First Thoughts: Sunseeker EZ Sport CX Recumbent Bike, by Miami SUN
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ค. 2024
- SPECS for the SUN EZ Sport CX long wheelbase recumbent bike:
Wheel Base: 62″ (157.5cm) - 5 inches shorter than my Gold Rush bike
Overall Length: 85 1/2″ (217cm) - same as my HP Scorpion trike
Seat Height: 26.5″ (67cm) - 5 inches higher than my Easy Racers Gold Rush
Frame: Cro-Mo Tig Welded
Fork: Full Cro-Mo
BB: Sealed Cartridge 68mm
Crank: Sun Bicycle Allow 170×52-42-30
Front Derailleur: Microshift
Rear Derailleur: Shimano
Shifter: Sram
Freewheel: Sram PG-830 11-32 8sp
Pedals: Alloy Cage
Front Brake: Promax Alloy Linear Pull
Rear Brake: Promax Alloy Linear Pull
Brake Levers: Promax Alloy Linear Pull
24-Speed
26″/20″ Wheels for long range cruising
Headset: 1-1/8″ Aluminum
Handlebar: Alloy w/2 Bottle Braze-ons
Stem: Alloy 240mm Recumbent 2pc
Front Hub: Formula Alloy Q/R
Rear Hub: Formula Alloy Q/R
Front Rim: 20×1.50 36h Alloy
Rear Rim: 26×1.50 36h Alloy
Spokes: 14g. Stainless Steel
Front Tire: 20×1.50 Kenda Kwest 100psi - I use Schwalbe MP
Rear Tire: 26×1.50 Kenda Kwest 100psi - I use Schwalbe MP
Saddle: Contoured Foam w/ Lyca Type Cover
Seat: Slide Alloy
Seat Back: Alloy Cool Back Adjustable w/Bottle Braze-on
Weight 40 lbs. Weight Limit 300 lbs. X-Seam 36″-45″
- CURRENT RETAIL COST: $1,789.99 (2024)
- What I paid (with accessories and shipping): $2801.00
LINKS to this recumbent bike:
Company website:
sunseeker.bike/products/ez-sp...
Hostel Shoppe (where I bought mine):
hostelshoppe.com/collections/...
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RIDE EASY - RIDE A RECUMBENT
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Other websites by Steve:
trikeasylum.wordpress.com
silentpassage.wordpress.com/
trikegypsies.wordpress.com/
trikephantoms.wordpress.com/
mojavetraverse.wordpress.com/ - กีฬา
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Arthritic senior here.
My upper arms vertical for comfort (under-seat steering on my trikes).
I'm glad that you like your new bike!
Hey Steve, I’ve followed your adventures and Recumbent variations since you sold your ICE. Yea I still have my AZUB, & I’m up to 5,400 miles on the odometer. Great looking Recumbent you have there. Peace and continued Health my friend.
Thanks Ray! Peace and health are indeed very critical aspects of living!
steve
I have that same bike bro. I love it. My wife got it on Craigslist in 2020 right before COVID. She paid 600 dollars. I've been looking online because I actually want another one as a spare. They are like 1400 dollars!
It seems to be a good design based on the sheer longevity of this great recumbent. The current base price is up to just over $1700 now, but still it's worth the value for what you get. I have just over $2400 invested in this one with the accessories, not including the shipping I paid to get it here. Want a backup you say? Well, just make me an offer, then come and get it ... I always love getting my next three or two wheel recumbent, always fun to get a new toy 😃
steve
@EZSteve lemme get tha family discount 🙃
@@larenzohayes4453 Okay, family discount sounds good to me. I love buying and selling bikes and trikes, "easy come easy go" is my motto. I never turn down an opportunity. By the way, in answer to your question about the bike having a chain guard, no, it does not come with one. It comes just as pictured here (not counting my upgrades and the accessories like the panniers).
steve
The biggest drawback I see with any bike, recumbent or otherwise, is you have to balance it. If you're riding up a hill and can't maintain a certain speed, you won't be able to stay upright. At least with a regular bike you can stand up and pedal, with a recumbent you have to rely on the gearing, or you get to push it. I'll stick with my tadpole, comfortable, and no balancing required. I look forward to videos of you riding your new bike and some bikepacking adventures. Ride on!
Good points Kelly. I've had four bikes and four trikes in the past 15 years, and what you say is accurate. I love riding both styles of recumbents!
steve
Hi Steve, at some point it would be nice to see you ride it and for sure view how you start out and get going etc.
Yes, starting out just takes a leap of self confidence because these definitely feel different than standard diamond frame bicycles. But after that first time, it feels great, and you realize all is well. The steering takes the most time when it comes to confidence and ease of use.
steve
Lowrider bike looks comfy
Nice bike, and I would know. I have two Sun EZ Sport AX's, which are lighter and have a substantial wheel and tire upgrade. They don't make them anymore, unfortunately.
Yes, I have noticed the AX is no longer available, but I do not know when they stopped offering it. This CX is 40 pounds base weigth, which is actually lighter than my previous recumbent trike by eight pounds, so I'm happy.
steve
@@EZSteve I just couldn't get with the trike, and I had one for a year. Two wheels for me until I can't do it anymore.
@@bechtoea Two wheels are a ton of fun, and this recumbent reminds me of being on a Harley chopper! I love both recumbent bikes and trikes, and am a happy guy on either.
@@bechtoea I am just emerging from a two month experience with a benign inner ear nerve inflammation (vestibular neuritis), which really messes with being able to ride a bike because the vestibular nerve sends a signal to the brain that you are not stable, when in fact you are. I am 74 currently, and this has never occurred in my life prior to now (I hope it never happens again).
steve
Please provide a link for the fairing.
Also, could you show how you attached your flags? Thanks
Sure, here are the links, but just now when I am accessing the webpages, there must be something wrong with the website temporarily because only text is showing, with no photographs. Normally, photos accompany each item. The EDGE wind fairing is made for the Sunseeker bikes and trikes, and appears on the "Accessories" page of their website.
This first link is to the Accessories page:
sunseeker.bike/collections/accessories
And this second link is to the EDGE fairing page:
sunseeker.bike/products/wind-fairing-247
The EDGE Wind Fairing costs $359.99. It is very high quality. I am happy with it. Hopefully, they will get the website photos to show again by the time you click on the links!
PS: Below is a link to this same fairing, but on the Utah Trikes website, which they sell for only $249.99, quite a LOT LESS than what I paid! But, Utah Trikes is showing today that they are out of stock currently (bummer). Here is the Utah Trikes link:
www.utahtrikes.com/PROD-11616002.html
This fairing works for either the Sunseeker LWB recumbent bike like I have, or the company's SUN EZ Delta trike.
Regarding attaching my two "Purple Sky" visibility flags, it was nothing fancy at all. I simply used zip ties and black electrician's tape to hold them to the two seat-back cross supports. I did it this way because this bike has no factory means to attach flags, so I had to jury-rig them. But it works fine, and the flags are solidly in place no matter what. I had to attached flags to my HP Scorpion trike using this same method.
steve
I bought the same bike new,in 2011 and rode it exclusively until I discovered trikes. The lwb sun is very quick and comfy but very unstable, difficult to turn in an agile way, impossible to start riding if on a hill and significantly more dangerous than a trike.mine is in mint condition and I have tried to sell in for 5 years on every site available and have left it for entire seasons in large reputable bike shops here in Massachusetts and there has been zero interest. There seems to be zero interest in two wheel lwb recumbents. Looks like it has a permanent home in my garage. If any readers have an interest in buying t one at a fair price just reach out to me.
Hi Steve, I saw your May 2015 post on Trike Frame Weld Failures. I have followed you on Trike Hobo for several years, in part because we rode similar trikes. I've been riding an HP Velo Scorpion FS26 for 2+ years, purchased new here in Virginia in December 2021. Today the frame broke under the seat about 1" from the folding joint. Fortunately I was not injured. Do you know where I might find additional information about trike frame failures? I ride a trike just for safety following two bad bicycle accidents and my confidence in trikes is now shattered. (I would be happy to attach a photo but don't know how).
Hi George,
That is unsettling to hear that your HP frame broke! HP is generally considered top of the line in quality and durability. I was very happy with mine, having no issues with cracks, breaks, or weld failures. My bodyweight is only 160 pounds, so that is a factor in my trikes never cracking or breaking in the frame. Heavier riders will naturally put more strain on frames and welds, but if the factory weight limit is followed, even heavier riders should not be causing frame failures (unless a violent road irregularity led to a catastrophic failure around a weld).
I seem to recall that the post you reference showed cracks mainly in the area of the foldable frame, and around welds. I recall an ICE trike where the frame cracked where the suspension elastomers pressed against it (not the best design in my opinion), and I also recall an HP that broke near the folding region, on a weld I believe. I am sorry to hear about your HP breaking in the same region!
First off, I would definitely contact HP directly through their website. I have found them to be very responsive to questions and problems, probably due to the fact that they produce a high quality vehicle with an excellent reputation, and they don't want to tarnish that perception. I would expect that HP might send you a replacement frame free of charge ... after all, that frame should NOT have broken with normal use! I know a Catrike rider who experienced a cracked frame (his bodyweight may have exceeded the trike load limit), and Catrike did send him a replacement frame at no cost (he had owned the trike for quite a while too, longer than three years.
I know that If my HP Scorpion frame had cracked or broken, i certainly would have expected a replacement frame, especially since I am not a heavy rider, and I never hit any significant potholes or other obstacles that would have place unusual extreme stress on the frame. It is just good business for a high-end reputable company to replace broken or cracked frames because it is a minimal insignificant cost to them, and by not replacing a frame free of charge, they create a bad mark on their image!
Regarding reference material for more info on these trike frame failures, I have no specific material or sources. At the time when I made that post several years ago, I just scoured the internet until I found several stories by trike owners. I found enough information that I felt it was worthwhile to write that post and share it with others. These were not cheap bargain brand trikes either! They were ICE, HP Velotechnik, and Catrike, so even the best companies have frame failures, which I remember really surprised me at the time.
Best of luck on following up with HP directly. I would be VERY interested in what develops!!! I am hopeful that HP will come through, and would be disappointed if they don't make it right (assuming normal trike usage with no weight limit issues or extremely severe road impacts).
steve
Here is a follow-up article I wrote in 2017 about another ICE frame weld failure at a suspension stress point:
trikeasylum.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/ice-frame-failure-on-2017-tour-de-wyoming/
steve
@@EZSteve Steve thanks for this detailed reply, greatly appreciated. If any of your other subscribers are interested I would be happy to share photos of my broken Scorpion FS26 but don't know how to do this through TH-cam. I weigh 179 pounds and I ride mostly on a paved trail, so rider weight and road hazards should not have been an issue. HP provides a 10-year warranty on their frames and I assume they will send me a new frame, but my confidence in their quality control is a bit diminished. I'm trying to find a trike from a different manufacturer that is non-folding, since it appears to be a weld near the hinge that failed. Due to past bike accidents I cannot safely ride 2-wheels so I'm stuck with trikes. Anyway, your videos are great, love watching them and I learned a lot about trikes. Enjoy the new Sunseeker.
Hello George,
Yes, folding areas on trikes are a weak spot from what I've seen. Suspension areas can also be weak spots. I am surprised that your frame broke considering your light body weight and the care given to your trike!
If you want, you can email me photos of your frame, along with a story that explains it all, and I can post it on my Trike Asylum website so that other trike riders can be informed.
Send to: bentrider at gmx com
Might I suggest looking into what the Catrike company has to offer. I have owned a Catrike personally, and they are top quality trikes, on a par with other leading manufacturers. My Catrike was a non-folding 700, a single piece frame with the seat as part of the frame (not added on as with ICE and HP Velotechnik), so it is a very strong design.
Catrike now offers suspended and folding trikes, so not all of their models are the one piece setup. The Catrike Villager has a non folding frame without suspension, but with an adjustable seat back so you can choose your angle of recline. Here is the Villager link:
www.catrike.com/villager
They also make a very similar model to the Villager, called the MAX, which is made with extra heavy duty components. It is designed for heavier riders, and has a wider seat among other things, but even though you are a light bodyweight, if you want the epitome in indestructible trikes, the MAX is it. Here is the MAX link:
www.catrike.com/max
I would not hesitate in getting another Catrike, a reputable manufacturer based in Florida, and they actually make their trikes right there in Florida (made in the USA). I doubt very much that you would ever experience a broken frame with either of these two models!
steve
@@georgeboole1404 As a follow-up to the two Catrikes I mentioned in my other response this morning, here is a link to a comparison of them by a trike dealer called Utah Trikes:
th-cam.com/video/5kn03qA_qWY/w-d-xo.html