Test rode a Cannondale Easy Rider today! (Somewhat long)
Edward Wong
interest in Cannondale and/or Orange Cycle, nor am I attempting to
start an Easy Rider vs BikeE debate.
I dropped by Orlando's largest Cannondale dealer, Orange Cycle to see
if they had an Easy Rider on the showroom floor. Sure enough, they did
to my delight!
It was a bright yellow/orange fade color scheme and it was gorgous.
They had it sitting on a pedistal of some sort and I grabbed it to set
it on the floor. It didn't feel 39 lbs. like some claim. Either it
really weighs more like low 30's or I was feeling strong today:-)
One of the employees walked over to me and offered assistance. I of
course let him know of my intention to take the Easy Rider for a spin
which he quickly obliged once I handed over my driver's license. Once
on the lot in back of the building, he helped me to adjust the seat to
my liking.
One thing I noticed is that the track that the seat rides on has
increments etched in the railing. Perhaps it was in inches and I
thought it was very cool as you'll be able to adjust the seat for
different riders and know where it needs to go when adjusting it back
to your measurement. Very thoughtful of them.
Oh one more thing, though I really don't know what my x-seam is, the
seat was not over the rear wheel at all like the promotional photos on
C'dale's website. The rear of the seat base was about 1" ahead of the
leading edge of the rear tire. I'm about 5'9" and this was the
standard frame and had plenty of rearward adjustment left. I consider
my body proportions to be fairly "average".
I also took time to look at the welds and the seat frame. The seat
frame certainly looks more solid than BikeE's. The bike's overall
finish is first class and makes one think that C'dale has been in the
recumbent market for years rather than getting the impression of a
first effort product.
The seat base is very wide but a little shorter from front to back
than BikeE's or RANS's. It (seat) cradled my behind quite well and
could tell that it would be very comfortable even on long rides.
Now to the important part. How does it ride? Well, it rode like a
dream. The suspension took the edge of the speed bumps and shallow pot
holes. I could not notice any excessive "pogo-ing" while stomping on
the pedals. C'dale did a great job on the suspension geometry. The
handling reminded me of the BikeE RX but it felt a little more
natural. Speedwise, I say they are very close togather but I
definiately liked the feel of the Easy Rider better.
After 10 minutes of riding the Easy Rider, I felt hesitant to hand it
back to the shop. I had a blast on it! The shop's employee and I had a
lengthy conversation and told me that the bike has been well received
by the public and everyone who works there. He loves that bike too and
has ridden it several times since they got it in.
The biggest issue that has been discussed here often is the price.
Well after seeing what the prospective buyer is getting in terms of
quality, componentry and dealer support, I no longer believe that it's
expensive. You get what you pay for. End of story. This bike is made
for those who want a comfortable, plush ride and are not interested in
attempting HPV records. However, it's as fast as it needs to be.
If I were in the market for a great CLWB, the Easy Rider would be on
top of my list.
Edward Wong
Orlando, FL
'99 Lightning Thunderbolt
'99 ReBike Performance
derek
critter up to a bike scale so we can have the real weight please. I am glad
the rider does not sit right over the rear wheel like the webstite photos
show. Maybe Cannondale will sell some bents after all. How is the arm reach
to the handlebars and controls?
Cheers,
Derek
"Edward Wong" <ewo...@excite.com> wrote in message
>(Snip)
It didn't feel 39 lbs. like some claim. Either it
> really weighs more like low 30's or I was feeling strong today:-)
(unsnip)
(More snippage)
> Oh one more thing, though I really don't know what my x-seam is, the
> seat was not over the rear wheel at all like the promotional photos on
> C'dale's website. The rear of the seat base was about 1" ahead of the
> leading edge of the rear tire.
(unsnip)
Eric
was in Portland Oregon. City River bikes. Anyway. It was a really nice
CHROME mirror finish. I kind of wonder how it would look after taking it
though some mud puddles...
Anyway. My first impressions were. A solid/rugged looking bike. When I
first saw it I noticed the disk brakes and the Maxxis Tires. I think it had
hook worm tires. Pretty good. I then looked over the build quality ...
This is one of the better built bikes. I wonder if it is made here in the
USA? or overseas? The ride for me was really fun. I kind of wonder how it
would have been on a really long trip. I'm not into win any speed races.
So, I felt it was going as fast enough for me. I never felt and wobbles or
bobing action when pedaling hard.
There really isn't much to NOT like about this bike except for the price. I
think if I had 2K to spend. I'd probably opt out for the orginal easy races
design. IMO this is a great bike. But, I will stick with my EZ-1. I took
a lot of pictures of the bike and throw them up on the website if anyone is
interested in seeing them. Hard to beat 370.00 for a good ride!
I'd recomend this bike to anyone looking for a 2K bike. The bottem line.
"you get what you pay for" isn't always true. Ride all the bents you can.
EZ-1/Easy Racers, BikeE, Rans then decide.. I don't think one bike fits
all.
--Eric
"derek" <de...@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:Yd528.10782$TI3....@typhoon.sonic.net...
Edward Wong
Derek,
The Easy Rider felt no heavier than a "run-of-the-mill" BikeE AT but
it would be interesting to find out the exact weight. To be honest,
the ER "looks" heavy due to it's robust frame and beefy swingarm but
it's decieving. Especially when you pick it up.
As for the reach, I would say that my elbows were bent at about 45
degrees which compares to the CT I used to own. The handlbar is
similiar to the one BikeE uses on the RX but is wider...more like a
mountain bike's. It was comfortable on the wrists.
tom blum
tire.
As a home builder, I have no intention of dropping $2000 on a bike (let
alone $1000. ace it. I'm frugal???<G>)
I will say the bike is gorgeous!! fit and finish are great. The overall
look is just fine. The bike looks well worth the premium price that a "name
brand" bike seems to command in todays marketplace.
My LBS supports recumbents and stocks BikeE, Burley and now Cannondale.
On another note, they have a used ReBike for sale. If anyone is
interested, I could check price and condition.
Miles of Smiles,
Tom
john riley
most accounts a good one of what it is, is quite an accomplishment. Most
successful recumbents are the result of years of developement and
refinement. Even late entries designed by people that have had access to
the successful bikes are not always on the mark.
John Riley
DrRecumbnt
This is a very nice bike with an excellent suspension system and sweet ride.
Our "large size" model weighs 40.5 pounds with kickstand and WB cages. The
standard size weighs 39 pounds. Look for our complete review of this new
recumbent in RCN#69.
RCN#67 2002 Season Preview/Buyers' Guide is our current issue. It is in the
mail (distribution complete by Feb 7). The Easy Rider is on the cover.
Bob Bryant
http://www.recumbentcyclistnews.com
wheel dr
well finished and refined. My problem is more based in my experience with
the public as it relates to actually selling bikes. I never thought for a
minute that the C'dale would not ride well and be comfortable. However, how
many of you rabid benters are going out to purchase one of these? In my
experience the majority of CLWB buyers are first time buyers and not likely,
especially in this economy, to purchase a $2000 first bent. There is of
course the brand status conscious C'dale/TREK DF owner, Although, the R-200
had some technical/mechanical problems, the fact that it was a TREK didn't
have the effect TREK thought it would.
I have no doubt that when this bike (C'dale) was conceived, it was
targeted towards the affluent baby boomer with disposable income derived
from a booming ecomomy and investments. The largest increase in % of mkt
share during this period was fat tired "comfort bikes", makes sense to come
out with the consumate comfort bike a recumbent, makes sense to dual suspend
it, makes sense to make it a breeze to ride for the novice, problem is that
the price is likely to doom this very nice CLWB.
Current Cannondale dealers, such as Larry Black at Mt. Airey Bike
could have success with this bike since he specializes in bents and tandems.
However, IMHO, with 25 years of bike selling experience, I don't think it
will sell well, anywhere. Wrong bike, wrong timing and wrong price.
Jude
Edward Wong <ewo...@excite.com> wrote in message
news:f4b2d7c0.02011...@posting.google.com...
Dave Novoselsky
kudos on a very good issue. The Cannondale looks rather nice there, just as
it did when I say it at a local dealer. However, unless they educate their
dealers and motivate them to sell recumbents, we may have another Trek 200
in the works. These dealers are more interested in selling the DFs they
have in stock.(Can you blame them in a slow economy, where they already have
an existing inventory of DFs that don't generate cash just sitting there?)
Just my 2 cents worth. Dave Novoselsky
"DrRecumbnt" <drrec...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020119105425...@mb-mw.aol.com...
Dave Novoselsky
"wheel dr" <whe...@goeaston.net> wrote in message
news:Wsj28.4116$h31.7...@e420r-atl1.usenetserver.com...
Edward Wong
So it does weigh 39 pounds! Good for me...it means that I was feeling
STRONGER when I picked it off the floor yesterday;-)
Edward Wong
> well finished and refined. My problem is more based in my experience with
> the public as it relates to actually selling bikes. I never thought for a
> minute that the C'dale would not ride well and be comfortable. However, how
> many of you rabid benters are going out to purchase one of these? In my
> experience the majority of CLWB buyers are first time buyers and not likely,
> especially in this economy, to purchase a $2000 first bent. There is of
> course the brand status conscious C'dale/TREK DF owner, Although, the R-200
> had some technical/mechanical problems, the fact that it was a TREK didn't
> have the effect TREK thought it would.
> I have no doubt that when this bike (C'dale) was conceived, it was
> targeted towards the affluent baby boomer with disposable income derived
> from a booming ecomomy and investments. The largest increase in % of mkt
> share during this period was fat tired "comfort bikes", makes sense to come
> out with the consumate comfort bike a recumbent, makes sense to dual suspend
> it, makes sense to make it a breeze to ride for the novice, problem is that
> the price is likely to doom this very nice CLWB.
> Current Cannondale dealers, such as Larry Black at Mt. Airey Bike
> could have success with this bike since he specializes in bents and tandems.
> However, IMHO, with 25 years of bike selling experience, I don't think it
> will sell well, anywhere. Wrong bike, wrong timing and wrong price.
>
> Jude
In my personal belief, this bike was not directed at "rabid" bent
riders. Chances are, a good amount of their sales may come from their
own customer base first, the general cycling public second and then
current crop of bent riders last.
We keep drawing parallels between the TREK experience and this C'dale
bike which hasn't been out on the market a full month but if it fails,
it won't be for the same reasons that doomed the R200 though I think,
you made that clear in your post.
I'm hoping C'dale does well with this bike because it could mean more
models that are directed towards those rabid bent riders you
mentioned. I can already visualize a post here in a.r.b.r. in the not
too distant future from either Marcy Taylor, Beth Fletcher or Easy
Biker raving about how they can hardly wait to take delivery of the
latest C'dale high performance SWB recumbent;-)
Gene Domenici
(EZ-1 only). The bike looked terrific; excellent paint; good set of
components. Overall, a very nice bike. Today, while riding along with a
touring rider on an upright, the concept of price came into focus for me.
When the other rider asked about the price of my bike, he casually added
that his old touring bike cost him well over a "grand". He didn't bat an
eye at the cost of a V2 or a V-Rex. There may be a bigger cross-over market
than we think.
Gene
2001 RANSV-rex
2000 RANS Tailwind
"Edward Wong" <ewo...@excite.com> wrote in message
news:f4b2d7c0.02011...@posting.google.com...
Marci Taylor
I hate to say it....but I agree with Dave and Jude. It's just too
darned expensive for a bike with a 16" front wheel and a 20" rear
wheel no matter how good the fit and finish are. Most people who want
to spend a lot of money on a bent really are looking for a more
performance oriented bike. I would bet BIG BUCKS that this bike will
not sell!!!! And, that is really too bad. If it were say... $999.00
I think it would sell.
Marci
Michael Nelson
> performance oriented bike. I would bet BIG BUCKS that this bike will
> not sell!!!! And, that is really too bad. If it were say... $999.00
> I think it would sell.
It will be, in a couple years when the dealers are trying to dump them for
below cost.
Michael
--
"# chmod a+x /bin/laden"
Michael Nelson San Francisco, CA
calcified claw
terrible on the web site. the titanic had great fit and finish didnt it?
"Marci Taylor" <MTa51...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:8a5340b2.02011...@posting.google.com...
Thomas Sherman
Earthcycles Sunsets that were up for sale recently. The Sunset has a
305-mm (16") front wheel and a 406-mm (20") rear wheel, and is
definitely performance oriented. Wheel size alone is an insufficient
criterium to determine bicycle performance.
Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)
1999 Blue RANS Tailwind/63 -- 2000 Red RANS Rocket -- 2001 Reynolds
Wishbone Lowracer
Marci Taylor wrote:
> ...
> I hate to say it....but I agree with Dave and Jude. It's just too
> darned expensive for a bike with a 16" front wheel and a 20" rear
> wheel no matter how good the fit and finish are. Most people who want
> to spend a lot of money on a bent really are looking for a more
> performance oriented bike...
wheel dr
experience with bent buyers. I thought it might be relevent, but I cut it
out. I have only been selling bents for 2 1/2 years. I have 25 years in this
business as a wrench, manager, custom and mass producer of wheels, LBS
partner and now owner. I base my observations on this experience.
ConsequentIy, I find it hard to conjure up an image of who will buy this
bike. It doesn't seem to fit anywhere in the scheme of things, market wise.
I could give you many instances that come to mind....Customer buys
bikeE AT for wife. She loves it.....He borrows my demo AT and rides with
he....Really likes it......Then he rides with his brother in law a fast DF
rider, gets dropped.....Now he hates it.......next week he borrows demo
V-REX......Returns with big smile on face....stayed with em'.....buys V-REX
$1599, think he would have faired any better on C'dale? Customer rides a
nice Bob Jackson full tourer has done the Transam, wants a recumbent to ride
the Caribou Maine/Key West full load touring ... Toureasy, Stratus or
Easyrider? Duh.....Toureasy fer me....
I have a friend and customer, rides a TREK 5200 and a Lemond,
attends cycling camps, bought wife an AT, wants a bent to ride with
her.....lent him an dual suspended RX, hated it.....he's gonna borrow my
personal V2 for a test ride.....What do you think he will buy? $2000
Easyrider or V2, Thunderbolt A-10 or possibly P-38? Go figure.
I sold over 20 BikeE's last year, 18 the year before, mostly CTs,
some AT's and two RX's....ALL first bent buyers...All recreational riders,
mostly hybred riders, you can buy one hell of a hybred for 2K. How many
Easyriders do you think I could have sold at $2000 a pop? I'll tell ya "0".
Heres a quote from Bob Bryant......I agree with wholeheartdly....However,
the C'dale does not fit the second paragraph....as an affordable CLWB.
Jude
I have found MOST CLWB recumbents to be marginal performers. I think that it
is
the upright riding position, high cg and small wheels. I can get on a LWB
ASS
that weighs the same, is about the same height, but has bigger wheels and it
is
faster.
There are other beauties of the CLWB: ultility, compactness,
user-friendliness,
affordability and suspended comfort.
Bob Bryant
http://www.recumbentcyclistnews.com
Gene Domenici <car...@gte.net> wrote in message
news:LEp28.1985$L73.7...@paloalto-snr1.gtei.net...
wheel dr
Jude
Thomas Sherman <tshe...@qconline.com> wrote in message
news:3C4AFD67...@qconline.com...
Carl R. Murdock
discussions for some time and have really enjoyed them. I have
enjoyed biking for many years and have ridden many different bikes. I
really like my recumbent. I have had it for about 3 years. I was
really sold on recumbents after I rode it in the Hotter'n Hell 100
held in Wichita Falls Texas. I have been riding this ride since 1984
and this was the best I had ever felt at the finish. I would like to
post a picture on this newsgroup if I can figure out how to do it. I
am no computer expert.
I am writing for my first time because I also test rode the Cannondale
Easy Rider this weekend. I really enjoyed the ride. It was very easy
to ride and maneuver. I ran over rough areas and the suspension
worked very well. The brakes were excellent. Another thing I liked
was how quiet it was. This is because it does not have a long chain
with the idler pully and its associated noise. I has two separate
chains. I think Cannondale has built a very solid and stylish bike.
It even looks fast! I should be a good CLWB bike. I have to say I
think the price will be a large obstacle for this bike to overcome.
Carl
Edward Wong
Actually it had a terribly small rudder for a ship it's size. That's
the reason they couldn't turn away from the iceburg soon enough.
Recumbent engineering is far superior to naval engineering of that
era.
Edward Wong
Orlando, FL
Dave Doty
"value" of the Easy Rider concerns me more than its overall performance.
Realistically, at $2000 they can buy a Tour Easy, a very nicely appointed
V-Rex...several bikes that are going to offer better overall performance.
Rear suspension may have add some value to this bike, but it really is a
small portion of the market. Just a guesstimate, but they probably won't
sell more than a couple hundred Easy Riders...and that mostly on the C'dale
name...in the first year. But then, profitability has not always been
C'dale's highest priority :^)
Dave Doty
Valley Bikes
1-800-730-9021
wheel dr
would pipe up. I think of it this way. There are marrages like EasyRacers
and JB Imports producing the CLWB EZ1, EZ1 Lite and now the EZ-3 Delta Trike
at an affordable price. These are some pretty savy folks. Notice that Vision
no longer offers the VR-32 and none of the industry longtimers like RANS
offer a CLWB. I don't consider the TAILWIND or new WAVE a CLWB. I'd rather
classify it as a MWB. I think Bob Bryant makes this point in the latest
issue of RCN.
I doubt seriously, no actually I know for a fact that this bike will
not perform nor be as comfortable as as bents available at 1/2 the price
V-40, Tailwind, Rocket, A-10 or even a VIVO at $1399. AH...wadda ya want
from a company that's intent on entering the the realm of motocycles to
compete with the likes of Honda, Yamaha etc....Good grief
Jude
Dave Doty <dd...@valleybikes.com> wrote in message
news:7%V28.450$aS5.103...@newsfeed.tctc.com...
bentcruiser
> from a company that's intent on entering the the realm of motocycles to
> compete with the likes of Honda, Yamaha etc....Good grief
Actually, C'dale has been making offroad cycles for a while now.
Thomas Balmer
experience with the Specialized "Hardlock Rapper" cable lock?) and the
salesperson was GUSHING about how cool the new Cannondale Recumbent
was. They have one in a sister store nearby, and although he hadn't
ridden it, he had sat upon in the showroom and was very impressed with
how it looked, how it felt, and the componentry. This from a tried and
true DF and off-road guy.
There is hope.
This is only my wild theory, but I'll bet there are a lot more
Cannondale dealors out their than recumbent dealors, and there are a
lot of folks who will get their only recumbent exposure from their
Cannondale dealor. And they want to buy from their LBS, not from the
place in that far away town that sells funny bikes. When a
non-recumbent person asks if I have seen or know anything about the
Cannondale, I'm going to say "You're gonna love it!" If this bike is
as exciting to other non-'benters as it is to my LBS salesperson, this
is a major chance to get a lot more people 'Bent.
Tom Balmer
Goatbiker/V2
William Mc Hale
: If I did not have the Wishbone, I would have purchased one of the
: Earthcycles Sunsets that were up for sale recently. The Sunset has a
: 305-mm (16") front wheel and a 406-mm (20") rear wheel, and is
: definitely performance oriented. Wheel size alone is an insufficient
: criterium to determine bicycle performance.
That is for sure; look at Trikes where the current trend seems to be
toward smaller wheels on Performance oriented Trikes (Specifically the
Trice Micro and Mini and the Greenspeed GTX and Race Trike which have 16"
wheels.
--
Bill
***************************************************************************
Repetition Is Always Better The Second Time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Home page - http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~wmchal1
***************************************************************************
Eric Geoffrey Vann
<wmc...@umbc7.umbc.edu> wrote:
> Thomas Sherman <tshe...@qconline.com> wrote:
> : If I did not have the Wishbone, I would have purchased one of the
> : Earthcycles Sunsets that were up for sale recently. The Sunset has a
> : 305-mm (16") front wheel and a 406-mm (20") rear wheel, and is
> : definitely performance oriented. Wheel size alone is an insufficient
> : criterium to determine bicycle performance.
>
> That is for sure; look at Trikes where the current trend seems to be
> toward smaller wheels on Performance oriented Trikes (Specifically the
> Trice Micro and Mini and the Greenspeed GTX and Race Trike which have 16"
> wheels.
Bill:
My guess is that lots of the 'conventional' wisdom regarding recumbents will
get turned on its head when the general population gets involved. The
marketers and salespersons who have never done much with 'bents will allow
us to view these bikes in ways we had not imagined.
Our 'source' of information is has been fairly narrow thus far. Biases in
this industry have come from few sources. The notion that what we now call a
CLWB bike will be a difficult sale above $2K may indeed change when the
folks who are doing the selling and the buying are true outsiders.
wheel dr
.
Just having a bent' (one brand, one catagory) in your shop does
nothing unless you know the product well and are sincere in promoting it.
My local TREK dealer (9 miles from my LBS) got two R200's, was pretty
enthaustic about it. Gave it front and center window space.....After over a
year of no interest he dumped them at cost. I'm only 9 miles away, in that
year I sold 42 bents none over 2K. Go figure? As I said before
IMExperiencedO, C'dale dealers that have bent' savy and sell them already
may have some limited sales of these bikes.
There are over twice as many TREK dealers than C'dale dealers....The
R200 failed for different reasons than what makes the EasyRider sales
problematic have been well discussed on and off this NG. I'm sure that
bikeE, RANS,Vision and soon to be in the fray BACHETTA are shaking in their
boots...
JUde
Thomas Balmer <goat...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:874329c7.02012...@posting.google.com...
bentcruiser
I now there are about six Trek shops in my area, one of which carried
the R200.
Derek
DrRecumbnt
step up. Cannondale does very well with niche products such as loaded touring
bikes, cyclocross bikes, track frames, etc.
I have spoken with several people from Cannondale at length about this project,
and currently have production Easy Rider #001 here. They are not reacting at
all like Trek did. This is a different ballgame folks. I am not seeing a
Trek-like scenario at all.
Bob Bryant
http://www.recumbentcyclistnews.com
DickHubeny
is an expensive CLWB but I hope it does well. Not all recumbent enthusiasts
are speed focused.
Someday I would like a second bent in the garage, one focused on comfort, easy
to transport and with low to moderate BB height. Full suspension is mandatory
- I got jolted around on my former RANS Rocket - something that will soak up
the rutted roads I ride. BikeE RX or Cannondale RX seem to fit the bill.
They may be slower than the Rans Stratus I currently ride, but I would love to
have one for certain rides. (But I will keep the Stratus too!)