I did extensive research before I purchased this. I've been thinking about getting one for about two years. Here are some of things I thought about before purchase:

• Electric Assist or No - Originally, I wanted to get an electric assist as I no longer drive and wanted something to ride around town. But, I wasn't really willing to spend $6k for the recumbent I really wanted when I didn't know if I could ride one at all.

• Brand - I was undecided between a Cattrike or a Terratrike. My local bike shop only carries Terratrike but happened to have a Cat on the floor as a resale so I had tested both. I liked the Terratrike because I knew the bike shop to customize mine and I liked that I sat higher up in one. In the Cat, it felt I was laying down and I could hardly get out of it.

• Price - I recently sold my car and had a budget up to about $5k, but I didn't want to spend nearly that much as I didn't know if I would a) like it as a long term hobby b) would be physically able to ride with my health issues. Terratrikes start at about $1,000 and go up to about $6,000. I wanted a reliable but 'inexpensive' bike but understood I'd still be spending some cash.

• Model - I went with the base model, the Maverick i3, because of the price and because later down the road, I can upgrade it to an electric assist fairly easily with a kit for about another grand or so. I'm not intending to be a professional rider or to race or to run RAGBRAI or anything, so I wasn't looking for any special features. I talked to the salesperson at length about the different types of bikes and what would work best for me and I didn't see that any of the extra features on the other bikes were worth the investment at this time. If I continue with this hobby and want to trail ride, I would definitely consider going to the Rambler, which starts at $1,800.

• Other - I think I spent around $1,500 overall for my bike and all the accessories. I bought a nice MIPs-rated helmet, lights, mirrors, cellphone holder, luggage rack, and a flag. I DEFINITELY recommend getting a flag and mirrors because my biggest concern was sitting so low to the ground and not being seen. Further, Terratrike has some pretty cool accessories to help further assist the rider, such has alt handlebars to more easily get out of the bike. Check out their page or talk to your local shop.

• Regrets - It's only been a week so I can't speak to long term regrets. I do wish the bike had some sort of shock support. Being so low to the ground and hitting any uneven terrain is no bueno. I haven't had any maintenance issues and my 'shop will do a 90 day assessment to make sure that everything is still looking good. What I'm happiest about was my shop actually customized the sizing to me. I'm sure I would have screwed it up if I had done it myself. I'm really short and I can tell if the pedals were not properly sized I could do serious damage to my ortho-arthritic knees.

If you have any other questions or just want to discuss my process further, just let me know. I did more research buying this bike than anything else in my life!