I've been riding regular bicycles since late 80's, rode my Huffy 10-speed from SF to DC, a Miyata from SEA to DC. I got a recumbent back in 2006 for my GF back then (wife now). I test rode the recumbent for a few miles just to make sure it was operational and safe to ride, returned from the test ride, I was convinced that it was a better mode of transportation than my regular bike for relaxed pace of riding.
My wife and I both have our own recumbents now, put at least 800 miles together since 2006, we even a have semi-recumbent tandem bike so she doesn't have to worry about maneuvering in traffic.
I picked up our recumbent bikes from local Craigslist listings, at under $500 each, I worked on them myself to update the tires, cables, grips, etc.. converted them from USS (Under Seat Steering) to OSS (Over Seat Steering), so they have less width physically to negotiate between cars in traffic.
SWB (Short WheelBase) recumbents are ideal for us since we have limited garage room and they are easier to transport by car when we go visit places with our bikes. The steering does take some time to get used to, but with enough practice it's no big deal, even my wife learned to master riding the SWB recumbent with clispless pedals.
I tried LWB (Long WheelBase) recumebents.. they just seem so much heavier and more difficult to transport and store when they are not ridden.
Her bike:
My bike:
our tandem:
On days when I have to include train/bus in my commute, I ride 3 mile on this to the train station, hop on train, then 2 mile to the office:
Except for consumables like brake pads and chains the only thing I have had to replace are the wheels on my road bike. Both of them are new enough to have index shifting which is very nice.
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