If you enjoy riding LWB recumbents, then I think you'll love the Tour Easy. As you say, the weight savings compared to an EZ Sport are no big deal -- not many recumbent riders quibble over a few grams, or even a kilogram or two -- but the overall geometry and "feel" of the bike are fantastic. I'm embarrassed now that I can't make that point more quantitative...but more than any other bike I've ridden, the Tour Easy gives me a sense of "this is exactly what a bicycle should be."
I prefer the mesh seat to the cobra, but I've ridden both, and I think you'll be happy either way. A lot of people find the cobra seat better for climbing, but I just make sure to carry low enough gears that I can spin up any hill at decent rpms...we've got some ridiculous mountain grades around here, and I'm no slower climbing them on a Tour Easy than I am on an upright road bike. (Which is to say, I'm pretty damned slow either way...but sooner or later, I
do reach the top of those mountains.)
Originally Posted by
bkaapcke
The guys in the factory were ok with it but management said no.
One of the things I love about Easyracers is that the management
are the guys in the factory. First time I wandered in there, I was greeted at the door by Gardner Martin (RIP Gardner -- we miss you, but your friends are doing a great job with your company.) These days, I always run into Freddy Markham, Denton Coetzee, or both...and they are always glad to drop whatever they're doing to help solve some puzzle I've run into while working on my bike. Putting a carbon cobra seat on an EZ Sport is exactly the kind of challenge they seem to enjoy...so if the "management said no", it's probably because they gave it a shot, and they found that it wouldn't work.