I came across an HP Velotechnic trike rider for the first time about two weeks ago. I had met him previously riding a Terratrike Tour. His new trike is equipped with Schlumpf Speed drive as well as the standard gearing the trike came with. It was a beautifully crafted trike, one of the nicest I have ever seen and is a custom job from Utah Trikes. According to him it cost $6K which is about $1K more than it would take to replace my Greenspeed GTO and all of its optional equipment (Schlumpf Mt Drive and Hope brakes). His has suspension and a hard shell seat, something I would be a bit wary of in the hot desert but he said it was very comfortable and designed to breathe. I doubt that recumbutt would be a problem on this trike, given the seat design. I have gotten it on my Haluzak Horizon with a very upright seat, but not on either of my trikes which are more laid back. Like other high end trikes (GS, ICE, Catrike) it will probably serve you for years to come. I've been exceedingly happy with the durability of my GS trike. It's an important consideration if you are a high mileage user. No doubt, given the looks of this trike and the components on it, it would probably be just as durable.