Cruzbike Quest

Last Saturday I learned about what may be my new lust-after bike.  It's called Quest and made by recumbent manufacturer Cruzbike.  There are a lot of neat things about it. It is competing against other small foldable recumbent bikes, like Flite made by Toxy, and it actually folds to a smaller size than that bike.  (Though admittedly, there are a lot of variables that go into that measurement.)  But the best thing is the lower pedal height available on the 20 inch model, that is the one I would get.  I am still enamored with the Optibike, as well as Rans' Crank Forward bikes, and the Tour Easy, but this one wins for curb appeal, at least until conceptual bikes like Gary Hale's Glider or Jeremy Garnet's direct drive recumbent (but with a narrower q-factor) are developed or become more widely available.  Perhaps a combination of an Optibike and Quest is in order.  See a video of the Quest in action.  I'll be honest, this eye candy just looks like it would be fun to ride with the rear rack, and added fenders, and clipless pedals. (Update 1/28/10: see my conversation with the bike's designer.)

The bike, with a retail price of $1,430.00:

Looks very similar to this Downtube folder, modified with a Cruzbike conversion kit, doesn't it?: 

If only I could ride it, like this lucky fellow:

Images from the webpage illustrating the wide adjustability of the Cruzbike Quest model:




(Update 2/5/10) I have a BikeE AT, and one of the characteristics I love about it is that it allows a very open hip angle at the bottom of the power stroke while I am in a semi-reclined position applying pressure against the seat back. The Quest appears to allow a similar position, only slightly more closed. But I believe I should temper my judgment on this point by considering two other things: 1) comfort may be increased by having a "moving bottom bracket" in the forward wheel drive setup and 2) my only other point of comparison (besides the BikeE) is the more closed riding position of my EZ3 trike, which is heavy and less nimble than a bike, so there is no wonder it may be less comfortable overall. To compare riding positions between a bikeE and a Quest (that's not me on the BikeE, I found the picture online):