The Mongoose Tactic conversion went well, now time to get comfortable riding the bike.
Initially I left the stock tires on the bike, however it was difficult to steer - on reading advice in the instructions and on the forum here, I changed to Kenda Kwest Commuter 100psi tires - big improvement.
The stock bike had SRAM twist shifters - I found that it was too easy to accidentally shift when pedaling, so changed to Shimano EF-51 combination shift/brake units and Avenir grips - much better.
Finally, I put in a Columbia R20 seatpost (27.2 x 400mm) to let me get the seat back up enough to be comfortable - although I'm told I'll want to ride with it less erect after I get better at riding.
All told this was a very inexpensive recumbent:
$109 for the new Mongoose Tactic
$240 for the used Cruzbike conversion kit
$44 for the tires
$36 for the grips and shifters
$18 for the seat post
Total just under $450.
Still to be done at some point:
The front fork "shocks" are about useless - probably change over to standard forks.
The rear suspension is really just a spring, would like to put in better suspension.
The chainrings are flimsy - will soon need to replace those with something sturdier - and will probably replace the bottom bracket at the same time.
Cheers,
Kevin
