MnHPVA Show-N-Tell




EZ Speedster SWB Dave Krafft showed an EZ Speedster SWB recumbent made in Taiwan for J&B/Sun. This one comes from Edina Bike stock, but they, like most dealers, haven't been able to sell any of these things after people give them a test ride. Their literature implies a close connection with Gardner Martin and Easy Racers, but Dave seriously doubts that Gardner ever worked on this dog. The design is both too bad and too recent (that is, close to when Gardner died) for that to be a plausible story. Whoever did do the design clearly didn't think to just copy a V-rex or P-38 either. It has nearly zero trail and negative tiller, so it is very squirrelly for most people to ride. (I've long been an advocate of near zero trail, but it only works in conjunction with significant positive tiller. Without at least 6" of tiller and proper reach, minimum trail can be a disaster. Mark) Can it be rescued? Dave has considered replacing the fork, but that would still leave tiller problems that can't be helped much due to its shortness and the fact that the steerer tube is so close to any realistic riding position (even with the seat back reclined a lot as Mark has done with the Trek recumbent and the Rans Rocket with good results). Others suggested USS and/or indirect linkage steering. It could even be converted to a tadpole trike, though it would sit pretty high for that. Dave would like to come up with some fix, since it is very likely that J&B will soon be dumping several container loads of them at a greatly reduced price and Dave thinks the components alone would be worth the expected price (probably $400 compared to a list price of $999). If the required fix is too much effort, he may just strip one for the parts, including decent mechanical disk brakes and a pretty nice pivoting stem. It is also a heavy beast (over 40 pounds) but that is mainly in the frame, which is another reason to just go ahead and strip one.