any advice for a guy looking.
can pick up good used one but no experience.

Too little information to make a suggestion. Right now recumbent bikes are in less demand than recumbent trikes so trikes tend to be more expensive for the same quality. If you are considering two wheels, there are several versions with different characteristics. The four that come to mind are long wheelbase, short wheelbase, low racer, and high racer. If you like piloting the Queen Mary one like my 1997 Linear long wheelbase for which I paid $500 in 2001 is great. Comfortable and faster than my trikes. My short wheelbase Haluzak Horizon ($850 in 2004) is a lot quicker turning than the Linear. Both weigh around 29 pounds. The Zak is lss comfortable than the Linear but way better than my old road bike. If you want speed, low racers and high racers are your choice but there are fewer of them used and they will probably be more expensive. I've never ridden either type. I suggest going over to Bentrideronline and looking at the reviews there if you find one for sale. They also have a good for sale section. I bought my second trike from a seller there. Best recumbent purchase I ever made.


I took a look at the North Jersey CL.. There isn't much available.

saw a bachetta strava for good price. looks nice solid reviews I just never took one out on the road.
guy is 2 hrs away so before i set up meeting just curious to get feed back.

Here is one that was listed on Bentrideronline last year by a guy in CT. It sold for $400. Baccheta Strada $400 - BentRider Online Forums If the one you are looking at is this it has been there for a month already. There is likely to be a learning curve with this bike. Another one listed in 2019 for $800 didn't seem to sell since sellers are asked to lock the post or list it as sold once it has been sold. 2009 Bachetta Strada for Sale - SW Ohio - BentRider Online Forums

Bacchetta Strada Recumbent - $925 (Monmouth Junction)

Bachetta has a good reputation. I’ve never had the chance to ride one so can’t give you any thoughts on that aspect. If you’re interested in bents it’s probably a good first ride.

I got a used Rans Stratus XP for $300 on craigslist. It's a long wheel base and rides like the Queen Mary. It was probably not ridden for a few years as evidenced by some rust spots on some of the bolts. But some elbow grease and it runs and looks like new. Changed tires and added an 11/46t cassette for our hills.

I used to build my own recumbent frames back in the 90's and 00. At these prices, it's just a lot cheaper and easier to buy used. Looking at a short wheel base Rans V rex right now for $300. Key is to be patient checking craigslist. I'm in the Bay area so we might have better supply here.

Hope u find one.

The easiest bents to move over to are the long wheel base or compact long wheel base types. The crank is down lower, and not much different than a DF bike. The short wheel base bike while faster, are harder to get used to since the crank is way up in the air. Bents do feel squirrely for the first 50 miles or so, since your are pretty much locked into the seat back. You soon learn to do what I call micro steer, instead of small amount of leaning you do on a DF bike.

But going to a bent is worth it for the comfort.

16 years ago, I bought my first recumbent from Craigslist, a Vision R40 for $500 cash.

I didn't know what recumbents were all about, but I wanted to try it out.
I figure for $500 I can try it out and get an experience, minimal weight supported with upper body, large seating area, back support, etc..
Now 16 years later, I have tried many other recumbent models, I still have the original Vision R40 I bought, but upgraded to a longer wheelbase, newer model:

Compact size, narrow profile, fairly lightweight and easy to maneuver.
It's too bad that the company folded..

I picked this one up for $200, it's old but still worked. Owner had a Rans V2 as well for $400, check the local CL, Offer Up, Facebook, they take up room so people like to clear em out.

Stickbike (straight monotube frame) like the Bacchetta highracers, tend to be the closest in performance to a standard road bike. A new rider should look for a model that has an adjustable seat recline. It's easiest to learn when the seat is a bit more upright, then as you gain experience you can lower it. My favorite angle seems to be around 20-22 degrees from horizontal.

I had to change over to a recumbent because of my hands, I purchased a Bacchetta Corsa rebuilt the bike from ground up. It took a while to master riding a recumbent but now I can ride for hours and hours without my body hurting anywhere. I like the Bacchetta so much I purchased another Corsa just to have as a spare if ever I need one. It took a lot of work to master climbing hills but you will not believe how fast a recumbent is.

I work for the largest recumbent dealer in the US but we sell mostly new. We have quite a bit in stock. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Chris

Hello,
I was trying to find a forum here dedicated to recumbents.
I'm glad I found this!

thanks

If you like this forum, you will really like Bentrider Online at BentRider Online Forums - Powered by vBulletin. It's all about recumbents.

Thanks a lot. I will "dive" into it!

The normal advice is to test ride as many different models and types as you can. One will 'speak' to you. Then feel free to come back here or BROL and ask more specific questions.

Yes, definitely test ride as many as possible, if you can. And not just once around the parking lot; that won't tell you very much. As someone noted, bikes with fairly upright seats and low bottom brackets (generally long wheelbase or compact long wheelbase bikes) are typically easiest to learn. You could probably hop on something like a Sun EZ-1 and just go without any real learning curve. But unless you run a fairing, these bikes are also typically less aerodynamic and therefore slower than short wheelbase bikes with more reclined seats. Trikes are a whole different category. There, the principal difference is between tadpole (two wheels in front, one in back) and delta (one wheel in front and two in back). Tadpoles are much more common, but deltas have their advocates. If you're like most 'bent riders, your first recumbent won't be your last. So, test as many as you can, but don't be afraid to jump in. Like others, I would encourage you to buy used. Trikes are in pretty high demand, so bargain trikes are not easy to find. On the other hand, the market for two-wheelers is soft, so if you look around you should be able to pick up something nice for relatively little cash. In addition to Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace can be a good place to look.

There is also price. I bought my 2000-vintage Sun EZ-1 about five years ago, used for $500, could not have afforded more -- and it has been marvelous, I plan on riding it or one like it until I can't ride anymore. But after a couple years I had the rear 7-speed gears with an 8-speed internal hub and had the front derailleur removed, almost doubled the overall cost, but raised the reliability of the whole 10x. I also put a 2.3x16 scooter tire and tube on the front, for higher pressure and air retention, probably at a cost of some weight. But I can just grab it and ride if I pump tires once or twice per week.