Two Years With an Iowa Linear LWB recumbent

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a.twiddler

Veteran
Two Years with a Linear LWB recumbent.
It's just occurred to me that I’ve had this lengthy beast for two years now. How time flies. Most of my steep recumbent learning curve took place in the first six months but it can still surprise me. Most of the modifications took place in the first year as I found out what I wanted in a recumbent. To summarise:

I bought it during lockdown after unexpectedly selling a mountain bike for an unfeasibly large amount caused by “lockdown mania” when the shortage of new bikes pushed up the price of used ones.

I made an offer on it without a test ride or even seeing it, living as I do miles away from any recumbent dealer or anyone I know who has one. It had apparently spent the last ten years in the owner’s barn, which was believable judging by the amount of former insects that I dug out of the frame while sorting it out ready for the road.

I had a hairy time learning to ride it but at no time did I think, “this isn’t for me”. I carried on learning new things every ride, sometimes frightening the bejasus out of myself. Other road users would give me unbelievable amounts of space which was a huge bonus. I rode it up unsuitable tracks and it coped. Due to its unconventional construction I carried a good selection of tools. I fitted an accessory bar to the front for lights. I fitted a large bell there, operated by a brake lever on the underseat handlebar. Later, I replaced the brake lever with a non indexed gear lever with the friction wound off to save space.

In January last year I replaced the bottom bracket as there was a little play in it and I wanted to avoid any problems on the road. Not only did it turn out to be a threadless one but the previous owner had fitted it back to front! O what fun I had trying to get it out before I realised this. Once I got it out I found that the frame threads were still viable and was able to fit a standard bottom bracket. It did make me wonder about the previous owner’s mechanical skills and what horrors I might yet find as I replaced parts.

I experimented with the gearing. It came with a triple chainset but no front changer. I made a derailleur post and found that a double would give me all the gears I needed. It has a 3 speed hub gear and a seven speed derailleur at the back. With the double chainring at the front, that totals 43 gears with a range of about 17.5 inches to about 110 inches. It’s possible that I won’t be able to go fast enough to maintain steerage way in bottom gear unless I pedal at a rate faster than I normally find comfortable but the theory is that by maintaining smoothness I might be able to balance and steer at a lower speed uphill. This was prompted by being defeated on Alsagers Bank in Staffordshire last year. Previous to that I believed I could climb anything. It’s possible that if I was on my upright tourer I would have had to get off and walk too.

The rear derailleur is operated by a Suntour Barcon on the right bar end and the hub gear by a Sturmey bar end lever on the left. The front derailleur is operated by a thumb lever lower down on the left bar end.

Last year I acquired a 406 rimmed hub brake front wheel which allowed me to fit a 406-50 Big Apple front tyre rather than with the original front wheel which was a 440, with only a limited choice of narrow tyres. This has made a big difference, and the bike feels really planted. This is despite the rear being narrower, a 700-42C Vittoria Randonneur which is actually nearer 38C.

Around the same time I updated the rear brake to an old school BMX one which works very well.

I bodged an old aluminium ATB carrier to the front end by cutting off the legs and attaching it by an exhaust clamp, jubilee clip and P clips. It was only meant as a lightweight carrier and the main trial was my trip to Wales last year which it completed with no problems. However in general use with a tapered bag on top it proved too unwieldy and eventually the P clips proved not durable enough, so I took it off.

Despite its age and unconventional design I had confidence that I could go anywhere on this bike so I planned a trip to Wales last year. Unfortunately I overestimated my fitness and carried too much gear so after getting off my route and climbing more hills than I’d bargained for on the first day I found that on the second my legs weren’t up to the hills I had planned. Fortunately I had a plan B. I’m hoping to go again this year (if the prospect of an impending lockdown doesn’t stop it) with better route planning.

One of my main concerns when buying this Linear was the possibility of rear frame cracks as it’s a known problem especially if sometime in the past it’s had hard use. I inspected it minutely when I went to collect it, and again when I was getting it ready for the road and it seemed fine.

I ‘d been thinking about fitting a frame reinforcing plate since I’d had it so when I found an aftermarket one from “The Bicycle Man” in Alfred Station, NY (Current manufacturer of the Linear), I bit the bullet and ordered it. This was an item fitted to the NY produced Linears while using up the stocks of Iowa Linear parts. Earlier models such as mine didn’t have them. Current Linears have a revised rear frame and as far as I know, are no longer of a folding design. From time to time they have stocks of frame reinforcing plates in for the older designs. Worth fitting I think if you have an older folding Linear for the peace of mind it gives. I could have made one myself more cheaply but there was something satisfying about improving my US -made bike with a US part from the present manufacturer.

I have now had it welded on and the frame certainly feels more rigid. A bit of work was needed to trim it for the non standard 700C wheel to give enough mudguard clearance. It would be tempting to fit a 26” wheel if not for the cost of building on to the hub gear, so as to have the chance to fit a Big Apple on the rear, matching the front. Still, after quite a bit of fettling it works fine now.

The Linear lounging rakishly in the July sunshine
P1020561.JPG

The front accessory bar looks cluttered but everything is there for a purpose
P1020562.JPG

Rear views
P1020563.JPG


P1020564.JPG

I now know a lot more about recumbents and fettling them, budget ones at least. Not so much about higher end ones. It's been a process of gradual improvement over the last couple of years.It goes to show you don't have to spend a fortune or be a mechanical genius to get into the Dark Side.

There’s something rather ship like about the riding experience of this bike. You get aboard rather than mount it. You launch rather than casually get on and ride. It gets under way, until you reach cruising speed, then makes stately progress. Short as I am, it still seems a long way from the bridge to the engine room. You have to plan ahead as it gives the illusion that it has the turning circle of a super tanker. It's more agile than it looks. Perhaps I need to get a boat horn. It’s a different experience from my SWB recumbent. It’s a bike, but somehow more than just a bike.
Maybe it’s more of a Non Standard Human Powered Vehicle that just happens to have two wheels.

There’s also something akin to flying about it, although at a low level. I vividly remember when first riding it, getting going, fumbling with the unseen unfamiliar controls under the seat, over reacting to the sensitive steering, wondering how I’d got into this situation on a machine that seemed to have a mind of its own. Feelings of terror and elation wrestled with each other as I rode several alarming miles avoiding T junctions or changing speed or direction before daring to try and stop in case I lost control and slid down the road. The same road that was rushing by seemingly so close beneath my clenched buttocks, not beneath my feet, and the invisible ever present traffic behind me that I imagined was just waiting to flatten me when it happened. I was paranoid about not being able to see behind. The saying “I’ve never looked back since I bought a recumbent” was literally true then but with use of a decent mirror and learning to interpret auditory cues it’s hardly an issue now.

It’s such a contrast with the early days now, when I climb aboard and everything “just fits” like my more conventional bikes even when it’s a while since I rode it.

Over the last couple of years I’ve only had one instance of anything like a close pass which probably wouldn’t even have been remarkable if I was riding my upright bike. Everyone just gives you l o a d s of r o o m. Maybe the vehicle least likely to be involved in a SMIDSY is a recumbent bike or trike.

I’ve fallen off once into a handy patch of nettles when I stalled on a climb (before I adapted the gearing). Despite the initial scariness it has become a reassuring and comfortable ride.

It tends to attract attention, although when running it is very quiet due to having no chain tubes or rollers, so sometimes people are only aware of you when you are going away from them on cycle tracks or rail trails. It has raised far more smiles than hostile responses.

It can definitely go where a touring bike or hybrid can go as long as there are no awkward barriers. Even then it can be stood on its back wheel to get through “kissing gate” type barriers, though I wouldn’t like to have to pass too many in quick succession.

Apologies for any repetitions to those who have read my previous “A year with a Linear” but maybe newer members might read this and be tempted to enter the weird and wonderful world of recumbent riding.
 
Thanks for that - I enjoyed it and am sorry to hear you’re selling your Dawes. I have a US-built LWB, though mine is a Recycled Recumbent Mach 1, frame built by the designer and subsequently built up into a bike by me. It took a back seat when I got a Pashley PDQ, then a Nazca Fuego… which in turn has been gathering dust since I took a nasty slide on a greasy corner. Most of my riding is on one or other of my trikes but the RR is actually a very easy machine to ride, really comfortable and surprisingly quick for something that is entirely constructed of bits rescued from the spare parts bin. Not very good up hills - the later Mach 2 has better steering geometry - but great fun. I really need to get it out on the road again.
 
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a.twiddler

a.twiddler

Veteran
I think you must be a bit taller than me. One of the budget bikes I was looking out for at the time I bought the Low Rider was a Pashley PDQ but I was advised that due to the square seat base, it wasn't ideal for shorties.

It's a funny thing about recumbents. Once you've got one you start accumulating them, wanting to try different ones, perhaps to find the ideal one for you. From what I've read about the Nazca Fuego it is well thought of but most reviewers don't usually have to worry about seat height and leg length so it often doesn't feature in reviews. There must be list compiled somewhere of recumbents accessible to shorter riders.

Meanwhile I was very fortunate with the Linear both with the extreme adjustability of it and that I took to the under seat steering. Apparently it's a bit of a marmite thing.
 
The Pashley PDQ was a fraction too tall for me… I could manage tip-toe at best, and whilst it was very stable I was never confident about stopping. I tried various mods including a GRP seat none of which worked. The Fuego weighs about twice as much, but for me there is no issue in getting my feet down. The ”small“ size has a higher seat than the M/L. (mine is a small).

It probably doesn’t help that most Euro ‘bents come from NL and Germany wheee they have very tall people…
 
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a.twiddler

a.twiddler

Veteran
I have no experience of other recumbents but coincidentally the Linear and Low Rider have similar triangular seat bases. The Low Rider is, as you might guess, very low, but the Linear, to allow the underseat steering to swing beneath, is higher, though still low enough for me to put both feet down easily. It's quite hard to make comparisons without going somewhere like D-Tek. I've seen three recumbents on the road in the two years since I got into this lark, and two of those were tadpole trikes. The other was a SWB of some description. We were like ships that passed in the night, with no time to compare notes or have a conversation.
 

PaulM

Guru
Location
Portsmouth, UK
Looks like the brace has improved your old Linear nicely. Yes, seat height limits my choice of 'bents too. I could just manage a Giro 20. I've switched my Nazca Paseo from a suspension fork to a fixed fork to lower it, and I'm in the process of changing my P-38 from a 700/406 wheel combination to 559/349. The Stratus XP has a nice low seat. I'm now seeking a Bacchetta Bella.
 
Glad to see you are still enjoying the Linear. Mine is in a better condition than it’s ever been, -it’s easier to rebuild a bike if you’re not riding it!😅

If I can offer one other mod to go with the reinforcing plate: I cut a hardwood block to be a close fit to the internal dimensions of the frame tube. It’s about 8” long and is a push fit into the rear of the frame . It has a hole and a slot to take the clamp bolts. When these are done up it provides a much more rigid assembly than the two aluminium spacer tubes it replaces. Subjective, but it seems to improve acceleration.

Today however, my Iowa Linear is mostly unridden as I seem to have found my ‘forever bike’ (for now!😂) in he Nazca Fuego. I can understand the poster who became lairy of theirs after a skiddy off, but the fact is, a skid induced capsize can be a bit shocking on any recumbent because, as you are closer to the ground it all happens a lot quicker. I crashed mine on ice once, but walked away with scarcely a bruise because of course, the lower you are, the less hard you fall (reverse Jimmy Cliff principle!).

Nevertheless, I used to feel the fuego was a bit ‘squirrely’, but as the miles have rolled under the wheels I have come to recognise that it was actually my responses that were ‘off’ not the bike’s handling. Nowadays I dont panic if a wheel ‘steps’ sideways on gravel, or loses traction. Generally the bike will recover itself if I don’t try to interfere too much. Nowadays I regard it as very sure-footed. And the fact is any bike will go down if cornered on grease or ice.

I'm in a bit of a quandary about my Linear. I feel about it rather as Captain Aubrey does of HMS Surprise. It has so much of my blood sweat and tears in it that it feels like ‘family’. On he other hand, I feel it ought to be out there introducing another rider to the pleasures of recumbency. hum.
 
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a.twiddler

a.twiddler

Veteran
The hardwood block idea seems a cheap and easy job. I was all set to go to Wales for a few days on it this year but due to one thing and another it didn't materialise. The furthest trip has been on the Brompton, surprisingly, at 65 miles. I need to get back into the routine of getting out on the Linear for longer day rides but I haven't been doing that on any of my bikes much this year. By the lack of other recumbents seen on the roads, I can't help thinking that other recumbent riders haven't either. I could visualise myself using the Linear for longer trips in the future, while I came to the conclusion that due to the leg length issue with the Low Rider, it wouldn't happen with that bike.

My experience with the Low Rider has put a dampener on my appetite for the "buy and try" route which was so effective with the Linear. Still, I did manage to sell it without too much effort. I can't foresee me stretching to the cost of one of the more premium brands of SWB on that basis, if ever, though I still keep an eye out on ebay etc.

I didn't expect to find a reference to Patrick O'Brian's seafaring novels on a cycling forum, but why not? We are not merely cyclists. Sacrilegious as it may seem to some, cyclists have other interests too.
 
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a.twiddler

a.twiddler

Veteran
Curiously enough, while casting an eye on ebay earlier, there are not one but two Linears on there at the moment with a selection of other bikes as well as the usual trikes.
 
Two Years with a Linear LWB recumbent.
It's just occurred to me that I’ve had this lengthy beast for two years now. How time flies. Most of my steep recumbent learning curve took place in the first six months but it can still surprise me. Most of the modifications took place in the first year as I found out what I wanted in a recumbent. To summarise:

I bought it during lockdown after unexpectedly selling a mountain bike for an unfeasibly large amount caused by “lockdown mania” when the shortage of new bikes pushed up the price of used ones.

I made an offer on it without a test ride or even seeing it, living as I do miles away from any recumbent dealer or anyone I know who has one. It had apparently spent the last ten years in the owner’s barn, which was believable judging by the amount of former insects that I dug out of the frame while sorting it out ready for the road.

I had a hairy time learning to ride it but at no time did I think, “this isn’t for me”. I carried on learning new things every ride, sometimes frightening the bejasus out of myself. Other road users would give me unbelievable amounts of space which was a huge bonus. I rode it up unsuitable tracks and it coped. Due to its unconventional construction I carried a good selection of tools. I fitted an accessory bar to the front for lights. I fitted a large bell there, operated by a brake lever on the underseat handlebar. Later, I replaced the brake lever with a non indexed gear lever with the friction wound off to save space.

In January last year I replaced the bottom bracket as there was a little play in it and I wanted to avoid any problems on the road. Not only did it turn out to be a threadless one but the previous owner had fitted it back to front! O what fun I had trying to get it out before I realised this. Once I got it out I found that the frame threads were still viable and was able to fit a standard bottom bracket. It did make me wonder about the previous owner’s mechanical skills and what horrors I might yet find as I replaced parts.

I experimented with the gearing. It came with a triple chainset but no front changer. I made a derailleur post and found that a double would give me all the gears I needed. It has a 3 speed hub gear and a seven speed derailleur at the back. With the double chainring at the front, that totals 43 gears with a range of about 17.5 inches to about 110 inches. It’s possible that I won’t be able to go fast enough to maintain steerage way in bottom gear unless I pedal at a rate faster than I normally find comfortable but the theory is that by maintaining smoothness I might be able to balance and steer at a lower speed uphill. This was prompted by being defeated on Alsagers Bank in Staffordshire last year. Previous to that I believed I could climb anything. It’s possible that if I was on my upright tourer I would have had to get off and walk too.

The rear derailleur is operated by a Suntour Barcon on the right bar end and the hub gear by a Sturmey bar end lever on the left. The front derailleur is operated by a thumb lever lower down on the left bar end.

Last year I acquired a 406 rimmed hub brake front wheel which allowed me to fit a 406-50 Big Apple front tyre rather than with the original front wheel which was a 440, with only a limited choice of narrow tyres. This has made a big difference, and the bike feels really planted. This is despite the rear being narrower, a 700-42C Vittoria Randonneur which is actually nearer 38C.

Around the same time I updated the rear brake to an old school BMX one which works very well.

I bodged an old aluminium ATB carrier to the front end by cutting off the legs and attaching it by an exhaust clamp, jubilee clip and P clips. It was only meant as a lightweight carrier and the main trial was my trip to Wales last year which it completed with no problems. However in general use with a tapered bag on top it proved too unwieldy and eventually the P clips proved not durable enough, so I took it off.

Despite its age and unconventional design I had confidence that I could go anywhere on this bike so I planned a trip to Wales last year. Unfortunately I overestimated my fitness and carried too much gear so after getting off my route and climbing more hills than I’d bargained for on the first day I found that on the second my legs weren’t up to the hills I had planned. Fortunately I had a plan B. I’m hoping to go again this year (if the prospect of an impending lockdown doesn’t stop it) with better route planning.

One of my main concerns when buying this Linear was the possibility of rear frame cracks as it’s a known problem especially if sometime in the past it’s had hard use. I inspected it minutely when I went to collect it, and again when I was getting it ready for the road and it seemed fine.

I ‘d been thinking about fitting a frame reinforcing plate since I’d had it so when I found an aftermarket one from “The Bicycle Man” in Alfred Station, NY (Current manufacturer of the Linear), I bit the bullet and ordered it. This was an item fitted to the NY produced Linears while using up the stocks of Iowa Linear parts. Earlier models such as mine didn’t have them. Current Linears have a revised rear frame and as far as I know, are no longer of a folding design. From time to time they have stocks of frame reinforcing plates in for the older designs. Worth fitting I think if you have an older folding Linear for the peace of mind it gives. I could have made one myself more cheaply but there was something satisfying about improving my US -made bike with a US part from the present manufacturer.

I have now had it welded on and the frame certainly feels more rigid. A bit of work was needed to trim it for the non standard 700C wheel to give enough mudguard clearance. It would be tempting to fit a 26” wheel if not for the cost of building on to the hub gear, so as to have the chance to fit a Big Apple on the rear, matching the front. Still, after quite a bit of fettling it works fine now.

The Linear lounging rakishly in the July sunshine
View attachment 652805
The front accessory bar looks cluttered but everything is there for a purpose
View attachment 652806
Rear views
View attachment 652807

View attachment 652808
I now know a lot more about recumbents and fettling them, budget ones at least. Not so much about higher end ones. It's been a process of gradual improvement over the last couple of years.It goes to show you don't have to spend a fortune or be a mechanical genius to get into the Dark Side.

There’s something rather ship like about the riding experience of this bike. You get aboard rather than mount it. You launch rather than casually get on and ride. It gets under way, until you reach cruising speed, then makes stately progress. Short as I am, it still seems a long way from the bridge to the engine room. You have to plan ahead as it gives the illusion that it has the turning circle of a super tanker. It's more agile than it looks. Perhaps I need to get a boat horn. It’s a different experience from my SWB recumbent. It’s a bike, but somehow more than just a bike.
Maybe it’s more of a Non Standard Human Powered Vehicle that just happens to have two wheels.

There’s also something akin to flying about it, although at a low level. I vividly remember when first riding it, getting going, fumbling with the unseen unfamiliar controls under the seat, over reacting to the sensitive steering, wondering how I’d got into this situation on a machine that seemed to have a mind of its own. Feelings of terror and elation wrestled with each other as I rode several alarming miles avoiding T junctions or changing speed or direction before daring to try and stop in case I lost control and slid down the road. The same road that was rushing by seemingly so close beneath my clenched buttocks, not beneath my feet, and the invisible ever present traffic behind me that I imagined was just waiting to flatten me when it happened. I was paranoid about not being able to see behind. The saying “I’ve never looked back since I bought a recumbent” was literally true then but with use of a decent mirror and learning to interpret auditory cues it’s hardly an issue now.

It’s such a contrast with the early days now, when I climb aboard and everything “just fits” like my more conventional bikes even when it’s a while since I rode it.

Over the last couple of years I’ve only had one instance of anything like a close pass which probably wouldn’t even have been remarkable if I was riding my upright bike. Everyone just gives you l o a d s of r o o m. Maybe the vehicle least likely to be involved in a SMIDSY is a recumbent bike or trike.

I’ve fallen off once into a handy patch of nettles when I stalled on a climb (before I adapted the gearing). Despite the initial scariness it has become a reassuring and comfortable ride.

It tends to attract attention, although when running it is very quiet due to having no chain tubes or rollers, so sometimes people are only aware of you when you are going away from them on cycle tracks or rail trails. It has raised far more smiles than hostile responses.

It can definitely go where a touring bike or hybrid can go as long as there are no awkward barriers. Even then it can be stood on its back wheel to get through “kissing gate” type barriers, though I wouldn’t like to have to pass too many in quick succession.

Apologies for any repetitions to those who have read my previous “A year with a Linear” but maybe newer members might read this and be tempted to enter the weird and wonderful world of recumbent riding.

Hi there, I’m going to read your whole message with great interest after work with a cup of tea but in the meantime - I have a very similar story to you with my beloved Ryan Vanguard (longbike recumbent) . I bought it June 2021. A barn find 1996 in perfect condition and like you persevered in learning to ride it and also modified it with wheels groupset etc. It’s now the nicest bike I’ve ever ridden! Absolutely love it. Where are you based? I’m in Bromley south of London. I ride in kent and southeast. Cheers Oliver
 
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a.twiddler

a.twiddler

Veteran
It's nice to hear from another LWB enthusiast. In the couple of years I've been dabbling in the Dark Side bike I've briefly seen a couple of recumbent trikes and a SWB bike on the road but nobody to have a conversation with. LWB bike riders on the road are a real rarity, I've certainly not come across one on my travels.

Well, if it's of interest my stuff (obviously) goes back two years starting with an intermittent thread titled "Confessions of a Recumbent Virgin" and wanders into "Your ride Today" territory. You might have to search a bit.

I'm based in Cheshire though have been seen in adjacent counties as well as Wales. It's hard to be ignored on a recumbent. I don't know if the reaction is proportionate to the length of your bike but it seems a feasible theory.
 
It's nice to hear from another LWB enthusiast. In the couple of years I've been dabbling in the Dark Side bike I've briefly seen a couple of recumbent trikes and a SWB bike on the road but nobody to have a conversation with. LWB bike riders on the road are a real rarity, I've certainly not come across one on my travels.

Well, if it's of interest my stuff (obviously) goes back two years starting with an intermittent thread titled "Confessions of a Recumbent Virgin" and wanders into "Your ride Today" territory. You might have to search a bit.

I'm based in Cheshire though have been seen in adjacent counties as well as Wales. It's hard to be ignored on a recumbent. I don't know if the reaction is proportionate to the length of your bike but it seems a feasible theory.

Great to hear back (sorry I didn’t catch your name?)

Sounds pretty similar to me in that I’ve always had bikes as a kid, grifters to bmx’s to mb’s to hybrids then finally road bikes. But even at a young age I found scapular and neck issues which I put up with and was all part of my passion of going as far on a bike as my legs would take me, I didn’t mind but then 4 years ago I thought - ooohh maybe 🤔 a recumbent - those strange bikes ridden by very strange people!!! I thought that’s it - I want one! In February 2019 spent £4000 on a Velotechnic Speed Machine ! Took myself off to some big private roads where the learner drivers practice, nice quiet residential roads. Then braved the big main roads and soon realised the cars didn’t worry me and sure enough do slow down and give you space, generally they’re puzzled by me as they slowly pass !

The Velotechnic didn’t work out tho because it was so heavy I just couldn’t see it ever being a kent hilly countryside bike. It was awful as I remember, any slight incline - you’d pedal like hell so crawl up a gentle slope! Just wasn’t fun. September 19 I sold it for £1500!! I was sorry me and “bents” hadn’t worked out and was sad it couldn’t fulfill my dreams of a bike to take me far far away. So I went quiet for a bit, still reading up about them but simply couldn’t justify any more money being spent on another recumbent only to have another financial disaster ! As you know it’s not like there’s several fully stocked recumbent shops between here and Australia to go and try one to see if it’s different to the Speed Machine? Laid back bikes in Scotland was the closest! Then May 2020 on eBay I found a Challenge Fulin low racer £750 near Gatwick!!! I felt I could justify the money versus risk and 1 hour down the road - what can go wrong ??!! I tried it, loved it and bought it. That was the bike that really got me properly into recumbents. I’ve since sold it only because it was slightly too small. Great bike tho and my friend Bob who’s got 5 recumbents (I think we met on this site?) bought it and he now likes it very much. Then last year I bought my Ryan Vanguard from the RV owners club site. Funnily enough the guy was only in Dorset and £500 - I must have it!! I also know Michael in east London with his RV and still thank Michael for putting me onto the owners club.

The RV is a similar bike to yours. Lwb uss. For £500 I thought maybe it’ll be a bit of old bike junk and as soon as I saw it I could see it was a time warp. The dated ally finish rims and components like the brake levers had oxidised but the frame was beautiful. All original and no damage. I was immediately in love with this recent classic/vintage recumbent. I then had it modified with black DT Swiss rims, full black Deore chainset and brakes and bar end shifters. It’s superb in black throughout. Like you were saying, more learning curves as very different to the Fujin low racer but as ever with recumbents, the more you ride it and more I relax the better it gets. Mines actually quite fast and climbs anything no problem despite its weight.

It really is a very unknown thing but I think if a lot of road bikers gave it a try they’d get the bug! It really is an experience setting off on a recumbent for a nice long trip and in total comfort, I dunno why but it’s addictive! I spend my weeks waiting for the “next ride” which is every weekend without fail. Love to chat more on this but I have to go now

Nice to talk about recumbent with you
Best Oliver
 

Nigelnightmare

Über Member
I also have an Iowa Linear but sadly can no longer ride it due to balance issues caused by nerve damage.
They are very comfortable for long distance touring.
I do still ride my ICE trikes though.
 
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a.twiddler

a.twiddler

Veteran
All I can say about my particular Linear is that it suits me, particularly due to its great adjustability, but also because I immediately took a liking to the long wheelbase and underseat steering very soon after I started to ride it. As I am 5'6", adjustability is important to me. For riders of average height, it's probably less important. The steering system is also a matter of taste, and might not appeal to everyone. Recumbent bikes are rare, LWB bikes are even rarer and underseat steering ones are rarer still. Getting to see any recumbent, let alone managing a test ride, is the hard part. People who live within easy travelling distance of a recumbent dealer are indeed fortunate. For others, particularly on a tight budget, it might be a case of keeping an eye on the likes of ebay or cycle forum sales pages.

I sort of made an impulse buy with my Linear and though I put in a lot of time and effort on it, it has worked out well for me. It's easy to hum and ha and put things off, but if you come across one, strike while the iron is hot, and at least go and have a look at it.
 
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