C y c l i s t Recumbent - Steve Briggs

The EZ Rider AX (aluminum) — photo courtesy of Sun Bicyclesspect as they don’t give the bike enough groundclearance, nor are the tires tall enough to rideover trail obstacles. The low crank height andreasonably low seat, combined with a refinedand forgiving steering geometry make this agreat handling bike — on or off the road.One aspect of the EZ-Rider that did surpriseme is that the front end feels pretty light. Icould bunny hop the front end on steep climbs,and at speed on gravel roads the front endwould wander as I approached 20 mph. Thiscould be me as well, since I’m at the upperend of the sizing for this bike at 6’ tall, 33”inseam and 44.5” x-seam.Overall the bike is great for easy singletrack, rail-trails and just fun riding. It isn’t anaggressive mountain bike in the usual senseof the word, but a capable cruiser. And the EasyRider is much better going downhill than up.Climbing: The EZ-Rider is no fun goinguphill. With weights ranging from 40.8 to 48pounds, this bike is just plain heavy. The stocktires make matters worse. Opt for the AX aluminumand throw on some Comet tires and itgets noticeably better, but climbing on thisbike took more out of me than the same hillson a Cycle Genius RDX, Easy Racer TourEasy, or a Burley Jett Creek. Climbing on anuphill trail is a real workout on this bike —but it’s a real bomber downhill.OWNINGUtility: The EZ-Rider is a tough bike. I rodemine on the most advanced off-road terrain thatI’ve ever ridden a recumbent on. You can setup an EZ-Rider to fit nearly any recumbentbudget.Purchase Details: Sun has nine differentwarehouses throughout North America, andSun recumbents are the most accessible in thebusiness. Virtually any bike shop that buysparts from J&B Importers (a bike parts wholesaler)can order and deliver a new Sun recumbentfor you.Options & Accessories: Sun/J&B offers aseat back bag, baskets, fenders, a fairing andother options. I also was able to mount a Radicalwedge bag (from a Hase Kettweisel) to theback of the seat. The 20” rear wheel makeslarge capacity cargo bags work really well.Fairing: The J&B Edge fairing is the ticketfor the EZ-Rider. While the EZ-Rider couldbenefit from the performance boost, a largefairing is not ideal if you plan to run this bikethrough the woods and trails. The Edge fairingcovers down to the handlebars (approx.$169)..MARKETThe Sun EZ-Rider is the only rear suspensionLWB under $2,000, so market competitionisn’t really available. As for off-road recumbentcomparisons, we have to mention theLightfoot Ranger. The Ranger (just under$2000) is currently hand-made in Montana,has a rigid frame (with an optional suspension)and dual 26-inch wheels.If you don’t care about off-roading, the entrylevel LWB market competition is hot.Those considering an EZ-Rider should alsocheck out the Burley Koosah ($999)/Jett Creek($1,299), the Cycle Genius LTX ($1,049) andthe Sun EZ-Sport AX ($1599) All are excellentvalues, lighter and better performing bikesthan the EZ-Rider, although they do not offerrear suspension or the super smooth ride.Among the Sun EZ-Rider models, pricesstart at $699 for the SX with its high-tensilesteel frame and fork, 8/24-speed SRAM 3.0drivetrain, alloy crank with steel rings, lessershock, and Tektro V-brakes. The price for theCX jumps up to $995 and buys a cromolyframe and fork, the lighter seat and an 8/24-speed SRAM 4.0 drivetrain. The CX hasPromax disc brakes (which I didn’t care for),and upgrades are expensive. The AX has muchbetter components, but the biggest differenceis the 5-7 pound weight advantage.VERDICTThrough the 2004 season, we rode our testEZ-Riders hard hard. Both were put throughdaily commuter and off-road use. While theframe, seat and handlebars are very tough, wedid have a few concerns:• The rear wheel on the AX had to be truedtwice and we eventually broke a spoke (finding20” black spokes is not easy).• The Sun bikes seem to get a lot of wearSHOCKING NEW ‘BENTS FOR 2005!Introducing the Spider and Nasoke, featuring Burley’s progressive rate suspension system with 5.5” of infinitely adjustable travel for a smooth, confident rideHandcrafted in Eugene, Oregon866-850-5486 • www.burley.comPROUD SUPPORTERS OF THEWASCO WILD WEST 75 RECUMBENT RACE14 Recumbent Cyclist News