Jay D

I'm considering switching from a DF to a recumbent bike and I've narrowed my choices down to either a Bacchetta Giro 20 or 26. I did some test rides awhile back and I really liked how the Giro 20 felt height and view wise, however the steering seemed pretty twitchy to me. The Giro 26 didn't have this feeling but was a daunting task getting on it and I didn't care for how high I was even while I was riding it. I would like to go with the Giro 20, however my route to work goes down a fairly large incline that makes me nervous about how twitchy the steering felt. Do any of you Giro 20 (or any other 26/20 recumbent) riders have any experience with this? Will the steering issue go away once I get more used to riding the thing? Or would I be better off with the Giro 26 even though I don't really care for how high it is?

Spokesmaneditor

I have a Rans V-Rex with a 20/26 setup and it felt twitchy to me at first (my first recumbent). But after 3 months of riding, I feel more secure going downhill on it than on my upright. That being said, I have not been going faster than 35 to 38 downhill on the recumbent. Others will have much more experience than me.

The other important point is that you would probably be comfortable on either bike after a month of riding.

JanMM

Yes, based on my experience on a V-Rex.

jeffh129

Go here... the Bacchetta Bikes message board. Ask them. They will tell it like it is

https://www.bacchettabikes.com/forum2/

BlazingPedals

Riders who are new to the recumbent world often try to push the handlebars, as they would on an upright. BZZZZT! Wrong method! Take a deep breath, relax the upper body, and just let the arms hang there. THAT'S how a recumbent is meant to be steered. Now push off without tensing up. Twitchiness is caused by the rider, not by the bike.

purplepeople

In general, you should be able to steer a recumbent using only your fingertips on the hand grips. Since you are not also holding up your upper body, the amount of force required to steer a recumbent is much less than upright bikes. Suggest you practice riding around in a parking lot until you have "learned" to trust the design of the machine.

Now, that said, the fact that you report a difference between the 20/20 and 20/26 points to a couple things. The first is that both bike may be using the same fork and frame, so that the 20/20 has increased trail compared to the 20/26. Contrary to popular opinion, increased trail does not necessarily make a bike more stable. The other possibility is with the actual angle of the seat back. You may be more comfortable with a more upright seat back angle. Too low and you may find yourself attempting to pull your upper body forward to get less of a forward crook in your neck. As most experienced recumbent riders will say, balance is about being relaxed. What most of them don't realize is that relaxation is just a way of making sure your back has full length contact with the seat... right up to your shoulders which are critical. Leaning back to keep your shoulders in contact keeps your body and bike in balance. Leaning forward to remove shoulder contact allows the bike to tilt left and right without your body going with it.... and is the cause of much instability for new riders.

:)ensen.

Doug5150

Bikes with short wheelbases are twitchy.
Bikes with smaller front wheels are twitchy.
Bikes with both, even more so.

The bike will actually get more stable the faster you go, but riding hands-off may still be a challenge.

I started off in recumbents with a short-wheelbase 20/26 bike, and its front wheel was especially unstable when riding through patches of gravel. I got rid of it and got a long-wheelbase, which is harder to transport, but I enjoy the riding much more.
~

alpinist

I'll second that. I have a Giro 26 that I've ridden less than 100 miles so far, and I'm already pretty used to starting and stopping.

Relaxing your arms and upper body is the key to getting rid of the 'twitchiness'.

I have ridden it 33 mph down hills on my commute, and I'm still not going as fast as I could yet. I'm wondering what it will be like after I have 500 - 1,000 miles logged!

Relax, and don't push or pull on the handlebars. If you feel it getting twitchy, try holding the handlebars with your fingertips instead of GRIPPING them in your hands, and work out the balance and motion with your legs and lower body.

unixpro

I ride a Giro 20 and part of my commute home has a long downhill grade, in traffic, with stoplights. It was a little, uh, interesting at first, but once you get used to it and learn to read both the road and the bike, it's actually more stable, in my opinion, than my DF was on the same hill.

The first few times down the hill I just coasted to get used to the way it felt. These days I'm actively pedaling and reach speeds between 35 and 40 MPH. Getting to those speeds lets me take the full lane and ride at traffic speeds, which means I'm in the smoother part of the road than the shoulder. Further, it's a blast to go that fast. The looks from the drivers are interesting too.

LWB_guy

Doug5150, thanks for clarifying.

I'm reading this thread with interest, as my homebuilt CLWB bike is 27/20, with a 62.8 inch wheelbase. Sometimes when I'm going fast down a smooth steep highway, I think it feels twitchy. But really, that usually happens on a day with gusting winds, when the sideload varies from second to second because of the way the wind swirls through the canyon. I think I'm just scared. Other times, I think it's very reliable and predictable. I haven't wiped out since updating the user interface, though. I have more updating to do.

unixpro, I know what you mean about taking the whole lane. I try to stay on lesser-traveled roads, so I can ride atop the double yellow line. That's the smoothest spot on the roads around here.

djwid

I love roads where the speed limit is 35 or less for downhill sections. I can take the lane with full confidence that no one should pass me. On most hills I push 33-38mph, I tend to start looking for my brakes at 40+, my stability on my Corsa is quite good but it is a hi-racer. Soon I will be riding my lowracer (Raptobike) down hills and I expect it to be very stable. It is an incredible machine.

cod.peace

After getting used to the steering I found that I feel much more secure going down hills feet first rather than head first in the drops on a DF.

YoYoSpin

Here’s a link to the best how-to get started on a recumbent article I’ve ever encountered. Looking back on my first 2-wheel recumbent rides (on a 26/20 Rans V2), this article describes exactly what I was doing wrong and how to correct it.

CHAS

Have been down steep hills to 38mph on my TiRex, which is 26/20. The road was roughed and potholed. Hope to go faster next time.
The problem was in not shifting down to go uphill. Strained one knee. Still recovering from that. Don't forget you can press on the pedals like it is a leg press machine.
Have fewer than 500 miles on it.

Jeff Wills

I've been above 50mph on my Lightning P38, and it was stable as a table. It takes practice and conscious relaxation of the upper body/arms/hands to avoid the twitchies. Kind of a Zen thing.

la2sei

Some consider my 16/26 Vision to be twitchy, I haven't had a problem even over 40mph. I am planning on putting a 20 up front for a smoother ride and a little less rolling resistance.

MarkMe

I got my 20TT up to 43.5 mph and it was exciting, but stable. As the speed increases, so does the stability(well you know, up to a point). The 26 in Giro should be more stable due to the centrifugal force generated by the larger wheel. If you are a "racer", go for the 26 in or consider a Corsa
I started out on a 20 and am now up to a modified to 24 in Giro. Good luck on your decision.
Mark

alpinist

It's not the bike that's twitchy, it's the rider.

Someone had to say it.

LWB_guy

Yeah, alpinist, that sums it up quite well.

Ed Davidson, thanks for sharing that webpage. It pretty much agrees with what I learned about maneuvering a vehicle: You steer it with your eyes.

LWB_guy

Jeff, how much does that Lightning P-38 weigh?

alpinist

Now that I've ridden my Giro 26 daily for a few weeks, I'll add that the more I ride it, the smoother it gets.

The smoother I get, really.

Jeff Wills

215 pounds less without the rider.

One of these days I'll haul it down to Coventry and weigh it. Usually it just hangs on the wall nowadays. I'm getting older and I find my Gold Rush to be more comfy.

Jeff Wills

So that's why my eyes are so tired at the end of a long ride.

BlazingPedals

They did. In post #5.

iconoclast

I found the 20" front tire on my LWB to be twitchy.
So, I modified my EZ Sport from a 20" to a 24" front tire.
It has made a huge difference in handling, especially at high speed.
Front wheel size does make a difference in handling.