Actionbent, what's the deal?
 

I've long been attracted to recumbents (trikes in particular) but the cost of entry has put me off for quite a while now. I recently discovered Actionbent (web address is the same) and am pretty well blown away at how affordable (in comparison) they are. The website is pretty much all there is though, and some of the specs are a little vague. It seems to be an importing operation run by one guy. Has anyone here got an Actionbent and can share their thoughts? Why are they so much cheaper than other ones? Are there a lot of no-name parts? Was there anything you had to replace soon after you got it? If this has been covered before, sorry, but search is disabled.

There seems to be a ton of bents on eBay currently. Many of them Actionbents.

Yeah it seems like they are even a little cheaper on ebay. Does anybody here have one, or know someone that does, and have impressions?

I just bought an Actionbent Road Runner. I too was attracted by the price. I believe the price is lower due to the fact that you're not dealing with an LBS. Bike comes partially assembled. If you're a decent bike mechanic you can have it up and running in an evening. I had a LBS build mine.

Componentry is Shimano on mine. Not top of the line nor bottom, but gets the job done just fine. Some bikes include upgraded componentry. There's nothing on the bike so useless that it must be replaced immediately, although some people put their favorite parts on anyway. There's room to upgrade if you desire.

Transaction was flawless. Randy, the owner, is consistent with communication and straightens out any problems if there should be any. The guy shipped it immediately. It doesn't get much better.

* Know this: some bikes may have a sliding boom, and if you take it to a LBS for assembly plan on taking a visit after it arrives to get the boom fitted to your reach. Unless you are particularly tall they may even have to cut a chunk of boom off. It's no big deal, but if you go with a sliding boom bike, plan on getting fitted before they can complete the bike.

You could say that I am more than pleased with the bike. A few others here own Actionbents and have nothing but good news also. I test rode a barrage of Burleys, Lightnings, etc. - the usual suspects - and my bike seems no different in ride, quality, etc. Just costs way less. What's not to be happy about?!

I have one of the Actionbent Tadpoles. They are a blast!
Here's a pic of a 240lb, 6'2" rider on the trike:
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1149730906

You can also see the video HERE

This is definitely a nice trike for the money. Can things be improved? Sure; for only money anyone can do anything. At this time, I have no real complaints. 2 hour assembly and I would have been rolling if I had the adapter for inflating the tires. Tuning the trike was just as simple.

What are the pitfalls of the tadpole design?
1. Rough roads feel rough (DUH)... On a bike you can stand up to absorb shock; in case of the trike, it is directly transferred to your butt, back, and head (if you use the headrest). Also remember that each wheel tracks in its own groove, so any one of them can give you this jolt.
2. The bearing in the front wheels seem to be straight up ball bearings. This means that they are not specifically design for side load. This also means that you will feel this 'restriction' when you corner sharp. I don't know if other trikes have a similar or improved front wheel bearings. I think retrofitting them should be very simple once more appropriate bearings are identified.
3. The idler on the drive side of the chain could use some improvement. It is a very basic wheel on a bearing with a cage around it. I suspect a better design may make the trike a bit more efficient.

Again... this trike is $1300-1400 compared to the closest competion at $1700- and most starting in the $2500- range. That's a lot of personal choice upgrades the first of which I would recommend the $5- flag!

The trike rolls very well and the comfortable layback position just makes you want to ride more. I've done the first group ride last weekend and kept up fine with the group; rode through a festifal crowd without running over anyone's feet; and even crossed a very narrow bridge on the pedestrian walkway.

This thing is just plain addicting. You do have to pedal a little harder and it does work some new muscles over your normal road/mtn bikes. I wouldn't throw out the conventional to go to a trike, but a trike is sure a novel mode of transportation to spice up the fitness quest.

I think Actionbent actually has two guys working there as I've talked with Randy and Steve. They are both friendly and helpful. And yes, they come from TW Bents in Tiawan.

Oh... and if you use the Shimano clip-in shoes, you're set... These come with dual use pedals :)

Hope this helps in your decision.

"Edit: Ashen... You don't live far from Redmond, WA. Why not schedule a day trip to visit Actionbent?"

Redmond? Oh geez, I WORK in Redmond. I could probably arrange that, ha.

I have an A-bent JSII, it is awesome! My only complaints are about the idler, but only because it is a bit noisy. no problems. I would highly reccomend an A-Bent!PM me if you have any more questions.

Ashen,
The deal is......obtain a decent bike at significant savings. Sure, you have to assemble it, so what? That way you know what you are riding. I have a Road Runner Full suspended from AB and other than having to go to the LBS for some extra chain (9 links), it was a fun filled afternoon to get it ready to go! I now have 500+ troublefree miles on it and because of it I am riding a lot more than when I was hurting myself on an upwrong. BTW, most of the AB's on eBay are from Randy at AB. I'll tell you what my wife told me as I was agonizing if I should get a bike on the 'net without a test ride: "Get the d**n thing and try it out, if you don't like it, sell it!" I am riding more and enjoying it a bunch more. Be prepared for lots of attention!

..........jim, old geezer, recently bent, spinnin' and grinnin' after 60+ years on a wedgie

Actionbent was the vehicle that got me into recumbents; the price is not prohibitive for most, and one can rest assured that the investment can be nearly totally recovered if you sell it locally. I've still got my original first generation jetstream--still the best buy. There are definitely areas for improvement both in design (I dislike the low BB) and in service (only two guys running the show), but if you're a decent bike mech you should have no reservations.

China Mascot
 

I *think* all Actionbents are re-branded China Mascot bikes.

Perhaps you are thinking of TW Bents?

Thats the ticket Bikes n Drums! I love my Abent! Especially the green color!

Affirmative.

Good luck with service on your AB. It is definitely a hit or miss situation. It appears if you buy one from eBay you’ll get great service as long as you are within the period which you can leave feedback. Some aspects of the bikes are excellent and others are very mediocre. This can even vary on one particular model without rhyme nor reason. For example there appear to be random running changes that seem to have no bearing based on serial numbers.

If you are looking at a trike, there IS a good competitor at that price range. WizWheelz entry level trike is a pretty nice trike for the money. It is built in the US and unlike AB the company has GREAT customer service.

If you have done your homework check out some of the AB related groups. Some of the tales of woe are pretty discouraging. Coming from a total objective viewpoint the issues people have reported seem to take a LONG time to get fixed (if ever). For the people that are AB fans they seem to just gloss over when they have an issue with the bike.

I had previously considered an AB but their customer service turned me off pretty quickly. I don’t need any hand-holding to get my bike set up but I sure wanted the piece of mind that if it was defective I would be able to get the defective parts replaced in a reasonable period of time. Of course your mileage may vary.

If you can’t get through the teething problems most of them seem to have, then you can have a decent bike/trike for the money. Sadly it is the customer service via Randy (the distributor/dealer for the US) that seems to be the issue. Apparently other people that contacted the “home” office had much better luck, myself included.

So if you can live with quite likely non-existent or crappy service then buy an AB by all means. Carefully check the AB specific newsgroups to see if the model you are considering has any “known” major issues. All of Randy’s beta-testers, oooopppps, I mean customers, may have already found the solution to the problem you are likely to have. In the event of one of the trikes it appears the idler wheels need some help. No problem, a $170 idler kit from Terra Cycle can help reduce the amount you saved versus another buying a trike from another company.

If you are in Canada you are lucky and you can use Jeff at www.rebel-cycles.com. He understands what customer service is about. Sadly he can’t ship to the US but if you lived near the border and had friends that lived there I’d consider buying a bike from him and having it shipped to your friend north of the Border ehhh.

Wavshrdr,
So have you actually had a bike from AB? Or are you just here to talk ****? I haven't had any issues. When you buy a biek from AB, you should know that you aren't buying from an LBS. I have had only excellent service with Randy and Actiobent.
I don't mean to be an ass, but who are you to talk **** if you haven't even worked with Actionbent?

I was pretty curious about that too. This part:

"I had previously considered an AB but their customer service turned me off pretty quickly. I don’t need any hand-holding to get my bike set up but I sure wanted the piece of mind that if it was defective I would be able to get the defective parts replaced in a reasonable period of time. Of course your mileage may vary."

seems to indicate that he chose not to buy an AB because of the stories he read. Then this part:

"Sadly it is the customer service via Randy (the distributor/dealer for the US) that seems to be the issue. Apparently other people that contacted the “home” office had much better luck, myself included."

seems to indicate that he personally escelated a problem above Randy to the mysterious "home office". Not sure what that means, since Randy is the U.S. distributor working with a company in Taiwan.

I rode tonight with a guy who owns an AB swb below steering bike. I don't know which model, but it's the one with 700c rear and a 20" front. Anyway, for the price, it's a lot of bike. I think he paid about $700 last year.

Now, the iffy stuff. He had to assemble it (really assemble it) and it wasn't a big deal for him but could be for some. Also, though the parts are very servicable, he had a few quirky parts that required some work. I think the biggest problem that he had was in the Shimano bar ends that were some low model and were pretty sloppy shifting. I don't remember exactly, but he did get them working finally.

Long story short, this guy is a tinkerer and rides a lot. He's pretty happy and makes this bike move pretty well, especially uphill. He'd happily do it again, but he doesn't mind playing with something to make it run.

Oh, and he did say the seat makes him sweat a lot. He has been considering adapting a hardshell seat to it in place of the standard one.

Denny

The AB your friend has is the Tidalwave model; probably the best CM bike Randy ever brought over. I've used both the stock vinyl seat and the AB hardshell (HP clone), and I prefer the hardshell despite the fact that it reclines more than I prefer for climbing.

Yes I have an AB. Would you like a photo? I am not some lame person. Check out my posts in the folding bike area of this forum.

I was considering the AB tadpole trike. I also was looking at buying a trailer as well similar to my BOB trailer. So it is not like I am talking smack with no experience with their product. If you want to attack my credibility I suggest you look elsewhere. Famous words of "don't shoot the messenger" should be inserted here.

I have a good idea of what reasonable customer service is. Usually AB doesn’t even meet this low level of expectations. If Randy is going to be a sell bikes to end users then he in fact becomes a dealer as well as a distributor.

I have gotten conflicting information, rather I should say his response was opposite of what TWBents said. Who you gonna believe? TW Bents says one thing such as yes and then Randy says no.

Repeated emails and phone calls often net you nothing from AB. This is not just my experience but those of others. A recent case in point on the Yahoo AB group. A person had made an appointment to drive to Randy’s place. A concrete time was set. Apparently nobody showed nor answered the phone and this person drove a ways to come test ride a bike.

Further review of the Yahoo group will show you that it is truly a necessary support group to fix the stuff that should have been right from the factory. Thankfully for people on this group many newbies actually stand a chance to get their bike into a ridable condition. Buying and AB is almost like buying a DIY (do it yourself) recumbent kit.

The return idler wheels for chain management on my AB are total crap. The bearing constantly come out of the little idler wheels. The chain then proceeds to fall off. No amount of tightening the headset seems to help it to keep from coming loose. I don’t want to over tighten it and ruin the bearings. You guys respond to me like I am total dweeb and talking out my rectum. Sorry, guess again. I tried to keep my comments relatively free from flames. Actually I was very kind regarding in how I addressed my perception of their customer service.

I know that AB is not my LBS. However once Randy started selling directly to customers he was no longer simply an importer/distributor. He then in fact becomes your LBS and was in fact your first point of contact if something went wrong.

So think what you want. I am not here to win any popularity contests. I know what good customer service is about. When I wrote the factory that made my Bacchetta Corsa, I got prompt courteous replies. When I called them a real person answered the phone. When someone promised to get back to me they did. I didn’t ever get a surly response from Bacchetta. They weren’t my LBS either. They actually made the bike. Point being when I email TW Bents I’ve had a positive experience. That experience ended when it got to AB here in the US. Continuing this theme, when I dealt with Jeff in Canada who sells some of the AB stuff but can’t sell to the US it was a positive experience as well.
So I am glad that a few lucky ones of you have had a good experience with your AB. However it seems like so many people always seem to make excuses for Randy saying that he isn’t an LBS. Well if he isn’t your LBS, then why is he retailing bikes? So he is your LBS even if it begs the definition of local. Since he is the sole outlet for them he is as local as you will get in the US.

A further point is as prices go down on some more mainstream bikes AB’s have less value to offer. My experience is that AB looks good on paper but in practice they often leave something to be desired. It is sort of like a crap shoot in that you know you will likely run into some problem you just never know how serious it will be or how difficult to fix.

I don’t mind tinkering and building things. I have an excellent mechanical and engineering background. However at some point my time costs something. If I saved $500 buying an AB and then spend a bunch of my time fixing stuff that I shouldn’t have to then the AB quickly loses its luster.

I'm sorry Wavshrdr, I shouldn't have come out so hot with what I said. I agree 100% with you about the idler. I am trying to work something out with a machinist I know. Sorry Again,
Mike

No problem. Apology accepted. I just want people to understand what compromises they may have to make when they buy an AB. Forewarned if fore armed. Unfortunately while the basic bike is pretty good it is the darn things that tend to ruin my enjoyment of it.

Did somebody say my name? ;)

Just to clear something up, I CAN ship one of my models, the Ghost, to the USA. The only reason I can do this, is that ActionBent does not carry this model. The trike, OTOH, is a different story. Since AB is the official distributor in the USA, I cannot ship a trike to any US citizen. However, I'm still happy to answer any questions about the trike...

Oh, one other thing. If you're considering the base Wizwheelz trike simply because it's US-made, think again. The frame (and presumably most of the components) are made in Asia somewhere, and they are assembled in the USA... just like the AB trike. Wizwheelz' higher end trikes are still made in the USA, though.

Is it just me or did this thread just turn into an advertisement for another company?

I'm sure Rebel Cycles is totally awesome and maybe someday I'll do business with them. The Ghost model wouldn't appeal to me though and it's impossible for me to visit Canada to buy the other models he can't sell in the states. It would be cool to see more distributors of these bikes in the states - competition is always a good thing.

For reader contrast to the direction this thread turned, from my experience with Actionbent, I had a flawless transaction and no issues with the bike or customer service and I'm quite pleased all-around. Perhaps if you're unlucky enough to experience a problem it's a difficult battle, but from what I saw prior to my purchase the majority of owners appear pleased as puddin'. Maybe my opinion will change in time but I have no complaints at this point.

Ha, sorry if it seemed like an ad. It wasn't my intention! But, I should clarify that both AB and Rebel Cycles use the same supplier, so when AB has a manufacturing issue then I have a manufacturing issue.

Fortunately, the quality of the bikes is quite high, and anyone considering a first (or second!) bent would do well to buy from AB. The components are great quality, often better than more expensive brands. Despite the troubles a few folks have had, the vast majority are quite pleased with their purchase.

So, to the original poster, don't feel worried about buying a bike or trike from ActionBent. They are an excellent value. And, just in case anyone's wondering, I don't work for AB in any way. In fact, I suppose they are my competitor!

From looking at the website,
(with drools, I might add) and
seeing the fellows video and
what reports have been presented,
I feel that ActionBents are probably
the best deal available for quality/price point
considerations in bents today.

As for the argument they are foreign
made and subject to falling apart, I
recall what my father's generation
used to say about Toyota's and Honda's
many moons ago.

If they made one without CHAIN
TUBEs I might be interested.

My Lightning Thunderbolt has
Chain Tubes and one of em fell
off and I consider them a pain.

Small point I know, but that is
what the difference was for me.

Which is not to say that I may not
buy one in the future, so by all means
everyone, BUY as many as you can afford.

I want this company to stay in bizness for
a while to see what they can really do given
market success.