Inexpensive recumbent trike

The subject line might be somewhat inaccurate. My son, age 12, has seen several recumbent trikes
when we happened to ride with other recumbent riders. Unfortunately, my search, primarily using the
Internet, has not produced one that is within my budget. Is the EZ-3 just about the only trike
option at what I consider entry level price? I've checked various sites for used trikes and they
would still strain the wallet.

Thanks for comments and suggestions.

Freddie Wall wrote:
> The subject line might be somewhat inaccurate. My son, age 12, has seen several recumbent trikes
> when we happened to ride with other recumbent riders. Unfortunately, my search, primarily using
> the Internet, has not produced one that is within my budget. Is the EZ-3 just about the only trike
> option at what I consider entry level price? I've checked various sites for used trikes and they
> would still strain the wallet.
>
> Thanks for comments and suggestions.
>
>
>
>
>
>
Check out 'bentrider online at http://www.bentrideronline.com, and more specifically the "Stop
the Presses" section, with an ongoing report from Interbike. It appears that Sun will be
producing a recumbent trike that will sell for around $1,000. It's a tadpole design, as opposed
to the delta of the EZ-3.

--
Larry Varney Cold Spring, KY http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

Build One!

"Freddie Wall" <freddie@statesville.net> wrote in message news:3f8ad2bb@news101.his.com...
> The subject line might be somewhat inaccurate. My son, age 12, has seen several recumbent trikes
> when we happened to ride with other recumbent riders. Unfortunately, my search, primarily using
> the Internet, has not produced one that is within my budget. Is the EZ-3 just about the only
trike
> option at what I consider entry level price? I've checked various sites for used trikes and they
> would still strain the wallet.
>
> Thanks for comments and suggestions.
>
>
>

There is a front drive and front steer recumbent 'trike' that is popular with his age group on our
beaches here in South Carolina.

"Freddie Wall" <freddie@statesville.net> wrote in message news:3f8ad2bb@news101.his.com...
> The subject line might be somewhat inaccurate. My son, age 12, has seen several recumbent trikes
> when we happened to ride with other recumbent riders. Unfortunately, my search, primarily using
> the Internet, has not produced one that is within my budget. Is the EZ-3 just about the only
trike
> option at what I consider entry level price? I've checked various sites for used trikes and they
> would still strain the wallet.
>
> Thanks for comments and suggestions.
>
>
>

Doug Huffman must be edykated coz e writed:

> There is a front drive and front steer recumbent 'trike' that is popular with his age group on our
> beaches here in South Carolina.
>
>
> "Freddie Wall" <freddie@statesville.net> wrote in message news:3f8ad2bb@news101.his.com...
>> The subject line might be somewhat inaccurate. My son, age 12, has seen several recumbent trikes
>> when we happened to ride with other recumbent riders. Unfortunately, my search, primarily using
>> the Internet, has not produced one that is within my budget. Is the EZ-3 just about the only
> trike
>> option at what I consider entry level price? I've checked various sites for used trikes and they
>> would still strain the wallet.
>>
>> Thanks for comments and suggestions.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
Try http://www.kmxkarts.co.uk/index.html
--
Ian

http://www.catrike.co.uk

"Doug Huffman" <2huffman@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:<ZnCib.406$Mp6.117@bignews5.bellsouth.net>...
> There is a front drive and front steer recumbent 'trike' that is popular with his age group on our
> beaches here in South Carolina.
>

Try: http://www.trailmate.com/funCycleSeries.cfm

Jeff

"Jeff Wills" skrev

> Try: http://www.trailmate.com/funCycleSeries.cfm

I'll second that one. We had a few demomodels of a similar type at the danish championships and it
was quite fun to see all the riders hop on these kids trikes and tear around the parkinglot with a
big grin on their faces. Kids loved them too.

Mikael

You didn't mention what your price level was??? "Freddie Wall" <freddie@statesville.net> wrote in
message news:3f8ad2bb@news101.his.com...
> The subject line might be somewhat inaccurate. My son, age 12, has seen several recumbent trikes
> when we happened to ride with other recumbent riders. Unfortunately, my search, primarily using
> the Internet, has not produced one that is within my budget. Is the EZ-3 just about the only
trike
> option at what I consider entry level price? I've checked various sites for used trikes and they
> would still strain the wallet.
>
> Thanks for comments and suggestions.
>
>
>

Thanks for all the suggestions. Since my son appears to becoming involved with BMX more so that road
riding, I think I shall contact the KMX Karts. The other two suggestions, Trailmate and Sun Cycles,
look good as well. One of the two recumbents we own is the EZ1. I know it is considered a beginner's
recumbent but we have been pleased with it and the BikeE CT.

Once again, thanks to all for such quick responses.

Mikael Seierup <briangoebbels@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bmf4s2$ljndn$1@ID-169681.news.uni-berlin.de...
>
> "Jeff Wills" skrev
>
> > Try: http://www.trailmate.com/funCycleSeries.cfm
>
> I'll second that one. We had a few demomodels of a similar type at the danish championships and it
> was quite fun to see all the riders hop on these kids trikes and tear around the parkinglot with a
> big grin on their faces. Kids loved them too.
>
> Mikael

There's also the Tricruiser: http://www.americruiser.com/ The original model, at $799, has (in my
opinion) an inadequate brake. However, there is now an option for front disks, which would remove
that objection. Perhaps it's not really suitable for a kid, I don't know, but it is the least
expensive full-sized tadpole trike that I am aware of (kmx carts seem built for kids).

Alan Weiss NJ Gold Rush, E2 tandem, and Leitra rider

Freddie Wall wrote:
>
> The subject line might be somewhat inaccurate. My son, age 12, has seen several recumbent trikes
> when we happened to ride with other recumbent riders. Unfortunately, my search, primarily using
> the Internet, has not produced one that is within my budget. Is the EZ-3 just about the only trike
> option at what I consider entry level price? I've checked various sites for used trikes and they
> would still strain the wallet.
>
> Thanks for comments and suggestions.

> my search, primarily using the Internet, has not produced one that is within my budget. Is the
> EZ-3 just about the only trike option at what I consider entry level price?

This is a discussion, not a recomendation!!!

Look at http://www.americruiser.com/

$799. Tadpole trike. This is a garage-built-by-one-man machine, from square aluminum tubing. It is a
kick to ride. Cheap components. The spindle yoke (?) setup is so thin it bends, purdy soon your
tires at a weird camber. I had a child on the trike with me, prolly about 250 lbs total. I was
fooling around in the street with it and turned too sharp. It went up on two tires, and that bent
the steering part. I have yet to see a picture of one of these that doesn't look like the steering
part is bent. But maybe that is unfair, cuz I don't know fer sure whut its 'sposed to look like.
There is no feedback from the steering stick and it is easy to dial in too much turn. At speed
(15mph) the tiniest inputs which are unavoidable cause you to wander back and forth on the road,
maybe a foot or two. My bro bought one of these and had a machinist build a stronger part there. He
hasn't ridden it yet with the new parts. It comes with mtn bike components, and 16-20" wheels,
(whichever, I don't recall) low-pressure Kmart knobby tires. You can't adjust the seat anywhere near
as far back as I would want. There is only one brake, on the rear. It is either for the
suicide-prone or is some kinda joke I didn't get. Oh, the brake is fine, its just that the trike is
so tall that the weight shift is so pronounced that the rear tire just skids.

Pluses: It is fun and cheap. Looks cheap to buy (or build) parts for. It looks like a tinkerer's
dream since nothing is welded. It is made from easy-to-buy aluminum tubing and bolted together. One
could change it around radically, just for fun, you could change some frame members to get the seat
to recline. I think that it may be fairly reliable once the steering is fixed which isn't a big deal
to a tinkerer.

I'd love to have about six of these and a dirt oval, and invite my friends over for the heat races.

Oh, and get all the owner/salesman's promises on paper.