Recumbent - Actionbent Road Runner...anyone tried?

This little bike interests me greatly...for looks, for price, for components. Anyone test ridden one or own one?

i just bought one-only got 35 miles on it. Al. frame and carbon fiber fork . It is very quiet bike to ride.If you want to find out more go to yahoo groups actionbent. I think I got alot for my the money.Bruce

I just bought one also. My first bent. Its been a great bike so far. I've had it about two weeks and about the same mileage as the post above. The shipping box arrived intact. There were some extra holes in the box but Randy at Actionbent had stickers all over the box requesting to keep it upright. No parts were missing.

Assy was done by me and I did it over a period of 30 hours on the weekend. I made a couple of chain mods. The second one worked out well (see pix below). Been commuting back and forth to work with it and casual rides on WE. I had to ride it home in the rain yesterday after work and it was quite stable and surprising considering the narrow tires. I was hemming and hawing between black or Yellow and decided to go with Yellow.

I chose the RR because I liked the BB placement. With the BB slightly lower than the riders hips just seemed more natural to me than riding with your feet way up in the air. Any more questions i'd be glad to answer. Pictures:

http://photobucket.com/albums/v86/xlr8also/Recumbent/

HI there,

Newbie question(s). Is the Actionbent available in the USA? If so, for how much does it retails?

Thanks

Javier

Hi Javier,

Yes,it is available in the states. Go to Actionbent.com for details.
I'm not sure if giving prices is OK on this forum.

The Road Runner looks nice, but can you find a front tire in any bike shop? I've never heard of that tire size before. I was looking at the Tidal Wave, which has a slightly higher BB, and a 26" rear and 20" front wheel.

This how the Actionbent bikes break out:

Road Runner

Rear/Front
700/451

Tidal Wave

Rear/Front
700/451

Jetstream

20" x 1.5 front

26" x 1.5 rear

Looks like you would have to go with the Jetstream if you want to shop at the LBS. I never heard of that size either (451). When I'm on the flats with the road runner I'm not thinking of tire size...just swoosh swoosh :D Actionbent is coming out with a High Racer...26" front/26" rear if you can wait:

Actionbent High Racer 26/26" http://www.recumbent.com.tw/HTM/hr.htm

This how the Actionbent bikes break out:

Road Runner

Rear/Front
700/451

Tidal Wave

Rear/Front
700/451

Jetstream

20" x 1.5 front

26" x 1.5 rear

Looks like you would have to go with the Jetstream if you want to shop at the LBS. I never heard of that size either (451). When I'm on the flats with the road runner I'm not thinking of tire size...just swoosh swoosh :D Actionbent is coming out with a High Racer...26" front/26" rear if you can wait:

Actionbent High Racer 26/26" http://www.recumbent.com.tw/HTM/hr.htm

I wouldn't want one of those with two 26" tires. I got the model name wrong, I was thinking about the Jetstream. I remember looking at several tire company's websites and couldn't find any with that size tire. My calculator, if I'm doing it correctly, shows the 451 as a 17.75" tire. I'm just hoping my local shop can assemble it once it comes in. The wrenches there are pretty good.

Edit: I spoke too soon. I found an "index" site, and Sheldon Brown's Harris Cyclery both say the 451mm is a 20" tire. Both IRC and Kenda make good tires for that size.

We both did the same thing. After your post I went to an on-line cent to inch converter and came up with 17". I knew it cant be right. Even though it is a 20" wheel it still is a high pressure tire (110 psi). In my case I'm assuming the LBS can order it and I can wait if need be. I have Kenda 20" tires on my Dahon Boardwalk 6 also (60 psi).

The Road Runner looks nice, but can you find a front tire in any bike shop? I've never heard of that tire size before. I was looking at the Tidal Wave, which has a slightly higher BB, and a 26" rear and 20" front wheel.

That is one issue I have with this bike. There are two sizes of 20" tires. There is the most used 406 tire. Then there is the virtually unknown 451. While some bent use them, they are harder to find tires and tubes for. The two sizes are not compatible.

there are several online bike shops that have 451 tires , one of which is www.hostelshoppe.com.Bruce

there are several online bike shops that have 451 tires , one of which is www.hostelshoppe.com.Bruce

I am glad this was mentioned. That webpage illustrates my point. They carry four 451 size tires as opposed to sixteen 406 tires.

Don't get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with 451 tires. They are just less common.

That is one issue I have with this bike. There are two sizes of 20" tires. There is the most used 406 tire. Then there is the virtually unknown 451. While some bent use them, they are harder to find tires and tubes for. The two sizes are not compatible.

My Tour Easy SS was stock with the 451...LBS changed it to a 406. Doesn't seem to be a difficult conversion issue...

This little bike interests me greatly...for looks, for price, for components. Anyone test ridden one or own one?

I own one... a model from a year and a half ago, like the mid-rider or roadrunner (without suspension).

I must say that the handling is extremely unstable. The front end wiggles and jiggles, and you really need a firm grip on the steering to keep that to a minimum. I'm very disappointed with the frameset geometry.
Having owned several bikes (several road racing bikes, a track racing bike, a mountainbike), been racing and riding all my life, I have a good idea about desirable handling characteristics... and this one has none of them. I'm not even sure if the front-rear weight distribution is correct as it flipped over forwards despite the low center of gravity, in an emergency stop to avoid a car that ran a stop sign where I didn't have one.

The only thing I like about it is the very laid-back riding position that makes for good aerodynamics, and the "real" recumbent seat (instead of a padded tractor seat with a seatback like you see on many recumbents).

I have an '05 and had absolutely no problems with it. It has front and rear suspension and a 406 in the front and a 559 in the rear. Ready to crack 4000 miles. It's a good value! I assembled it myself and only had to go to the LBS for a small length of chain and a couple master links. Added a hostel shoppe back of the seat bag along with a pump and an Astrale 8.
I also have and ride a Baron so I know what a stable bike is. RR is not unstable, a little more flexible, maybe. I would check the headset and the wheel brgs. Doesn't take much to make things wiggley :twitchy:.......tire can even do that!
Good luck.....................let us know what you find. :D

Hey Chili,
You are not that far from me. Come on up and eyeball mine! Or we could meet somewhere, if you would like!

................jim

LOL, no it's not loose bearings... besides, this kind of wobbles can't be achieved by loose bearings or a crooked-mounted tire! It takes much more than that.

I'm not unfamiliar with bicycle mechanics... my first summer job was as a mechanic back in 1985, and I've raced, been team trainer after that, and for over 2 decades, I've taking my racing bike apart (and I mean everything, even the components themselves), cleaned bearings and repacked them... everything is in pristine condition, and my 20+ year old racing bike still looks like it just came out of a store yesterday.

So no, it is not the bearings in the wheel or headset that are loose, or the tire on crooked...

But my Actionbent, with everything tightened to spec, everything perfect, is wobbly as hell on the front end.

My hunch is that it's the steering geometry that is just wrong! Very wrong!



I have an '05 and had absolutely no problems with it. It has front and rear suspension and a 406 in the front and a 559 in the rear. Ready to crack 4000 miles. It's a good value! I assembled it myself and only had to go to the LBS for a small length of chain and a couple master links. Added a hostel shoppe back of the seat bag along with a pump and an Astrale 8.
I also have and ride a Baron so I know what a stable bike is. RR is not unstable, a little more flexible, maybe. I would check the headset and the wheel brgs. Doesn't take much to make things wiggley :twitchy:.......tire can even do that!
Good luck.....................let us know what you find. :D

this thread had been sleeping for almost four years when it was reawakened a few days ago

And Chilli doesn't even seem to be around to enjoy the rebirth!!!

And Chilli doesn't even seem to be around to enjoy the rebirth!!!

that's sad