“Attitude Problem”
Cycle Genius RDX
 

By LARRY VARNEY
Staff Writer - BentRiderOnline.com
Originally posted on May 27, 2004

            I'll admit it – that's what I had, when it came time to unpack, ride and review the 2004 Cycle Genius RDX.  I knew going in that this was going to be one of those rare occasions when I have to try hard to find something good to say about a bike.

          After all, look at everything it had going against it. It's a 2-wheeled long wheelbase bike. As most people know by now, I'm a trike nut. Remember, “Three Wheels Good, Two Wheels Bad”?  Aside from that, I already have a favorite 2-wheeled lwb bike: a 1998 Tour Easy. It's comfortable and fast, especially with the Super Zzipper fairing and the Easy Riders Recumbent Club TailSok. Toss in the ERRC midship panniers, and it's easy to understand how this bike has been around longer than any other I've owned.  This RDX was going to be competing against a bike that I've kept longer than some of my wives!

          And then there's the problem with the name. I like abbreviations that I know the meaning of. So, RDX? What is that? RoaD eXtreme? Ride Daily eXcept sunday? Beats me. But what's worse is “Cycle Genius” itself. Is this line of bikes officially sanctioned by Mensa? Is the manufacturer implying that we're smart if we buy its line of bikes?

          So, I've come clean. I went into this review with a bad attitude, fully expecting not to like this bike. In fact, I figured the best I could hope for was a charitable neutrality concerning it. And at the end of several days of riding, I came to the following conclusion:

          I was wrong. This is a good bike. In fact, it is a surprisingly good bike. Let's look at some of the details, and maybe you'll come away with a similar impression.

          The heart of the RDX is its lightweight aluminum frame and fork and high performance 700C/451mm wheelset.  The lower-end LTX touring-oriented version uses a chromoly fork and a more conventional 26/20 wheelset.  The RDX is very well finished.  The graphics kit that Cycle Genius uses has also been greatly improved over previous models.  The overall look is definitely love it or hate it.  The multiple sharp angles and myriad of tube shapes is very… unique.  I think it looks pretty good.  Bryan was not as impressed.  It does look much better in person than it does in photos.

          The RDX is equipped with an economical but lightweight component spec.  The wide range 27-speed drivetrain uses SRAM X-9 shifters and rear derailleur with a Shimano 105 front derailleur.  The crankset is a Truvativ Rouler with 52t/42t/30t chainrings.   The brakes don’t come from a very impressive big name company but the Tektro Quarts Carbon brakes and levers work very well.  The wheelset uses some very nicely finished but no-name hubs laced up to Alex A-22 rims. 

          The overall package comes in at 32 pounds before you start adding racks and fenders and what not.  That is significantly lighter than it’s nearest price competition (the 38 pound Sun EZ Sport AX) and right in the same neighborhood as the much more expensive ($1995) Easy Racers Tour Easy.

          As you might agree from looking at the picture at the top of this review, the bike reminds me a lot of several other lwb bikes I've had. The square top tube really brought back memories of my first recumbent, an Infinity.  There were also some echoes of some RANS bikes, as well as some Easy Racers.  So, I thought, not a bad bike, but is there anything to recommend it over some of the others?

          It didn't take me long to find that one thing: adjustability. As the CG (I still don't like the name, so I hope you don't mind if I just shorten it to 'CG', OK?) website says, it can fit riders from 5'1” to 6'5”. How can it do that? Simple – that seat can slide forward on that square top tube, all the way to where the front section starts to slope upwards.

          You may be thinking, fine, other bikes adjust for different sizes by moving the seat, so what's the big deal here. Check it out: quick-releases (two of them) hold the seat in place. And firmly, too. One of the things I liked about the Catrike Road was adjusting the boom via its quick-release. Very easy to do, no need to go rooting through your bags for the proper tool, with the result that you are more likely to make the necessary adjustments, rather than just live with a not-quite-right fit.

          While you're looking at that picture of the bottom of the seat, pay special attention to the front. Yes, you can adjust the angle of the seat. Some of us have resorted to putting wedges of various materials under our seat bottoms, just to get away from the feeling that we're sliding off the front. That isn't necessary with the RDX.

          And that's not all! So you've got the seat set up for the proper leg length, and the bottom is tilted the way you like it. How about the recline of the seat back?  Yes, you guessed it. Check out those seat stays: more quick-releases!  I really like being able to check out a recline angle, ride for a few miles, see if there's any increase in comfort, not to mention speed, and stop and readjust if necessary – and not have to worry about tools. This ease of adjustability, along with the range possible, is one of the best things about the bike.

          I'm not an engineer, so I can't say with any authority if the spoke patterns of the front and rear wheels are good or bad – though I do think they look really nice, especially that radially-spoked front wheel. And if you look closely, you can see that the frame already has the fixtures for mounting disk brakes. I didn't have any complaints about the rim brakes that came on the bike, but I think most of us would prefer disks, for looks if nothing else. But, it would raise the cost of the bike.

          From looking at the pictures, you've probably figured that these tires are a bit on the narrow side. They are. They are 451x25 in the front, and 700x25 in the rear. I'm a fat-tire fan, so I was a bit worried about how these would affect the ride. But again, I was surprised. Favorably, too.

           So let's talk about the bike and how it rode. I was a little uneasy about it at first. After all, since becoming a trike fanatic, the last time I rode a 2-wheeler for any distance was last July, when I rode my Tour Easy across Indiana (RAIN). So I was pleased, both with myself and the bike, when I hopped on and rode away without a wobble, much less putting a foot down.

          The comfort was good, and after reclining the seat a bit further, it was even better than good. The narrow, high-pressure (100 pounds) tires didn't seem to make the ride harsh at all. I deliberately hit some rough pavement on one ride, just to see if I could jar something loose – and I did. The reflector in the rear wheel loosened up a little, making a noise as the tire rotated that bugged me to death until I found out what it was! But the bike rode over that rough stuff with a far smoother result than I expected. Let's give credit not only to the frame design, but that cushy seat bottom, too.

          Another thing that I was reminded of almost from the start: as much as I like trikes, I have yet to ride one that accelerates as quickly and maintains a cruising speed as effortlessly as some 2-wheelers. Within just a few pedal strokes and shifts, I was in the low 20's, and almost asking myself – what do I see in trikes?

          Ah, climbing steep hills, that's where the trikes are more user-friendly than 2-wheelers! I'm sure most of us have experienced slow-speed, front wheel wobbles on an LWB when on a steep uphill. I decided to check out how this bike would do on such a hill, at what point would I need to start worrying about getting unclipped in time. And, I am sure there are some hills out there that would have done it, but on the routes that I have tested this bike, the lowest speed I got down to was 4 mph – without a wobble. I was in the granny, just spinning along, and again was surprised at how stable it felt.

          In the end, I found that my bad attitude had been replaced with admiration – the Cycle Genius RDX is a good bike. I would like to have ridden it with a fairing, just to see how fast I could have gone on it, but I was more than pleased with what I could do unfaired. It's a comfortable bike, and the ease of adjusting it to various riders and their whims is a big selling point. I would have no problem recommending this bike to anyone looking for a good-performing long wheelbase recumbent.

          Check out the Cycle Genius website for a comparison of this bike (and their other models) with their competition. You'll find that the $1349.99 list price makes this a real contender.

CYCLE GENIUS RDX

MSRP - $1349.99

Highs: Fast for an LWB, Comfortable, Wide range of adjustment, Decent components

Lows: No fairing braze-ons, Controversial looks, Controversial name