ReviveRider <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Joe said:I've never owned a recumbent and I am considering buying a Giant Revive. Does anyone have an
opinion on this bike? ThanksThis thread is probably dead, but I thought I'd reply anyway. I took a chance on the Revive after
test riding it in June. I've had the bike now all season, so here's my observations...A. The bike is comfortable. After years of commuting to work my neck and shoulders were giving
out. I wanted something comfortable that would allow me to enjoy riding again... The Revive
seems to work for me. Darn near everything is adjustable: seat post, lumbar support, headset,
and hinged frame. And I love the view the head-up seating position provides on rural/rail trail
rides.B. Handling is OK. The longer I ride it (had it since late June) the better I've become with tight
turns on urban bike paths and obstacles. Now toward the end of August, I feel as though
standard bikes handle awkwardly... go figure.C. It's heavy. Lots of aluminum on this bike. Even before I left the LBS, I had the techs remove
the wheel covers, fenders, and chainguard. Maybe four or so pounds were shed from just that. I
have other ideas such as sawing off extra seat tubing (I'm only 5' 9"😉 and lopping off the back
part of the frame with the integrated rack.D. For long rides the small 20" wheels make you work a little harder, but the semi-bent position
is so comfortable for me that I don't seem to mind... However, the single chain ring, 8-speed
combined with the bent position is killing me on some of the small, steep, nasty hills here in
the Ozarks. I'm taking this machine out for the MS 150 in Sept. and that's my main worry. The
bike is loads of fun on level, rolling roads with shallow grades, but a bear on the hills. Max
speed is certainly less, but I'm not *that* much slower than the roadies.E. It's goofy looking and cool looking at the same time... colleagues call it the two-wheeled
hospital bed, while younger folks and kids always call out "cool bike!"In sum, it's working out pretty well for me. I've had some problems with the chain jumping off
during shifting on downhills and straightaways, but so far this bike has gotten me back into
biking again. Before the Revive I rode only 6-8 miles every other day. Now I enjoy 10, 20, and 30
mile rides. I had my first 56 mile training ride last weekend, and she did OK. I have to say "OK"
because it's not meant to be a performance bike.I?ll be happy to entertain any questions concerning this odd, semi-bent mule. I?d love to hear
from other Revive riders too.DR
[email hidden] ReviveRider
ReviveRider, John, et al:
Soon I will be a Revive owner as well. Mine is a red standard Revive and it's on order. I tested
both the DX and the standard model several weeks ago. I found the standard model to be slightly more
efficient and consequently faster. This is because of some mechanical loss in the Nexus internal hub
found on the DX. It's not a big deal if say both bikes will be ridden at moderate speeds (10-12 mph)
but once you get in the mid to upper teens, the more efficient derailler drivetrain will feel
better. The DX does have more of a "space age" look to it but the standard Revive won my heart.
I am an experienced bent rider having owned 7 recumbents in less than 5 years. What am I doing
buying a semi recumbent that some people find not worthy of consideration? Well I find first of all
the comfort outstanding. A brief 1-2 minute parking lot ride will not do this bike justice. One
needs more than that to adjust the bike properly. Second of all the bike is really fun to ride. To
me it has most of the handling and balance of an upright along with the comfort of a recumbent. It
will handle loose surfaces just like an upright. I seen one of the bike shop employees ride the
standard Revive inside the store and actually track stand the bike while he was pushing a small box
out of the way to the side with the front wheel. That was cool to say the least! I would humbly say
that the bike performs very much like a run of the mill CLWB. It is at least as fast as my
ScooterBike and the Revive is overall higher geared so the top end potential is better.
ReviveRider, I have noticed that you've removed several accessories in an effort to reduce the
weight of the bike. I would however refrain from cutting the tailend of the frame. You won't save
much weight and it will probably invalidate your warrantee. I intend to keep the bike prestine from
the box. I am not concerned with weight and am a fairly strong rider. My ReBike weighs over 45
pounds and fast club rides are not an issue. I challenged myself to become physically stronger to
handle the greater weight. In addition I lost some weight off my body. Consider that a rider who
loses 12-13 pounds will make it seem like the Revive will weigh the same as a RANS Rocket. Now if
the rider is as skinny as they can get...well tough;-) Get stronger then!
If you did a 56 mile ride recently, pat yourself on the back;-) Most "weight weenies" will argue
that such a bike is not intended for rides of this length. My counter is if you're well trained and
the bike is comfortable, then it's possible to do centuries on it. So what if it takes an extra 45
minutes as long as it feels good. I wouldn't want to do a century on a faster bike only to find my
butt hurting at the 25 mile mark.
Well that's all my friends. Thanks for reading. Perhaps one day we can form a Yahoo Group for Revive
owners and exchange some pretty interesting "war stories";-)
Edward Wong Orlando, FL