>>1820285>700 may be a stretch depending on conditionthanks for your assessment
i went and checked it out, it was in perfect nick barely ridden.
didn't buy it though because I ended up falling in love with a different frame design and now I'm probably committed to building my own recumbent.
>handlebar looks like a nightmarethe more I sat on the idea the more I became convinced that the handlebar geometry and the long chain are problems that I'm not willing to face for that price tag. I'm going to build something front driven with low steering.
>>1820992I have heard these arguments. Most advocates dismiss the ground height complaint, but having been reversed into at an intersection on a road bike before I can understand how it would more intimidating and easy to be missed on a recumbent in a blind spot. A flag doesn't really help either IMO. The other points you bring up are part of a larger difference between diamond frame and recumbent. The steering and high com on your road bike allow you much more control and variation. Riding a recumbent is more like driving a car in terms of being generally restrictive in what you can do.
My response to your issues is about application. I think a recumbent would be a perfect choice for touring, and I envisage having a recumbent that is small enough to get on a train and used for long distance cycling on regional roads. Certainly not for a commute. I would guess that being on the road with other cars isn't as much of a problem as being in start-stop traffic with frequent turns.
I have a perfectly good road bike that I'm not seeking to replace for commuting / city.
>>1821065in the best case, a fully faired velomobiles can average 70km/h on a flat course. These are lower to the ground as well. Aero is the dominating source of inefficiency at any real speed on a bike. You just don't see any significant fairings on diamond frame bicycles because of racing rules. At climbing speeds none of this matters.