I've found that you only find what you
don't want in a solo recumbent, by actually owning one. I've had a Spirit for over a year.
Plus points for the Spirit:
It's quite under rated, being sometimes described as an "urban recumbent," "chair bike", "scooter bike" yet I've done several 55+ mile trips this year.
Accelerates well, due to small wheels.
By my standards it climbs quite well. With a single front ring it's easy to change the gear range.
It's actually shorter than my 700C tourer.
It's easy to get on and off, even for a shorty.
It's easy to learn to ride, being fairly upright, even for non commited recumbentists, with an adjustable seat angle.
Versatile, can be ridden on towpaths, bridleways, rail trails, within reason.
The sliding seat is rather like a car seat for ease of adjustment, with no need to take a hacksaw to the boom as with some SWBs for shorties.
The suspension is very effective.
You can change the bars easily if the standard ones don't suit.
It's well finished and seems durable.
The underseat pannier frames, if fitted, are very convenient. Putting loaded panniers under the seat makes it feel very planted.
Some minus points:
Early ones have a 16" front wheel (though for shorter riders it can be an advantage, with a lower step over. Mine is a 16").
The later ones are 20/20. You can't update an early one with a 20" wheel and fork, as the later frame is different.
Reputed to be heavy -dual suspension and all that, though as the weight is low down it doesn't feel so.
Rolls well, but not a super fast bike.
Possibly better suited for short or average sized riders as with the seat adjusted right back it unloads the front wheel.
It's a HP Velotechnik so it won't be cheap, but they do sell for less than other used HP Velotechnik models. I was very lucky with mine, nice condition and lower priced than the ones I've seen recently on
ebay. It still makes me smile when I look at it in the garage.
I can't comment on the e-versions, but the one on Gumtree looks a bit untidy, with tape everywhere. Of course if you're a bit handy, you can soon tidy it up, or if you want to use it for pedal power only.
