Reynolds Wishbone SWB Older Recumbent Bike

Average Rating: 5/5
MSRP: $ 2995.00
# of Reviews: 1

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Submitted by Andrew Douglas a Road Racer from Bridgeport, CT USA

Date Reviewed: June 8, 2000

Strengths:    Fast, climbs great, fast, comfy, light for a recumbent, and oh, yeah, fast

Weaknesses:    Looks like a homebuilt; new pricing is very high, but given the labor cost it's understandable

Bottom Line:

This recumbent has a deserved reputation as one of the fastest American bents out there. I own one of the box-beam bikes, #31 of (I believe) 57 total in existence. This bike is incredibly labor-intensive to build, so George Reynolds has come up with the RT (round tube) version so that he can build bikes at a profit and actually afford to eat. He really doesn't want to build any more box bikes, hence the huge price hike. (NOTE: My Value rating is based on the price I paid last fall, $1650; I'd give it two stars for value at the current price.)

The Wishbone is all about function over form. It's built to go really fast, and it does that handily. I'm 41, and 10-15 lbs overweight, but I cruise comfortably in the low 20s on the flats on this bike. It is far more laid back than the typical American recumbent, which takes a little getting used to but feels very natural after a short time. It is also very low, but I've not had any trouble in traffic.

The seat is "padded" with Astroturf. This, too, takes some getting used to, but I find it very comfortable even on centuries. It is very well shaped. I have modified the seat by adding a headrest, which I find to be absolutely critical to comfort.

The design of this bike (CrMo box section frame) combined with a very short boom (8 inches, made possible by a reverse rake fork) make it extremely stiff and efficient. This is really obvious when riding.

There's lots more to say... feel free to email me if you're curious.