HP Velotechnik Street Machine?

oldslowbenter wrote:
"HH" wrote in message
. ..
...
A $325.00 cutting tool to cut a seat cushion makes for a pricy seat pad.
Would save some money to buy the Buns of Steel thing on TV work out on it
for a while I think.

That's why we buy pads from the Bike Rack. They have the tool and amortize
it over a lot of pads and lots of trim offs to make bent bike seats. Here's
the link to the manufacurer's site.http://www.supracor.com/about.html

I understand that the Supracor pads are used a lot on the Creative
Mobility [1] side of the business to prevent potential problems from
pressure sores.

[1] http://thebikerack.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=396.

--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley Pedant

NYC XYZ wrote:

What role does wheel size play?

Sorry for the delay, been off skiing for the week...

Wheel size isn't nearly as significant as many people seem to assume for
a general purpose bike, especially if the wheels have good suspension
(and on an HPVel, they do) because that swallows up most of the rolling
resistance issues, as long as you're not on rough stuff. Alex Moulton
demonstrated that back in the 60s, but there's still people about who
think small wheels must mean slow.

The primary advantage of a 26" rear AFAICT on the Streetmachine is that
you've got a lot bigger choice of off-the-shelf gear solutions designed
for that wheel size without having to fettle things or use rather
exclusive bits.

Why do a few have the same wheel size and most do not? What advantage
does a 26/26 'bent have?

It will have lower rolling resistance, all else being equal, but give it
good suspension and "lower" will be pretty insignificant. HPVel make
good suspension. My partner uses a 20/20 semi-low Nazca Fiero and has
been loaded touring on it on unsurfaced tracks okay. I think most of
the thing about 26/26 is the still widespread perception that bigger
wheels make a "serious" bike.

It'd be nice to know it's there...there are times when I'm biking along
on a smooth straight road that's empty for maybe like a whole quarter
mile and I imagine how lovely it would be to just lay back and stare up
at the passing sky.

But you can't do that with a headrest, they stop your head reclining
further...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch writes:

The primary advantage of a 26" rear AFAICT on the Streetmachine is
that you've got a lot bigger choice of off-the-shelf gear solutions
designed for that wheel size without having to fettle things or use
rather exclusive bits.

It depends on what gearing you want: I find most bikes vastly
over-geared so all my bents are 406 all-round which makes things easier,
for the same reason as you give :-)

(And having all wheels the same size reduces the number of spares you
need.)

--
Simon Kellett, Darmstadt, Germany | http://home.arcor.de/zoxed
Hase Kettwiesel trike | ex-Pashley PDQ SWB
Flux V220 CLWB | Zox20 Lowracer

Simon Kellett wrote:

It depends on what gearing you want: I find most bikes vastly
over-geared so all my bents are 406 all-round which makes things easier,
for the same reason as you give :-)

The Streetmachine gearing as standard is, IMHO, pretty daft. Top gear
is such a monster that I've /never/ spun it out, despite trying quite
hard on some very big hills. But that's more down to the chainwheels
than anything else, 30/42/52. Once I get a Round Tuit I'll be regearing
by either a Rohloff and a small chainwheel (if I come into some money!)
or moving to a more MTB-a-like set of chainwheels. With something like
22/32/44 and a closer spaced rear cassette it would give a much better
spread for loaded touring.

But I seem to be in a relative minority thinking that! By default I'd
look for a 20/20 if I was starting now (like you say, only one set of
spares), but as yet I haven't found a 20/20 with quite the same Magic X
Factor for me as the 20/26 HPVels. Roos got Magic X with the Fiero, but
though the seat suits her very well with the cutaway shoulders I just
prefer the supported ones from the HPVel seats. As usual, trying it out
in person is the key.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/