Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Easy Racers Electric Recumbents



Here are some photos of our new 960 watt mid drive for Easy racers recumbents.
This system should be available as a kit for this frame design soon.
Price TBA

Friday, April 22, 2011

Quick Release Seat Slide

Here is a closer look at the new quick release seat slide system that you may have seen on some of our latest builds:

Using this seat base mounting system, not only is maximum to-and-fro movement on the frame possible, but the pitch of the seat base is easily adjustable as well.

The two bolts directly beneath the seat plate can be loosened and the rider can raise or lower the nose of the seat to whatever position they feel most comfortable with.

The aluminum slide ensures the clamp gets a tight grip on a galling surface (it won't slide no matter how hard you push), while the guide track keeps seat alignment perfectly straight. Primary adjustments to seat base placement can be made instantly with the one-touch quick release lever.

It took exactly 32 seconds for our mechanic to completely remove the seat immediately before I took this picture. Taking the seat off for transport, travel, or maintenance is simply a cinch with the slide system. Just turning the quick release lever until the skewer slides out allows for removal of the clamp from the frame completely.

We know what some of you are thinking. This clamp was developed, and is manufactured by Rans. Their company has been further developing the practicality of the recumbent bicycle nearly as long as Easy Racers has. They've patented a great design here with their current clamp system, and we're happy to be able to offer it on our hand crafted machines. The quick release seat slide is available now on all new Ti-Rush, C-Rush, and coupled frame Easy Racers.

Contact us today for more information...

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

More Praise, and Another Aptera Review

Here are a few more gracious testimonials to add to our ever-growing collection.

The first comes from Jerry. He set out to cross the country on his EZ-1 a couple of months ago. About a quarter of the way through his journey he found the EZ-1 simply wasn’t going to be enough bike, so he had is wife arrange for us to ship a new Ti-Rush to him at one of his checkpoints. Having made it to the coast aboard his new bike, Jerry is now riding all the way back to California. Here’s what he has to say (from the road, no less):
Hi. I'm in Kansas and headed west toward home. I can't tell you how many good comments I've gotten on the bike. Old folks, kids, teens with Mohawks, even Harley riders all wave to me. In western Kentucky a pickup with three locals, the driver missing all of his front teeth, said, "Hot dog, I never seen one of those before.” I had to change the front chain rings in Lexington, Kentucky to mountain bike gearing to better match the engine. I tell people the bike is new but the motor is 70 years old.

In the hills of the Ozarks I had a speed contest with two 21 year old riders. One hit around 48 MPH, and then I hit 50.1 MPH. The other 21 year old heard about this and squeezed out 50.2 MPH. Now we will have to wait until the downhill parts in the mountains [to do it again]. I have to depend on gravity and aerodynamics. I've lost 20 pounds, so that doesn't help.

Your loyal fan,
Jerry

Thanks, Jerry. It seems like no matter where you go you'll still find someone who has never seen a recumbent bicycle before. I have a strong suspicion that this too shall pass, and thanks to all of our riders' roaming efforts, it shouldn't take long!

This next testimonial comes from one of our newest Aptera owner. However, not surprisingly, he is a former Easy Racers owner:
Well, I have about 200 miles on the new Aptera by Easy Racers. The longest ride was 50 miles. I am pleased.

I am no expert on recumbents, but I have a lot of recumbent miles on my life odometer, so I can write with more than mere opinion on the subject. Most of those miles were on a Gold Rush. After the GRR, I tried a high racer for a couple of years but never really liked that bike. The GRR was faired and was a great touring machine. I really don’t know why I sold that bike but I did. After the high wheel, I went back to a traditional Trek touring bike. That bike is a good climber here in the mountains, but my head begins to sink after about 100 miles and my hands hurt. A century on that bike just about kills me. I once rode over 100 miles a day, for 10 days straight on the GRR and was tired, but not hurting.

So, I started to look at a short wheelbase recumbents with closed positions so that I could climb. Easy Racers had just come out with the Aptera. I had had such a good experience with the company in the past that I called and put in an order for them to build me one. I talked at length with Denton who helped me spec it. In three weeks, Fed Ex showed up with two big corrugated boxes.

I had it together in about 3 hours. It was typical Easy Racer iron. Well-built, nice paint, good welds, correct components and all the bolts and nuts I needed.

The Aptera has about every adjustment feature you can think of. The crank slides forward and backwards on the boom. The handlebars tilt in or out and up and down. The seat will slide forward and rearward and it will tilt easily to any angle to support the sit bones. The seat back can be brought up to a very closed position or leaned way back for aerodynamic improvement.

I ordered my bike as an Expedition model with XT components. All of the adjustments were spot on with the brakes and gears. I have not touched a single barrel adjuster yet. It shifts like silk. With the 11-34 rear cassette and the XT crank I can pull stumps. I already know that I need to change the 44 tooth big ring to the 48 because I run out of crank on good descents. I have a front fender and a rear rack. Easy Racers built the wheels for me on XT hubs and I had them do a 3 cross 36 rear, which should give me plenty of strength on a tour.

The short wheelbase is surprisingly tame. It is not twitchy or harsh. It climbs really nicely. I don’t seem to have start up problems on steep hills, but nothing is as easy to start on a hill as a GRR with its low bottom bracket.

Like the Lightening P38, it prefers a slow mashers cadence around 50 to 55 RPM. That is slow, but that seems to be the natural range for me. You can really put your foot into the crank because of the closed position. All in all, I think I am going to really like this bike. Great service, fair price, good quality, great design. I am looking forward to thousands of miles riding with my head up looking at the world. Oh yeah, and I don’t have to wear those tight, hot, black shorts now!

Easy Racers, letting you keep your comfortable wardrobe since day one.
And on that note!

-Buck

Friday, October 8, 2010

Captured Moments



Our friend Bill, a Gold Rush owner and long-time Easy Racers rider, recently sent us this video which shows him flying down the scenic Ojai Trail in Southern California. Bill puts plenty of miles on his bike every year. After he mentioned that he was eager to use video to document more of his riding experiences, I recommended that he check out one of the GoPro cameras that we carry:

These are great! They are fun to use, durable, make capturing your most exciting adventures a cinch, and are quite affordable to boot. We're looking forward to seeing more of Bill's cinematography in the future, and we'd love to see your Easy Racers related videos as well. Show us your bike, your favorite descent, introduce us to your riding partners, whatever you want. If we like what we see, you may earn a spot as the next featured video on this very blog.

Dann, a New Hampshire Easy Racers owner, recently sent us this great photo of himself alongside his well-outfitted Tour Easy:

Dann has been been racking up some serious miles lately. You can tell riding long distances is definitely his thing, as he's equipped to carry all of the essential gear. Keep an eye out for this bike next time you're in the New England area, and be sure to say hello!

Send those videos and pictures our way. We can't wait to see how creative you guys can get!

-Buck

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Staying Healthy

Any cyclist that rides a fair amount of miles knows the value of being prepared. You will never run into a experienced touring or commuting cyclist who doesn't have at least a few tubes, tools, and spare parts in their bag, especially if they own an Easy Racer. However, preparation doesn't end with items that you bring along on a ride. In fact, it starts before you even throw a leg over your bike.

Many of the most common and aches and pains that may hinder a cyclist while they ride can be nearly eliminated by a solid stretching routine. In fact, stretching before a ride puts you in the best possible position to save yourself should anything unexpected occur. Stretching allows your muscles to react faster and makes them less likely to over-fatigue and build up painful acids. Try some of these examples before your next ride (assume the demonstrated position and hold for 30 seconds, rest, then switch to the opposite side, or preform the stretch a second time):
Check with your doctor to see what stretches will work best for you. Certain exercises will better target any problem areas you may have, so don't be afraid to experiment and see what benefits you the most.

Keep the rubber on the road and, of course, stay healthy.

-Buck

Thursday, September 2, 2010

2010 Medium Tour Easy Speed & Sport




For riders with x-seams between 39" and 42"

Originally built strictly for our showroom floor, this Tour Easy has accumulated less than 100 miles and plenty of admiration, but what it really needs is a new
home. Shimano 105 and SRAM X.9 derailleurs. A lightweight, smooth shifting, practically brand new bicycle.

Included Accessories:
  • Single Leg Kickstand
This bike is available for pick-up at our factory, we will also ship it anywhere in the world.

Asking for $1,950

Call or Email Us With Questions or to Purchase

Monday, August 23, 2010

2001 Medium/Large Tour Easy Expedition




For riders with x-seams between 40.5" and 43.5"

This Tour Easy is set-up as a Expedition with a 406 front wheel and v-brakes. It's in nearly perfect shape with low miles and plenty of impressive upgrades, including a set of DT Swiss H
ügi hubs, a Velocity (front) and deep-section Mavic (rear) rims, Shimano XT and XTR derailleurs, and a Cook Bros. MTN crank set.

Included Accessories:
  • Blackburn Rear Rack
  • Super Zzipper Fairing
  • Double Kickstand
This bike is available for pick-up at our factory, we will also ship it anywhere in the world.

Asking for $2,300

Call or Email Us With Questions or to Purchase