Recumbent News

Guest columnist Gordon Cohen talks about why he chose recumbents and what eventually brought him into the industry.

I fell off a roof a few years ago and never really healed up. As a matter of fact, my wife had to write my company reports for me for several months as I lost most use of my right arm. I gained weight, I could not exercise. I was one of these people who liked to ride his bike and go to the gym pretty regularly. The damages to my body were an AC 2 separation of my shoulder, some tendon and ligament damage, nerve damage in neck and shoulder, two broken ribs, a torn labrum in my shoulder, torn rotator, a hairline fracture in my right knee and a very small tear in my peck.

A few years after this accident my wife bought me a new Walmart special diamond frame mountain bike to try to get me exercising again, other than a day at the gym here and there, as my weight had ballooned to a little over 270 from 220. I got on the bike and rode around the block and parked it back in the garage. The pain I felt in my lower back, shoulders and wrist was too much for me. And this is coming from someone that only took 2 - 3 days off after his fall as I am an independent contractor and if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. It sat there with the tag on it for another 1+ years.

About a year and a half ago I was visiting my brother and he introduced me to something called a human powered tadpole recumbent trike. More specifically known as the Catrike Expedition. I looked at this thing and thought it was pretty cool looking. I sat in it and felt like I was in a rolling lounge chair. Then I started to pedal and it did not hurt. Then I pedaled some more and I started to smile and rode it a few miles with no ill effects. What can I say, I was totally hooked and within a week of riding this human powered go cart I bought my first trike. The recumbent smile has not left.

Well, a year and a half later I have two trikes myself; I have a highly modified Catrike Expedition with Velocity A23 wheels, black spokes with blue nipples and Chris King racing Hubs, dirty dog flying dragon rotors with Continental Sport Contacts tires on the front and a Gatorskin on the rear. I also have an HP Velotechnik FS 26 that I added the larger taller handle bars, Schwalbe Duranos tires all the way around, front and rear fender, RockShox air shock on the rear and it now has a SRAM X9 package on it with TT900 bar end shifters.

I found myself turning into a recumbent freak, no I take that back I had become a recumbent freak. My wife has an HP Gekko FX, my son William a Catrike Pocket and my son Zachary a resurrected Catrike Dash. William would not ride a two wheeler - every time we tried he hated it. I bought him a Catrike Pocket at Hamptons Edge on the Withlacoochiee and we let him test ride it there. We watched him take off and after a few minutes we noticed he was not turning around. I had to jump on another trike and go after him. When I asked, "Where are you going," he answered he liked it so much and that I did not tell him to come back so he just took it for a ride to see if he liked it.

I have lost about 20 lbs and repositioned some of the weight from fat to muscle. I am back at the gym two days a week for light workouts and I can walk up a flight of stairs without stopping to rest or throwing up. A 30 mile ride is not a problem anymore. It was a life changing experience for me. I am not exaggerating when I say recumbents changed my life. I started feeling better which made me more patient and have less of a temper. I enjoy riding and started to take more time to ride and be less of a workaholic. I started doing more things with my family such as small vacations which might include the Withlacoochee trail or weekend family rides which we all enjoy. It was absolutely amazing how much better I was feeling.

I have been a diligent reader and occasional poster on Recumbent Journal for about a year now and continue to get educated re: recumbents and all the fun stuff you can do to them and on them. My love for these HPV machines and my passion for this industry along with the support of my immediate family and my recumbent family have led me to a decision.

I may have lost my mind, or maybe not, as I have partnered up with the owners of Village Cycle Shop and secured the dealer rights for Catrike, Terratrike and ICE trikes for Brevard County Florida. We also offer the Easy Racer and Bacchetta brands. And to top it all off we are now the US Dealer for AVD Windcheetah.

We just completed our first show November 8th at the Boomer and Sr.’s Expo in Melbourne Florida at the King Center. I am not closing my consulting company, I am just taking a baby step back as I will be not be doing this full time for quite a while. This is my retirement plan 10 years from now. I will be handling the marketing and supply side and my partners Jason and Josh will be running the shop. We all will be handling sales. Jason who is the owner/shop manager has the most patience I have ever seen and is one of the best techs I have ever run into. He is the bartender of recumbent riders being very patient and listening to their needs.

I have been looking at trying to put this together for almost a year but was never comfortable with the people involved until I met Jason and Josh at Village Cycle Shoppe. I actually met Jason when I wandered into the store by accident and asked if he would work on trikes. The only thing he said was "a bike with 3 wheels instead of 2, why not." He got my Scorpion FS 26 dialed in and adjusted perfectly and ended up working on and tweaking my Expedition. He helped resurrect "Mickey", my son's Dash, and generally enjoyed working on recumbents. It was hard to find someone because everybody else where I lived did not like working on recumbents including the only other recumbent dealers in town. I was having to drive two hours each time I needed work done on one of my trikes.

Jason and Josh have been avid DF riders for the last 15 years but took to recumbents immediately. First time I let one of the partners take a ride on my Scorpion for fun he came back with a huge grin asking for a margarita to take on his next ride. They were pretty well sold on the idea, saw the need like I did and were completely open minded about the whole project. We all jumped in with both feet. We are probably in over our heads a little and we all figured what the heck, we'll make it work. As a matter of fact it is already working just by the amount of positive feedback to date.

Its funny how sitting on this weird looking bike a year and a half ago, riding without pain, joining and reading on different forums could have so changed the way I do and see things. Thanks to all for the info, comments and suggestions over the last year. When I had a question and needed an answer there was always someone in the recumbent industry to answer my questions.

PRESS RELEASE - This Christmas a British woman will attempt to become the first person to cycle to the South Pole.

Racing over 400 miles from the edge of the Antarctic continent Maria Leijerstam hopes to beat two other male contenders to claim the world record.

Maria, aged 35, will face savage conditions with temperatures as low as -35°C and wind speeds up to 50 miles per hour. She will have to overcome dangerous obstacles such as crevasses, shifting ice shelves, glaciers and snowstorms.

This audacious challenge has been attempted before by riders on standard winter bikes known as Fat Bikes, but none have yet succeeded. After two years research Maria has taken a radical new approach that could help win her the title and re-define the future of polar expeditions.

“Fat Bikes fail because they get blown over in the high winds, or can’t ride fast enough through the snow to stay upright. I knew I needed something that would overcome these limitations.” said Maria, who runs Multisports Wales.

Maria will ride an extraordinary polar cycle designed specifically for the challenge by the aptly named ICE Trikes, based in Falmouth, UK.

The custom-made machine is a recumbent trike, which is stable and aerodynamic. Riding in the recumbent position Maria can focus her energy on progressing through the gale-force winds and hazardous terrain.

“The trike is amazing. It’s completely stable, even in extreme winds and I can take on long steep hills that I’d never be able to climb on a bike” said Maria.

The design is based on a standard ICE Sprint recumbent trike, with modifications to ensure it can tackle the rigorous challenge ahead. The frame is made from an aircraft grade steel selected for it’s strength and fatigue resistance. It is fitted with 4.5 inch wide snow tyres for unsurpassed traction and float over snow and ice. The gears are effectively twice as easy as a standard mountain bike, which will allow Maria to climb 1-in-3 gradients.

“This is a beast of a trike. It’s very special and there’s nothing else like it in the world. Our standard trikes are highly sophisticated and they retail from £2000. Maria’s trike would cost in the region of £20,000” said Chris Parker, director of ICE Trikes and designer of Maria’s polar trike.

Maria’s preparation has included training and equipment testing in Siberia, Norway and Iceland. To replicate the severe cold of Antarctica she has endured a day cycling in an industrial freezer – much to the surprise of factory workers who continued to stack shelves with frozen food.

Maria has identified a route to the South Pole virtually untested by polar explorers. She will start her bid for the world record by climbing the Leverett Glacier before heading due south for the South Pole some 400 miles ahead. The route she will take is used by American scientists based at the McMurdo Research Station on the Ross Ice Shelf to transport fuel to the South Pole.

The radical approach of using a recumbent trike on a new route could re-define the future of polar expeditions. Maria predicts that extreme tourism companies will offer trike expeditions in the near future.

“In a few years’ time companies who now run polar ski tours will also offer polar trike tours” said Maria.

As manager of a company that organises adventure races and training, Maria knows the industry well. She is accustomed to extreme sports and in 2012 came second in the Black Ice Race – a 400 mile winter cycle along the entire length of Lake Baikal in Siberia.

Maria is now well and truly prepared to take on the challenge ahead.

“I have met Maria, seen the polar cycle and spent time with her on her training trip in Iceland. I am convinced she has a very good chance of making it” said Emil Grimmsson, CEO of Arctic Trucks who will support Maria during her world record attempt.

ITV will be broadcasting Maria’s story in a documentary in January 2014 but in meantime you can watch the drama unfold live on her website www.whiteicecycle.com

Just one week after the debut of the TerraTrike Traveler, Evolve Technologies and Edge Recumbents announce their new e² folding trike is going into production.

PRESS RELEASE - Edge Recumbents of Townsend, Tennessee is poised to launch to world’s smallest, most compact, TRUE folding recumbent trike. Edge has inked a deal with Evolve Technologies to manufacture and distribute a performance trike with Evolve’s patented folding design. The trike is appropriately named e² because it fuses Edge Recumbent Engineering with Evolve Folding Technology. This folding technology is truly a game-changer for many reasons. First, it can be folded in as quickly as six seconds. Second, no disassembly is required to fold the trike. Third, its design supports a true performance trike that delivers an exhilarating ride. Fourth, it can be wheeled along while folded. Fifth, its folded footprint is small and can even fit in a suitcase.

Evolve was developed by Alan and Eric Ball of Australia. Eric and Alan are die-hard recumbent cycling enthusiasts and engineers. Alan was the mastermind behind the Evolve Trike design. He noted “I love riding recumbent trikes and really enjoy the speed and handling that a well-built performance trike offers. Our cars aren’t that big and we routinely had to drive several cars to get a group of friends out to a ride. I thought there has to be a better way! I really wanted to develop a folding trike with no trade-offs. That was the inspiration behind our patented folding design.”

Edge Recumbents was founded by another recumbent enthusiast and engineer, Bill Gillette. Edge was reborn in 2012 when it merged with Cutting Edge Wheels, Inc. Both Edge and Cutting Edge Wheels are headquartered in Townsend, Tennessee. Edge has focused on designing and manufacturing performance recumbent bikes that deliver both performance and comfort. Edge’s motto is “Be at Peace with Your Bike.” Edge engineering has produced the Haiku, Django and HepCat two wheel recumbent bicycles.     

The rebirth of Edge Recumbents as a brand and merger with Cutting Edge Wheels have given Edge the financial backing to complete engineering design and manufacture for all products in its line-up. And, Edge’s increased capabilities made it possible to form a winning partnership with Evolve to make the launch of the e² folding recumbent trike possible. Edge’s Chief Operating Officer, Randy Sadler stated, “We have been thoroughly pleased with the win-win partnership we have had with Evolve Technologies. This remarkable design was unveiled at the 2011 Recumbent Cycle-Con Show and we will unveil production prototypes at Cycle-Con 2013! We are extremely pleased with our progress. We have completed all engineering drawings and specs. And, we have also built all production tooling.” Edge is planning for its first production run of the e² to commence immediately following the Recumbent Cycle-Con Show with shipments to dealers in time for the Spring 2014 season.

TerraTrike enters the folding trike market with their new TerraTrike Traveler. But that's not all.

Let's not waste any time. The big news of the day is that TerraTrike is introducing their first ever folder in the new TerraTrike Traveler. The Traveler will be available in 8 speed, 24 speed, and GT 27 speed (what used to be Pro/Elite) component levels for $1799, $1999, and $2499 respectively. 

The Traveler is based on the Rambler trike geometry, but the similarities are dwarfed by the differences. TerraTrike went their own way on the design of the Traveler fold by not mimicking the compact flat twist (ICE)/dual flat fold (HP Velotechnik) fold style that was recently implemented by Catrike. They have instead created a compromised Evolve Trikes style of fold in that the arms of the crossbeam ("outriggers") themselves fold tighter into the trike to reduce the fold width. Unlike the Evolve fold, the seat is not attached as part of the fold and must be handled separately.

But, there is one great advantage over the Evolve Trikes design: the TerraTrike is actually going to be sold. This advantage was highlighted during the Dealer Day keynote when it was stated that the Traveler will be the "world's smallest production folding trike on the market". Evolve Trikes has stated on their web site that they will enter limited production in November, so it is yet to be seen who will first have the smallest folding trike for sale.

TerraTrike states that the Traveler can be folded in under two minutes and with no tools required. TerraTrike's own staff have hit lows of 39 seconds, but with practice, it seems the one minute mark is easily achievable. There are two stages of fold. The first stage is a typical mid-frame fold nesting the rear wheel next to the boom. The second stage is the folding of the outriggers. To achieve this, one must remove the tie rod, which is then conveniently stored in the main frame tube, then fold both outriggers in while angling the front wheels, bringing the wheels together where they can be strapped to hold the fold closed.

The TerraTrike Traveler weighs in at around three pounds heavier than a standard Rambler, putting it at roughly 40 pounds, with most of that weight going to the three hinges and associated hardware. To help you move it from place to place, TerraTrike will offer an optional Traveler bag so you can keep it separate from other items in your car or check it for air travel.

I was able to spend some time on a pre-production model at the dealer day event and found it to be a solid ride with the exception of some play in the tie rod quick releases which I was assured was due to hardware that wouldn't be on the production trikes - the tie rod photo below shows what will be in production. Overall, it feels like a Rambler except for what might be a slightly tighter turning radius. There was nothing about the ride that suggested compromises in comfort or quality in order to incorporate the folding mechanisms, but keep in mind that this is all based off a parking lot test.

Between the new convenience of the fold, the upgraded graphics, and the other general TerraTrike upgrades (more on those later), the TerraTrike Traveler is looking like it will hit the sweet spot for people wanting a budget folder from a major manufacturer.

The TerraTrike Traveler will be available in Spring 2014.

• TerraTrike Traveler Folded TerraTrike Traveler Folded
• TerraTrike Traveler unfolded TerraTrike Traveler unfolded
• TerraTrike Travelers on stage TerraTrike Travelers on stage
• Lifting the folded TerraTrike Traveler Lifting the folded TerraTrike Traveler
• REALLY lifting the TerraTrike Traveler REALLY lifting the TerraTrike Traveler
• Trav Tests TerraTrike Traveler Trav Tests TerraTrike Traveler
• TerraTrike Traveler sans seat TerraTrike Traveler sans seat
• TerraTrike Traveler main tube hinge TerraTrike Traveler main tube hinge
• TerraTrike Traveler outrigger hinge TerraTrike Traveler outrigger hinge
• TerraTrike Traveler quick release tie rod TerraTrike Traveler quick release tie rod
• TerraTrike Traveler from behind TerraTrike Traveler from behind
• TerraTrike Traveler stage 1 fold TerraTrike Traveler stage 1 fold
• Folding the TerraTrike Traveler Folding the TerraTrike Traveler
• TerraTrike Traveler TerraTrike Traveler
• New TerraTrike graphics style New TerraTrike graphics style
• TerraTrike Traveler TerraTrike Traveler
• TerraTrike Traveler frame reinforcement TerraTrike Traveler frame reinforcement
• TerraTrike Traveler chain tube bend TerraTrike Traveler chain tube bend
• Introducing the TerraTrike Traveler Introducing the TerraTrike Traveler
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The TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci

While the Traveler made the biggest splash, there were other new options announced that offer significant changes to the existing TerraTrike lineup. Perhaps the most interesting is the new TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci (RAN).

The RAN uses a NuVinci 360 continuous planetary transmission in conjunction with an electronic controller supplied by AutoBike. The way the system works is that the rider sets a desired cadence using a simple switch at the grips that consists of three buttons: one to raise cadence; one to lower cadence; one to turn the system on.

Yes, cadence. If you enjoy triking at a steady 60RPM, set the RAN to that and let it do all the shifting required to keep you there, shifting up when traveling downhill, shifting down when traveling uphill. The RAN covers a gear inch range of 20-74 inches, which is greater than TerraTrike's 8 speed offerings that have a gear inch range of 20-62 inches.

For experienced riders, the RAN is at first a confusing ride. The initial impression is that nothing is happening, but the first time the RAN shifts up to compensate for speed, one quickly realizes the potential for auto shifting. The shift itself is often silent, but I was able to hear the system at work as the AutoBike mechanism quickly moved from one end of the NuVinci range to the other. 

It makes perfect sense on the Rover, a platform already highly regarded for reaching into a demographic of riders who don't identify as cyclists. The ability to auto shift is one less mental hurdle for casual riders to overcome.

The TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci will be available in the Spring of 2014 and will retail for $1699.

• TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci
• The Rover Auto NuVinci maintains a simple drivetrain The Rover Auto NuVinci maintains a simple drivetrain
• TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci
• The brains of the Rover Auto NuVinci The brains of the Rover Auto NuVinci
• The Rover Auto NuVinci transmission The Rover Auto NuVinci transmission
• TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci TerraTrike Rover Auto NuVinci
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TerraTrike All Road 24" wheel package for Rambler, Sportster

You might remember a while back TerraTrike's introduction of a limited run fat tire trike. It sold quite well, but the engineers at TerraTrike weren't entirely happy with it, so they set about finding a big wheel solution that was more versatile than the giant wheels of the Fat offering.

The result of their research and design is the All Road 24" wheel package for TerraTrike's Rambler and Sportster trikes.

The All Road package will retail for $399 for the set of three double walled, 30mm wide rims and Schwalbe Land Cruiser tires.

Of all the rides during the dealer day, my ride on the Rambler All Road was most memorable because of the sheer fun. But fun comes at a cost in this case. The 24" front wheels mean there is a lot of heel strike in tight turns, though that might not be an issue because tight turns are treacherous on the All Road. During test rides, I frequently had the Rambler All Road up on two wheels. Unintentionally. 

TerraTrike is positioning the All Road package for "adventure triking", and what's an adventure without a little danger and a lot of fun?

• The TerraTrike Rambler All Road The TerraTrike Rambler All Road
• Expect some scratches with the All Road Expect some scratches with the All Road
• TerraTrike Rambler All Road TerraTrike Rambler All Road
• TerraTrike Rambler All Road TerraTrike Rambler All Road
• Mickey O'Brien of LaidBack Cycles tests the Rambler All Road Mickey O'Brien of LaidBack Cycles tests the Rambler All Road
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New Accessories

TerraTrike didn't stop at new trikes. They are also launching a number of new accessories and options.

The Samagaga wheels have been available as an option for some time, but they are now rebranded as the SS Wheels and have had their price reduced to $499 for a set of three.

TerraTrike will soon start selling a new Grip Glove, intended to help riders with grip issues (due to muscle control or weakness problems) keep their hands on the bars for steering. 

To improve seat comfort, TerraTrike is introducing a new lumbar support and seat wedge. The lumbar support consists of an outer shell with three layers of foam inside. The foam layers can be removed one by one to achieve proper fit. The seat wedge is designed to stop riders from sliding out of their seat.

TerraTrike has signed on to be the US distributor for Q-lite bike lights. They demonstrated a wireless brake light and turning signal system fitted to a Rambler and will be offering a wide variety of illumination products.

A chain length adjuster ("chain gobbler") and angled water bottle bracket were also announced.

Trike Updates

TerraTrike highlighted some changes to their trikes overall, many of which were met with enthusiasm by the dealers in attendance. Among the changes were the introduction of locking seat stay pins, the use of asymetrical seat stays (to ease assembly), the inclusion of wrench flats on the tie rods, the placement of a new zippered, waterproof pocket on the seat mesh, and the addition of a seat rail on the underside of the frame to keep seats from rotating out of alignment.

The Pro and Elite component groups have been eliminated in favor of a new GT component level that includes Avid BB7 disc brakes and a 27 speed SRAM drivetrain. A GT Rambler or Tour will run $2,199 and the GT Sportster will retail for $2,799.

The Rover Single Speed will be removed from the lineup, replaced with the Rover Auto 2 speed at $899. And this brought audible cheers during the keynote: Sturmey Archer hubs are being phased out in favor of a switch to Shimano Nexus. 

• The Samagaga wheels are now SS Wheels The Samagaga wheels are now SS Wheels
• Showing the Chain Gobbler Showing the Chain Gobbler
• Lumbar pad internals Lumbar pad internals
• Seat wedge can be used for back or bottom Seat wedge can be used for back or bottom
• New locking seat stay pins New locking seat stay pins
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Overall, it was an exciting dealer day event at TerraTrike. Two years ago marked their "15 for 15" event in which they introduced 15 new products for their 15th anniversary. This year, TerraTrike introduced 19 new products.