slow rex

just do some heavy training on a fluid trainer for about 1/2
to 1 hr.a day and then that will make you faster. Thank you
Earl GRR,RANS V2 Ti Rush,Ti Pursuit

Quoted message said:

'm wondering if putting thracian wheels >and stelvio tires
on my V-rex would improve my speed significantly.

No.

I've "been there" and I've "done that" You can pick up part
of 1 mph with equipment. I have tried LWB, Low racer, and
High racer.Wheels, tires. Each gives a bit of placebo effect
at first, BUT, in any type of time trial situation, none of
those things makes me an "over 20 mph" person. It would
appear that "It's the engine!!!!!"

The lighter wheels allow greater acceleration. The weight
reduction aids climbing speeds, but not much effect of
straight and level.

On the other hand, downgrades will slow you down
significantly. My first SWB started life with 65 psi Wal-
Mart road tires. 13 mph was HARD to maintain. Tire and wheel
change and right back to 16/17 cruise.

Miles of Smiles,

Tom

[email hidden] (jsarchin) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm wondering if putting thracian wheels and stelvio tires
on my V-rex would improve my speed significantly or not be
worth the expense. I've had the bike for almost a year and
3000 miles and still feel slow. -Thanks

I ride both a VREX and M5 Shock Proof. I can say the Rex is
no slow ride. On level ground, sustained speeds in the high
teens are no problem for this bike. I would try just the
Stelvios before buying the new wheelset. The wide stock
tires on the VRex are there to provide "passive suspension".
Narrower, higher pressure tires should speed up the bike
nicely. If the Stelvios don't meet your need for speed,
you're probably better off spending your money on a fast low
or high racer. For significant increases in speed, a higher
bottom bracket, better wind profile, and maybe, a hard shell
seat are most desirable.

[email hidden] (jsarchin) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm wondering if putting thracian wheels and stelvio tires
on my V-rex would improve my speed significantly or not be
worth the expense. I've had the bike for almost a year and
3000 miles and still feel slow. -Thanks

First of all I am a big proponent of working on the "engine"
first and that you will see the biggest gains from
improvements in this area.

However I also do beleive that you will also see some
improvement with a tire change and less so with a wheel
change. On the equipment side I would suggest you switch to
the new Stelvios with the "Raceguard" belt, which is a more
durable version of the Stelvio. I have lots of tires both
559 and 650c tires for my Strada/Corsa but have started to
use the new Stelvios and saw a 1.0 mph increase over the
Specialized on the same exact route, identical beats per
minute, and a shorter riding time. And for $80.00 that is s
pretty good bang for your buck.

Pat Mc

jsarchin said:

I'm wondering if putting thracian wheels and stelvio tires
on my V-rex would improve my speed significantly or not be
worth the expense. I've had the bike for almost a year and
3000 miles and still feel slow. -Thanks

This is how I suggest making a V-Rex faster.
<http://www.ransbikes.com/Gallery/Archive/Jung.htm>.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

[email hidden] (PJ) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (jsarchin) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm wondering if putting thracian wheels and stelvio
tires on my V-rex would improve my speed significantly
or not be worth the expense. I've had the bike for
almost a year and 3000 miles and still feel slow. -
Thanks

First of all I am a big proponent of working on the
"engine" first and that you will see the biggest gains
from improvements in this area.

However I also do beleive that you will also see some
improvement with a tire change and less so with a wheel
change. On the equipment side I would suggest you switch
to the new Stelvios with the "Raceguard" belt, which is a
more durable version of the Stelvio. I have lots of tires
both 559 and 650c tires for my Strada/Corsa but have
started to use the new Stelvios and saw a 1.0 mph
increase over the Specialized on the same exact route,
identical beats per minute, and a shorter riding time.
And for $80.00 that is s pretty good bang for your buck.

Pat Mc

I agree with Pat. I would first deal with the tires.
Stelvios are very nice. Another fast tire is the Continental
Grand Prix. I ran them on my 2000 V-Rex and was very happy
with their speed and performance. If you want a little wider
tire with what I have discovered is low rolling resistance,
the new Kenda Kwest 1.25" tires are nice also. I am
currently running them on my 2002 V-Rex. I know that better
rims etc. are highly prized, but I have always found the
Rex's DA 16 rims to be good quality and decently light. Not
like some of the Velocity rims, but certainly acceptable.
And if all else fails, then you can always do what another
poster suggested one time. For an immediate 40% gain, flip
your cyclometer over to kilometers.

Mike S. St. Louis, Mo.

mike s said:

... For an immediate 40% gain, flip your cyclometer over
to kilometers.

A second magnet on the wheel will double your speed. 😉

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

A V-Rex is fast. Adding tires, decreasing weight etc. might
give you a small increase in speed, but if you cannot make a
V-Rex go fast...you might want to keep your money. I have
had two Greenspeeds, a Rocket, Carbon fiber uprights etc.
While I have had a few issues with Rans, I have to say that
the V-Rex is a good bike and is fast. You can spend a lot of
money on tires, wheels and other lightweight stuff, but you
won't beat a regular V-Rex by more than a few hundred feet.
Not worth the investment.

"Tom Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de...

Quoted message said:

jsarchin said:

I'm wondering if putting thracian wheels and stelvio
tires on my V-rex would improve my speed significantly
or not be worth the expense. I've had the bike for
almost a year and 3000 miles and still feel slow. -
Thanks

This is how I suggest making a V-Rex faster.
<http://www.ransbikes.com/Gallery/Archive/Jung.htm>.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

"jsarchin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm wondering if putting thracian wheels and stelvio tires
on my V-rex would improve my speed significantly or not be
worth the expense. I've had the bike for almost a year and
3000 miles and still feel slow. -Thanks

I have a 2001 Vrex and did a few things to get ready for
last years Ride for the Roses. First thing I did was get rid
of the front shock and replaced it with a rigid fork (local
shop did actually). I replaced the stock tires with Conti
Grand Prix's... I have heard a lot of talk about the
Stelvios but had never seen them in action first hand. I
have ridden Conti's for years when I was upright and have
been very pleased. They added about 2mph to my average for a
50 mile ride. I also did a thorough clean and tune job.
You'll be surprised how much faster you'll ride when you
aren't busy thinking about that creak!

I too am curious about the Thracian's. Has anyone here used
these on a Vrex? How did you like them?

Tom

Bill said:

A V-Rex is fast. Adding tires, decreasing weight etc.
might give you a small increase in speed, but if you
cannot make a V-Rex go fast...you might want to keep your
money. I have had two Greenspeeds, a Rocket, Carbon fiber
uprights etc. While I have had a few issues with Rans,...

I have real issues with "Rans". 😉

Quoted message said:

I have to say that the V-Rex is a good bike and is fast.
You can spend a lot of money on tires, wheels and other
lightweight stuff, but you won't beat a regular V-Rex by
more than a few hundred feet. Not worth the investment.

The above neglects to mention the fairing and bodysock, so I
am uncertain if it was included in the "Not worth the
investment" category.

Based on my observations of performance of bikes with and
without bodysocks, I would suspect that an average strength
rider would see an average speed improvement of 20-30% over
flat to rolling terrain by adding a front fairing and
bodysock to a RANS V-Rex - certainly worth the investment if
the rider cares about speed.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

Tom said:

... You'll be surprised how much faster you'll ride when
you aren't busy thinking about that creak!...

The most likely thing to creak on a V-Rex or other RANS bike
is the seat mesh rubbing against the seat frame.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

Tom Sherman said:

I have real issues with "Rans". 😉

Well, then is it SAAB and FIAT or Saab and Fiat? (Although
Saab bit the bullet at least in the U.S. and even added an
additional 'A.B." after the Saab, which I guess means its
Saab from now on..." I thought they would finally resolve
the FIAT or Fiat thing by gonig under, but it looks like
they will survive a while longer with the latest comeback.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...

"Based on my observations of performance of bikes with and
without bodysocks, I would suspect that an average strength
rider would see an average speed improvement of 20-30% over
flat to rolling terrain by adding a front fairing and
bodysock to a RANS V-Rex - certainly worth the investment if
the rider cares about speed."

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

I don't know if on a short wheel base bike the percentage
gains that Tom has listed would be correct, but I
certainly agree that the combination of a fairing and
bodysock should bring a very noticeable increase in speed.
While getting up hills may be a little tougher with the
added weight of the apparatus, overall the increase on the
flats and descents should significantly improve your
times. My wife's riding performance on her Gold Rush with
the fairing was decent, but when she adds the bodysock it
goes to exceptional. On the flats with a light tailwind
she can cruise (not push) close to 30 all day. All I can
do is hope that the ride is far enough that she'll tire
and I can catch up.

Mike S. St. Louis, Mo.

"Based on my observations of performance of bikes with and
without bodysocks, I would suspect that an average strength
rider would see an average speed improvement of 20-30% over
flat to rolling terrain by adding a front fairing and
bodysock to a RANS V-Rex - certainly worth the investment if
the rider cares about speed."

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

I don't know if on a short wheel base bike the percentage
gains that Tom has listed would be correct, but I
certainly agree that the combination of a fairing and
bodysock should bring a very noticeable increase in speed.
While getting up hills may be a little tougher with the
added weight of the apparatus, overall the increase on the
flats and descents should significantly improve your
times. My wife's riding performance on her Gold Rush with
the fairing was decent, but when she adds the bodysock it
goes to exceptional. On the flats with a light tailwind
she can cruise (not push) close to 30 all day. All I can
do is hope that the ride is far enough that she'll tire
and I can catch up.

Mike S. St. Louis, Mo.

Curtis L. Russell said:

Quoted message said:

I have real issues with "Rans". 😉

Well, then is it SAAB and FIAT or Saab and Fiat?

At least SAAB (Svenska Aeroplan Aktibolaget, where
Aktibloaget roughly translates to "Inc." or "Ltd." and is
abbreviated AB) and FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili
Torino) are acronyms, and thus have good reason to be
capitalized.

Is there an acronym for RANS? I've never seen one. Never
heard the origin of the name, and I don't see it anywhere on
the RANS website. Always figured it had something to do with
Randy Schlitter's name. If his middle initials are A. N.
then it makes sense to capitalize RANS; if his nickname is
"Ran" and his company is "Ran's," then it doesn't.

Quoted message said:

(Although Saab bit the bullet at least in the U.S.

Yes, sad to say, and not just in the US. GM bought out SAAB
about 7 years ago, and the cars they've produced since then
have not lived up to the previous standard. I've been
driving SAABs for 18 years, but my current one is likely my
last -- unless I decide to buy a 10-15 yr old pre-GM model.

Gary

Curtis L. Russell said:

Quoted message said:

I have real issues with "Rans". 😉

Well, then is it SAAB and FIAT or Saab and Fiat?

At least SAAB (Svenska Aeroplan Aktibolaget, where
Aktibloaget roughly translates to "Inc." or "Ltd." and is
abbreviated AB) and FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili
Torino) are acronyms, and thus have good reason to be
capitalized.

Is there an acronym for RANS? I've never seen one. Never
heard the origin of the name, and I don't see it anywhere on
the RANS website. Always figured it had something to do with
Randy Schlitter's name. If his middle initials are A. N.
then it makes sense to capitalize RANS; if his nickname is
"Ran" and his company is "Ran's," then it doesn't.

Quoted message said:

(Although Saab bit the bullet at least in the U.S.

Yes, sad to say, and not just in the US. GM bought out SAAB
about 7 years ago, and the cars they've produced since then
have not lived up to the previous standard. I've been
driving SAABs for 18 years, but my current one is likely my
last -- unless I decide to buy a 10-15 yr old pre-GM model.

Gary

[email hidden] (PJ) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (jsarchin) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm wondering if putting thracian wheels and stelvio
tires on my V-rex would improve my speed significantly
or not be worth the expense. I've had the bike for
almost a year and 3000 miles and still feel slow. -
Thanks

First of all I am a big proponent of working on the
"engine" first and that you will see the biggest gains
from improvements in this area.

However I also do beleive that you will also see some
improvement with a tire change and less so with a wheel
change. On the equipment side I would suggest you switch
to the new Stelvios with the "Raceguard" belt, which is a
more durable version of the Stelvio. I have lots of tires
both 559 and 650c tires for my Strada/Corsa but have
started to use the new Stelvios and saw a 1.0 mph
increase over the Specialized on the same exact route,
identical beats per minute, and a shorter riding time.
And for $80.00 that is s pretty good bang for your buck.

Pat Mc

Do you know who sells the stelvios with raceguard belts?

Thanks- Jeff

Quoted message said:

Do you know who sells the stelvios with raceguard belts?

Thanks- Jeff

Last summer I bought a set of Stelvios from Schwalbe through
their web site. I also suggest getting a Park tire bead jack
to help install the tires unless you have strong fingers.

BTW the Stelvios were about $43 ea.