Cheap recumbent

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grldtnr

Über Member
This has come up on Gumtree, it's a fair way away from me, a EZ-1supercruiser, pondering should I chase after it, it would be far easier to get out on it to keep my 'bent legs spinning, but a usable bike , I do wonder?
It's American, which has a respectable following over there.
 

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grldtnr

grldtnr

Über Member
Any one have comments about these ,this one is in Sleaford ,Lincs, I believe they are flat earthers out that way ,so hills not a common thing.
 
OK, I'll chip in. Firstly, it looks fairly dated in design, guessing at least 25 years, but maybe retro is not such a bad thing.
A 16" front wheel - not sure on that, seems a bit small, but as three quarters of the weight is on the 20" rear, maybe OK.
Seat looks comfy, I expect it would be a nice relaxed ride. Can't comment on hills, I live in a flat area, and my homemade LWB is sufficient with just 3-speed hub gears.
The steering geometry may be an issue. If you look at more recent LWB examples, they have a more swept forward fork, this to reduce wheel flop when the bike is stationary, not an issue when riding.
If the price is right, and you just want to dip your toe, then why not :okay:
 
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grldtnr

grldtnr

Über Member
I don't need to dip my toes, as I ave had a recumbo trike for the 30 years, have ridden or tried to ride single recumbents some successfully some not off & on.
As I said up thread my current 3 wheels is awkward to get in and out where I live, something simple just to muck around with would work for me , even more so at the price of £75, but I'd like something a bit more 'sportive' like the original Pete Ross / Orbit Crystal,boring such like.
 

a.twiddler

Veteran
From where I'm sitting, that looks a quite traditional, easy to ride design like many bikes designed in the era when such LWB and CLWB bikes were popular in the USA, using straightforward bike technology. What's surprising is that a version of this is, or was until recently, made in steel, and an aluminium version was made in recent years. Though it's no sports machine, probably needing all those gears to haul itself up hills, it could turn out to be a cheap and cheerful fun machine that would encourage the casual rider out just to enjoy its differentness. I can't comment on the handling. Many US LWB bikes have extravagantly raked forks while others don't, but they mostly tend towards predictable, stable handling.
Something more sporty might come with its own quick handling traits tending towards twitchiness which could be a discouragement to riders who might really be more at home on something more sedate.

As I have found out myself when seeking opinions on various bikes, in the recumbent world many of them are so uncommon that you end up becoming your own expert by just going out and owning one. Sometimes the less you paid for it, and the more of yourself you put into it, the more you come to like it, too. But there's only one way to find that out, and that's to take the plunge. Perhaps the OP will become our resident source of information on the Sun EZ -1 Super Cruiser?
 
OP
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grldtnr

grldtnr

Über Member
From where I'm sitting, that looks a quite traditional, easy to ride design like many bikes designed in the era when such LWB and CLWB bikes were popular in the USA, using straightforward bike technology. What's surprising is that a version of this is, or was until recently, made in steel, and an aluminium version was made in recent years. Though it's no sports machine, probably needing all those gears to haul itself up hills, it could turn out to be a cheap and cheerful fun machine that would encourage the casual rider out just to enjoy its differentness. I can't comment on the handling. Many US LWB bikes have extravagantly raked forks while others don't, but they mostly tend towards predictable, stable handling.
Something more sporty might come with its own quick handling traits tending towards twitchiness which could be a discouragement to riders who might really be more at home on something more sedate.

As I have found out myself when seeking opinions on various bikes, in the recumbent world many of them are so uncommon that you end up becoming your own expert by just going out and owning one. Sometimes the less you paid for it, and the more of yourself you put into it, the more you come to like it, too. But there's only one way to find that out, and that's to take the plunge. Perhaps the OP will become our resident source of information on the Sun EZ -1 Super Cruiser?

I am in no rush to go haring off to Lincolnshire, if it hangs around I might take a look ,it's relatively cheap, so cheap as to be almost free ,but it is an old outdated design
 
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