|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
hp speedmachine
Hello,
I am new to recumbents. I have been riding bike for a couple of years as a way to get out, but have been riding an old beater upright that was handed down to me from my father. Now, that bike is starting to fall apart, and I need to get a new bike. Since I cannot justify spending as much as I will need to more than once in a long time, I only have one shot at getting a good and nice bike. I have tried the Volae bikes at the Hostel Shop in Wisconsin. They were fast and efficient, but I really liked the suspended bikes. I have been looking at the Speedmachine, because I liked the ride on the Street Machine. I also like what I have read on HP's website as far as their philosophies (the fact that they use Linux also put them up a notch for me ;-). The Hostel Shop does not carry the Speedmachine because they have had problems selling them. People supposedly think it looks cool, but then don't like getting on and off of it. I have also heard that the weight is a problem on hills, but I am very used to pedaling the lead weight I have now up hills, and it doesn't bother me. I slow down, and enjoy the scenery:-) I am looking for a bike that is fun, comfortable and well built. That is what the Speedmachine looks like to me, but I could be mistaken. Does anyone have any experience with the Speedmachine, good or bad? I have seen several old posts that seem fairly positive, but I thought I would ask for some more input before I waste myself trying to track one down. |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
"chris" wrote in message ...
Hello, snip They were fast and efficient, but I really liked the suspended bikes. I have been looking at the Speedmachine, because I liked the ride on the Street Machine. I also like what I have read on HP's website as far as their philosophies (the fact that they use Linux also put them up a notch for me ;-).snip I bought a used SM last year. I had to get a new seat (small fits, med was on the bike and is too long for my torso) and replaced the front Clara brake, which developed an expensive leak in a piston, and I had to replace pads because the calipers weren't parallel. The bike had the stem replacement done under the recall. I aslo replaced the NMR shock when it puked out its guts, with a DT Swiss air shock. It's taken many hours of tweaking things like the brake calipers to center them on the discs, and finding a way to rout cables and hoses so they don't rub my legs. I also would like to get a handle bar made that has some more clearence for my shins (more of a problem in the cold weather when I wear heavy tights). Last year was a poor one for my conditioning and my miles were really low, so the SM wasn't the ecstatic experience I had had in mind. This year things are a bit different. Three + hours a week on the trainer has paid a significant dividend in speed and distance. I'm cruising two or three miles and hour faster at this early time in the season than I did on my V-REX at the end of the season. My bike handling has improved a lot too. I can crank to 25 or so and hold a fairly straight line (no I don't cruise that fast...don't I wish...) where last year I'd weave across the road when I tried that. The suspension works. I can take the rough sections of the trail where I ride at speed. My buddy on his Trice XXL gets hammered on these sections. All in all the effort and cost to sort out the bike and listening to the SO complain about the bike bills was well worth it. I'll never be a racer (I couldn't get there when I was 40 and now I'm 62 and a ton heavier) but it is a lot more fun going 16 or 18 with the ever more frequent excursions to the low 20's than it was going 14 to 15 on the RANS. I'm also finding that on the few hills around here I use my granny less and less. On the shorter stuff, I even try to accellerate without getting my heartrate too high. So even with sometimes annoying loud chain tubes (sometimes I can rotate the main tube to its sweet spot and then the chain is nearly silent) and $25.00 teflon chain spray form Germany, I'm a happy camper, and I get happier with each ride. By the way, mine's red. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
I briefly rode one 2 years ago, pretty good bike although I wanted tiller
steering instead of the U-bar, you will like it "chris" wrote in message ... Hello, I am new to recumbents. I have been riding bike for a couple of years as a way to get out, but have been riding an old beater upright that was handed down to me from my father. Now, that bike is starting to fall apart, and I need to get a new bike. Since I cannot justify spending as much as I will need to more than once in a long time, I only have one shot at getting a good and nice bike. I have tried the Volae bikes at the Hostel Shop in Wisconsin. They were fast and efficient, but I really liked the suspended bikes. I have been looking at the Speedmachine, because I liked the ride on the Street Machine. I also like what I have read on HP's website as far as their philosophies (the fact that they use Linux also put them up a notch for me ;-). The Hostel Shop does not carry the Speedmachine because they have had problems selling them. People supposedly think it looks cool, but then don't like getting on and off of it. I have also heard that the weight is a problem on hills, but I am very used to pedaling the lead weight I have now up hills, and it doesn't bother me. I slow down, and enjoy the scenery:-) I am looking for a bike that is fun, comfortable and well built. That is what the Speedmachine looks like to me, but I could be mistaken. Does anyone have any experience with the Speedmachine, good or bad? I have seen several old posts that seem fairly positive, but I thought I would ask for some more input before I waste myself trying to track one down. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
It goes without saying that the choice of OS makes all the differance when
slogging up a 25% hill in the rain!!!!! yea im sold......not Rob D "chris" wrote in message ... Hello, I am new to recumbents. I have been riding bike for a couple of years as a way to get out, but have been riding an old beater upright that was handed down to me from my father. Now, that bike is starting to fall apart, and I need to get a new bike. Since I cannot justify spending as much as I will need to more than once in a long time, I only have one shot at getting a good and nice bike. I have tried the Volae bikes at the Hostel Shop in Wisconsin. They were fast and efficient, but I really liked the suspended bikes. I have been looking at the Speedmachine, because I liked the ride on the Street Machine. I also like what I have read on HP's website as far as their philosophies (the fact that they use Linux also put them up a notch for me ;-). The Hostel Shop does not carry the Speedmachine because they have had problems selling them. People supposedly think it looks cool, but then don't like getting on and off of it. I have also heard that the weight is a problem on hills, but I am very used to pedaling the lead weight I have now up hills, and it doesn't bother me. I slow down, and enjoy the scenery:-) I am looking for a bike that is fun, comfortable and well built. That is what the Speedmachine looks like to me, but I could be mistaken. Does anyone have any experience with the Speedmachine, good or bad? I have seen several old posts that seem fairly positive, but I thought I would ask for some more input before I waste myself trying to track one down. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
chris wrote:
The Hostel Shop does not carry the Speedmachine because they have had problems selling them. People supposedly think it looks cool, but then don't like getting on and off of it. I've got a Streetmachine, but I've played on the Kinetics SpM demonstrators on more than one occasion. It's certainly more awkward to get on than the StM (you more get /into/ it than /onto/ it), but not ridiculously so, and not obviously worse than other OSS machines in the general class I've tried. As for not liking getting *off*, every bike should be like that! ;-) I have also heard that the weight is a problem on hills, but I am very used to pedaling the lead weight I have now up hills, and it doesn't bother me. I slow down, and enjoy the scenery:-) The SpM is a bit of a lump, but less of a lump than the StM and I can get that up everything I've tried with full touring gear in 4 panniers: as long as you have the gears and legs you will get there. Lighter would be nicer, but only if all else was equal, and things like HP Vel's build quality and superb suspension setups mean all else isn't equal. I am looking for a bike that is fun, comfortable and well built. check, check, check. If I had the spare money I'd probably have one as well as the StM. If you don't need the lowrider panniers the StM allows then it would be an excellent fast touring machine, as well as a blast out for a day. 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/ |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
chris wrote:
Does anyone have any experience with the Speedmachine, good or bad? I have seen several old posts that seem fairly positive, but I thought I would ask for some more input before I waste myself trying to track one down. I've been using one as my #1 bike for four years. A touch heavy, but the suspension works very well and it's the most comfortable bike I've ever owned. Mine was built up from a frameset by Darth Stuart, so the components are a bit more upmarket than those now fitted as standard. Highly recommended. -- Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/ And I begged, "Angel of the Lord, what are these tortured screams?" And the angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots, the cries of the carrots! You see, Reverend Maynard, tomorrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocaust." |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
"chris" wrote in message ... snip I am looking for a bike that is fun, comfortable and well built. It's decided then. Which color will you be ordering? ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
bent_pilot wrote:
It's decided then. Which color will you be ordering? Note that you can have any colour you like from the RAL chart as an extra cost option... 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/ |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Peter Clinch writes:
bent_pilot wrote: It's decided then. Which color will you be ordering? Note that you can have any colour you like from the RAL chart as an extra cost option... Though the RAL chart seems to be missing Proper Purple... Roos |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Roos Eisma wrote:
Though the RAL chart seems to be missing Proper Purple... As sported by Roos' Nazca Fiero, which is an alternative well built, sporty semi-low that is also quite capable of touring. It's a 20/20 rather than a 20/26 and Nazca do a similar range of options to HP Vel, but you can have Dual Drive as well as derailleurs or Rohloff and an underseat steering option (which Ross has). The "Tour" model has full suspension, the standard just at the rear but Nazca will do you a Pantour hub as an option. Like the SpM it isn't a lightweight, though it won't dent your wallet quite so much. The most telling difference is that Nazca's seat is more 3d, wrapping around the hips more, and cut away by the shoulder blades. Is that better? Well, it depends on your particular back. Ross prefers the Nazca seat and I prefer the HP Vel seat, mileage does vary, so try options if you can... 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/ |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Inverness to Glasgow on NCN7 in 4 Parts (Long) | PhilO | UK | 19 | May 7th 05 06:53 PM |
Speedmachine and Toxy ZR | Bruce in Texas | Recumbent Biking | 14 | November 14th 04 01:01 PM |
Speedmachine recumbent for sale | Peter Clinch | UK | 11 | July 23rd 04 09:53 PM |
Speedmachine - She's actually said yes! Opinions needed. | PhilO | UK | 16 | May 17th 04 10:17 AM |
Speedmachine on ebay this morning | Simon Brooke | UK | 7 | February 23rd 04 04:31 PM |