Roger Zoul said:
I test rode one of these before buying my road bike back in 2003. Frankly,
I think the intended use for these are for elderly who just want to have
some fun riding the neighborhoods while getting some exericse. I just can't
see it (or me on it) for any tour - unless you consider 15 miles a tour.
OTOH, a guy at the LBS used to weigh 270 lbs and has dropped down to 210 lbs
using one of these. He's quite young (has kids) and looks great (even if
still overweight - he's a fairly solid guy).
The Revive is available as an electric-motorized version. It has been
said that it makes a better electric bike than pedal-powered bike.
The Revives aren't as good for long-distance riding as a "real" bent
because their position isn't very efficient for pedaling--but they have
three things going for them: they /are/ somewhat more comfortable to
ride than a typical upright bike, and they don't cost very much (~$350 I
recall for the non-electric version, much less than any new recumbent).
The third thing is that they have a large network of dealers who will
keep them on hand, so people will SEE them in the bike shop window.
After I got rid of my last upright bike (about four years back) I didn't
expect that I'd be buying ANY more uprights, none interested me. Until
the RANS crank-forwards came out, and I bought a Fusion, and love it.
I've had a lot of people ride it and most did say they liked it--but for
most of them, their eyes popped out when I told them it cost $900.
~