Visit to Zach Kaplan's bent shop

This weekend I drove almost 700 miles from Santa Monica to Oakland to check out some recumbents at Zach Kaplan's shop.

Luckily, my wife supports understands tolerates my strange behaviors, so we made a two day trip to the Bay area with a visit to old friends we don't get to see too often.

Zach's shop is located in a very nondescript building - very low key. If you don't have the address, you be hard pressed to find it. The only clue is a bicycle tire mounted above the entrance, way up by the roof.

But that's just the way I like it. The service is one on one - Zach will make an appointment, then will spend whatever time it takes to help you out. He charges $25 per hour for his consultation (he has a stopwatch to be precise), later if you buy a cycle from him he will subtract the money you spent on a consultation from the final price of a vehicle. I found out his services to be totally worth the money.

Zach is very knowledgeable - he rides a Grasshopper FX himself (amongst other 6 bents). His Grasshopper FX with Above Seat Steering (ASS) is also equipped with Schmidt dynamo hub (SON). Although not as bright as my Trailtech HID lamp, he doesn't need to worry about dead batteries and the way HP Velotechnik integrates all the wires into the frame and rack is really really clean.

Zach's shop is full of bikes and trikes. I saw on his workbench bikes in various states of assembly.

When you talk to Zach, you are talking to the main guy. There is no one else. Which is good, as you cut through all the layers of uncertainty and deal directly with the source. Any more closer, and you would be talking to the manufacturer.

So let's get down to to business of checking out and test riding the bikes.


I wanted to check out the Grasshopper FX, and I sure did. Zach had two versions in stock - ASS (above seat steering) and USS (under seat steering). Honestly, neither bike impressed me. Maybe because that was a second time I rode a SWB recumbent (first being Barcroft Virginia, which I thought was quite a fun but had a harsh ride) or just the way the bikes handled - I don't know. I did not like indirect USS, it felt quite twitchy and disconnected. ASS was better, but still did not make me feel anything special. Certainly, I will not be investing my money into a Grasshopper FX. That's done.

Next I tried was my other highly anticipated bike - Speedmachine by HP Velotechnik.

Again, this bike failed to impress me. It just did not see something in it that I would like to ride every day. The bike did roll nicely, but I was afraid to turn it too sharply due for my lack of experience. No special feeling. Again, back to the drawing board.

I was getting crushed - my dream of a fun 2 wheeler was quickly coming to an end.

Alas, there was the last contender, Streetmachine GTe.

This bike felt right from the first stroke. The steering was nimble and quick, I felt quite connected to the bike. I tried 3 different positions for the seat, the most upright felt most comfortable. The headrest might have worked, but the helmet was getting in the way. The hand position just felt so natural and comfortable. The bar end shifters where in a just a right position too. The bike also felt quite lighter compared to my Cannondale Bent I. Now that's the bike I could become good friends with!

Not all was perfect - turning circle at slow speed is quite large due to the limited range of handle bars, the mounted shifters somehow just didn't feel like super precise levers carved out of metal - I wonder if there is another "level up" of those little shifters?

 So now I have to figure out if I want to go Streetmachine GTe or Scorpion FS route.

For the practical city riding I am leaning towards Streetmachine - higher seat, easier to park at work, plenty of cargo options available.

Scorpion FS is a cupcake too - smooth and slick, but taking a lot more space. I would get used to riding it on the streets (especially in a bicycle lanes) but it is more of a "car" feel vs. "bike" feel of a Streetmachine. I don't think I would be jumping curbs on Scorpion, but that should not be a problem on a Streetmachine.

Also I wonder if the Streetmachine can be made really bulletproof - all the bearings on it should be sealed type (if they are not already) - best quality for longest life and least resistance (and no maintenance). And then there are the options for the drive train, brakes, suspension, etc. I don't want to go overboard, I'll try to stick with KISS (keep it simple, stupid) concept.

As I am leaving for India in a month and a half, I don't think I'll be bringing my new bike with me. The decision will probably wait till I am back in the Santa Monica in February. That should give me plenty of time to ponder.

Again, if you are in Bay area and not sure which bent you want, make an appointment to see Zach.  He can be reached at zakaplan@sonic.net.