#21
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
Don, Rans HAS the potential for such a performance bike, (26/20 Ti Tailwind)
BUT... Well I don't want to insult any Church Of Rans Parishioners out there. EZ Biker :-) Pompano Beach, Fl. (GRR Ti and SOON, Bacchetta Aero Pilot) "Don" wrote in message om... EZ, That would NOT do it for me. Seat is already too high with 20/20 wheels. |
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#22
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
"EZ Biker :-)" wrote in message ... cbb, I actually had an M5 low racer for a couple of months. Nice bike, great speed, BUT TOO LOW for the in city streets here in South Florida, that I ride. Nearly got run over 4+ times, on one particular ride, going down A1A. EZ Biker :-) Pompano Beach, Fl. (GRR Ti and SOON, Bacchetta Aero Pilot) "cbb" wrote in message om... If you feel the need for speed then go low. I own an Optima Baron but the only time I don't feel like someone can possibly not see me is in a crowded parking lot, haven't had a problem yet on city streets, if anything it appears to be the opposite, people slow down and look...and look... |
#23
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
"EZ Biker :-)" wrote in message ... cbb, I actually had an M5 low racer for a couple of months. Nice bike, great speed, BUT TOO LOW for the in city streets here in South Florida, that I ride. Nearly got run over 4+ times, on one particular ride, going down A1A. EZ Biker :-) Pompano Beach, Fl. (GRR Ti and SOON, Bacchetta Aero Pilot) "cbb" wrote in message om... If you feel the need for speed then go low. I own an Optima Baron but the only time I don't feel like someone can possibly not see me is in a crowded parking lot, haven't had a problem yet on city streets, if anything it appears to be the opposite, people slow down and look...and look... |
#24
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
.....That would NOT do it for me (Tailwind). Seat is already too high
with 20/20 wheels. The BB is also--I am planning for my old age. I know that when I sat on a GRR it felt so right. Of course, when I rode it, it felt so (wrong)long and ornery. I opted for a Giro instead. Someday some company (maybe a brand new company) will make a quality mid or CLB that can rival a GRR in performance but be shorter than a school bus.... You want a low seat and low bb on a CLWB? We this might work if you make the bike for someone under 5' tall. If you are average height, in order to have a low seat and low bb, you will have to have the wheel base of a "school bus". So you opted for a Giro? Huh? ... Well, the seat is no lower than a Tailwind, and the BB is way higher! ... I don't get it. As far as a CLWB performance bent: If you want a fast 20/26 Tailwind, it will need a longer wheelbase or a higher seat in order to accomidate the 26" rear wheel. The longer wheelbase will make it into a LWB. The higher seat will be bad for performance. The only advantage to such a bike would be if you like the seat/BB ratio. RANS already has a couple of high performance LWB 20/26" recumbents. If you want a low BB, get the Stratus. If you want a higher BB, get the V-2. I would imagine that either would be faster than a 20/26 Tailwind. [Note, I have owned both a Tailwind and a Stratus, and have ridden a V-2 a few timed. Results - Tailwind: Fast. - Stratus: Faster. - V-2: Fastest.] As an additional note, the new RANS LWB bents may no longer feel so "long" with the new bar options. |
#25
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
.....That would NOT do it for me (Tailwind). Seat is already too high
with 20/20 wheels. The BB is also--I am planning for my old age. I know that when I sat on a GRR it felt so right. Of course, when I rode it, it felt so (wrong)long and ornery. I opted for a Giro instead. Someday some company (maybe a brand new company) will make a quality mid or CLB that can rival a GRR in performance but be shorter than a school bus.... You want a low seat and low bb on a CLWB? We this might work if you make the bike for someone under 5' tall. If you are average height, in order to have a low seat and low bb, you will have to have the wheel base of a "school bus". So you opted for a Giro? Huh? ... Well, the seat is no lower than a Tailwind, and the BB is way higher! ... I don't get it. As far as a CLWB performance bent: If you want a fast 20/26 Tailwind, it will need a longer wheelbase or a higher seat in order to accomidate the 26" rear wheel. The longer wheelbase will make it into a LWB. The higher seat will be bad for performance. The only advantage to such a bike would be if you like the seat/BB ratio. RANS already has a couple of high performance LWB 20/26" recumbents. If you want a low BB, get the Stratus. If you want a higher BB, get the V-2. I would imagine that either would be faster than a 20/26 Tailwind. [Note, I have owned both a Tailwind and a Stratus, and have ridden a V-2 a few timed. Results - Tailwind: Fast. - Stratus: Faster. - V-2: Fastest.] As an additional note, the new RANS LWB bents may no longer feel so "long" with the new bar options. |
#26
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
I'm with the desenters on the low racer thing. Even after I had my Speed
Machine Clone dialed in, I wasn't comfortable on the road. The low, laid back position made startup and looking back difficult for me. More power to those who are not bothered by this. The higher position of a highracer cures these problems. Plus, the easy rolling nature of those large 700C wheels is real nice. I think I'm a convert. ( But, being fickle, I MAY just jump on the next fad to come through also. Parts are stacking up for a 20/20 FWD low racer. I'm thinking full streamlining. For trail only use. I will travel 20 miles in an hour before I die. -- Miles of Smiles, Tom Blum Winter Haven, Florida Homebuilts: SWB Tour Easy Clone Speed Machine Clone High Racer Clone www.gate.net/~teblum |
#27
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
I'm with the desenters on the low racer thing. Even after I had my Speed
Machine Clone dialed in, I wasn't comfortable on the road. The low, laid back position made startup and looking back difficult for me. More power to those who are not bothered by this. The higher position of a highracer cures these problems. Plus, the easy rolling nature of those large 700C wheels is real nice. I think I'm a convert. ( But, being fickle, I MAY just jump on the next fad to come through also. Parts are stacking up for a 20/20 FWD low racer. I'm thinking full streamlining. For trail only use. I will travel 20 miles in an hour before I die. -- Miles of Smiles, Tom Blum Winter Haven, Florida Homebuilts: SWB Tour Easy Clone Speed Machine Clone High Racer Clone www.gate.net/~teblum |
#28
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
"Tom Blum" wrote in message ...
I'm with the desenters on the low racer thing. Even after I had my Speed Machine Clone dialed in, I wasn't comfortable on the road. The low, laid back position made startup and looking back difficult for me. More power to those who are not bothered by this. The higher position of a highracer cures these problems. Plus, the easy rolling nature of those large 700C wheels is real nice. I think I'm a convert. ( I don't quite understand. What made you uncomfortable, on the road, on the Speed Machine clone. Was it the overall height of the bike, which is higher that a true lowracer, or was it the seatin position which you said made startup and looking back difficult? I ride a lowracer, and have ridden a highracer, and personally feel stopping and startup is easier on the lowracer. Admittedly, with more experience on a highracer, I would probably be more comfortable starting and stopping but I find dropping one leg to the ground on a lowracer, or just putting down one hand, to be much easier than dropping one leg, twice the distance, on a highracer. Same with starting. If just dropping a hand and staying clipped in, it is quite easy to start pedalling a lowracer from a stop. If starting from a dropped leg, I find it easier to raise the leg the shorter distance to clip in than the highracer requires. As far as looking back is concerned, I can see no difference. A highracer, using the same seat, with a similar seating angle as a lowracer, offers no better rear viewing than on a lowracer, that I could discern. I didn't feel that the higher overall height of the highracer was enough to offer any better rear view. The angle of the head and neck is what makes turning one's head rearwaed difficult and that is virtually the same on both styles of bikes. Being comfortable with overall height is a different matter. Some people will never feel comfortable with the low height of a lowracer, though I do find it interesting that some I have spoken with are uncomfortable about the height of a lowracer, but have no problem with a trike, which can be just as low. Obviously, there are other perceptions influencing these people. Also, the roads and traffic one normally rides can have an influence. Still, I believe it mainly comes down to one's individual perception of how visible and therefore, how safe, they are on a lowracer. Harry Jiles |
#29
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
"Tom Blum" wrote in message ...
I'm with the desenters on the low racer thing. Even after I had my Speed Machine Clone dialed in, I wasn't comfortable on the road. The low, laid back position made startup and looking back difficult for me. More power to those who are not bothered by this. The higher position of a highracer cures these problems. Plus, the easy rolling nature of those large 700C wheels is real nice. I think I'm a convert. ( I don't quite understand. What made you uncomfortable, on the road, on the Speed Machine clone. Was it the overall height of the bike, which is higher that a true lowracer, or was it the seatin position which you said made startup and looking back difficult? I ride a lowracer, and have ridden a highracer, and personally feel stopping and startup is easier on the lowracer. Admittedly, with more experience on a highracer, I would probably be more comfortable starting and stopping but I find dropping one leg to the ground on a lowracer, or just putting down one hand, to be much easier than dropping one leg, twice the distance, on a highracer. Same with starting. If just dropping a hand and staying clipped in, it is quite easy to start pedalling a lowracer from a stop. If starting from a dropped leg, I find it easier to raise the leg the shorter distance to clip in than the highracer requires. As far as looking back is concerned, I can see no difference. A highracer, using the same seat, with a similar seating angle as a lowracer, offers no better rear viewing than on a lowracer, that I could discern. I didn't feel that the higher overall height of the highracer was enough to offer any better rear view. The angle of the head and neck is what makes turning one's head rearwaed difficult and that is virtually the same on both styles of bikes. Being comfortable with overall height is a different matter. Some people will never feel comfortable with the low height of a lowracer, though I do find it interesting that some I have spoken with are uncomfortable about the height of a lowracer, but have no problem with a trike, which can be just as low. Obviously, there are other perceptions influencing these people. Also, the roads and traffic one normally rides can have an influence. Still, I believe it mainly comes down to one's individual perception of how visible and therefore, how safe, they are on a lowracer. Harry Jiles |
#30
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Speed: LWB vs SWB
Harryo,
Those who love them just don't understand those who don't. I don't hate the bike, it's just wasn't ideal for me. It also wasn't faster than the tour easy, for some combination of factors that I never figured out. It sits too high to do the 'just drop a hand" trick. The low overall stance results in low moment of inertia. I have a bit of trouble getting started. On the high racer, I can easily swing forward and put my feet down. This lets me look around 'normally'. the higher position results in slower tipping (higher moment of inertia). I'm not saying I "just couldn't" ride the thing. I'm saying that since it wasn't faster than my tour easy clone, why bother. -- Miles of Smiles, Tom Blum Winter Haven, Florida Homebuilts: SWB Tour Easy Clone Speed Machine Clone High Racer Clone www.gate.net/~teblum |
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