Finally.. phew.. another bent on the road! Woo hoo! New Rider!

[610]

Today I decided to spend all day test riding bents and I finally purchased one! After a year of stupid questions I got the cash together to end my insanity.

I test rode a: Rans V2, Rans Tailwind, and Sun EZ Speedster CX. I was going to test ride a Burley Django but they sold the last one prior to me coming there. Probably a good thing (later on that.)

The Rans Velocity Squared is nice, and with the recent love for the 26's I thought it would be my favorite but I just didn't care for it. It was.. blah.. but that's just how it felt for me. I'm sure someone else would love it. It worked, it just didn't 'connect' with me. If that makes any sense.

The EZ Speedster CX. UGH.. It was like a Squirrel that had just slugged down a Red Bull with a little Meth . I didn't care for it at ALL. I even fell down while on it which was very embarassing. I just didn't find it very stable at all. Fast? Yeah! I even loved the disc brakes. But it just didn't feel very stable. Believe me, I really like this style of bike - and I *WANTED* to love it. But it was just too crazy for me. Because of this, I'm not so sure I would have liked the Burley Django.

The Rans Tailwind is the one I went home with. (To me) it feels VERY stable and pretty quick. I was surprised how much I loved this bike given how inexpensive it is compared to other bikes. Contrary to what others have said, I've found it to be highly stable at low speeds. My X-Seam is 45 BTW right at the top of Rans chart for the Tailwind and it still felt like there was plenty of room.

My only beef with the Tailwind so far is that the seat clamp isn't doing a great job of keeping the seat from going back while I'm pedaling. I didn't notice this while test riding but once I came home I did. Also, I was very surprised that I needed to take the front wheel off to load it into my Honda Element. I thought it would fit without disassembling anything but yeah, it's got to come off. I plan to put a hitch on the vehicle in the near future and put a rack on it.

So far everything is great! Oh my other issue is sore feet. But after doing a search it's probably because I'm using my $29.99 Chinese New Balance walking shoes as opposed to cycling shoes. I'll definately pick those up quickly.

Thanks for all the help guys! Recumbents rock!

[rwgreenberg]

Hi. I bought a Rocket a few months ago and I'm thinking of getting a Tailwind for my wife (she is too short for the Rocket). I had the same problem (as have many) with the seat clamp not holding. There are a number of solutions (I'm not too fond of any of them). The solution I went with (and it has been working) is to cut a rectangular piece of tire tube and place it between the clamp and the frame. The added friction and I guess compression has kept the seat in place just fine. I wrote to Rans and they sent me a picture of a piece of tire tube placed into the clamp which does the same thing as the solution I went with. The only difference is that I don't want to take the clamp apart (way too lazy, and knowing me - I'll screw it up somehow). I have found that it is no big deal to just slip in the piece of tubing when I have to reclamp the seat (which I do a lot because I can't get it on my bike stand without the seat all the way back out of the way. Congrats on your new bike.

[BlazingPedals]

Congrats on the new bike! It sounds like you found the one that 'spoke' to you. And FWIW, that makes you a new disciple of the 'Church of Rans.'

[610]

Thanks for the tip on the tire tube! I should have some of that left over somewhere.

[kat_ryder]

I have a Tailwind also, a geat bike!
I was out on it this weekend and found it to be a fast as my specialized allez on my 20 mile loop.
A faster top speed, I hit 41.5 on a downhill the best I have done on the Allez is 38.5.
My heart rate was lower than when I am on the Allez, and the comfort is better.
I have to say I prefer the Allez when there a lot of cars on the roads I'm on. I'm not sure why.
Mark

[Beezodog]

Thanks for the tip on the tire tube!
If your seat is a RadLoc style you will also find that you can finetune the clamping pressure using the adjustment screws on the clamp. This might be necessary depending on the thickness of the rubber tubing you use.

[JanMM]

Hadn't planned on getting a recumbent but noted a posting on the local bike club's message board a few weeks ago for a low-mileage 2000 Tailwind. After a few days of internet recumbent research and a wobbly test ride I bought it for less than half the price of a new one. Great fun! Only occasionally wobbly from starts now and felt confident enough to put on new 2-way pedals today and clip in on the SPD side.
Very comfortable, stable ride. Haven't noted any seat creep with the older-style seat clamp. Can't imagine giving up my Novara Big Buzz for my suburban/urban commuting but maybe I'll change my mind after a few months. Can't wait to go down some Southern Indiana hills altho not sure I can make it up those hills.