Recumbent - Not your usual question about what to buy, but still what to buy?

Hi all!

I love the forums here and have been perusing the past threads trying to get a little better insight on what to buy for my SECOND bent. A little background might help put everything in perspective.

I have been into folding bikes for a long time as I love to travel. I have some pretty good performing bikes and a very fast DF style full-size bike. A few months ago I got the itch to buy a bent. After careful consideration I bought a Bacchetta Corsa high racer. It sort of became a project bike in search of ever more speed. It is fast, fun, crappy on rough roads and generally not a bike I would want to ride every day where I live but I can’t stand to part with it now.

So what I am looking for is a second bent that would compliment the Corsa and be many things it ISN’T while still being reasonably fast and fun to ride. I have less than great roads here and not always much in the way of dedicated bike trails to ride on initially. I want something that will still be pretty fast, decent on hills, lower seat height and BB. I want something I could use for city commuting if need be (30% of the time) and the rest of the time maybe a little touring. Honestly the Corsa pretty much sucks at this in the traffic I have to deal with so I have ruled it out for commuting to work.

It seems something along the lines of a LWB might not be too bad for what I want to do. I really don’t want to sacrifice too much speed over my Corsa. I would most likely put a fairing on any bent I buy. It seems the LWB benefit quite a bit from this. I put a Mueller on my Corsa and while no major improvement (not a real surprise) I did notice one in general riding and much more in windy conditions. Main benefit was on the cooler morning rides.

So one of the bikes I am considering is the RANS Stratus. My LBS has a leftover one at a pretty good price. Ok, maybe at a great price but I am not trying to let price factor into this too much as absolute lowest price is not the determinant factor. However I do have a maximum budget for this of $1500 (without tax, shipping, etc.) as this will allow me to buy a few goodies to go with it like a fairing, better tires, racks, etc.

So based on my specified criteria, what model would probably be best? Also what aerodynamic aids provide the best bang for the buck? Any upgrades I should consider IF I bought a Stratus? How is the ride quality of the Stratus? Are any of the SUNS worth considering? One last thing, this bent might sometimes see duty for a family member that is a beginner as well. I have sort of toyed with the idea of a trike at times because of this. If I were to up my price range a bit, any decent trikes that still fast? In reality between a bent like the Stratus and a trike like a mid-range ICE, how much slower will the ICE be? The Stratus sort of reminds me of the Gold Rush and I know they weren’t slow so I hope I am not wrongly presuming that the Stratus pretty equivalent. I’d consider spending more but if I commute to work I have to park it outside. I’d hate to lose a really expensive bike.

Lastly how much slower (equivalent engines) would a Stratus be than my Corsa assuming they both have somewhat equivalent aero aids?

Thanks for any help or insight you can provide.

I can't say much about the performance aspects as I am not a club rider and don't fret over statistics or aerodynamics. I can say that bikes such as the Stratus, or Tour Easy, are capable of maintaining good speed over long distances and should provide a smoother ride than your hi-racer.

As for commuting, keep in mind that LWB's like the Stratus have a wider turning radius and rather sedate handling. Does your commute include lots of tight turns and crowded streets? Also, storage and transport can be a bit of an issue here.

One option could be an SWB such as the Bacchetta Giro. Setup with strong wheels and wider tires, it would make a fine touring/commuting bicycle. The overall "feel" would be closer to your Corsa but would be much less daunting for any new rider. Take a look at the new Agio as well.

Are you familiar with Burley's Jett Creek LWB? The 2006 model seems one of the better all-around values in the 'bent world. It has a solid mix of components and the monotube frame would definitely smooth out the bumps. It's not a high-performance bike, though...more of a cruiser.

Lucky13- I appreciate the feedback. I am not looking to race my next ‘bent but more of keeping my commute times decent. I don’t have too much city traffic except for about 2 miles at the beginning and end of my commute to work. However I do need to cover about 14 miles. I need to cover this in about 45 minutes. It isn’t flat either. So I need to be able average pretty close to 18-19 mph. So at cruise I need to be around 20-21mph. I can easily do this on my Corsa as it climbs pretty well except for one steep part but then I fly on the downhill side.
I basically need pretty good speed and something that is going to absorb road shock better than the Corsa and its narrow tires. Obviously the more efficient it is, the faster I can get to work and the less need for a shower when I get there. :D

I do have a fair number of traffic lights and starting a lot is not yet my forte’ on the Corsa due to its high BB. Not to mention I have a fair amount of money already wrapped up in it and if it got stolen I’d not be too pleased. I’d bike commute every day if I can get there in 45 minutes or less as long as it wasn’t snowing or heavy rain. The Corsa will do it for me but I just get beat up on the roads a lot. I can’t go too much bigger with tires either to help absorb the shock.

yo, check out the sun ez sport. I too bought a swb (without a testride) and had a ruff time riding, much less commuting. I got my ez sport 2 months ago and its great. I commute 5 mi each way every day. One advantage is you can look over your shoulder (pretty hard to do on a swb) to see the log trks coming up behind you.

there are plenty of swb bents with some sort of shock if you're loking for a plusher ride without sacrificing too much comfort - look into some of those perhaps?