Originally Posted by
dekindy
Going to have to find a way to get to Alfred Station, NY to test ride recumbent bikes at the Bicycle Man. Looks like the best selection and no farther than other shops with not as good selections. The Linear SWB and LWB that Bicycleman builds have caught my eye but lots of other makers to test; more than anyone else best that I can tell.
IMO, you can't find a cheaper all-around fast bike than a used Corsa. (especially if you can live with 650c. There are a lot available.)
A used Corsa is the fastest bike per $1 than any other readily available bike in the world.
I Bought mine for ~$1200
It's been beat up, wrapped around 2 poles, dropped, crashed, walled during a race, rain, snow, neglect. almost 20k miles.
I took it out a couple weeks ago for a club ride and with a good set of wheels, it's simply an amazing bike. I managed to close a 15 sec gap on my buddy in less than 3 min with 5-10 watts less than he was doing. That was with Gatorskins.
With:
a 1500g wheelset, a heavier M5 carbon seat (or Euromesh) w/ ventisit pad, Gossomer Triple, sram 971 chain, FR5(6?) brake levers (~$5), shimano bar end shifters, 105 front, deore XT long cage rear, a $5 make-shift head rest, keo classic pedals and a spy mirror...
the bike weighs ~23-24lbs.
if you went crazy you could get it down under 21lbs.
I raced it a couple seasons ago with a rear 32 spoke PT hub and disk cover for a racing weight of 26.5 lbs and finished 10th out of 64 in a local sanctioned hill climb TT.
I have a power meter on my upright again and I'm not seeing much difference in my ability to produce power from 1 sec to 20 min. I'll be testing for a month, so it's too early to draw conclusions. My results last time I ran a powermeter on the upright that I was about 40-50 watts weaker on the upright.
currently I'm suspicious that my new G3 hub is running a bit low, if that's the case then I'm still stronger on my bent. If it is accurate then I'm the same. (about ~4 watts:kilo)
All of that to say: There is no apparent benefit to standing on the pedals for me (cept its fun). There is no benefit to pulling on the bars on my DF (unless I'm in too big of a gear and I can't stay in the seat. not a problem on my bent). I'm faster on my bent climbing even the steepest hills (22%+)
Also, if the PT hub on my CA2 is accurate, then my CA2 climbs faster on fewer watts than every upright cyclist I ride with (that uses power).
Like CPlager I usually climb my 10% hill ~7mph (~300 watts), but I've managed to climb it over 14 mph once (wasn't using a power meter)
http://app.strava.com/segments/1028043
has little to do with the bike or technique and more with my level of commitment and my level post ride fatigue (it's the last hill to get home)
T