On Sat, 21 May 2005 09:40:05 -0500, "Edward Dolan" <
[email protected]>
wrote:
>I would not mind hearing about the joystick steering if and when you can
>find the time to give us your opinion of it. I would especially like to know
>if it helps or hinders the bump steer you mention or the pedal steer which
>is common to all tadpole trikes at speed to one degree or another.
Of course, my first two trikes were USS, indeed my first two wheel
bent was as well. Since I ride bents for their supposed or imagined
aerodynamic speed advantage, I found out quickly that USS in not very
aero. It is appropriate for a ride in the park, touring where you are
loaded to the gills and speed isn't an issue and wonderful on a warm
day because it exposes your arms to the cooling breeze, and that is
also not aero. I have about 1000 miles on the two USS trikes.
After hearing from the Bachetta folks, Mr Pinto in particular, their
theories of what made bikes fast for seating position, it made perfect
sense to me that the joystick was the answer. With your arms tight
against your side, you present a smaller image to the wind.
From the first ride it was apparent that a certain popular, but
misnamed trike was very much slower over the same course as the RS24,
with joystick steering. In addition to the far more comfortable ride,
I've lots of chip seal roads and many places where no road repair is
evident for a lot of years, the RS was faster in every situation,
uphill, on the flats and downhill. It also sustained a speed easier,
IOW, I didn't have to concentrate so much on what I was doing and
could just enjoy the speed. Top end on the RS was close to 5 mph
faster, speed loss due to bad pavement was about 3 mph on the better
riding RS and about 5 on the harsher riding budget trike.
Obviously the top end speed gain would seem to be the aero position,
same rider, same familiar course, but there is a comfort factor to the
joystick as well. Hanging onto the outboard steering, particularly the
direct steering attached to the kingpins, every road vibration goes
directly into your arms. For me there is a lot of isolation from the
vibrations offered by the joystick. This reduces fatigue and is again
why I can go faster over bad roads with the joystick.
Braking with the joystick is a joy. Both the RS and the Windcheetah
offer single brake lever control for two brakes, just like one pedal
in your car controls four wheel brakes. No brake steer.
I don't attribute any effect on pedal steer by the Joystick. The RS
has more pedal steer than the misnamed budget trike, and requires a
near perfect pedal circle. The Windcheetah will take a lot of bad
pedaling and exhibit almost none. In fact at this point in my limited
experience with the WC, I would say it has no bad habits.
One misconception about joystick that I hear most often is the thought
that you steer by leaning the stick to the left or right, like a
computer game joystick. This is not the case. The joystick is on a
universal joint to make it easier to lean into a turn, and like some
models of SWB, swing forward to allow for easier getting on and off,
but this does not influence the steering. Both joysticks are nearly
identical, straight up off the steering gear, a few inches from the
top, about a hands length, is a sort of MTB style bar end. The
shifters are located on the ends of the stalks and the brake lever
attaches to the straight bar. The steering is caused by using the bar
end and twisting. If this is not clear, think of elimination the
u-joint and putting a steering wheel on top. it really is that simple.
I can't really go into any comparisons between the WC and RS24. I am
getting a new improved frame for the RS components after I did
something stupid and damaged the original frame. Hellbent is bending
over backward to get me on the road again, even though they are in no
way responsible. So after the new RS gets on the road and some miles,
we will find out which trike, RS or WC suits my riding style, and then
I may write a report. However, I am truly afraid that the current
influx of $2000 trikes is going to kill off the high end performance
trikes. I think I have two wonderful thoroughbreds, but they are
representative of the past, not the future of triking
I have almost 2000 miles on the original RS frame, it is as much fun
to ride as I can imagine. It has gone around Lake Tahoe's America's
Most Beautiful Bike Ride, Tour de Palm Springs, up Mt Tamalpias and
put in a lot of mile on last years Great Western Bike Rally, and of
course many fun day trips spent chasing down brightly colored roadies
who define fast as looking like Lance. I've got many fun stories about
their reactions on being passed by an old guy on a trike.
I have owned the WC about three weeks and 200 miles. Just looking at
it, you can see a maturity in the design that no other trike I have
seen offers. Elegant implementation of the KISS principle.
The one advantage the RS may have over the WC is in hooking up the
Burley flatbed trailer I use for errands, sometimes 100# of paper or
bags of sand from the home improvement store, and of course, the much
thought about multi day tours. Simple errands like grocery shopping is
no problem on either, using basic panniers.
Mike
