Lightning Cycle Dynamics

**Lightning Bikes**
Manufacturer	Lightning Cycle Dynamics
Cycle line	recumbent bicycles
Incorporated	1992
Status	In production
Website	www.lightningbikes.com

Last updated May 02, 2019

Lightning is a brand of recumbent bicycles produced by Lightning Cycle Dynamics based in Lompoc, California, United States. In 1979 the first Lightning recumbent was built by three students from Northrop Institute of Technology - Tim Brummer, Don Guichard and Chris Dreike. In 1981 Brummer won the Abbott prize in a Lightning recumbent for the first human-powered vehicle to break the then-common speed limit of 55 mph.^[1] A four-man team set the fastest time for the 1989 Race Across America, a record that still stands.^[2] They have also won the STP (Seattle to Portland) Challenge, among other achievements.^[3] Today Lightning Cycle Dynamics produces recumbent bicycles and carbon cranks. Many of the bikes are made in the U.S.

A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by back and buttocks. On a traditional upright bicycle, the body weight rests entirely on a small portion of the sitting bones, the feet, and the hands.

Lompoc is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, on the west coast of the United States. The city was incorporated on August 13, 1888. The population was 42,434 at the 2010 census, up from 41,103 at the 2000 census.

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

Models

Phantom D

The Phantom uses a mono-tube design for simplicity and lower cost, while keeping the same geometry as the P-38 model and includes disc brakes. An optional add-on kit can convert the Phantom to a four-wheeled cycle, called the Phantom Quad.

P-38

The P-38 uses a patented space frame, consisting of small diameter tubes arranged in a three-dimensional triangular shape. It is considered a short wheelbase recumbent, with the front wheel behind the pedals and cranks. The P-38 also comes in a Rox version with thicker tubes, reinforcement and steel seat frame for heavier riders, and also in a belt-drive configuration, which uses belts instead of bicycle chains.

P-38 Voyager

The P-38 Voyager is a version of the P-38 that disassembles and can be carried in a large wheeled carrying case, or checked as luggage for air travel. It takes about 30 minutes to reassemble the bike.

F-40

The F-40 is a full-faired (enclosed) streamlined recumbent, using the P-38 frame inside, along with an aluminum frame and fabric fairing in the rear, and a fiberglass nose piece. The fairing improves aerodynamics and allows much higher speeds to be attained with similar pedaling effort. The F-40 set twelve world bicycle speed records.

R-84

The R-84 recumbent has a similar geometry to the P-38 and Phantom, but is constructed from carbon fiber, resulting in a lighter total bike weight.

F-90

The F-90 is similar to the F-40 but uses the R-84 carbon fiber frame along with a kevlar and mylar sailcloth midsection, instead of the fabric used in the F-40. Lightning claims that the F-90 is the fastest production bicycle available on the market for purchase.

Previous Models

Thunderbolt (no longer in production)
Stealth (renamed to Phantom)

Phantom II (no longer in production)

They also make handcycles and cranksets.

Related Research Articles

A bicycle, also called a cycle or bike, is a human-powered or motor-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A bicycle rider is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.

The tandem bicycle or twin is a form of bicycle designed to be ridden by more than one person. The term tandem refers to the seating arrangement, not the number of riders. Patents related to tandem bicycles date from the late 1890s. Tandems can reach higher speeds than the same riders on single bicycles, and tandem bicycle racing exists. As with bicycles for single riders, there are many variations that have been developed over the years.

A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain. These typically include a front or full suspension, large knobby tires, more durable wheels, more powerful brakes, straight handlebars, and lower gear ratios for climbing steep grades.

A tricycle, often abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered three-wheeled vehicle.

A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangle and a paired rear triangle. This is known as the diamond frame. Frames are required to be strong, stiff and light, which they do by combining different materials and shapes.

A velomobile, velomobiel, velo, or bicycle car, is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and protection from weather and collisions. They are similar to recumbent bicycles and tricycles, but with a full fairing. A fairing may be added to a non-faired cycle, or the fairing may be an integral part of the structure, monocoque like that of an airplane.

The crankset or chainset, is the component of a bicycle drivetrain that converts the reciprocating motion of the rider's legs into rotational motion used to drive the chain or belt, which in turn drives the rear wheel. It consists of one or more sprockets, also called chainrings or chainwheels attached to the cranks, arms, or crankarms to which the pedals attach. It is connected to the rider by the pedals, to the bicycle frame by the bottom bracket, and to the rear sprocket, cassette or freewheel via the chain.

A touring bicycle is a bicycle designed or modified to handle bicycle touring. To make the bikes sufficiently robust, comfortable and capable of carrying heavy loads, special features may include a long wheelbase, frame materials that favor flexibility over rigidity, heavy duty wheels, and multiple mounting points.

A racing bicycle, also known as a road bike, and once popularly known as a ten speed, is a bicycle designed for competitive road cycling, a sport governed by according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI rules were altered in 1934 to exclude recumbent bicycles.

A track bicycle or track bike is a bicycle optimized for racing at a velodrome or outdoor track. Unlike road bicycles, the track bike is a fixed-gear bicycle; thus, it has only a single gear ratio and has neither a freewheel nor brakes. Tires are narrow and inflated to high pressure to reduce rolling resistance. Tubular tires are most often used in track racing and training, though advances in clincher tire design have seen them being used somewhat more often.

Vehicles for human transport that have two wheels and require balancing by the rider date back to the early 19th century. The first means of transport making use of two wheels arranged consecutively, and thus the archetype of the bicycle, was the German draisine dating back to 1817. The term bicycle was coined in France in the 1860s, and the descriptive title "penny farthing", used to describe an "Ordinary Bicycle", is a 19th-century term.

Various bicycle tools have evolved over the years into specialized tools for working on a bicycle. Modern bicycle shops will stock a large number of tools for working on different bicycle parts. This work can be performed by a trained bicycle mechanic, or for simple tasks, by the bicycle owner.

This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport.

A handcycle is a type of human-powered land vehicle powered by the arms rather than the legs, as on a bicycle. Most handcycles are tricycle in form, with two coasting rear wheels and one steerable powered front wheel. Despite usually having three wheels, they are also known as handbikes.

A bicycle fairing is a full or partial covering for a bicycle to reduce aerodynamic drag or to protect the rider from the elements. It is more common to see recumbent bicycles with partial or full fairing. A bicycle with a full fairing is a regular bicycle fitted with an extra component, as opposed to a velomobile, which is a permanently enclosed bicycle.

Bicycle suspension is the system, or systems, used to suspend the rider and bicycle in order to insulate them from the roughness of the terrain. Bicycle suspension is used primarily on mountain bikes, but is also common on hybrid bicycles.

Outline of bicycles Overview of and topical guide to bicycles

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to bicycles:

References

↑ Hadland, Tony (2014). Bicycle Design, An Illustrated History. The MIT Press. p. 489. ISBN 978-0-262-02675-8 . Retrieved 26 October 2015.
↑ "RAAM Record Holders". RAAM. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
↑ "Lightning R-84 review". Recumbent and Tandem Rider magazine. Retrieved 26 October 2015.