Disc Brakes Are Amazing!!!

Some more newbie SWB observations:

* Disc brakes are amazing!!! NO FEAR -- I stopped on a dime,
basically. A handful of times I skidded another few inches, probably,
but I haven't felt so astounded since first meeting V-brakes ten years
ago! I have Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes -- can only wonder what
those Magurar Marta hydraulic ones stop like!!!

* Rear air shocks are great!!! I'm not sure that they're necessarily
better in performance than regular steel spring shocks -- I've only
tried the steel ones once, and just a few minutes over a few speed
bumps and some small potholes -- but they're certainly a hell lot more
easier to adjust!

* Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires are nice! Slow, too, I think -- I "feel
the road," if you know what I mean -- but there's also not been a
stretch of debris, rocks and wood splinters and glass and angular
stones which I've been worried about yet! I actually go through them
rather deliberately just to see if I can get a puncture! So far, I'm
very impressed, and still rather glad to sacrifice the speed in
exchange for peace of mind!

* Speed sucks!!! I'm over 5 mph slower than my upright! This is
definitely the case. With a change of tires and more developed
'bent-muscles that might narrow a mile or two, but unfortunately I'll
always be far slower than on an upright. Sigh!

* Chains are incredible! By which I mean that I can't believe my chain
CUT THROUGH the metal clamp that was holding the teflon tubing -- which
it had shredded! I don't know how this happened; by the time I
noticed, top chain management was KIA!!! Interestingly, I haven't yet
suffered any visible leg grease...maybe it's the teflon lubrication??
I'm not sure whether (or how, exactly) to replace the top chain
tubing....

* A BITCH to haul!!! There's no obvious place to grab, really, and the
weight distribution makes it totally unwieldy for narrow stairways.
It's a chore just taking the damned thing out for a spin! I wonder if
my back's getting stressed from the contortions I have to make
manuevering it up and down four flights of narrow ("single-breasted")
stairs, thus somewhat under-cutting recumbent-riding's lower back
benefits! I've had to develop a very strict and careful way of
handling the 'bent, akin to observing proper form in weight-lifting!

* A real work-out! I still haven't met a hill I can't yet climb on the
'bent, but I am definitely breathing harder -- and I'm a B-grade
athelete! I enjoy the work-out, but it's rather embarrassing huffing
and puffing, giving a less-than-stellar impression of the 'bent.

"NYC XYZ" wrote in message
oups.com...

* Speed sucks!!! I'm over 5 mph slower than my upright! This is
definitely the case. With a change of tires and more developed
'bent-muscles that might narrow a mile or two, but unfortunately I'll
always be far slower than on an upright. Sigh!

So what is your new average speed?

Mark Leuck wrote:


So what is your new average speed?


It seems to be 15 mph. =(

Even on a clear and all-out downhill run I've only been able to post 29
mph on this 'bent. On the same slope with my Trek 1000c I've reached
top speeds of 36 mph! Also, the 'bent feels noticeably unstable at its
top speeds. The upright, hardly.

I'm curious how a faster 'bent would perform....

NYC XYZ wrote:

Even on a clear and all-out downhill run I've only been able to post 29
mph on this 'bent. On the same slope with my Trek 1000c I've reached
top speeds of 36 mph! Also, the 'bent feels noticeably unstable at its
top speeds.

IME most people reporting wibbles on an SMGT have not been relaxed. A
friend reported a shimmy he got at around 30 on a test bike, I found the
exact same machine rock solid, /but/ I had a couple if years' 'bent
experience at that point.

I've found if you keep a very light touch on the bars the bike is rock
solid past 40 mph with or without full touring gear, even through bends
on bumpy roads.

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 wrote:
NYC XYZ wrote:

Even on a clear and all-out downhill run I've only been able to post 29
mph on this 'bent. On the same slope with my Trek 1000c I've reached
top speeds of 36 mph! Also, the 'bent feels noticeably unstable at its
top speeds.

IME most people reporting wibbles on an SMGT have not been relaxed. A
friend reported a shimmy he got at around 30 on a test bike, I found the
exact same machine rock solid, /but/ I had a couple if years' 'bent
experience at that point.

I've found if you keep a very light touch on the bars the bike is rock
solid past 40 mph with or without full touring gear, even through bends
on bumpy roads.

Might this have something to do with rider size and the fore-aft weight
balance on the bike? I've never ridden a 'bent but I have been
considering it. I was leaning toward a SWB USS but if long heavy legs
sticking way out over the front wheel contributes to instability, I'll
reconsider LWB. The fact that the seat is fixed more or less on most
'bents and they are supposed to suit a wide range if rider sizes by
extending the boom seems to me to be creating a wide range of rider
center of gravity positions relative to the contact patches.

Is this an issue?

Joseph

wrote:

Might this have something to do with rider size and the fore-aft weight
balance on the bike?

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.

I've never ridden a 'bent but I have been
considering it. I was leaning toward a SWB USS but if long heavy legs
sticking way out over the front wheel contributes to instability, I'll
reconsider LWB.

My advice is don't get hung up on where the steering is or what the
wheelbase configuration is, shortlist for functionality (tourer, racer
etc.) and then ride everything you can in that category irrespective of
the bars and wheel positions. Then you'll see what works best for you
much better than you can ever decide on paper.

The fact that the seat is fixed more or less on most
'bents and they are supposed to suit a wide range if rider sizes by
extending the boom seems to me to be creating a wide range of rider
center of gravity positions relative to the contact patches.

Because of the recline the only bit that's "fixed" is your backside. As
the legs extend forward, so the torso and head extend further backwards
to help balance the whole. Probably more weight in the torso, but it's
not going back so far as it's at an angle.

Is this an issue?

Not that I've ever noticed. I'm 5'8" and have never had trouble riding
German and Dutch bikes which are mainly designed for Dutch and German
riders, who are generally quite a bit taller than I am.

But b personally testing as many machines in the functional category
you're looking for, you stand the best chance of a good match. I
personally find tiller bars a bit twitchy, I've yet to dial in to them,
including on bikes where I've found superman or USS bars no trouble.
Plenty of people using them no problems, so it's just me and that
particular thing. You can only find these things out by trying in person.

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/

"NYC XYZ" wrote in message
oups.com...
[...]
* Speed sucks!!! I'm over 5 mph slower than my upright! This is
definitely the case. With a change of tires and more developed
'bent-muscles that might narrow a mile or two, but unfortunately I'll
always be far slower than on an upright. Sigh!

You will always be somewhat slower on a recumbent than you will be on an
upright, all things being equal. However, some recumbent riders actually do
get faster than they ever were on their uprights, but that is because they
ride their recumbents more and hence get stronger. But overall it is more
work to go fast on a recumbent, especially uphill.

For many years when I wanted a good workout I would ride my upright in
preference to my recumbent, but eventually I settled on the recumbent as it
was just more enjoyable to ride.
[...]

* A real work-out! I still haven't met a hill I can't yet climb on the
'bent, but I am definitely breathing harder -- and I'm a B-grade
athelete! I enjoy the work-out, but it's rather embarrassing huffing
and puffing, giving a less-than-stellar impression of the 'bent.

You will be much slower going uphill on a recumbent. I have known several
guys who gave up on recumbents for precisely that one reason. I would rather
be slow and comfortable than fast and uncomfortable. The older you get, the
more important this becomes.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

Edward Dolan wrote:
"NYC XYZ" wrote in message
oups.com...
[...]
* Speed sucks!!! I'm over 5 mph slower than my upright! This is
definitely the case. With a change of tires and more developed
'bent-muscles that might narrow a mile or two, but unfortunately I'll
always be far slower than on an upright. Sigh!

You will always be somewhat slower on a recumbent than you will be on an
upright, all things being equal. However, some recumbent riders actually do
get faster than they ever were on their uprights, but that is because they
ride their recumbents more and hence get stronger. But overall it is more
work to go fast on a recumbent, especially uphill.

For many years when I wanted a good workout I would ride my upright in
preference to my recumbent, but eventually I settled on the recumbent as it
was just more enjoyable to ride.
[...]

* A real work-out! I still haven't met a hill I can't yet climb on the
'bent, but I am definitely breathing harder -- and I'm a B-grade
athelete! I enjoy the work-out, but it's rather embarrassing huffing
and puffing, giving a less-than-stellar impression of the 'bent.

You will be much slower going uphill on a recumbent. I have known several
guys who gave up on recumbents for precisely that one reason. I would rather
be slow and comfortable than fast and uncomfortable. The older you get, the
more important this becomes.

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...


Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

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.

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!

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.

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!