THE "CULT" OF EASY RACERS

Most manufacturers have very loyal followings. RANS, Lightning and Reynolds are some that come to mind in America. M5 certainly has its loyalists in Europe. However, the group of men and women and children that own and ride Easy Racers often go far beyond just being "loyal customers." At times, some of them seem to take on an almost cult-like persona. It occasionally makes you wonder if Gardner Martin or Freddy Markham ever have problems with stalkers.

It may be easy to discount some of these "zealots" as a bunch of crack-pots that are just sticking up for their bikes to justify their $2000-$5000 purchases. I’m sure that a handful of them are just that. However, if you pay very close attention, you’ll realize that some of Easy Racers’ most consistent and outspoken supporters are people that should and do know what they’re talking about. They are often people who have owned several different recumbents and ridden several thousand miles on them before finally settling on an Easy Racers' product.

You’ll often notice that a lot of them are a bit older. Gardner Martin himself has been quoted as saying that the average age of an Easy Racers' customer is in the neighborhood of 50. Does this mean that Easy Racers are an "old person’s" bike? Of course it doesn’t. I prefer to think that it just means that the relaxed riding characteristics and comfort of the Tour Easy and its siblings simply appeal to older riders. Besides, I think we can all admit that most recumbent owners are a little older than most upright owners in the first place. Also it must be kept in mind that there are more and more younger customers buying Easy Racers (and other recumbents) all the time.

BIG BLACK LUXURY BIKE

One bike that is very much responsible for this cult-like loyalty and one that has been owned by a majority of Easy Racers’ customers is the ubiquitous Tour Easy. This bike has been around seemingly forever and thousands have been sold. Even more have been built by homebuilders using Easy Racers supplied plans. Plans for these "Tour Easy Clones" are no longer sold by Easy Racers, but can still easily be found on the Internet.

As we’ve said before, the Tour Easy is an American icon in the recumbent industry. Probably only the Lightning P-38 or Easy Racers’ own Gold Rush Replica have a mystique about them that is in nearly the same league as the Tour Easy.

We tested a 2000 Tour Easy about a year and a half ago, but this time around, we wanted to make sure that we got the full Easy Racers' experience. I knew that I’d be spending a lot of time on this bike (it is entering our long term fleet after this test is complete) so we ordered our shiny black Tour Easy EX with all of the accoutrements. Our custom bike came equipped with the nine-speed upgrade (I don’t care what they say, I LIKE MINE NINE!), frame and seat bags, Koolback seat, kickstand and the nearly essential Zzipper's "Super Zzipper" fairing kit.

All of these options don’t come cheap. They quickly ballooned the Tour Easy’s $1895 base price up to a pretty lofty $2400. This is probably about $400-$500 more than a comparably equipped RANS Stratus and about $200 more than a similar RANS Velocity Squared after you add the RANS' seat bag, some bottle cages and a kickstand.

We got the bike directly from Easy Racers and went through the same experience that anyone ordering directly from the company would. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience.

First, I measured my x-seam according to the chart on the Easy Racers' site. It said I was a large, while I thought that I was more of a medium-large from previous test rides. After talking to Gardner, he convinced me that I was indeed a large. Of course, he was right and the bike fits perfectly. Easy Racers’ bikes come in five frame sizes. This is nice because it gives every bike a very custom fit and ensures that your weight is centered just where the designer wanted it to be. However, it can be a bit of a pain for dealers.

Secondly, I spoke to Gardner on the phone and went down the options list item by item. Being that this was a test bike and I wasn’t technically paying for it out of my pocket, this was a little easier experience than it may be for some.

The wait time wasn’t as bad as I expected. When I worked at an Easy Racers dealer a few years ago, we often waited at least a month or so for a bike. Gardner said that my bike would be ready in two weeks and I had it on my doorstep in three.

The TE arrived completely unscathed and extremely well packed. An instructional video is included to make sure that almost anyone will be able to assemble his or her new pride and joy.

We mostly dealt directly with Gardner during the ordering process. Let me say that being able to actually talk directly to the man himself while ordering your bike is not a privilege that is only afforded to magazine editors. Mr. Martin often answers the phone and doesn’t mind spending some time with you to make sure that you’re happy with your bike.

While the experience of ordering a bike directly from Gardner is a pleasant and unique one, let me say that he does prefer that you patronize one of his many dealers. He’ll often ask to make sure that a local dealer is not available. While I worked at an Easy Racers dealer, we would often get referrals directly from the company. It’s dealer-conscious actions like these that keep retailers, and therefore Easy Racers, in business.

GETTING WARMER…

In the past, I have been a bit critical of Gardner Martin’s component choices. In the past couple of years, Easy Racers has been giving me more and more reasons to shut the hell up. The days of no-name brakes and out-of-date cranksets are a memory.

Our EX model with the nine-speed upgrade and arrived equipped with a very acceptable fairly high-end Shimano set up. Out bike used an XT rear derailleur and105 front with a pair of  LX hubs and a 11-34 rear cassette. Those derailleurs were actuated by a pair of slick-shifting SRAM Rocket Half Pipes and controlled a SACHS PC-59 chain. The LX hubs were laced to a matching pair of Sun CR18 rims. Easy Racers uses a Sugino-made crankset adorned with their logo and 24-36-46 chainrings on the EX model. The Tour Easy is stopped by a pair of SRAM 7.0 brakes and levers.

We didn’t have any issues with the Tour Easy’s drivetrain. We’ve stated before that the SRAM Rocket/Shimano XT combo is one of the best shifting setups available. If anything, Easy Racers’ clean chainline only enhances its performance in this application. The use of a high-quality SACHS chain and genuine Shimano cassette also enhanced the drivetrain’s performance.

The only real issue I had with the bike's specs had to do with the choice of brakes.  SRAM’s 7.0 brakes are functional enough and were acceptable on the $1000 RANS' bikes we’d seen  previously. However, on our $2,400 Tour Easy they were a bit of a disappointment. Primarily, we had issues with the SRAM brake pads. They were made of a fairly hard compound that wasn’t particularly grippy and produced a ridiculous amount of brake dust. Thank God our test bike was painted black. SRAM’s composite levers also have a bit more flex than we would have liked.

Our bike’s rear wheel wasn’t true out of the box, but that can easily be blamed on UPS and wasn’t necessarily the fault of a poorly built wheel. Regardless, a few minutes with a spoke wrench during assembly solved the problem.

Easy Racers’ fit and finish is on a pretty high level. Easy Racers’ welds continue to be some of the best in the business. The paint was also very good and the chrome accents were even better. The only cosmetic issue we had with the frame was that a few of the stickers had some air under them. We probably wouldn’t have noticed this at all if the frame weren’t black, a color which is sure to display every imperfection.

After assembly, I did take some time to stand back and just admire the bike. Pictures really can’t do an Easy Racers' machine justice. The chrome accents really contrasted nicely with the rich black paint. Complete with fenders, the overall package reminded me of a Lincoln Town Car or Cadillac.

We did have some cosmetic issues with some of the bike’s accessories. The Koolback seat had a bit of electrical tape holding ends of some strings together in a very visible place on the back of the seat. The seat is also held together with a couple of hose clamps that we weren’t particularly happy to see, but as my friend Mark often says… "When you need a hose clamp, you just have to have a hose clamp". There just aren’t too many other things that work as well as a hose clamp will in some applications.

The other problem we had was with the carbon fiber fender set. They definitely looked pretty cool and really added to the whole black and chrome Lincoln Town Car look we had going, but on closer inspection anyone can see that the clear coat was very rough and the weave was a bit inconsistent. The underside of these fenders was also completely unfinished. Again, not a huge deal, but these fenders do cost $130.

The seat/handlebar bag that Easy Racers sells was also a bit smaller than I thought it was from the pictures, but that’s not really a knock. I just didn’t look closely enough. I wound up using a Lightning seat bag on the Tour Easy and I highly recommend that solution for Easy Racer owners.

One accessory that we didn’t have any problems with at all was the Super Zzipper fairing. The bubble was very clear and the mounting system provided by Easy Racers, while not as nice as the aftermarket one available directly from Zzipper, was easy to configure and rattle-free. If you live in a very warm climate or just don’t want or need the same amount of coverage that the full Super Zzipper gives you, there is a new smaller fairing available for all Easy Racers' bikes (including the EZ-1 and EZ Sport).

LAID BACK COOL

While the Tour Easy is capable of laying the smack down when it needs to, it also has one of the most relaxed personalities around. The Tour Easy’s learning curve is one of the shortest ever for a long wheelbase bike. Probably only the new Sun EZ Sport (also designed by Gardner Martin and reviewed in this issue) is easier.

Low speed handling is outstanding. You are still occasionally reminded that you’re hauling seven-plus feet of bike around when you’re in really tight situations, but not nearly as often as you’d think you would be.

The Tour Easy’s golden handling doesn’t go away as the miles per hour increase either. If anything it only improves. The Easy Racers’ long, compliant frame and dialed-in handling combined to make 40-plus mile per hour descents almost boring.

I also found the Tour Easy to be very comfortable. The stretched out hand position and steep seat back angle might not agree with some people, but I didn’t have any major problems with it. I used to get some pretty good recumbent butt on Easy Racer products, but after spending so much time on our Sun EZ-1 Lite test bike, I must have acclimated. It still flares up just the slightest bit after 50 miles or so, but it’s not at all intolerable. Merge the Tour Easy’s comfort with its refined handling and it becomes a package which helps you forget you’re even riding.

Don’t be fooled by the "Tour" in Tour Easy. This bike isn’t a one-dimensional long distance machine. It is perfectly capable of racking up some pretty impressive average speeds. I found myself cruising in the 20-22 mph range a majority of the time when I was by myself out on the open road. That’s pretty good for a bike with such an upright seating position.

Of course our test bike’s performance was aided by the Zzipper fairing. The Super Zzipper on our test bike was very easy to mount and very clear. It added about 1.5 mph to my cruise speeds and had similar results in coast down tests. Perhaps the best part about the Zzipper was the amount of weather protection it afforded. It allowed me to ride in temps as low as the upper forties with as little as shorts, a jersey and a light windbreaker. I was also caught out in a moderate rain shower and the only time I got noticeably wet was when I was sitting at stoplights. Yes, the fairing did transmit a fair amount of road noise back in my direction, but the trade off was more than worth it. On top of all this, so many customers buy their Easy Racers with this option (easy to see why) that the bikes almost don’t look right without them.

The Zzipper’s all weather protection also adds to the Tour Easy’s versatility. I used the TE on club rides, solo training rides, runs to the coffee shop, commuting and even on a beer run or two towing a B.O.B. trailer. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to actually tour on the Tour Easy yet, but will soon. Considering how well the bike pulls a trailer and how many racks and panniers are available that fit the bike, I’m not anticipating any problems. Also a quick net search will tell you that the Tour Easy is one of the number one choices of recumbent touring riders all across the country and has been for 20 years.

Overall, I would sum up the Tour Easy as a Clint Eastwood sort of bike. It doesn’t need to be loud or flashy. While it is perfectly capable of winning most fights, it’s perfectly happy just loping along a country road for hours on end. It doesn’t need a flashy paint job or a frame redesign every year or two. Its reputation precedes it and it has more experience than you could possibly imagine. It’s a bike that’s been there and done it all. It doesn’t need to brag.

EASY RACERS TOUR EASY EX

Highs – Great handling, Can do anything, Living legend

Lows – Not cheap, Seating position disagrees with a few, A few unrefined details

MSRP - $1895 base price, $2495 as tested

More Info – http://www.easyracers.com/