Traditional upright bicycles place the rider on a narrow seat with pedals below, supporting the hunched upper-body weight on the arms. Recumbent bicycles place the rider in a high-backed seat, tilted back with pedals in front of the rider's hips. On many recumbents, the pedals are above the rider's hips and the handlebars are placed below the rider's seat. Each of these designs has many problems. Upright bicycles stress the body in a variety of ways that detract from both the enjoyment and efficiency of the rider.
Riders complain of pains in the seat, back, shoulders, neck, hands and wrists.
The upright position forces most of the work to be done by a smaller set of muscles, especially the hamstrings and quadriceps, while the largest and most powerful muscles are not used. In contrast, recumbent bicycles utilize a broader set of muscles, including the powerful muscles of the buttocks, and provide substantially more comfort to the rider. On the other hand, recumbents suffer from their own set of problems. Frequently, they don't handle as well as upright bicycles, are difficult to learn to ride, and position the rider so low as to be unsafe in many riding situations. Building Around the Rider BikeE has taken an approach that weds the best attributes of upright and recumbent bicycles while avoiding their limitations.