Recumbent - custom recumbent builders in portland?

after looking at the different recumbent models available, i think maybe a custom bike might be right for me. i'll spare you the reasons, but basically i think i might want to get a frame made for me.

so, are there many frame builers out there with experience building recumbent frame? i'm abroad at the moment, but when i go back to the US (if i do) i'll be landing somewhere in the Northwest.

after looking at the different recumbent models available, i think maybe a custom bike might be right for me. i'll spare you the reasons, but basically i think i might want to get a frame made for me.

so, are there many frame builers out there with experience building recumbent frame? i'm abroad at the moment, but when i go back to the US (if i do) i'll be landing somewhere in the Northwest.

It depends on what you're looking for, but there's a couple builders around that might be willing to help. The OHPV (http://www.ohpv.org/) has a couple members with custom recumbents (including titanium and carbon fiber), and we occasionally have meetings at the Terracycle offices, where a few custom recumbents have been built. You can ask Jane about her custom arm & leg powered recumbent (http://www.ohpv.org/members/jmachamer/jmac-mt-adams.JPG), but I don't think the builder wants to tackle another.

Bill Stites (http://www.stitesdesign.com/)

IIRC, Keith Anderson (http://www.keithandersoncycles.com), had pics on his site of a custom steel/cf bent that he'd built. Can't find 'em now, but you might check in w/ him. He's in Ashland, I believe.

Scott P
Bend, OR

...........different recumbent models.........

:rolleyes:

How many words can you string together & not actually convey any information? :p


.... I think maybe a custom bike might be right for me.

Ask your doctor! ;)


I'll spare you the reasons, but basically i think i might want to get a frame made for me.
PLEASE DO! I wouldn't want to waste valuable grey matter with nonpertinent details.:o


...so, are there many frame builders out there with experience building recumbent frames?
You mean "diamond frame" builders?

My guess, ..probably NOT.

Are there any "recumbent frame" builders with experience building recumbent frames?

I would say..most of them.


i'm abroad at the moment, but when i go back to the US (if i do) i'll be landing somewhere in the Northwest.
So, .. you're somewhere on the planet. And possibly at a different location in the future.


OK, "flame" out.

2mtr, if you want a "custom" recumbent, talk to recumbent builders. All it takes is MONEY!

Recumbents are rare and expensive to begin with, compared to diamond frames, so custom is only going to triple that. But if custom is what you're after, then by all means, GO FOR IT!!!:D

You need help with that, let me know, I'll hook ya up! :)

BTW...here's a "custom" Tour Easy I painted.

http://mbent.net/cycles/paint_gallery/target8.html

Chill your grille, Doc. What I read from 2mtr's post was that the current commercial offerings didn't float his boat, and he had his own ideas of what he might like. Price wasn't mentioned, and I presume that if it were something that simple, he'd have said so -- enough other newbies sure aren't shy about complaining at bent prices.

I am more interested in hearing what he might want to see in a custom bent. More/less legroom, weight capacity, places to hang touring stuff?

...he had his own ideas of what he might like.... I presume... he might want...

Had any further details been conveyed, you and I, and the rest here, could be offering useful answers.

Instead, I was compelled to be sarcastic. :rolleyes:

(very compelled, very sarcastic, very sorry!) :o

What he asked for was if there were any custom builders in the Great Northwest. If he had left out all the other stuff, you wouldn't have had a problem, right? So he actually gave you too much detail. Oh well; not everyone writes as clearly and succinctly as us! :)

...any custom builders in the Great Northwest?

If Portland,OR counts, then +1 on
Bill Stites (http://www.stitesdesign.com/)

Met him & his tadpole tandem trike at the NAHBS after party. Well, one of them anyway. One of the after parties, that is. Very crafty fellow with some unique designs.

Could be just what 2mtr is after. ...A party? :roflmao:

all i want to know: are there builders who can make me a frame? ****. not a hugely difficult endeavor. i mean, yes or no is a simple choice. if yes, who? if no, then leave it at that.
jesus christ.


now, my reasons for not wanting to buy a production bent are purely ideological -- i don't want to support big corporations (or any corporations for that matter). i want a handmade frame that I know came from a human being not a bunch of welding machines.

all i want to know: are there builders who can make me a frame? ****. not a hugely difficult endeavor. i mean, yes or no is a simple choice. if yes, who? if no, then leave it at that.
jesus christ.


now, my reasons for not wanting to buy a production bent are purely ideological -- i don't want to support big corporations (or any corporations for that matter). i want a handmade frame that I know came from a human being not a bunch of welding machines.
Lightfoot Cycles isn't too far away (west edge of Montana) and does custom work in cro-mo frames.

There's not a whole lot of custom recumbent builders out there.
~

Lightfoot Cycles isn't too far away (west edge of Montana) and does custom work in cro-mo frames.

There's not a whole lot of custom recumbent builders out there.
~


see. that's what i'm talking about. perfect response.

....i want a handmade frame that I know came from a human being not a bunch of welding machines.

That's interesting....I don't know of ANY recumbents made by "a bunch of welding machines". :rolleyes:

They just aren't that common yet.

And personally, I find your lack of willingness to support a recumbent "corporation" as ignorant & short sighted. Easy Racer, Inc. makes some fine & well known recumbents, yet it is a dozen or so "human beings" hand making each frame. Same way they've been doing it for what, 20 years now.

You want a "custom" recumbent frame built, that's fine. Why don't you indicate that you have the slightest idea what you're talking about by giving us some clue what appeals to you & what doesn't.
Do you like short wheelbase? Above seat steering? Trikes? Are you wanting speed or are you touring/commuting?

Or did you just decide that having a "custom" weird new fangled bike would be a nice little bauble for the gold chains around your neck? :roflmao:

Seriously..ask questions we have some hope of being able to answer acurately. :p
That will quickly eliminate the sarcasm.;)

And speed the helping! :D
I have 15+ years experience with recumbents, so I can be quite helpful. I just need specifics. :)

That's interesting....I don't know of ANY recumbents made by "a bunch of welding machines". :rolleyes:

They just aren't that common yet.


Ditto... although the Actionbent bikes are built in Taiwan, but I'll bet they're built by a very skilled human welder.

As I said originally- when you get to Portland, come to an OHPV meeting. A lot of times we meet at the Terracycle offices, so you can take a look at what they're working on. They share space with Bill Stites, so you can pick his brain, too. If you want to look at custom upright stuff, Vanilla Cycles is right around the corner.

I've been around recumbents since the late '70's... there's not much I haven't seen.

(Yo, Doc- have you ever done custom paint on a Gold Rush? I'm thinking of something like pearl yellow.)

I've been around recumbents since the late '70's... there's not much I haven't seen.


Ever seen a Thebis??? :p


(Yo, Doc- have you ever done custom paint on a Gold Rush? I'm thinking of something like pearl yellow.)


Here's a link to a Tour Easy I did for Gardner.
http://mbent.net/cycles/paint_gallery/target8.html

And a picture of the rare Haluzak Traverse that I did with Spin wheels & PPG's Harlequinne paint.
That one became the Haluzak logo.

Ever seen a Thebis??? :p


This is getting a little OT, but what the hey.

Watched 'em come, watched 'em go...

Thebis: RWD, RWS delta trike. 24" front wheel, 20" (451) rear wheels. Built in Victoria, British Columbia, IIRC. Many, many, many custom-machined parts.

I looked one over at a bike show in the late '80's. My thoughts about it then and now: a superb execution of a poor design.

Jeff

.... a superb execution of a poor design.
+11ty billion! :roflmao:

I refer to it as the "ultimate Rube Goldberg"!
There are 11 separate pieces that hold the rear derailleur to the frame! :rolleyes:

But one detail you left out..........it has POSI-TRACTION!!!! :D

Why don't you indicate that you have the slightest idea what you're talking about by giving us some clue what appeals to you & what doesn't.
Do you like short wheelbase? Above seat steering? Trikes? Are you wanting speed or are you touring/commuting?


Because it's not necessary information. The only information that is necessary is that I want to know if there is a recumbent builder in the Northwest. If there is, fine. If not, then say so. The steering, the wheel size, my intended use, etc. won't change the existence of a builder or not.
I'm not going to be fodder for your masturbatory geekery.


And as far as I'm concerned, 12 people in a corporation is still a corporation. I want to work with one person on something like this, not a company.

Theis is based in victoria!? I have to have one! I live there..er um here... I did think "hey Dr. D has one of those" when I first saw the elderly couple that ride up the lane every day on their matching thebis recumbant trikes.

I'm not going to be fodder for your masturbatory geekery.


Me thinks it's a little late.:p I've always wanted to try a bent, but never really found one that I could stand the sight of. Maybe someday.,,,,BD

2MTR-

You could check with Sam Whittingham (Naked Cycles http://www.timetogetnaked.com/)--he's a custom builder who is certainly familiar with recumbents (he set and holds the fastest speed record in cycling history -- on a bent). He doesn't list recumbents as something he builds, but he might be able to do it.

Also, most of the "big" recumbent companies aren't all that big. If Easy Racers were going to do a frame for you, you could go down to Freedom and meet the guy who was going to build it.

Also, it does matter what kind of riding you want to do and/or what kind of bike you want.

For example, there's Bender Cycles--just one amazing man--if he's still building, in Bend, Oregon. He does a CF SWB for road and mountain riding. That's all he does, so if you're looking for a steel LWB for the road, he wouldn't be able to help you.

Lightfoot really specializes in mountain bikes.

Etc.

Good luck.

Eric

I'm not going to be fodder for your masturbatory geekery.

Quite sorry about that. I've been troubled recently and shouldn't have taken it out on you.
My bad! ..Very bad, in fact. I promise never to do it again. :o


...And as far as I'm concerned, 12 people in a corporation is still a corporation. I want to work with one person on something like this, not a company.

Even one person shops can be incorporated, or at least a "company". So why the aversion?
Sorry...just curious.

2MTR-

You could check with Sam Whittingham (Naked Cycles http://www.timetogetnaked.com/)--he's a custom builder who is certainly familiar with recumbents (he set and holds the fastest speed record in cycling history -- on a bent). He doesn't list recumbents as something he builds, but he might be able to do it.


He certainly built this one:
http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/costin/forte_bike.htm




For example, there's Bender Cycles--just one amazing man--if he's still building, in Bend, Oregon. He does a CF SWB for road and mountain riding. That's all he does, so if you're looking for a steel LWB for the road, he wouldn't be able to help you.


I think he's still on hiatus. He was at the Wasco race a couple years back: he rode his bike there, removed all the touring gear while he raced, and then put it all back on and rode home.

Jeff