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Info wanted on Cannondale Bent (wheelset/gearing upgrade)



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 27th 06, 05:08 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
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Default Info wanted on Cannondale Bent (wheelset/gearing upgrade)

Just wondering if anyone knows more about this:

There's a rumor regarding the Cannondale "Bent", which comes with a 16"
front and 20" rear wheelset. Supposedly the bike will handle a lot
better, and perform more effficiently, if the wheelset is replaced with
a 20" front and a 24" rear. A friend told me someone won a recumbent
race with a Cannondale that was upgraded in this manner for such a use.

I appreciate if anyone knows more details to share because I might be
interested in getting a Bent (it's soon to be discontinued) and I'd
like to know how far I can take its performance with future upgrades.
I have no idea where to get a replacement front fork (for the 20"
wheel) which would have the proper rake / steering geometry.

Thank you,
Rob

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  #2  
Old June 27th 06, 09:19 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
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Default Info wanted on Cannondale Bent (wheelset/gearing upgrade)

Robert Hayden wrote:

There's a rumor regarding the Cannondale "Bent", which comes with a 16"
front and 20" rear wheelset. Supposedly the bike will handle a lot
better, and perform more effficiently, if the wheelset is replaced with
a 20" front and a 24" rear. A friend told me someone won a recumbent
race with a Cannondale that was upgraded in this manner for such a use.


Hmmmmm. The Cannondale 'Bent is designed as a comfortable urban bike,
not a performance machine, and you'll no more turn it into a race winner
by changing the wheels than you'll turn a full suspension MTB into a
road racer by putting slick tyres on it. I suspect that the anecdote is
either wrong, the opposition wasn't on anything remotely special or the
rider of the winning machine was much stronger physically (put me on
Lance's race bike and him on my Brompton folder, and he'll still win!)

I appreciate if anyone knows more details to share because I might be
interested in getting a Bent (it's soon to be discontinued) and I'd
like to know how far I can take its performance with future upgrades.


You might make it go a bit faster, but you'll never have a racer worthy
of the name. If you want to go fast, but a machine that has been
designed to go fast. The Cannondale is *not* such a machine. OTOH it
does appear to be a well engineered bit of kit if you want to cruise
around town in comfort.

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/
  #3  
Old June 27th 06, 11:14 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
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Default Info wanted on Cannondale Bent (wheelset/gearing upgrade)

Robert Hayden wrote:
Just wondering if anyone knows more about this:

There's a rumor regarding the Cannondale "Bent", which comes with a 16"
front and 20" rear wheelset. Supposedly the bike will handle a lot
better, and perform more effficiently, if the wheelset is replaced with
a 20" front and a 24" rear. A friend told me someone won a recumbent
race with a Cannondale that was upgraded in this manner for such a use.

I appreciate if anyone knows more details to share because I might be
interested in getting a Bent (it's soon to be discontinued) and I'd
like to know how far I can take its performance with future upgrades.
I have no idea where to get a replacement front fork (for the 20"
wheel) which would have the proper rake / steering geometry.

Thank you,
Rob

First off: I've never owned one.

Secondly: random observations/opinions:
The Cannondale bent is not real widely regarded. "Expensive", "heavy"
and "slow" are three words that get used on it a lot, although "slow"
could be used to describe a LOT of 16/20" bikes out there, and ones
using a compound drive are often "heavy" as well. Assuming a ~$2000
price for the Cannondale--there's bikes for significantly less that ride
just as well, and there's bikes for the same price that ride much
better. ....Cannondale was very-cool to try to market a bent (it got
press in places that didn't otherwise acknowledge that bents existed)
but they didn't do a very good job of it, and never seemed to get a clue
that their design needed a major workover a lo-o-o-ng time ago. Like--to
20/26 wheels. And then they could have gotten rid of the compound drive,
to lose some weight.

If you're in love with it by all means get one--it is certainly a big
improvement from an upright bike--but if you already think you want
something bigger than 16/20" wheels, I'd suggest you should really just
start looking at 20/26 CLWB's. The Burleys for example start at $1200 or
so--they have 20/26 wheels, and use direct-drive.

Also: shocks are nice if you can afford them, but I find that suspension
on a bent is not nearly so important as on an upright bicycle. The main
reason shocks helps is if you get very-skinny (1-inch) tires, suspension
helps prevent pinch flats and rim damage. If you just run 1.25 to 1.5"
tires at moderate pressures (75+ PSI), on decent roads these things are
not often a problem anyway. ....For an example: I weigh 275 lbs and ride
1.5"s inflated to 100 PSI, and (-there's times it would be nice, but-) I
haven't ever thought that I /needed/ suspension. (my butt has never hurt
from lack of shocks!)
~
  #4  
Old June 28th 06, 06:50 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
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Default Info wanted on Cannondale Bent (wheelset/gearing upgrade)


I rode a Cannondale Bent a couple of times, and quite enjoyed it. Its a
fun bike, comfortable, and pretty well built. Unfortunately it is very
heavy, expensive, and it is possibly one of the least aerodynamic
recumbents around. If you're not into speed, and $2,000 won't make much
difference on your finances, its actually a decent choice. But the
story of someone changing the wheels and winning some races with it is
definitely bogus. Even if one could fit bigger wheels on it, it
wouldn't change the fact that this is a heavy bike where the rider sits
very vertically on it.
  #5  
Old June 29th 06, 03:13 AM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent
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Default Info wanted on Cannondale Bent (wheelset/gearing upgrade)


"Robert Hayden" wrote in message
ups.com...
Just wondering if anyone knows more about this:

There's a rumor regarding the Cannondale "Bent", which comes with a 16"
front and 20" rear wheelset. Supposedly the bike will handle a lot
better, and perform more effficiently, if the wheelset is replaced with
a 20" front and a 24" rear. A friend told me someone won a recumbent
race with a Cannondale that was upgraded in this manner for such a use.


I suspect your friend is drunk if they thought one could win a race


I appreciate if anyone knows more details to share because I might be
interested in getting a Bent (it's soon to be discontinued) and I'd
like to know how far I can take its performance with future upgrades.
I have no idea where to get a replacement front fork (for the 20"
wheel) which would have the proper rake / steering geometry.


If you want performance get a real recumbent.


 




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