Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Best Thing About a Bacchetta


Bacchetta is a small recumbent company based in St Petersberg, Florida.
Over the past 6 years they have produced high quality recumbents and recumbent accessories to fill the needs of Recumbent Cyclists.

Bacchetta sells many styles of Recumbents all having three major designs differences that have changed the sport. First the one design that stands out is the arms forward, above Seat Steering style of riding. In this position, your hand shadows your arm. Simply put, the wind sees less of you.
The second design difference is the short "Boom".
The boom is the section of the bike from the Head Tube, (Steering,} to the bottom bracket, (Pedals). Shorter booms make for more efficient bicycling due to better transmission of power and no loss due to twist. Bicycles with longer booms twist from left to right as you push on the pedals. Some frames have broken because of this design flaw. Not a Bacchetta.
The third is that the whole bicycle line is clean and simple. Bacchetta uses few specialty parts making it easy to have your bicycle serviced at any shop with fewer special orders.
Over the past 6 years, Bacchetta has improved there bicycles in ways that most riders and customers would never notice. Things like packaging to the dealer, location of cable stops, cable routing, paint, and selection of components come to mind. Never to cheapen the bicycle, but to make it better without increasing the price.
A Bacchetta not only looks great, but it also rides great. It is truly the best climbing, cornering and comfortable Recumbent I have ever ridden.

With all the Great things about the Bacchetta Recumbent Line the best thing about the Bacchetta isnt just the bikes. Its the "Boys Behind The Bikes"

http://bacchettabikes.com/company/roster.htm

Nine years ago when ATP Vision went out of Business I went looking for a new line for Wheelworks. I wanted to sell high racers having ridden and owned Vision's R65's and thought that it was surly the way the sport was going.
I knew Rich Pinto from my early Recumbent events. He was building and selling a High Racer called an Aerocycle. I asked him if he would be interested in selling to Wheelworks and if so how many bicycles he could supply.
I never heard back from Rich, but when I was talking to Recumbent builder Dick Ryan I was told, "Richie has signed with Xeyed. He may not be able to sell to you now."
I had no idea what he was talking about. I had seen adds with a "Mid Ship" under the frame pannier rack made by Xeyed, but couldn't figure out what Rich would be doing with an accesory company, and from Kansas of all places.
When I called Rich to find out his changes in plan, I was told to call Mike Wilkerson at Bacchetta and find out if I could buy his Bicycles. ( I have to say that if wasn't for Rich Pinto and the person he is I might have never called.)

On the other end of the line I heard, "Bacchetta Bikes, This is Mike!" I was told by Mike that they would have a bicycle called a Strada for sale soon and for Wheelworks to become a dealer, I would need to buy 3 and fill out the usual stack of forms.
With Mike, I got a sense of someone that knew what he was doing and that he loved the sport. (By the way, Mike answers the phone differntly now when he sees its me calling.)
Over the years our friendship has grown to a level of like being brothers We check in at times of no business to chat and see how each other is fairing with this and that.
Dealing with the Boys behind Bacchetta I have developed a feeling of being home. I cant remember a call when one of us hasn't laughed hard about our difference in style and candor. We love to pick on each other and play jokes to mess each other up and break up the doldrums of selling bicycles.
Dealing with the whole staff is fun, but at the same time, I cant remember a order placed by me that didn't go out that day. Theres nothing that Bacchetta won't do for Wheelworks.
What this all come down to is Happy Wheelworks Customers. Never have I had to wait for bicycles or replacement parts. I can call, and get it, and have the customer back on the road in less then a day. Because I know the part is coming, I can take it from one of my bikes in stock and replace it when it arrives.

Reperesenting a Recumbent Line that truly stands behind the Sport as well as Product, sells the bike. Not Me.

The Best thing about a Bacchetta, is Bacchetta

Lets Ride

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