What recumbent should I buy?
#1
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What recumbent should I buy?
Well after reading historians tour comment on how nothing changes. So I figured I'd post my dilema since it is a little bit different more of the same perhaps? All the local recumbent riders tell me to stay far away from either And hey I can't test ride either or a bike similar to either so I have no idea how either one might ride.
Soo door number one.
Front wheel drive moving bottom bracket. Road bike components including 700c wheels.
Cruzbike silvio
Door number two
Front wheel drive non moving bottom bracket. MTB components 26" wheels.
Raptobike Midi racer
I have to lose some weight for both of em. Both are rated at 250lbs and pretty much weigh the same. Prices probably the same with shipping/customs included.
The raptobike actually splits in the middle because that is where the seat adjustment is done by sliding the front into the rear tube. It may end up being a nice feature because it'll fit in the car without a problem and since the drivetrain is all in front it'll be quick and easy to do. The middle split kinda has me worried as a potential weak spot though with the bike folding up when I hit some pothole. A local recumbent rider snapped his lightning frame this weekend and I have enough problems getting over blown sidewalls and broken spokes that I blame my weight for if I snapped a frame I'd need to be commited. It will fit wider tires up to 50mm for rough roads.
The silvio is supposed to give you more of a workout because it gets your upper body a bit into the ride. It has dual suspension to take some edge of the chip seal roads but is a bit higher off the ground which I really don't like. It is supposed to feel more like a road bike and I really do love my road bike. It seems to be pretty well disliked amoung local riders though.
Soo door number one.
Front wheel drive moving bottom bracket. Road bike components including 700c wheels.
Cruzbike silvio
Door number two
Front wheel drive non moving bottom bracket. MTB components 26" wheels.
Raptobike Midi racer
I have to lose some weight for both of em. Both are rated at 250lbs and pretty much weigh the same. Prices probably the same with shipping/customs included.
The raptobike actually splits in the middle because that is where the seat adjustment is done by sliding the front into the rear tube. It may end up being a nice feature because it'll fit in the car without a problem and since the drivetrain is all in front it'll be quick and easy to do. The middle split kinda has me worried as a potential weak spot though with the bike folding up when I hit some pothole. A local recumbent rider snapped his lightning frame this weekend and I have enough problems getting over blown sidewalls and broken spokes that I blame my weight for if I snapped a frame I'd need to be commited. It will fit wider tires up to 50mm for rough roads.
The silvio is supposed to give you more of a workout because it gets your upper body a bit into the ride. It has dual suspension to take some edge of the chip seal roads but is a bit higher off the ground which I really don't like. It is supposed to feel more like a road bike and I really do love my road bike. It seems to be pretty well disliked amoung local riders though.
#2
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First, you should really be asking over in the Recumbent forum. There are a number of people there with, uh, opinions about their rides.
That being said, I commute on my Bacchetta Giro 20. It's a Short Wheel Base bike with a 20" front wheel and a 26" rear. I put 38 miles/day on that bike and absolutely love it. I wouldn't go back to my Diamond Frame ride on a bet.
Recumbents are very rider-specific. You really should find a dealer and try out a number of them before you decide what to buy. You might also want to look at trikes instead of bikes.
That being said, I commute on my Bacchetta Giro 20. It's a Short Wheel Base bike with a 20" front wheel and a 26" rear. I put 38 miles/day on that bike and absolutely love it. I wouldn't go back to my Diamond Frame ride on a bet.
Recumbents are very rider-specific. You really should find a dealer and try out a number of them before you decide what to buy. You might also want to look at trikes instead of bikes.
#3
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Yeah tried that on a few different forums but didn't get anything resembling an answer just try an xstream, get a carbon aero ii, I love my corsa answers along with alot of opinion about the bikes from folks who never rode them. And since I'm a clyde I figured most of those riders don't know what it is like to be concerned about the whole destroying a bike just by riding it type thoughts that run through some folks head.
A local crushed his lightning and split the chainstays off the frame a couple days ago. I really think that would jar me mentally alot more then it did him. Heck I was off the bike for weeks after I snapped a fork and I was really afraid to ride that Giro 26 even with the replacement fork which is probably part of the reason I sold it. If this happened I probably would go back to diamond frames for a long while.
Both bikes I'm interested in aren't available for any test riding so it is a flip of a coin which might work. My hurricane works very well but it is a tank and for commuting that is fine and appreciated. For 13 hour rides where the temp exceeds 100 with no shade available dragging the extra weight up hills is the reason I'm looking at a non-commuter.
A local crushed his lightning and split the chainstays off the frame a couple days ago. I really think that would jar me mentally alot more then it did him. Heck I was off the bike for weeks after I snapped a fork and I was really afraid to ride that Giro 26 even with the replacement fork which is probably part of the reason I sold it. If this happened I probably would go back to diamond frames for a long while.
Both bikes I'm interested in aren't available for any test riding so it is a flip of a coin which might work. My hurricane works very well but it is a tank and for commuting that is fine and appreciated. For 13 hour rides where the temp exceeds 100 with no shade available dragging the extra weight up hills is the reason I'm looking at a non-commuter.
Last edited by evblazer; 06-29-09 at 09:53 PM.
#4
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Yeah tried that on a few different forums but didn't get anything resembling an answer just try an xstream, get a carbon aero ii, I love my corsa answers along with alot of opinion about the bikes from folks who never rode them. And since I'm a clyde I figured most of those riders don't know what it is like to be concerned about the whole destroying a bike just by riding it type thoughts that run through some folks head.
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That being said- I built recumbent trikes in the early '80's, rode a SWB Lightning P-38 for most of the '90's, and switched to a LWB Tour Easy in 2002. I've been riding Easy Racer bikes since- I upgraded to a Gold Rush last summer. Right now I'm 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, so I guess I qualify as Clyde-lite.
The Easy Racer bikes haven't given me any trouble beyond standard bicycle maintenance. The Lightning was a high-maintenance, and I had an early, un-reinforced frame that I broke in half. I loved it, though. The Easy Racer bikes aren't great at any one thing, but they're very good at a lot of different things. A couple of friends rode their Gold Rushes across the U.S. a couple summers ago, and turned around and competed in the local 10-mile time trials a week after they finished. That's versatility...
A friend of mine currently rides a Bacchetta Strada with 700C wheels- he's 6-foot-7, 260 pounds. (He likes the disc brakes.) He rode his Gold Rush across the U.S. on one of the PAC Tours- coast-to-coast in about 4 weeks. No problems there.
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#5
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Well, I'm a firm clyde in at 240. Like I said, I ride my SWB Bacchetta Giro 20 as a daily commuter and I haven't had any issues I wouldn't have had on a DF, except that the seat bolt fell out once and I had t nurse it home. Even so, if I'd been on a DF I wouldn't have made it at all, since I would have been sitting on the seat post
My ride is outfitted with a fairing and an aero trunk. Both aid in aerodynamics, although that wasn't the reason for either. I got the aerotrunk because I needed something with carrying capacity for all my daily gear. The aerotrunk fills that bill quite nicely. The fairing was because I'm a year-rounder and wanted something to cut down on the wind and help keep my feet dry during the winter. That is done very nicely now.
As far as speed is concerned, once I got used to how to ride the thing well, I believe that I'm at least as fast as I was on the DF, and probably faster. I know for certain that I can ride longer, since I'm just plain more comfortable. Having a decent seat and some nice back support is a wonderful thing. Oh, and I've gotten the thing up over 40 MPH, for what it's worth. In fact, there is along downhill stretch on my commute where I regularly get above 35 and, when I'm feeling good, above 40. I go significantly slower when riding the opposite direction on that same hill, however,
So yes, I would highly recommend a 'bent for anyone, but especially for a clyde. The difference in comfort is well worth the price and trouble learning to ride, since you'll be encouraged, even ecstatic, at the prospect of spending more and more time riding.
My ride is outfitted with a fairing and an aero trunk. Both aid in aerodynamics, although that wasn't the reason for either. I got the aerotrunk because I needed something with carrying capacity for all my daily gear. The aerotrunk fills that bill quite nicely. The fairing was because I'm a year-rounder and wanted something to cut down on the wind and help keep my feet dry during the winter. That is done very nicely now.
As far as speed is concerned, once I got used to how to ride the thing well, I believe that I'm at least as fast as I was on the DF, and probably faster. I know for certain that I can ride longer, since I'm just plain more comfortable. Having a decent seat and some nice back support is a wonderful thing. Oh, and I've gotten the thing up over 40 MPH, for what it's worth. In fact, there is along downhill stretch on my commute where I regularly get above 35 and, when I'm feeling good, above 40. I go significantly slower when riding the opposite direction on that same hill, however,
So yes, I would highly recommend a 'bent for anyone, but especially for a clyde. The difference in comfort is well worth the price and trouble learning to ride, since you'll be encouraged, even ecstatic, at the prospect of spending more and more time riding.
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My $.02 worth. I have not been on a bent long. I do like the longer wheel base vice the shorter one it feels more stable to me. It may be the opposite to others. So, I would try like crazy to find a couple to ride before you buy.
#8
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Don't worry about buying the wrong bent. Just like every other kind of bike, no one stops (for long) at just one!