MarthaW

Please help. I am in a quandry. I want to suprise my dad with a recumbent trike. He has a very bad arthritic knee and probably weighs about 325 pounds. The two that I am looking at for him is are the EZ-3 SX and the EZ-3 USX. The portability isn't a big factor. He'll ride it around his house. For an older person with a bad knee, which would be better?
Thanks.

jeff-o

What do you mean, he'll ride around his house? Like, in circles around it?

And, are you sure he'd use it?

I'd choose the SX, because of the steel frame and over the seat steering.

bcspain

My wife and I have ridden both, and own neither. We seriously considered buying the SX for her, but I liked the USX better. You didn't say how tall your dad is, but if he's 6-0 or taller, he may have trouble boarding and riding the SX. My knees hit the handle bars on the SX if they were low enough to be comfortable for me. I really lliked the USX better because of this. My wife on the other hand didn't like the USX for the same reasons. She is quite short, barely 5-0 and had trouble boarding the USX. By the time I'd slid the seat forward enough for her to reach the pedals, the handle bars were too far back to be comfortable.

I'd really suggest that before you spend the money, take him to the shop and let him try them out. Maybe they'll let you keep one over the weekend. That way, you can get the one he likes best.

Oh, the reason we didn't buy a trike? We live and ride on dirt roads, and they are both built a little close to the ground. The rear derailer would sometimes hit a rock or the ground if the wheels were in a hole or rut. And if you do get him an SX, tell him to watch out clipping a curb. My wife nearly toppled over a couple of times by cutting a corner a bit short and hitting the curb with the rear wheel. I didn't have that trouble with the USX but I don't really recall hitting anything either. On the other hand, it didn't take much to right it, she just leaned the other way real hard and it sat back down.

On the other hand, she loved the ride once she got used to its little quirks. And I'd love to have a USX. They are a blast to ride on paved roads.

Good luck with it. Either machine will serve him well. Just pick the one that fits him best.

grezs

If you look at specs, you'll see the seat height on the SX is 4" higher. At 325 lb with arthritic knees, he'll want a higher seat. My wife is 59 with bad knees and she can get on and off her EZ-3 SX with no problem.

bcspain

That may well be, but that's why I suggested letting him try both. I didn't have any trouble with the USX, it was the SX that I had trouble with. My knees aren't bad, I just kept banging them into the handlebars. My wife doesn't have knee problems either, it was just a matter of her legs being too short to get on and off the USX easily. I was too tall for the SX, and she was too short for the USX. I guess that's why they make both of them.