Infinity Recumbents
REBIKER1
Are these bikes (Infinity Bents) still available? Do they have a web site? They
used to make a nice LWB that looked a lot like the Ryan.
Thanks for the info.
Jose In Sunrise, Fl
0 ~
x/\__// ~
O""O
When you get "there"
You'll be "here"
So enjoy being here now!
JHarper905
Jose',
Did the Yahoo search and lo and behold here it is!
http://www.bikeroute.com/Infinity.htm
Rock On Pilgrim!
John Harper
REBIKER1
is $1200 & the beta is $1500.
I wonder if the components of the beta model are worth the extra $300 bucks.
Also, the beta, at 30 pounds, is about 3 pounds heavier than the alpha.
Any opinions, comments on this bike?
Thanks.
Patrick Friedel
>Got the URL, Thanks. They have two models, the alpha and the beta. The alpha
>is $1200 & the beta is $1500.
>
> I wonder if the components of the beta model are worth the extra $300 bucks.
>Also, the beta, at 30 pounds, is about 3 pounds heavier than the alpha.
>
>Any opinions, comments on this bike?
I have a hand-me-down Infinity that I rather like. It has a few
gotchas that I've discovered:
1) The seat. Wow, it's upright. Leaning back is something those
funny looking SWB riders do. ;) If you're on an Infinity, you'll feel
like you're in posture training. You actually get used to this, after
a while, because there's another issue with the seat - the front edge
of it tends to get in the way of your leg if you have the seat at a
"proper" distance. Move it forward a notch, and the seat front isn't
an issue.
Of course, then you might be hyper extending your knee when you're
pedaling. (shrug) There aren't terribly many comfortable positions on
this seat, either. And there's yet _another_ major problem with the
seat - breath-ability. This has _got_ to be the thickest nylon seat
fabric that I've ever run into. It's nearly a denim weave - it's
_thick_. (Am I making myself perfectly clear here?)
There's a ray of light, though - it looks as though you might be
able to modify a Haluzak seat fabric to fit a slightly modified
Infinity seat. Namely extending the top of the seat with some conduit
and adding a bracing spar (the Haluzak seat kinda hangs off of it at
the top, y'see), and crossing my fingers a lot. From the short rides
I've done on my mother's Leprechaun, it's a pretty comfy seat - the
weight is spread across wider supports than the stock Infinity seat.
Ok, enough with the seat.
2) The steering system. Gak - who uses cables for steering any more?
Is there a retrofit kit available so I can stiffen up my steering with
a normal pipe, like the Vision/Haluzak/LongBike/most other USS/LWB
bikes out there? (No, the Haluzak isn't strictly speaking LWB, but it
does have a steering transfer) Tweak it enough and it's not _bad_, but
it's never really _good_. Plus the bars could stand to be another
inch or two long. As it stands, they barely clear my seat - if ya
know what I mean. :) Due to the seat construction, they aren't really
close enough to my shoulders, so I tend to have to almost stretch to
reach the normal bars. I've added some extensions and it's a happier
bike now.
3) The complete and _utter_ lack of braze-ons. Some of y'all might
not have a problem taking a drill to your frame and tapping out your
very own braze-ons, but that sort of thing gives me cold sweats. You
will learn to love and revere zip ties if you want to put anything on
the top tube.
4) Did I mention the seat?
5) This is probably because of the steering, but this bike is probably
the most squirrelly LWB that I've ever ridden. (The squirrelliest?
Ennh.) It's kinda hard to reach the complete and utter man and
machine thing when you're always fiddling with the steering in order
to stay in a straight line. I suspect someone did something nasty to
the fork before I got my hands on it, though - it has a definite
left-hand-turn tendency.
6) Transporting it is.. Interesting. But I suspect _any_ LWB is a
hoot and a half on a roof rack.
Ok, so I've outlined my bad points. Now, for the good points:
1) That _long_ wheelbase makes for a pretty darn smooth ride. You
still feel the bumps, but they aren't spine crunchers by time the
frame soaks it up.
2) Conversely, the frame is actually fairly stiff in the right places.
Not that I'm riding it as a performance bike, but I don't feel it
torquing out from under me when I discover I'm in the wrong gear at
an intersection.
3) I dunno - I tend to be able to sail better on this bike than my
fiancee' can on her Vision R40 SWB/USS. Of course, coming out of the
"any wind that isn't 100% on my butt is bad" school of wedgie thought,
I may just be reveling in the notion that a sidewind might actually be
of assistance, and not just a threat.
4) The drive-train is fairly forgiving. I don't know if the Infinity
actually ships with a chain tensioner, or whether it was scavenged off
of mine at some point, so I have like 4 feet of untensioned chain
going into the derailleur, and I never jump gears or anything. I _do_
have a derailleur tensioning doohickey, but it doesn't keep the chain
from swaying side-to-side.
5) The seat. Now I know I lambasted it up above, but it also has a
few redeeming features. If you ride hard enough (uh-oh, late for
work!), the seat isn't particularly uncomfortable, either. (There's a
standard level of discomfort inherent in the seat, but it doesn't get
better or worse, see..) It's a cinch to put on and take off of the
frame. It's also fairly stable - it doesn't creep forward or back (it
can't), the tensioning doesn't self-adjust, etc. It's also a pretty
nice open frame, so you can mount your favorite hydration system back
there with reasonable results. And the impossible-to-breathe through
seat fabric makes for a handy mudguard. :) Oh, and it feels pretty
bulletproof. The seat, not the fabric.
6) It is pretty darn retrogrouch friendly, at least the componentry on
mine is. Nothing is particularly funny about this bike. If you have
a standard bike toolkit, I'd hazard to say that you could fix
everything that's breakable on it. (Of course, mine probably qualifies
as a retro bike _anyway_ - it's at least a few years old. :)
It's a fairly decent bike, but $1500 still seems a bit expensive for
what you get. (Considering the fire sale prices on some other bents,
in particular) If you have the inclination, it might be better to buy
the frame and wheels, and build the rest of it up yourself. I'd
_probably_ buy one again, if only because I don't know of any better
LWB/USS bikes out there. (The Longbike's seat has that painful
looking horn doohicky in the front, and the Linear just looks, I
dunno, funny. When the best a salesman can say about it is "it
doesn't squeak as much any more"... ;)
--
Patrick Friedel
kra...@excite.com
rebi...@aol.com (REBIKER1) wrote:
> Hi
>
> Are these bikes (Infinity Bents) still available? Do they have a web
> used to make a nice LWB that looked a lot like the Ryan.
> Thanks for the info.
If you'd like to build one up yourself, I have a complete '98 frame
(fork, seat, handle bars and frame) available for $350 + shipping.
Personally I would avoid dealing with the Infinity company at all costs
and not buy new. If you'd like me to elaborate please write me directly.
Karl
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
REBIKER1
this bike? I checked out a Ryan (LongBike) and I agree that the seat does have
an intimidating "horn dookicky" in the front. So... unless a better seat is
available, I don't think I would get a "Ryan".
Thanks again for the info
Patrick Friedel
<pfri...@orbitus.guru.execpc.com> wrote:
> I have a hand-me-down Infinity that I rather like. It has a few
>gotchas that I've discovered:
I should also note that some of these complaints are just requests
for comments about various issues. (I'm primarily hoping to fix the
steering, you see.) I love it as a bike, and I'm going to try to
start commuting on it this summer, but it does have issues.
On a complete tangent: Does anyone know of a good joint that I could
use to attach my fiancee's son's Trailmate (lean-steer trike) as a
makeshift trailer? I'm thinking that I could fabricate a hitch and a
receiver out of angle iron and conduit, but the actual bike-to-trailer
interface has been bugging me. I'd obviously need to bind the
Trailmate so that he couldn't steer behind me, but that's easily
accomplished with some toestraps. I'd need to lean (only a little),
while his trike would need to stay flat on the ground, etc. I'm
hoping that I could keep all of his wheels on the ground, otherwise
the tongue weight might be a bit much. (And heck, the idea is that I
could go on longer rides with him, and when he tuckers out, I could
just hitch him up - if I have to take off the front wheel and stow it
somewhere, it's not really worth it..)
Failing that - anyone have any experience using the Pico or any of
those other 3rd wheel bike thingies on a recumbent? :)
For an idea of what the (adult) version of the Trailmate looks like,
see http://www.trailmate.com/funcycle.asp . (The kids version has a
little handle that comes out in front of the bike, and it's close
enough to vertical that I could run a hunk o' conduit up it as the
hitch. :)
--
Patrick Friedel
Scott
>Interesting review - Thanks. Do you think a Rans Seat can be easily adapted to
>this bike? I checked out a Ryan (LongBike) and I agree that the seat does have
>an intimidating "horn dookicky" in the front. So... unless a better seat is
>available, I don't think I would get a "Ryan".
Jose
I've got a Ryan and there's no horn doohickey on the seat. The seat is
perfectly comfortable for me on rides up to 3+ hours (so far - 7
months of pleasure)
Scott (also)
REBIKER1
I just rode a Ryan at the LBS. The seat had a metal support in the front which,
under normal conditions should not interfere, but I hate to think what could
happen if one private's parts were to suddenly land on this very unfriendly and
unyielding metal post - Ouch!!!
The Ryan does seem to be a nice bike.
Nice handling, nice ride, but....
My "ideal" LWB would have a Rans Seat, a seat height of 19-21 inches, a Ryan-
like USS system , a 26 inch rear wheel and a 20 inch front wheel. The bike
would weight no more than 29 pounds and the front chainring would be slightly
lower than the seat.
molly
: Interesting review - Thanks. Do you think a Rans Seat can be easily adapted to
: this bike? I checked out a Ryan (LongBike) and I agree that the seat does have
: an intimidating "horn dookicky" in the front. So... unless a better seat is
: available, I don't think I would get a "Ryan".
It honestly depends on how tall you are. I have a Rans seat on my Infinity,
but it wouldn't have been possible if my legs had been very much longer.
I have a page about it at http://www.busprod.com/~molly/bike.html
Molly
REBIKER1
I tried to "visit" your web site but was unable to do so as it was
"unavailable".
What is your opinion of the Infinity LWB? How short does one have to be to
enjoy a Rans seat on this bike?
THANKS!
AZBent
last Labor Day. (almost 4300 miles) I use mine mainly for my daily
commute which is 12.5 miles each way. I have no complaints with my
seat, but maybe its because I just don't know any better!
AZBent
kra...@excite.com
AZBent <azb...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> I have enjoyed every mile I have rode my Infinity since I bought it
> last Labor Day. (almost 4300 miles) I use mine mainly for my daily
> commute which is 12.5 miles each way. I have no complaints with my
> seat, but maybe its because I just don't know any better!
>
K
AZBent
kra...@excite.com wrote:
> In article <7j7j8c$2df$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
> AZBent <azb...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> > I have enjoyed every mile I have rode my Infinity since I bought it
> > last Labor Day. (almost 4300 miles) I use mine mainly for my daily
> > commute which is 12.5 miles each way. I have no complaints with my
> > seat, but maybe its because I just don't know any better!
> >
> Just wondering, did you purchase the Alpha or Beta? Did you buy it
new?
> K
I bought it new. I don't remember him using either model names when I
bought it. I did purchase the cheaper with the front fork upgraded to
the same fork coming with the more expensive unit at the time I bought
it. Does this help?
AZBent
DrRecumbnt
The frames were still built by Ace Tool in Mooresville Indiana as of last year
and have changed very little over the years.
Back in the early '90s you could buy a new Infinity 12-speed for $499 and
18-spd for $599.
It was the original entry level recumbent. It lacks a chain idler, has cable
steering, has no cable stops (continuous cable) and has a structural square
tube aluminum frame (that is not heat treated) with several gussets placed on
the frame for added strength.
I actually preferred the ride of the Infinity to several other LWB USS bikes,
but it lacks the details to compete with the other mid-range recumbents in
that price range. Also, it is a difficult bike to find/buy--only being sold at
one dealer (that I know of).
Several recumbents of this generation are being priced out of the market. If
they are not world class bikes, they need to be price competitive.
Bob Bryant
Recumbent Cyclist News
www.recumbentcyclistnews.com