Vision
R40 Recumbents
We have Vision Parts & compatible parts for R-40, R-42, R-45, R-50 and
R-80 + R-82 For Sale Online.
Vision went out of business in November of 2003. Their last phone line was
disconnected in January 2004, their jigs and tooling were sold on Ebay
about a year later. If you are considering one of their US bikes
remember, some parts will be unavailable i.e.: handlebars, seats, seat
upholstery. You might consider teh
Linear USS
recumbents instead.

Vision R40
The Vision R40 series
hardtail recumbents are their most popular bikes. They are versatile SWB
bikes, light comfortable and they climb well. They are all available with
over (OSS) or under (USS) seat steering. They all come in 2 sizes:
standard, with a 20" front wheel, and small with a 16" front wheel. Both
have a 26" rear wheel. Front suspension forks are also available as an
option. They add comfort and improve high speed cornering on rough
pavement.
Pre 1998 Vision SWB
bikes were pretty unstable. In 1998 they lengthened their wheelbase about
two inches, a great improvement.
Many riders find the
LWB R-40 harder to balance at very slow speeds, like on steep climbs. This
is especially true on a dirt road. In 2002 they improved this by
shortening the R-40 LWB, they now call it an MWB.
Vision rear
suspensions tend to “bob” with hill-climbing pedaling effort, making
climbing harder. The newer R-50 series rear suspension bikes “bob” a bit
less than the older 40 series bikes with rear suspension. The R-40 rear
suspension bikes also flex laterally, making high-speed handling poor.
R-40
The R40 is Vision's
best value in a sport/touring bike. The quality American Made frame is
designed their most durable. It uses a 2” Chromoly tube to handle the
stresses encountered as an MWB. The other Vision bikes use a 1 ½” tube and
are only SWBs. Component are selected to keep the price down but still
work well. With shop-installed conversion kits the R-40 can become an OSS,
USS, MWB or SWB bike. In this respect the R-40 is most versatile recumbent
I know of.
R-44
Featuring Vision's
lightest 1 ½” Chromoly frameset, the R44 Absorbs road shocks a bit more
than the R-40 and is lighter. A large, strong rider may find that the
stiffer R-40 is faster on sprints and steep climbs. The R-44s upgraded
component package is a nice plus. It is available with USS or OSS. It can
be converted form USS to OSS but does not convert to MWB.
R-45
The R45 shares the 1
½” R-44 frame but has Vision's best component package. A bit lighter, the
high end Shimano components give a bit higher performance, lower
maintenance, crisper shifts and quicker stops. It has an Ultegra group and
powerful Magura Hydraulic brakes.
Vision went out of business in November of 2003. Their last phone line was
disconnected in January 2004, their jigs and tooling were sold on Ebay
about a year later. If you are considering one of their US bikes
remember, some parts will be unavailable i.e.: handlebars, seats, seat
upholstery. You might consider the
Linear USS
recumbents instead.
We have Vision Parts & compatible parts for R-40, R-42, R-45, R-50 and
R-80 + R-82 For Sale Online.
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