jbeuoy

My wife is 60 and has back issues. She uses an exercise bike that is recumbent and likes it. She's interested in the road version to try. We would love to stay under a grand. Is that possible? What brands are worth looking at?

Steamer

Buy used.

sch

There are a variety of styles, you need to familiarize yourself with various. Look at the Rans
website for examples that fit your conception of a recumbent. Check local craiglists for
such. Most recumbents are adjustable to a range of fits but size is important.
Look at the forum "for sale" on https://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/index.php for bents for sale.
Depending on your ease of transport and local riding conditions, you might also consider a trike.

Three important parameters that come to mind for 2 wheel bents are handlebar type (colloquially known as
chipmunk for bent elbow type or superman for extended arm styles) and whether the cranks are
at or above butt level or below butt level. Seat height off the ground can be a problem for shorter legs.

JanMM

I'm a RANS fan. But there are other quality brands.
Common obstacle is that the small recumbent market results in few dealers having 'bent bikes to see and try out.
Not to mention that prices are generally high, compared to traditional upright bikes.
Used is about the only option for a cost-effective first recumbent.
(My first 'bent was a used RANS Tailwind at a low price.)

Leisesturm

Unless I way miss my guess, the o.p.'s wife is looking for what is usually called a CLWB recumbent bicycle. Compact Long Wheelbase Bike. A visit to the 'Bicycle Man' website should prove instructive even if the o.p. (and wife) are not New York State residents. There are some full size LWB (long wheelbase bike) models with small front wheels that might suit.

JanMM

Agree good information at Bicycle Man site.

tcs

Little used Bike E's seem to start around $150, if you can find one in your local Craigslist. Alternatively, contact your local recumbent club - somebody will have "the second best recumbent ever built*" to sell.


*after the one they're now riding

Bobby Boy

jbeuoy -

Craigslist is your friend. You don't say where you live, but with your $1000 top budget, you will need to start your recumbent adventure with a used bike.

You mention that your wife likes the recumbent style exercise bike at the gym. That would seem to correlate with what is commonly called a Long Wheelbase (LWB) or Compact Long Wheelbase (CLWB) style recumbent. On a LWB 'bent, the pedals are typically located lower than the seat. Some recumbents, usually called Short Wheelbase (SWB) 'bents have the pedals located above the seat. But many riders find these a little harder to master, so it sounds like a LWB is what you should be looking for.

As you look on Craigslist, you might consider the following bikes:

BikeE - very much an entry level bike. Can find below $400. But not one I would recommend. Your wife is likely to quickly outgrow it.

Easy Racer EZ1 - another entry level bike that can be had for under $400. Fairly easy to master. But, like the BikeE, something that your wife will quickly outgrow.

Both the BikeE and EZ1 have small 16" front wheels.

Sun Sport CX (steel) or AX (aluminum) - you'll see quite few of these on Craigslist. Personally, I think this is a better bike than the BikeE and EZ1. One that is fairly easy to learn on and one that you would not immediately outgrow. The one drawback to the Sport is that the seat can be a little high for short legged riders. Can be found from $300 - $600 (although you will see many listings where people think they should be worth more).

Burley Koosah (or Jett Creek) - this is my new "old" bike that I recently bought off of CL. Very easy to learn how to ride. I am an experienced 'bent rider, but really enjoy tooling around town on my Koosah. I tell the kids that it is my "chopper" bike. Not as common as the Sun Sport, can can be found from $400 - $600.

Rans Stratus or Bacchetta Bella - Getting a little higher up the 'bent "food chain" with these models. The Rans Stratus is a classic, and for good reason. Well thought of by most in the 'bent community. Easy to learn how to ride and a bike your wife will likely not outgrow. A little pricier than the bikes above. Probably available from $600 - $1000.

Easy Racer - another classic LWB 'bent. You may be able to find one on CL within your $1000 budget. But I'd suggest you try one of the cheaper "starter" bikes before committing to the more expensive ER bikes. Also be aware that ER's come in 5 (?) different sizes, so you'd have to make sure you buy the right size for your wife.

Hope this helps. Also, I suggest you also check out the bentrideronline.com site. I very large 'bent community there that could give you additional input.

Good luck with finding your first recumbent bike. But a word of warning - once you've ridden one, you'll probably want to buy another, and another, and...

BlazingPedals

Also check out Recycled Recumbents. Used name-brand bents, or new TourEasy 'clones' that he makes out of old bike frames.
https://sites.google.com/site/recycledrecumbents/home

Edit: to add, I recently bought a (used) RANS Wave from Andrew, for my wife. I'm still setting it up for her, short cranks, different tires, etc. But no complaints on the purchase.

ldarlee

Might I suggest a tadpole or delta trike? More expensive than a regular recumbent, so definitely buy used. When I moved to a very hilly area of the PacNW I switched to a trike from a Bachetta Giro and will never look back. The trike is slower but I never need to worry about falling over. I call it my "out for a Sunday drive" vehicle.

Harhir

I am also having back issues and switched to recumbents a few months ago. I would start with a long wheel base recumbent and a more upright seating position. They are less twitchy and easy to start with from a balance perspective. As Bobby Boy pointed out: Scan Craigslist. Or Facebook marketplace if you are on facebook. With used ones you can try out which style fits best your wife's need without spending a fortune.

I have two Bike E now and love them for commuting. The only disadvantage: tiny front wheel. Potholes have become a lot bigger after changing from an upright bike with 700c tires. But I almost exclusively ride on pavement.
Used ones can be found for $100 to $400. Paid $130 for my first (Bike E AT with suspension). Bike was almost new and stored in a garage for years. Paid $300 for my second bikeE. XL Frame, no suspension, came with fairing, fenders and trunk bag. Also not much used by the previous owner. I put about 900 miles on my XL bikeE since October last year.
I might upgrade to a larger LWB bike with larger wheels sometime in the future.
I also got a used Lightning Phantom for $200 which I am modifying right now a little to use it more as fun weekend getaway bike.

Harhir

I can second this website. I had Aaron built me a custom seat for my bike. Very good service.

Harhir

Great summary. Depending where in the US one can get some good deals on local used gear websites.
As for the BikeE: I love them. I am 6'4" and on the heavy side. They are really comfy and easy to ride. Even after 900 miles I don't feel I have outgrown it yet. Has chopper style handle bars, fairing, mounted a rack for panniers and plan to upgrade it to dynamo driven lights with a hub dynamo.

tcs

Like mom used to say, 'Never is a long time.'

recumbent trike stability.png

JanMM

Based on what I've seen on the interwebs, it's quite possible to flip a trike by going too fast on a curve, too.

ldarlee

I guess that I should have clarified my statement. In my area double-digit grades are the norm. I can climb them on my trike while clocking even less than 5 mph and not fall over. Couldn't spin fast enough on my Giro to tackle some of these grades and, well, I fell over!

VegasTriker

All trikes have a limit for stability. I used to regularly get my Greenspeed GTO trike on two wheels when taking a sharp turn but never turned it over or crashed it. A lot depends upon the wheelbase (distance between the front wheels on a tadpole), the turning radius, and the center-of-gravity. The GTO had a higher COG compared to the Catrike 700 I now ride. It had a much tighter turning radius than my first trike and was easier to tip but much more stable at high speeds. I haven't yet been able to get th CT700 up on 2 wheels but that doesn't mean under the right conditions it couldn't happen. If you buy a high seating trike for ease of getting in and out of it, you have to be much more careful about overturning it. I quickly learned the limits for a trike. If you are smart you don't exceed them. The trike in the picture above looks like my Catrike 700.
I have crashed both of my two-wheeled recumbents but that was a few times in many thousand miles. The Linear was lightly loaded on the front wheel and would slide on wet pavement if I turned too sharply. I dumped the Zak once on a gravel road. Both two wheeled recumbents have a "stall speed" where the steering becomes very unstable. I think it was about 4 mph.

Retro Grouch 

I was just now thinking of that same suggestion so I decided to reinforce it. Nice guy, by the way, too.

BlazingPedals

The advantage of trikes is in their ultra-low speed handling. Balancing at 1.5 mph is not a problem, so learning starts/stops is a non-issue. OTOH, while 2-wheel bents don't handle like uprights, it's not too hard to re-learn balance on one. The same principles apply, you just can't use body english to help - it's all in the steering. Depending on the OP's wife's riding goals, either a trike or a LWB/CLWB would probably work. I would add that I personally would lean away from the Sun lineup if buying used, simply because you can probably find a competitor's model that weighs much less for about the same price. As I wrote earlier I got a RANS Wave from Andrew, for my wife. It is a 'compact' LWB and will work well for a range of rides, from around the block to rail-trails, to 'C' rides in the club and maybe even some day tours.