Advice requested for touring bike purchase.

Greetings,

I'm working my way down (or is it up) the food chain. I went from a
large SUV, to a Honda Goldwing, and now I'm on a Recumbent. I bought a
Sun EZ 1 about 6 months ago to ride to work here in Austin. As a
beginner Recumbent rider it worked great for what I needed. Now I find
myself riding the Hill country roads on the weekends and wishing I
could go farther... and farther... and farther. In other words I'm
hooked! So I'm getting ready to purchase bike number 2, a touring bike.
Multi-day tours here I come. My local dealer carries Rans but not the
tour easy line. I understand they're both fine bikes and I'm happy with
my dealer so I'll go with a Rans Stratus XL. I'll test ride the stratus
in the next couple of weeks. Right now I'm gathering information to help
me slowly climb the learning curve.

My questions a

What's the difference between storing gear on the bike via front
panniers, a rear rack, underseat panniers, or some combination of those
and storing gear on and pulling a trailer? Is pulling a trailer a lot
harder on the rider? How does pulling a trailer effect the handling of
the bike?

Will gearing on the stock Stratus give me a low enough gear to cruise
uphill at 4MPH yet give me peddle room in the high gears when going 35+?
I quickly run out of peddle on the EZ 1 after 30 MPH. That's spinning
115 RPM in my highest gear. I want to go faster on the downhill (is this
were a trailer is a bad idea?). If I need to upgrade the gearing I want
to include that in original (loan) purchase. How all the gearing stuff
plays out is one of the many topics on my learning curve.

It's hot here in Central Texas 7 months out of the year. I like the idea
of a windshield but I may be to hot to ride behind it. Any experience
from the Southern riders out there? On my Goldwing I had Wind Wings that
hung outside the faring and were adjustable to allow you to direct a
little bit of air at the rider when it was hot. Anyone seen a product
like that for bicycle fairings?

I plan on getting a different handle bar/ riser set up. Does that mean
I'll have to get my dealer to change out cables because of length issues?

Feel free to throw any other tidbits of touring experience my way. I'm a
beginner on a mission.

Onward through the fog,
Gene Titus

"Gene Titus" wrote

It's hot here in Central Texas 7 months out of the year. I like the idea
of a windshield but I may be to hot to ride behind it. Any experience
from the Southern riders out there?

I'm only a bit north of you and ride year round with the front
fairing on my Tour Easy. It does seem to keep my lower
body warmer in the colder months, but somehow, I don't
notice it making the hotter days seem worse... Heading
into a hot headwind is better with the fairing than without.

Actually, the time I feel the hottest is when I'm matching the
wind speed running downwind. The apparent wind speed
is then zero and the sun can really bake you! Speed up
or slow down.

Wicking fabrics help. We ride early or late in the day when
the temperature gets past 100F. We seek shaded routes.
Drink lots of water...

I plan on getting a different handle bar/ riser set up. Does that mean
I'll have to get my dealer to change out cables because of length issues?

Cables, perhaps. Also perhaps fairing mounts...

Jon Meinecke

I have a Stratus and felt the need to switch the small chainring to a 26 for a
touring low gear.

This requires no modification other than a new chainring and has improved
things nicely.

The shifting is still smooth and I have had no problems.

Guy
College Park MD

Gene Titus wrote in
:


Will gearing on the stock Stratus give me a low enough gear to cruise
uphill at 4MPH yet give me peddle room in the high gears when going
35+? I quickly run out of peddle on the EZ 1 after 30 MPH. That's
spinning 115 RPM in my highest gear. I want to go faster on the
downhill (is this were a trailer is a bad idea?). If I need to upgrade
the gearing I want

Not to sound glib, but it really depends on how strong you are and how
steep your hills are. You might consider spending some concentration on
spinning until you can cruise at 95-110 RPM, and don't get spun out
until something more like 150 (WAG). On a tour, the only real reason to
pedal on a downhill is to keep the muscles limber, IMO.



I plan on getting a different handle bar/ riser set up. Does that mean
I'll have to get my dealer to change out cables because of length
issues?


The rear derailleur cable will need to be swapped out. The Stratus XL
takes a 3 meter cable (think triplet tandem) and leaves you about 2
inches left over. The dealer part (for me) came about because of the
difficulty threading the cable through the grip shifters. I don't feel
good about that. I did this conversion recently and was able to re-use
the brake cables, but I cut my own cable housings. The front derailleur
cable might have been just long enough, I don't remember. Plan on
replacing at least those two.


H

In article ,=20
says...
...ready to purchase bike number 2, a touring bike.=20
Multi-day tours here I come. My local dealer carries Rans but not the=
=20
tour easy line. I understand they're both fine bikes and I'm happy with=
=20
my dealer so I'll go with a Rans Stratus XL.
My questions a
=20
What's the difference between storing gear on the bike via front=20
panniers, a rear rack, underseat panniers, or some combination of those=
=20
and storing gear on and pulling a trailer? Is pulling a trailer a lot=20
harder on the rider? How does pulling a trailer effect the handling of=20
the bike?

The differences in storage locations is stability. On a touring DF with=20
front panniers, you place the heaviest stuff on the front rack low on=20
the front wheel. Things are stored on the rear rack because that is the=20
easiest place to put a rack on a DF but not ideal for stability.=20
Ideally on a recumbent, you want your load as low as possible without=20
dragging the ground and between the axles. This is why an underseat=20
rack is so desirable on a recumbent. It would be desirable on a DF too=20
but as long as that is where the DF cranks are "it ain't gonna=20
happen." =20
Some like trailers. I don't. With that kind of load behind the rear=20
axle, you can have stability issues on high speed descents. They can=20
also wreck a rear wheel if it is not built well.=20

Your LWB RANS Stratus will drive like an 18 wheeler, IMO adding a=20
trailer will only make it handle worse. =20


Will gearing on the stock Stratus give me a low enough gear to cruise=20
uphill at 4MPH yet give me peddle room in the high gears when going 35+?=
=20
I quickly run out of peddle on the EZ 1 after 30 MPH. That's spinning=20
115 RPM in my highest gear. I want to go faster on the downhill (is this=
=20
were a trailer is a bad idea?). If I need to upgrade the gearing I want=
=20
to include that in original (loan) purchase. How all the gearing stuff=
=20
plays out is one of the many topics on my learning curve.

If you are not carrying a load the stock gearing is fine. I never=20
carried more than about 50 lbs only on the rear of my Stratus and I=20
managed to get by with the 30T granny. I eventually abandoned touring=20
on the Stratus and went to a SWB because all LWBs climb like an 18-
wheeler in the truck lane when loaded. If I had to live in Austin and=20
could only own a LWB, I would swap out the 30T granny for a 26T. =20
=20
It's hot here in Central Texas 7 months out of the year. I like the idea=
=20
of a windshield but I may be to hot to ride behind it. Any experience=20
from the Southern riders out there? On my Goldwing I had Wind Wings that=
=20
hung outside the faring and were adjustable to allow you to direct a=20
little bit of air at the rider when it was hot. Anyone seen a product=20
like that for bicycle fairings?

I had a fairing on my RANS Stratus. I commuted daily with it. It is=20
better with the fairing than without. There is turbulence generated by=20
the cranks inside the fairing and there is always a nice breeze in your=20
face over the top of the fairing. The hottest commute I did was in=20
September with the radio announcing 118=B0. The thermometer on my bike=20
computer was registering close to 130=B0 in the middle of 6-lanes of=20
traffic in Houston. =20

I plan on getting a different handle bar/ riser set up. Does that mean=20
I'll have to get my dealer to change out cables because of length issues?

Probably. =20

Feel free to throw any other tidbits of touring experience my way. I'm a=
=20
beginner on a mission.

I've toured with my RANS Stratus in the Appalachians in Va (Think 'Hill=20
Country' on Steroids). Also in Slovakia with a ride one day into the=20
Carpathians. The LWBs are not easy to transport. I have flown with=20
mine several times and this was the main reason I got a SWB. Getting to=20
and from an airport is a challenge.=20

I would strongly encourage you to look toward a SWB for some serious=20
touring. They will out climb any LWB loaded.

You might be interested in the Touring mailing list

Browse and search the archives: http://search.bikelist.org
subscribe or list settings:
http://www.phred.org/mailman/listinfo/touring

If you have other questions about touring, I'm happy to answer.=20

Remember the Hotter'n Hell is just a few months away.=20

--=20
Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

"Gene Titus" wrote in message
...

Will gearing on the stock Stratus give me a low enough gear to cruise
uphill at 4MPH yet give me peddle room in the high gears when going 35+?
I quickly run out of peddle on the EZ 1 after 30 MPH. That's spinning
115 RPM in my highest gear. I want to go faster on the downhill (is this
were a trailer is a bad idea?). If I need to upgrade the gearing I want
to include that in original (loan) purchase. How all the gearing stuff
plays out is one of the many topics on my learning curve.

Gene.

On my previous V-Rex I ran a 24-38-52. This can be run but you must make
sure the chain is the correct length. I kept taking out a link until I got
it right. Many people on this group and BROL find a 38 tooth middle ring
ideal for 90% of the riding. With the 42 middle ring it always seemed I was
shifting into the small ring for rollers whereas with the 38 I can usually
make it to the top. The 24 will give you a nice low gear for loaded touring
and the 52 gives you that "I'm Insane" gear for spinning at 45+mph downhill.
Swap the rings out when buying the bike.

To add to the confusion, many people are running 150-165mm cranks so they
can spin faster. Three of our bikes have 155mm cranks and we would not go
back. A week ago I purchased a used, mint 97 V-Rex with 175mm Campy cranks.
They drive me crazy. I will be switching these out for shorter cranks.

My wife Terry and I will be biking in Austria and the Czech Republic for 6
weeks this summer. We will be riding S & S coupled Tour Easys with 26" rear
wheels and carrying our gear with ERRC Looong Underseat Panniers and Arkel
RT-70 panniers on the rear rack. Our bikes will have 20-33-45 chainrings on
so we can burro up hills. We're excited!

Too many choices! Too little time!

Perry B

Gene Titus

Will gearing on the stock Stratus give me a low enough gear to cruise
uphill at 4MPH ....


Gene,

Welcome! I would advise getting the lowest gear you can -- for me
that's a 24 tooth in the front and a 34 in the back. When pulling a
touring load you'll feel like you're blowing out your knees anyhow, so
don't make it worse by not gearing down to the max.

Ed

ps. You may find that as a tourist the 35+ mph pedalling may not seem
so important; I quickly gave up my higher gears in favor of bunching
my gearing beginning with that low gear described above. No big gaps
between shifts.

Cletus D. Lee wrote in
T:


Your LWB RANS Stratus will drive like an 18 wheeler, IMO adding a
trailer will only make it handle worse.


OTOH, I've pulled 60-80 lbs of kids + 15 lbs of trailer behind a Stratus up
to about 18-20mph (down a slight grade) with no ill effects. Suspect the
Burley Nomad might be more stable than Bob, but never pulled a Bob.
(although I have friends named Bob that occasionally do odd things, and
sometimes I do "pull a Bob" but that's not the same ...)

I don't know the Rans line but why not look at the Velocity? Seems
it's more directly comparable to the Tour Easy.
Setting up a touring recumbent is a matter of taste, budget, purpose,
and endless refinement. Plenty of room for personal quirks and oddball
modifications no one else would want to run.

I know of no better resource to learn about recumbents on the long
haul than to buy a dozen back issues of ERRC magazine.

http://www.geocities.com/e_r_r_c/index2.html

david boise ID

Gene Titus wrote in message ...

Hi Gene, I can help you with my experiences with my Stratus XL.

My questions a

What's the difference between storing gear on the bike via front
panniers, a rear rack, underseat panniers, or some combination of those
and storing gear on and pulling a trailer? Is pulling a trailer a lot
harder on the rider? How does pulling a trailer effect the handling of
the bike?

My first year, I stored my gear on a rear rack: 2 paniers fully
loaded, a tent, sleeping bag and autoinflatable mattress. This combo
changed the handling to a condition I'd compare to a car
understeering. It took me 30 minutes in a parking lot to get used to
the change

The next year, I got a Burley Nomad to be able to bring a few extras
with me (I like my creature comforts, the previous setup was a bit too
barebones camping for my taste). The handling wasn't much different
that riding with the rear fully loaded, the effort in the flats was
the same as last year, but going up big hills was harder. I had
trained hard(30 miles a day at 20 mph with many short sprints to
simulate going up hills) for a month before my 3 week camping trips,
and I needed it. Going down hills wasn't that much of a problem, the
aerodynamics of the trailer would prevent me from going much faster
that 35 mph.

My average speed on my trips is 12 mph in the flat areas, and in hilly
areas, I'd drop approx 2 more mph. Last year, I was able to ride
between 60 miles/day in hilly areas to 90 miles/day in flat areas.
Last year, I rode 1300 miles in 22 days on my trip.

Another thing that needs to be addressed is the low speed handling of
the Stratus. When I'd be going up a big hill in 1st gear, I'd have to
move the steering tiller a lot to stay straight

Will gearing on the stock Stratus give me a low enough gear to cruise
uphill at 4MPH yet give me peddle room in the high gears when going 35+?
I quickly run out of peddle on the EZ 1 after 30 MPH. That's spinning
115 RPM in my highest gear. I want to go faster on the downhill (is this
were a trailer is a bad idea?). If I need to upgrade the gearing I want
to include that in original (loan) purchase. How all the gearing stuff
plays out is one of the many topics on my learning curve.

At 4MPH, you might have problems with keeping it in a straight line,
my slowest speed was 5mph, and it was a handfull at that speed.
Downhill, unloaded, my Stratus is a pleasure at speeds of up to 50
mph, very steady. Loaded, either with paniers and tent or with the
trailer, I felt that 35mph was pretty much the max speed I wanted to
ride at, the front end feels a little light at that speed. At that
speed, I still wasn't spun out in top gear, approx. 100 RPM.

It's hot here in Central Texas 7 months out of the year. I like the idea
of a windshield but I may be to hot to ride behind it. Any experience
from the Southern riders out there? On my Goldwing I had Wind Wings that
hung outside the faring and were adjustable to allow you to direct a
little bit of air at the rider when it was hot. Anyone seen a product
like that for bicycle fairings?

I can't address the heat issue, as in Canada, it rarely gets above
90F. and with my fairing I don't get overheated.


Hope this has helped,

Denis Rivest
Stratus rider in Montréal