Recumbent - Best beginner bent?

OK, so I'm trying to convince the boss that a recumbent is the way to go. In order to convince her, the recumbent will need to be as easy to ride, as visible to motor traffic, and as manuverable as a DF bike.

I'm thinking I should try a long wheelbase with a low bottom bracket. If the seat isn't too reclined (initially ;) ) and there is no chance of falling while starting or stopping, she might go for it.

What do y'all recommend?

In my opinion, Far Horizon, you've described it perfectly! I have a Burley LWB and it, like several other LWB low BB above seat steering recumbents are exactly what I recommend to people who are starting. There is almost NO learning curve with them, at least as far as safety is concerned, you are sitting upright and can see well, high enough to be seen easily by traffic, and are really comfortable, with both feet on the ground when you stop. And if you stop to admire the scenery you always have a nice recliner chair with you! The shorter wheelbase, higher bottom bracket ones are a little trickier to ride, and in my opinion, not so traffic friendly as the feet flat on the ground ones. They are great machines too, but for the beginner I'd reecommend a LWB lowBB machine!
Burley, Rans, Easy Rider, and a number of other manufacturers that I can't think of right now, all make good entry level machines, and also some extremely well made cream of the crop machines. Even most of the entry level machines can be upgraded as I did when the original components wear out, and retain good resale values should you wish to trade up.
The only downside, a minor one, is that because of their long wheelbase thay are a bit more difficult to transport than their shorter wheelbase brothers, and of course are a bit heavier. But lots of racks are available commercially and can be easily built as well. (I welded up several for bent drivers around here!)
I routinely let others ride my bent (I'm a bit of a bent evangelist) and never worry about them smucking up! They wobble a bit for the first hundred yards, then off they go with a smile on their face! The only problem with trading bikes for a couple of miles is that often you almost have to fight to get it back! Ha! I should get a cut from the manufacturers as I've had many riders buy various LWB bents after riding mine.
Which one to get? There are quite a few good ones out there. Depending on your locality I'd ride as many as you can, and make your choice from that and who or what shop will give you the best after-purchase service. Although most bents have standard bicycle components, there are a few things that might need more tweaking up in the first couple hundred miles because of their longer chains, cables and things like that, although they are usually as easy to monkey wrench as a standard upright (?upwrong?) bike.
Good luck and have fun.

Rans Tailwind was the easiest recumbent I've ever ridden.

I met a guy on my ride this morning riding a Rans - I stopped him & talked for awhile about recumbents. He recommended an "Tour-Easy" or something like that? I'll look into the Rans Tailwind and the Burley. Unfortunately, I'll not be able to test ride any - there isn't a bent dealer in the entire State. I'm going to Mineappolis sometime this Fall to visit my daughter, and there's a big 'bent shop there. I'll look while I'm in town. THANKS for the feedback!

Easy Racers EZ Sport!

It is just about a Grand,
but has all the nice features
of a more expensive bike...
nice components... 26 inch
rear wheel... comfortable and
good to go for touring or the
long rides if you wanted.

For a bit more, you could
get a lighter frame.

I wish in a way I had bought
this one first but at the time
all they had for entry level was
the EZ-1. I am happy with that
bike too, but to keep up with the
Roadies or stay with the group, I
would recommend RIDING an EZ-Sport
to see what you think...

See and read all about this great bike at:
http://www.easyracers.com/ez_sport.htm

If you want that, pl;us speed, go with a P-38. Best bent made for all conditions, IMHO.

It all depends on what kind of riding you're going to be doing. If all you'll be doing is MUP riding with little to no road riding then a 'bent similar to a BikeE may best fit your needs. If you're going to more road riding then MUP then something like a mid range Rans, Volae, Lightening or Tour Easy would probably be best.

I ride a Vision. Vision went out of business but a lot of the former employees went to work for Waterford Cycles. They make the Volae frames. Volae is the house brand for Hostel Shoppe in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The frame geometry are very similar to the Vision frame style. So I image the ride & feel are the same too. My Vision is a SWB, I think it is a great all around recumbent. It is very responsive & handles well on both MUP's & roadways. I can take it out & ride a short sweet 20 miler or go out & do a full century. When I get another recumbent it will be a Volae.

As a 15 year 'bent rider, I would say BikeE is the BEST beginner recumbent. I still have my '97 with XL frame & 2 seats. The second seat is for the little ones. Also made footpegs for passenger stability. The seats are the best design ever, as they quickly & easily adjust to fit most riders. A 7 yr old has ridden mine on a 25 mile ride. With the XL frame it will fit a rider that's 6'6"
Of course BikeE went the way of oh so many 'bent companies. So SAD! That's why I'll NEVER sell mine.
So, what dooes that do for you? Not much, unless you are an eBayer. I have seen the BikeE's sell for $400-$600, depending on model. That's FAR LESS than they sold for originally. I think mine was over $1,100. EBay is also a good source for the other 'bents mentioned in this thread. Keep searching and have your PayPal account fully loaded!:D
To help you win an auction, try BidSage! Go to their site and download the software, it's FREE! And it works great. I have won may items for CHEAP with it.
Good luck and welcome to the recumbent world!
Dr.D

Having never ridden a Bent, I test rode some early this summer. The Burley LWBs felt the most like an upright. I ended up buying a used Bike-E LWB. It's a similar ride. A friend of mine has a SWB Rans, and I rode it recently. Loved it! Eventually I'll probably get a SWB...

The Rans Tailwind is a compact LWB bent and is a dandy. The Tour easy is made by easy riders and is their slightly heavier LWB bent meant more for touring, but a great all around bike. Their "gold rush replica" is a bit lighter and another top of the line bike.
Bike E was a good bike but they went out of business. Apparently they used some proprietory parts rather than all standard bike components and these can be hard to get. If you can, buy two (they are cheap enough) so you can use one for parts.
The P-38 is a high bb sports car! A good bent but could be a bit more of a learning curve for a beginner.
Visions and volaes are short wheel base high bottom bracket bikes and depending on the model, can be real rockets, too, but a bit harder to ride.

I've already owned a Bacchetta Corsa and a Catrike Speed. I didn't like the steering on the SWB Corsa, and was too close to the ground on the Speed. Having looked at photos of all the suggested models in this thread, I'm most interested in test-riding the Tour-Easy, Gold Rush, and Ti Rush. Now to get to a dealer...

Not to put in a commercial for any one company, but Easy Rider will send any of its bikes to you through a recognized bike shop (has to be a brick and mortar shop, not a home garage or internet site) If you don 't like it they advertise a money back guarantee for 30 days.
Not the same as a test ride, but they are a very reputable company and after meeting a couple of their staff at a bike ride last winter I was impresssed by their apparent honesty and sincerity. I don't have an Easy Rider and have nothing to do with the company, so this is not an endorsement or commercial.

Don't forget to test ride the Rans Stratus while you're there. The Easy Racers site also lists two dealers in Minneapolis.

Bought a used 2000 Rans Tailwind on a whim this past Spring and have found it to be well-built and user-friendly. Did I mention comfortable and fun? Absolutely no previous 'bent experience prior to the test-ride which was a little shaky but no worse than when my wife and I first rode our KHS tandem in the dealer's parking lot. No regrets on buying either bike.

The Tour easy is made by easy riders
FWIW, the Tour Easy is made by E Z Racers. The Easy Rider is the one I painted that sits in their showroom at the factory. (pic on my site; mbent.net)

R.I.P. Gardner, we miss you buddy!

I've already owned a Bacchetta Corsa and a Catrike Speed. I didn't like the steering on the SWB Corsa, and was too close to the ground on the Speed. Having looked at photos of all the suggested models in this thread, I'm most interested in test-riding the Tour-Easy, Gold Rush, and Ti Rush. Now to get to a dealer...

Glad you brought this up, yes, you'll definately want to test ride the Tour Easy. It's an incredible ride. Do compare to any of the LWB's that Rans has to offer as well - they are also a wonderful product and well tested over the years. You really can't go wrong with either one. If you can, spend as much time as you need to test ride every (LWB especially) that they have. When you think that you know which one you like best, ride it again. All of that accumulated riding experience on different 'bents, even in 1 afternoon, will serve you best.

make a list of the bents you think you would look the best on, and then try them. pick the one you enjoy riding the most

The Rans Tailwind is a compact LWB bent and is a dandy...


+1 for Rans.

If you are starting out, get a Tailwind if you like long wheelbase, or a Rocket if you dig short wheelbase.

If you order a new one, you may even consider the funky, new, super adjustable handlebars.