Recumbent - My new Sun EZ Speedster SX!!!

I just got a schweeeet deal on a Sun EZ Speedster. I just picked it up today and rode it about ten miles, much of it in heavy traffic (downtown Brooklyn, NY). I have never ridden a SWB recumbent before, and everything I read said it (and particularly this bike) would be shaky. The last wobbly death machine I owned was a Linear. I figured if I could ride that thing and not die, I could ride anything. Much to my surprise, it only took one pedal stroke, and I was on my way. No problems. I was weaving through traffic in no time flat!

I'm very excited to FINALLY have a real 'bent, and to have gotten such a great deal on the thing. It looks like its got about ten miles on it. The plastic is still on the SUN logo! Three hundred and fifty bucks!

Recumbents don't get any cheaper than that, and I'm not relegated to riding a Bike-E.

Thanks to this forum for providing so much great information in the past. Now I'm gonna go fly my new UFO.


--Matt

Welcome to the world of recumbents. Glad to hear that you are having fun with it already.

Getting the 'weave' out of steering a SWB does take a while, glad your previous experience made the time shorter. Continue to enjoy.

I just got a schweeeet deal on a Sun EZ Speedster. I just picked it up today and rode it about ten miles, much of it in heavy traffic (downtown Brooklyn, NY). I have never ridden a SWB recumbent before, and everything I read said it (and particularly this bike) would be shaky. The last wobbly death machine I owned was a Linear. I figured if I could ride that thing and not die, I could ride anything. Much to my surprise, it only took one pedal stroke, and I was on my way. No problems. I was weaving through traffic in no time flat!



--Matt

A LWB Linear is a very stable ride. Funny that you had a problem with it.

A LWB Linear is a very stable ride. Funny that you had a problem with it.

The Linear bike was one that I found tied to the ceiling of a bicycle co-operative in New Orleans after Katrina. It was technically my "first" bent. It was very incomplete and so I had to improvise the steering linkage. When you moved the handlebars, it front wheel would move about a half-second later (due to tubing flex). It was a wobbly death machine, and a lot of fun. Had I intended to keep it, I would have purchased or fabricated a proper steering linkage.

The bike was sold to a NOLA resident, and I understand it can still be seen tooling around outside the French Quarter.

Neat. I have a LWB Linear. It was my first bent also. I also had the SWB Linear. Now THAT one was twitchy. It is currently being redesigned by the guy who took over making Linears, because it is so twitchy. It's a shame, because it was also the most comfortable recumbent that I have ever ridden, most likely because of the very high bottom bracket. It was extremely fun to ride, but a "widow maker." I finally sold it a few years ago.

If you're going to ride a 'bent, it needs to be sexy.

Really sexy.

Because if its not a sexy bike, people walk up to you and they're like "You're a Ron Paul supporter, aren't you?"

omigod, my Tailwind is not sexy; are people gonna think that??

omigod, my Tailwind is not sexy; are people gonna think that??

Well, I am a Ron Paul supporter, actually.

Point is, if I was riding a Fujin SLII, people would think its a lot cooler than my Sun Speedster. WTF is that thing called a "speed"ster anyway? It weighs 40 f-in pounds.


--M

WTF is that thing called a "speed"ster anyway? It weighs 40 f-in pounds.

I see your point, but I spent two months on a Speedster CX last year and I was able to keep up with most of the roadies. I also noticed that the Speedster is quite a climber despite of its weight.

I see your point, but I spent two months on a Speedster CX last year and I was able to keep up with most of the roadies. I also noticed that the Speedster is quite a climber despite of its weight.


I guess it is pretty snappy, but it doesn't feel snappy. I just threw a fixed cog on my Langster, and it FEELS faster even if its not any faster than my 'bent.

I took my recumbent on the Sheldon Brown Memorial Ride here in Brooklyn, NY. It was only my fourth time on the bike but I have to say I'm really comfortable on it. I have a couple of tweaks to make it fit better, but otherwise, it feels like a part of me. As I mentioned before, the SUN EZ Speedster ain't a sexy bike, but my opinion about it is changing. Every now and then, I'll find something and touch it, and immediately know that it works for me. From the first pedal stroke, I knew this was a good machine. Now I'm sure I'll have it for a long time. I bought a Nishiki mountain bike back in 1996, and I still have it today. It has been a constant in my stable and will continue to be. In fact, if I could only keep two bikes, I'd keep the SUN and the Nishiki.

If your Linear was twitchy, it was not the fault of the bike but the fault of not having the underseat steering mechanism properly set up. I ride with two other Linear owners. One has only an SWB, the second has both an SWB and an LWB Linear, and I own two LWBs (one bought for spare parts). None of us have a problem with the bikes being twitchy and they cover all of the different manufacturers except Mr. Bicycleman. My 1997 Linear has over 5,000 miles on the computer. It is as stable as any other LWB recumbent. The problems with twitchiness arise when the owner does not properly tighten the ends on the tie rods or lets the handlebar attachment get sloppy. There is an adjustment at each end of the tie rod. You adjust the tightness on the tie rod by turning this screw in and out with a hex wrench. It has to be quite snug, just short of making the rod bind. There are also some washers that lie between the handlebar and the frame. If the handlebar feels loose (i.e., can be wiggled vertically too much), just add another washer or two to snug it up. Make sure you tighten the bolt holding the handlebar on quite securely and for the first hundred miles or so carry the allen wrench needed to retighten it just in case. One great thing about Linears is that there are so many used ones on the market at reasonable prices that they are a very affordable bike for new riders.

Oh yeah... The old Linear I used to have was not representative of the brand. I found the frame dangling from the ceiling at a local bicycle collective called Plan B in New Orleans. The rear was bent, but I straightened it out using bubble-levels and prybars. The bike was unstable because I had to make a steering linkage out of some threaded rod I got from the local hardware store. Not the fault of the bike at all.