Scylla,
Since you mentioned our trikes, let me help you with a little more info on our brand.
Originally Posted by
scylla
O.K., as I age I am getting the usual aches and pains that come with it, and it is starting to interfere with my bike riding enjoyment. So now I have been looking at recumbent trikes and have the usual sticker shock that bent newbs get I'm sure.
TerraTrike has consistently produced a high quality trike all the while trying to reduce the cost to consumers. We do this by slim lining production, constantly refining our buying power with component manufacturers and offering the recumbent trike rider a large range of options. Many riders who are initially getting into triking do not know or care what a 32 tooth chain ring is or does or the differences between BB5 or BB7 brakes. We offer them alternatives so they don't have to break the bank to get into a recumbent trike. 2 years ago we released the Path model at a never before heard of price of $999, and this year we have released the new Rover model at only $799. These are NOT cheap "Wal-Mart" made trikes. See our website for more info and proof.
Originally Posted by
scylla
My question is this, is the recumbent hierarchy the same as with upright bikes? What I mean is, are there the same chasing after high dollar bike bling that goes on in recumbents too?
Most certainty. Maybe even more so. Recumbent riders are extremely passionate and love to tweak their machines. However, we offer 12 different models starting at $799, so you can comfortably get into triking with any budget, and then customize or upgrade later if you so wish. Again, we want to bring more people to the party so to say.
Originally Posted by
scylla
On uprights I was never tempted to buy like, say, a lightspeed rather than sticking with a mediocre mass produced bike like my tried and true Ibex. I enjoyed the ride immensely and never really felt like I was missing anything.
There a lot of people that buy Ferraris. There are also a lot of people that buy Chevy's.
Originally Posted by
scylla
So, if I were to get something in the range of a cheaper Sun or Terratrike I wouldn't be getting the equivalent a Walmart upright would I ?
We do some of our production in Taiwan. Not China. There is a big difference. You go to china for cost, you go to Taiwan for quality. Unfortunately, this is onw of the ways we can manufacture trikes at a price point. However, we do also offer many models that ARE built in the USA. These come with a little higher price tag because of that, but again, we give the consumer the choice. Also, we've been in business for over 14+ years with very little issues with our trikes. In fact we warranty every model for it's lifetime because of that.
Originally Posted by
scylla
Is there a recumbent trike to just stay away from as in being shoddy Chinese or American crap?
We have a motto that everything we do has to be better than Crap! Yeah we've got a trike at $799, but it feels like a trike of three times it's price. But again, don't take my word for it. Research it, and more importantly go ride one. Much like cars - everyone is going to be different.
Please feel free to contact me direct if you have ay further questions about our product.