Outrider Horizon 2 Series Review

All of the current gen Outrider electric recumbent trikes share the same basic componentry but differ with respect to the gear box, motor power output, ground clearance (ride height) and stock color. The Horizon is by far the most versatile, offering standard pedals, foot rests vs. pedals in combination with hand cranks, hand motion activation (tri-pin) or even sip blow activation (possibly joystick in the future). There are several ways to interface with the complex steering and power controls with limited movement (simply elbow and wrist, and all controls can be set to left or right side). This is designed to accommodate people who are paraplegic, quadriplegic, those who have lost limbs or suffered strokes, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) or other debilitating diseases or handicaps. The Outrider Horizon one of the only electric assist vehicles that’s this powerful, this fast (up to 25 mph unlocked for use as an Off-Highway Vehicle) and this capable off-road. People who might have enjoyed hiking and mountain biking under human power at one point in their life may now experience the same environments, keep up with friends or just get out into nature on their own… It’s inspiring, but it comes at a high price tag starting at roughly $13k and going up as high as $23k.

Each Outrider is built to order, they come in different stock colors with matte wrinkle black on the struts and a customizable battery box. There are lots of upgrades and accessories to choose from including an electronics accessory package with USB and 12 volt ports. With this option installed you can also add a solar charging system for use off-grid. It’s a pretty awesome setup if you’ve got a Prepper mindset or just want an additional large source of portable power. Also, if you’re into this sort of personal mobility vehicle, be sure to check out the No Barriers Summit (where Outrider was headed) to demo similar models. It’s held twice per year.

There are so many positives and negatives to explore with this platform and it’s so incredibly versatile. I already mentioned price but weight and transport are also big considerations. Depending on your environment and your situation, the product may not be allowed on trails and paths. You can hear the noise it produces in the video review and this can be a bit distracting. For the review, we were given permission to ride off-road with bits of operation on path. I love that the width of all Outrider e-trikes is just under standard door openings so you can wheel it inside or out. In order to turn it around sharply you may need to hop off, lift the rear wheel and pull to the sides… but it’s not super light. I found myself making multi-point turns on a couple of occasions. As long as you keep it moving and plan ahead, this thing can be a lot of fun. It’s incredibly well designed, built with quality parts (over 80% from the USA) and is customizable. It’s not for everyone but I think you’ll know if it’s right for you. Big thanks to Outrider for partnering with me for this review.

Pros:

• Highly off-road capable with 6″ ground clearance and a 26″ rear wheel chosen to accommodate a wider selection of tires (primarily knobby for off-road use) and increase contact patch size, the front two wheels are still 20″
• The motor on the Horizon is geared down at 15 to 1 vs. 9 to 1 and 5 to one on the other platforms (Nomad and Alpha respectively), this allows it to start from standstill and climb the steepest grades, the motor does not require active fan cooling because it runs at a lower wattage, so overall it’s less complex and draws less power
• Relatively narrow 32.5″ track width means you can get the Outrider Horizon through most standard doors, great for storing inside or bringing into shops for repairs
• Six inches of boom length adjustability to fit more riders (if you get the L edition for pedaling), the seat also slides forward and back and tips back and forth to maximize ergonomics
• The foot rest option (two buckets for feet to rest in) are great for paraplegic and quadriplegic riders, can be used with hand cycle cranks, tri-pin arm movement or sip blow
• Much quieter and cleaner than the majority of gas powered all terrain vehicles, offers 75 lbs of storage capacity on the rear rack and overall max weight of 350 lbs, could be great for hunters, fishers and off-roaders
• The seat design is now custom (vs. the stock KMX seat on their older bikes), it’s soft, designed not to soak up water and works with an optional headrest, this combined with the full-suspension design offers excellent comfort that’s necessary (in my opinion) for true off-road use
• Lots of attachment points, drilled holes, on the rear rack platform, the sides of the rack and even the sides of the seat, there are also larger loop holes for side bolsters or straps if you want to secure yourself a bit
• All controls can be migrated to one side – single sided hand controls on the left for example, when paired with the stability of a trike makes it very approachable
• They work with a company called Body Point to add special straps to secure riders with limited mobility, and it might also act as a safety belt to avoid contact with the hand cycle option as shown in the video
• If you opt for the hand cycle build of the Horizon 2 Series you’ll be getting one of the first shaft steering recumbents out there meaning that you “pedal” and steer with the same bars, the cranks can be set asynchronous if you want or next to each other
• The trike is stable whether you’re able bodied or in need of adaptive technology, it’s easy to mount, rest in and handle because it has three wheels
• In some configurations the Horizon isn’t exactly a bicycle… it might not have pedals at all, they explained to me that mobility devices are often excepted to the standard ebike rules and allowed in more places
• It uses cable actuated hydraulic brakes which are easier to repair but offer similar benefits to hydraulic (smooth, powerful stopping)
• If you get the “L” leg powered or “H” handcycle edition of the Horizon you will benefit from an internally geared Shimano Alfine 11 speed hub which can be shifted at standstill, perfect for if you stop half way up a hill and need to shift down
• The trike comes stock with some great safety accessories including bar end mirrors, an LED tail whip and automatic overheat sensors that will maintain the motor (as well as a safety cap for venting when charging)
• The Cycle Analyst, Di2 electronic shifting and tail whip (and LED Lights if you get them) are all powered off the main battery pack and there’s a custom power connector point to the rear left of the saddle where they plug in
• Lots of clever special design features including disc brake rotor burn guards! These stick out and keep your calves from touching the hot disc if you stand up after a long descent :D
• Underneath the battery box there are several plastic slider strips “skid rails” and at the front there’s a metal bash guard so the bike won’t get beat up over rough terrain
• I was told that the Horizon runs at about 25 watt hours per mile which is very efficient, you get a lot of benefit at higher speeds from being recumbent vs. upright on traditional bicycles
• Onboard 1,000 watt power supply is super fast, you can charge a single pack setup in about one hour! That’s 48 volts 23.2 amp hours… almost double the size of traditional electric bicycles I test, all you need to bring along is a light weight power cable… the charger weight is kept low and center inside the bike for improved handling, stability and convenience
• The Cycle Analyst and Shimano electronic gear LCD are both backlit and the Cycle Analyst can swivel to reduce glare… it has a bunch of great readouts including voltage, amp hours used, speed, odometer and power setting… it can even roll back power based on motor temperature for improved durability no matter how you ride
• Solid two year warranty covers everything except for consumables (brake pads, tires etc.), Outrider has been in business since ~2009 and has a solid track record
• Highly water resistant systems and hardware, the trike is designed to stand up to rain, snow and mud and is tested rigorously

Cons:

• The pedal version of this bike (the Horizon 200L) does not include a Schlumpf gear in the front like the Alpha and Nomad models so you’re limited to the standard 11 speed internally geared hub in the rear, that’s alright in my opinion given the lower top speed of ~25 mph unlocked vs. 35 mph and 45 mph respectively
• The larger rear tire makes this Outrider the longest in the group (might be an issue if you have a short bed truck or limited garage space)
• Any of the Outrider recumbent electric trikes are going to be heavy at 100+ lbs, this makes moving and repairing them more time consuming and difficult, fixing flats on the go can be an issue so bring some tools and get good tires
• Most recumbent trikes are incompatible with hanging and even platform bike racks, consider a small trailer to pull behind your car or a ramp if you’ve got a truck or station wagon so you can put it inside with the seats folded down
• All of the Outrider models I tested had limited turning radius so it took roughly the width of a two lane street to do a 180, they quoted it at ~17 feet, I had to do a multi-point turn on several occasions where we were because the sidewalk was narrow… however, because they offer independent braking (on the front two wheels) you can “bias brake” and turn sharper if you have some momentum, this happens when you activate the inside brake harder than the outside
• Expensive… the trike starts at ~$13k and can range all the way up to ~$23k depending on the features you add and the setup desired (including more battery capacity)
• In my experience testing the trike, traction was the biggest limiting factor (and stability at low speed if you turn hard on a hill, it can roll onto its side), unlike traditional bicycles where the powered wheel is more directly below your body weight, the Outriders have a rear wheel that’s pretty far back, it helps to load the rack up to improve traction but it’s still not as good as most bicycles on steep loose terrain… it has the power, just not the traction
• There’s a .5 second delay in the electronic gear box (going from low speed high torque to high speed operation with lower torque), it’s not a huge deal… just acknowledging it, easy to activate with the blue button on the right near the red “arm” button
• When pedaling, there is some chain drag through the long plastic tubes (designed to keep you clean and snag-free) it’s noticeable and feels like a loss of efficiency, I guess it’s a trade off with most recumbents and ultra-long chain bikes
• When accelerating quickly with the motor and pedaling at higher speeds if you don’t shift correctly it’s easy to have your foot position slide on the pedals (I think clip-in pedals would help), I also snagged my shoe on the chain cover tube a couple of times
• Outrider used to offer fenders for the front two wheels but their newest models don’t, apparently the were rattling a lot and didn’t offer much protection
• Produces a high pitched electronic whining noise that could be distracting to other riders or wildlife
• No traditional water bottle cage mounting points but there are lots of holes on the seat, side racks and back rack where you might be able to tie down a bladder or mount a cage
• More complex computer system and charging routine than traditional electric bikes with two caps to remove, it has improved a lot since the original Outrider recumbent trikes
• In the event of a fix or maintenance requiring help from Outrider they will help advise a local shop, some parts may have to be shipped back to North Carolina

Resources:

• Official Site: http://outriderusa.com/collections/electric-bikes
• More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/31DR9YK5m9mBN2NR8