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#21
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
Various posters:
(In a nutshell; bents are slower than uprights on the flats) I'm amazed! I've always thought that recumbents were faster everywhere except up hill. Why are all absolute top speed records held by bents? I've thought it was due to reduced wind resistance due to not having both leg & shoulder cross section in the wind. Plus being more fairing friendly (what's that called? FF?). I've worn a HRM mostly to keep my heart rate below a certain level, to guard against blowing up. All my life I've laughed @ Harleys owners arrogance, because they are ridding slow assed, turn of the century tractors that can be out run in any manor of speed contest, by most rice burners & euro bikes over 500cc. I've considered getting a bent for the supposed speed advantage. If they are not faster, then why in gods name bother!!!??? And obviously, they are a lot of bother (40#; 8' long; 16' long chains; mixed wheel sizes; non-standard parts [even more non-standard than conventional bikes]; etc.) Where did I get the idea they are fast? This doesn't make any sense to me, John |
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#22
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
"Qui si parla Campagnolo" wrote in message oups.com... NYC XYZ wrote: Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote: I always read 'bent threads because I can always count on the last statement.....uprights by definition, are not 'uncomfortable' and the older you get(I'm 55), it is not automatically important that you get a 'bent....My upright is comfy, I see no need to get a bent because of my upright's comfort or my age... My Trek 1000c is the most comfortable upright I've ever had! In two months I had 700 miles on it already. But nothing is as comfortable as my SMGTe! It's like the difference between night and day. 700 miles for me is about 3 weeks on my upright. Once more, 'bents answer no question, solve no problem with regard to a well fitting upright ridden by a cyclist with no physical problems that dictate only a 'bent ride. It is largely a matter of age. If you are indeed an athlete, you may never need a recumbent bicycle. But look around you. How many of us are athletes. Almost everyone by the time they are in their 50's will benefit from a recumbent. Recumbents are mostly about comfort, but they are also more fun to ride than uprights once you get rid of your sport mentality. Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota The Trek is now relegated to errand-running in the neighborhood, etc. For long rides where I don't have to leave my bike out of site, I am definitely riding 'bent! |
#23
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
"john" wrote in message ups.com... Various posters: (In a nutshell; bents are slower than uprights on the flats) I'm amazed! I've always thought that recumbents were faster everywhere except up hill. Why are all absolute top speed records held by bents? I've thought it was due to reduced wind resistance due to not having both leg & shoulder cross section in the wind. Plus being more fairing friendly (what's that called? FF?). I've worn a HRM mostly to keep my heart rate below a certain level, to guard against blowing up. All my life I've laughed @ Harleys owners arrogance, because they are ridding slow assed, turn of the century tractors that can be out run in any manor of speed contest, by most rice burners & euro bikes over 500cc. I've considered getting a bent for the supposed speed advantage. If they are not faster, then why in gods name bother!!!??? And obviously, they are a lot of bother (40#; 8' long; 16' long chains; mixed wheel sizes; non-standard parts [even more non-standard than conventional bikes]; etc.) Where did I get the idea they are fast? This doesn't make any sense to me, John You get a recumbent primarily for the comfort, not the speed. However, you can be fast enough on a recumbent if you work at it a bit. But they are slow going uphill for a number of reasons. If you are into nothing but speed, then stick with an upright road bike. They can't be beat for speed. Only fully faired recumbents will be faster on the flats. Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
#24
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
john wrote:
I'm amazed! I've always thought that recumbents were faster everywhere except up hill. Why are all absolute top speed records held by bents? "Recumbents" covers a very wide range of bikes, and so as far as their speed goes it makes no more sense to assume a BikeE is as fast as an M5 Crabon Lowracer than it does to assume a Schwinn Cruiser is as fast as a Trek Madone. I've thought it was due to reduced wind resistance due to not having both leg & shoulder cross section in the wind. Plus being more fairing friendly (what's that called? FF?). Yes, but... the particular bike the OP is about is not especially aerodynamic and his (and mine) doesn't have a fairing. It's built as a recumbent for reasons of comfort and load carrying as an expedition tourer, jobs at which I think it's exceptionally good, but fast it ain't. I've considered getting a bent for the supposed speed advantage. If they are not faster, then why in gods name bother!!!??? The "if" depends on the model. If you want to go fast get one built for speed. The OP's bike is emphatically not. they are a lot of bother (40#; 8' long; 16' long chains; mixed wheel sizes; non-standard parts [even more non-standard than conventional bikes]; etc.) Length will also depend on models, FWD models don't have long chains, plenty exist with matched wheel sizes, most of the parts /are/ standard on many examples (mine has standard wheels, brakes, gearing, cranks, pedals, headset, bottom bracket and takes standard panniers). By careful choice from a huge range of models available you can fine tune what you want and get a great deal, but just going out and buying "a recumbent, generic" will probably leave you sorely disappointed. Where did I get the idea they are fast? Maybe the 30% better hour record and 81 mph flying 200m speed record... On "real roads" a recumbent holds the UK "End to End" John O'Groats to Land's End record, and so on. But those aren't any old recumbents, they're built for speed. 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/ |
#25
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
Peter Clinch wrote: The SMGT is a very rider-centred machine. Touring luggage can have the heavy stuff under the rider between the wheels so it has very little effect on handling. Only by stacking up weight purely on the back will the steering get light. Ah, well, that was me, then, though my kit weighed no more than eight pounds, tops. SNIP 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/ |
#26
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
That reminds me...I've always wondered whether athletes tend to wear themselves out more...I'm definitely athletic compared to the average American (and *look* like an Olympian -- but had a fat sailor beat me in a sprint once, fair and square), but maybe it really is old age and wear and tear that's got me preferring the comfort of my 'bent over the speed and agility of my upright. Edward Dolan wrote: It is largely a matter of age. If you are indeed an athlete, you may never need a recumbent bicycle. But look around you. How many of us are athletes. Almost everyone by the time they are in their 50's will benefit from a recumbent. Recumbents are mostly about comfort, but they are also more fun to ride than uprights once you get rid of your sport mentality. Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota The Trek is now relegated to errand-running in the neighborhood, etc. For long rides where I don't have to leave my bike out of site, I am definitely riding 'bent! |
#27
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
NYC XYZ wrote:
Ah, well, that was me, then, though my kit weighed no more than eight pounds, tops. That's a non issue IME. By "stacking up weight" I mean like a week's grocery shopping, with cans. 8 lbs on the back shouldn't dent the handling at all. 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/ |
#28
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
Peter Clinch wrote: That's a non issue IME. By "stacking up weight" I mean like a week's grocery shopping, with cans. 8 lbs on the back shouldn't dent the handling at all. I didn't think it should be a factor, either. Maybe I was too tense in the shoulders, as you say. I was certainly thrilled by the speeds I was reaching...until it stopped at 29 mph!! I love the SMGTe. I hope HP Velo sees fit for a carbon or titanium version in the future! Surprised they haven't already done so. Also, I hope in their next (re)iteration they redesign things to allow for a better fit for standard bike accessories somehow...my CatEye 1000, my AirZound, my Arkel panniers...all do not fit as "cleanly" out-of-the-box and require a bit of jerry-rigging.... 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/ |
#29
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
Get an M5 from the Netherlands. They are so much faster than uprights
(even without the Aero cap) that it isn't funny anymore. A few years back during the pro tour Team Time-Trial the builder of the M50 (Bram Moens) went over the same stretch in his record machine and got SOLO a time wich was only beat by a few of the best teams. Bram is a well trained rider, who is over 50 years old..... Any upright is simply no match against a bent build for speed. |
#30
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Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!
NYC XYZ wrote:
I love the SMGTe. I hope HP Velo sees fit for a carbon or titanium version in the future! Surprised they haven't already done so. ISTM they're quite conservative. For example, the first version of the Speedmachine had a Chromo steel rear triangle, just to be on the safe side. But if there's be a Ti or carbon version of anything I wouldn't have thought the Streetmachine was the obvious place to start. 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/ |
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