pathdoc

I've wanted one for a long time. Found an early model Bike E locally for a very good price. I will pick it up tomorrow. Anyone else riding a Bike E?

VegasTriker

Had a BikeE AT as my first recumbent in 2000. IMHO, it was heavy and inefficient but probably the easiest recumbent anyone could find to just hop on and ride away. I moved on to a lighter, more efficient Linear LWB a few months later. I kept mine as a loaner until one day the SACHS/SRAM hub failed. No real reason, it just came apart. Got the replacement parts for it from SRAM but couldn't fix it myself and couldn't find anyone locally who would even look at it. Funny because my SRAM Spectro 7 hub on my Greenspeed GTO has more than 14,000 miles on it and still works flawlessly. There are a lot of avid BikeE fans out there and many still on the road. The company went belly up around 2002. OEM parts are still available but some are getting scarce. Much of what is on the bike is standard bike parts though.

Bobsk8

Fun bike to ride. Most parts should be easy to locate but they are a pretty reliable bike. Have fun.....

jeffh129

Start here

https://www.tachyonlabs.com/mybike.html

Nice little E Website. Scroll down past the e bay ads for more links.

Also "google" bikeE and you'll get more of these sites

Enjoy your ride.

BlazingPedals

Cool. Bike-E is fast becoming a collector's item. Even though it's not my style, I wouldn't mind getting one to use as a loaner. Have a great time with it!

Jay D

Welcome to the recumbent club! If you haven't started already, you should be growing your beard by now.

pathdoc

Beard coming in nicely.
Got the bike today. Its a very early black beam with no suspension. Its in excellent mechanical condition and will need a little cleanup. For $250 I don't think I could go wrong. Always wanted to try one.
More reports later.
Thanks

JanMM

Buying a functional 'bent for $250 is a good thing.

pathdoc

This bike is fun. Already settle in. At first felt real twitchy.

pathdoc

BTW, this frame is the xl. Its' 4 inches longer than the standard. I believe that will make the ride even smoother. I'm short, only 5 feet 5 inches, so I didn't really intend to buy an xl but it's cool.

Floyd

Enjoy...that is one of t he nice things about a bent..even a frame not ment for one size can be made to fit easier................peace

Dchiefransom

If the beard is a problem, you can shave it off and switch to the propeller on top of your helmet.

DennyV

I started with a BikeE CT, loved it, moved on. Sold it. Bought another later model, not as well built with cheaper components was disappointed with it, it was a standard frame, I eventually sold that one too. The XL is the better bike to have. There are still parts available, and for an entry level bike it can't be beat. I always thought they were just one Infomercail away from success. I kept track and had over 40 people up and riding first time, only two had problems.
I also had a number of people chase me down wondering where to buy one. That hasn't happened on any bent since, and I've owned a bunch in the past 11 years.

spdu4ea

I just got a BikeE AT after seeing one pop up on craigslist for dirt cheap. Original owner passed and hardly road it -- the original (dry-rotted) tires still have the casting nubbies.

It's quite a bit slower than I expected -- it rolls about as well as a 700c hybrid and I expected it to be at least as good as a drop-bar roadbike. But it is pretty comfortable -- especially with the rear shock taking the edge off irregularities. With new skinnier tires, a new chain, and a properly adjusted front hub I think I'll be happy with its efficiency. I may need to put on a bigger chainring -- 108 gear inches is what mine has stock in the highest gear (that's about the same as the top gear on a mountain bike)

Does anyone make an under seat steer kit for it? I'm not a fan of the ape-hanger position... I'm also hoping to find a bolt-on fairing

pathdoc

Link for fairing, they are not cheap.

https://www.mueller-hp.com/bikee.htm

pathdoc

I thought about a bigger chain ring as well.

gcottay

It may start with a larger ring, but tends to end somewhere near here. <G>

pathdoc

That a nice bike for sure. I like the bigger front wheel.

MarkMe

I saved my Bike E for my wife and have put 3 or 4 other people on it. The design is for bent comfort, not high efficiency. Replaced it w/ a Giro 20. Enjoy your first bent
Mark

spdu4ea

LOL You're probably right, but I'd rather not spend that much. I'd just like my bikeE to go as well on the flats as a quality road bike and I don't see anything wrong with the frame design (just draggy hubs/tires/drivetrain)

Does this 3x7 hub get better once broken in (right now there are roughly 200 miles on the bikeE)? If I spin the wheel, it'll rotate for like 15 seconds (with freeplay adjusted like a normal hub). My mtb and road bike wheels will spin for 30+ seconds...

BlazingPedals

My 3x7 hub spins for a shockingly long time. Don't forget to drip a light oil down the shift chain at regular intervals.

Dchiefransom

Your bikeE will most likely not come close to keeping up with a road bike.

downtube42

bikeE - sometimes referred to as the gateway 'bent.

Bobsk8

BikeE speed is probably more like a hybrid. It is a comfortable bike, not a replacement for a good road bike. Free spin doesn't have that much to do with the speed of a bike in my opinion. Tires, frame, gearing, wind resistance all are much more important factors.

spdu4ea

So what about its design limits its speed so much compared to other recumbents? What recumbents are at least as fast as a road bike on the flat, but more comfortable?