BRC: “We received our Lightfoot Ranger demo in March but only recently have I had a chance to ride it off road. I took it up to a lower section of the Dechutes river trail that’s accessed by a gravel road to see how it rides in the dirt. On the gravel road and smooth single track it was a blast and is perfectly suited. On the steeper rocky sections that are not ride-able (by most anyway) it was too long and unmanageable. For riding the thousands of miles of gravel, dirt, forest, and fire roads in this state it is ideal. Smooth easy single track is easy and fun. This would be an ideal recumbent to use on long tours like the Great Divide Canada to Mexico route, the Katy trail, the C&O trail–basically any tour that is non-technical dirt where you need to carry gear for self supported touring.Most folks don’t consider a recumbent for mountain biking but the Ranger is one recumbent that can fit that bill. While not practical for technical single track, on dirt roads, gravel roads, fire roads, rail trail routes, and easy to intermediate singletrack without serious rocky sections or steep climbs, the Ranger is a blast. If you are looking for a recumbent bike that can do the Katy trail or the Great Divide Mountain Bike route, or the C&O canal trail in full, back supported comfort, this is your machine. Rod Miner at Lightfoot designed this bike to haul an enormous load if needed. You can use a standard heavy duty rear rack even though it has a disc brake because of the unique design of the rear dropouts that move the rack about 2 inches to the rear to clear the brake caliper. You can also order an under seat rack the can actually hold 2 front panniers giving you a total capacity of 6 panniers!
Having a dual 26″ wheel bike means the front wheel rolls more easily over rough terrain than a 20″ front wheel will. The long wheelbase means lots of high speed stability when descending long alpine passes.
The stock wheels are superstrong 26″ Sun Rhynolite rims with knobby tires and if you have a second set of lighter wheels and tires, the Ranger can double as a quick road and touring recumbent. The seat some have said is the most comfortable recumbent seat for the long haul out there because it has an adjustable mest back as well as an air cushion base that can be fine tuned for air volume.
Come in and take this easy-to-ride bike for a spin!”
Lightfoot: “The Ranger is a go-almost-anywhere recumbent bike. It is both a road bike and an off-road mountain bike recumbent. It has a long wheelbase, large diameter wheels and a high seat–combined characteristics which give it enhanced slow-speed and off-pavement handling. It is strongly-built, efficient, capable, pleasant to ride on the road, a fun cruiser around town, and a great rough-country touring bike.
The World Traveler is a super-comfortable recumbent road bike with a wide range of capabilities. The Traveler was designed specifically to inhabit a ‘sweet spot’ where two sets of characteristics overlap; those that enhance fast road riding, and those that permit efficient long-distance touring.”
