I guess I'm missing something. I can "wheelie" the front wheel of my recumbent up a curb. Stomp the pedal while leaning back and it hops up.
Very few people have the stamina to stand on the pedals for more than a short hill. A friend and I rode a recumbent and a regular touring bike from Oregon to San Francisco with camping gear in panniers. We would switch bikes and I don't remember either being particularly worse or better when climbing inland to campsites. When we got to San Francisco we used a bike path map to find and ride all the 25+ % gradient streets and alleys.
For a short hill any upright will be faster. Longer hills, equal weight (recumbents are usually heavier) and the answer becomes "meh."
Very few people have the stamina to stand on the pedals for more than a short hill. A friend and I rode a recumbent and a regular touring bike from Oregon to San Francisco with camping gear in panniers. We would switch bikes and I don't remember either being particularly worse or better when climbing inland to campsites. When we got to San Francisco we used a bike path map to find and ride all the 25+ % gradient streets and alleys.
For a short hill any upright will be faster. Longer hills, equal weight (recumbents are usually heavier) and the answer becomes "meh."