When I contacted Ethan at Wildfire HPV, I was looking for my first bike. I had never been able to successfully ride a bike even as a kid. Growing up in the country, I had always wanted to ride a bike to be able to get around with my friends. However, whenever I tried, I ended up falling over and injuring myself. My parents had taught my three older siblings to ride without a problem, so once I got to be about 12 and still couldn't ride, they figured I was just clumsy and unathletic and I gave up trying. Fast forward to 20 years later, and a set of circumstances led to a diagnosis of an inner ear problem that impacts my fine balance. Once I knew that not being able to ride a bike was not due to a lack of innate ability, just an inability to balance, I started looking into recumbent trikes, which would eliminate the need for me to try to balance. I ultimately found my way to Wildfire HPV's website.
This was a big purchase, and a big leap, for someone who couldn't even be sure if I would really like cycling. Ethan was very patient and accommodating as I tried a number of models he had available and tried to figure out what would best suit my needs. I wanted to be sure to get something that was good for a beginner, but also had the possibility for me to grow into it ability-wise, and also could fold to fit in the trunk of my sedan. He was helpful when I was trying to think of which additional accessories would make sense for me to get right at the outset. He has even helped me multiple times since, installing and even custom making some parts that I ended up needing as I began to ride more and more. Now, I am an honest-to-goodness cyclist. My current record is 77.07 miles in a single day (that's a lot of pedalling on such small wheels), and I've gotten into bikepacking/bike touring. I'm now doing things I'd always dreamed of, but didn't think were possible for me until I bought my Greenspeed GT-1 through Wildfire HPV and started riding.
Ethan is knowledgeable about recumbents and trikes, and is well-connected to people and resources. He hosts an annual rally for cyclists, both for previous customers and for the general public, which is a great opportunity to see and test ride a wide variety of unusual bikes, meet the folks riding them, and take in a gorgeous ride. It has been great to get to know others riding similar bikes and get together for other rides occasionally so that I don't feel like I'm the only one riding an unusual bike. I can't thank Ethan and WIldfire HPV enough for helping me with my purchase and beyond! read more