US bent-making history timeline?

I'm wondering if anyone can give me a quick ballpark timeline about bent-making in the US. Any idea
when Vision, Rans, Easy Racer, Lightning, Counterpoint, Ryan, Turner, S&B started making production
bikes? Any other big lines I'm forgetting? THANKS!

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself
culture... ...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies... ...rare books on ski,
bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller about smalltown smuggling ... more radical novels
coming up! ...original downloadable music ... and articles galore! plus national "Off the Beaten
Path" travel forums! HOLY SMOKES!

Jeff Potter <jp@outyourbackdoor.NOSPAMcom> wrote in
news:3F945DB9.67BCF43D@outyourbackdoor.NOSPAMcom:

> I'm wondering if anyone can give me a quick ballpark timeline about bent-making in the US. Any
> idea when Vision, Rans, Easy Racer, Lightning, Counterpoint, Ryan, Turner, S&B started making
> production bikes? Any other big lines I'm forgetting? THANKS!
>
I suppose big is a matter of opinion, but here are a few more for history: Longbikes,Linear,
DeFelice, Haluzak, ...and one I can't remember the name just now...a LWB w/cable operated USS,
started up in Indiana or Iowa I think.

rorschandt
--
May all beings be happy. May they be joyous and live in safety. All living beings, whether weak or
strong, in high or middle or low realms of existence, small or great, visible or invisible, near or
far, born or to be born, Let no one deceive another, nor despise any being in any state; Let none by
anger or hatred wish harm to another. Even as a mother at the risk of her life watches over and
protects her only child, so with a boundless mind should one cherish all living things,

rorschandt wrote:
>
> Jeff Potter <jp@outyourbackdoor.NOSPAMcom> wrote in
> news:3F945DB9.67BCF43D@outyourbackdoor.NOSPAMcom:
>
> > I'm wondering if anyone can give me a quick ballpark timeline about bent-making in the US. Any
> > idea when Vision, Rans, Easy Racer, Lightning, Counterpoint, Ryan, Turner, S&B started making
> > production bikes? Any other big lines I'm forgetting? THANKS!
> >
> I suppose big is a matter of opinion, but here are a few more for history: Longbikes,Linear,
> DeFelice, Haluzak, ...and one I can't remember the name just now...a LWB w/cable operated USS,
> started up in Indiana or Iowa I think.

Infinity, perhaps?

Tom Sherman - Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers

Jeff Potter <jp@outyourbackdoor.NOSPAMcom> wrote in message
news:<3F945DB9.67BCF43D@outyourbackdoor.NOSPAMcom>...
> I'm wondering if anyone can give me a quick ballpark timeline about bent-making in the US. Any
> idea when Vision, Rans, Easy Racer, Lightning, Counterpoint, Ryan, Turner, S&B started making
> production bikes? Any other big lines I'm forgetting? THANKS!
>
> --
>
> Jeff Potter

Mid '70s (right after the '74 oil crisis in or near Freedom, CA., for
me). Of course; all began at varying times.

Chris Jordan Santa Cruz, CA.

Anyone have anything more specific? I put emails into some of the makers but it seems they're way
busy after just finishing the Vegas show.

How about, when did these bikes first come out:

Easy Racers "Tour Easy"..... Lightning's "P-38"..... Rans "Stratus"..... Rans "V-Rex".....

(Is Rans spelled all caps?)

...Man, if you asked about this kind of thing for any upright bike or even part over at bikes.misc
you'd get a detailed treatise! : )

> Mid '70s (right after the '74 oil crisis in or near Freedom, CA., for
> me). Of course; all began at varying times.
>
> Chris Jordan Santa Cruz, CA.

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself
culture... ...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies... ...rare books on ski,
bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller about smalltown smuggling ... more radical novels
coming up! ...original downloadable music ... and articles galore! plus national "Off the Beaten
Path" travel forums! HOLY SMOKES!

Jeff Potter wrote:
> ... (Is Rans spelled all caps?)

TROLL

Tom Sherman - Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers

Tom Sherman wrote:
> Jeff Potter wrote:
>
>>... (Is Rans spelled all caps?)
>
> TROLL

He's not a troll. He's a magazine writer or editor trying to use the newsgroup for research. That's
not a troll. Depending on the newsgroup charter, that might be okay or not okay for the group.

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. -
Mother Teresa

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:
>
> Tom Sherman wrote:
> > Jeff Potter wrote:
> >
> >>... (Is Rans spelled all caps?)
> >
> > TROLL
>
> He's not a troll. He's a magazine writer or editor trying to use the newsgroup for research.
> That's not a troll. Depending on the newsgroup charter, that might be okay or not okay for
> the group.

I believe a history lesson is in order. This link should hopefully explain things.

< http://groups.google.com/groups?q=aw...nt+group:alt.-
rec.bicycles.recumbent+group:alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=alt.rec.bicycles.r-
ecumbent&selm=918867%242bc%241%40slb6.atl.mindspring.net&rnum=1
>

It is interesting to note that 6 of the 11 award winners have posted to
a.r.b.r. within the last month.

Tom "That's RANS, not Rans!" Sherman

Jeff Potter <jp@outyourbackdoor.NOSPAMcom> wrote in message
news:<3F954218.E942B5DA@outyourbackdoor.NOSPAMcom>...
> Anyone have anything more specific? I put emails into some of the makers but it seems they're way
> busy after just finishing the Vegas show.
>
> How about, when did these bikes first come out:
>
> Easy Racers "Tour Easy".....

1978-ish...

> Lightning's "P-38".....

1985-ish...

> Rans "Stratus".....

Preceded by the Nimbus in 1980-ish...

> Rans "V-Rex".....

1996-ish...

>
> (Is Rans spelled all caps?)

Maybe-ish...

Jeff

Tom, Nice work! Very elegant, and so succinct, using only the TERM itself. ;-) bill g

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:

> Tom Sherman wrote:
> > Jeff Potter wrote:
> >
> >>... (Is Rans spelled all caps?)
> >
> > TROLL
>
> He's not a troll. He's a magazine writer or editor trying to use the newsgroup for research.
> That's not a troll. Depending on the newsgroup charter, that might be okay or not okay for
> the group.
>
> --
> I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.
> - Mother Teresa

come on, the guy is trying to put together a first class recumbent book, and the history of bents is
very interesting, even as little as the last 20 years. Give him a break.

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
>
>> Jeff Potter wrote:
>>
>>> ... (Is Rans spelled all caps?)
>>
>>
>> TROLL
>
>
> He's not a troll. He's a magazine writer or editor trying to use the newsgroup for research.
> That's not a troll. Depending on the newsgroup charter, that might be okay or not okay for
> the group.

bentbiker wrote:
> come on, the guy is trying to put together a first class recumbent book, and the history of bents
> is very interesting, even as little as the last 20 years. Give him a break.

I wasn't not giving anybody a break. I just didn't think he was a troll, recognized what he *was*
doing, and pointed out that the acceptability of asking people to do research for you for free so
that you can make money out of it varies from newsgroup to newsgroup. Some NGs I hang out in
consider it perfectly acceptable and others don't.

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. -
Mother Teresa

it will all be good free publicity for the book ;-)

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:
> bentbiker wrote:
>
>> come on, the guy is trying to put together a first class recumbent book, and the history of bents
>> is very interesting, even as little as the last 20 years. Give him a break.
>
>
> I wasn't not giving anybody a break. I just didn't think he was a troll, recognized what he *was*
> doing, and pointed out that the acceptability of asking people to do research for you for free so
> that you can make money out of it varies from newsgroup to newsgroup. Some NGs I hang out in
> consider it perfectly acceptable and others don't.

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:
>
> bentbiker wrote:
> > come on, the guy is trying to put together a first class recumbent book, and the history of
> > bents is very interesting, even as little as the last 20 years. Give him a break.
>
> I wasn't not giving anybody a break. I just didn't think he was a troll, recognized what he *was*
> doing, and pointed out that the acceptability of asking people to do research for you for free so
> that you can make money out of it varies from newsgroup to newsgroup. Some NGs I hang out in
> consider it perfectly acceptable and others don't.

Since it appears that it still needs clarification, the sole reason I referred to Mr. Potter as a
troll was because he asked, "Is Rans spelled all caps?" That is why I posted the link to the 2000
alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent awards, where I received the "AWARD FOR EFFECTIVELY MONITORING THE
APPROPRIATE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS".

EVERYONE WITH ANY INTEREST IN RECUMBENTS SHOULD KNOW THAT RANS IS SPELLED WITH ALL CAPITAL
LETTERS!

As for helping with the second edition of "The Recumbent Bicycle", when Jeff Potter asked if there
were any corrections needed, only a few people responded, and my errata list was by far the most
extensive.

Tom Sherman - Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers RANS "Wavewind" and Rocket,
Earth Cycles Sunset and Dragonflyer

Tom, You should also get special recognition for a very effective troll, even moreso by actually
using the word troll *and* in all caps. bill g
--
He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he
looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the
country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of
those boxes with a pinhole in it.

Tom Sherman wrote:

> Since it appears that it still needs clarification, the sole reason I referred to Mr. Potter as a
> troll was because he asked, "Is Rans spelled all caps?" That is why I posted the link to the 2000
> alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent awards, where I received the "AWARD FOR EFFECTIVELY MONITORING THE
> APPROPRIATE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS".
>
> EVERYONE WITH ANY INTEREST IN RECUMBENTS SHOULD KNOW THAT RANS IS SPELLED WITH ALL CAPITAL
> LETTERS!
>
> As for helping with the second edition of "The Recumbent Bicycle", when Jeff Potter asked if there
> were any corrections needed, only a few people responded, and my errata list was by far the most
> extensive.
>
> Tom Sherman - Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers RANS "Wavewind" and Rocket,
> Earth Cycles Sunset and Dragonflyer

--
He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he
looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the
country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of
those boxes with a pinhole in it.