BikeE Recumbent Bicycles 1993 to 2002

BikeE recumbents went out of business in 2002 partly due to warranty recalls and partly because they were starting a new recumbent company, BIGHA. Though started with a few million dollar investment BIGHA’s bikes never sold well, they were out of business in a few years. BikeE was one of the largest recumbent brands in the world when they closed. There are a lot of BikeE’s out there so we stock many parts to keep them on the road. We have seat parts as well as the more universal tires, tubes, chains etc.

Read more about BikeE recumbents below:

Click the following link for BikeE safety recall information we are aware of at the time this page was published.

Begun in 1993 BikeE recumbents grew to become the worlds best selling recumbent by putting marketing money behind their simple, economical recumbents. They grew & lowered their prices until they went under…. For example, in their last few years, the CT model dropped 4 LB, and the price stayed the same. We carried the BikeE’s from 1996 to their demise in 2002. Many riders find them easy to fit and get used to. Most riders find some other recumbents more comfortable than a BikeE. A test ride of five miles or so should make that clear. Long test rides on different models is the best way to find out about long distance comfort before making you make your decision.

Soon after they strongly denied a rumor that they were going out of business, BikeE suddenly went out of business. This left BikeE owners in a bind for some replacement parts. Some BikeE bikes were recalled (see BikeE safety recall information) and now there is no company to ensure a permanent supply of these parts. We have the replacement BikeE Sweet Seat slider parts in stock. Now SRAM has announced that the 3×7 hub, found on all BikeE CT models “has not been made in 5 years and is obsolete.” This means they will no longer make parts to maintain the CT model: hub parts, left grip shifters, shift cables, indicator chains etc will no longer be available. So take care of the shifter parts your CT has, they are not replaceable.

Some of the people that owned and ran BikeE now own and run Big-Ha, a new recumbent company. I think the Big-Ha looks like a refined BikeE RX with improved rear suspension, but I haven’t ridden one. They do have a unique, battery-powered electronics package with a speedometer, turn signals, horn and a headlight that comes on if the wheels are turning and the sun goes down. It weighs almost 20 lb more than the BikeE RX and costs about twice as much. If you wish you could get a BikeE with rear suspension consider a Maxarya Ray-1. The Ray-1 weighs less than the BikeE RX and the Maxarya has much better suspension. And Maxarya is still in the recumbent business….

Do yourself a favor, test ride a Maxarya Ray-1 before you spend $3000 for a 50 lb Big-Ha! We can add the turn signals!

Click the following link for BikeE safety recall information we are aware of at the time this page was published.

Click the following link for a BikeE Owners Manual in pdf format.