Current lowracer options
 

It looks like all the good lowracer options have disappeared in the last 10 years: Optima Baron, Challenge Fujin, Catbike Musashi, etc. Is there anything comparable still on the market?

Don't really know of anything except Performer. It's sad, isn't it. :(

There's always John Morciglio.

Sad indeed. I love my lowracers even though I acknowledge they're not as versatile as a highracer.

I think M5 still makes their steel lowracer.
M5 Recumbents » Models » CrMo Low Racer
I seem to remember that Bram stopped making carbon lowracers, though.

And it looks like Challenge might still exist, if you're willing to be your own importer.
Challenge Recumbents

I ran across this just now: https://cruzbike.com/fastest-bike-guarantee

Um. Not a lowracer.

Right. My point was, you're wondering why there's no low-racers, and here's a high-racer offering a fastest-bike-you-ever-rode guarantee, that kind of thing might help explain it. Along that line, I'm seeing more people with velomobiles, and those might have taken a big bite out of the low-racer market as well.

For daily riding, I always enjoyed my quasi-low low racers, a Baron, Fujin, and a VK2. Even though the Baron was heavier than the other two, it was a real workhorse. I sold it when I bought my first Fujin SLII which I broke after ~11,000 miles. Rode the second one the same before selling it and also put around 11,000 miles on a VK2 which began to slowly disintegrate at that point and needed continuous patching and repair. Still liked it, though. :thumb:

UV degradation? That's one reason why when I patched up my NoCom I just painted it black.

Could be. The boom twisted out of square over time. Luckily, I found another VK boom that put things right. I never understood how the boom could just sort of deform like that.

I had both a tiller and O.C. bars. Both broke eventually as did the tiller stem. I cobbled new steering parts from a Metabike of all things. :D

Also, the frame broke at the rear drive side dropout and I repaired that. Then, I had an impact hole in the side of the frame, presumedly from a rock thrown by a car, and I had to repair that.

Finally, I decided I had squeezed all of the fun out of the bike that I could and sold it as is for parts. :)

After viewing the M5 site, it would appear that Bram will still make someone a carbon lowracer upon request. But they're not in regular production anymore.

Two available good Lowracers are the M5 Lowracer and the Raptobike.
I owned the Raptobike and was really fast and good handling. I’ve tested shortly the M5 with good feelings.

From the aerodynamical and riding standpoint would consider some ‘M’ models as true lowracers, with the added benefit of higher position and better visibility. To wit, the M5 M-racer and the Raptobike M-racer.

What you loose in a lowracer, whether with large or small wheels, is good climbing ability. I believe that to be a good climber the bike must allow a more upright position, about 35-40 degrees for the seat angle.

Are Raptobikes still in production?

'M' racers aren't lowracers. The distinction is that you can put your hand down at a stop with a lowracer. Seat recline seems to be the biggest factor for flatland speed between high/medium/lowracers.

I don't know if Raptobikes are still in production, but they still appear to be available. Both Raptobike and Challenge were rescued from insolvency by the same Dutch receiver of their assets. They (Elan) maintain the original websites and respond to customer inquiries.

Cool. That implies that you might be able to purchase one if you know the right hoops to jump through.

What about the HP Velotechnik Speedmachine?? Does this not count as a lowracer? Maybe not a good one??

I own a Challenge Fujin. While I like it, I would like to try the Speedmachine. Anyone have one?

Glenn in Florida

It's OK to like a bike that's not a low/mid/highracer. Because the Speedmachine is none of those. It's not a lowracer because you can't put a hand down from its ~20" seat height. And there's still that "racer" thing. It's just not. It's a touring machine.

Custom M5 is the best option. I had a folding Performer FWD, and it was a good value.

High racers are a touch faster and higher in traffic, but don't give you that "I'm one with the earth" feeling.