I hate to be a complete newb but I am in the weeds. I could go to a bike store but I am worried about being taken advantage of.

For the last couple years I have been riding uprights and have recently not been able to continue due to 2 major issues:

1) I have problems in my male nether regions that make it very painful for me. It should get better in time but there are no guarantees.

2) I am suffering from lower back problems.

I've looked at Recumbents online for quite sometime but am bewildered about the selection. It's quite frightening!!

I was hoping you could help me by pointing me in the right direction.

1. The bicycle would be build clydesdale tough. Have you seen an upright Kona Hoss? Kind of like that - something that is build strong even if it weighs a ton.

2. Very portable - it will fit in an Honda Element or Station Wagon without any major disassembly.
I know there are many recumbent types but I'm not sure what this would go best with.

Based on these criteria, what would you pick? I know many Recumbents have weight limits - which by the way, I am 300lbs. Does that narrow it down any?

With best of intentions,

610

Unfortunately I know next to nothing about recumbants, but you might want to look at some of the alternate upright saddles like:

http://www.bycycleinc.com/pages/contact.html

I

I hate to be a complete newb but I am in the weeds. I could go to a bike store but I am worried about being taken advantage of.

For the last couple years I have been riding uprights and have recently not been able to continue due to 2 major issues:

1) I have problems in my male nether regions that make it very painful for me. It should get better in time but there are no guarantees.

2) I am suffering from lower back problems.

I've looked at Recumbents online for quite sometime but am bewildered about the selection. It's quite frightening!!

I was hoping you could help me by pointing me in the right direction.

1. The bicycle would be build clydesdale tough. Have you seen an upright Kona Hoss? Kind of like that - something that is build strong even if it weighs a ton.

2. Very portable - it will fit in an Honda Element or Station Wagon without any major disassembly.
I know there are many recumbent types but I'm not sure what this would go best with.

Based on these criteria, what would you pick? I know many Recumbents have weight limits - which by the way, I am 300lbs. Does that narrow it down any?

With best of intentions,

610

My contribution is to let you know that a loooooong wheel base bent, the Easy Racers Tour Easy fit right into my Honda Element. Just laid the back seats down and put the bike in on it's side. No problem...plenty of room. And that's a long bike!

You'd probably be most comfortable on a long wheelbase. However, a long wheelbase might not fit in a Honda Box; only a test-fit would tell for sure. Good for clydsdale 'beginners' would be something in the Sun EZ lineup (http://www.easyracers.com/), like the EZ Sport. If the fit is close but not quite, the EZ1 is a little shorter by virtue of the 20" rear wheel. Another option would be something like a RANS Rocket. The weight limit for the Rocket is supposedly 275, but that 2" main tube and trussed frame is strooooong! Anyway, if you ride much, you'll be there in no time. The Rocket would be easier to fit in a car, but that feet-in-the-air position might not be comfortable for you. I'm enclosing a pic of both. The EZSport retails for $925 and the Rocket retails for $1174. The EZ is heavy, the Rocket is... well, a rocket.

I'll 2nd the motion about the Rocket but I'm not exactly impartial :) Lots of buyer's guide info on
'bents at www.bentrideronline.com

Don't feel bad - I share the same "issues" as you, in regards to the "numb-nuts," back problems, and weight. I've been shopping around on the 'net quite a bit, but can't make up my mind which bike to get.
Check out the Big-Ha. Their website states that their bikes have a weight limit of 400 lbs. Looks like a sweet bike, if the price tag doesn't kill you.... http://www.bigha.com/start_exploring/what/index.php
Good Luck, and let me know if you discover something better...

Thanks for all the help :o) Those Bigha bikes look a little expensive but I will take a look at the Rans / Sun bicycles.

By the way, I've noticed that most recumbent bicycles have 1.5" tires. Is this going to be big enough to help avoid pinch flats?

I am about 300 Lbs (used to be 330). I have a lightfoot cycles explorer LWB.
I added a air free tire on the back (26") and have had no problems. This bike is a tad heavier than some of the others, but I wanted something that would work for me, and the weight did not concern me. But what did happen is I have been riding it more in a month than I did the prior 10 years with my DF. But it is 7 feet long (there abouts).
They have since added new models to their lineup (http://www.lightfootcycles.com/).

Check out several manufacturers. Email them and ask about weight limits. You might have to go with high spoke count wheels, or heavy spokes. Keep looking. Try to ride a few if you can.

Oh, bnet1 has a good point. At the time (couple/few years ago) when I was checking into it, most did not support 300+ pounds of engine. BikeE said they could if I double rimmed the wheels (not sure what that meant) but Lightfoot Cycles and the Tour Easy were about it. Linear was coming out with their Welded frame and said that would work, but it was still a few months from release. Most only "supported" 250 lbs as the weight limit. Things have changed over the last couple years, but it might be something to check before you buy.

The EZ Sport will support 300 lbs. they claim, with the proper rear wheel(Aerospoke or tandem). However the bike is 85" long. The seat folds down and the front wheel can be easily removed to make it a little more compact. It's still a large heavy bike though. I have had one for almost three years. I still love it.

By the way, I've noticed that most recumbent bicycles have 1.5" tires. Is this going to be big enough to help avoid pinch flats?
Since 20" tires are the same size as a BMX and 26" tires are the same size as a mountain bike, they can both be found in sizes from 1 1/8" up to 2+" Except for racing models, most frames can fit any size that'll fit on the rims. So, if you find yourself getting pinch flats, it's easy enough to get fatter tires.

I started out with a Sun EZ-Sport Limited (aluminum frame). It is a sturdy, well-built recumbent that is very comfortable, but I found the seat height to be a little too tall for me (it is 26.5 inches high I believe). The bike retails for $1249, the the steel and chr-moly frames are a bit less (and heavier). I am only 5'4'' tall so ended up with a bike with a lower seat height. However, when I started out on the Sport I weighed 250 lbs and felt the bike could have supported much more weight easily. If you are interested, I am thinking of selling my Sport. Just send an email if you are interested and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Also, you see the Sport offered on ebay now and then, sometimes the aluminum frames, sometimes the heavier ones. It pays to shop around a bit, but my guess is, once you decide on a bike and get one, you will wonder why you waited so long! Good luck on your search!

One big plus for the EZ1 and EZ Sport are that they are easy to learn and to ride. I almost got an EZ1 as my first recumbent, back when Garner Martin still made them himself.

A 36 spoke 20" wheel, such as on the EZ1, is unbelievably overbuilt for a normal 150 pound person, and should handle a 300 pounder with aplomb; and the front 16 inch wheel is even stronger, despite only having 28 spokes. For a 26 inch wheel to be that strong, it'd need to have 48 spokes!

The Sun EZ speedster series is one of the few SWB models with a solid 300 lbs weight capacity. EZ SX, EZ AX (cromoly) and EZ CX (aluminum). Not the fastest bent in the woods and a little heavier than most. Thats the model I would look at.

Unfortunately,, I dont know of any bike manufacturer that goes up that high with weight. I can suggest that Burley goes to 275 and I wouldnt be concerned about breaking one of those. I would also suggest full suspension,, that will help if you can find a shock and fork to handle the weight. An alternative, would be to ride indoors,, and get the weight down first, by the way,, an indoor bike,,the upright type,,can be cobbled up,,,to allow riding it from the back,,in the time honored recumbent position. All it would need is some way to stabilize it,,,when your pushing hard with the pedals. Also,,since you want a heavy duty bike,, consider building one from a 20 20 bmx bike,,,,they are all heavy duty,,get a long wheelbase one if you can find one,,in steel,,,,and weld a boom on,,,,,figure a way to control the chain,, add a soft seat if you dont want to go with suspension,,and add at least 1.75 tires and rims with 48 spokes. I think you will find something like that,,,,,nearly bulletproof,,although,,it will tend to ride more harshly than a big wheeler recum. I personally am nearly that size,,and have found that,,,the above suggestions should work for you.

Well by what youz are saying the recum biz has changed with these higher weight limits. Thats good,,,and long overdue. For absolute bulletproof wheels,,,,try to find twenty inch 48s,,,I have used them on a recum tandem,,,,total weight,,,,570 lbs,,,,,,they run straight and true,,,,,now for ten yrs, also suggest,,,,tioga comps pool tires,,,,at at least a hundred psi,,,,,,can go to 120 with safety me thinks. It looks like us big guys are in luck with the newer heavier duty selection of recums. Cant wait to go shopping.

Damn man learn to punctuate. That comma crap is giving me a headache.

I hate to be a complete newb but I am in the weeds. I could go to a bike store but I am worried about being taken advantage of.

For the last couple years I have been riding uprights and have recently not been able to continue due to 2 major issues:

1) I have problems in my male nether regions that make it very painful for me. It should get better in time but there are no guarantees.

2) I am suffering from lower back problems.

I've looked at Recumbents online for quite sometime but am bewildered about the selection. It's quite frightening!!

I was hoping you could help me by pointing me in the right direction.

1. The bicycle would be build clydesdale tough. Have you seen an upright Kona Hoss? Kind of like that - something that is build strong even if it weighs a ton.

2. Very portable - it will fit in an Honda Element or Station Wagon without any major disassembly.
I know there are many recumbent types but I'm not sure what this would go best with.

Based on these criteria, what would you pick? I know many Recumbents have weight limits - which by the way, I am 300lbs. Does that narrow it down any?

With best of intentions,

610

If you can find a used BikeE AT you will like it. They are more comfortable than those high price "low race" or performance recumbents. Going fast is not important when riding or walking a recumbent and you will enjoy slow riding with a BikeE. The most important thing is for a recumbent to support a big fellow like you. If the seat is too hard you can duct tape some foam pad to the seat and the ride will be cushy.

Spuds

Please don't use duct tape. And please excuse Spuds. Someone left his cage open and we're desperately trying to contain the mayhem.

Why not look at a trike? They'll hold your weight, are very comfortable, and are lots of fun. I'd specifically look at the terrarike - they are basically bombproof.

Catrikes are getting to be very popular, too.