Recumbents and prices
 

Is a recumbent more expensive than a normal bike? I guess so, then how much? I haven’t even seen (neither in shops nor in the street) a recumbent in Sweden, where I live, but I think it must be the perfect human-powered vehicle for longdistance travel.

If I would buy a recumbent, it would be a budget one. Please advise on prices and where to buy one.

If I were a Swede, I'd be looking seriously at Dutch or German recumbents. Very fast, very comfortable and very stylish. They seem to be rather pricey, at least for us Americans, but I've heard they are cheaper if purchased in Europe - so there's your advantage, Karl, unless VAT or other taxes dictate otherwise.

Two companies to look at are the German bikes at
http://www.hpvelotechnik.com/index_e.html
and the Dutch Optima bikes at
http://www.optima-cycles.nl/

Might I also suggest http://www.bentrideronline.com/ for reviews of other recumbents, including more European makes.


There must be a distributor or retail store in Sweden somewhere that features these recumbents.

Good luck.

I recommend that you test ride a bike before you buy it. There are many significant differences in recumbent designs which affect the handling, comfort, speed, etc. And you can't decide which ride is the one for you just based on what you read. If there is one thing I have learned about bikes on the internet is that there are 100 different opinions on any one subject.

Pat has sound advice if you do have the opportunity to test-ride several different bents. I guess I'm the exception to the rule because I bought my first and only bent, a European SWB, without having ridden anything but a BikeE before, and I was utterly satisfied with what I got. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other models I'd be just as pleased with - I just can't find the darn things around my neighborhood!
BTW, I suggested European makers because they might be easier to find, and perhaps less expensive, for Karl in Sweden, however, I don't really don't know how many models are "budget" priced - say under 10,000 kronor (or is Sweden using the Euro?)

Actually I only was able to test ride the standard BikeE and the super-duper RX model. Then I rode a V-Rex and was thoroughly frustrated with my inability to feel in control of the SWB. Then I rode a Vision VR40 that was set up LWB, which was easier to control, but I wasn't impressed with the quality of the bike.The Rans dealer suggested that I ride the Velocity Squared. When I first saw it I had serious doubts. It was big, and the bottom bracket and seat heights were just as high asthe VRex. With hesitation, and about to give up on the whole idea of going bent, I rode the V2, and it was perfect! Today I did my first century in over 20 years, ( did it in a little over 6 hours, some on gravel roads-damn innacurate map!, and I have no soreness whatsoever. Good luck Karl.

Thanks for information and inspiration. I seems like the ”scene” for recumbents is quite big in the Netherlands and Germany, so I will definitely testride when I come there the next time. After browsing the sites bentrox recommended, I think I want an Optima Baron, the cheapest model is 3 500 Fl which should be 14 000 kronor (quite exactly 1 400 $, and yes, we pay with kronor, not euro, here so far). So I will basically save money and testride to see if I get hooked!

I like your choice - speed with style!

For my first bent, I settled on an Optima Lynx, which is speedy in its own right, but I've since been intrigued by the Baron and other lowracers. I rode recently with another first-time bent owner who bought the Baron Discus model which he is thrilled with. My own test ride on it showed why.

I know you've got a budget that dictates looking at the lowest cost model ($1400 for a Baron is a bargain!) Be certain that the corresponding component group suites your expectations, though.

Let us know what you end up with in some future post, Karl.

I like your website - attitude with style! :thumbup:

Hey, Karl I just found a Swedish HPV website:

http://folkbildning.net/~jan-inge.ljungberg/english.htm

Keep in touch.

That was a great site, thanks. I didn’t realize that the Swedish word for recumbent was simply ... recumbent... :)

I have two bents, one I purchased in California (Haluzak, Horizon)the other in Holland (Challenge, Distance). I have toured with the Haluzak in Holland, lots of fun.

I would recommend looking into some bicycle shops in Holland where by one can actually rent several diffferent type of bents over a number of days to get a feel of how they handle as each has it's have their own technique. Or try finding a bike club with several bent riders and than hang out with them to see if they will allow you to ride their bikes.

They are usually expensive investments( $1000 and up), so you want to be sure you don't get stuck with something your regret. Some bents are designed for speed while others are more suitable for touring, think of what you intend to use it primarily for.

There are numerous bent shops in Holland (Challenge, M5, Optima, Flevobike) or in Denmark (Leitra) ....etc...and they welcome test rides.