From the reaction of the man in the street when they see a recumbent cruise by, one could easily believe that they are a new phenomenon, but, in fact, the progenitor of the bicycle, the hobby horse, was essentially much more recumbent than upright and there were recumbents being produced and ridden in the late 19th century, the dawn of the bicycle as we know it. Development continued into the 20th century with several highlights, notably in the early 30s when the French recumbent bike designed by Charlie Mochet took the racing world by storm and broke the long standing hour record. Not surprisingly, such high profile success caused huge controversy and in the following year the sporting body of the day drew up legislation effectively banning the recumbent from competition.The ban is often cited as the reason why recumbent design and use seemed to languish around the middle part of the twentieth century, but perhaps more influential was the social environment where the bicycle was the utility transport of the day. For that type of utility use, it is difficult to beat the classic diamond frame. Easy to jump on and off, easy to start, stop and manoeuvre. Even its most staunch proponent would agree that the recumbent is maybe not the ideal traffic jammer. However, with increasing leisure time and available income, the later part of the twentieth century provided the ideal environment for a revisiting of the recumbent bicycle and the last few decades have seen a vigorous and inventive period of development. Most high profile are the quite remakable speed records achieved by fully faired recumbent bicycles. As every cyclist knows, power output notwithstanding, aerodynamic drag is the bar to bicycles going really fast. The recumbent position, with its potentially smaller frontal area, allows for the use of very streamlined bodywork that is literally 'slipperey' in an aerodynamic sense. So efficient, in fact, that the current human powered hour record is over 50 miles. Admittedly that is on a track, but compare that to the unfaired bike record also on the track, achieved by elite riders, of 35 miles; or the maximum speed you personally have achieved down your steepest hill, and then remember that somebody has ridden a bicycle probably faster than your maximum ever for one whole hour!!! Maybe even more remakable is the maximum speed record on the flat. We've all seen those supremely muscled Olympians screw up their sinews and hurtle to speeds just in excess of 40mph. The fully faired bicycle record now stands at over 80 mph. Imagine cruising along a UK motorway on the 70 mph speed limit in your quite remarkable internal combustion powered vehicle when some bloke on a push bike comes steaming past with 10 mph to spare - incredible!! As ever, whilst such supreme endeavour shows us potential; the sort of machines that inhabit the rarified strata of record breaking are not quite so at home on everyday roads. However, fortunately for most people, benefitting from that lineage has run a parallel development in recumbents for the everyday. We now have a plethora of choice. Different wheelbase, number of wheels, seat height and type, and handlebar positioning. In fact, much like the conventional bike, there is a style of bike to suit every use. In the UK, recumbents are still often seen as a novelty, but in several European countries they are becoming accepted into the cycling firmament. Perhaps the 21st century will see an acceptance of some of the advantages that the recumbent position offers and a realisation that it is just one other type of bike with its own strengths and weaknesses.