corsa vs. speed machine

Bill Goldsmith asked:

Quoted message said:

Which bike would be faster on flat roads

I would imagine the Speedmachine, as it's lower and a bit more reclined.

Quoted message said:

and which one would be better on hills?

Probably the Corsa - it's lighter.

Quoted message said:

Also, which one is more comfortable for those who have ridden both?

Have I ridden a Corsa? - point, clickety-click - no, it was an Aero, but the riding positions and
seat appear to be the same in all bar materials (pray correct me if I am wrong). But I didn't ride
it very far, whereas I have 9000 km on my Speedmachine. I find the Speedmachine very comfortable -
remember that that it has dual suspension - but would need a fair bit more stick time on a Corsa /
Aero before I was sure about it. I *did* get the (mistaken) impression that I was about to slide
forwards out of the seat on the Aero, which felt *most* disconcerting.

Dave Larrington - legslarry.crosswinds.netlegslarry.crosswinds.netOpen ↗
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Quoted message said:

Which bike would be faster on flat roads and which one would be better on hills? Also, which one
is more comfortable for those who have ridden both? Thanks in advance.

IMHO, a tough call. The Speedmachine is more reclined. But, it is 11 lbs heavier. I think of
the Speedmachine to be a better all-around bikes. The disadvantage for me, was lack of a dealer
in my area.

Derek

I have test rode a speed machine but never rode a Corsa. I would have a Speed Machine but wife would
kill me if I brought another recumbent home (we have 4). I thought the Speed Machine rode and
handled great and the suspension sure smoothed out those rough roads. I think it would be a great
all around bent. There was a write up on the Speed Machine about a year ago in RCN. I think the
Jan/Feb 2003 RCN has a write up on the Bacchetta bikes. One other thing about the Speed Machine is
it has the COOL factor look to
it.

John

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

Quoted message said:

Which bike would be faster on flat roads and which one would be better on hills? Also, which one
is more comfortable for those who have ridden both? Thanks in advance.

Dave Larrington said:

Bill Goldsmith asked:

Quoted message said:

Which bike would be faster on flat roads

I would imagine the Speedmachine, as it's lower and a bit more reclined.

Quoted message said:

and which one would be better on hills?

Probably the Corsa - it's lighter.

Quoted message said:

Also, which one is more comfortable for those who have ridden both?

Have I ridden a Corsa? - point, clickety-click - no, it was an Aero, but the riding positions and
seat appear to be the same in all bar materials (pray correct me if I am wrong). But I didn't ride
it very far, whereas I have 9000 km on my Speedmachine. I find the Speedmachine very comfortable -
remember that that it has dual suspension - but would need a fair bit more stick time on a Corsa /
Aero before I was sure about it. I *did* get the (mistaken) impression that I was about to slide
forwards out of the seat on the Aero, which felt *most* disconcerting.

Dave Larrington - legslarry.crosswinds.netlegslarry.crosswinds.netOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

By "forward" do you mean "backward"? As you pushed on the pedals, you felt like you were sliding
back, off the seat?

I *often* wonder about all this preoccupation with maxium recline. It seems that, if you were to
pedal with any real power, beyond a certain recline, you'd tend to just slide backwards off the
seat. Beyond a certain recline, you really need a harness. You'll notice that when Rob English, who
has ridden an Optima Baron convincingly, built his Hachi lowracer, he did NOT go for total recline.
English opted for a more upright seat so he could push harder against it without sliding off it.

m
--
Replace "[censored]" with "warnerm" in my email addr

Mike Warner said:

... I *often* wonder about all this preoccupation with maxium recline. It seems that, if you were
to pedal with any real power, beyond a certain recline, you'd tend to just slide backwards off
the seat. Beyond a certain recline, you really need a harness. You'll notice that when Rob
English, who has ridden an Optima Baron convincingly, built his Hachi lowracer, he did NOT go for
total recline. English opted for a more upright seat so he could push harder against it without
sliding off it.

m

Another solution is to use a seat design that keeps the rider from moving backwards. One such design
is Sean Costin's "Monkey Hand" [1]. This design could be considered successful for power generation
during sprinting, since Sean won a world championship on it.

[1] < wisil.recumbents.comseancostin.htmOpen ↗ > fourth picture from the bottom.

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

In article <GQMca.94796$F1.3359@sccrnsc04>,

Mike Warner said:

By "forward" do you mean "backward"? As you pushed on the pedals, you felt like you were sliding
back, off the seat?

I can't speak for Dave, but I think I know what he means. I felt the same way when I first put the
carbon seat on my Strada. It really does feel like you could slide off forwards - like you have to
press against the pedals to stop yourself from sliding off the seat and landing on the frame.

I still feel like that from time to time. I think it's just one of those illusions you get used to
after a while. A few more miles & I probably won't notice it at all anymore.

-Carl

Mike Warner asked:

Quoted message said:

By "forward" do you mean "backward"? As you pushed on the pedals, you felt like you were sliding
back, off the seat?

No, I meant forward, as though I was sliding off the front of the seat.

Quoted message said:

beyond a certain recline, you'd tend to just slide backwards off the seat. Beyond a certain
recline, you really need a harness.

Hmm. I have no problems on my Baron, and AFAIK Ian Humphries has no problems on his trike which has
a seat angle of ten degrees.

Quoted message said:

You'll notice that when Rob English, who has ridden an Optima Baron convincingly, built his Hachi
lowracer, he did NOT go for total recline. English opted for a more upright seat so he could push
harder against it without sliding off it.

He opted for a more upright seat as it is generally held that a more closed riding position allows
the rider to generate more power. With the low seat and high b/b of the Hachi, he could therefore
have less frontal area than the Baron *and* a more closed riding position, which is a win-win as
long as you don't find the position too uncomfortable.

Dave Larrington - legslarry.crosswinds.netlegslarry.crosswinds.netOpen ↗
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Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
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