TourEasyTom

I wanted to try the recumbent thing without spending too much $. Found an OLD Tour Easy for cheap. Now I am trying to learn to ride it, and learn more about it. First attempt at riding was scary at low speed, but definitely feels comfortable.

I has old side-pull brakes and no luggage rack or anything. 10 speeds, and has a strange crank that has a pivot with a spring thing, never seen this on a "stand-up".

Does anyone know how I might get an owners manual on this on Tour Easy, or find someone who might know a little about it?

Thanks

osco53

https://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/index.php

They will know.

The Crank with pivot n spring sounds like a schulmph drive,,i know i speeled that wrong
Sounds like you got a very expensive drive system..

As for the wobble at low speeds,,lean back into the seat, relax and keep your head and eyes up and looking forward.
Hold the grips like you have a dove in each hand and you want it to be able to breathe.
The bars may be too far from you,,elbows need to be bent...

BlazingPedals

If it's a Schlumpf, it's a 2-speed internally-geared bottom bracket. A button at the center is used to shift it, the outer lever is an option to make it easier to find the button while pedaling. At a guess, it's probably a Mountain Drive, which gears down by a factor of 1.6x; so for instance a 42/52 chainring set would become a 26/32/42/52 equivalent.

TourEasyTom

Thanks BP but it is a 10 speed, 2-speed front/5 Rear. Has "bar end" shifters, steel framed, aluminum handlebars, aluminum seat frame which is adjustable by sliding along top frame rail which has a machined aluminum track bolted to it. I will post some photos.

Thanks for your reply.

BlazingPedals

Yes, please do. You've got me curious, and probably everyone else too. I'd like to see the seat/rail, and the crankset. A TE of that vintage should have the Cobra seat, which bolts onto the frame. What you're describing almost sounds like a RANS seat conversion.

osco53

A TE clone maybe ?

TourEasyTom

I looked closer and found it is a Powercam Crankset. Took a little getting used to but getting more comfortable with it. One thing I have noticed, and not sure if it's a gearing issue, but the Tour Easy, even in low gear, is very hard to pedal uphill, when compared with my upright. Is it normal for recumbents to be harder to pedal uphill, since I don't have the benefit of my body weight helping push down on the pedals?

Thanks

Jeff Wills

Holy Crap! A Powercam crank? Those are incredibly rare. If yours is intact, I would suggest you have a good bike shop remove it so you can preserve it for future generations. Then you can replace it with a more modern triple crank with more appropriate gearing. The gearing on the Powercam crank was very high due to the "cam" arrangement attached to the bottom bracket.

Here's info on the Powercam: https://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA/PowrCam_main.htm

As you found, recumbents tend to be harder going up hill than uprights. It's better to gear down, spin the pedals, and winch yourself up the hill. Mashing big gears doesn't get you there any faster, and it tends to beat up your knees.

BlazingPedals

Yes, I had a set for a while. It took an unusual 144mm BCD for the rings, and the set I had was without rings; so I never got to try it out. The documentation recommended overgearing by 30% to take advantage of the cam effect. It's back with its original owner now.

TourEasyTom

Jeff,
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I don't suppose the Powercam has any 'antique' value to some eccentric collector?
My comfort level and balance on the recumbent are improving rapidly. Your suggestion of the triple-crank swap makes good sense as I deal with a lot of hills hear in western NC.

Thanks again.

TourEasyTom

Thanks Blazing, can you tell me what gearing might be recommended for a recumbent that must handle very steep hills?

BlazingPedals

Generally, the accepted 'standard' for bents is to aim for a 25" low gear. Lots of people aim for lower than that if they have steep hills to climb. A crankset of 26/42/52 and a freewheel of 13-28T would give you a 24" low. To get that chainring combination, you'd have to start with a standard road triple, then replace a standard 30T granny ring with a 26T one. Depending on how much lower you might want to go from that, you could also use a mountain bike crankset of 22/32/44, which would give you a 20" low gear but you'd lose about 15 gear-inches at the top end vs the 52T big ring. If you go that route, you should probably get a mountain FD, to match the smaller diameter of the big ring.

Modern bikes have 9+ gears on the cassette (instead of a freewheel,) and the tooth range is more like 11 to 32 or 34. Changing from a freewheel to a freehub would require a new rear wheel, new shifters, and having a shop re-space the rear dropouts from 127 to 130 or 135mm.

Jeff Wills

"Eccentric" collector? That's a bad pun for a Powercam crank.

There's a few out there, but you'll have to find the right person to get decent money for it. It's more of a curiosity than practical equipment. You could put it on Ebay with an outrageous minimum bid to see what its "real" value might be. Also, Larry Black at Mt. Airy Bikes in Maryland might have an idea, but I think he already has a Powercam crank (or two) in his collection.

A friend of mine led bike tourists through the North Carolina "hills" during Bikecentennial. 35 years later he's still a monster climber.

sch

Bent + hills is a challenge for 98% of riders. Reason #1 bents are heavy, your TE is at least 30#, might be
more. #2 you only get a small fraction of the upper body contribution that you get climbing on an uprite.
Just for giggles get your uprite out on a reasonably long hill and go up the hill with just your fingertips on
the bar and compare climbing ease to your usual hearty grip on the bar. Now notice what your forearm
and biceps muscles are doing as you climb gripping the bar. Those contractions add a lot to your down thrust by the legs climbing, and you lose most of that on bents because you can't pull on the bars anywhere near as usefully.
You can push back into the seat and increase leg push that way, but best climb technique is learn to
spin.

TourEasyTom

Being a Newbie, I have no idea what you mean by "learn to spin"...........Please explain
Thanks
Tom

JanMM

Spinning is pedaling faster rather than slower for the same speed. More efficient use of the engine - you and your legs.

Jeff Wills

Exactly. It's also important to learn to apply light pressure all the way around the circle. I see too many people "spinning" by using a low gear, but then only applying power in little pulses at the forward (top) part of the stroke. Pedaling with a long, moderate stroke is the ideal, and it takes practice. I need to re-train my legs to do this every spring.

On a recumbent, a good feedback mechanism is chain bounce. If your chain is bouncing up and down as you pedal on a smooth road, you're not spinning smoothly. If you listen to the chain and make it steady down, you will automatically be pedaling more smoothly.

TourEasyTom

Thanks Jeff,
Definitely sounds like something that will take practice. Thanks for your detailed explanation.

Tom