Recumbent Bikes & Trikes

Schwalbe Durano Bicycle Tires

Recumbent Bike Admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:28:43 +0000

Schwalbe Durano Tires

Note: Photos of My Schwalbe Durano Tires Below

This is less of a review and more of a preveiw as I have not ridden these tires. I just purchased the Schwalbe Durano’s to replace my Specialized Fatboys. I considered the Continental Ultra Gatorskinds, the Specialized All Condition II Pro’s, and Michelin WildRun’R Advance.

Why Durano? Well for starters Schwalbe seems to have a great reputation in the Recumbent World. I read as many reviews as I could find on 559 Slicks. Over and over Schwalbe kept coming up. Continental had only the one option in a lightweight slick with puncture protrection. Unfortunately in the 559 size the Ultra Gator Skins are only available in wire bead. I read way too many reviews of how hard the Ultra Gator Skins are to mount and how stiff they ride. The Michelin WildRun’R Advance is new for 2010 so there were virtually no reviews. Michelin also provides very little information on the tire – I suppose they expect you to buy into their Brand Identity. Plus at this time they appear to only be avaialbe in France. And while I’ve had a decent experience with Specialize Tires in the past I’ve never had a set last very long. They seem to start falling apart around 1,000 miles. There were plenty of online reviews to support this obeservation.

So after evaluation this left the Schwalbe Kojak and the Schwalbe Durano. I chose the 559 28 (26x 1 1/8) folding tire because of the weight and claims of durability. Schwalbe states that in circumstances where the tires are not under load and ridden normally you may get up to 6,500 miles! (This is stated right on the Schwalbe Site). So I figured if I was going to spend $45 on a tire it might as well last! Plus the tires are only 260 grams so I can still run liners and be light enough for the style of riding I do. I dread flats as it is such a pain to change flat tube out on the road. I read some great things about the Kojak, but I wanted to go with a narrower tire without a wire bead at a higher PSI to get the rolling resistance down a bit. The trade off will probably be a bit harsher ride, but my bike is suspended and I have a very thick foam seat cushion so I believe it will work out well for me. If I had a non-suspended bike I would have bought the Kojak’s.

The only downside to my purchase is that I had to order the Schwalbe Durano tires online and wait about a week for the tires to show up. I visited about a half dozen local bike shops and none of them had Schwalbe. Everyone was pushing Continental or Specialized.

When my tires arrived they were stamped Made in Indonesia. While Schwalbe is a German Company like most companies they take advantage of low labor rates in Asian Countries. I have posted a video in the Parts Section about how Schwalbe Tires are made.

My first impression upon taking the tires out of the box are they are manufactred to a very high standard. The Tread itself feels about the same thickness as the Specialized Fatboy’s they replace. The materials in the Durano Tires just feel different, they feel “softer”. One thing I noticed is that after mouting on my bike and spinning the tires they seem to be very true! I hope this helps any of you looking for 26″ 559 tires for your recumbent. I’ll probably add a bit more informaiton as I begin to pile up miles!

———————————————– Update —————————————————–

I’ve had a chance to put a few miles on the Duranos now. In comparison to the Fatboys they don’t ride as smoothly, but it’s pretty close. I don’t know how much better the ride would be with a 1.35 version. The added PSI 115/8 Bar doesn’t seem to make them roll any better than the Fatboys. Because of the narrower profile and the higher PSI I had hoped for a little less rolling resistance.

The Duranos are more “sticky” than the Fatboys and in my opinion grip the road better and corner better. They feel very solid underneath me and I’m not afraid to corner. I have not tired them on wet pavement as I don’t like to ride in the rain.

As far as speed goes I haven’t really taken a hit per se… seem to ride about the same speed. It’s pretty subjective at this point as there was a lot of wind today on my usual route and as you know when you are riding in wind it seems to be into a headwind both ways! Actually lots of gusty crosswinds today made it hard for me to get up to my usual speeds. So while not disappointedwith the speed, but I had hoped to pick up maybe 1-2mph.

So should you buy the Schwalbe Durano or the Kojak? That’s a tough one to answer. In 559 the Kojak are only available in wire bead. They weigh an additional 35 grams, but I would bet they do roll better. But I doubt the will last nearly as long and they are about the same price.

FYI: I’m running tire liners in the Duranos right now. Kind of self defeating one might suggest to run such a light tire with a liner. I considered the Durano Plus but then I wouldn’t have the option to pull the liner.

It’s 6′s really. I’d bet the Durano is a great Trike Tire as it is grippy and offers a better than expected ride.

Schwalbe Durano Package

Schwalbe Durano Tire Mounted on Rim

Durano Tread Pattern

Schwalbe Durano Tread Pattern Close Up

Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack

Recumbent Bike Admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:01:53 +0000

Take the Pain out of Mounting Bicycle Tires with the Tire Bead Jack

The Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack is an amazingly simple idea put into practice. This is one of those tools that you use once then wonder why you did buy it years ago! I was really amazed at just how easy tires are to mount with the Tire Bead Jack.

Get one and save your thumbs. All you do is mount the tire normally, then when you get to the last few inches you place the tool on the backside of the rim, reach the claw over the top of the tire and with a short pull back towards you the tire slides up and over the rim. And no more pinch flats as the tube doesn’t get caught under the tire bead!

The best part is this tool retails for less than $15! I couldn’t find one locally so I ordered it online. If your local bike shop has one… buy it. If not just pick it up online. This is one tool you won’t be sorry you bought. Plus it’s light enough to just throw in your bag and take with you on the road.

Tip: Costco Sells Nitrile Gloves in boxes of 100 for about $10. These weigh almost nothing. Take a few with you on the road. When you need to replace a tire or work on your chain you don’t end up with grease all over your fingers.

My Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack

Parts and Wheels

Recumbent Bike Admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:42:41 +0000

Where to find Parts & Wheelsets for Your Recumbent

Bicycle Parts

List of Parts and Wheel manufacturers

Aero Spoke Wheels – Aerospoke is one of the most recognized and respected names in composite wheels

Alex Rims – manufacturer of bicycle rims.

Bontrager Wheel Works – They are not built for recumbent bikes, but I ride these on my mountain bike and haven’t needed a truing in 2 years.

Chris King Precision Components – Headsets, Hubs, Bottom Brackets and Tools.

Dave’s Wheels – aka Dave Thomas’s Speeddream.com – custom wheel maker with a reputation among cyclists for quality. Located in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

Ecospeed – Portland Oregon based company manufacturers and electric assist motor kit for recumbent bicycles.

HED Cycling – Seems like everyone winning races is running these wheel sets.

Mavic – Another Rim manufacturer that doesn’t really make recumbent specific rims, but I’ve ridden their mountain bike rims with great success. Good product!

Pantour Suspension Hubss – Want to take some of the “ouch” out of bumps without a huge weight penalty? This is it! Carlsbad, California.

Power on Cycling – Dealer specializes in recumbent parts and customizing Rans, Challenge, M5 and easy tour recumbent bicycles. Want to build your own this might be a good start to selecting your components. Site is plain vanilla but fairly detailed. Plant City, Florida

Schwalbe Tires – If these are not the best tires you can buy, they are pretty damn close! You should be avle to find Schwalbe tires at quality bicycle dealers worldwide. Schwalbe North America – Victoria, British Columbia Canada.

Security Bicycle Accessories – Distributes bicycle parts to dealers. Also has an excellent “links” page of parts manufacturers.

Specialized Bicycles – Yes I know they don’t make recumbent bicycles, but they make some highly durable thorn resistant tires. I was getting flats about every 3rd ride from the thorns here, then I switched to Specialized Armadillos and I’ve had 1 flat in a year and a half!

Spinergy Wheels- Another high end wheel set manufacturer.

TerraCycle – USA (Oregon) manufacturer of Recumbent Parts and Accessories. Acquired FastBack Products in late 2007.

Topolino Technology – High end wheel set manufacturer specializing in 700C Wheelsets, including Carbon Tubular with Kevlar spokes. These wheels feel great to ride and are featured on specially spec’d Carbent’s.

Velocity – Wheels, Rims, and accessories including a line of recumbent wheels in 349, 406, 559, and 700 sizes.

Wellgo Pedals – You’ll find Wellgo Pedals spec’d standard on a lot of recumbent bikes.

Windwarp Fairings – Makes Lexan® plastic fairings compatible with a large range of recumbent bikes and trikes.

Wheels for Bikes – More manufacturers listed at this personal website

Recumbent Bicycle Manufacturers

Recumbent Bike Admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:41:37 +0000

Who Makes Recumbent Bikes?

Mistral Recumbent Bike (Mfg. Challenge Bikes)

For Trikes use the “Trikes” Tab or this link >>> Recumbent Trikes

For many the quest to discover what’s out there will lead directly to recumbent bicycle manufacturer’s sites. Bicycle dealers with experience and broad lines can be few and far between for those of us not fortunate enough to live in the few hotbeds of Recumbent Bike activity.

Want to know what that bike weighs? Convert Grams to Pounds with this Bicycle weight conversion tool.

Recumbent Bike Manufacturers

This is a pretty complete list of bike manufactures, however if you know of additional companies and would like us to list them here please send us the URL (Unfortunately not every company has a website).

Actionbent Recumbents – Direct marketer of recumbent bicycles (No Dealer Base). Bikes are imported from china. Company is located in Redmond, Washington (A suburb of Seattle).

Azub Bike – This is the English version of the site. Azub is a Czech Republic manufacturer with dealers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Nederland, Belgium, France, Finland and Australia. You may be able to order direct as well, but if you don’t know what you are doing this could be a problem as there are import tariffs and restrictions to deal with (Not to mention the cost).

Bachetta Bikes – Known for their Hi-Racers, Giro (26/20 – 406/559), Basso Ti (26/20 – 406/559), Strada (Dual 650c), Corsa (Dual 650c), and Aero Ti (Dual 650c). Doesn’t appear to be any color choices other than the manufacturers stock color selections. Used to be able to access the site through bachettabikes.com, but for some reason the redirect seldom works anymore. Very popular models as far as I can tell. Probably the best looking American bikes although the frames are still manufactured overseas. Would like to see an aluminum option, but the Ti is pretty nice looking. Sells though dealers. St. Petersburg, FL.

Barcroft Bicycles – Direct marketer known for their Dakota and Virginia Models. Frames are custom built in the USA and bikes are assembled in VA. Falls Church, VA.

Bent Up Cycles – Dealer & Distributor for several lines. I list them here because Carbent is using them as their sole distributor. Based in Los Angeles, CA.

Burley Bicycles – (Only Makes Trailers and Accessories). Here is the scoop for now… The “Cooperative” was dissolved to form a Corporation, which was sold to an individual who thinks that Trailers are the way to go. Eugene, Oregon.

Calfee Design – Brought to my attention by an owner, the “Stiletto” Long Wheelbase recumbent frame is made of carbon fiber and rumored to be lighter than the Easy Racers Ti Rush.

Carbent – (Currently being sold only through Bent Up Cycles). Super light weight carbon fiber – sub 20lbs. I had the opportunity to test ride this bicycle and I want one! Due to neck problems and my Doctors advise it doesn’t look like this will be happening for me, but anyone with a healthy neck that really wants to go fast should consider this bike. Carbent bicycles really are under 20lbs! It’s an amazing performance machine. If you want one order early because once the word is out it will be interesting to see if production can keep up with demand.

Challenge-Ligfiestsen Bikes – HELLO AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS – take a look. These bikes are AWESOME looking. Pieces of Art! Why isn’t there an American manufacturer designing bikes with these aesthetics. This site is a MUST VISIT. Simply beautiful. Sure it matters how a bike performs, but it also matters why they look like. A “10″ for style! NETHERLANDS. If the link doesn’t work you can also use www.challengebikes.com.

CruzBike – A unique concept for a mainstream recumbent in that the drive power is sent to the front wheels. All CruzBike models feature dual suspension with an emphasis on both performance in their class and comfort for the rider.

Cycle Genius – Looking for a fun, easy to ride and dare I say “affordable” Recumbent? This may well be your ticket. Don’t make the mistake I did and jump right into the most expensive highly hyped bicycle out there (Unless you are an experienced rider, with plenty of $ to throw around). Some recumbent bicycles have a pretty steep learning curve and awkward riding position. These bikes look easy to ride. Definitely put them on your list.

Easy Racers LWB Bicycles – Makers of a line of fast beloved LWB Recumbent bicycles. Owned by Gardner Martin (A “legend” in the recumbent Industry) these bikes have a loyal following of very satisfied customers. Easy Racers has a history of “wins” that goes back for more than a decade in Human Powered Vehicle Racing. Freedom, CA.

HP Velotechnik -Okay so maybe I’m biased. The Germans build beautiful cars and beautiful bikes. Maybe they are the best in the world, maybe they aren’t. Beauty if subjective. But to my eyes these bikes have Style! Starting with the “Spirit”, “Street Machine”, “Speed Machine”, stunning “Grasshopper”, and affordable “Wavey”. Yeah they may be a little heavy, they may not even be the fastest in their class, but if style and comfort are big on your agenda, then this is a “must visit”. Sells through a limited worldwide dealer network. Germany.

Inspired Cycle Engineering (ICE) – Manufactures some nice looking innovative (Folding, Suspension, Steering) Recumbent Bikes and Trikes. United Kingdom

Ligfiets Plaza – Mfg. List. - Dutch Site lists all the known manufacturers in the Netherlands. This site is not in English.

Lightfoot Cycles – American made recumbent bicycles, tricycles and hpv’s. Conner, Montana

Lightning Cycle Dynamics, Inc. – Looking for a fast American made recumbent? Take a look at this line up! Lompoc, CA

Linear Recumbent – USA manufacturer produces their own line of LWB’s.

Longbikes – Manufacturers long wheel base recumbent bikes and tandem recumbents with model names “Eliminator” and “Slipstream”. Sells through a nationwide (Apparently USA Only) dealer network. Lakewood, Colorado.

Maxarya Bikes – Good looking website, interesting looking bikes. Sells through dealer network. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

MetaBike – Wish I could tell you more about the MetaBike… but their isn’t much to go on from their website (Writing this August 2009). Interesting concept that they have created frame geometry that allows this bike to be an upright high racer or to utilize a smaller 20″ front wheel.

M5 Ligfietsen – Buyer Beware! My own experience with the owner “Bram” was not good to say the least. I have received emails from other very unhappy M5 owners. I don’t know what else to tell you. These are good looking bikes, way heavier than they are spec’d on the website. the quality of the components is okay (You would expect a higher end component set on an expensive bike), and the frames are well built. But you can probably do a lot better. If you want a performance bent try Carbent!

Unsolicited Email Sent to me September 2008… 4 years after I bought my bike.

Hi, I live in Switzerland and ride a shock proof 559.
I just bought direct from M5 one carbon seat… The real piece of crap!
I posted information on the french user forum about recumbents www.velorizontal.bbfr.net
Here is a link to show the M5 “ultralight” carbon crap seat.
(here is the seat brand new, the first tree pictures on the first post)

http://velorizontal.bbfr.net/forum-du-matos-f7/les-nouveaux-sieges-en-carbone-m5-t6491.htm

Here the crap carbon ultrashitylight M5 seat after only 4KM¨!!!!

http://velorizontal.bbfr.net/forum-du-matos-f7/les-nouveaux-sieges-en-carbone-m5-t6491-90.htm

I received the seat with the exact same look as you can see in the photos, mountend on my sp559 and rided for 4km, than it was broken…

People should know to be very very careful with M5 products
Is better to buy a High Racer from Taiwan “http://performer.com.tw/” than M5.
I’m really pissed-off with mr.Bram

Optima Cycles – Why are so many great looking bikes coming out of the Netherlands? Who knows? But hopefully others will follow suit. Models include “Baron”, “Cobra”, “Condor”, “Dolphin”, “Dragon”, “Hopper”, “Lynxx”, “Orca”, “Rider” and “Stinger”. Netherlands.

Oracle Cycle Works – Located in Whitby Ontario, Canada. Looks like they have shifted their business model from manufacturer/retailer to manufacturer only.

Rans Bikes – One of the better known American Manufactures featuring popular models like the V-Rex and Velocity 2. Hays, Kansas.

RaptoBike – Created by a Dutch Company as a startup in January 2006. Offering Front Wheel Drive low and mid racer recumbent bicycles.

Sidewinder Cycle – Makes a Trike in a couple of versions. Fillmore, California

Slyway - Good looking bikes manufactured in Italy.

TerraCycle – Part Manufacturer, part dealer. Makes their own line of hand crafted bicycles and parts. Resells parts and accessories for other brands. Portland, OR.

Toxy Recumbent Bicycles - I don’t know why the German & Netherlands manufacturers seem to have such a good handle on the “curb appeal” factor, but they do. Another case in point. Germany.

TW Bents – Taiwan manufacturer. The “Amigo”, “Focus”, and “Middleracer” bents look like a plush ride and have an interesting neck/head support.

Varna Hand Cycles – Canadian Manufacturer (British Columbia) offers a variety of interesting bicycles focusing on a line of “Hand Cycles”. I don’t know if these are truly bents, but this site is definitely worth the visit if only to learn about the different cycling alternatives.

Velocraft – Carbon Fiber Recumbents. If you want light weight and low to the ground racers you may just need to find (or travel to) a dealer near you. The VK3 looks like the kind of bike an affluent bent enthusiast would like to have in their stable. And you could probably ride this one on the street.

Volae Recumbents – Volae, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Hostel Shoppe – Bikes are built to design specs by Waterford Precision Cyles in Waterford, Wisconsin.

ZOX Recumbent Bikes – Manufactures their own line and reseller for a few other brands. Erlangen, Germany.

Recumbent Bicycle Tires

Recumbent Bike Admin — Sat, 29 May 2010 22:47:29 +0000

Recumbent Bike Tire Selection

Selecting the “right” tire for your recumbent bicycle or trike is essential. Don’t overlook the importance of tires! Tires are your point of contact with the road. The right tire not only helps you roll smoother and faster, but also keeps you from spilling under various weather conditions. Furthermore the right tire will also smooth out your ride giving you a much more enjoyable experience.

There is no one perfect tire… you’ll need to constantly make trade-offs in weight and performance vs durability and puncture protection. Buy the tire that suits you bike and riding style.

I recently upgraded the old Specialized Fatboy’s to Schwalbe Duranos’s as noted in the review on another part of Recumbent Bicycle Source. And while I think I may have dropped a mile or two per hour, I’m also now running tire liners for added convenience as I hate to repair flats on the road. I gave up a little speed for a lot of convenience and puncture protection… and I would do it again!

Below are links to Amazon Reviews where you can see what other people think of a particular tires. And yes Amazon is not a bike shop and there are other places to read reviews of tires, Amazon does have on thing most others do not – they seem to carry everything!

The first link with the DOT is the main link to all tires by that manufacturer, the sub links are to specific models of the tire. Enjoy!

Contiental Bicycle Tires

Continental Sport Contact

Continental Grand Prix

Continental Ultra Gatorskin

Kenda Bicycle Tires

Kenda Kwest

Maxxis Bicycle Tires

Michelin Bicycle Tires

Panaracer Bicycle Tires

Primo Bicycle Tires

Primo Comet

Primo Racer

Schwalbe Bicycle Tires

Schwalbe Marathon Plus

Schwalbe Marathon Racer

Schwalbe Marathon Winter

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme

About Leaving Comments – Spam is out of control

Recumbent Bike Admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:19:13 +0000

Due to the very few piece of crap people (Who are NOT part of the Recumbent Community) who think that spamming is marketing, we have had to implement user registration in order to leave comments. These spamming idiots sit around in their mom’s basement jerking off and posting unwanted comments instead of contributing to society. These truly pathetic people have made it impossible for us to leave commenting open without registration.

We would prefer to leave comments open and as easy as possible, but we simply do not have the time to keep up with the onslaught of spam.

We could care less about your registration information, we don’t send emails to anyone who registers.

Sad this is the state of the Internet. For every 99 decent people, there is one jerk that just ruins it for all.

If you’d like to contact us it’s best just to use the contact form and send email.

Bionx Electric Assist Wheelset

Recumbent Bike Admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:57:04 +0000

I am republishing this from Epinions as it is one of the most honest reviews I have come across about the Bionx Electric Conversion Wheel Sets.

To be honest I have considered adding one to my Recumbent to make riding more enjoyable as there are so many hills to climb here. However what has prevented me from taking the leap in addition to the high cost is there have been so few legitimate reviews of the product. I won’t be purchasing one anytime soon after reading this review due to their apparent lack of quality control. I can not imagine riding and having a wheel separate.

The real pros of the Bionx system to me are: low weight compared to no name competition, controller components allowing for “assist” mode instead of throttle acceleration, and ease of installation.

It’s my understanding Bionx is working with TREK to manufacturer 2 models of electric bicycles. Perhaps there is an option to purchase the product through Trek to get better service and warranty in the United States. It’s ridiculous ot have to send a part to Canada to get serviced in order to avoid voiding your warranty. Yes in many areas you can probably find a dealer, but in so many other areas you can not and thus Trek’s Dealer network would be a huge bonus.

For now I’ll keep looking. Too bad because I really like the idea of available electronic assist for pleasure riding and exercise.

————— User Review Below ———————–

Full Review: Bionx PL-350 Electric Bike Motor Kit

Main Review:

I strongly recommend buying this from a local dealer as you may be back several times for replacement parts under warranty.

Before this motor, I was commuting 10 miles to work via bike about once or twice a week, arriving soaking wet, needing to shower and it took about 30 min longer than taking the train (each way). As I aged, it seemed to take longer and longer to get to work (especially if I tried avoid knee pain). It was becoming a chore I did to loose weight and no longer much fun. I was down to twice a week tops (40 miles/ week).

I wanted to regain as much as possible that 1 hour per day as well as make it enjoyable enough to bike every single day and save more money on train fare.

I researched many options, but settled on the Bionx PL 350.

I wanted a solution that would allow me to park on the sidewalk right outside my building in downtown Chicago, which limited me to electric bicycles.

I narrowed it down to an add-on kit because I liked my current bike, even tho it is 20 years old. I felt buying a new bike was a waste of resources. I had spent a fair amount of time and money tweaking the bike to my liking (it is a Schwinn MOB).

Many electric bikes had smaller wheels and I am reluctant to go with smaller wheels because Chicago is not known for silky smooth streets and I have doubts about putting 2,000+ miles/year and a 250 lb load on a small bike.

I could not use a front-wheel kit because a decently powered motor would have simply ripped my front fork apart.

My biggest reason for going with the Bionx was simply its ability to be controlled by pedal power (off when not pedaling, on when pedaling over 3mph). It is exactly like normal biking except I now have “bionic” legs.

I did not want to deal with a toggle switch. In fact, I did not want anything on the handlebars to break if I crash or get stolen or simply malfunction due to exposure.

I also liked that the Bionx was the only motor narrow enough to allow for Disk Brakes (which my next bike would likely have). I chose the 350 because I needed the horsepower to get my 200 pounds and all my bags up to 20mph. From my research, I am pretty sure that a 24v 250hp motor would run out of steam long before I got my bike up to 20mph.

I chose the LiMn battery because much of this biking would be in the cold and I read that NiMH batteries do not perform well in the cold. LiMn also had the added benefit of “the more frequently you rec-charge them, the longer they will last” as opposed to NiMH where you needed to occasionally completely empty the battery in order to prolong its life and I did not want to deal with being in the middle of a ride and run out of battery power every week.

I chose the bag battery because I wanted to save time and hide the fact that I have a motor. It is an Arkel bag and it is a very nice bag (I actually already had that exact same bag). That big box on the frame screams “motor”. I would have to put that white box into a bag anyway in order to take it indoors, so why not have it in the bag all the time? Also, the bag concept allowed me to keep everything, including the controller better protected from vibrations and weather.
I keep the controller inside the bag on my rear rack. Before I start out to ride, I connect the motor to the battery, turn on the controller, set the assistance level to 2, zip up the bag and take off. I have seldom felt a need to see it again until after I arrive. Pushing the cord for the controller connector thru the hole in the front of the bag took a little effort, but was easy enough.

I had no problems installing it myself, and it came assembled in such a manner that the “notch” already was in the down position, so I did not have to fiddle with it.

I disabled the throttle. I tried to buy it without the throttle, but could not.

I never spent the time connecting the “brake to trigger regeneration” as it would be just one more thing to fiddle with. My battery never runs low enough to require the little regeneration it provides. If you had to go down hills a lot however, I can definitely see the benefit of connecting it, no braking required. However, there are not many hills in Chicago.

I DID have trouble finding the correct freewheel however. My bike uses a “compact drive” system where the front sprocket was 42 Teeth and the rear was 11 Teeth. Finding an 11T freewheel was a frustrating research project, until I finally found a vendor who kept them in stock at jvbike.com

My next project was to get a 46T front sproket because I kept wanting a higher gear as I pedaled (with the motor)

I used to spend 4 hours riding 40 miles per week and took any excuse not to ride that day.

Now I spend 6 hours riding 100 miles per week (same level of effort per hour) and hate having to take the train because it means being crowded and waiting and paying.

I used to average 11 to 15 mph.
Now I average 16 to 20 mph.

I used to start riding 1/2 way and taking the train 1/2 the first two times in April and only ride once a week to get my legs and rear end in shape.

Now I start riding the full stretch 5 days a week starting April 1st. I start out on level 4 assistance and in May, I will have worked my way down to level 2 on my way into work (to avoid excessive perspiration) and level 1 on my way back (to compensate for the extra resistance of the motor and extra weight).

I love the fact that I can now get to work 20 minutes faster while still getting the endorphins from exercising without feeling so exhausted that I need to shower and wait a day to recover.

I do wish that Bionx officially supported 3rd party batteries. Their asking price of $1,000 for this battery seems to be highway robbery. However there are sites out there that explain that as long as you buy your first battery from Bionx, you can use their battery controller chip and hook it up to a third party battery. This was another reason for wanting the bag battery as it seemed so much easier to re-wire and fit a 3rd party battery. Preferably a 12ah LiFePO4 battery from eBay.com

For $100 more, nycewheels.com will sell to you a Bionx approved version that has 25mph as the top limit (tho you sacrifice some torque). In some ways, I kinda wish I had that option, however I suspect my aging knees better appreciate that low-end torque assist in getting up to speed.

Be sure you double check that you received all the correct parts. The box we opened at the bike store included the 24 volt battery in the box. Everything else (including the charger) was for the 36 volt kit.

It has a tendancy to not turn off when I stop pedaling but ONLY downtown. I think if you only pedal short distances, the computer gets confused.

The system occasionally freezes up while biking. Basically it just stops helping you while you are pedaling, but works fine after you unplug the controller and plug it back in again.

It can spontaneously turned on while walking astride the bike across the street (no pedaling), but I just hit the brakes to get it under 3mph and the motor turns off.

I am contemplating connecting the regen brakes just to turn off the motor when it does occasionally stay on or turn on when I do not want it to.

I am figuring that counting saved train fares and value towards fitness it easily pays itself off after 3 years (with each 3rd party battery having a 1 year payoff).

The downside is the increased probability of being injured due to riding twice as often and the higher speeds. Last fall, I was doored for the first time after 30 years of using my bike as a primary means of transportation.

In summary, the system has more smarts than any other, but can still use a lot more improvement (most notable quality control with the rim and charger and motor).

It really was my only viable option for keeping my weight down and it is responsible for making me once again really enjoy biking to work every day.

Some useful links:
Here is the Bionx website

http://www.bionx.ca/

These guys seems to sell a lot of kits and I was hoping to avoid our 10% sales tax, however they never responded past my first email, so I just bought it from a local retailer (now I can get local support and I am supporting the local economy)

http://nycewheels.com/

bionx-electric-motor.html

My local retailer (great service)

http://villagecyclesport.com/

Besides having in stock an 11T freewheel, JV Bikes also carries a complete range of Bionx parts

http://www.jvbike.com/BionX_Options.htm

I was VERY tempted to get a folding bike at the same time so I can more easily put it into our SUV on the occasions my wife picks me up with 3 kids in the back, but I decided to delay that expense until another time. As long as I get a 26″ folder, I can easily just transfer the wheel (or re-spoke it to a smaller wheel if I cannot find a 26″ folder I want to buy)

http://www.greenspeed.us/

bionx_montague_electric_bikes.htm

Here is everything you needed to know about bicycle terminology (which was very helpful to me understanding why the 11T became such an issue… apparently compact drive systems are not well supported in the aftermarket parts world)

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

Here is a very useful forum for Bionx

http://visforvoltage.org/forums/

electricrides/bicyclesandpedelecs/bionx

with links to manuals and codes and such

http://visforvoltage.org/page/technical-help/

399-downloadable-manuals-and-diagrams

Here is a site that proclaims itself as “Everything you ever wanted to know about BionX”

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=896

Continental Race 650 Bicycle Tubes

Recumbent Bike Admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:38:41 +0000

Continental Race 650 Bicycle Tubes

I’ve been running these on my recumbent 559 under by Fatboys. I love them! They are about half the weight of the Hutchison tubes they replaced. The Race 650′s are 26×1 and will work with 559′s. I even had them a bit over inflated in the Fatboy’s with no problems. At 75 grams these are very light tubes in comparison to the alternatives! You can’t go lighter in this size for 559 at this price! The other advantage is they are available with 60mm presta valve stems for tall road rims. I don’t know what else to say about the Continental Bicycle Tubes… they do a great job at low weight and moderate cost. I paid $7.50 at a local bike shop. Cheap tubes are in the $4 range, but are much heavier and I would have to use extenders to make them work on my bicycle. Definitely recommended.

Race 650 Bicycle Tubes w/60mm Presta Valve Stem

Specialized Fatboy Tire

Recumbent Bike Admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:34:43 +0000

My Experience with Specialized Fatboy Tires

Note: Photos of Specialize Fatboy Tires Below

Specialized bicycles calls their “Fatboy” tire a “Performance Road” tire. At 26×1.25 for 559rims these are a pretty good choice for mountain bikers who want to ride the asphalt. These are a pretty good choice for middle of the road 559 Recumbent trainers.

I’ve ridden these on both my mountain bike and my recumbent. They definitely fill a bit different depending on the type of bicycle you are riding. On the Mountain Bike they feel a bit unstable to me and I’m not that comfortable on them… however on the recumbent they feel just about right and seem to handle better. Probably just my perception as on the Mountain Bike I am much higher in the air and used to wider tires with a lot more grip.

At 390 grams these are fairly light wire bead training tires. The tread is a bit stiff, but inflated at about 85psi they offer a fairly smooth ride… pump them to 100psi and the ride gets noticeably harsher, but they do roll a lot better.

The Fatboy Tire is 60 tpi nylon with Specialized Flak Jacket sub tread. In the 1,300 miles I put on them on the Recumbent I did not encounter a single flat. However in the photos included below you will see I had a pretty bad puncture that extended through the tread. This occurred on the front tire. Fortunately I also had a thin liner in this tire courtesy of the technician who trued my wheel. Saved me a long walk home!

Having ridden several brands of tires in the 26″ size on my mountain bikes over the years I’d say Specialized makes a decent tire for the money. Nothing terribly special about these (pun intended). The tread is a bit hard but rolls well but the casing on the rear tire is beginning to separate. On smooth asphalt barring accident or misfortune you might be able to push these to 2,000 miles. They retail for about $25.

If you have actual experience with these tires please feel free to comment. Please refrain from posting opinions of these tires unless you have experience with them.

They are not the easiest tire to mount, but there is a solution to that which I have also reviewed – Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack

Specialized Fatboy Tire Mounted on Recumbent Rim

Puncture Failure in Tread (Sharp Rock)

View of Puncture from Inside Tire

Sidewall Separation on Fatboy Tire

Bike Tires Direct aka BicylceTires.com

Recumbent Bike Admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:13:19 +0000

Same Portland Oregon company advertises online with different names. BikeTiresDirect.com, BicycleTires.com, WesternBikeWorks.com and who knows how many more.

I had a miserable experience with them. There customer service is pathetic. Different prices on their different sites for the same products!

Are there any legitimate Online Vendors anymore?

I’ve had good luck with JensonUSA and Performance Bike. Bad experience with Nashbar when they billed more than was advertised on their site. Then sent me additional bills later on.

I try to buy from local shops, but they do not always have what I need/want.

Sad.