Recreational & Family - 2006 Specialized Expedition Elite arrived!

My "new" bike arrived late Friday afternoon. I only had enough time to put the tires, handlebars, and the seat on before I had to tend to other things. I was able to get back to it later that night. Mind you, I bought this bike used on Ebay, so I needed to spend some time on it.

All of that aside, I believe that I'm going to like the bike a lot. I took it out with the family today, after I had switched over the rack from another bike, and put on my homemade attachment for my son's Fastback. The only real problem I had with it was the seat, which squeaked terribly. The bike did very well with my son on the back.

The bike comes equipped with braze-ons for two water bottle holders, which is a must for me. It has a suspended front fork and seatpost. It also comes with Specialized Body Geometry handlebar grips, which are sweet! I'm still tweaking the seat and handlebar position, but I'm close. The only thing I really want to swap out quickly are the tires. It has Specialized Crossroads 26" Armadillo tires on it, which I really do not care for. I'm going to order a pair of Schwalbe Big Apples to put on it. I'll let you know how it rides with the new rubber on it when I get them.

The riding position is pretty much upright. Between the geometry of bike and the adjustable stem, getting the bike to fit is just a matter of tweaking.

As I ride it more this week, I'll add more to my notes.

Have had the chance to ride it for a couple of hour and 90-minute rides. I continue to tweak, but the bike itself is great! I swapped out the handlebars for ones with a bit more sweep back. Not a huge change in angle, but a HUGE change is wrist comfort / pressure on the arms. Very nice!

I swapped out the stock Specialized Armadillos for Schwalbe Big Apples. WOW!!! A huge decline in rolling resistance! One wouldn't think that such a tire would roll this easy, but it does. I can't wait to take it out this afternoon for a spin!

As for the saddle, I've tried five different ones. I think I may have found one that will work for me though. It is the saddle that we took off of my wife's Giant Sedona some years ago. It has no springs, and it seems to fit pretty well. It is not a huge comfort seat; somewhat narrower. Again, a longer ride will tell the tail (pun intended).

More later after my ride.

I have arrived!

When you finally get the bike adjusted, just the right way, and everything clicks . . . what a gas! This is the first time, in a very long time, that I've been able to ride a non-recumbent bike and not have my wrists hurt afterward. My only complaint (which has nothing to do with the bike) is that I had to be home by a certain time. What fun, indeed!

I really can't believe how much of a difference the Big Apples make!

And here's the real kicker....I can't remember ever having this much fun on any of my recumbents. Now, I understand that they are great for certain people, and I am happy for them. But I really feel that a search which has gone on for some years, has finally ended.

Yeah, I think I'll keep this one! :D

Nice man. We just got my mom the women's expedition elite but the 07 model (gotta love year end sales) gotta say it's an extremely comfortable bike to ride. enjoy!

I'm glad to hear that she likes it. They had some interesting color combos this last year. I'm still kind of getting used to the higher riding position after riding recumbents for about 7 years. I just put a Serfas RX seat on it, and I think that I may have finally gotten it dialed in nicely.

I have a Specialized Expedition that I bought in 2004 and have put many miles on it.The only change I made was a cloud 9 seat and mounted it as far back as I could.It came with the Hemisphere tires that I like.I got it from a rental bike shop in Steam Boat Co.And still had the tags on it.I think because it is a very big frame that they could not rent. You have to be six feet or more to ride it.
Wink

Nice man. We just got my mom the women's expedition elite but the 07 model (gotta love year end sales) gotta say it's an extremely comfortable bike to ride. enjoy!

The geometry is quite different on the 2007-2008 models, for both the Expeditions and the Crossroads. They lowered the bottom bracket, which really becomes clear if you look at pictures of both the '06 and '07 models. On the '06, the chain stays are almost parallel to the ground. On the 07 bikes, there is a downward slope from the rear hub to the bottom bracket. This enabled them to relax the seat tube angle a couple of degrees, which makes a huge difference. They also changed the top tube in 07, giving it a bend about half way down to the seat tube to make more clearance for stand-over. Of course, I'm talking about the men's version of the bike here.

Let me put it this way . . . the changes are significant enough that I am seriously considering the purchase of an '07 Crossroads to get the benefits of 700c wheels.