To avoid shitting up other threads I’m going to post my recumbent bullshit here. I expect that as Tarck ages more of you will be joining me here. I just got here 2 or 3 decades early thanks to my neck.
So I think this is what I’m going to do. This is a rather extravagant build but worth it to me. Rob English is going to be helping me with this.
26" ENVE XC race laced to an Alchemy Orc, bladed spokes
32 mm Compass 26" Elk Pass rear tire
Lightening 160 mm crank (haven’t decided on gearing yet)
Shimano Di2 XTR
Terracycle Idler kit, ceramic
Some kind of china carbon 406 rim (if anyone has suggestions let me know); Schwalbe One 28 mm tire; probably a SON hub and Edelux.
I would LOVE to ultimately make this dual 26". I saw a very old post from someone where they attempted this, but there wasn’t any real feedback on handling. Also concerned about hard interference with the crank. I can accomplish this with a 26" monoblade from BikeFix, but it is a lot of trouble if it isn’t going to work. The only thing that makes me anxious about doing 26" is that it makes me completely dependent on Compass 32 mm tires–the other options for relatively narrow 26" are pretty shitty.
Calculated weight from my giant spreadsheet ~16.6 lbs complete with pedals. +/- 0.2 lbs because I don’t know if I need a medium or large CF seat.
I wonder how much (if?) the geometry would change with a 26" front? It looks like the 26" fork compensates for most of the difference in wheel size, but…
Also, do you have to go 26", or can you use 650? That would affect your tire choices, for sure
650C would work (in fact that is what is on the bike shown), but the tire choices are absolutely awful; I’m not riding around on a rock-hard 23 mm tire on my roads.
Dumb question: Stan’s Podium MMX rims say 15-33 PSI with a 2" tire. So with a narrower tire is it safe to go higher? Or is it the other way around. Or is it just going to assplode at 70 psi.
thinner tires are usually rated to higher psi now I don’t know if it’s because the volume changes are different at that size so you go higher to prevent road manipulation or because the tires have to be higher pressure so they make them that way.
It has to do with the internal pressure pushing outward on the sidewall and exploding the rim. A larger tire pushes in a different direction and I believe that is the reason you can go higher psi on a narrower tire.
I do prefer to be a little closer to the ground, falling off a highracer (and believe me, there’s a lot of falling off recumbents when you are learning) is not appealing to me with a neck issue. Although I learned to ride a recumbent on a true scary bastard–the M5 Carbon High Racer, it’s been 5 years since I rode one and I’m sure I’m going to be doing a lot of falling off and riding into the bushes again.
I can’t believe I rode a lowracer in downtown Manhattan traffic routinely!
Then again, I haven’t laid down cash money yet, and this babby came up for sale:
This is a 700C highracer but designed to have the seat as low to the ground as possible. Virtually impossible to get in the US, I didn’t even consider it previously. I’d want just the frame/fork/tiller/seat/idlers, as I don’t want to set it up like the seller has it.
I do prefer to be a little closer to the ground, falling off a highracer (and believe me, there’s a lot of falling off recumbents when you are learning) is not appealing to me with a neck issue. Although I learned to ride a recumbent on a true scary bastard–the M5 Carbon High Racer, it’s been 5 years since I rode one and I’m sure I’m going to be doing a lot of falling off and riding into the bushes again.
I can’t believe I rode a lowracer in downtown Manhattan traffic routinely!
Then again, I haven’t laid down cash money yet, and this babby came up for sale:
This is a 700C highracer but designed to have the seat as low to the ground as possible. Virtually impossible to get in the US, I didn’t even consider it previously. I’d want just the frame/fork/tiller/seat/idlers, as I don’t want to set it up like the seller has it.[/quote]
I know recumbents are dorky but I wouldn’t be even remotely embarrassed to ride this one.
how do you feel about under seat steering? my recumbodad prefers it when available- i’ve never tried it but i do like the way the stoker bars feel on his barcroft tandumb. i always feel like they look more sportier.
i don’t have a pic of his but he gets bonus points for his engin-built elevated boom. he’s also getting this thing made for a different bike (i think he has 2 recumbent tandems, 4 single recumbos, one recumbo trike and one viewpoint knockoff)
USS is pretty fun, but I like ASS better. Particularly tillers–much more aerodynamic position.
Rode my trike up Peekamoose Rd in the Catskills yesterday. Max grade 15.3%, I was going like 2 mph. I am worried that I’m not going to be able to make it up that on a 2-wheeled recumbent. Climb followed by 14 miles or so of 30 mph+ riding. Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2413458
Also I’ve made the decision to sell all my upright bikes–two Englishes, the Herse, and a GT Grade. I just have to accept the fact that I’m not going to ride them again, and that they make my neck worse rather than better.
I have to sell them because it is actively depressing to look at them every day. 9 years of obsessive cycling down the tubes, and my fitness and skills from those 50k miles+ doesn’t even really apply to recumbents. Kinda bummed today.
I guess on the plus side recumbents are generally poorly optimized, poorly thought out junk–even the high-end ones–so there will be plenty to keep me occupied.
