Established on the
plains of western Kansas in 1974 RANS first product was the pedal & sail
powered -
RANS made their
first bike in 1974, the pedal & sail powered "Sailtrike"
an innovative three-wheeled recumbent. It was lots of fun on the plains of
Kansas. Their bike line has grown to include a wide variety of recumbents
with Over-Seat-Steering ( OSS .) RANS sells bikes in both Short-Wheel-Base
( SWB ) and Long-Wheel-Base ( LWB ) models. The Bicycle Man has been
selling RANS bikes since 1995 and has been the largest RANS dealer in New
York State since the late ‘90s. We typically stock the RANS Tailwind,
Stratus, Velocity Squared, Rocket, V-Rex and Force 5 recumbent bikes and
the Screamer Sport recumbent tandem. Most RANS bikes have strong,
triangulated chrome-molly frames made in Taiwan. The Force 5 frame is
Chrome-molly, the V2 Formula is aluminum alloy. Both are rugged
triangulated designs built by RANS in Kansas.
The Tailwind, Stratus, Velocity Squared, V2 Formula, Rocket V-Rex and
Force 5 EX have the popular RANS recumbent bike seat. Many riders consider
this standard RANS seat the most comfortable recumbent seat available. I
am more comfortable on a RANS seat (or Lightning, Linear or Bacchetta
seat) after a three-hour tour than after a three hour drive in our Dodge
Caravan. I like to recline my seat quite a lot and the RANS seat allows a
lot of adjustment. I also like the small pocket in the seat back where I
can stuff a shirt or light jacket if I get hot on a climb. For 2004 all
RANS bikes come with the Rad-loc seat clamp. This makes adjustment easier
and allows more recline. This is most noticeable on the Stratus, which
didn’t allow much recline with the older seat clamp. Some riders found the
2003 RANS seat foam too soft, they felt a ridge behind their butts. RANS
is providing firmer replacement foam which most riders find more
comfortable. This only affects ~10% of RANS seats made in 2003. The new
Force 5 XP has the new, very light RANS Zephyr Seat. The Zephyr has a
carbon fiber base and a mesh back. It only weighs 4 lb. making it 1 ¾ lb.
lighter than the standard RANS seat and almost ½ lb. lighter than some
composite European seats (with deluxe air pad.) I think I’ll like the
Zephyr at least as well as hard-shell composite Euro-type seats. It has
good support, is better ventilated and you won’t have any problem keeping
the seat pad from falling off between rides like some composite seats.
Another convenience, the Zephyr is one size fits all. This seat is so
adjustable, you can adjust seat base angle and seat back angle
independently. Some riders may find the seat base angle changing as they
ride, we had trouble clamping it as tight as we would like. The Zephyr
lacks the pocket and water bottle mounts found on the standard RANS seat,
a minor inconvenience. You will probably want to get a Camel-Back type
water system to hang on the back of your Zephyr seat, they work great.
The RANS Rad-loc seat clamp, new in 2002 is now standard on all RANS
bikes. It makes RANS bikes among the easiest to adjust from one rider to
another. The Rad-Lock clamping power easily adjusts with a Philips head
screwdriver to lock securely. It also makes removing the seat for
transport easy. When transporting a RANS with the seat removed be gentle
with the seat struts (or remove them from the frame.)
RANS offers four SWB bikes, the Rocket, V-Rex and new in 2004 the two
Force 5s. The Rocket and V-Rex are very similar in seat height, rider
positions and handling. If you like one, you will probably like the other.
They both use the RANS Flip-it stem and handlebars. I like the Flip-it
because it allows such a large range of adjustment to fit most every
rider's size & preferences. The V-Rex is $500 more than a rocket and a bit
faster & smoother riding.
The RANS LWB bikes; the Tailwind, Stratus, Velocity Squared (V-2) and V-2
Formula are less similar. The seat is lowest on the Stratus, the
bottom-bracket highest and handlebars farthest from the seat on the V-2
and V-2 Formula. The Formula has a US built aluminum frame the others have
chrome-molly frames well made in Taiwan.
On all the RANS LWB bikes the stem and handlebars adjust for different
riders, but not as much as the Rocket and V-Rex. Tall riders, over 6' may
have to reach a bit for the handlebars, particularly if they recline their
seats much. This is particularly true on the new V-2 and V-2 Formula. On
these higher performance models the bars are farther away to put your arms
in a more aerodynamic position. Shorter riders under about 5'2" may find
the bars a bit close to their chest, especially if they don't recline
much. The lower seat on the Stratus, like the Easy Racers Tour Easy, makes
starting and stopping easier for short-legged riders. The Tailwind has
dual 20" (406) wheels; the other RANS LWB bikes use 20” (406) front and
26” (559) rear wheels. The larger rear wheel gives a bit smother ride and
higher hi-gears for speed. The Tailwind has more steering "tiller" than
the Stratus. The new V-2 models have very little tiller. The Tailwind is
one size fits all; the Stratus and V-2s come in two sizes, regular and
X-large.
Considering their wide variety of recumbent bikes it is not surprising
RANS is one of the the best selling quality recumbent in the US. They are
not for everybody but they are worth a look.
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Click Image for Enlarged View |
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Bryan Ball, Peter Stull and Doug Ploetz on a scenic ride in Allegany
County.
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