Am looking at purchasing the Sun EZ-3 AX trike and am wondering about weight limit? I found out the EZ-3 SX has weight limit of 250#. Anyon know about the AX?

Also I'm at 240lbs, and plan to add some kind of bag to the bike etc. Anyone weight similiar on a EZ AX trike? I know I'll lose pounds once I start riding.

Is there any info about weight and these bike?

It's quite simple: if the steel framed SX has a weight limit of 250 lbs, the alu framed AX probably has a lower limit. If they don't advertise the limit, then it's almost surely the case.

I am on the portly side, and I have broken several bike frames due to my weight (which isn't too far from yours incidentally). I have learned that:

- Alu doesn't age well, it fatigues much faster with big riders and will eventually break. Steel frames have much more elasticity and many more metal fatigue cycles in them.

- Alu frames may look boxy and beefy, but it's no indication of their true strength.

- Most bicycle manufacturers don't advertise their bikes' weight limits. Either they don't know them, or they don't want to scare away their customers. If they do on some bike and not on others, then it's obviously the latter.

- If you ask a manufacturer (or an LBS) the weight limit on a bike, unless the bike is obviously not meant for big guys, the answer will almost invariably be "we don't know the exact weight limit, but trust us, it won't break with you on it". This is of course bull: once the bike is sold, the sale is made, and they can always pretend you abused it if you come back with a broken frame.

- Most quality steel framed bikes these days can be found on tourers. They are solid bikes by design, and won't let you down. They have a weight penalty of course, but I consider it normal, as a bike that can carry a rider with "upgraded" characteristics should have similarly scaled-up structural integrity.

- Even cheap *-mart bikes, that are made of steel, can be better than many expensive alu frames. I have bought $100 bikes, stripped the frames and upgraded them to Deore level, and they make very fine commuters that never have a problem.

In short, if you ride often, or a lot, and you want a durable bike, stay away from alu frames. I know some on this forum will tell you "X is Y-hundred pounds and rides an alu bike of brand Z without problems" but what I know is that the bikes I ride regularly that are more than 5 years old are steel. All the ones I've broken were alu (two of them 7005 alu).

The approximate bottom line is that aluminium does not have an infinite fatigue life, whereas steel has. Hence aluminium frames etc. have to be carefully designed, not just thrown together, whereas if steel doesn't break after a few abuse tests it's probably OK.
Happy hunting!

Hmm.. well, I'd rather stay away from the SX, since it has inferior parts, and no cambered wheels etc. It's strange they say the AX is a much better model, when the frame is so inferior?

I like the AX and would still like to find out some more info on it.

Isn't there a 10 year warrenty on the aluminum? If by then something happens, I'll upgrade to their newer style trike.

No no, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's inferior, I'm saying alu frames, because they're designed for lighter riders, is a bad choice for heavier guys. Of course, if someone designed an alu frame with extra thick tubes, it would be fine too I guess, although I'm not sure it would have such a big advantage over steel tubes of similar durability.

Where is this weight limit published? I'm surprised to hear such a low number as 250, because I though the entire Sun line was built to hold 350+ pounders. Garner Martin stated once that the average customer for the Sun lineup weighed 275. Even the aluminum EZ Sport LE is a tank.

My mistake, the user manual says 300# which makes me feel better about the aluminum.

I know some people have said the limits are usually low and that many people add on up to 50lbs of accessories/bags...

Hi ppc!

Were the frames you broke steel, aluminum, or other? Were the frames recumbent frames or conventional diamond frames? Where, exactly, on the frames did the failures occur? I'm not trying to be picky - I'm really interested. The stresses in a recumbent frame are bound to be significantly different from stresses in a conventional diamond frame.

Also, in your opinion, how do titanium and carbon fiber rate as recumbent frame materials?

Check out this site: https://www.sunbicycles.com/sun/recum...USX/ez3USX.htm This site says that the EZUSX frame is all STEEL. I going to be checking with my dealer this afternoon and find out what all the confusion is about, as I know that the usx used to be made of aluminum

The Hostel Shoppe up in Wisconsin lists the weight limits in their catalogs, for all the different makes of recumbents they sell. Unfortunately, as of 2005 they stopped selling the Sun line.
When I bought my first EZ3 I was around 270, the EZ3 frame never gave me any problems, but then I don't run over curbs and try very hard to avoid pot holes etc.

All aluminium frames.


Here's the list:

- 2000 Schwinn Moab. Hairline crack at the bottom bracket, where the chainstay meets the BB shell.

- Decathlon FX/1 (photo here: https://users.skynet.be/ppc/FX1/FX1.jpg). Broken in the summer of 2003 at the middle of the beam that goes to the seatpost. The saddle essentially gave way under me as I was going down a small curb. I splattered myself on the road as a result.

- 1999 Veneto Black Ink (photo here: https://users.skynet.be/ppc/Veneto/Veneto_Black_ink.jpg), later modified to be a XC/touring bike mutant. Broke last summer at the rear triangle: half of the lower fork's main weld, 5cm behind the BB shell, cracked and opened up 5mm without warning, as I was peacefully riding on a flat road. I almost got rammed by a car behind me as I swerved in the middle of the road trying to come to a controlled stop.

- 2002 BikeE CT (photo here: https://users.skynet.be/ppc/bents/BikeE_CT.small.jpg). Broke in autumn of 2002 at the bottom of the seatback's frame (alu tubing): the seat was feeling like it was dropping backward. I stopped before it gave up totally. I got it rewelded with a sturdy cross-member. I still have this bike, but I tend to lend it to friends who want to join the local recumbent rides, I don't really ride it anymore.

These bikes were cared for and ridden reasonably, apart the Veneto that I did take to hard trails for about half of the time I had it, before I converted it to a "dirt tourer".

All my steel bikes, however, faired excellently, including my current stable which consists of a Brompton (https://users.skynet.be/ppc/Brompton/...trailer_11.jpg), a hacked $100 Decathlon bike (https://users.skynet.be/ppc/retrodirect_drive/) and an Optima Condor (https://users.skynet.be/ppc/bents/Opt...ndor.small.jpg).


No problem, I'm glad at least some people are interested in the issue. The truth is, there isn't much offering for serious cyclists who happen to be heavy. The industry seems to ignore their needs completely, as if only tour-de-france-thin riders were supposed to enjoy biking without worrying about the structural integrity of their bikes.

Indeed bents aren't stressed the same as DFs. I think the most overlooked piece on a bent is the seat, and particularly the seat mounts. I have broken my BikeE's seat, and I know others who have broken theirs. Apparently, US-style two-piece mesh seats might be more fragile for heavy riders than one-piece shells, although I tried an Optima Baron the other day and the edges of the carbon shell seat felt about ready to crack. It was an optional weight weenie seat upgrade though, mine doesn't feel like that.


I wouldn't know, I'm too cheap to own Ti or carbon But I believe these materials, as well as aluminium, aren't intrinsically worse than steel, it's just that manufacturers use them to make their bikes lighter, not stronger, so they end up fragile for us portlies. If a brand decided to make an alu, Ti or carbon bike that's beefed up to take abuse from heavy guys who tour or want to get into XC or DH, I'm sure it'll end up just as solid as a steel bike, and probably just as heavy too. I doubt that these materials would be as durable as steel, but after all, if you use enough of them, there's a point where the bike becomes unbreakable.

There's also the issue of quality in these materials: many "aircraft-grade" aluminiums are actually pretty crummy (after all, a toilet seat screw in a Boeing 747 is aircraft-grade too). So I think many manufacturers mislead their customers, who don't realize bad alu that is only marginally more solid and light than steel, but ages much worse, is being used in their bikes. I hear the same lowering of quality is happening with titanium these days, as manufacturers struggle to lower the cost of Ti bikes to sell them to under-monied poseurs.

I reckon alu is fine for light riders. I don't like the harsh ride myself, but if others do, then it's a great material. But for heavier riders, a good steel frame that's well cared for will always be better and cost less than an alu frame, and will outlast the latter many times over.

Beatle. reread my message. I'm talking about the AX model, not the USX. The USX is steel, the AX is aluminum.

Thanks for the excellent feedback, ppc - I appreciate it! Now, might ask for your favorite makes / models in steel recumbents (and why you like each)?

Not according to my dealer, who by the way, is also YOUR dealer. Russ Clarke, at Europa Cycle and Ski in Cedar Falls, IA. I asked him about the USX, of which I had a picture of, with me this afternoon. I said that I thought it at one time was made of aluminum, and Russ said that he didn't recall if it was or not.
I asked him if I was interested in buying one, could he get it with over the seat steering? He can't get it that way from the wholesaler, but he can get the parts and put it together for me....so like I said before, if he can do it for me, he can do it for you.
I said that I was 'talking' with someone on the Bike Forums chat site, who's user name was Fishcube. He replied that he was also talking with Fishcube, and had also talked with you on the phone.
I'm dealing with him now to buy the Sun E2 Tadpole CX.....Oh by the way, I live in Parkersburg....small world eh??

hehe..yes small world. Though I've never talked with Europa over the phone. I did get word from them through e-mail about the USX, and was told this "I suspect that one can be put together, but that would void the warranty" I don't care to void the warranty.

Actually, the USX is steel not aluminum. Europa didn't confirm the aluminum and I've never heard of it ever being aluminum. I just thought it strange you quoted my reply when talking about the USX as aluminum, since I never said anything about the USX. I was only talking about the AX.

I am leaning toward the AX, since I want OSS and don't want to have one made differently and void warranty etc. Plus I wanted a trike that wasn't too low.

So, you decided against buying the USX?

Well, I've only tried three commercial steel bents, so I'm certainly no specialist. I tried the Tour Easy, the Zox 20 and my current tourer, the Optima Condor. They all felt like I should buy it on the spot of course, but I must say the one I prefer is the Condor, for the following reasons:

- It's not just cro-mo, it's stainless steel
- It's built like a tank (and is accordingly heavy, but I don't care)
- It uses standard componentry all-round, including the fork
- It has plush suspensions
- It's quiet and stays that way (no creaking). It's important to me that a bike is as quiet as can be.
- It can carry more than a mule
- I'm partial to SWBs and USS

I found the Tour Easy very nice, but I clearly felt the seat wouldn't be so comfortable to me after a while, and it was a bit of a boat to manoeuver in tight spots. As for the Zox, it was weird, a bit unstable, and exciting.

As far as bent brands are concerned, I appreciate Optima for the quality of their bikes, their bikes aren't made in Taiwan, they have an excellent reputation, and they're not too far from where I live. They're a bit pricey though, and I don't much care for their customer service (but I hear it's the standard Dutch way of treating customers). States-side, I think you can't go wrong with Easyracers.

You're three ahead of me - "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king!" Thanks again for the feedback - I appreciate it.

Ya, after looking at a lot of trikes, I decided to go for something on the 'radical' side. I was looking at the Whiz Wheels line, but there again, those trikes are lower to the ground than the Sun line. I'm a tall guy, and need to be able to get my legs under me to get up and out of the seat.
A couple of years ago, my wife and I were in San Diego visiting our son, and he and I went to a dealer and we both rode a Cat Trike....holy buckets, when I go on, I fell into the seat, and when I got off, I couldn't by myself, so my son was pulling on one of my arms, while the salesman was pushing on my butt, to get me up and off.....that's too damn low for me.

Russ never mentioned to me that by having over the seat bars changed for the under seat rig, would void the warranty.
Actually, I never dealt with Sun on any of the warranty stuff when I was having all the problems with the first EZ3. Russ did all the warranty, so I'm skeptical if it actually would void your warranty, and anyhoo the AX is such as good trike, I doubt you will have any problems.
Europa Cycle and Ski gives you a year of free tune ups and I would imagine if anything would turn up they would take care of it....?
I'd talk with Russ about it, he wants to make the sale, and he might make a deal with you on that point.

Another issue, when aluminum fails it fails abruptly without warning. Steel fails gradually, generally incompletely thereby giving you some warning and chance to come to a safe stop.

That manufacturer has been known to custom make heavy duty frames for Clydsdales, though the persons I've heard getting custom framed bikes from Sun were over 300 lbs. Might simply check with sun on one of their upscale models as a less expensive alternative to custom framed bents.