Low Priced Recumbent Framesets

[Phil Wolfe]

Wondering if anyone knows where I can purchase a recumbent frameset for a really good price. I'm not
looking to spend a lot and I have plenty of parts. I already own a Rocket and a Horizon so I was
hoping to try something a little different this year. Thanks in advance, Philip Wolfe

 

[Joshua Goldberg]

A Little different eh Most trike makers are (finally) offering framesets. Under Different...that
would mean anything not made by Greenspeed. My list, in order would be Ricky Horwitz (Spitfire),
Robert Stein's (Alien-Viper), check with WizWheel on their Terra (not sure they sell just the
frameset), ...hmmm maybe just email the trike makers and ask if they can offer you a good deal on
just the frameset, I'd think most would do it gladly. Thing about Rick Horwitz is that he will
stand in front of what he sells, while most will stand behind...meaning Ricky will/can tailor the
trike to you, while the others will point to the basic design and it is up to you to make changes
after the sale. Thing about Horwitz (and Stein) that always impressed me was they have a passion
for design and continue to innovate/evolve. Some trike makers just stagnate after releasing their
1st trike design.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- "Phil Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Wondering if anyone knows where I can purchase a recumbent frameset for a really good price. I'm
> not looking to spend a lot and I have plenty of parts. I already own a Rocket and a Horizon so I
> was hoping to try something a little different this year. Thanks in advance, Philip Wolfe

 

[B. Sanders]

"Phil Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Wondering if anyone knows where I can purchase a recumbent frameset for a really good price. I'm
> not looking to spend a lot and I have plenty of parts. I already own a Rocket and a Horizon so I
> was hoping to try something a little different this year. Thanks in advance, Philip Wolfe

Welcome to the Homebuilder's Club. You may end up learning more about framebuilding than you ever
thought you would want to know. As far as I know, there aren't any cheap framesets that are worth
having. (ie: better than your Rocket and Haluzak Horizon)

strikes your fancy? Many folks on this group have built such beasts, and saved a lot of
money doing it.

I'm entering the Homebuilder's Club now, and have several designs ready to build, using cheap steel
exhaust pipe tubing and parts scavenged from cheap discarded BMX and mountain bikes. I've already
put together a no-weld front-wheel-drive (FWD) recument. Not quite what I was looking for. The next
one will be a lowracer design. I figure I can build it for under $500, including paying a welder to
weld the frame, and buying a few nice parts for the bike, such as the fiberglass seat offered at
PowerOn for $135.

What did you have in mind? Are you handy with a welder? Do you have a garage?

-Barry

 

[Phil Wolfe]

Oh no a trike sounds interesting, but a lowracer sounds good too. I have never used a torch in my
life but you never know. Actually the lowracer sounds tempting but to find a frameset only for a
small amount of change may be asking to much. Maybe a used frameset then. Thanks, Phil Wolfe

"B. Sanders" wrote:

> "Phil Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > Wondering if anyone knows where I can purchase a recumbent frameset for a really good price. I'm
> > not looking to spend a lot and I have plenty of parts. I already own a Rocket and a Horizon so I
> > was hoping to try something a little different this year. Thanks in advance, Philip Wolfe
>
> Welcome to the Homebuilder's Club. You may end up learning more about framebuilding than you ever
> thought you would want to know. As far as I know, there aren't any cheap framesets that are worth
> having. (ie: better than your Rocket and Haluzak Horizon)
>

> strikes your fancy? Many folks on this group have built such beasts, and saved a lot of money
> doing it.
>
> I'm entering the Homebuilder's Club now, and have several designs ready to build, using cheap
> steel exhaust pipe tubing and parts scavenged from cheap discarded BMX and mountain bikes. I've
> already put together a no-weld front-wheel-drive (FWD) recument. Not quite what I was looking for.
> The next one will be a lowracer design. I figure I can build it for under $500, including paying a
> welder to weld the frame, and buying a few nice parts for the bike, such as the fiberglass seat
> offered at PowerOn for $135.
>
> What did you have in mind? Are you handy with a welder? Do you have a garage?
>
> -Barry

 

[R2D2]

Phil, contact Rolf Garthus ([email protected]).

He is building a new line of recumbents this year (similar to the Bacchetta recumbents - 650/650!). They are extremely knowledgeable there, and have sold recumbents forever (they've had employees go off to work at recumbent manufacturers).

He might sell you a frameset (their framesets are constructed at the same factory that builds Linear's frames in Washington). I can't say enough about the great people there.

Their website and free catalog have a huge amount of info on recumbents. www.hostelshoppe.com

R2

 

[B. Sanders]

"Phil Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Oh no a trike sounds interesting, but a lowracer sounds good too.

I've owned both. They're both great. I prefer trikes; but they're much harder to engineer correctly
(or so it would seem).

> I have never used a torch in my life but you never know.

We're in the same boat. I welded a couple of times as a kid; but haven't touched a torch since then.

> Actually the lowracer sounds tempting but to find a frameset only for a small amount of change may
> be asking to much.

It is, indeed, asking too much. Of course, "a small amount of change" varies wildly depending upon
perspective. Do you think $1,000 is small change? $50? $500?

> Maybe a used frameset then.

Well, hate to tell ya', Phil; but the market for good used recumbent frames is *white hot*.
Basically, everybody and his brother wants exactly what you want. They simply don't exist. They did
exist maybe 6 or 7 years ago before recumbents became popular; but nowadays, a good used recumbent
frame for sale will last about 5 minutes if it's even reasonably priced. Used recumbents must have
the best resale value of any type of bike that exists. It's not uncommon for a 3 year old bike to
retain 80% of its retail value. I can't think of anything else that commands such a high price,
except precious metals.

If you find a frameset that is cheap, be *very* suspicious. It could be a failed experiment, or a
badly-executed prototype, and might not even be safe to ride (unless you're a daredevil). Those are
floating around on Ebay and elsewhere. There has been talk of crappy converted MTB's from Ebay, and
the consensus seems to be "you get what you pay for." 'Nuf said.

You might be able to find a cheap home-built frameset. Those do exist; but don't expect them to be
pretty, nor adjustable, nor lightweight, nor plentiful. You're probably better off buying or
making some plans, and having a local welder (or framebuilder, if you're that lucky) weld the
frame for you.

That's the route I'm taking. This town isn't exactly bursting at the seams with welders who know
Thing 1 about bikes. I'm not ready to have an auto repair shop do the work.

Let us know what you end up doing. I'd be curious to know about any cheap recumbent frames that you
come up with.

BTW: What do you mean when you say "low priced?" Under $500? Under $200?

Cheers,

Barry

 

[B. Sanders]

"Joshua Goldberg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> A Little different eh Most trike makers are (finally) offering framesets. Under Different...that
> would mean anything not made by Greenspeed. My list, in order would be Ricky Horwitz (Spitfire),
> Robert Stein's (Alien-Viper), check with WizWheel on their Terra (not sure they sell just the
> frameset), ...hmmm maybe just email the trike makers and ask if they can offer you a good deal on
> just the frameset, I'd think most would do it gladly. Thing about Rick Horwitz is that he will
> stand in front of what he sells, while most will stand behind...meaning Ricky will/can tailor the
> trike to you, while the others will point to the basic design and it is up to you
to
> make changes after the sale. Thing about Horwitz (and Stein) that always impressed me was they
> have a passion for design and continue to innovate/evolve. Some trike makers just stagnate after
> releasing their 1st trike design

Ricky Horwitz, Robert Stein, the TerraTrike guys and Paulo at Catrike are all dedicated to trike
innovation.

I'd put Paulo and Ricky in similar categories - driven, committed, visionary, with a keen eye for
style, function, and solid engineering. They're pushing the envelope, and they're both here in the
USA. I'm happy about that.

I contacted Robert Stein recently, offering to trade marketing, photography and high-end website
development in trade for a trike. His response to my offer was characteristic of a scrappy,
innovative, driven entrepreneur. He said, basically, that he's too busy innovating, and already has
a waiting list for his trikes. Every dollar he makes gives him funds for more experimentation. Who
needs marketing when you can't make enough trikes to fill the orders? Instead of stagnating,
he's continuing to radically modify his basic design. That's what it takes to succeed in a
white-hot, emergent market like tadpole trikes. Expect great things from Stein.

TerraTrike has come a long way in the past few years. They are really dialing-in their design. I
still have the sales brochure from when TerraTrikes first opened their doors. The original "1.0"
design looks pretty crude and simple compared to the current models. It's a completely different
beast. With their recent price drop, they're also making it clear that they understand this
competitive market, and don't mind turning up the heat.

I'm excited by what's happening in the global (and US) trike market. It's all good. We consumers
have much more choice than before, more quality, more performance and significantly reduced prices.

Joshua, you have some pretty hot competition out there!

-Barry

 

[Mikael Seierup]

"Phil Wolfe" skrev...
> Oh no a trike sounds interesting, but a lowracer sounds good too. I have never used a torch in my
> life but you never know. Actually the lowracer sounds tempting but to find a frameset only for a
> small amount of change may be asking to much. Maybe a used frameset then. Thanks, Phil Wolfe

Theres the Zephyr from Holland. 860 euro for a framekit. http://www.zephyr.nl/shop/enter.html
(Zephyr lage racer)

Or you could try the wooden lowracer mentioned on BROL's Stop the Presses. Would get a unique steed.
Wonder how heavy it is though.

Mikael

 

[Phil Wolfe]

Looking to spend about $ 750.00 tops. I bought my Rocket from Rans as a frameset for $399.00 Its a
square tubed model but the price was right. I also bought my Horizon as a demo/used bike for $799.00
from Fools Crow. Both bikes have seen paint jobs and upgrades. I am just looking for another bike
related project so maybe I'll just keep my eyes and ears open, something is bound to come up. Thanks
to all, Philip Wolfe

"B. Sanders" wrote:

> "Phil Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > Oh no a trike sounds interesting, but a lowracer sounds good too.
>
> I've owned both. They're both great. I prefer trikes; but they're much harder to engineer
> correctly (or so it would seem).
>
> > I have never used a torch in my life but you never know.
>
> We're in the same boat. I welded a couple of times as a kid; but haven't touched a torch
> since then.
>
> > Actually the lowracer sounds tempting but to find a frameset only for a small amount of change
> > may be asking to much.
>
> It is, indeed, asking too much. Of course, "a small amount of change" varies wildly depending upon
> perspective. Do you think $1,000 is small change? $50? $500?
>
> > Maybe a used frameset then.
>
> Well, hate to tell ya', Phil; but the market for good used recumbent frames is *white hot*.
> Basically, everybody and his brother wants exactly what you want. They simply don't exist. They
> did exist maybe 6 or 7 years ago before recumbents became popular; but nowadays, a good used
> recumbent frame for sale will last about 5 minutes if it's even reasonably priced. Used recumbents
> must have the best resale value of any type of bike that exists. It's not uncommon for a 3 year
> old bike to retain 80% of its retail value. I can't think of anything else that commands such a
> high price, except precious metals.
>
> If you find a frameset that is cheap, be *very* suspicious. It could be a failed experiment, or a
> badly-executed prototype, and might not even be safe to ride (unless you're a daredevil). Those
> are floating around on Ebay and elsewhere. There has been talk of crappy converted MTB's from
> Ebay, and the consensus seems to be "you get what you pay for." 'Nuf said.
>
> You might be able to find a cheap home-built frameset. Those do exist; but don't expect them to be
> pretty, nor adjustable, nor lightweight, nor plentiful. You're probably better off buying or
> making some plans, and having a local welder (or framebuilder, if you're that lucky) weld the
> frame for you.
>
> That's the route I'm taking. This town isn't exactly bursting at the seams with welders who know
> Thing 1 about bikes. I'm not ready to have an auto repair shop do the work.
>
> Let us know what you end up doing. I'd be curious to know about any cheap recumbent frames that
> you come up with.
>
> BTW: What do you mean when you say "low priced?" Under $500? Under $200?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Barry

 

[Joshua Goldberg]

WOW a whole $750.00 just for a trike frameset....I hope we're not talking Canadaian $ here. Email me
(off list) in about 4 weeks. I should be able to do a frameset for a tad below $750. with front hubs
and disk brakes. Geez...$750., you steenken Americans have sooo much money to spend.
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Phil Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Looking to spend about $ 750.00 tops. I bought my Rocket from Rans as a
frameset
> for $399.00 Its a square tubed model but the price was right. I also bought my Horizon
as a
> demo/used bike for $799.00 from Fools Crow. Both bikes have seen paint jobs and upgrades.
I am
> just looking for another bike related project so maybe I'll just keep my eyes and ears
open,
> something is bound to come up. Thanks to all, Philip Wolfe

 

[Bentbiker]

guy on ebay, has speedline frame sets, with fork, seat, and bars going usually for 200.00 put a
20/16 wheel combo on it, and you'll certainly have a quazi-lowracer

Phil Wolfe wrote:
> Looking to spend about $ 750.00 tops. I bought my Rocket from Rans as a frameset for $399.00 Its a
> square tubed model but the price was right. I also bought my Horizon as a demo/used bike for
> $799.00 from Fools Crow. Both bikes have seen paint jobs and upgrades. I am just looking for
> another bike related project so maybe I'll just keep my eyes and ears open, something is bound to
> come up. Thanks to all, Philip Wolfe
>
> "B. Sanders" wrote:
>
>
>>"Phil Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>Oh no a trike sounds interesting, but a lowracer sounds good too.
>>
>>I've owned both. They're both great. I prefer trikes; but they're much harder to engineer
>>correctly (or so it would seem).
>>
>>
>>>I have never used a torch in my life but you never know.
>>
>>We're in the same boat. I welded a couple of times as a kid; but haven't touched a torch
>>since then.
>>
>>
>>>Actually the lowracer sounds tempting but to find a frameset only for a small amount of change
>>>may be asking to much.
>>
>>It is, indeed, asking too much. Of course, "a small amount of change" varies wildly depending upon
>>perspective. Do you think $1,000 is small change? $50? $500?
>>
>>
>>>Maybe a used frameset then.
>>
>>Well, hate to tell ya', Phil; but the market for good used recumbent frames is *white hot*.
>>Basically, everybody and his brother wants exactly what you want. They simply don't exist. They
>>did exist maybe 6 or 7 years ago before recumbents became popular; but nowadays, a good used
>>recumbent frame for sale will last about 5 minutes if it's even reasonably priced. Used recumbents
>>must have the best resale value of any type of bike that exists. It's not uncommon for a 3 year
>>old bike to retain 80% of its retail value. I can't think of anything else that commands such a
>>high price, except precious metals.
>>
>>If you find a frameset that is cheap, be *very* suspicious. It could be a failed experiment, or a
>>badly-executed prototype, and might not even be safe to ride (unless you're a daredevil). Those
>>are floating around on Ebay and elsewhere. There has been talk of crappy converted MTB's from
>>Ebay, and the consensus seems to be "you get what you pay for." 'Nuf said.
>>
>>You might be able to find a cheap home-built frameset. Those do exist; but don't expect them to be
>>pretty, nor adjustable, nor lightweight, nor plentiful. You're probably better off buying or
>>making some plans, and having a local welder (or framebuilder, if you're that lucky) weld the
>>frame for you.
>>
>>That's the route I'm taking. This town isn't exactly bursting at the seams with welders who know
>>Thing 1 about bikes. I'm not ready to have an auto repair shop do the work.
>>
>>Let us know what you end up doing. I'd be curious to know about any cheap recumbent frames that
>>you come up with.
>>
>>BTW: What do you mean when you say "low priced?" Under $500? Under $200?
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>Barry