Bent V diamond frame

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

Quoted message said:

Hi Folks,

I'm poised to buy a bent for my daily commute of 12.5 miles, but not sure
whether to go for a quasi low racer or a tourer type.

I currently commute on a light road bike in all weathers and I'm pleased
with the speed. I'd be disappointed if I got a bent and my journey times
increased. I love going as fast as I can!

My route is 95 percent rural on a moderately busy road in the UK- very
little urban.

I've got my eye on either the HP Velotechnik Speed Machine or the new
Grasshopper.

Anyone had experience of either of these?

Go for the Speed Machine, you won't regret it

Bladesy said:

Hi Folks,

I'm poised to buy a bent for my daily commute of 12.5 miles, but not sure
whether to go for a quasi low racer or a tourer type.

I currently commute on a light road bike in all weathers and I'm pleased
with the speed. I'd be disappointed if I got a bent and my journey times
increased. I love going as fast as I can!

My route is 95 percent rural on a moderately busy road in the UK- very
little urban.

I've got my eye on either the HP Velotechnik Speed Machine or the new
Grasshopper.

Anyone had experience of either of these?

Dave "Legs Larry" Larrington [1] commutes in London on a Speedmachine.

[1] <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>.

--
Tom Sherman – Curmudgeon and Pedant

Quoted message said:

I currently commute on a light road bike in all weathers and I'm pleased
with the speed. I'd be disappointed if I got a bent and my journey times
increased. I love going as fast as I can!

I'm as fast on my 30+ lb ActionBent Tidal Wave (aka China Mascot
Tsunami) USS SWB as I am on my 25 lb (lots of comfort-oriented, but
heavy gizmos) Specialized Sequoia road bike on a 10-11 mile commute over
rolling hills.

I'm slightly faster going up hill on the road bike, but significantly
faster going down hills on the recumbent. Too bad the uphills overwhelm
the downhills :-).

Quoted message said:

My route is 95 percent rural on a moderately busy road in the UK- very
little urban.

Quoted message said:

I've got my eye on either the HP Velotechnik Speed Machine or the new
Grasshopper.

How about the HPV Street Machine GT? Or are you going for OSS?

If you have many stop and go situations on your commute, OSS may be
better unless you're long-legged enough to avoid problems shorter riders
like me can have with some USS systems and getting a good steady foot
down.

--
I do not accept unsolicted commercial e-mail. Remove NO_UCE for
legitimate replies.

Bladesy said:

I'm poised to buy a bent for my daily commute of 12.5 miles, but not
sure whether to go for a quasi low racer or a tourer type.

I currently commute on a light road bike in all weathers and I'm
pleased with the speed. I'd be disappointed if I got a bent and my
journey times increased. I love going as fast as I can!

My route is 95 percent rural on a moderately busy road in the UK- very
little urban.

I've got my eye on either the HP Velotechnik Speed Machine or the new
Grasshopper.

Anyone had experience of either of these?

As Tom has noted, I commute daily into central London on a Speedmachine.
Average speeds are diffcult to comapre because of the effect that traffic
and traffic lights have, but cruising speed is ~5-8 km/h faster than either
my drop-bar touring bike or MTB with slicks, mudguards & rack, as well as
having a considerable comfort advantage. The Grasshopper would, I imagine
but much the same but slightly slower.

And if you are worried about problems being seen due to the lowness of the
Speedmachine, don't be.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

Thanks for the advice folks.

I'm certainly going to go for a low-racer type bent so I can wave goodbye to
having a rucksack on my back, numb fingers, back ache, and sore crown
jewels!

The Speed Machine is my first choice, but having swotted up on the net, it
seems there are other contenders out there - some of which are cheaper.
My new shortlist is:

Speed machine
M5 Shock Proof
Challenge Hurricane or Taifun

The big question before I part with my hard-earned cash is whether any of
them are significantly faster than the Speed Machine, and are any of them
impractical for commuting?

Anyone out there had experience with any of them to make a fair comparison?

Anyone know any good outlets in the UK that sells any of the above? So far
I've only tracked down Kinetics in Glasgow who stock the Speed Machine.

I'm looking at OSS but I don't know why. It seems that the racers tend to
have OSS. What are the benefits of USS?

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

Quoted message said:

Hi Folks,

I'm poised to buy a bent for my daily commute of 12.5 miles, but not sure
whether to go for a quasi low racer or a tourer type.

I currently commute on a light road bike in all weathers and I'm pleased
with the speed. I'd be disappointed if I got a bent and my journey times
increased. I love going as fast as I can!

My route is 95 percent rural on a moderately busy road in the UK- very
little urban.

I've got my eye on either the HP Velotechnik Speed Machine or the new
Grasshopper.

Anyone had experience of either of these?

One thing tho to consider with a low racer is you tend to run into
limitations on mounting accessories like bags, panniers etc, for instance
I've had 5 different handlebar bags mounted on the side of my Baron trying
to get optimal capacity without ruining the looks of the bike. Optima's tail
rack is way overbuilt and heavy.

And ordering parts from Europe can take a month or more.

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

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the advice folks.

I'm certainly going to go for a low-racer type bent so I can wave goodbye

to

Quoted message said:

having a rucksack on my back, numb fingers, back ache, and sore crown
jewels!

The Speed Machine is my first choice, but having swotted up on the net, it
seems there are other contenders out there - some of which are cheaper.
My new shortlist is:

Speed machine
M5 Shock Proof
Challenge Hurricane or Taifun

The big question before I part with my hard-earned cash is whether any of
them are significantly faster than the Speed Machine, and are any of them
impractical for commuting?

Anyone out there had experience with any of them to make a fair

comparison?

Quoted message said:

Anyone know any good outlets in the UK that sells any of the above? So far
I've only tracked down Kinetics in Glasgow who stock the Speed Machine.

I'm looking at OSS but I don't know why. It seems that the racers tend to
have OSS. What are the benefits of USS?

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

Quoted message said:

Hi Folks,

I'm poised to buy a bent for my daily commute of 12.5 miles, but not

sure

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

whether to go for a quasi low racer or a tourer type.

I currently commute on a light road bike in all weathers and I'm pleased
with the speed. I'd be disappointed if I got a bent and my journey times
increased. I love going as fast as I can!

My route is 95 percent rural on a moderately busy road in the UK- very
little urban.

I've got my eye on either the HP Velotechnik Speed Machine or the new
Grasshopper.

Anyone had experience of either of these?

Mark Leuck said:

One thing tho to consider with a low racer is you tend to run into
limitations on mounting accessories like bags, panniers etc, for instance
I've had 5 different handlebar bags mounted on the side of my Baron trying
to get optimal capacity without ruining the looks of the bike. Optima's tail
rack is way overbuilt and heavy.

And ordering parts from Europe can take a month or more.

Despite the efforts of Tony "Lap Dog" Blair, the UK is part of Europe
and not the USA.

--
Tom Sherman – Curmudgeon and Pedant

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

Quoted message said:

Mark Leuck said:

One thing tho to consider with a low racer is you tend to run into
limitations on mounting accessories like bags, panniers etc, for

instance

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've had 5 different handlebar bags mounted on the side of my Baron

trying

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to get optimal capacity without ruining the looks of the bike. Optima's

tail

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rack is way overbuilt and heavy.

And ordering parts from Europe can take a month or more.

Despite the efforts of Tony "Lap Dog" Blair, the UK is part of Europe
and not the USA.

That remains yet to be seen. Europe may turn out to be nothing more than a
geographic concept after all. Unification is still pie in the sky, and
Britain is very smart never to disassociate itself from the US.

--
Regards,

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

True but its also to anyone else who may be wanting one of those bikes

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

Quoted message said:

Mark Leuck said:

One thing tho to consider with a low racer is you tend to run into
limitations on mounting accessories like bags, panniers etc, for

instance

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've had 5 different handlebar bags mounted on the side of my Baron

trying

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to get optimal capacity without ruining the looks of the bike. Optima's

tail

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rack is way overbuilt and heavy.

And ordering parts from Europe can take a month or more.

Despite the efforts of Tony "Lap Dog" Blair, the UK is part of Europe
and not the USA.

--
Tom Sherman – Curmudgeon and Pedant

Bladesy said:

The Speed Machine is my first choice, but having swotted up on the
net, it seems there are other contenders out there - some of which
are cheaper.
My new shortlist is:

Speed machine
M5 Shock Proof
Challenge Hurricane or Taifun

The big question before I part with my hard-earned cash is whether
any of them are significantly faster than the Speed Machine, and are
any of them impractical for commuting?

Probably not much in it. The nice thing about commuting by Speedmachine for
me is the tailbox:

<URL: http://www.kinetics.org.uk/assets/images/spm_speedbagtour_rot.jpg>

Quoted message said:

Anyone out there had experience with any of them to make a fair
comparison?

Haven't tried a Shock Proof, have had a couple of short runs on a Hurri.
Personally I don't mate well with the Challenge seat, but seats are a very
personal matter...

Quoted message said:

Anyone know any good outlets in the UK that sells any of the above?
So far I've only tracked down Kinetics in Glasgow who stock the Speed
Machine.

HP Velotechnik: Bikefix in central London.
Challenge: Bikefix, London Recumbents in Dulwich, Lifecycle in Brighton.
M5: M5 allege that Futurecycles in Forest Row, Sussex and John Maher Racing
in Manchester are dealers. However, Futurecycles' web site only mentions
Optima, while although John Maher (who is the former Buzzcocks' drummer,
trivias fans) had the first M5 Low Racer in the UK, he hasn't been seen at
an HPV event for years and AFAIK now runs a VW repair shop and competes in
street luge.

Quoted message said:

I'm looking at OSS but I don't know why. It seems that the racers
tend to have OSS. What are the benefits of USS?

From my point of view, none whatsoever, at least on two wheels. Less aero
and harder to mount accessories.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

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

Quoted message said:

The Speed Machine is my first choice, but having swotted up on the net, it
seems there are other contenders out there - some of which are cheaper.

[...]

I don't know if it is practical to ship one of these from N. Am to the
UK, but Speed Machines seem to have fallen out of fashion here, such
that you might find a bargain on a used bike on this side of the pond.

john riley 1 at rogers dot com

Thanks for the advice everyone.
Looks like I'll have to go shopping and take the plunge.

I see that an option for the Speed Machine is a hub dynamo. One made by Son
is said to be the best but they cost a fortune.
The last time I used a dynamo was when I was a kid and it was like riding
with the brakes on.

Are the modern ones any good? Are they worth the cost? I've got cheap
rechargables on my diamond frame with a 2.5W and a 10W spot.

I'm commuting on quite a busy but dark rural route so I want to be bright
and be seen. Anyone know how modern dynamos compare?

Seems to me that if I went for a hub dynamo it's extra weight I can't strip
off in the summer.

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

Quoted message said:

Hi Folks,

I'm poised to buy a bent for my daily commute of 12.5 miles, but not sure
whether to go for a quasi low racer or a tourer type.

I currently commute on a light road bike in all weathers and I'm pleased
with the speed. I'd be disappointed if I got a bent and my journey times
increased. I love going as fast as I can!

My route is 95 percent rural on a moderately busy road in the UK- very
little urban.

I've got my eye on either the HP Velotechnik Speed Machine or the new
Grasshopper.

Anyone had experience of either of these?

Tom Sherman <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:
....

Quoted message said:

Despite the efforts of Tony "Lap Dog" Blair, the UK is part of Europe

Troll

thag said:

Tom Sherman <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:
...

Quoted message said:

Despite the efforts of Tony "Lap Dog" Blair, the UK is part of Europe

Troll

[YAWN]

--
Tom Sherman – Curmudgeon and Pedant