Advice on recumbents

Roger said:

I'm thinking about buying a recumbent - any tips ?

Yes: stop thinking about it and do it! ;-)

Try as many as you can. If possible go to some rallies and try lots (York
will probably have BikeFix and ICE on site again)

Quoted message said:

- the HP Velotechnik 'Street Machine GT'. Looks like a good touring
machine.

There's a reason for that. It /is/ a good touring machine...

There are very few disappointed owners (none that I know of). It's a very
well-mannered bike. Also try the comparable offerings from Challenge,
Optima and M5. Might even be worth a trip to a bentmonger in Holland to try
lots of them, as no recumbent is exactly cheap. Hang on a minute, I'll get
my coat...

Quoted message said:

Am I right in thinking that the seat is the most important component?

Hell no. The most important component is the rider; if the machine doesn't
fit the rider everything else is secondary. Hence the advise to try lots.

Quoted message said:

The big turn off is the price, are there any good models that are
significantly below the EUR/USD 2500 mark?

Not really. But it's a bike, bikes last forever. Unless they get metal
fatigue, and even then they get replaced under warranty.

Quoted message said:

And the difficulty test riding.... can't really try them all and then
decide what's best.... (I live in Belgium, but could nip over to UK,
France, Holland, or Germany if it were worth it.)

Belgium? Dammit, man, you are half an hour's drive away from the recumbent
capital of the world! There are three Dutch recumbent manufacturers.

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

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

Quoted message said:

I'm thinking about buying a recumbent - any tips ?

Quoted message said:

- the HP Velotechnik 'Street Machine GT'. Looks like a good touring
machine.

I bought one in February, and I love it - it's comfortable, it's relaxing,
it carries an enormous load with little or no effect on the handling -
HPVelotechnik really got their sums right when designing the balance of it.
I would put in a warning that like most recumbents it is a bit heavy - about
16kilos or so, and it is physically large and can be cumbersome to
manouever. Having said that, when a ramp was closed on my commute, I could
literally tuck the machine under my arm (over the seat and under the frame)
and jog up a set of steps, but this was with out any bags on it.

Quoted message said:

Any other machines I should be looking at?

Lots - as Guy said in his reply there are many makers - Optima, Nazca and
others in the Netherlands which is close to you - HPVelotechnik make other
models - the Grasshopper is a new model that makes a nippy light tourer -
have a look at http://www.bentrideronline.com and follow the "Buyers Guide"
link at the top.

Quoted message said:

Am I right in thinking that the seat is the most important component?

On the bike itself there is no one most important component (other than the
rider), and what one person think is the best, may not be the best for you.
On the subject of the seat, if you get a recumbent with a solid seat, get a
breathable seat cushion, otherwise your back gets a bit damp.

Quoted message said:

The big turn off is the price, are there any good models that are
significantly below the EUR/USD 2500 mark?

No, not even second-hand. My Streetmachine cost about 3000 EUR, and I had
to cut down from my original spec. This is a lot of money, and why you
really need to test ride as many as possible, and try as many variations as
possible - it's a big wedge of money to spend, so you want to get what is
right for you. Having said that, I do not regret paying more for my bike
than I did for my car, I find it hard to take the grin off my face as I
pedal along.

Quoted message said:

And the difficulty test riding.... can't really try them all and then
decide what's best.... (I live in Belgium, but could nip over to UK,

France,

Quoted message said:

Holland, or Germany if it were worth it.)

Holland. That's the place - I reckon it would be well worth it - living on
our island can be a bit isolating.

One thing - when you do get a recumbent, be ready for people to stop and
talk to you about it - normally along the lines of "Wow - cool bike - where
did you get it, what's it like to ride, where can I get one......."

Have fun, and good luck

Eddie Dubourg

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I'm thinking about buying a recumbent - any tips ?

I'm currently interested in 2 models,
- the Bike Friday foldable: I've had a Bike Friday before and like their
gear. The fact that it is foldable is a big plus. However the 16" wheels
seem to be quite a compromise.
- the HP Velotechnik 'Street Machine GT'. Looks like a good touring
machine.

Any other machines I should be looking at?

Am I right in thinking that the seat is the most important component?

The big turn off is the price, are there any good models that are
significantly below the EUR/USD 2500 mark?

And the difficulty test riding.... can't really try them all and then
decide what's best.... (I live in Belgium, but could nip over to UK, France,
Holland, or Germany if it were worth it.)

Any info, help, tips gratefully accepted.

Roger

The Street Machine is a good touring bike, Deemed a bit heavy by many though. As others have
suggested, the Dutch models are also worthy candidates.

The Bike Sat-R-day is IMO marginally suitable for more than just an overnight tour. Larry Varney
(who may still be posting here) would be a good resource for more information for touring with a
Bike Sat-R-Day.

You can also check out 'BentRider Online http://www.bentrideronline.com/ for more 'bent
information. The touring forum on the message board would be very helpful. Larry Varney is one of
the regulars there. If you do post in the 'BentRider Online forums, you will need to clarify that
your interest is in bike available in Europe. The Message board is typically America Centric.

If you can see some American 'bents, the Lightning Voyager (my touring recumbent) is a particularly
good touring machine. It is S&S coupled and comes apart to pack in an airline acceptable size case.
I have taken this bike to Europe a couple of times. It is short enough to take on trains and will
fit in just about any area set aside for a standard DF. This may not be the case for many of the
European recumbents.

--

Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Roger said:

I'm thinking about buying a recumbent - any tips ?

I'm currently interested in 2 models,
- the Bike Friday foldable: I've had a Bike Friday before and like their
gear. The fact that it is foldable is a big plus. However the 16" wheels
seem to be quite a compromise.
- the HP Velotechnik 'Street Machine GT'. Looks like a good touring
machine.

Any other machines I should be looking at?

Am I right in thinking that the seat is the most important component?

The big turn off is the price, are there any good models that are
significantly below the EUR/USD 2500 mark?

And the difficulty test riding.... can't really try them all and then
decide what's best.... (I live in Belgium, but could nip over to UK, France,
Holland, or Germany if it were worth it.)

Any info, help, tips gratefully accepted.

Roger

As you may have determined from what Cletus said, I've put a few
miles on a Bike Friday SatRDay. And, I never felt that the 16" wheels
was a compromise at all - I rode in excess of 10,000 miles on that bike,
multi-day tours and centuries, wet weather and dry, and I'd still have
it, had not someone offered me a nice sum of money for it. It's one of
the most nimble bikes I've ridden - short of a trike, the SRD is my bike
of choice for slow-speed climbing (which pretty much describes all my
climbing!)
For checking out lots of bikes, head out down to SPEZI in
Germersheim, Germany - just south of Frankfurt - the weekend of the
24th/25th of April. There will be test rides available, of more
recumbents than you can imagine.
And if you see an old bearded guy who seems lost, out of place, and
speaking English, say hello.

--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

[newsgroups trimmed]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote>

Quoted message said:

Might even be worth a trip to a bentmonger in Holland to try
lots of them

I've considered doing this, even from across the pond. Any chance
someone on a "short" (a week) visit could try a number of bikes
and purchase one "off-the-shelf" to take back? Is there a long
lead time on Dutch bikes?

Jon Meinecke

Just zis Guy said:

Roger wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

And the difficulty test riding.... can't really try them all and then
decide what's best.... (I live in Belgium, but could nip over to UK,
France, Holland, or Germany if it were worth it.)

Belgium? Dammit, man, you are half an hour's drive away from the recumbent
capital of the world! There are three Dutch recumbent manufacturers.

The weekend after next is the Spezi bike show in Germersheim - lots of
recumbent stuff there and I believe they have a test track. Well worth a
visit if you can get there. Rob, my husband will be there, racing and
helping out on the Greenspeed stand.

<http://www.spezialradmesse.de/> has more details about the show, in
English as well as German.

--
Carol
"The bicycle is the product of pure reason applied to motion."
- Angela Carter, "The Lady of the House of Love"

Carol Hague wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

The weekend after next is the Spezi bike show in Germersheim - lots of
recumbent stuff there and I believe they have a test track. Well worth a
visit if you can get there. Rob, my husband will be there, racing and
helping out on the Greenspeed stand.

<http://www.spezialradmesse.de/> has more details about the show, in
English as well as German.

"...helping out on the Greenspeed stand." So *that's* how he's getting
the SLR! Ian, do you need any more help? My hand is in the air!
Seriously, that thing sounds like a race version of the GT3 - and I'm
looking forward to a few laps around the Germersheim test track on it.
That is, if I don't fall victim to the siren song of the velomobiles!

--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 17:04:32 GMT, "Jon Meinecke" <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

Any chance
someone on a "short" (a week) visit could try a number of bikes
and purchase one "off-the-shelf" to take back? Is there a long
lead time on Dutch bikes?

I guess if you buy from a bentmonger you may well be able to take one
from stock, but I don't rightly know. We need a Dutchman who knows
hos local bentmonger...

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Larry Varney said:

"...helping out on the Greenspeed stand." So *that's* how he's getting
the SLR! Ian, do you need any more help? My hand is in the air!

:-p
I think it's more a case of him pestering^H^H^H^H^H offering design
suggestions for ages now :-)

Quoted message said:

Seriously, that thing sounds like a race version of the GT3 - and I'm
looking forward to a few laps around the Germersheim test track on it.
That is, if I don't fall victim to the siren song of the velomobiles!

Rob's hoping to get some serious speed improvements with the SLR once he
gets the fairing on it. Annoyingly, the Spezi falls on the same weekend
as the second BHPC race this year and we've already missed the first
one, as Rob went down with salmonella.

--
Carol
"The glassblower's cat is bompstable"
- Dorothy L. Sayers, _Clouds of Witness_

Roger said:

I'm thinking about buying a recumbent - any tips ?

I'm currently interested in 2 models,
- the Bike Friday foldable: I've had a Bike Friday before and like their
gear. The fact that it is foldable is a big plus. However the 16" wheels
seem to be quite a compromise.
- the HP Velotechnik 'Street Machine GT'. Looks like a good touring
machine.

Any other machines I should be looking at?

My bike is an M5 28/20 - similar to the Street-machine but lighter (13.5
kg), higher, cheaper - but it is an old design with outmoded elastomer
suspension that works fine but eventually perishes.

Quoted message said:

Am I right in thinking that the seat is the most important component?

The big turn off is the price, are there any good models that are
significantly below the EUR/USD 2500 mark?

If you feel confident assembling a bike from the frameset, then M5 have
some very good offers. I recently bought an M5 frameset for about 800
euros including VAT and postage - as I recall it came with everything but
wheels, brakes and the chainset/gears.

If you are interested in taking this route, I'd take a look at the newer
M5 models rather than the 28/20 (though it's a good bike). Email me
offline if you're interested.

Quoted message said:

And the difficulty test riding.... can't really try them all and then
decide what's best.... (I live in Belgium, but could nip over to UK, France,
Holland, or Germany if it were worth it.)

Always the problem...

Kit

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

Quoted message said:

I'm thinking about buying a recumbent - any tips ?

I'm currently interested in 2 models,
- the Bike Friday foldable: I've had a Bike Friday before and like their
gear. The fact that it is foldable is a big plus. However the 16" wheels
seem to be quite a compromise.
- the HP Velotechnik 'Street Machine GT'. Looks like a good touring
machine.

Any other machines I should be looking at?

Am I right in thinking that the seat is the most important component?

The big turn off is the price, are there any good models that are
significantly below the EUR/USD 2500 mark?

And the difficulty test riding.... can't really try them all and then
decide what's best.... (I live in Belgium, but could nip over to UK, France,
Holland, or Germany if it were worth it.)

Any info, help, tips gratefully accepted.

Roger

Roger,

The rightful owner of Larry Varney's SAT R DAY speaking up or is it
out? <g> The SRD is an exceptional recumbent, especially if you do a
lot of traveling. It wouldn't be my first choice for an every day
bike if no travel is involved. One thing I know. I'll never sell it
no matter how much money Larry offers me. The bike is stable, rock
solid, and fun to ride.

As for your "bent", might could be more help if I knew what your
budget is and what kind of riding you like to do.

Cheers

Slow Joe

Just for a bit of balance, I am 6'-2", weigh 200 pounds.. I bought a
Sat-r-day recumbent with huge expectations. Keep in mind, also, I was 60 y/o
when I made the purchase.... I kept it for 2 weeks and really tried to love
it... and couldn't (I rode it for about 25 miles, total). If you must have a
folder, and I mean must with a capital M, then... maybe. There is no way it
could be my main recumbent. The package weighs in at close to 40 pounds. So,
think of yourself with a 40 pound suitcase PLUS whatever else you might have
on your trip.... for me, I use a carry-on for all my trips, no matter how
long they might be (last was 4 weeks in AU), no bent..... I also found it
very clumsy to try and get back into the case.. I would almost rather have a
Voyager where you take it apart and pack it (with couplers).

Ride-wise, the s/r/d was almost acceptable (but 'toy-like), but it has 2
small wheels. The seat is made for something that has to 'get small'..... I
really wish there was something good I could say about my adventure with the
bent, so....it can be put into a suitcase..... bottom line, the dream vs.
the reality, and the reality wasn't pretty... but the pre-delivery dream was
great..

I currently have two really nice recumbents, a rans vivo (dual suspension,
no longer made) and a GRR folder (and shipable in a bike case)...... I do
hear a dual 26" calling me and talked to hostel shoppe about a volae Tour
dual 26 today..... will have to think a while on that one.
..
Arne, USA (member of the human tribe)
..
"Joe Keenan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Roger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm thinking about buying a recumbent - any tips ?

I'm currently interested in 2 models,
- the Bike Friday foldable: I've had a Bike Friday before and like their
gear. The fact that it is foldable is a big plus. However the 16"

wheels

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

seem to be quite a compromise.
- the HP Velotechnik 'Street Machine GT'. Looks like a good touring
machine.

Arne said:

Just for a bit of balance, I am 6'-2", weigh 200 pounds.. I bought a
Sat-r-day recumbent with huge expectations. Keep in mind, also, I was 60 y/o
when I made the purchase.... I kept it for 2 weeks and really tried to love
it... and couldn't (I rode it for about 25 miles, total). If you must have a
folder, and I mean must with a capital M, then... maybe. There is no way it
could be my main recumbent. The package weighs in at close to 40 pounds. So,
think of yourself with a 40 pound suitcase PLUS whatever else you might have
on your trip.... for me, I use a carry-on for all my trips, no matter how
long they might be (last was 4 weeks in AU), no bent..... I also found it
very clumsy to try and get back into the case.. I would almost rather have a
Voyager where you take it apart and pack it (with couplers).

Ride-wise, the s/r/d was almost acceptable (but 'toy-like), but it has 2
small wheels. The seat is made for something that has to 'get small'..... I
really wish there was something good I could say about my adventure with the
bent, so....it can be put into a suitcase..... bottom line, the dream vs.
the reality, and the reality wasn't pretty... but the pre-delivery dream was
great..

I currently have two really nice recumbents, a rans vivo (dual suspension,
no longer made) and a GRR folder (and shipable in a bike case)...... I do
hear a dual 26" calling me and talked to hostel shoppe about a volae Tour
dual 26 today..... will have to think a while on that one.
.
Arne, USA (member of the human tribe)
.

And this just goes to show that a person really does need to check
things out for himself - my reactions to the SatRDay just got better the
longer I had it! I had no problems, period. Sure, the first time I tried
to put it back in its case, I thought about selling it right then, but
with practice it wasn't so bad.
Not the fastest bike I've ridden, but it's a bit more less-reclined
than some. But I enjoyed the tours, the centuries, and even the 400
miles in 4 days that I rode on it a couple of years ago.
--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

larry:
Where is Germesheim. is it near Karlsruhe, Germany. I was in the Army
near there if that is it. Back in the 60's. Just curious, thanks

Bill M

--
In the 60's people took acid to make the world
weird. Now the world is weird and people take
Prozac to make it normal.

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

Quoted message said:

Carol Hague wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

The weekend after next is the Spezi bike show in Germersheim - lots of
recumbent stuff there and I believe they have a test track. Well worth a
visit if you can get there. Rob, my husband will be there, racing and
helping out on the Greenspeed stand.

<http://www.spezialradmesse.de/> has more details about the show, in
English as well as German.

"...helping out on the Greenspeed stand." So *that's* how he's getting
the SLR! Ian, do you need any more help? My hand is in the air!
Seriously, that thing sounds like a race version of the GT3 - and I'm
looking forward to a few laps around the Germersheim test track on it.
That is, if I don't fall victim to the siren song of the velomobiles!

--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

Roger said:

The big turn off is the price, are there any good models that are
significantly below the EUR/USD 2500 mark?

Several low-end models are Actionbent, Cycle Genius, and Sun/EZ-1
(designed by Easy Racers, built by Sun). They are all under US$1000.
And I think there are some around $1500, but that's too far above my
budget so I never look at them, but there's some European model whose
name I forget in that range that I have longed for at times.

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa

bill marsh said:

larry:
Where is Germesheim. is it near Karlsruhe, Germany. I was in the Army
near there if that is it. Back in the 60's. Just curious, thanks

Bill M

Yep, it's pretty close to there. For more info, check out:
http://www.spezialradmesse.de/

--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

Roger said:

I'm currently interested in 2 models,
- the Bike Friday foldable: I've had a Bike Friday before and like
their gear. The fact that it is foldable is a big plus. However
the 16" wheels seem to be quite a compromise.

I like the Bike Friday too, but I've done a lot of travelling with the
M5 CMPCT, and I like it better. The standard front wheel of the CMPCT is
16" (305mm), but that doesn't seem to impair its handling; and you can
get dual 20" (451mm) wheels as an option, if you prefer.

http://www.m5-ligfietsen.com/main.php?sNewPage=CMPCT

I did and I could not find a location or a map. thats very interesting. My
wife is from Ettlingen which is about 25 klicks from there. Thanks
Bill Marsh

--
In the 60's people took acid to make the world
weird. Now the world is weird and people take
Prozac to make it normal.

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

Quoted message said:

bill marsh said:

larry:
Where is Germesheim. is it near Karlsruhe, Germany. I was in the

Army

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

near there if that is it. Back in the 60's. Just curious, thanks

Bill M

Yep, it's pretty close to there. For more info, check out:
http://www.spezialradmesse.de/

--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

Hey Larry:
I did check and it is my old Army stomping grounds. I wish I could go.
Aufvedersehen und eine gute fahrt.
Bill. You pay the way and I will translate LOL

--
In the 60's people took acid to make the world
weird. Now the world is weird and people take
Prozac to make it normal.

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

Quoted message said:

bill marsh said:

larry:
Where is Germesheim. is it near Karlsruhe, Germany. I was in the

Army

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

near there if that is it. Back in the 60's. Just curious, thanks

Bill M

Yep, it's pretty close to there. For more info, check out:
http://www.spezialradmesse.de/

--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney