Here at GCN, we’re constantly putting our presenters to the test in new challenges. Explore our full range of challenges on the GCN website.

James Lowsley-Williams

GCN Presenter

King of commitment, James (or 'Hank' as he's more affectionally known) is the ultimate team player on and off the bike