john908

I need advice on proper frame size/type.I have a 22 inch in seam and 5ft4. 26 inch rear wheels are best? I am thinking something like a JetStream lll or X Rev.
I made the mistake a couple years ago and bought a Santana tandem for 35 dollars to find it too large for me to be Captain,now I will be selling it and want to try a recumbent.
I also found a Bike E for not to much but I want a fast recumbent,thats why I am thinking 26 rear wheel. If I ride a upright Crossroads by back does not hurt but they are heavy and slow.
It looks like the adjustable boom type the crank will hit if I move it back to fit me.

BlazingPedals

Performer makes two lowracers, the Vigorous and the Conquor. The Conquor is a dual-20" wheeled folder, while the Vigorous is a 20/16 lowracer. Since Performer is very accommodating to customization, there's a possibility of getting the Vigorous as a dual-20 - if your inseam will allow it. There are no fast tires in 349mm. The conquor has what I consider to be a very short wheelbase, but it may suit you better. You're unlikely to find either on the used market, but at least Performers are pretty reasonably priced - for recumbents. (There are a few recumbents in the $1K-2K range, but not many are performance models.)

If you're looking at used to save money, Maybe a Lightning Phantom/Thunderbolt or an old Vision? The hard part will be finding something with a lower seat for you. Some of the newer Actionbents weren't too bad (bearing in mind that 'new' ones are a decade or more old,) but earlier ones were disasters of poor design.

BlazingPedals

I think TourEasys have about a 18" high seat. Confirmation from Jeff? You'd probably need a small-medium size? Test-sits would be mandatory as TourEasys come in many sizes but each size only fits a narrow range.

Tony Marley

Catrike makes some trikes for shorter people, plus has adjustable booms. I agree that Tour Easy made excellent bikes, but test rides are critical as they are not adjustable.

A Santana for $35 was a real steal.

Robert C

Seeing as you seem to be looking at two wheel recumbents, Bacchetta reports positively on the use of 24" wheels on the Giro 26 & 26att in this article. At 5'6" I also had trouble finding bent (and upright bikes) that fit. At this point I am riding a Catrike Expedition

jogya03

I am about the same height, and after using my CB quest with 26" wheelset for few months, I changed front one to 24" and I keep it that way till today. good thing about recumbent is we can reduce the wheel size without worrying too much about pedal strike while cornering.

friday1970

I have roughly a 38" x-seam. Like you, my options are limited.
I do have an Optima Baron Lowracer. For my size, it has been tricky for me. I've found I cannot run a triple up front, at least while using a square taper triple crankset. I had to pull the boom in so far, the front derailleur would touch the frame part of the boom and never get into the smallest chainring. I have alleviated this by going to a double (50x34). Eventually, I'll change out the rear cassette for something larger, though my 11-32t works well enough for the small hills around Brighton Michigan.
As Blazingpedals mentions, the Performer recumbents are quite affordable and nice. Over at BentRiderOnline's forum, a user there named Vangelo has done some of the most amazing work with his dual 20" Performer lowracers. I've almost been tempted a few times to sell my Baron and buy a performer, especially with their paint schemes.