Perhaps those distance riders on 36" uni’s aren’t riding them intentionally - It was the only way of getting them there:D
I think there is more truth to that statement than one would expect.
Heh, Heh…
I was over in Ethiopia last year, and I’m hoping that one day I’ll be proficient enough at distance riding to make it worth taking a 29" or 36" over for getting around on. Unfortunately, in the South at least, it’s a long, hot, dusty way between villages. Then again, it helps keep the Summer holiday crowds down…
Many recumbents are heavy and not optimally designed for aerodynamics. The fast ones focus on the aero and lighter weight. The main drawback is that they’re harder to size, and built only in small batches, so can get pretty spendy. I’ve got one of these: http://www.volaerecumbents.com/2010/volae_club.php It’s about 7 pounds heavier than my carbon road bike, but faster due to the far superior aerodynamics. I admit recumbents are harder to steer at low speeds, and this high-racer design is particularly more difficult to balance at low speeds than most bicycles. I address that by just going fast. 
No doubt, but just not my ride. And still not as fast as the fastest recumbents.
I don’t know, never having seen a recumbent riding the banked boards. Oh, and the speed is plenty fast enough when you’re crashing 
.
I have a friend who rides a recumbent, and loves it. They’re pretty popular in Perth, although I usually see them out on bike paths, not on the road (more to do with Perth drivers, than the recumbent’s abilities).
Cheers,
Eoin
Human-powered vehicle records are all set on recumbent bicycles.
The 200 m flying start (single rider): 133.284 km/h (82.819 mph) on 2009-09-18. (pending HPVA approval)
Oowww, without a faired recumbent short-cranked geared 36" I can’t see a unicyclist beat that 
(to bring the thread back on topic)
haha yeah indeed.
Going kind of on-topic, I’m wondering if 36ers will stay popular once cheap single-speed geared unis at arbitrarily high ratios become available. Words like stable seem to always come up when comparing geared 36s to smaller wheels, so it might be more than just gain. I wonder if a really heavy small wheel might be an asset.
Depends on the definition.
Motor-paced human-powered land speed record is held by upright bikes
http://www.teammccallusa.com/history.html
Standing-start kilo record?
Been there, done that, have the scars to prove it.
There were some up sides, there were some downsides but overall I just wasn’t experienced enough on one wheel to really handle my contraption.
In our imperfect world (here in Minnesota anyway) where freeze/thaw cycles cause big movement of road surfaces, I LOVE the 36’s ability to span the gaps comfortably. As long as I’m in MN, I’ll never be in the market for a geared ‘small wheel’.
I’m getting closer and closer to springing for a guni, but for me the choice is a 26" for the following:
Better tire and rim choices
Less gyrscopic/weight related issues
Lighter, yet stronger wheel build
More nimble for muni, but still tracks well enough for road use
Low gear on a 29er is a tad bit tall for technical trails
Most important reason of all: I have a Ti 26er frame 
Note that I already have a 36er and though going faster would be fun, I only ride on gravel and it goes fast enough now for what I like to do, my only caveat with the 36er, and the reason I want a 26er Guni is that the 36er is just too big for muni.
I have more fun riding geared 24/26 muni than geared 36. If I were to have one geared unicycle, it would be the geared 26. Mainly because I like riding offroad more than onroad.
corbin