Bicycle Man 
Reviews
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One of the hardest things to do when writing a recumbent trike review is limit what you are comparing the trike to. It wouldn’t be fair to complain that an under $1800 trike doesn’t work as well as a trike costing $3000. Which brings me to the Terratrike Rambler. The Rambler is a great trike…
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The Ice Sprint was the answer for riders who wanted to go a little faster but not be as reclined as the Vortex. The Sprint is available with 20 or 26 inch rear wheels and can be rigid, suspension on the rear wheel or suspension on all three wheels.
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The legendary P-38 is still Lightning’s flagship and at 24 lb., one of the lightest recumbents made. It has a steeper head angle than the Stealth for a bit more nimble ride. At high speeds, it takes a bit more getting used to than a Phantom.
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The EZ-Sport is a Chromoly steel LWB designed by Gardner Martin with 20″ front and 26″ rear wheels. It may sound like an economical, imported Tour Easy. It is not. Gardner told me he designed it to be “the easiest bike for a novice to get used to”. Many of our customers think he has…
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The Street Machine GTe is a versatile bike from HP Velotechnik. It has a rugged aluminum frame and your choice of their glass/carbon fiber “body glove” or mesh “Ergomesh” seats. The Gte is higher than their Speed Machine, giving up some speed to see and be seen better.
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The Phantom is a real performance bike at a pretty affordable price. It combines the overall geometry and seat of the P-38 with Chromoly mono-tube construction. The Phantom’s TIG welds are unusual on a steel bike but on thin wall tubing, they offer lower metal fatigue, a slight advantage. It is a fast bike that’s…
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The classic long wheelbase Stratus LE is the standard for touring recumbents as is the Easy Racers Tour Easy. Strats have been crossing this country since 1979, they are great for fitness riding, day trips and fast century rides too. Anywhere there is an open road a Stratus will feel right at home.
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The HP Velo Grasshopper recumbent bike is very similar to a Streetmachine GTe with dual 20″ wheels. The Grasshopper fits petite riders better than the Streetmachine but I’m 6’3″ and can ride one, especially the folding Grasshopper FX model. Both have similar aluminum mono tube frames and dual suspension like the Streetmachine GTe. They ride…
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The Bacchetta Corsa got a new aluminum frame in 2005. It also gained an option of dual 650c or 700c wheels. The new version lost almost 2 lb bringing the bike’s weight down to 24 lb on our digital scale. Although the component quality dropped some from the 2004 ultegra spec, it is fine for…
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Hase introduced a new KettWiesel in the spring of 2007. The new KettWiesel AL has a lighter aluminum frame and lighter is always nice. The KettWiesel’s road holding, maneuverability, and stability remain unchanged.