Can a Diamond frame bike draft a recumbent?
Can a recumbent bike draft a DF bike?
Can a recumbent bike draft another recumbent?
Quick answers (from my experience): Not well, yes, sometimes.
More detail?
I ride a lowracer recumbent. It’s been my experience that folks in DF bikes who hop on my wheel usually drop back off again pretty quickly. Those I’ve spoken to afterward say that they were seeing no assist. On the other hand, some folks that have tried drafting more upright recumbents claim to have had some boost, but not as much as from another DF.
I have found that drafting a DF on my bent seem to work well and I’m perpetually amazed at the boost it gives me. Pack etiquette is the main problem. If I tag a DF group, I try to stay at the very rear, and let the folks dropping back from the front slot in in front of me. That way no-one gets stuck behind me with no boost. Obviously I always try to check if it’s OK to join up.
It’s not often you get to try drafting another bent, and hard to find other bents who ride consistent speeds and lines to make drafting less stressful. Nevertheless, when I’ve tried it, it does work.
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