1992 Iowa Linear Recumbent Bike - Overview

This video is an overview of my second recumbent bike. I talk about some of the technical details and compare it with my first recumbent (Lighting Tailwind Micro),
I bought this bike on June 11th, 2017 in Ottawa, ON. The model of bike is called Linear and it was made by Kann Manufacturing in Guttenberg IA in 1992. These bikes are still made today in a pretty similar configuration, but the company has changed hands and the bikes are now manufactured in Alfred Station, NY.
I hope you enjoyed this video, please leave a comment and SUBSCRIBE.
Thanks for watching!

[@VitalityMassage]

Man that is a cool bike.

[@MrZiomX]

Wow, this bike is very strange, the more I'd like to ride it. It looks amazing. Greetings from Poland ;)

[@richardg3232]

I have this very same bike. I love it. I've owned many recumbents and this was by far the cheapest because I got it used and it's my favorite bike by far...very comfortable. Thanks for the video. I had no idea anyone else had one of these.

[@cjhoyle]

Nice! I still have mine and love it.

[@bodegacruzazul]

Thanks for this video, always is good to know. Greetins from Mexico. CDMX

[@n20863]

Congrats on your new bike! I was psyched to hear you got back the stolen bike! The Green Machine was an inspiration to me along with your videos of cycling in NYC! It inspired me to get my bike back out on the road and I actually rode over the 59th Street bridge! Thanks! Keep up the awesome stuff!

[@cjhoyle]

Awesome, glad to hear! Being able to ride again certainly is very rewarding!

[@TorstenLif]

Late to the show as always, but I, too, rode the 59:th Street bridge (Feeling Groovy!) as part of the 5-boro ride. Once on my Linear and once as stoker on a friends Double Vision recumbent tandem.

[@TorstenLif]

Late to this thread but still figured I should add my €0.02. I still ride a Linear folding LWB that I bought new in 1991! It's served me well although most of the components have been replaced. Both wheels, both derailleurs, brakes, sprockets, chainwheels, rear folding stays... For my purposes, the folding feature is the major redeeming aspect. By removing the wheels and the seat I can fold the frame, remove the handlebar bolt so the handelbar can be twisted and the beast fits in a cardboard box that I beg from my local bike shop. The wheels fit along the frame in the box and the seat goes in a gym bag along with my panniers. Two pieces of checked luggage!

[@cjhoyle]

The folding aspect is really impressive, and was quite revolutionary for the time period from what i understand!

[@smokefentanyl]

I want a recumbent bike now! Cheers from niagara falls

[@cjhoyle]

Recumbent are great, especially Linears! By chance have you watched my video series where I rode my recumbent bike through your town?

[@tampacharlie1]

Great video . Great Linear LWB bike. I have one exactly like it in the video minus extra decals. Bought it new in early 90's LOL Got lotta nice riding time on it in CT + now Tampa Bay. Always turns heads when you ride by. Am getting up in years so I am planning on posting it for sale locally on internet. Thanks for good presentation.

[@cjhoyle]

Thanks! All of those silly decals were removed shortly after I filmed this video. I posted an update video on the bike last fall after I did some repairs and upgrades to it.

[@new289]

Very cool I have an Avatar 2000, bought it new.

[@vladimirhrebenyk6111]

Very good video. Thanks.

[@cjhoyle]

No problem, glad you enjoyed it.

[@JohnMHammer]

Great bike! As long as the frame and welds are in good shape these older Linear Limos are swell rides and will outlast your lifetime. The squeaks are probably coming mostly from the frame hinges, hopefully the liberal application of grease is keeping that under control. Take a look at moving the seat back support struts (they’re not really seat stays) further back on the frame which will put less stress both on those struts and the frame itself. I like having a mirror on both sides since I sometimes end up on the left side of the street when the two-way bike lane is placed there or on wide one-way streets to avoid hopscotching with buses. I find that LWB and CLWB bikes with this configuration tend to generate a lot of spray to the face and chest from the front wheel, as you noted in your overview of the Lightning Tailwind Micro, and can’t live without a front fender even in dry weather. A rear fender is nice, too, even keeping the chain from getting as sloppy as it would otherwise. If you don’t mind spending a little money take a look at the Terracycle website as they have accessory mounting solutions designed for bikes like this. Finally, you might want to try shorter cranks and lower gearing both of which will protect your knees - I’ve experimented with cranks as small as 135mm and found 155mm really works for me and no gearing is too low for me as it’s always easier to spin faster up a hill than mash harder on a ‘bent. Have you tried a SWB bike yet? Given your experience with standard road and mountain bikes I thought you were going to end up with a SWB bike after trying the Lightning Tailwind Micro.

[@cjhoyle]

When riding in NYC having a mirror on both sides is really useful because many of the bike lanes are on the left side of the streets. However in my city I can't think of any examples of bike lanes like that, so 1 mirror works just fine. On the Lightning Tailwind Micro, a front fender was absolutely necessary, however I've ridden my Linear in very heavy rain several times without one and have never got sprayed in the face. I think the flat rectangle shaped frame tube must be pretty effective on it's own at deflecting the spray downwards. The only SWB I've tried was a Bacchetta Corsa. When shopping for recumbents, I put a lot more emphasis on USS vs OSS rather than SWB vs LWB. I presume that USS is a lot better for my wrist/hand issues, so those are the bikes I've gravitated towards.

[@danmcgavin8563]

@@cjhoyle just bought my 1993 linear exactly like yours. I'm putting it together now. Your video is an inspiration. Any new advice?

[@TorstenLif]

I've had my Linear LWB since 1991 and I've found that the best cure for the creaks is to clean away all grease and dirt from the joints' surfaces and clamp them down real tight. Interestingly, even the seat fold QR matters! As for low gears, I have the ultimate! An 18-t cog on a Limbo Spider adapter inside the 28-38-48 chainwheels. My front derailleur can't quite be persuaded to shift down to the great-granny but the slight delay to stop and finger-shift the chain down doesn't matter much when I'm going to be going that slow. My current lowest is 18 front to 34 rear, making for a 14-inch gear. I mostly use that for climbing telephone poles! ;-)

[@brightondude9327]

That is a beautiful recumbent. Definitely take off those stickers and only retain the original ones! I would change the tyres to the newer ones because you don't know the history of those old tyres on the bike. You might have a blow-out at a very unfortunate time.

[@cjhoyle]

Yup, I actually have removed all of those stickers since this video was filmed. It looks so much better! The back tire has actually already been switched to one which I had on my old hybrid commuting bike, but yes I will change the front one as well.

[@AmusedDaffodils-mz5rw]

That's badass

[@robertherrera1546]

Nice. thanks

[@michaelhony1645]

I have your bike’s twin in Greenwood, MS!

[@cjhoyle]

Awesome! I'm hoping to post a video soon where I'll show the upgrades that I've recently made to mine.

[@erichannes6392]

Considering buying one.

[@cjhoyle]

It's a really fun bike to ride, just be sure to check from frame cracks before buying!

[@Shakermaker01]

Thanks for the overview. I recently purchased an Iowa Linear and find it's creaking quite a bit as well, especially on the climbs. Any suggestions of where I should grease it? It's quiet on the straightaways, but man the climbs are a hot mess of noise. Love your videos. Keep up the good work and ride safe. M

[@cjhoyle]

Awesome! I would recommend greasing where the front of the seat is bolted to the seat block. On my Iowa Linear I also disassembled the rear frame pivot and greased it, but I've since been told that's not a good idea and that it join should be assembled dry. To be honest, I was never able to completely eliminate all of the creaking on mine, it was just something I got used to and stopped noticing.

[@Shakermaker01]

@@cjhoyle Thanks for the tip. Rode it in to work today for the first time. 36km roundtrip is much more enjoyable on the Linear versus the other bikes I have. I am going to like riding this thing and also believe the noises will eventually silence to my ears.

[@bootsowen]

Hi CJ, I bought an unloved Linear similar to the one in this video a few months ago. Left in the rain for too long and without a seat. I have it rolling and riding again. But I am struggling with the seat. I have watched your other videos as well and have seen how the seat has broken over time. I have made one in two parts, a seat part that pivots on the original adjustable beam fixing and that is supported behind on a rubber cushion. to this I have attached a backrest made from a garden folding chair backrest turned upside down, so that it is similar to yours, then it is propped from the ball points on the rear fork with home made struts. My question is, given that yours isn't supported at the back of the seat, does moving it forward and aft change the backrest angle? I reckon it must, but maybe not enough to notice. Or are the length of the backrest struts adjustable too? Thanks Owen

[@cjhoyle]

Wow, that sounds like a fun project! I'd love to see a photo of your homemade seat. Yes, the tilt of the seat does change slightly when sliding the seat forwards or backwards, but it's not by an amount that is really noticeable. The seat for my NY Linear came with rear support rods which are length adjustable, to allow you to adjust the recline angle of the seat. I don't think it would take too much effort to retrofit the support rods for an Iowa Linear to be the same.

[@chuckzander9861]

Nice video! I just looked at a nice Linear Aluminum bike. It seems in very good condition. I didn’t ride it because I really don’t know how to ride a recumbent bike yet. It seems to fit me fine. The 7 gears in the rear shifted good. I guess it only has one working front sprocket although the bike has two. I did not test the rear three speed hub shifter. My question is what do you think the chances are that the rear hub shifter would go bad. I guess you can not get that part anymore. This is assuming of course that it is presently working. He is willing to take $280. It is in very good condition! Any advice! Thanks.

[@cjhoyle]

I have next to no experience with internal hub shift systems. They can be expensive to replace. My advice is to test ride any bike before buying especially recumbent bikes. It's really important that the bike is properly sized and comfortable to ride.

[@chuckzander9861]

cjhoyle I decided not to buy it. I bought instead a Sun EZ-Rider AX in great condition for a nice price! It has a rear shock and disc brakes. I have been riding it all day and live it! Fits me well. Thank you for your advice and comment .

[@DudeTalk]

I'm actually getting my hands on one of these this weekend you wouldn't happen to know the tire size front and back would you?

[@cjhoyle]

Sorry for the delay in responding to this. This bike has a 700C rear wheel and a 20x1-1/8" front wheel. However I also own a newer linear which has a 26" rear wheel and a 20x1.5" front wheel.

[@DudeTalk]

@@cjhoyle thanks brother!

[@shelbye1199]

Do you know how to find the year a Linear recumbent was built??

[@cjhoyle]

There is a page on the Linear Recumbent website called "Dating a Linear Recumbent " which is the best resource I know of, but it probably won't tell you the exact year. I believe someone else commented on this video who worked in the factory in Iowa where the original Linears were made.

[@RainbowCharade]

anyone know if you can get replacement seat pads??

[@cjhoyle]

The best place to find out would be by emailing or calling the Bicycle Man in Alfred Station, NY. They purchased the assets of Linear several years ago and they still have some some Iowa Linear parts in their inventory.

[@antonkazlouski4307]

How much did it costs?

[@cjhoyle]

700 CAD

[@kevinhornbuckle]

Have you tried a recumbent trike?

[@cjhoyle]

Yes I have.

[@RichardGuyBriggs]

I have a twin of this bike, in Ottawa. I've also got an earlier sliver one, also from Ottawa. tricolour.net/linear.html "My other recumbent is a Greenspeed convertible tandem." :-D

[@danieletondi5000]

How much in €?

[@cjhoyle]

I bought mine used from somebody in Canada. Linear Recumbent are still manufactured though and you can find out more information on their website.

[@danieletondi5000]

@@cjhoyle oh ok. Of i found this model, i wanna buy this recumbent bike.

[@C4ACT_E]

who should I be to put the remote control on the front wheel, further away from my hands, and drag the drive through the whole bike back, weighing down and complicating the design...was there really no opposite option in my head?