BlazingPedals,
Here is the real truth. I am afraid you are sorely misinformed, and should be more cautious about posting information when you do not have the facts. I am not trying to be mean. The gentleman below from the Lightning Riders forum tells the real story:
Pre-1996 P-38 frames somewhat less robust than newer ones
Hi Lisa,
Lightning has been building the P-38 bike since the early / middle 1980s. Some of the earliest frames are still in regular use (I have one of the originals with the permanently attached seat frame.) Because the bikes are so much fun to ride, many Lightning riders accumulate BIG miles on their bikes.
A very few of the more extreme high mileage riders - especially the people over 200 pounds - experienced frame cracks on older frames. Mostly around the head tube area, but once in while around the seat as well. This happened to me on a frame built in 1994. Lightning repaired my out-of-warranty frame at a modest cost and gave me a fresh powdercoat job too. The repaired frame was better than new.
In 1996, Lightning beefed up the P-38 frame in a variety of ways. The newer frames are easy to distinguish from the older ones: they have a small ovalized cross brace between the twin top tubes, just ahead of the seat area. The newer frames are more reliable than the older ones.
There is an old saying about bikes: light, cheap, long-lasting. Pick two. The point is that bike design involves trade-offs between competing desirable qualities. It is easy to make a frame that will be cheap and last forever. But it will be heavy, and less fun to ride.
If you weigh more than 200 / 250 pounds, ride over curbs and pot-holed streets, and ride in excess of five thousand miles a year on your bike, you may be better off not buying a pre-1996 Lightning P-38.
If you are of more ordinary weight and do not beat the crap out of your bike, you will probably find that your post-1995 Lighting P-38 will last longer than you.
Only the Avatar / Ryan Vanguard, Easy Racers, and RANS long wheelbase recumbent bikes have been in service as long as the Lightnings. All of these bikes - except the Lightnings - are built with heavier riders in mind, and they weigh significantly more than a P-38.
I have owned these other bikes too. The other recumbent bikes have their charms, but the Lightning is best, by a considerable margin.