Hills

Let's get something out of the way first:

Hills are more difficult than riding on a flat section, or downhill.

Duh.

For some people, hills go a little faster than others, no matter how large the hill:

Le Alpe d'Huez

The question I get asked the most when people see me on a recumbent trike is, "Yeah, but aren't hills really hard?"

To which I answer, "Well, aren't all hills hard?"

Here's a simple force diagram to explain why it's harder to for a trike:

Got it?

(I drew a million of those in school. A MILLION.)

Here's a simpler example. On a diamond-frame bike, if you're going up hill and it gets hard and you don't want to shift, what do you do?

You stand up. 

This means that you are now using your body mass as force to help pedal the bike. 

If you're on a recumbent and you're going up hill, do you stand up?

HELL NO!

You man up and use some muscle!

While your fat ass might help you on a diamond-frame, it's a weight you must drag up a hill on a recumbent. 

However, the best part is that all that goes up, must come down. The part where recumbent riders keep screaming, "ON YOUR LEFT!" I also like to throw my arms up in the air like I'm riding a roller coaster. 

And there you have hills. 

Any questions?