I've got the steel frame RANS V3 for some test riding, as a higher BB alternative to the SXP, that supposedly has somewhat more stable low speed handling than it's prior cousin, the V26 that Barry has... It's a couple pounds heavier than the SXP, but the price is about $1500...
It only comes with disc brakes, primarily due to the pedal position vs. the front fork -- there's no room for V-brakes (mentioned previously in The Recumbent Blog). The handlebar consists of a straight riser about 19" long, connected to a wide U-bar that puts the ends of the grips about 24" apart. The seat height for the SXP is listed at 21", vs. 23.5" for the V3, and the specs say that the BB is at 26", almost 10" higher than on the SXP -- you can definitely see this difference in the pic:
I can really feel this difference in basic seat height when I'm stopped, sitting with my feet down. Someone with shorter legs could have trouble reaching the ground comfortably! And the seat height increases as you move forward (i.e., for shorter legs)...
I keep my seat recline on the SXP at about 55 degrees from horizontal, so I anticipated being able to recline signficantly more on the V3. However, despite the higher BB position, the maximum useable seat recline is about 5 holes from the end of the flute tube, resulting in approximately a 45 degree seatback angle from horizontal. This is due to two things -- once again, the seat starts digging into backs of the legs, and
This is also about how far I can go and still comfortably reach the grips. (And I purchase 35/36" shirt sleeve lengths) Reclined totally (last notch), I can barely touch the grips, and the seatpad interferes badly. This reach issue could be corrected by an angled riser (that RANS offers), but it would still require a different style seat cushion/pad to take maximum advantage of recline.
Another interesting thing about this bike -- this must be an XL frame, because on my SXP, the seat position is about 4" from the furthest back I can put it. On this V3, the seat is ONE INCH from the very FRONT of the adjustment range!!! This was surprising, because the specs don't indicate this should be this difference...
I put SPD pedals on, and went for a short ride. It felt pretty good, and I intentionally went up a short hill as slowly as I could -- the handing feels just FINE, with no noticeable wheel flop. Unfortunately, after about 5 minutes of riding around my neighborhood, it started sleeting and raining... so that was the end of THAT for today. I spent the next rainy hour or so putting on a computer, adjusting the disc brakes, etc.
I'm planning on riding it more during the week, and taking it on a couple 40 milers this weekend. I'll letcha know how it goes...
Right off the top, I'd say if you're looking at one of these, get an angled riser and a seat different than the "standard" style.