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Longbikes Recumbent Bicycles

Longbikes
has a well-deserved reputation for beautifully built, rugged USS
recumbent bikes. All Longbikes recumbents are very overbuilt, giving
rigid-very predictable handling. Longbikes is so sure of their solo
recumbents they guaranteed their frames for riders up to 300 lb.
The fittings & hardware made by Longbikes are extremely high quality.
Their machining detail is excellent. An example of this is the seat
struts. They are machined out of solid aluminum rods making them a bit
heavier that other struts. I'd never seen a seat strut break till RANS
came out with the cut away ends in 2003, I’ll be amazed if I ever see a
broken Longbikes seat strut.
All Longbikes recumbents are available primarily with Under Seat
Steering (USS.) Their USS handlebars are very adjustable, the bar ends
angle can even adjust in and out to your preference. The Longbikes USS
hand position is excellent, most riders find the Longbikes (and Linear,
and Haluzak) hand position and steering geometry much better than on the
old Vision USS recumbents.
The Longbikes full mesh seats are similar to the Haluzak seat but a bit
more comfortable. Full mesh seats are OK but they are not my favorite.
Larger riders tend to like full mesh seats better than I do. Skinny guys
like me (6’3, 165 lb) have bony butts and tend to prefer foam-padded
seats. Longbikes adjustable angle - folding seat design allows you to
adjust the angle between the seat base and back to fine tune your
comfort. It also folds for transport. I don’t think the Longbikes seat
comfort is up to the very high standard of the rest of the bike, but I’m
skinny and I prefer a padded seat base line the RANS seats, which are an
available option. Larger riders often find the mesh seats comfortable.
The finish on Longbikes is excellent. Smooth welds, unique, replaceable,
bombproof dropouts, flawless glossy powder-coat paint and finely
detailed and finished machined parts combine to give an overall
appearance that is beautiful. I have seen a lot of recumbents, very few
are finished this well. You get a lot of meticulous durability for the
price with either the Slipstream or Eliminator. If you like the relaxing
LWB ride and USS position of the Slipstream as I do, but want to save
over $500 you might consider the
Linear Limo
LWB USS recumbent. These two bikes have very similar geometry and
ergonomics. The Avatar 2000 developed at MIT in 1980 influenced both
designs. Most riders who like the ride of one will like the ride of the
other.
I guess the only things I don’t adore about the Longbikes are the mesh
bottom seat and the bike’s weight.
Longbikes, though not perfect, has clearly earned its excellent
reputation for quality. If you are looking for the ultimate, bombproof
USS bikes, take a Longbikes for a test ride.
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Linear Limo to
Longbikes Slipstream Comparison |
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Linear |
Longbikes |
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|
Limo |
Slipstream |
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2009 Base Price |
$2,195 |
$2,795 |
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Price W/ RANS seat |
$2,195 |
$3,095 |
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weight |
35.5 lb |
37 lb. |
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frame material |
6061-T6 aluminum |
4130 Chromalloy steel |
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Frame tubing |
Custom extruded beam |
plain gauge round tubes |
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machining finish |
fine |
beautiful |
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max rider weight |
275 lb. |
300 lb. |
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component quality |
Very good |
Very good |
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LOA |
87 |
93.5 |
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Wheelbase |
65 |
70.5 |
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seat height |
27 |
23 |
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bottom bracket height |
20 |
17.5 |
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weight savings |
1.5 lb |
0 lb. |
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$ savings W/RANS seat |
$900 |
$0 |
We also carry these recumbent brands:
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