Riding this bicycle would be like riding an I beam.

[1969chargerrtse]

This is one heavy duty model.  
There's a sticker on the side that say's "comfort".  Yeah right. 

[Troy]

Have you tried riding one? It's aluminum and weighs 29 pounds. More info at the very bottom of this page:
http://www.mrmartinweb.com/bicycle.html

Troy

[1969chargerrtse]

Have you tried riding one? It's aluminum and weighs 29 pounds. More info at the very bottom of this page:
http://www.mrmartinweb.com/bicycle.html

Troy

NO I have not, nor do I wish to.  Who would da thunk it?  Looked home made to me.  Still looks home made to me.  Great info though.
Gee they went out of business?
I guess your a Charger/Bike  guy?

[Troy]

Yeah, I've been known to have a few bikes - although none that weighed 29 pounds. The "comfort" they're talking about is probably due to the "recumbent" sitting position. The original appeared to have a much nicer seat than the one you posted.

I don't really road ride so recumbents aren't my thing. Here's one of mine:


Let's see how many bike guys can point out all the trick parts. FYI - it's only barely above 21 pounds (stock was around 27).

Troy

[Dans 68]

Front forks, handlebars, seat, seat post, brakes, crankset, pedals, complete rear swingarm assembly, cantilever shock, complete derailleur assembly, wheels, and valve stems. Did I miss something? 

Nice bike.  I still have my Diamondback with the elliptical crank from '85...weighs a bit more than yours, but she just got a shop tune-up (and is clean).

Dan

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

You forgot to add the Nitrogen in the tires

[kab69440]

Dang, Troy! That is one SWEET looking ride! Do you ever ride at the Alum Creek trails on the South side of the reservoir? Very good times! There's another hoot of a trail over in Mohican State Park that is mostly downhill. I've been mulling over putting a Trek on layaway for next summer, can't remember the model but it's full air-adjustable suspension and hydraulic disc brakes.  My current off-roader is an ancient Schwinn Frontier. I am a fairly big boy, so I tend to bend a lot of rear rims and I think the suspension will go a long way towards preventing that. If it doesn't get bent too bad, it will still be rideable, due to the disc brakes. It's real nice, and extremely comfortable, but I'm having trouble justifying a $1,000+ toy when I drive a 20 year old, $500 car to work every day. Decisions, decisions...

[Troy]

Front forks, handlebars, seat, seat post, brakes, crankset, pedals, complete rear swingarm assembly, cantilever shock, complete derailleur assembly, wheels, and valve stems. Did I miss something? 

Nice bike.  I still have my Diamondback with the elliptical crank from '85...weighs a bit more than yours, but she just got a shop tune-up (and is clean).

Dan

The rear swing arm (aluminum) and main frame (carbon fiber) are stock. That's it. The wheels are phenomenal - Cane Creek asymmetrical with straight spoke hubs - and thank goodness I didn't pay retail for them! Two big improvements were switching to air shocks front and rear. It's a little older (1997 frame) but I haven't found anything yet that I like better.

You forgot to add the Nitrogen in the tires

Close. It's got ultralight (latex) tubes. They save something like 90 grams per wheel.

kab69440: I ride with a lot of "Clydesdale" class guys. The best advice I can give is to stay away from lightweight race parts. I'm not very big and I ride smoothly so I almost never break anything. Some of my friends can bend wheels leaving the parking lot! A rear suspension may or may not solve that problem (unless you're pancaking them off of jumps). A better wheel probably would. I'm not sure if they're still made but once there was a wheel called a Mammoth that was nearly indestructible - but weighed a ton. I'd rather ride back to the car than walk though.

Full suspension isn't really necessary around here. It makes climbing and sprinting a bit harder (unless you have a lockout). Disc brakes are nice in mud but mostly overkill (and squeaky unless they fixed that). Not sure which model you're looking at but wait until it's on close-out after the season. The lower end Trek full suspensions have a reputation for being heavy but an extra pound or two is not a huge deal for a larger rider.

I haven't ridden either of those trails - although I hear Mohican is a lot of fun.

Troy

[bull]

The disc brakes on my Gary Fisher have been pretty quiet if adjusted right but rain is about the only "contaminate" they encounter. Not sure what they would do in mug and clay and/or heavy dirt since I rarely get off pavement.

You got something against fenders, Troy?

[kab69440]

The main reason I see disc brakes as a desireable feature is because they don't need the rim to be true and concentric to keep operating. A few of my bent rims have resulted in brake disconnections in order to keep the bike operational. (I don't like walking home, either...)   I'm gonna ask about those rims the next time I head into the bike shop.(Likely shortly after my next trip to Quarry Park, here in town) I would gladly make that small sacrifice for the sake of near invincibility. Heck, my wallet, phone and pocketknife likely add at least a pound, not to mention my 2 mega-size waterbottles and small toolset. I wouldn't think twice about adding an extra pound of weight for more durability. I ride purely for the joy of it, I don't compete professionally.
I think this is it:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain_full_suspension/fuel_ex/fuelex55/

[Silver R/T]

I used to own one of those schwinn's Troy posted, very comfortable imo and you don't get tired pedaling since its so lightweight and very little resistance from narrow wheel/tire combo.

[Troy]

The disc brakes on my Gary Fisher have been pretty quiet if adjusted right but rain is about the only "contaminate" they encounter. Not sure what they would do in mug and clay and/or heavy dirt since I rarely get off pavement.

You got something against fenders, Troy?

Fenders? On a bike? Ok for sissies I guess...

That's the cleanest picture I have of my bike so, yeah, we get lots of mud. I'm not against disc brakes - they aren't necessary around here. You guys have bigger hills though.

Kab: why are you using the rear brake? Like a car, your best braking comes from the front. Don't worry, you aren't likely to flip yourself. The Fuel EX 5.5 doesn't have air on the front. There are pros and cons to air but you certainly don't want to blow one out (much harder to do with a spring/bushing). For wheels maybe look at downhill spec rims and a steel hub. Also try to find a rear rim with 36 spokes and think of upgrading to thicker spokes (14 gauge?). I think the wheels I mentioned earlier were Rhyno but I just read about some others called "Fat Daddy". Check this thread as well:
http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-39208.html

I don't think I mentioned any Schwinns.

Troy

[bull]

I don't think I mentioned any Schwinns.

Troy

Isn't Trek made by Schwinn? Actually, I didn't get it either but the best I could come up with is that Silver's referring to that link you posted, not the picture.

[PocketThunder]

All i see is that Troy needs to mow the lawn..     

[moparstuart]

All i see is that Troy needs to mow the lawn..     

he needs a pedal mower   

[kab69440]

Kab: why are you using the rear brake? Like a car, your best braking comes from the front. Don't worry, you aren't likely to flip yourself.

There's one certain section at Quarry Park, which in case you haven't guessed, is an abandoned rock quarry where there is a pile of roughly 3,000 tons of semi-coarse white stone. You sit looking over the edge of a rather steep 35-40 foot descent which bottoms and then goes almost straight back up again another 30 feet or so. You see the climb after the downhill and imagine how hard you're going to have to work to get back up the other side... roughly halfway down, you realize it is an optical illusion and if you can't get slowed down in time, you're going to do a Bo & Luke Duke out into the water. This is bad, because there are "No Swimming" signs prominently posted everywhere. If you hit the water, you have no choice but to drown.(I happen to be one of those weird, death-averse types, myself) The best method is to lock the rear tire and drag it roughly 1/3 the way down, then let off the brake and let gravity do it's job. My nephew puts on a real impressive display of skill, there. He can lock the back tire, turn the bike full-on sideways with the front wheel pointed downhill and let the bike slide that way before releasing the brake and going full tilt downhill. It's quite a show to watch.