cool Speedmachine on ebay...

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

Quoted message said:

item # 7119008028 (december 4, 2004)

Yeah, I was tempted by that one. Lowest price I've seen for an HPV
Speedmachine. Nice color, too.

I met a nice couple riding a pair of Speedmachines a couple of years ago on
a charity ride. The Speedmachines looked beautiful; but they weren't very
fast, and one of them kept dropping the chain. I was on my upright Soulcraft
Royale road bike, and they were huffing and puffing when I was barely
breaking a sweat. Not a fair comparison, perhaps; but I could see they had
to work pretty hard to make some speed.

I've test ridden a Speedmachine myself. It felt heavy, ultra smooth
suspension, but twitchy at speed. Excellent low speed handling though, for a
quasi-low. Maybe I just wasn't used to SWB's with Superman handlebars yet.
I had the same reaction to the Bacchetta Giro - seemed too twitchy, but
otherwise very nice.

WOE

War On Error said:

Royal road bike, and they were huffing and puffing when I was barely
breaking a sweat. Not a fair comparison, perhaps; but I could see they had
to work pretty hard to make some speed.

This could be more to do with the engine than the bike, though...

Quoted message said:

I've test ridden a Speed machine myself. It felt heavy, ultra smooth
suspension, but twitchly at speed. Excellent low speed handling though, for a
quasi-low. Maybe I just wasn't used to SW B's with Superman handlebars yet.

I usually ride a Streetmachine so the weight didn't bother me when I've
tried them. I found the Superman bars really easy to get on with (aside
from the handlebars in your view the whole time!) though the tiller
steering on another was a bit of a getting used to it job. So I think
it's a combination of rider and handlebar style rather than the bike
(I've never got on /that/ well with tillers, though I've done a few
miles with them).

Pete,
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

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

Quoted message said:

War On Error said:

Royal road bike, and they were huffing and puffing when I was barely
breaking a sweat. Not a fair comparison, perhaps; but I could see they

had

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to work pretty hard to make some speed.

This could be more to do with the engine than the bike, though...

Quoted message said:

I've test ridden a Speed machine myself. It felt heavy, ultra smooth
suspension, but twitchly at speed. Excellent low speed handling though,

for a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

quasi-low. Maybe I just wasn't used to SW B's with Superman handlebars

yet.

Quoted message said:

I usually ride a Streetmachine so the weight didn't bother me when I've
tried them. I found the Superman bars really easy to get on with (aside
from the handlebars in your view the whole time!) though the tiller
steering on another was a bit of a getting used to it job. So I think
it's a combination of rider and handlebar style rather than the bike
(I've never got on /that/ well with tillers, though I've done a few
miles with them).

Pete,

The superman bars was the only thing I didn't like about that bike, if it
had the standard tiller I would have likely bought the one I tested then

Mark Leuck said:

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

Quoted message said:

War On Error said:

Royal road bike, and they were huffing and puffing when I was barely
breaking a sweat. Not a fair comparison, perhaps; but I could see they

had

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to work pretty hard to make some speed.

This could be more to do with the engine than the bike, though...

Quoted message said:

I've test ridden a Speed machine myself. It felt heavy, ultra smooth
suspension, but twitchly at speed. Excellent low speed handling though,

for a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

quasi-low. Maybe I just wasn't used to SW B's with Superman handlebars

yet.

Quoted message said:

I usually ride a Streetmachine so the weight didn't bother me when I've
tried them. I found the Superman bars really easy to get on with (aside
from the handlebars in your view the whole time!) though the tiller
steering on another was a bit of a getting used to it job. So I think
it's a combination of rider and handlebar style rather than the bike
(I've never got on /that/ well with tillers, though I've done a few
miles with them).

Pete,

The superman bars was the only thing I didn't like about that bike, if it
had the standard tiller I would have likely bought the one I tested then

[Start C-bar rant mode]

The HPVelotechnik Speedmachine is a great looking bike with the T-bars,
but ugly with the C-bars.

C-bars look like something off a beach cruiser. Thankfully, my Sunset
has custom T-bars instead of the stock C-bar.

[End C-bar rant mode]

--
Tom Sherman - Rock Island County Illinois
Tetrahedral carbon lattices are not forever.

Tom Sherman said:

[Start C-bar rant mode]

The HPVelotechnik Speedmachine is a great looking bike with the T-bars,
but ugly with the C-bars.

But you don't look like a begging chipmunk while riding it... ;-)

As usual, you choose, you lose!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/