Why People Don't Buy Recumbents

[Ergoman]

I'm a pretty intense cyclist, a Cat 2 racer who has also done some serious touring. Unfortunately, I'm also getting to the age where my body has stopped ignoring abuse. I want to go farther, faster and be comfortable doing it, and after a little research I decided to give recumbents a try. I studied the reviews, read up on the subject all I could and picked a few models that might interest me, the Challenge Fujin, the Optima Baron, the VK2, etc. (yes, I want to go fast and I don't mind working at it)

Now, here's why people don't buy recumbents. A two-hour (one way) drive to a shop that assured me they had all the models revealed that they had nothing but used, rusty and broken lawn chairs with wheels. Of course they'd be happy to order what I wanted, and if I wanted to wait around for a few hours while their mechanic made their rusty, flat-tired, old Baron rideable, I could go for a test ride in the parking lot. I had called ahead to let them know what I wanted to see so it wasn't like my visit was a surprise.

Frustrated, I got on the phone to every major recumbent dealer in the U.S. The story was the same everywhere. No models of interest in stock, but if you want to order, we can have it for you in a month or two.

Here's the crunch: Before I lay $2000 to $3000 out for an unknown bike, particularly a recumbent with which I have NO experience, I want to ride it. I really need to check it out and see if I'm going to love it or hate it. If no one has the models I'm interested in, how can I do a test ride. If I can't do a test ride, how can any dealer in his right mind expect me to buy? It's a chicken and egg type thing. People don't buy recumbents because the models they want aren't available, and the models they want aren't available because people don't buy them. Wake up dealers! You might be on to something good, but unless you make it possible for sane people to buy, you're going nowhere.

END OF RANT

Now, can anyone tell me where I can find a road-worthy low racer in reasonable condition, new or used, anywhere within a 200 mile radius of Washington D.C.?

 

[blazingpedals]

I'm sorry to hear of your sour experience trying to get a test ride. It's kind of a catch-22 proposition - bents aren't common enough for most shops to bother carrying them, but they'll never get more popular if the shops aren't out there selling them.

Having failed in your first attempt, I'd suggest another try, this time to contact some of the DC area's recumbent riders. WHIRL (Washington's Happily Independent Recumbent Lovers) has a web page here. I've found that most recumbent affecionados will allow at least short test rides, given venues where the tester and the bike aren't likely to disappear forever. And their bikes are more likely to be well-maintained than some old consignment in the back of a shop. I don't know what kinds of bents are popular with that group, but maybe a few of them will have lowracers. Although I'm partial to lowracers myself, don't rule out highracers such as the Bacchetta Aero. If you can finagle a test ride, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck with your hunt. I hope you bag a trophy!

 

[Ergoman]

blazingpedals,

Thanks for the response and the info. I'll check out the web page you suggested and see what I can find.

 

[Aeliel]

I'm a pretty intense cyclist, a Cat 2 racer who has also done some serious touring. Unfortunately, I'm also getting to the age where my body has stopped ignoring abuse. I want to go farther, faster and be comfortable doing it, and after a little research I decided to give recumbents a try. I studied the reviews, read up on the subject all I could and picked a few models that might interest me, the Challenge Fujin, the Optima Baron, the VK2, etc. (yes, I want to go fast and I don't mind working at it)

Now, here's why people don't buy recumbents. A two-hour (one way) drive to a shop that assured me they had all the models revealed that they had nothing but used, rusty and broken lawn chairs with wheels. Of course they'd be happy to order what I wanted, and if I wanted to wait around for a few hours while their mechanic made their rusty, flat-tired, old Baron rideable, I could go for a test ride in the parking lot. I had called ahead to let them know what I wanted to see so it wasn't like my visit was a surprise.

Frustrated, I got on the phone to every major recumbent dealer in the U.S. The story was the same everywhere. No models of interest in stock, but if you want to order, we can have it for you in a month or two.

Here's the crunch: Before I lay $2000 to $3000 out for an unknown bike, particularly a recumbent with which I have NO experience, I want to ride it. I really need to check it out and see if I'm going to love it or hate it. If no one has the models I'm interested in, how can I do a test ride. If I can't do a test ride, how can any dealer in his right mind expect me to buy? It's a chicken and egg type thing. People don't buy recumbents because the models they want aren't available, and the models they want aren't available because people don't buy them. Wake up dealers! You might be on to something good, but unless you make it possible for sane people to buy, you're going nowhere.

END OF RANT

Now, can anyone tell me where I can find a road-worthy low racer in reasonable condition, new or used, anywhere within a 200 mile radius of Washington D.C.?

I dont know what he has now but The Bicycle Man usually has a wide selection of bents. He's more than 200 miles away but he is accustomed to shipping bents all over the world so that shouldn't be an issue.

His website is one of the better I've seen too.

http://www.bicycleman.com/recumbents/recumbents.htm

 

[Ergoman]

I dont know what he has now but The Bicycle Man usually has a wide selection of bents. He's more than 200 miles away but he is accustomed to shipping bents all over the world so that shouldn't be an issue.

His website is one of the better I've seen too.

http://www.bicycleman.com/recumbents/recumbents.htm

Sorry, but no cigar. Bicycle Man is very informative and helpful but does not have any of the bikes I'm interested in but may have something to demo in a month. Then it would take a month or more to get what I might decide to order.

 

[Aeliel]

Sorry, but no cigar. Bicycle Man is very informative and helpful but does not have any of the bikes I'm interested in but may have something to demo in a month. Then it would take a month or more to get what I might decide to order.

Yeah coming from a background in retail sales I can tell you why nobody stocks them. They cost a fortune to keep on the floor for the occasional sale. Most people don't walk into a shop and want to walk out with a 2.5-5k bike. Especially something as unique as one of those.

I thought Bicycle Man might have one only because he does do quite a volume (especially considering he's in the middle of nowhere) and I have seen them there in the past...

 

[Ergoman]

Yeah coming from a background in retail sales I can tell you why nobody stocks them. They cost a fortune to keep on the floor for the occasional sale. Most people don't walk into a shop and want to walk out with a 2.5-5k bike. Especially something as unique as one of those.

I thought Bicycle Man might have one only because he does do quite a volume (especially considering he's in the middle of nowhere) and I have seen them there in the past...

Yeah, like I said above, it's a "chicken and egg" thing. If you don't have a bike in stock, no one will buy it, and if no one will buy it, why keep one in stock? Someone somewhere has got to be smart enough and rich enough to break this cycle (no pun intended). It's not like stocking a few $3,000 recumbent bikes is more than most shops could do. There are five shops within 20 minutes of me that stock inventories of $50,000 to $100,000 in conventional bikes.

 

[blazingpedals]

My LBS has a Burley on the floor, which has been on the floor for almost 3 years. Granted, they don't know how to sell 'bents, but that bike is a money loser for them, taking up floor space and not generating any revenue. Burley's not even in the 'bent business anymore, so their chances of ever selling it become smaller all the time.

 

[MoeJoe]

Here's the deal with lowracers; people who want to "try them out" before they buy, by and large, aren't going to buy them. I've heard more than one recumbent seller state that they simply stopped dealing with extreme racing recumbents because the folks who "tried" them never bought one. First, you have to understand that these bikes are very different from the standard comfort and touring recumbents you'll see generally stocked in shops. The bikes suffer from a number of "problems" that make them generally unsuited for general riding, most being better suited to race tracks. Do people ride them on the roads and put up with these problems for the sake of style and speed? Yes, they do; I'm one of them. Sure, everyone wants to "go fast" but few are willing to actually put up with the eccentricities of these bikes. The seat angles are most often dramatically reclined, with the bottom brackets many inches higher than the seat. Almost every DF rider that's attempted to try my bike has had a heck of a time even sitting in it. None have been able to balance when they attempt to ride without many attempts, and almost every rider who tries gives up after almost falling (thankfully, so far I've been able to catch them all before they could damage the bike). Steering is very often limited to the point where you have to stand up and physically turn the bike around rather than attempt a "U" turn. Vision can often be dramatically impaired when compared with a standard recumbent or DF bike. This is what a bike seller experiences when they give a test ride on a lowracer, so it's no wonder they don't stock them. The kind of riders who will put up with the eccentricities of a lowracer will buy without trying one, because they're drawn to the design and the speed and then they'll spend a serious amount of time learning how to control/ride the bike. It's no accident the term often used to describe a lowracer rider is "lowracer pilot".

 

[NORECUMYET]

Here's the deal with lowracers; people who want to "try them out" before they buy, by and large, aren't going to buy them. I've heard more than one recumbent seller state that they simply stopped dealing with extreme racing recumbents because the folks who "tried" them never bought one. First, you have to understand that these bikes are very different from the standard comfort and touring recumbents you'll see generally stocked in shops. The bikes suffer from a number of "problems" that make them generally unsuited for general riding, most being better suited to race tracks. Do people ride them on the roads and put up with these problems for the sake of style and speed? Yes, they do; I'm one of them. Sure, everyone wants to "go fast" but few are willing to actually put up with the eccentricities of these bikes. The seat angles are most often dramatically reclined, with the bottom brackets many inches higher than the seat. Almost every DF rider that's attempted to try my bike has had a heck of a time even sitting in it. None have been able to balance when they attempt to ride without many attempts, and almost every rider who tries gives up after almost falling (thankfully, so far I've been able to catch them all before they could damage the bike). Steering is very often limited to the point where you have to stand up and physically turn the bike around rather than attempt a "U" turn. Vision can often be dramatically impaired when compared with a standard recumbent or DF bike. This is what a bike seller experiences when they give a test ride on a lowracer, so it's no wonder they don't stock them. The kind of riders who will put up with the eccentricities of a lowracer will buy without trying one, because they're drawn to the design and the speed and then they'll spend a serious amount of time learning how to control/ride the bike. It's no accident the term often used to describe a lowracer rider is "lowracer pilot".

I'm glad that I stumbled upon this forum. It's been very educational. I decided about two weeks ago that I was indeed going to buy a recumbent. I won't get into the reasons why but they are common. Unfortunately, all the models I'm really attracted to are the very hard to buy kind. Velokraft, M5, etc. The only shop close by doesn't carry any low racers so my next attempt is a shop about seventy miles away. So far, their site insinuates that they have these exotics on hand. I haven’t spoken to them yet though. They're called Bentupcylcles I believe and reside in Van Nuys California. Does anyone know anything about them?

I don't think I'll be going back to a "normal" bike. I just really find the whole low racer recumbent idea to be a very powerful one. I am however getting pretty discouraged reading all the negative feedback. I had decided on an M5 carbon low racer. Then I read a post that said this guy's club had three of them and they're all three falling apart. To top it off they apparently are having a terrible time getting the maker to honor the warranty.

If I have to I guess I could "settle" for say a Lightning P38 or similar. I'm like most of you though. I'm having a hard time with the idea of spending up to $6,000 on something I can't try out first. What if my body just doesn't fit the seat correctly? Then what do I do?

If I have to I'm willing to travel just about anywhere in the country to try out recumbents. Does anyone know of a shop/s that carry a real inventory? Even though I understand the problems involved for shop owners, how do the manufacturer's think they'll ever sell in larger quantities if people can't even touch something that costs so much money?

Wouldn’t it be prudent to at least pepper the major metropolitan areas with some demo bikes? I know many of these makers are pretty small, but they can’t be the first business with similar problems in showing their merchandise. HELP!!!!

 

[blazingpedals]

I'd still call ahead, but Bentupcycles should have at least one or two lowracers hanging around. If nothing else, Dana has one that he rides himself.

I hear ya on the availability. Dana does a mail-order business in lowracers, so he can afford to have a few in stock. In a regular brick-and-mortar shop, floor space has to pay for itself by way of turning over the stock at regular intervals. Even with better availability, the market for lowracers would still be pretty small, and shop owners would be hard-pressed to turn them over fast enough to make them profitable. And of course, shop owners aren't interested in promoting lowracers or even bents in general; they're only going to carry what people want to buy.

 

[Ike90]

If I have to I'm willing to travel just about anywhere in the country to try out recumbents. Does anyone know of a shop/s that carry a real inventory? Even though I understand the problems involved for shop owners, how do the manufacturer's think they'll ever sell in larger quantities if people can't even touch something that costs so much money?

This is probably the best and most complete recumbent shop in the nation:

http://www.hostelshoppe.com/

 

[MoeJoe]

Dana at Bent Up Cycles sells (among others) the Velokraft line of bikes, which includes some beautiful lowracer style rides. I'm almost positive that he'd be able to set you up with a test ride. Here's a link to the Velokraft web page so you can see the bikes I'm talking about:

http://www.velokraft.com/

As far as M5 bikes falling apart, I've been riding a Lightning U2 for quite some time, which is essentially a Lightning modified M5 lowracer, and I've had no problems with the bike. Of course, my bike is steel, and an older, tried and true design, so it could be that they're having trouble working the kinks out of some of the newer bikes like the carbon lowracer.

 

[Saxon]

Hostel Shoppe is a great source for recumbents and gear, but I don't believe they sell any lowracers. Most lowracers are made by small companies in Europe, so that's another thing that cuts down on availability. Over the years, a few places have tried importing them into the U.S in number, but I think they're just too extreme and require too many compromises for the average rider to deal with. Barcroft is one of the few making a U.S. lowracer. http://www.barcroftcycles.com/

I've never heard of M5's falling apart. Their lowracer is the prototype that most other euro makers copied.

 

[NORECUMYET]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. I ended up driving down to BentUp Cycles in Van Nuys California. It happens to be relatively close by. (65 miles. Great in recum searching terms) Dana had several nice rides in stock and was extremely helpful and easy to work with. I was able to sit on his Velokraft VK2 carbon. What can I say? I put down a deposit. It's not cheap by any means but I knew what I was getting in to before driving down there.

I didn't even ask to actually try to ride it. I could tell that it's going to have a learning curve to it and I didn't want to risk going down quite that publicly. I'm not sure he would have even offered a test ride on it being I believe it's his commuter bike. I also sat on the Velotechnik speed machine with USS. I really liked it. In fact I had a hard time deciding between the two. I'm pretty sure the SpeedMachine is a more practical ride for me. It's also a whole lot less expensive. What can I say though, I let the low weight, carbon frame, lower stance, and last but not least, the beautiful looks sway me over to the VK2.

Unfortunately, the SpeedMachine is in stock, and the VK2 of course is not. We'll see how long it takes. Hopefully, it won’t be too long. I'm already chomping at the bit and probably have at least a month to wait. I originally fell in love with the M5 carbon lowracer. I also really liked the Optima line of recumbents. I wasn’t able to find anyone that carries them. I guess it all comes down to who carries what and where can you find them. I'm very mechanical so I thought seriously of just ordering what I wanted. When it comes down to being able to actually touch and sit on what you're going to buy, it makes a tremendous difference. It's also nice knowing that there's a dealer "close" by just in case of warranty issues.

Wish me luck and thanks for all of your helpful posts so far.

 

[MoeJoe]

Congratulations on your purchase! Sure, there will be a learning curve, but everyone I've known who has purchased a VK2 has loved it, so you'll more than likely feel the same way. The SpeedMachine is a beautiful bike, but despite its name, due to suspension/weight issues, it's really more of a fast all around/commuter bike where as the VK2 is an all out racing bike (which some folks use as an all'rounder) so you're not making any compromises in the speed department (and certainly not in the looks department).

'Grats again!
Joe

 

[NORECUMYET]

Congratulations on your purchase! Sure, there will be a learning curve, but everyone I've known who has purchased a VK2 has loved it, so you'll more than likely feel the same way. The SpeedMachine is a beautiful bike, but despite its name, due to suspension/weight issues, it's really more of a fast all around/commuter bike where as the VK2 is an all out racing bike (which some folks use as an all'rounder) so you're not making any compromises in the speed department (and certainly not in the looks department).

'Grats again!
Joe

Thank you very much for that. It helps to take away at least a small part of the sting in shelling out that much cash.

 

[Aeliel]

Nice looking bike!

I'm not sure I could handle a bike that reclined but I wish you luck!

The thing looks like the Dodge Viper of bikes. Fast as hell, only marginally comfortable and it will burn you if you aren't careful getting on and off...

 

[deanlopes]

Having just started riding my Burley Canto, I can say that I am happy with how I ended up with it. I started with eBay and Craigslist - only focusing on bikes for sale in my area. I contacted 5 different people and they were all happy to have me come and test ride the bike. I tried five different types. For my body-type (6-2, 260lbs), I settled on the Burley Canto. Then, I got lucky and found a Local Bike Shop whose owner was a recumbent fan. He happened to have the bike that I like the best, the Burley Canto. After that, I'll admit to a struggle to find lights, bags and a bike carrier that worked well with the bike. But, I've had my bike about 4 months now and have ridden over 500 blissful miles.

 

[velomont]

I was very lucky in getting a recumbent. I have developed a lower back problem over the last year which has ended my days on drop-handlebars and possibly any other DF bike. As the situation was developing I started thinking about recumbents several months ago but I thought that with appropriate stretching I could continue as per normal. About two weeks ago, however, my back made it clear that things would have to change so at that time I made the decision to actually get a recumbent. It was thanks to discussion groups such as this one that I discovered a dealer about three hours from my house. He had a storefront up until about two years ago but now operates from his home, by appointment. Two days ago I was at his place, and spent two hours test riding about five different bikes, including two SWBs - a Trek R200 and a Burley Django. I bought the Burley and yesterday and early this morning was tooling around with it having the time of my life. The entire experience was painless but, initially I anticipated the whole inaccessibility-of-dealers issue etc and figured that I would have to order one and hope for the best.