opinions-new to bents
 

Hi all, my wife and I test rode a few bents today- 2 Bacchettas ( a Cafe and a new '04 Giro ) and 2 Cannondales (a Bent I and a Bent II ). We liked all of them, they all had good and bad points we found. And we were wondering if anyone here has or had any of these bents, and with your personal experience, what are your likes and dislikes of them? We are mainly into recreational club rides. We prefer leisurely rides ( 30 miles or more ). We are going to be 1st time bent owners. We regularly ride a DF tandem. Many tandem riders around here are into speed, and we like to stop and smell the roses.

Thanks,

Bruce and Amy

How fast do you expect to go between rose bushes? I know there are Bacchetta owners on the list, and there may well be Cannondale owners, too. If possible, try to ride each on one of those 30+ mile rides.

Bruce and Amy. We made the switch from a DF tandem to a recumbent tandem two years ago and we're wondering why we waited so long. Probably the money, but there is no way we would ever go back. If you get a chance to try a Rans Screamer, do it. Together. It has taken us a considerable amount of time and distance to acquire recumbent muscles, but we are now as fast as we were on the DF and enjoying the ride a lot more than we used to. Hills are a different story so we just spin out in a really low granny gear. Best of luck.

If you get a recumbent tandem, make sure you have a good mirror. Some models allow the stoker to freewheel while the captain is still pedaling. ;)