New Gold Rush @ $3500? What?



J

[email protected]

Guest
I have been lusting after the Gold Rush for years. But as a true
procrastinator, I never made the $3K jump.... Now it's $3500! Well, I
guess that's it. With the Bacchetta Corsa @ $2200 and the RANS Formula
V2 at $2400, how can Easy Racers hammer the consumer with a $500
increase? I suppose they are guessing that the increase will not
significantly impact their sales targets... I wish I were one where
the extra bucks wouldn't matter.... But I am not.

Jim Reilly
Reading, PA
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I have been lusting after the Gold Rush for years. But as a true
> procrastinator, I never made the $3K jump.... Now it's $3500! Well, I
> guess that's it. With the Bacchetta Corsa @ $2200 and the RANS Formula
> V2 at $2400, how can Easy Racers hammer the consumer with a $500
> increase? I suppose they are guessing that the increase will not
> significantly impact their sales targets... I wish I were one where
> the extra bucks wouldn't matter.... But I am not.
>
> Jim Reilly
> Reading, PA
>

Sorry if you are going to miss out on a Gold Rush. They seem to always seem
to be priced a bit above the competition. There are reasons why people are
willing to pay a little more for them.

I bought mine in '98 or so for something like $2,400 used and in excellent
condition with some expensive upgrades. I've never regretted it for a
minute even though that's the most money I've ever spent on a bicycle. I've
driven a lot of cars and trucks that were worth less than that.

It seems to me there are a lot of people always wanting to buy the latest
and greatest stuff so it might be a good time to look over the used market
for a GRR. I see a lot of used recumbents for sale at bagain prices with
only a 100 miles or so on them.
 
[email protected] wrote:
> I have been lusting after the Gold Rush for years. But as a true
> procrastinator, I never made the $3K jump.... Now it's $3500! Well, I
> guess that's it. With the Bacchetta Corsa @ $2200 and the RANS Formula
> V2 at $2400, how can Easy Racers hammer the consumer with a $500
> increase? I suppose they are guessing that the increase will not
> significantly impact their sales targets... I wish I were one where
> the extra bucks wouldn't matter.... But I am not.

The Gold Rush Replica [1] has more tubes and welds than the Bacchetta
and RANS bikes referenced, and is also assembled mostly by hand in a
small factory in California. In addition, the Bacchetta and RANS are
made in Taiwan in large, highly automated factories with the
corresponding economies of scale.

[1] "Gold Rush" without "Replica" refers to the Easy Racers fully
faired race/record attempt bicycles.
--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

"We are discussing whether humans as prey are 'natural'. Clearly,
they are, or that mountain lion wouldn't have been trying to eat a
human." - M.V.
 
$kip wrote:
> ...
> It seems to me there are a lot of people always wanting to buy the latest
> and greatest stuff so it might be a good time to look over the used market
> for a GRR. I see a lot of used recumbents for sale at bagain prices with
> only a 100 miles or so on them.

I have known several Gold Rush Replica (GRR) owners who have purchased
a Titanium (alloy) [1] Gold Rush Replica (TiGRR [2]) as a replacement.
These used GRRs could reasonably be expected to appear on the market on
an irregular basis.

[1] Specifically Ti-3Al-2.5V alloy.
[2] Also known as (aka) "Ti-Rush".
--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

"We are discussing whether humans as prey are 'natural'. Clearly,
they are, or that mountain lion wouldn't have been trying to eat a
human." - M.V.
 
Tom, the distinctions you made between the GRR (and yes, I did mean the
GRR and not the original) and the other bikes are good ones. I like
the idea of a largely handmade in the USA bike. Skip, I have been, and
will continue to keep my eyes out for a used bike. Thank you both for
your comments.

Jim
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tom, the distinctions you made between the GRR (and yes, I did mean the
> GRR and not the original) and the other bikes are good ones. I like
> the idea of a largely handmade in the USA bike. Skip, I have been, and
> will continue to keep my eyes out for a used bike. Thank you both for
> your comments.
>
> Jim

Good to see Jim Reilly back on ARBR!

I once had a fever to get a Gold Rush myself, but I laid down until the
fever passed. Damn, that is a lot of money for sure. The main thing that
happened is I gave up on being fast on ANY bike. Once I gave up that ghost,
I realized that a plain old Tour Easy was good enough. So I stayed with my
home built one and that is still my main bike.

I would get a used Gold Rush, but only if the price is right. After all, it
is an antique model that has been around forever. You will be only
marginally faster than on a Tour Easy and it is not worth the extra bucks to
get a new one. But that aluminum polished one is an eye grabber I must
admit.

--
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
 
"HANDMADE in AMERICA" is a stamp you cannot find on many products
these days. Expect to pay a premium - that's capitalism - but, with
that money, consider that you support highly skilled jobs, finance the
continued development of new recumbents by a respected and
long-established company and - especially - you get a truly luscious
bike in the GRR. The design of the ER line is dated, true. I find them
classic, not antique, but that's just my opinion as an owner.

Several years ago, someone posted an informal (possibly invalid, I
dunno) study of the resale value of used Easy Racers bikes based on
data collected from eBay and back issues of the ERRC magazine. Don't
expect to find a bargain. The prices we get for our Tour Easy and Gold
Rush bikes are remarkably high. These bikes hold their value assuming,
of course, they are maintained well.

I have 20k miles on my four year old TE. I'd buy another one - or a GRR
- without any hesitation and the new models have upgrades like disk
brakes. I like how my TE rides and continue to lust after the GRR. And
there's a new single-tube model in development that should hit the
market just about the time I'm ready to buy.

david boise ID

> I would get a used Gold Rush, but only if the price is right. After all, it
is an antique model that has been around forever. You will be only
marginally faster than on a Tour Easy and it is not worth the extra
bucks to
get a new one. But that aluminum polished one is an eye grabber I must
admit. <
 
Hello Ed. And it's nice to be back. (Truth is that I have been around
just silently.) I think your point about giving up on the idea of
being "fast" is a good one. I have found over the last 6 years on a
recumbent that I am happiest when I am riding to enjoy the ride.
Period. As soon as I start looking at my "times" and average speed the
fun factor diminishes. It starts to become more like work! I forget
to enjoy the scenery, to stop for a photo, or even reach for a drink.
I become completely preoccupied with speed. In fact, the only reason I
ride my Strada is to go fast! It's not for comfort or ergonomics. For
those things, I am most comfortable and secure on a LWB, low BB bike.
This conclusion brings me to thought that I may want to replace my
tired Stratus (too small as I have come to conclude) and the Strada
with one bike. I think the right used Tour Easy or GRR will do just
the trick.

Jim
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello Ed. And it's nice to be back. (Truth is that I have been around
> just silently.) I think your point about giving up on the idea of
> being "fast" is a good one. I have found over the last 6 years on a
> recumbent that I am happiest when I am riding to enjoy the ride.
> Period. As soon as I start looking at my "times" and average speed the
> fun factor diminishes. It starts to become more like work! I forget
> to enjoy the scenery, to stop for a photo, or even reach for a drink.
> I become completely preoccupied with speed. In fact, the only reason I
> ride my Strada is to go fast! It's not for comfort or ergonomics. For
> those things, I am most comfortable and secure on a LWB, low BB bike.
> This conclusion brings me to thought that I may want to replace my
> tired Stratus (too small as I have come to conclude) and the Strada
> with one bike. I think the right used Tour Easy or GRR will do just
> the trick.
>
> Jim

Hi Jim.

Well, if you are only going to have one bike you can splurge a bit I guess.
I have always drawn the line myself at $2000. I know my parents would be
turning over in their graves if they knew any son of theirs would ever spend
money so foolishly. But it is my only recreation and I do like to have at
least one very nice bike. I have many that are not so nice, but still I can
find something nice to say about all of them.

The Stratus is underrated by many. I have always liked the looks of it.
Frankly, I do not know why Easy Racer bikes are so damn expensive. I would
have gotten one 20 years ago if I hadn't been put off by the high price. But
when it comes to price, I never got out of the 1950's, so you can't go by
me.

I am 6 feet and so I can fit either the medium size or the large size when
it comes to bikes. I generally go for the large size as it just seems to be
a slightly better fit. When you buy a LWB in a large size it ends up being a
very long bike, but it has got to fit. You do not want to be all the way
back on the rear wheel.

My nicest bike at present is my RANS V2 which I got several years ago. The
high BB is a bit of problem for me and the older I get the more I like a
low
BB such as my Tour Easy.

I used to have computers on all my bikes mainly to keep track of my
mileage, not speed. But I have given up on that too and so I have allowed my
computers to die. I pretty much do the same kind of rides every day. I go
out for an hour or so and do about 20 miles and I am NEVER really fast
anymore. I have always been a 14 mph rider. Any faster than that I am
working
at riding - and I never want to do that anymore.

Riding a recumbent is all about fun. It is just about the most enjoyable
thing that it is possible to do. Every time I go out on my recumbents, I
marvel at how comfortable they are and how easy it is to get around on them.
The rest of the world does not know what it is missing.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "HANDMADE in AMERICA" is a stamp you cannot find on many products
> these days. Expect to pay a premium - that's capitalism - but, with
> that money, consider that you support highly skilled jobs, finance the
> continued development of new recumbents by a respected and
> long-established company and - especially - you get a truly luscious
> bike in the GRR. The design of the ER line is dated, true. I find them
> classic, not antique, but that's just my opinion as an owner.

No offense but in my opinion it appears that much more development of new
recumbents is being done by overseas (Europe/Asia) than here in the US
already. In fact the only company that seems to be doing it here is Reynolds
Weld Lab, everyone else is just doing varients of the same old thing.

For instance I'd love to buy a low-racer built in the US but with the
exception of one small manufacturer on the east coast I can't.
 
Ed, I never got around to installing a computer on the Strada and I too
let the computer on my Stratus die. I simply no longer use it or need
it. The Stratus has been a great bike. The only issue I have is over
the fit. I too am 6' even. My x-seam is 43.5", the absolute max for
the std frame Stratus. I have the seat ALL THE WAY back. And you are
right! That is NOT the right fit on a LWB... Kelvin Clark at
Angeltech sold me this bike in 99. He should have sold me an XL frame!
Finally, at the 2K price range, the new Stratus XP is very nice! I
rode this at BROL's NY event last month!

Regards
Jim
 
[email protected] wrote:
> Hello Ed. And it's nice to be back. (Truth is that I have been around
> just silently.) I think your point about giving up on the idea of
> being "fast" is a good one. I have found over the last 6 years on a
> recumbent that I am happiest when I am riding to enjoy the ride.
> Period. As soon as I start looking at my "times" and average speed the
> fun factor diminishes. It starts to become more like work! I forget
> to enjoy the scenery, to stop for a photo, or even reach for a drink.
> I become completely preoccupied with speed. In fact, the only reason I
> ride my Strada is to go fast! It's not for comfort or ergonomics. For
> those things, I am most comfortable and secure on a LWB, low BB bike.
> This conclusion brings me to thought that I may want to replace my
> tired Stratus (too small as I have come to conclude) and the Strada
> with one bike. I think the right used Tour Easy or GRR will do just
> the trick.

For the type of riding that Jim describes in his post, a rear suspended
trike [1] would work very well. One can just ride over loose surfaces,
steel grates and manhole covers and railroad tracks without any
particular attention to them.

[1] This might be a good application for a Pantour [2] hub, as
suspended trikes tend to be rather expensive.
[2] <http://www.pantourhub.com/products.html>.
--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

"We are discussing whether humans as prey are 'natural'. Clearly,
they are, or that mountain lion wouldn't have been trying to eat a
human." - M.V.
 
Mark Leuck wrote:
> ...
> For instance I'd love to buy a low-racer built in the US but with the
> exception of one small manufacturer on the east coast I can't.

Hey, a period at the end of the sentence!

See <http://www.velogenesis.com/lowracer.htm> for the US built lowracer
in question.

Here is another lowracer from Ray Brick:
<http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/lr_wendy0.jpg>. This bike
has a frame very similar to the Ross Festina, but with a hard-shell
seat and larger rear wheel.
--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

"Abnormal would be a mountain lion speaking English." - M.V.
 
"Sunset Lowracer [TM] Fanatic" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Mark Leuck wrote:
> > ...
> > For instance I'd love to buy a low-racer built in the US but with the
> > exception of one small manufacturer on the east coast I can't.
>
> Hey, a period at the end of the sentence!
>
> See <http://www.velogenesis.com/lowracer.htm> for the US built lowracer
> in question.

Thats the one, who knows how good the quality is whereas I just turned over
15,000 miles on the Baron

> Here is another lowracer from Ray Brick:
> <http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/lr_wendy0.jpg>. This bike
> has a frame very similar to the Ross Festina, but with a hard-shell
> seat and larger rear wheel.

Yech
 
Some years ago I met Bill Cook at the Seagull Century in Maryland. He
(or one of his riding associates) had a Barcroft Dakota with a Pantour
Front Suspension Hub. Wow! It was just enough suspension to create a
silky smoothe ride.

Jim
 
> No offense but in my opinion it appears that much more development of new
recumbents is being done by overseas (Europe/Asia) than here in the US
already. In fact the only company that seems to be doing it here is
Reynolds
Weld Lab, everyone else is just doing varients of the same old thing.
For instance I'd love to buy a low-racer built in the US but with the
exception of one small manufacturer on the east coast I can't. <

None taken. Aside from Bacchetta, the exciting stuff is being done in
Europe, surely.
"Development" isn't the same thing as refinement. The overall design of
ER's products hasn't changed much but there have been many tweaks to
the pipes and, as the aluminum and ti versions came online, everything
had to be redesigned from the rubber up. Their componentry selection
often lags a bit but ER now offers disk brakes on all models.

And we're starting to mix some oranges in with the apples. Your quest
for a low racer will not include any products from Easy Racers, more's
the pity. One wonders what the ER team that shows up at Battle Mtn
might do with the challenge to bring a low racer to market. I don't
think it's in their future, though.

david boise ID
 
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