carcassonne

Folks,

The more I think about it the more I'm thinking about getting one of thsoe SWB with two 26" wheels. Like the Actionbent Hi-Racer. Reasons I've found:

- higher in the air, easier to see in traffic

- no roller for the chain (or so it seems), that's one less much used component to care for.

- maybe less quirky steering

- higher speed

What are your opinions about these bikes ?

Cheers.

LandLuger

Take my input for what it is worth as I have never owned a hi-racer, but from what I can tell the advantages are easier chainline management and access to readily available performance wheels and rubber. Not enough to get me off the lowracer.

lee_rimar

I'm short (5"7") and find the saddle on most hi-racers too hight o comfortably get a foot down at stops. I can tippy-toe on a few of them, but I prefer to wait flat-footed at stops.

Real advantages are speed and distance related. Lower rolling resistance from larger wheels, better aero IF you take advantage of a very laid back seat position. Other perceived advantages are going to be very subjective - how I feel about a given bike may differ from anyone else.

Despite some comments to the contrary, you have just as much chain (and chain management) on a hi-racer as on a 26/20 or any other SWB. Bikes that don't have at least one idler in the middle of the chain-line will likely have a chain tube, which introduces problems of its own.

Shaman

The Actionbent 'bents are a great value if you have the patience and ability to build and tweak it. I would also do all the homework you can. Join the Bentrider Online forum and the Actionbent Yahoo forum and ask lots of questions.

I have the Actionbent Tadpole Trike and am very happy with it. You are smart to look for something with a straight chainline on the power side. Due to the chainlength, however, there is a need for some kind of chain management. Chain tubes are made of teflon and with careful setup, they are way efficient. Idler wheels on a chainline are common practice but the less the angle, the better.

Good luck on your quest.

Ric

Well I can tell you from my experiences because I own a SWB Hi-Racer (Bacchetta) that I can agree with one of the reasons you quoted (Higher speed) but not the rest.
Higher in the air, easier to see in traffic, it's not that much different than a bicycle and on a personal note I prefer my Trike in traffic over the Strada, and the no roller thing is a personal thing.
Now the less quirky steering, you're going to find there is a learning curve there, it's going to take you some time to learn how to steer a Hi-Racer and there is a little thing called heel strike with the front wheel to over come and that's not to say that you can't or won't be able too do these things, but just be prepared because you will encounter these things and more with the Hi-racer.
The last thing I'd say or tell you is never purchase a bike online, and ride as many different bikes as you can before you purchase the Action Bent because they all ride different especially Hi-Racers.

aikigreg

I would add a warning to check your x-seam. If you don't have some goodly sized long legs you may want to consider something else.

BikeZen.org

Ric is spot on. I own a high-racer (Challenge Seiran), and the steering took some getting used to. Now I commute 25 miles to work (each way), including about 8 miles in traffic, and have no problems. For serious mountain climbing, particularly over 8 degree grades, I have to keep my speed up (4mph or better) in order to avoid "wobble" that can lead to heal strike -- easier said than done if I'm tired.

For best speed, a low-racer with full fairing is probably the way to go. I've thought of getting a rear fairing (sock type) for better speed and visibility on my high racer, but there's too much gunk on the road these days.

sch

I ride an LWB small tired bent (Rotator Pursuit) which puts my seat
height at 15". I borrowed a friend's Bacchetta Aero and put about
25mi on it last summer. The seat height is about 23", doesn't sound
like much difference but as another noted, if you are under 67" tall
you will be reaching for the ground with your tippy toes at a seat
height of 22" or more, or you will have to skoot forward and situp to
stabilize your position at stops. Starting was not too bad and would
obviously improve with practice. What would not improve, at least
on a dual 650, is heel strike on the front tire in slow speed turns, you
just can't pedal through, you hit the tire every time. I also learned
that the chipmunk position is really obnoxious on my elbows, I would
absolutely have to have a superman bar. A head rest would also have
to be fabricated as the semireclined position (turtle on its back)
means the neck has to be bent forward to see and after 25mi my elbows
and neck were screaming at me. The setup was not at all optimal and
some of the fit could have been improved but the neck and heel strike
would not. Note that heel strike would not occur in normal riding and
is only a problem in the circumstance of slow speed tight turns (not very
tight though.) A Bacchetta/Volae/Carbent would be ok for me with a
406 front wheel, a headrest on the seat, and superman bars (I think).
A 12x32 or 12x34 cassette is a bit of a shock after 45,000 mi with 12-27
setups though.

Dahon.Steve

In the short while I rode the Bachetta, my feet started to feel strange like they were getting numb from being so high up. This is a very important consideration.

ilgreene

I owned a Bachetta Strada, but switched to a recumbent with a low bottom bracket. The highracer was quick, efficient and I like the reclined seat. However, my feet were more prone to foot numbness and one of my knees ached over time. Perhaps I could have done a better job of dialing in the bike, but in the end I felt it was more than I needed, given my age and conditioning. My Tour Easy is a breeze to ride and comfortable on longer distance rides. Like others, I would recommend you test ride as many bikes as possible within your price range. Good luck with your choice.

Kevin

Trsnrtr

I'm 5'7" tall and have 10,000 miles on a Volae Team. I've never experienced any of the problems mentioned like numb feet, heel strike, etc. Having said that, I have to admit that my lowracers are easier to stop and start on.

vik 

I ride a Volae expedition high racer. It rides like a dream and I was comfortable on it from the first few pedal strokes. The only downside I can report is that the high seat position is not as stop and go traffic friendly as a lower bike. OTOH the higher seat makes you very visible to traffic.

I'd get a high racer for performance riding. If I was going to use my bent primarily for commuting or casual rides I'd get something with a lower seat height and lower BB - say a 26/20 SWB.

BTW - all the high racers I know of use two idlers. They shouldn't be high maintenance items though.

Recumbents are very quirky bikes and it really pays to test ride before you buy or at least mail order from companies that give you a trial period during which you can return the bike (ie. Volae & Bacchetta).

Doug5150

I've never owned one. Have test-ridden a couple.

The first thing I'd ask--where are you going to be riding this bike? To an extent, "city/suburb" riding is rather different than "rural long-distance cruising". With upright road bicycles you don't really have to worry about "which kind of bike" you buy, because they are all putting the rider into a very-similar position,,, but with recumbents that is not so.

Very-reclined recumbents are more aerodynamic, but that's not much benefit in stop-and-go city/suburb riding (where you never cruise at speeds high enough to benefit much) and most people feel like they can watch the car traffic better on a bike that uses more-upright seating anyway.
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