Recumbent Glossary

ABOVE-SEAT STEERING (ASS): See OSS.

ALUMINUM: AL, or Alum. A lightweight ductile, tarnish resistant material.

BAR-ENDS: Handlebar extensions most often used on USS bikes to bring the controls closer to the rider.

’BENT: Slang for Recumbent.

BOTTOM BRACKET: (BB) pedal axle & bearings, sometimes called boom-bracket.

BRAZING: A frame joint is created by flowing brass around the tubing junctures. Builders then either file/sand the joints smooth or leave them natural.

CARBON-FIBER: A high tech, high strength composite material that is black in color.

C.G.: Center-of-gravity.

CHAIN-IDLER: A modified skateboard wheel, derailleur pulley or custom-made wheel that carries the chain slack on SWB and some LWB models.

CHAIN MANAGEMENT: How the chain is managed via idler(s), tensioners, tubes throughout the chainpath/driveline of the bike.

COMPACT: CLWB or MWB recumbent.

COROPLAST: Plasticized cardboard that works great for homebuilt recumbent fairings.

CLWB: Compact Long Wheelbase 47”-60.”

CroMo: Chrome-moly steel.

DELTA: Two-wheels in the rear trike design.

DISC: An automotive style disc brake. A disc mounts to the hub, and the brake pads grip the disc (instead of the wheel rim). Disc brakes come in mechanical (cable actuated) and hydraulic (brake fluid or mineral oil in small brakelines).

DUAL DRIVE: This is the SRAM internally geared three speed internal hub with 8/9-speeds cassette gears.

FWD: Front Wheel Drive.

GEAR INCHES: Formula used to determine range of gears: front chainring divided by rear cog multiplied by the actual drive wheel (and tire) diameter.

GRIP SHIFT: A trademark of the SRAM Corp. A brand of twist-grip shifter.

HITEN STEEL: High tension or mild steel.

HIGH RACER: A SWB with two full size wheels.

HPV: Human Powered Vehicle.

INDIRECT STEERING: Steering via a rod linkage that connects the handlebar to the fork.

KEVLAR: A high strength, bulletproof composite material that is gold in color.

LWB: Long wheelbase 60"-71"+ (crankset low and behind front wheel).

LOW-RACER: A SWB recumbent built as low as possible for HPV racing (may exceed our wheelbase range for a SWB).

MID-DRIVE: A mid-ship mounted, wide-ratio, two-chain drive freewheel shifted by a rear derailleur.

MTB: A dated abbreviation for mountain bike.

MWB: The same as CLWB. Formerly used to describe longer SWB bikes.

NEXUS: Shimano’s internal 4/7 speed hubs.

OVER-SEAT STEERING (OSS): Handlebars above the seat, knees or frame-Over-Seat-Steering. A standard bicycle type steering similar to that of a hot rod/Stingray type bicycle of the 60s.

PEDAL STEER: Pedal-induced steering input that makes the bike more difficult to track straight. This generally happens on SWB models with wheelbases of less than 39” or a very laid back head tube angle.

RCN: Recumbent Cyclist News founded by Robert J. Bryant in 1990.

ROTOR: The round CD shaped braking surface for disc brakes.

RWS: Rear-Wheel Steering.

SWB: Short-Wheelbase 33"-47" (crankset high and in ahead of front wheel).

TIG WELDING: Tungsten-Inert-Gas; a proven no-lug process common with MTB’s.

SRAM 3 X 7: See DualDrive.

STEERING ROD: The steel or aluminum rod that connects the fork to the bars.

STEERING STRUT-RISER: An OSS extension that rises from the stem or head tube to raise the bars over the legs.

TADPOLE: Two-wheel in the front trike design.

UNDER-SEAT STEERING (USS): Steering via handlebars beneath the seat.

V-BRAKE: A new and strong style of cantilever brake the has high arms in a “V” formation.

X-SEAM: A measurement used for recumbent fitting. This measurement simulates the distance between the seat back/base out to the farthest reach of the pedal stroke. Measure while seated on the floor, back against a wall or door, and feet extended and toes facing the ceiling.