NC wrote:
> I'm looking at a used Kingcycle recumbent. Unfaired, rim brakes,
> rigid fork, 21speed (original bits as far as I can tell).
>
> Anyone on here with experience of ownership care to comment or
> discuss ?
I had one for many years and enjoyed it very much.
>
>
> So far I am aware of the wierd tyre sizes, and the need to use cable
> ties to hold the seat down to avoid buggering the seat rear movement
> bolt.
Tyre sizes /can/ be tricky, but this may depend on the age of the machine
and whether any previous owners have Done Things to it. Originally they
came with the ISO 369 front wheel (17" Moulton) but switched to the rather
horrid ISO 390 (French 450A) after about 20 machines had been built. Some
enterprising owners have managed to shoehorn an ISO 406 front wheel in
there, and IIRC there was a short run of proper 406-size forks made a few
years back, so you didn't have to faff around with the brakes too much.
AFAIK all 390 tyres currently available in the UK are complete pants. Mine
came with a Moulton wheel from new, fortunately.
The rear wheels were nearly all ISO 541 (French 600A) though again, a few
people have converted them to 559. 541 is interchangeable with ISO 540,
which is a common size for wheelchairs, hence tyre supply is less of a
problem. If you /do/ want to change wheel sizes and you have Magura rim
brakes, be advised that the U-brackets to which they mount has not been made
for a Several of years and are very likely impossible to find in the wild.
Never had a problem with the seat bolt on mine, but then again, I had the
seat as far back as it would go. I /did/ find the seat would give me
serious ****-ache after a couple of hours at race pace, but riding all day
at more moderate levels of exertion was fine. Mrs Larrington, however,
begged to differ...
Other things to watch for:
The cage which surrounds the idler pulley is known to be a bit flimsy. I've
seen several, mine included, which had an additional bracing piece brazed
on, which did the trick.
They don't take kindly to being called upon to tow BoB trailers, and
replacing the front gear cable can be a royal pain in the ****.
Cut out a suitably shaped piece of correx or similar plaggy and zip-tie it
to the frame so as to block the space between the frame tubes ahead of the
seat and abaft the head tube. You may then dispense with a front mudguard.
I know you state it has a rigid fork, but if the opportunity arises, do not
be tempted by the Kingcycle suspension fork as the pivots wore horribly,
leading to an alarming amount of sideways play. I managed to obtain a
349-sized SR SunTour telescopic fork which would accept the Moulton wheel,
though it required a certain amount of brake bodgery - V-brake converted to
left-side cable entry - and the use of a rather small "big" chainring.
Arthur's advice that "the main thing to check is that you can adjust the
boom so that your knees fit under the steering" is wise, but misses the
important point that adjustment for rider length on Kingcycles was done
firstly by a Several of different frame sizes and secondly by moving the
seat back and forth. The boom does not adjust.
> How much use is the rear fairing as a luggage box ?
I used mine until it wore out. /Very/ handy, if not as large as the
offerings from Novosport.
HTH
--
Dave Larrington -
http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
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Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
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