ChiliDog

I am considering a Bacchetta Giro. Would love to hear feedback from owners or others who have tested this bike....thanks in advance...

RBrentS

I've had a Giro for a quite a while. It's a great bike made by one of the most respected companies in the industry. The somewhat lower bottom bracket makes it a very rider friendly bike. In terms of performance, it's surprisingly close to my Bacchetta Corsa. I suggest you check out Bentrideronline's review of the bike if you haven't already.

zoridog

I've owned my Giro for almost one month. I test rode the BikeE and Rans Rocket followed by the Giro. I didn't go to the bike shop to buy, just to try a bent. I felt so strongly about the Giro that I took it home immediately after the test ride. The seat and handlebars are more comfortable than Rans (IMHO).

It has serious hill climbing ability. It is light at 30lbs. Shifting is smooth and quiet. I enjoy riding it so much that I have forced myself not to ride any bike for a few days. I was riding double my usual mileage and it started taking its toll on my leg muscles and joints.

The Giro is a nice bike and should be ridden before you make another purchase. Mine will never be "FOR SALE".

My gripes: 1)no kickstand available 2)the seat is at the same height as a dog's mouth 3)recumbents do not handle rough roads - any type of pavement is OK but forget loose gravel. 4)the steering is very sensitive - use care when bombing downhill

sch

Bacchetta enthusiasts are pretty rabid about it and there have been few naysayers.
It has replaced Rans as the sanctified church of recumbency. Do a search for
Bacchetta at www.groups.yahoo.com for lots of comments. You could do a LOT
worse than a Bacchetta of any stripe. Main problem practically is access, they only
sell through dealers and no mailorder. If you are lucky there will be one 'nearby'.
Steve

sukispop

Hi ChiliDog,

Didn't you get your Tour Easy fairly recently?

Hmmm...2 new bents a year...now that's what I'm talkin' about!

Good luck with your Giro research! 'Hope you can get one...I hear they're a blast to ride, especially with the TerraCycle GlideFlex stem and those handlebars(supposedly hand placement nirvana)! Keep us posted!

ChiliDog

I was interested in a Giro last year, but have never been able to find one in a small size to try out. I like a SWB bent too. Drawback to the Tour Easy is transporting it and handling it (I've had a recent surgery and I doubt I will be able to transport it until next spring due to my lifting restrictions.)

The ideal bent is a SWB with the same comfort level of seating and handlebar set up as the Tour Easy...low seat, flat-footed seating, arms relaxed angle. I am tired of the RANS "in your face" hand positions.

Still would like to find a Giro to test ride. I've emailed a shop with a 2 hour drive of me, but never heard back from them. Other than that, I have no way to ride one to see how it fits. I am thinking of next spring...

Hey, Geoff, did you go for that Tour Easy?

sukispop

Hi ChiliDog,

No, I couldn't get a hold of the guy...I tried calling him a couple of times, but no answer and no machine to leave a message.

But, that's okay, because I drove the 70 miles to my "local" bent shop. I test rode a Stratus, a V2, and a Jett Creek.

All three were cool in their own way. The V2 was very efficient, a great climber and handler...but I didn't care for the higher bb, especially when trying to launch the bike on a slight uphill grade. The Jett Creek was supremely stable, great at turns, fairly comfortable(but not as comfortable as the Rans' products)...but slow on hills. Trying to make it up a slight hill with all three bikes in the same gear--the V2 was the winner, making it up easily, the Stratus also did quite well, but the Jett Creek just seemed to make me work harder to get up that hill.

In the end, the Stratus was just an awesome ride for me, personally. Everything just fit me right. I had to play around with the seat adjustments for awhile, but once I got it right, that was it! The Stratus clicked for me the same way(I think) that your Tour Easy clicked for you, CD! I've never been a big fan of the color green(no offense, green color lovers! ), but the '04 Stratus comes in this "Emerald Black" with aqua flecks that sparkle with the sunlight---what can I say? Gorgeous....

I recently sold my GTO(long story...but good ending), got back what I paid for it, and got to thinking of how cool it would be to have a Stratus! After test riding the three bikes, my feelings for the Stratus were confirmed...and since the shop owner offered me a good deal on it, I bought it! (it wasn't my birthday...it just felt like it!!!)

ChiliDog

WOW! Hey, email me a pic or post one if it's possible on this or the BROL website! I've seen that color...it is beautiful!

EXCELLENT CHOICE!

sukispop

Thanks, ChiliDog!

I don't have the bike yet...

I test rode the Stratus(and the other two bikes) last Saturday, and the shop owner was busy finishing up existing orders and getting ready to leave for Interbike the next day...and since I wanted him to change out the small chainring for lower gearing, as well as install some goodies like a computer, kickstand, and mirror, we both agreed that it would be best for him to build up my bike, fresh out of the carton, after he returns this coming weekend. The Stratus I rode was his demo and has signs of quite a bit of test riding...mine will be a brand new baby!

I hope to take delivery of it by the following weekend...and I'll try to take a pic of it and post it here. I'm not sure if you can post pics on BROL...?

I can't wait to bring my baby home!

John Ben

I test rode the Gyro at our local shop. It was easy to ride. It was fast. It was very confortable. I bought the Jett Creel by Burley for tooling around, as the Linear with USS is a bear to ride, it is on consignment now. The Burley is great for in traffic as it is as stable as a beach bike. I may go back and buy the Gyro as it was fast and I do not like to get passed by every roadie. The Burley Jett Creek is so stable and the learning curve us ZERO! Fast it is not, so the Gyro may be brought home as an alternate ride when fast is desired.

ChiliDog

Hey John,
THAT is precisely where my mind is...the Giro as a second bent for the reasons you stated.
CD

Krispy

I came within a frog’s hair of buying a Giro today! I went back to the LBS to look at some other recumbents and while there I decided to give the Giro another chance. On my previous test rides I kept telling the salesman that I liked the Giro but that it felt like it had more rolling resistance than some of the other bikes I had tried. I had almost written it off as one of my choices.

Today when I went back I pressed the issue again and asked them if they could change out the tires to see if they were possibly the culprit. When the mechanic looked at the tires he realized the salesman had been under inflating them on a major scale. Once they put in the proper pressure the bike rode and handled tremendously better! Since the Giro I looked at is a 2004 model the shop owner is offering to sell it to me for $450.00 off the retail price. There is probably a puddle of drool under the Giro right now!

The only reason I didn’t buy the Giro today is that I was thinking I’d really like to try the new 05 Giro 26 first. One of the other bikes I test road again today was the RANS Force 5. The Force 5, the Strada and the Giro 26 have similar geometry. Since the LBS doesn’t have a Strada or a Giro 26 the only thing close is the Force 5.

The Force 5 has impressed me as being a slightly more stable bike than the Giro. To give you a comparison the Force 5 feels like I could almost ride it no-handed while I have to keep at least one hand on the bars of the Giro. However, I’ve concluded that the Force 5 would not make a good touring bike. What I don’t know is whether I would be as comfortable on the Force 5/ Giro 26 as I would the 04 Giro on an all day ride. The body position of the Force 5 and Giro 26 are more extreme. On the other hand I’ve ridden the 04 Giro enough now that I’m confident I would be comfortable on an all day ride.

The shop owner and his mechanic had just returned from Interbike where they saw but did not test ride the Giro 26. They explained that the Giro 26 will be just like last year's Strada with 26" wheels. The shop owner told me he would call Bacchetta Monday to see when he can get one in.

Here’s my dilemma: I know if I wait for the Giro 26 I’ll miss a fantastic deal on the 04 Giro. If I buy the 04 Giro and later find the 05 Giro 26 to be the better choice I’ll be kicking myself. What do you all think would be the safer bet; taking the chance that I could adapt to a more extreme position during an all day ride on the Giro 26 or taking the chance that the 04 Giro will feel less twitchy to me after I’ve ridden it a few hundred miles?

John Ben

I am also interested in the Gyro 20. The shop manager offered one hundred dollars off the price if I would purchase the 04 model. One hundred dollars is not that much, so I did not jump. I would also like to try the 26, but they have none in stock. 100 dollars off the price would not be enough, I would rather see the 05 models, with the new up dates. If he had offered 450 dollars ,I would own it now, and possibly regret later when the new improved models become available. We never know. But, when we see a good bargain and pass it up we seldom get a second chance.

Krispy

I understand, for $100.00 more why not go for the 05 model. Each LBS has it's own range of what it can discount its products if at all. Last week I was at an LBS that had a 2000 RANS Rocket. They would only discount it $150.00 and they were no longer an authorized RANS dealer. You never know, it will probably sit there for a while longer and someone who has not done their research will probably buy it and be quite happy with it.

The more I think about the Giro 20 the more I think it will be my safer bet especially at the price I can get it for. One of the reasons I'm considering a recumbent is because of the trouble I'm having with my neck and shoulder from previous bike injuries. When I ride my Litespeed my neck hurts me for days afterwords due to the more aero body position. The body position on the Giro 26 is almost the opposite and I will have no idea what that will do to my neck at this point. When I ride the Giro 20 everything seems pretty comfortable. If I do buy it in the next few days I'll let you all know what I think about it after riding it a few more miles.