Recumbent - Lowdown on Lowracers

I'm a bit of a noob in general, but also to 'bents. I am currently trying to decide what kind to get or to make my own. I'm also dealing with environmental issues (however stupid they might be) such as which frame material/paint job/fairing material/ any conceivable bike part is "best" for the environment ( i know that might be taking it a little too far with the eco thing). anyways, i have recently been cottoning to lowracers the most, since they are the fastest bikes available. My questions are about lowracers in general: does a 26" rear wheel mean a faster bike? what are the lightest acceptable type of brakes for something that can go that fast? (are v-brakes out of the question?) what peculiarities do FWD lowracers have? (and how do you steer such a beast?!) also, are there any companies that make a cro-moly lowracer? (so far the ones i've seen are either aluminum or carbon fiber.) Also, without suspension, how would the 3 frame materials rank as far as comfort go? (I'm guessing 1. Cro-moly/steel 2. Aluminum 3. Carbon Fiber?) I've been looking at John Tetz and his foamshell fairings and have been getting pretty stoked about getting/building a lowracer. I apologize for the huge post; as you can see, i really am quite a noob.:o

So many questions, so little time! :)

1. I'm a big-wheel chauvinist. I firmly believe that big wheels are faster, especially on the drive wheel. Using small wheels is a compromise between speed and packaging, IMHO. You can't have a lowracer without the small front wheel, but a 700C drive wheel would be faster than a 26". I've often said that it's ludicrous for a bike built for speed to have a BMX wheel on the front and a mountain bike wheel on the back. To normalize the gearing with my 26" rear wheel, my lowracer has a 58T chainring.

2. Most lowracers either have disc brakes as standard or at least as an option. Dual pivots are lighter and are the brake of choice when weight is more important than massive stopping power. I would recommend discs if you are on the heavy side or you ride in BIG hills/mountains. V-Brakes would work but I don't know of any lowracer that uses them.

3. FWD lowracers work because the chain can twist some and still work. Steering is somewhat affected, but they function normally at normal riding speeds. The only time you might have problems with the steering limitations is when parking one.

4. Chromo lowracers are made by M-5 and (I think) by Barcroft. And chromo is the material of choice for most homebuilders - it's easy to work with and .035 tubing results in a reasonably light frame.

5. Lowracers typically (all?) have monotube frames with fairly long wheelbases. Carbon ones are very stiff, but aluminum and chromo both have passive suspension due to the design.

(does that mean the "curvier" the frame, the better the passive susp.? i.e. challenge jester)
isn't the long chain on a RWD 700c lowracer less efficient because of the convoluted chainline?

It's the longer wheelbase that makes for 'passive' suspension. A trussed frame could be made stiffer, but then it'd weigh more too. Yes convoluted chain routing makes for *slightly* less efficiency. Although just about any bent will have 2.5 or 3 normal lengths of chain and at least one idler, so it's something most bents have in common.

No matter what you build, or purchase, just make sure that it is yellow. I've been told before that yellow is the fastest color available.

No matter what you build, or purchase, just make sure that it is yellow. I've been told before that yellow is the fastest color available.

The roadies around here certainly find it so!

what's a "noob?"

what's a "noob?"

short for newbie, it means "new person." Sometimes derogatory, if the person is being unusually stupid. ;)