utility recumbent search

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by jawnn
😎
Im looking for a recumbent that will last, with no problems and carry a back rack and a BOB trailer... any imfo wil help.

I just broke the rear drop out of the specialised frame I had for * years.

Talk to:

http://www.lightfootcycles.com/

I'll bet they can build you one you can't break.

Jerry

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

😎 Im looking for a recumbent that will last, with no problems and carry a back rack and a BOB
trailer... any imfo wil help.

I just broke the rear drop out of the specialised frame I had for * years.

Try not to limit yourself to pre-conceived notions about utility bikes based upon DF limitations.
First, perhaps you do not need a a trailer. But if you do, I think you might find the Bacchetta Giro
suitable for your needs. Even without the trailer, it is quite a mule.

Instead or in addition to a rear rack, consider an underseat rack. Something that is not an option
on a DF. My Giro can carry 80L in the underseat and rear panniers and I have addition storage in the
seat bag and rear rack top.

I am quite proud of my utility bike equipped with SON hub, fenders and two racks. Here is a picture:
clee.org20030307GiroPanniers.jpgOpen ↗

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

"Cletus Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

In article [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

😎 Im looking for a recumbent that will last, with no problems and carry a back rack and a
BOB trailer... any imfo wil help.

Try not to limit yourself to pre-conceived notions about utility bikes

That's good advise.

There is probably a wide spectrum of utility bike applications, everything from running to the
grocery store to pick up a few items or a week's worth of food and supplies (bulky/heavy) to pulling
a canoe or bringing home a load of garage sale treasures or building supplies. %^)

A BikeE would be hard to beat as a cheap and durable errand runner/utility recumbent in my opinion.
It won't set any speed records, probably, particularly up hills, but for shear hop-on-and-go user
friendliness, it's hard to beat.

An XL or XXL model has plenty of room behind the seat for adding a "luggage box". I have a 20 liter
plastic storage box I can attach behind my BikeE AT/XL seat.

The CT models will also pull a BOB trailer reasonably well. Single-wheeled trailers are not
recommended behind BikeEs with rear suspension. (I pulled a BOB with up to 75 lbs with my BikeE AT
with no apparent damage prior to BikeE recommending against such trailer use.)

For real hauling utility, perhaps a recumbent trike should also be considered. I seem to recall a
website showing recumbent trikes in *serious* utility configurations including with trailers.

Jon Meinecke

Cletus Lee <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

😎 Im looking for a recumbent that will last, with no problems and carry a back rack and a
BOB trailer... any imfo wil help.

I just broke the rear drop out of the specialised frame I had for * years.

Try not to limit yourself to pre-conceived notions about utility bikes based upon DF limitations.
First, perhaps you do not need a a trailer. But if you do, I think you might find the Bacchetta
Giro suitable for your needs. Even without the trailer, it is quite a mule.

Instead or in addition to a rear rack, consider an underseat rack. Something that is not an option
on a DF. My Giro can carry 80L in the underseat and rear panniers and I have addition storage in
the seat bag and rear rack top.

I am quite proud of my utility bike equipped with SON hub, fenders and two racks. Here is a
picture: clee.org20030307GiroPanniers.jpgOpen ↗

Take a look at organicengines.comSUVOpen ↗

Jay

Jon Meinecke said:

"Cletus Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

In article [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

😎 Im looking for a recumbent that will last, with no problems and carry a back rack and a
BOB trailer... any imfo wil help.

Try not to limit yourself to pre-conceived notions about utility bikes

That's good advise.

There is probably a wide spectrum of utility bike applications, everything from running to the
grocery store to pick up a few items or a week's worth of food and supplies (bulky/heavy) to
pulling a canoe or bringing home a load of garage sale treasures or building supplies. %^)

A BikeE would be hard to beat as a cheap and durable errand runner/utility recumbent in my
opinion. It won't set any speed records, probably, particularly up hills, but for shear
hop-on-and-go user friendliness, it's hard to beat.

An XL or XXL model has plenty of room behind the seat for adding a "luggage box". I have a 20
liter plastic storage box I can attach behind my BikeE AT/XL seat.

The CT models will also pull a BOB trailer reasonably well. Single-wheeled trailers are not
recommended behind BikeEs with rear suspension. (I pulled a BOB with up to 75 lbs with my BikeE AT
with no apparent damage prior to BikeE recommending against such trailer use.)

For real hauling utility, perhaps a recumbent trike should also be considered. I seem to recall a
website showing recumbent trikes in *serious* utility configurations including with trailers.

Jon Meinecke

I agree that a BikeE CT is an excellent choice for a utility bike. I have under seat and rear racks
with four folding open topped shopping bag panniers plus the huge BikeE seat bag giving me lots of
carrying capability. I also use a BOB trailer for bigger loads. And a lot of big stuff can be simply
lashed to the back of the seat. Just today I brought home a 4 ft x 4 ft wooden pallet that way. Cars
gave me lots of room on the way home!

A specialized recumbent cargo trike would be a good idea if you needed to haul big loads on a daily
basis but probably would be overkill for most people. A more economical choice may be a heavy cargo
trailer like Bikes At Work (bikesatwork.combikesatwork.comOpen ↗).

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

"Americans are broad-minded people. They'll accept the fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a
dope fiend, a wife beater, and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive there's something
wrong with him." Art Buchwald

[QUOTE][i]
I agree that a BikeE CT is an excellent choice for a utility bike. I have under seat and rear racks
with four folding open topped shopping bag panniers plus the huge BikeE seat bag giving me lots of
carrying capability. [/B][/QUOTE]

So glad to see others have discovered this fabulous quality of the BikeE. I mounted my pannier rack forward of the seat, using a spare skewer set mounted a foot or so ahead of the seat at the front of the pannier rack, and the skewer under the front of the seat for the back of the pannier rack. This allows me to easily toss anything down there. (I originally did it because I upgraded to the Evolution modified Rans Seat base for BikeE from Calhoune, which because it's wider, nothing would fit under the seat.) But now, I have tons of room, and if I wanted, I could do the same on the back, and have 4 pannier racks like the gent above.

Those collapsable wire pannier baskets are handy, you can toss just about anything into them and it won't bounce out, then fold them out of the way when not needed.

If I get a Giro or a Maxarya, as I am thinking I may do, I will keep my beloved '96 BikeE for friends, as a pack-mule, and as a "beater-bent" to leave parked outside when needed.

I just got home with about 60 pounds of groceries, and again, it is remarkable how that does not affect the handling characteristics when the weight is below the seat on a BikeE (I'm sure it would work as well on other bents, no? Q: is there something special about the BikeE layout that makes it better than other bents for this?)

I recall carrying heavy loads in pannier bags on an upright, and it was always so precarious, especially when getting on/off the bike. I've smoothly carried 4 full paint cans in my bikeE pannier baskets, I can't imagine how that could be done securely on an upright, short of a trailer.

🙂

Moosebear said:

I recall carrying heavy loads in pannier bags on an upright, and it was always so precarious,
especially when getting on/off the bike. I've smoothly carried 4 full paint cans in my bikeE
pannier baskets, I can't imagine how that could be done securely on an upright, short of a
trailer.

Where do you get high-capacity baskets for this? I'd love to have some for my EZ-1. Currently we're
hanging tote bags off the seat, but it would be nice if I could find something different.

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. -
Mother Teresa

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Melinda Meahan
Moosebear wrote:

Where do you get high-capacity baskets for this? I'd love to have some for my EZ-1. Currently we're
hanging tote bags off the seat, but it would be nice if I could find something different.

Hi Melinda, you'll need a pannier rack first of all, Sun bikes accessories are actually quite reasonably priced...

http://www.sunbicycles.com/03/accessories/recumbents_03.htm

It looks like they have a "rear carrier" and an "under seat carrier". I'd presume the under seat would be better, both for weight distribution, and probably you can reach into them without getting off the bike. (grabbing sunglasses, water, whatever)

How you attach stuff to them is up to you. I don't like nylon pannier stuff bags because they don't hold that much and are fussy to deal with. But then, they are designed for touring, I use my panniers to carry stuff around the city.

I have a $10 collapsable wire pannier basket screwed on on one side. For normal trips around the city, I just throw a little backpack into it. If needed, I can attach the backpack to my seat and fill the wire pannier basket with other stuff. The other side of the pannier rack I leave empty, except when I go grocery shopping, I clip on an open nylon pannier bag.

As I said, the underseat carryiing of heavy stuff is so remarkably stable, it is a major advantage for recumbents over uprights. If you carry stuff often on your EZ-1, a pannier rack would be a worthwhile investment.

Moosebear said:

Melinda Meahan said:

Moosebear wrote: Where do you get high-capacity baskets for this? I'd love to have some for my
EZ-1. Currently we're hanging tote bags off the seat, but it would be nice if I could find
something different.

Hi Melinda, you'll need a pannier rack first of all, Sun bikes accessories are actually quite
reasonably priced...

sunbicycles.comrecumbents 03.htmOpen ↗

Oh, I had no idea they made that! Thanks BUNCHES!!!!

((((SMOOCHIE)))) ((((SMOOCHIE)))) ((((SMOOCHIE)))) ((((SMOOCHIE)))) ((((SMOOCHIE))))
((((SMOOCHIE)))) ((((SMOOCHIE)))) ((((SMOOCHIE)))) ((((SMOOCHIE))))

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. -
Mother Teresa

Well, I'll tell you about my setup, and you be the judge. I own (and love) a Quetzal 105. It is probably the cheapest recumbent on the planet. It is a long wheelbase with a 20" rear wheel and a 16" front, underseat stearing and a 105 speed drivetrain. The componentry is definitly entry level (Alivio) but it works extremely well . I have rigged it with a rear carrier on which I mounted a small Rubbermaid Action Packer (transversly)
I pull a Bob Yak with my camping gear with absolutly no problems. The bike shows no sign that it objects to my weight. ( I am 240 lbs)
I have taken it on 3 tours ranging from 600 to 800 km and it works just great
I don't think Quetzal offers the 105 any more, but I think they still make the aluminum version, and it has a higher level of componentry(Deore I think)
You can check it out at www.quetzal.ca

Dan Burkhart said:

Well, I'll tell you about my setup, and you be the judge. I own (and love) a Quetzal 105. It is
probably the cheapest recumbent on the planet....

I expect that this bike is even cheaper. <http://www.mile43.com/peterson/wb.html>

Tom Sherman - Planet Earth