GordonP

Due to chronic back pain I had to forgo cycling for over a year and I am looking at getting a recumbent to see if that will get me back riding. There is an old, but in great shape, Burley Sand Point in my region for $350 Canadian, that has been on the market for many months, and I am wondering if it is worth picking up?
Thanks for any advice.

downtube42

It may allow you to ride which is a big win and well worth the price. But I suspect you can do better. A quick read on the model ndicates quality is not great.

Is a trike a must have? I ask because two wheel bents are generally much cheaper than trikes; you can get more for your money. I switched to a (two wheel) bent after injuring my back, to great success.

Leisesturm

I think a Sandpoint IS a bike. Think because I have yet to find a picture of one that is reliably labeled. Near as I can tell it resembled a Koosah. But a Koosah is a long wheelbase machine. I saw a Craigslist seller call their Sandpoint a short wheelbase machine. In any case, the utter lack of triangulation of any Burley I have ever seen would rule them out for me. Recumbent design has come a ways in 50 years.

GordonP

The Sand Point is from around 2006 and is indeed a LWB design and the economical version of the Koosah. I have never tried a two wheel recumbent, or a trike for that matter, but I have always been intrigued when I do see them. For this bike my thoughts are using it to learn about recumbents and if they can help with my back problems. I will also have to learn about the logistical aspects like transporting, storing it and where I will be able to ride it.

Lieseturm, what do you mean by the lack of triangulation? This is the kind of stuff I have no clue about. I've been doing a lot of research and there sure are a lot of interesting recumbents out there!

Thanks for your replies!

easyupbug 

I recently started using a recumbent trike for bad arthritis days. When looking into recumbents my understand is the development of frame triangulation aided in pedaling efficiency, decreased pedal steer and lowered the frames for a more stable ride.

BlazingPedals

Triangulation is a method of stiffening the frame, The Sand Point/Koosah are not performance machines, and therefore the frames really weren't designed to minimize flex. For that matter, the higher level Burleys weren't designed for speed either. They were all monotube designs with not particularly large tubing. Unless you're racing, you probably won't notice a problem with a monotube frame. The pedal steer issue is limited to trikes, not bikes.

The advantage of monotube frames, aside from reducing production costs, is that they absorb road shock better.

downtube42

Oh your right it's a bike, I misinterpreted a pic.

I still think op could do better.

VegasTriker

After reading the article by Bicycleman in Alfred NY (owns a shop there and manufactures the modern version of the Linear) I would say no, it is not a good deal. The MSRP was $799 brand new so it truly was a low end model. Burley quit making recumbents in 2006. My first real recumbent worth riding was a Linear LWB. I put a couple thousand miles on it in three years. It was comfortable and easy to ride but handled like the Queen Mary because of the length. Then I got seduced by trikes though I still own it after more than two decades.

"The Sand Point sold at a price point lower than Burley has ever attempted before. At $799 retail it looked like a good value but component problems caused Burley to permanently discontinue this model. This bike used the frame, fork, seat, handlebars, wheels and brakes of the Koosah. What’s different was the drive train (crank, derailleurs, and shifters). They were much lower quality, too bad."

GordonP

Thanks for all of your replies, I found the information helpful. I decided to pass on the Burley and do more research. I am starting to lean towards getting a trike but it would have to be a folding one as I live on the second floor and I would have to carry it up stairs to my storage room. I'm not even sure that is possible! I may travel down to Bicycleman in Alfred NY to see what they have and try a few out this summer.

Leisesturm

It is not. I don't know what folding trikes weigh but they for sure weigh more than my Giant Expressway folding bike (30lb - 35lb). When, and if, it is folded it's usually so it can go in the trunk of a car I'm getting a lift from. Just getting it over the bumper and into the trunk area takes all my strength, and I am not weak. You would quickly tire (heh) of humping a trike up two flights of stairs on any kind of a regular basis.

VegasTriker

The weights are not hard to find as the better manufacturers list them on their websites. Catrike makes pretty good trikes. I've owned a Catrike 700 for a decade now and would replace it with another Catrike if it were stolen or wrecked. Comparing the weight of a good road bike to a good trike is a waste of time. The trike is always going to be heavier. My old Motobecane Le Champion only weighed 21 pounds but never got ridden as I got older because it was too uncomfortable. In contrast I put many thousands of miles on my trikes because they were so comfortable to ride.
Catrike has three models that fold. Get ready for some sticker shock as the good trikes are expensive. Folded size dimensions are at the website too.
Catrike Trail 37 pounds MSRP $3350 Catrike 559 39.5 pounds MSRP $3750 Catrike Dumont fully suspended trike 43 pounds MSRP $4950
If you can find a used one you can save a lot. My local Facebook Marketplace covers Las Vegas and SoCal. It would take some traveling for the best deals but they are out there right now.

GordonP

So I guess schlepping a heavy recumbent up to my condo is out of the question! I appreciate all the input.

Volkeno

I realize this is an older thread
I mostly ride a Catrike 559 which folds and doesn’t take up a lot of space, but dragging it up and down stairs would be a workout. I would avoid staircases.

i wanted to try a two wheel recumbent and bought a Burley Sand Point for $225. I didn’t negotiate so maybe I paid too much but it fits what I was looking for with the low step over and long wheelbase, it’s pretty easy to get on and off and get started riding.
The derailleurs and cranks are lower quality than the Koosah, but those are all things I can replace from parts I have, or buy new. Mine is a 3x8 and it needs some adjustment, but for daily riding on my local trail it might work well. My 559 hits all the root ridges on the trail hard, and I’m thinking the Sand Point will be softer riding with some flex. I’ve just been riding it around a parking lot so far to learn two wheel recumbent riding. I think trikes are a good way to start in recumbent riding.
The Sand Point definitely takes up more space in the back of my Explorer than the trikes, but it might work better on a bike rack

GordonP

Thanks for replying to my old thread. I am still thinking about getting a recumbent as my back issues are not going away and I may wait until winter or spring to start looking at them again. Could you post an update on your experience with the Sandpoint once you've had it for a while? The one in my area is still for sale and I may make a reasonable offer.

Leisesturm

Someone mentioned Linears in this thread. You might want to contact Bicycle Man (Upstate New York) and see what he thinks. Or try and find a new or used Performer bike or trike recumbent. Those are your only reasonable budget options. There were some very successful long wheelbase recumbernts made by Gardner Martin under the Easy Racer branding. Those would be pretty easy to ride. In very general terms, the 'easier' a recumbent is to ride the less performance you can expect. The fastest and most capable recumbent models practically require helicopter pilot reflexes.

Duragrouch

I have an original Linear LWB folding bent. I bought it due to hand pain when hours on my road race bike. Pluses and minuses:
+ Super comfortable, seat and postion. I toured on it for several weeks. On relatively flat land.
- Not a climber. I had standard mountain triple gearing and I needed lower to go up mild hills if they were long. Can't stand up on the pedals, so in my current west-coast steep-hilled town, not a possibility.
- Very difficult bringing in and out of apartment, up and down only a few stairs. Long stairs would be impossible.
- Heavier lift weight and awkward lifting, so not good for back.
+ I LOVED under-seat steering with bar ends, my arms just hung down natural. But the handlebars then make the bike really wide, tough in and out of apartment doors.
+/- Could transport in car trunk (again, this frame folded), after removing seat, wheels, and then folding frame and fork.

I later went back to my road bike, fit with clip-on aero bars, to take pressure off my hands. Currently same strategy on my folder townie.

FLYBYU

I had a Sandpoint as my first bent. It is heavy and the seat is not super comfortable. I also lived in a 3rd floor apartment at the time, it was fun dragging that up three flights of stairs. I owned it for many years, it handled well at high speeds, but not the best at lower ones. There was a company making different seats for them, so I bought one, that helped the seat issue. The aluminum steering mast snapped on me at one point and I made a replacement as I was working as a machinist at the time. Parts haven't been made by Burley for a long time now, I would avoid it unless it was super cheap. I have bought several SWB recumbents since, they handle far better and only take up the same room as a normal bike. My favorite is a Rotator Tiger, very nice bike, and comfy.

Duragrouch

For me, the class act for recumbents is Longbikes (formerly Ryan), they originated with high quality LWB singles and tandems, and also make a SWB (Eliminator) that has really superb chain managment via multiple shorter chains, like a tandem. Not cheap.