I've never ridden a lowracer, but am intrigued by them. I'm not real convinced how practical they are in the situations I ride in. That being said, I still would like to give one a spin. Toward that end, I think it would be kind of cool to combine my desire for a LWB and a lowracer. The design that catches my eye is the Atomic Zombie Marauder.

Marauder

I actually like their original design and have the book. I also have a welder at work I can bribe with beer. Hmmm.

I know it won't be a flyweight, but if I like the bike, I could then buy good tubing and have a real framebuilder tig weld a much lighter frame. Something to think about.

Mark

In the video it looks like he's having to work at avoiding a heel strike. His foot is placed higher on the pedal and it looks like he's flexing his ankle to keep from hitting the ground especially in the turns. That said there are a couple of his designs that I like.

Like I said, I liked the original Marauder much better. I think he got it right the first time. In the Marauder reloaded, he tried to get the seat too low, added suspension which, if you noticed, causes a lot of bounce in the chain as he rides. Overkill, he should have stuck with the original design.

Mark

I never saw the original design.

I meant to post this comment here, but I'm new and just getting used to the layout, so I put it in the wrong place.

Anyway, I have been fascinated by the Barcroft Oregon ever since seeing an online ad a year ago. It's very low, with the rider in a semi-fetal position. It's quite light, with a one-piece S-shaped curved frame that looks really sexy.

The most unusual feature, though, is that it has front wheel drive. The chainrings are up front as in most SWB recumbents, but the chain runs aft, does a right angle around an idler, and drives through a cassette on the front wheel. Shifting appears normal for a 24-speed (or more?) bike, and the headset and front fork also appear normal for a SWB machine, but that's where the usualness stops: it's the darndest-looking thing you've ever seen.

It's billed as a racing bike, and it has to be. Barcroft has a swiveling pulley to help guide the return chain when the wheel is turned, but however well it works, and however flexible the chain is, it's not going to accommodate sharp turns of the front wheel at low speeds.

And as you might imagine with any machine that has unique engineering, it's pricey: around $3,000, from the ad.

All the same, I can't stop thinking about this model and would love to see one and try it out. Barcroft is located in the DC area, from their ads, and I can't find a dealer who has any in stock closer to home (NJ) than DC.

Anybody know anything about this bike?

Larry K

I don’t know anything about that recumbent but I do have a Sofrider which is FWD. Cruzbike has a different chain arrangement then most of the other FWD systems. Silvio is a light fast model but you are probably interested in a lower seat? One place to get information about this model would be going to Bentrideronline. I’m sure you can find information there?

Peder

I took a look at the Sofrider, Peder. It's quite a machine. It never occurred to me that a recumbent could have full-sized wheels and thus take road irregularities as easily as upright diamond frames.

The front-wheel drive arrangement appears very straight-forward, just a standard layout flipped over vertically with pedals, feet, and legs following the wheel wherever it goes. I suppose the leverage in turning comes from the driver being anchored in the seat, just as it does with kids' tricycles. Very practical.

Actually, this power train is almost exactly like the one in my other trike, a hand-cranked Freedom Ryder. Knobs for gripping with the hands substitute for pedals, but the configuration of the chainrings, derailleurs, and cassette is identical.

Good riding!

Larry K