New Acquisition

Riding the Withlachoochee Trail in Florida you see a lot of recumbents. Most are trikes but there are many Easy Racers. I believe it was Gardner Martin who propelled recumbent bikes and the Gold Rush Replica/ Tour Easy was the gold standard. The closet I got was my Rans Stratus, similar in many ways but not an Easy Racer. 22 years and more than 13 bents I found myself a Tour Easy at a great price.

The bike came with an Easy Reacher Rack, Carbon front fender, rear fender, rear rack and Easy Racers brand specific bags.

I have not ridden a long wheelbase bike in over a decade but my Stratus was one of my favorites. The Tour Easy handles much better but it is different and I'm still trying to dial it in. The muscles used for a Recumbent bike, trike or diamond frame are a bit different. My legs let me know today after a 20 mile maiden voyage. 

This is kind of a project bike which is a blast to work on.

Will see how things pan out.

2020 STATS

5,720 total miles

231 days of pedaling

11 mph average speed

All in all a good year of pedaling. I did miss a couple of months due to travelling and minor health issue.

Living in Florida does have its perks. Covid did shut down the trail near me for a period and forced me to go back on the local roads. Not a good thing here in Florida. I still try to take my bike for local shopping and my new Arkel Lites panniers are perfect.

Breakdown of mileage on bikes as follows:

Motobecane road  3230

Greenspeed trike  1680

Xootr Swift folder 810

Who would of thought my new Motobecane road bike would be my favorite ride. Its so smooth and comfortable. It makes me feel like a kid again. I've been an avid recumbent enthusiast for more than 2 decades and never thought I would return to conventional bikes. I do still enjoy my trike and the Greenspeed GT20 is my favorite of all the 7 trikes I have owned. The Xootr Swift is an amazing folder that rides like a big boy bike and will be the only bike I take when traveling. 

I no longer ride 40-60 miles, I prefer 25 miles. I have been riding as an adult for more than 35 years and contribute my longevity to keeping it fun.

Cycling continues to be a joy for me and suspect 2021 will be the same.