One of the nicest things about riding a recumbent is the feeling of kinship when you randomly come across another 'bent or velomobile. The same brotherhood experience is felt between motorcyclists who always wave when passing each other.

This communal feeling is not there between regular cyclists and/or roadcyclists, just as it isn't there between car drivers. This is largely due to their popularity which has reduced their status to one mostly for simple transportation.

The lack of kinship between regular cyclists is also because both parties are likely experiencing some form of discomfort, whether it is saddle, wrist, back or neck pain. This discomfort creates a classic but very unfriendly and mean looking ''cycling face''.

This is opposed to the classic ''recumbent grin'' that bent riders experience, as they're not in any discomfort at all. It's impossible not to grin like a retard when two bent cyclists pass each other. This is often followed by a short stop, a good conversation and possibly the making of a friend for life.