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08-05-06, 11:47 PM
So a couple of weeks ago I took the wife out to look at some new bents. She loved her EZ-Sport, but I was hoping to find something that she was comfortable riding but would give a boost in performance, especially climbing. Well, they had the Bacchetta Cafe and she liked it. The cockpit is similar to the EZ, with the obvious exception of the BB being up higher. We finally got out last Monday with the EZ on the rack, and I have to give props to John at Bike@Vienna in Vienna, VA. The EZ had been well maintained and was in very nice shape, and he gave us a trade-in allowence that was, in my opinion, very generous.
So we managed to get out for a morning ride this week, but that was only 8 miles. Tonight we got out for a little more, and did 20 miles including some hills and some flats. Here's the problem. The kids and I are on road bikes, and I can handle anything any of them dish out. The wife though, has been our slow rider, and now she's not. She's rocking out on the Cafe. She's still slower off a stop light, but not as slow, and her climbing and flat performance seems to have improved dramatically. Sometimes she is actually pushing me some, so I think we can trade drafts now, or soon. She had my daughter wimpering on some downhill runs.
Seriously, this thing seems pretty solid, and when I asked her how satisfied she was with the trade, on a scale of 1 - 10, she said "10, more or less". This is a pretty sweet ride and at $1000 or so retail I think it's well worth looking at for those that are looking for a reasonably price 'bent.
So we managed to get out for a morning ride this week, but that was only 8 miles. Tonight we got out for a little more, and did 20 miles including some hills and some flats. Here's the problem. The kids and I are on road bikes, and I can handle anything any of them dish out. The wife though, has been our slow rider, and now she's not. She's rocking out on the Cafe. She's still slower off a stop light, but not as slow, and her climbing and flat performance seems to have improved dramatically. Sometimes she is actually pushing me some, so I think we can trade drafts now, or soon. She had my daughter wimpering on some downhill runs.
Seriously, this thing seems pretty solid, and when I asked her how satisfied she was with the trade, on a scale of 1 - 10, she said "10, more or less". This is a pretty sweet ride and at $1000 or so retail I think it's well worth looking at for those that are looking for a reasonably price 'bent.