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CANNONDALE'S NEW "EASY RIDER" RECUMBENT LIVES UP TO ITS NAME

(9/12/01) Cannondale has unveiled its all-new recumbent. Dubbed the Easy Rider, the new design is targeted towards cyclists who traditionally have opted for hybrids or comfort bikes. "You can only make a conventional bicycle so comfortable before the basic diamond frame becomes a limitation," said Cannondale engineer Chris Dodman, designer of the Easy Rider. "A recumbent seats the rider in a far more natural position, so it's inherently more comfortable, especially to a recreational rider. And because it seats the operator in the same basic position as a car, a recumbent is more intuitive to ride than a conventional bicycle."

The new Cannondale features a rider-friendly compact frame. The frame's low step-over height makes getting on and off of the bike easy, and its low bottom bracket keeps the pedals low to help simplify starting and stopping. To enhance comfort the Easy Rider features plush front and rear suspension systems, which are especially important on a recumbent since the rider can't unweight the saddle and use their legs as shock absorbers.

INNOVATIVE SUSPENSION

Cannondale has utilized its ten years of experience designing suspension systems to overcome a common problem with recumbent suspension - bobbing under pedaling loads. The rear suspension systems on most recumbents utilize a high pivot located just under the seat, well above the level of the chain. The forward-pushing force of the rear wheel, in combination with chain pull, fully extend the suspension and cause the seat to rise up through whatever amount of sag the rider has set into the system. When pedaling forces lessen, the suspension then settles back into its sag. This up-and-down bobbing can occur almost continually (depending on the recumbent's design, how hard the rider is pedaling and other factors), and it detracts from the rider's experience and their efficiency on the bike.

On the Easy Rider, the pivot is positioned just below the chain to balance the two forces that would otherwise cause bobbing. While the wheel's driving force wants to push the rear wheel "down and under" the pivot (and fully extend the suspension), the chain is working to pull the rear wheel in the opposite direction: "up and over" the pivot. As chain pull increases, so does the forward pushing force of the wheel, so the two are always in balance and bobbing is avoided.

The Easy Rider is hand-welded and heat-treated from 6061-T6 aluminum tubing using Cannondale's patented production process. The new bike will be available in two sizes that, combined, fit riders from 4'8" to 6'10" (140 cm to 210 cm). Saddle height on the Easy Rider is 27" (69 cm), and the generously padded seat can be adjusted fore-and-aft over a distance of 8" (20 cm). The angle of the seat's tubular frame/mesh fabric backrest can also be adjusted, with both seat adjustments accomplished via easy-to-use quick-release mechanisms.

Featuring a 16" (ISO 305) front wheel and 20" (ISO 406) rear wheel, the Easy Rider is also outfitted with a HeadShok front suspension fork that has 70 mm of travel. An oil-damped, coil-over shock controls the 75 mm of suspension travel at the rear wheel. The Easy Rider also comes spec'd with a mid-drive 27-speed drivetrain, plus a rear disc brake with V-brakes up front.

Cannondale's Dodman began designing prototypes of the Easy Rider three years ago. Throughout the recumbent's development, he used advanced CAD (Computer-Aided Design) tools and took full advantage of the company's sophisticated testing and prototyping systems. A U.K. native, Dodman himself has a long affiliation with recumbents. He has been building, riding and racing recumbents since 1988 in England and Scotland, where they enjoy a level of popularity that is unmatched in the U.S.

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