I am into Flevo type of design

[dtseng]

After riding titanium framed cruzbike for many years, I have my fill of these types of bike. First of all, I feel that the top steering, that is, the steering tube is a big obstruction to me. Eliminating the steering tube would make the structure simpler and therefore, weight lighter. Also lower down the front fork angle would make driving by foot easier.

 

[Bo6]

After riding titanium framed cruzbike for many years, I have my fill of these types of bike. First of all, I feel that the top steering, that is, the steering tube is a big obstruction to me. Eliminating the steering tube would make the structure simpler and therefore, weight lighter. Also lower down the front fork angle would make driving by foot easier. (Please visit the post: "titanium cruzbike for under 250")

Love the concept and design. The "head tube" and steering is very interesting and appears to be very stable. Is there less arm to leg feed back while pedaling?

 

[JerseyJim]

The riding dynamics of a flevobike are quite different than a the Traylor type fwd-mbb from which the Cruzbike is derived. I researched this and the python variants before deciding to buy a Cruzbike. One advantage of the Cruzbike is that you can buy one with factory support and warranty. You can get a flevobike frame, but in general there's no support. That's not to say it's a dealbreaker, but for anyone looking to start on recumbents, it's probably better to have support and a possible resale path. You don't get that with a flevobike.

Having said that, when I compared the flevo and the python, which have similar but not identical dynamics, I would choose a Python. The main reason is the self centering nature of the design when the seat is loaded. A python is an all DIY prospect - you will have to build one. The plans are free and open source. There are many variants. There is one that I found to be well thought out and refined in construction. It's the "Patrick" variant of the python. I'll put a picture of the only example I've seen here. I've thought about building one and even have the tubes, but haven't found the time for the project.

You can find more info on pythons here