Ez-1 SC with shifting problems???

[bigmoose]

Have had the 'bent for a couple of months. I've just past 100 miles on it. I really never liked the shifting from the time I test rode it. Seemed to skip in the rear sprocket going up or down. Usually use the middle sprocket in the front. I took it back to the shop a couple of times and had them adjust it at least three times each visit. After the last visit I was told that maby I was putting too much preasure on the drivetrain as I shifted and that was causing it to skip gears. Also told a recumbent has more cable and for that reason the cables are more likely to strech for a longer period of time. This morning I went for a ride on a very flat highway and took it real easy while shifting and it still skipped a couple of times. I was just wondering if other EZ-1 owners had this sort of problem and what I might be able to do about it?? I really like the bike otherwise! Thanks!!!

[Ritz]

I have the same bike... but no problem with shifting. Try the Easy Racers site.

[bruceha_2000]

My wife has an EZ-1 SC Lite. I don't think she has had problems with it skipping gears, she hasn't mentioned it so I suppose not. I rode it once a couple of weeks ago and it was reluctant to go to the #1 ring on the front. She said she never had that problem.

[bigmoose]

Thanks to those who responded. Done some research and chatted with another fellow EZ-1 owner and decided that my problems were caused by driver error. I must remember to be nice to this bicycle and shift nice and easy and anticipate a little sooner as to when I shift. Doing these things the problems seem to be better. Thanks Again!!

[Dan Smith]

Don't know much about bikes. I've had my EZ-1 SC for a bit over a year. The shifting isn't great, but I'm too lazy to have the bike tuned; I just live with it.

On the rear gear, everything works perfectly except for one gear #5, which it has a definite tendency to skip over in when shifting in either direction. That is, when I shift from #4 to #5 I often find that I'm in #6, and if I shift from #6 to #5 I often find that I'm in #4. The fact that every other gear seems to be perfectly aligned with the detent in the shifter, and the fact that it jumps over it in both directions, makes me think there actually is something not quite right, but I have no idea what it might be.

On the front gear, um, cassette? it looks as if things are actually a little out of adjustment. All the click-notches are a little lower than they should be. Shifting up, for example, it's a little balky, and to get it to snap in quickly I need to turn the shifter a little past the notch. If I shift from 2 to 3, the chain tries to climb up onto the cog but doesn't always make it. If I shift from 2 to, say, 3-1/4 as it were, the chain climbs right onto the cog. Then I can put it back into the 3 notch and it stays there.

I figure that a) maybe these aren't the greatest components in the world and b) maybe all the adjustments are more critical due to the cables being so long and c) maybe it just needs a tune and d) if I can't be bothered to bring it in to a bike shop I shouldn't complain. (It's about ten times better than the $200 "mountain" bike I had before).

[megaman]

The shifting I figure that a) maybe these aren't the greatest components in the world and b) maybe all the adjustments are more critical due to the cables being so long and c) maybe it just needs a tune and d) if I can't be bothered to bring it in to a bike shop I shouldn't complain. (It's about ten times better than the $200 "mountain" bike I had before).

According to my LBS b and c are correct. I have my bent tuned about once a year and I always tell them of any issues and it shifts really well for quite a while. But if I'm putting a lot of muscle to the pedal when I try to downshift it'll still shift poorly.