Thinking about a new recumbent? Weather you have owned one of these fantastic bikes or are just thinking about looking for one someday, this just might be the information your looking for.
Hopping on a recumbent for the first time is a memorable experience. "Its like learning how to ride a bike for the first time!" is what I hear time and time again. Customers come to the shop with all kinds of information and ideas they have read about on the net, but there is nothing like a ride to give you a idea of what style bike is best for you.
Small front wheel verses large front wheel is always a question. Newer designs have new customers wondering what is the best design for their needs. Its not until you have actually test ridden the two different styles that you will know.
Most customers take to riding small front wheel recumbents quickly. The lower seat allows the new rider to get rolling and find the pedals quicker and easier then the taller crank position with the larger front wheeled bikes. That said, Maybe a 24" wheeled recumbent such as the Corsa 24 may be best for you. The Bacchetta Corsa 24 has matching 24 x 1" wheels that because their smaller size has a shorter legged rider sitting closer to the ground ad starting off easier than a recumbent with a 65oc or the newer 700c wheeled bikes.
That said, most new riders feel right at home, (as if watching TV in their favorite chair) on a smaller front wheeled recumbent, such as the Bacchetta Giro 20, or the aluminum version, Giro ATT.
AS I have told customers, many new riders and owners in the past have purchased the 20" wheeled bikes and after a couple of years come back to by the larger. The only difference with this style of bicycle is that they usually keep their old bike for everyday use and buy the lighter, bigger wheeled bike for "Sunday rides."
Grab your helmet and get out for a test ride. Most shops that carry recumbents will be happy to teach you how to ride and having you in short order wearing we know as "The Recumbent Silly Smile!"
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Stuffie Alert! Tucks Tavern, Cumberland RI.
This was a true "9" out of a total of ten points.Truly more clams the what was to be expected. We loved every bite!
About a mile from the Blackstone Canal Trail in Cumberland, This little gem of a pub was our lunch stop on Tuesday. Not knowing what to expect made this lunchtime surprize all the better.
Great service makes for happy customers. Everyone was nice.
Outdoor seating if you wish, on warmer days of course, If in the area, Tucks Tavern on Route 122 is a must.
Check out their clam roll and just try to find the roll!
The best Stuffies we have ever tasted,we look forward to our return!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Over, Under, Sideways, Down.
The question that always comes up with new recumbent customers. "What is better and safer? Under seat steering or above seat steering?" The question as many times as I have been asked it always throws me.
I enjoy both, although I now only sell Above Steering Recumbents. If I could, I would sell both, but my supplier only stocks the above style.
The difference is obvious, but the question gets asked anyway.
Bacchetta prefers above seat for the reason of aerodynamics, They feel that having both hands at your side has more wind resistance and a bigger silhouette of rider and bike. The wind "sees" more so by design, its slower. This is taking into account that the rider is riding with both hands. (I don't)
Its hard for me to say what I prefer. I love the under seat design. It gives you a better view and makes it easy to get on and off the bike. For years we sold the "ATP Vision" line of bikes, Most of their line was offered with both styles. I sold only under seat bikes except for the models that only had above seat offered.
The two styles offer two different feels of riding. The above seems faster, but the bikes became lighter in time with lighter wheels. The below always gave me the feeling of the perfect touring bicycle and having me want to slow down and enjoy the view.
What do you think? Most of the readers of this blog have had both or still do. I would like to see what people prefer and why.
I enjoy both, although I now only sell Above Steering Recumbents. If I could, I would sell both, but my supplier only stocks the above style.
The difference is obvious, but the question gets asked anyway.
Bacchetta prefers above seat for the reason of aerodynamics, They feel that having both hands at your side has more wind resistance and a bigger silhouette of rider and bike. The wind "sees" more so by design, its slower. This is taking into account that the rider is riding with both hands. (I don't)
Its hard for me to say what I prefer. I love the under seat design. It gives you a better view and makes it easy to get on and off the bike. For years we sold the "ATP Vision" line of bikes, Most of their line was offered with both styles. I sold only under seat bikes except for the models that only had above seat offered.
The two styles offer two different feels of riding. The above seems faster, but the bikes became lighter in time with lighter wheels. The below always gave me the feeling of the perfect touring bicycle and having me want to slow down and enjoy the view.
What do you think? Most of the readers of this blog have had both or still do. I would like to see what people prefer and why.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Another Cool Bag
This one really strikes my fancy. I love the way it fits on the rack and how easy it is to remove it. Im not so sure how a laptop would withstand our streets and New England style pot holes, but would be willing to give it a try. Check this out:
Friday, February 15, 2013
Winter Time Blues
Its days like these that make living in New England tough. Salty, sandy roads are not good for Recumbent any way you look at it.
Damage creeps up so slowly, that you just might not notice. Pivot points on brakes and derailleurs are hard to clean and desalt.
I have no advice for dealing with the salted roads other then to find another bike to ride. Unfortunately recumbent bicycles are not usually found for cheap and sometimes free at the upright design.
Switching for the winter (if you can) may be the best plan. Cleaning of the bicycle will still be important, but an upright bicycle has some of the parts a little further from the road and free from the slop.
Sorry I don't have the perfect answer regarding Winter Recumbent riding, but warmer nicer days will be hear soon and allow us to enjoy the style of heads up riding we all know and love.
Damage creeps up so slowly, that you just might not notice. Pivot points on brakes and derailleurs are hard to clean and desalt.
I have no advice for dealing with the salted roads other then to find another bike to ride. Unfortunately recumbent bicycles are not usually found for cheap and sometimes free at the upright design.
Switching for the winter (if you can) may be the best plan. Cleaning of the bicycle will still be important, but an upright bicycle has some of the parts a little further from the road and free from the slop.
Sorry I don't have the perfect answer regarding Winter Recumbent riding, but warmer nicer days will be hear soon and allow us to enjoy the style of heads up riding we all know and love.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Getting Ready for the New Season
A trip to the bike shop could have you spending money on things you all ready own. For the most part, this could be a good thing. Over the past year, improvements in Lighting, Travel Bags and Tools could make cycling a little more easy. Here are some of my favorite.
The Topeak "Quick Track" system. This is a great way to deal with carrying your stuff. That said, Maybe you don't need to carry much on your Recumbent and your rides, but for those of you that live on your bike and need it to get around, this design is the best I have seen, Check out the video:
The MTX/Quick Track system racks will fit most recumbent bicycles. There is a great way to do this that I will show later. The "Explorer" rack has an old school spring clip to hold things down when you just dont need a bag.
There is a selection of bags to fit. One has fold out panniers to expand to carry larger loads when needed.
The second item, also made by Topeak, is a new larger version of their "Morph" frame pump. The New "Mega Morph" is a larger version of the Topeak line of Morph Pumps.
Bigger is better with bicycle pump design. This may not be the best pump for those of you wanting to save weight, but for riders that don't have enough strength to use a convential style frame pump and dont care about the extra size and weight, this could be the tool for the job.
The larger fold out gauge makes it easy to read and inflate to the proper amount
The "Smart Head" allows you to switch from Presta to Schraider valves with out dismantling the head first.
The fold down foot stand keeps the pump stationary while inflating.
Again, the extra size and weight may not make this the pump of choice for lightweight riders, but its design may be a good substitute for having to carry a floor pump on your car, cycling trips.
The third item that I really like is the new Serfas Thunderbolt USB Head light and Tail light.
The Serfas Thunderbolt has endless mounting options for a great price.
The headlight has 15-micro (double strength) LED strip puts out 90 lumens, giving you plenty of light to see and be seen.
The USB-rechargeable Thunderbolt can be mounted virtually anywhere on the front or back of your bike.
Charges from any USB port. The lights Feature a non-directional beam to cover a wider area
Modes: high beam, low beam and two flash modes
Run times: 1.5 hours (high beam); 6.5 hours (low beam); 3.5 hours (high blink); 9 hours (low blink)
Highly Water resistant
Weight: 50 grams
Comes in 7 different colors
Colors: Black, White, Red, Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow I have used these lights on a couple of different bike and love them.
The items I have written above are an improvement of what I already had. Making things safer and easier is always in my mind money well spent. Check them out in person and I think you will be pleasantly surprised of these 3 great designs!
The Topeak "Quick Track" system. This is a great way to deal with carrying your stuff. That said, Maybe you don't need to carry much on your Recumbent and your rides, but for those of you that live on your bike and need it to get around, this design is the best I have seen, Check out the video:
The MTX/Quick Track system racks will fit most recumbent bicycles. There is a great way to do this that I will show later. The "Explorer" rack has an old school spring clip to hold things down when you just dont need a bag.
There is a selection of bags to fit. One has fold out panniers to expand to carry larger loads when needed.
The second item, also made by Topeak, is a new larger version of their "Morph" frame pump. The New "Mega Morph" is a larger version of the Topeak line of Morph Pumps.
Bigger is better with bicycle pump design. This may not be the best pump for those of you wanting to save weight, but for riders that don't have enough strength to use a convential style frame pump and dont care about the extra size and weight, this could be the tool for the job.
The larger fold out gauge makes it easy to read and inflate to the proper amount
The "Smart Head" allows you to switch from Presta to Schraider valves with out dismantling the head first.
The fold down foot stand keeps the pump stationary while inflating.
Again, the extra size and weight may not make this the pump of choice for lightweight riders, but its design may be a good substitute for having to carry a floor pump on your car, cycling trips.
The third item that I really like is the new Serfas Thunderbolt USB Head light and Tail light.
The Serfas Thunderbolt has endless mounting options for a great price.
The headlight has 15-micro (double strength) LED strip puts out 90 lumens, giving you plenty of light to see and be seen.
The USB-rechargeable Thunderbolt can be mounted virtually anywhere on the front or back of your bike.
Charges from any USB port. The lights Feature a non-directional beam to cover a wider area
Modes: high beam, low beam and two flash modes
Run times: 1.5 hours (high beam); 6.5 hours (low beam); 3.5 hours (high blink); 9 hours (low blink)
Highly Water resistant
Weight: 50 grams
Comes in 7 different colors
Colors: Black, White, Red, Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow I have used these lights on a couple of different bike and love them.
The items I have written above are an improvement of what I already had. Making things safer and easier is always in my mind money well spent. Check them out in person and I think you will be pleasantly surprised of these 3 great designs!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Back in the Running
Over the past month I have been working on a gift that was given to me by a great friend. Promising to never sell it, I am now the proud owner of a ATP Vision R 40, Rohloff 14 speed under seat steering, short wheel base, recumbent.
I have been having a blast detailing it and look forward to clean roads and warm days to enjoy it with. Here are some photos of the bicycle so far:
Cool little blinkie bar end lights with all the gear changing in one hand!
Thanks Dave!
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