Edward Dolan wrote:
"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
Edward Dolan wrote:
[...]
Surely there are near professional type races in the mountains which pit
uprights against recumbents. Find out the results of such races and
report back to me.
Go to the article on page 14 about the Trondheim-Oslo event:
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/oldnews/Issue51.pdf.

An interesting pdf, but too much of that British HPV stuff will rot your
brain.

I will admit that a recumbent with a full body fairing can be amazingly
fast. I still don't think they can be all that fast going up a steep hill
though.

I remember a tour I was on (BRAN I think) and there was this rather chubby
guy who had a RANS Tailwind with a full body fairing (home made).

Anyone with a RANS Tailwind and a homemade full-fairing is beyond the pale.

Oops, http://www.ransbikes.com/Gallery/Archive/Sherman.htm .

No one
could catch him once he got going. He was also fast going up hills provided
they were not too steep.

With the body-sock fairing on my Tailwind, I was faster up grades less
than about 4% due to the aerodynamic advantage, despite the extra 10
pounds of weight.

I think to be fair about this, you would have to pit a faired recumbent
against a faired upright in a largely mountainous terrain. Otherwise, you
are comparing apples to oranges and not getting to the heart of the
question, which is - can recumbents climb hills as well as uprights? I say
no.

The faired upright would get blown of the road by the first wind gust.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
“Mary had a little lamb / And when she saw it sicken /
She shipped it off to Packingtown / And now it’s labeled chicken.”