Recumbent

A lot of other people shy away from recumbents, as they have concerns about visibility. That's why Australian manufacturer Hiele has created the Trivek. It's a semi-recumbent delta tricycle that lets its rider sit back in a comfy seat while still sitting tall.

The four-wheeled Velove Armadillo supports a big, ol' cargo box or semi-trailer on the rear, making the typical two-wheel grocery getter look downright undersized. The pedaled quad is so cargo hungry, Velove believes it can replace the cargo van when transporting smaller loads over short distances.

While inclement weather and exertion are certainly factors, one of the big reasons that many people don't commute by bike is the fear of getting hit by cars. London-based Crispin Sinclair Innovation has set about addressing that fact, with its new Babel Bike.

Last December, British adventurer Maria Leijerstam became the first person to cycle from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the South Pole. She did so on a custom-built recumbent fat-tired tricycle. Inspired Cycle Engineering is now offering a commercial version of it, known as the Full Fat.

AeroVelo aims to take September's World Human-Powered Speed Challenge in Battle Mountain, Nevada, with an ultra-efficient high speed bicycle named Eta.

Seeking to cross the relaxed-back comfort of a recumbent with a higher seating position, German engineer Christoph Lenz has innovated the MaynoothBike, named after his home in Maynooth, Ireland. In place of the usual bottom bracket-mounted crankset, the linear drivetrain is built into the fork.

The University of Liverpool Velocipede Team (ULVT) has announced its intentions to take the world's fastest bicycle title with the Arion1 Velocipede, a recumbent bicycle resembling an oversized medicine capsule that has been left out in the sun too long.

Looking to allow extra room for performance for electric bike users are Milwaukee-based inventors Dustin Herte and Ryan Bass, whose Odyssey electric trike, fitted with a 4 kW motor, can reach speeds of up to 50 mph (80 km/h).

Revolution speed bikes from Munich's TroyTec bring modular, F1-inspired design to the world of recumbent racing and touring. Riders can pedal up high, down low, and on rigid wheels or full suspension, depending upon the demands of the road immediately ahead.

Shortly before Christmas, we heard about 35 year-old British adventurer Maria Leijerstam's planned attempt to ride to the South Pole on a recumbent fat-tired tricycle. On December 27th, she achieved that goal.

Germany's HP Velotechnik is adding a new special edition off road trike to its Scorpion fs range that caters for riders who want to sit back and enjoy the forest scenery from a different perspective. The Scorpion fs Enduro features chunky tires, full suspension, disc braking and 27 gears.

The Exodus recumbent motorcycle, by U.S. company Suprine, is a 130-horsepower, lay-back motorbike with a roll cage and a perspex windscreen, capable of more than 80 miles per gallon on the highway.