Posted on February 18, 2014 by Bryan Ball

By BRYAN J. BALL

Managing Editor

People “in the know” are well aware of the Perfomer brand of recumbent bikes and trikes. More casual riders have probably never heard of them. They don’t get the press and respect that most of the mainstream brands do, but they’ve been quietly building budget-priced recumbents in Taiwan for over a decade now. For years, most of their products came to US shores with someone else’s name on it via third party Internet resellers. Some of them still do but most Performers sold in the US now proudly display the Performer name on them. And now, many of them are available from a handful of actual recumbent dealers who can provide real customer support to buyers.

Perhaps the most prominent of these dealers is Recumbent Bike Riders (RBR) in State College, Pennsylvania. Performer products have been available on the shop’s floor for quite some time now but now RBR is taking it one step further. They’ve begun selling these very inexpensive bikes and trikes via internet marketplace juggernaut, Amazon. The process is quite simple. You order what you want through the Amazon site and it ships direct to you from Taiwan with an extensive instruction manual and all of the tools and accessories you need to get it on the road. If you need any help after the purchase, RBR is there to give advice, procure parts, deal with warranty issues, etc…

I’ve been wanting to review a Performer for years but it’s just never happened. The company has a small, but vocally loyal group of fans on our message board and I’ve always been impressed with the examples I’ve seen in person, especially when the owners told me what they paid for them. When RBR told me about this new Amazon set-up, I knew this would be my chance to finally get some real seat time on a Performer.

For this review, I chose Performer’s rear-suspension reassuringly inexpensive $1650 Trike-X model. (RBR currently sells three Performer trike models on Amazon but may be adding more soon.) I ordered it through Amazon like any other purchaser would and assembled it using the tools and instructions provided. I’ll be reviewing both the trike and the purchase process.

First, the process… I ordered the trike right before Christmas and in one of their more rare colors. Despite that, it arrived in less than a month. The box it arrived in was shockingly small. Once I opened it, I realized this was because the cruciform is bolted to the frame rather than welded. This allows the trike to be packed rather flat and saves a ton on shipping. The quality of the packaging was excellent. The Trike-X arrived with one minor scratch but that seemed to be an issue with UPS manhandling more than the packaging.

The Trike-X comes with a multi-tool, a chain tool, a multi-function open end wrench and a very nice tire pump. I tried to stay true to what a new buyer would experience and used the tools and instructions provided to assemble the trike. The only tools of mine that I used was a measuring tape to set up the toe-in and a set of cable cutters to get the cable and housing lengths right.

The instructions were written by RBR and are quite comprehensive. I really think that anyone with even a passing knowledge of bicycle maintenance or possibly just access to that knowledge on the Internet would be able to get the Trike-X up and running in a few hours. Some of the more difficult bits, such as mounting and adjusting the disc brakes, were already taken care of because the trike arrived with the wheels installed.

The only part that was really a bit of a head scratcher was setting up the toe-in. Since the Trike-X is indirect steer and mounting points on the handlebars are adjustable, it took a few of tries to get it right. If someone was buying one of Performer’s trikes with direct steering, this wouldn’t be an issue.

Once I got the Trike-X assembled and stood back to take a look at it, I was quite impressed. It’s a very nice looking machine. It has a long, low, lean and sport appearance. The welds are all good, the purple powdercoat looked fantastic and most of the things like the seat and handlebars were all of very good quality. Most of the accessories were nice too. The Trike-X comes with a rear rack and fenders. The rear rack is a bit wobbly but perfectly fine for most purposes and looks very nice. However, the front fenders were… Well… Junk. They just aren’t stiff enough to be mounted on only one side. They constantly rattled and banged against the tire and rims. I eventually just removed them. I’m sure a more industrious soul could find a way to stiffen them up.

I definitely had no such complaints about the Trike-X’s component spec. A Shimano LX rear derailleur, Truvativ IF cranks and Microshift bar-end shifters manage the 27-speed drivetrain. The 52/42/30 crankset and 11-34 cassette provide an ample range. Everything shifted smoothly and quietly. The Tektro disc brakes may not be very flashy but they do a very good job. The same can be said for the durable Kenda Kwest tires on the Trike-X.

My favorite component on the trike was the right brake lever. Let me explain… It had an integrated bell which was totally out of the way, plenty loud enough and a complete godsend on crowded bike paths. I seriously may order these levers for all of my non-hydraulic bikes and trikes.

The cruciform on the Trike-X is located several inches forward of the seat. This makes getting in and out of the Performer a bit more difficult than it is on some other trikes, but I quickly got used to it. Once I was settled into the fiberglass seat, I quickly realized that it’s a very comfy place to sit. The seat pad is quite similar to a Ventisit and the shape was very supportive and comfortable. The seat base is cupped just enough to make you feel more secure in the turns, but not so much that it will get in the way. The headrest is also very comfortable.

The Trike-X’s handlebar shape is a bit different than what you may be used to. Rather than having my hands straight up and down, I found myself in a sort of palms-at-30-degrees position. It felt odd at first but I adjusted to it. The handlebar is adjustable for angle but you’ll want to make sure you get it close the first time. Adjusting the handlebar angles requires you to re-adjust the toe-in.

Other than those couple of ergonomic foibles, it was pretty hard to find much wrong with the Trike-X.

The handling is quite good with almost no brake or pedal steer. There is sort of an abrupt turn-in halfway through some tight maneuvers (it felt almost similar to a bit of “wheel flop” you get on some long wheelbase recumbents), but the turning radius itself is very small given the size of the trike.

The Trike-X isn’t terribly heavy with a weight of around 45 lbs with all of the accessories mounted. The seating position is fairly aerodynamic. The frame and seat are both quite stiff and the suspension doesn’t pogo much when you stomp on the pedals. Therefore, performance was also quite good for a suspended trike.

The Trike-X only has rear suspension, but it works pretty well over the bumps. The front wheels are a little farther forward than you’ll find on a lot of trikes and didn’t transmit much shock back to the rider at all. The overall ride quality of the trike was very good in most conditions. The drivetrain noise was minimal as well.

Every time I rode the Trike-X, I couldn’t believe it only cost what it did. Yes, there are other trikes in that price range from more established manufacturers, but none of them offer suspension and most of them aren’t aimed at this same part of the market. It will require a bit of mechanical know-how to put it together, but it probably won’t be as difficult as you think. Building the trike yourself with the help of the manual, will also be a sort of mini-bike-maintenance class that may serve you well in the future. If you do have any issues with the assembly or anything else on the trike, I can’t think of a better shop to have waiting by the phone than RBR.

If the Trike-X retailed for something in the neighborhood of $3000, I’d say it was “good but not great.” For $1650, it’s a superb machine. There isn’t anything particularly remarkable about it, but there’s almost nothing at all wrong with it either. You’d have to spend a lot more to get something that’s quantifiably better. Overall, it’s just a very pleasant trike to ride and an outstanding value.

PERFORMER TRIKE-X

Highs – Superb bang-for-the-buck, Good performance, Good handling

Lows – Funky handlebar position, Terrible front fenders

MSRP – $1650

More Info – http://www.performer.com.tw, Amazon, RBR