Manufacturer sites

Building recumbent bicycles is a tough business. Bigger and older manufacturers tend to have larger, more consistently available Web sites; younger or smaller ones seem to change servers more often and generally have more trouble staying online. If you try a link on this page and get an error, I'd suggest you come back a few days later and try again. Brands with a G link icon are also represented by pictures on my gallery page. Models highlighted in yellow in tables are ones I think are especially good values.

Bikes page: A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z
Trikes page: A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

If you're a recumbent manufacturer and you're not linked here, or you don't like what I wrote, email me and we'll get it sorted out.

Bikes

ActionBent Recumbents (Redmond WA) G http://www.actionbent.com/
Impressive value pricing; 10 models for 2008, made in Taiwan. These are no-frills basic-design recumbents, mostly with round-section sliding boom and boom bolts, twist-grip or bar-end shifters, and chain tubes rather than idlers, but relatively light in weight. ActionBent sells direct to customers. You may want to locate a Local Bike Shop that sells other recumbents or has a really good mechanic, and have the bike shipped there and assembled for you.

Except as noted, ActionBent SWB bikes have seat heights of 22 to 23 inches and 41-inch wheelbase, and apparently all have a load limit of 265 lbs (120kg).

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Azub Bike (Czech Republic) http://www.azub.cz/
Seven SWB models for 2008, all with rear suspension and suspension fork option. USS is standard but an ASS option is available on all models.

European bikes tend to be a bit pricey for Americans due to current exchange rates.

Bacchetta (St Petersburg FL) G http://www.bacchettabikes.com/
Ten models for 2008, all with ASS; the makers admired Italian road bikes of the 60's and 70's (me too).

* These are Bacchetta's categories for their bikes.

Bacchetta's Giro 20 TT and all three Corsa models have a weight limit of 230 lbs, rider plus gear; all other models have weight limit of 275 lbs. Some Bacchetta bikes that don't come with disk brakes standard have frame tabs for them anyway. See the site for full specs, including fit range for specific models and frame sizes.

Barcroft Cycles (Lake Barcroft VA) http://www.barcroftcycles.com/
Four MWB models for 2008 plus the Columbia recumbent tandem.

BiGHA (Corvallis OR) http://www.bigha.com/
Some of the people from BikeE are involved in BiGHA. The design is a CLWB in three models and four frame sizes, similar in layout to the BikeE AT but different in detail. It costs $3900-$4600 (2008) and weighs 47 to 52 pounds depending on frame size. They have a 9-speed cassette with 3-speed internal hub, rear suspension, a highly adjustable seat, and a standard handlebar console with readouts including speed, cadence, temperature, humidity, automatic headlight and taillight, and turn signals.

BikeE (Corvallis OR) G
BikeE went out of business suddenly in third quarter 2002. They made several models of user-friendly CLWB bikes with anodized aluminum box beam frames, including suspension and tandem models.

Boulder Bikes (Lyons CO) http://www.boulderbikes.com/
Galaxy SWB; placeholder page as of May 2008, snail mail and email addresses only.

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Burley Design LLC (Eugene OR) G http://www.burley.com/
(formerly Burley Design Cooperative)
Burley won't be making any recumbents or tandems for a while. The story I got from the local dealer in 2006 was approximately as follows: Burley was about to fold, some folks in Eugene bought the assets, and will scale back and make just trailers for a while, until things are reorganized. All tooling and documentation was retained, so perhaps in a year or two the Burley 'bents might be back; I hope so. I'm leaving the rest of this content here for reference.

There are a lot of Burley recumbents out there still, both at dealers and already in riders' hands. Until and unless Burley resumes production of recumbents, one should probably think of those as orphan bikes, not unlike buying a BikeE or Vision from somebody.

An undated entry on the Burley page on the site of the recumbent dealer Bicycle Man (western New York State) says that the tooling for the Burley Koosah, Jet Creek and Adirondack LWB recumbents has been bought by an unnamed "US engineering firm" who are redesigning the seat frame, and that there's supposed to be production for the 2008 season.

Known for many years for excellent two-wheel child trailers and their upright tandem line. All Burley recumbents have 26-inch rear and 20-inch front wheels, and share the same two-piece adjustable seat design, with a mesh back and a leather-covered base designed by motorcycle seating guru Mike Corbin. The seat assembly slides on a track to adjust for different-size riders; Burley recumbents have no sliding booms or boom bolts. The Taiko and Canto frames have two head tubes and can be configured for LWB or SWB operation; when set up LWB they use an indirect steering-rod system for zero tiller effect. Some Burley recumbent models have disk brakes; some have Shimano RapidFire trigger shifters, which are what I miss most about my old Vision R40.

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Cambie Cycle (Vancouver BC) http://www.cambiecycles.com/
Recumboni USS LWB looks a lot like Easy Racers, and has disk brakes and Mueller WindWrap fairing standard; also a dealer in other recumbent makes.

Cannondale (Bethel CT) G http://www.cannondale.com/
This mainstream bike manufacturer introduced a recumbent called Easy Rider for 2002, a full-suspension, ASS CLWB design, with sliding seat and mid-drive. For 2004-2006 they had two models of the same design, called Bent I and Bent II. As of the 2007 season they seem to have dropped the recumbent models.

Challenge (Netherlands) http://www.challengebikes.com/
Thirteen SWB models for 2008, some with suspension, two Euro-style lowracers, and a radical-looking tadpole trike.

Cruzbike (Lumberton NC) http://www.cruzbike.com/
Interesting front-wheel drive recumbents with pivoting boom, several models

Cycle Genius (Houston TX) http://www.cyclegenius.com/
Three LWB models for 2008 including Raven with dual 700c wheels, Sparrow value-price CLWB, and Phoenix "mobility extender" tadpole trike with chair-height seat, all with aluminum frames.

Easy Racers Inc. (Freedom CA) G http://www.easyracers.com/
Well-respected, mature, touring/performance LWB/ASS design, all with 20-inch front wheels and maxed-out 700c rear. A fully-faired Easy Racers special called the Gold Rush is in the Smithsonian now, after breaking 65 mph and winning a cash prize. Easy Racers also designs the EZ-1 line of CLWB value-priced recumbents, manufactured in Taiwan by Sun Bicycles.

All have ASS steering, 66-inch wheelbase in the medium frame size, and 22-inch seat height. The new Javelin has a 23-inch bottom-bracket height; others have 13-inch BB height.

EcoBent (Turin Italy) http://www.ecobent.com/en/
One €495 SWB model. That's 495 Euro, about US$760 as of May 2008.

EZ-1—see Sun Bicycles

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Haluzak (Santa Rosa CA) G
Haluzak has gone out of business. The Haluzak Horizon was a MWB USS design with indirect steering, with about the same wheelbase as a conventional upright bike. There were three models plus a delta trike.

Hase Spezialraeder (Waltrop Germany) http://www.hasebikes.com/

HP Velotechnik (Kriftel Germany) http://www.hpvelotechnik.com/
SWB full-suspension semi-lowracer Speedmachine and Streetmachine models; US dealers

Human Powered Products (Otis Orchards WA) http://www.asisna.com/hppbikes/
SWB/USS bikes

LaBent by LaDue (Lincoln NE) http://www.radiks.net/~ladue/
Plans and kits for a LWB ASS with very low seat height, made from two upright bikes and square tubing. Reportedly 40-45 pounds.

Lightfoot Cycles (Darby MT) http://www.lightfootcycles.com/
LWB/ASS bikes, delta trikes, 4-wheelers. These bikes have been trimmed down in weight: Rambler model is about 33 pounds and the Ranger is 35 pounds. Now being sold through dealers

Lightning Cycle Dynamics (Lompoc CA) G http://www.lightningbikes.com/
SWB ASS performance recumbents, including the P-38. Interesting accessories including pedal heel slings, special aero panniers, and aero spoke discs with little doors for valve access. The heel slings worked fine for me on my Vision R40; your mileage may vary.

Linear Recumbents (Alfred NY) http://www.linearrecumbent.com/
Back in business with a LWB USS and a SWB

Longbikes (Littleton CO) G http://www.longbikes.com/
The Slipstream LWB USS is the descendant of Dick Ryan's Vanguard touring paragon, with redesigned frame and lower 23-inch seat height. They also have the Eliminator SWB and tandems.

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M5 Ligfietsen (Middelburg Netherlands) http://www.m5-ligfietsen.nl/
Multiple SWB ASS/USS models, some lowracers, some higher; also a tandem and a three-wheel handbike

Maxarya (Toronto ON) http://www.maxarya.com/
Full suspension CLWB with mid-drive

Optima Ligfietsen (Ijmuiden Netherlands) http://www.optima-cycles.nl/
Ten models, SWB/MWB; looks like they're working on a prototype tadpole trike, possibly with suspension

Oracle Cycle Works (Oshawa ON) http://www.oraclecycleworks.com/
Omega full-suspension USS SWB/LWB with no-charge disc brakes upgrade looks very cool

Radius Recumbents (Muenster Germany) http://www.radius-liegeraeder.de/english/

Rans Recumbents (Hays KS) G http://www.ransbikes.com/
SWB and LWB recumbents, mostly with TIG-welded chromoly frames and all with ASS steering. Rans also makes ultralight airplanes.

If you want to go out and humiliate upright roadie pacelines, or something like that, one of the fastest recumbents you can whip out a fat checkbook and buy is a custom-spec Rans Seavo tandem, equipped with front and rear disk brakes, a polycarbonate fairing, aero wheels or spoke covers, a Coroplast tail box, tall gearing, and two suitably crazed riders. (A tandem makes about the same size hole in the air, but has twice as much "engine.") AngleTech sells custom Rans bikes.

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Rotator (Santa Rosa CA) G http://www.rotatorrecumbent.com/
LWB/SWB ASS bikes; Interceptor model has standard fore-and-aft fairings and tall gearing. Unfortunately as of May 2006 the Rotator site seems to be 100% Flash dependent now, broadband only.

Ryan—see Longbikes

Sun Bicycles (Taiwan) G http://www.sunbicycles.com/
The EZ-1 line of value-priced recumbents, designed by Easy Racers, is manufactured in Taiwan by Sun, and sold by Local Bike Shops everywhere. Medium size towns often have several dealers selling this line; ask for a Sun brochure. The basic EZ-1 should retail for around $550. Accessories offered include rear and pannier racks, bags, a wind trainer for 20-inch wheels, a fairing, and fenders. EZ-1's and ActionBent have pretty much taken over the entry-level niche that was dominated by the BikeE CT before 2002.

All Sun recumbents are ASS except for the tadpole trike.

TerraCycle (Portland OR) http://www.terracycle.com/
Interesting $2500 SWB ASS; the Rans seat slides on a sloping rail, such that when you move the seat forward for a shorter rider, the seat height also decreases. (BikeE CLWB's, Burley recumbents, and some Rans models also have this characteristic.)

Toxy recumbents (Hörnerkirchen Germany) http://www.toxy.de/
SWB USS lowrider pattern, rear suspension available

Turner Recumbents (Tucson AZ) http://turnerrecumbents.com/
Lightweight performance SWB USS

Vision Recumbents (Seattle WA) G
Vision went out of business in early 2004 and their assets were auctioned off. They made SWB, LWB, suspension, and tandem bikes with an elegant monotube frame design and no power-side idlers. Most dealers who sold Vision as their only recumbent line probably went to Sun/EZ-1 or Burley or both, those that didn't give up on recumbents entirely.

Volae Recumbents (Stevens Point WI) http://www.volaerecumbents.com/
Performance SWB ASS bikes, four dual 26-inch "high-racers" and two more conventional 26/20 designs

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