JMA

I bought a Vision R64 a year and half ago. It was billed as a bike that would compete with uprights for speed. I am really disappointed in the speed. I'm 49 yr old man and very active. My upright was a double crank and not the fastest upright but fast non the less. Seems like I have to double clutch to shift on the front crank thus causing slower times because of longer shift times. The 600cc tires don't seem like they made that much difference either. Then the company went bankrupt.

I'd like to hear from other R64 owners. What are your experiences? Are you satisfied with your R64's.

lowracer1

If you want to go fast enough to keep up with road bikes or even blow by them on a daily basis, you probably should have purchased a lowracer. I've never heard of an R-64 being that fast unless of course it had a full body sock. I've got a buddy on a lowracer who is 50 years old and has pulled numerous solo 4:30 nonstop century times. change your ride.

BlazingPedals

Go easy on him, Chris! You don't want to be like JNC!

I rode an R64 ONCE, and my impression was that it had respectable get-up-and-go. Certainly comparable to most uprights. I didn't like the handling, but that's another story. How fast are your wedgie-riding friends going (how fast do you expect to go,) and how many miles have you put on the Vision? Also, what size chainrings do you have that they are shifting slowly?

Dr. Duk

JMA:
I purchased my R-64 in Aug of 2002. IMHO the R-64 is a very good "Bent". It is very fast, nimble, comfortable and a attention getter!! I don't know if you had a typo but the tire size is 650c/23. I am 58 yrs of age and I can ususally maintain a 25 mph average on most days. I haven't suffered any shifting problems. I have rapid fire shifters. Maybe the shifters need a minor adjustment. I also attached a Mueller XT fairing. This made a noticeable difference in the speed aspect of the ride but not for foul weather riding. I also changed my wheel sets to a set of Shimano Dura-Ace WH-7701 with a pair of Schwalbe Stelvio. This combitnation made quite a bit of difference in my speed. I hope your future experience with the R-64 will be better then your past experience. If you need parts for your R-64 try ths LBS in Texas. https://www.easystreetrecumbents.com/Visionparts.html

Carpe Diem

lowracer1

Sorry John, I guess I actually miss johnny nocoms harrassment.

never mind the lowracer thing....... work on the engine.

hey john spring is getting close............can ya taste it?

atom bomb

I have been riding an R64 for 2 years. The stock seat doesn't recline as much as other high racers. If you are tall (a lot of torso) and you keep the seat too upright, you are not maximizing the aero possibilities of the bike. I installed an HpVelotechnik hard shell seat on mine, with hardware I made from stock aluminum. The HPV seat sits lower on the frame and reclines to about 28-30 degrees. When I made the swap, the lower recline combined with the hard seat (vs. the stock mesh) gained me almost 2 mph on my fast ride average. I also swapped out the rapid fire shifters for Rocket Shorty grip shifters - much quicker and more precise in my opinion. Dr. Duk is right, too in that wheels/tires make a difference. I am still running the stock Alex rims, but have been using the 145psi Vredestein Fortezza tires and they ARE fast. I would say the handling is very quick, meaning less stable at start up and slow speeds. Minor thing: if you have that Vision chain tensioner thingo still on there... take it off and adjust the chain length accordingly... that'll take a tiny bit of friction out of the chainline. I don't usually mess it up with DF riders when I encounter them... I'm not a racer... but one memorable time I did, a group of 3 drafting, very athletic riders could not keep up with me over the course of a 10 mile bike path ride. I let them catch up to chat. I slowed down to 19mph and they said, "man, you're not even working hard!" as they huffed and puffed to maintain 19mph while we talked. The Bacchetta/Volae format will get you in a more aero posisition and offer better slow speed handling. Maybe you would like the arms extended position better as well. For now, I like the R64 just fine!

BlazingPedals

LOL! Working on the indoor trainer, even a nice one like yours, can lead to sour moods! Yeah, I NEED spring to come! Although I have managed 86 outdoor miles this month so far. Maybe in a few more weeks we can start hitting Kensington and harrassing the Wolverines and tri-geeks! I'm going to see if Rick and I can start the carbon work this weekend while the weather is still lousy.

Dr Duk, that's a nice-looking wheelset. How's the lateral stiffness? I've heard that earlier models had some problems there.

Dr. Duk

BlazingPedals: Dr Duk, that's a nice-looking wheelset. How's the lateral stiffness? I've heard that earlier models had some problems there.
[SPAM!] [reply w/ quote] [reply]

NO problems with the wheelset. Alot of great compliments from all riders. The R-64 handles very well through corners. I haven't noticed any "flex" in cornering or riding over rough roads, etc. I can usually lay the bike over in a tight turn and a couple of times I have paid the price without any injuries to me or the "bent", except my pride. To Atom Bomb: I was riding with the front idlers for a couple of weeks b4 I removed them and had the chain shortened. A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE IN PERFORMANCE!! B4 I placed the Stelvios on the Dura Ace wheelsets I was running Vredestein Fortezza. I like the Stelvios better. I feel they give me added performance plus speed. I can't back it up with statistics but just a gut feeling.

Carpe Diem

volae

Hi this is kinda like the bike i have, just that i have the 2004 and was a demo...

From what i seen the top chan looks like its being pulled way down, that could cause some probems in changing gears? Having a hard shell seat seems to give me more power. Call Hostelshoppe and tell them what you have and mabe Rolf can help you? A really Nice Guy! So is everyone there at the shop!

Hope this helps,
Tom Only Guy in Kentucky that owns a Vole? Sofar not seen any here..