Lightning R84 Recumbent Bicycle
Lightning strikes again with their lightest recumbent bike, the
dual-suspension R-84. At 20 to 22 pounds, the carbon fiber R-84 is by
far the lightest dual suspension recumbent made, at $5500 to $6500 it’s
the most expensive too. In 1995 the R-84 won four stages in Europe’s
prestigious Paris-Brest-Paris race, beating hundreds or diamond frame
bikes. Built for comfort and speed, the three-pound frame is aerospace
grade carbon fiber, titanium, and oversized aluminum. The seat is
positioned a bit lower than the Lightning P-38 for a slightly greater
aerodynamic advantage. This is a high-tech thoroughbred recumbent for
the enthusiast. It’s not a rugged workhorse. The R-84 20” front fork has
very little tire clearance. There are only two tires that I know of that
will fit in this fork, both are fast, neither is particularly durable.
The R-84 is Lightning’s fastest bike on hill climbs. Because of its
lightweight design, the R-84 will even outperform the F-40 in hilly
areas or on rides that are mostly climbing. If the course is 50%
near-flat terrain the F-40 will be faster due to its aerodynamic
fairing. On steep hills the R-84 will have the advantage.
If you ride in the flats and don’t want to deal with the F-40 fairing a
recumbent with more recline will outperform the R-84. Bikes like the
Bacchetta Carbon Aero and Challenge Serian or Fujin, are in this
category. The extreme answer is to add an F-40 fairing to an R-84 to
create a bike that has the best of both! Ordering an R-84 usually takes
~3-6 months.

A Lightning R-84 Recumbent at the Bicycle Man, ready for its new owner
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