First ride of Nazca Paseo

[UpWrong]

Photos here, https://1drv.ms/a/s!AmuVLk0nWAz99l9qOdIjtUvLG2AM

I bought the frameset from Laid Back Bikes some time ago but work and family matters have got in the way of riding it. Today was the first time turning the pedals. I just pottered around the local streets checking the build which proved to be perfect apart from a slightly tight rear gear cable and forgetting to set the high limit screw on the FD. Boom was fine, handlebars are fine - amazing

First impressions: very easy to ride, stable and very controllable. The suspension is excellent. The ride height is adjustable by moving the rear shock between 3 slots. A side effect of adjusting the height is to alter the headtube angle. Having started it on the lowest position (highest seat, steepest headtube) I moved it the mid position to slow the steering down. The aero bars (aka open cockpit) provide great control and make signalling easy but I can't pedal through tight turns because of leg interference with the bars and riser. However I can still make tight turns ok whilst coasting. Another reason for not pedalling during tight turns is heel strike. It's easy to sit up and paddle the bike to complete a U-turn.

Stepping over the seat is a little tricky, but I recall also initially having problems with my Giro 20 and Metabikes. The seat curves up to put the head in an upright position. I was relieved to find the BB height did not feel high once riding. Gearing is about right. I have a 30-39-52 Ultegra triple on the front and a 12-36 cassette on the back. I might need lower at times but the balance would probably get too difficult. I might switch to a sturmey archer cs-rf3 so that I can change when stationary - can't make up my mind on that one.

Summary - I like it and look forward to getting some miles in on it. I bought it as a tourer, hence the low rider rack. It should be ok on a train althought it is quite a long machine. Not as long as my RANS but longer than the Metabikes and Giro I think.

[UpWrong]

Sheldon Brown's gear calculator gives a range of 20.7" to 107.8". On the middle ring I get a very useable 26.9" to 80.8"

[firedfromthecircus]

Nice bike.
Looks ideal for loading up for a tour.

[swscotland bentrider]

The Paseo was the first recumbent I used for a proper touring trip. Great bike. Handles rough roads superbly. Mine had tiller bars although I think OC bars do give more precise control when loaded.

[UpWrong]

If you look at the photo you can see that the handlebar grips are just behind the steering axis. This makes the steering more like an upright bike (and I had more than 30 years of being used to that). Also some think a longitudinal rather than a transverse grip makes it less destabilising when taking a hand off the bars.

[squeaker]

If you look at the photo you can see that the handlebar grips are just behind the steering axis. This makes the steering more like an upright bike (and I had more than 30 years of being used to that). Also some think a longitudinal rather than a transverse grip makes it less destabilising when taking a hand off the bars.

Personally I try and find a neutral wrist rotation, wherever my hands end up. OC fits this approach (for my wrists), as does a Raptobike style angled handlebar when using a tiller close to.
YMMV, of course!

[Geoff.D]

If you look at the photo you can see that the handlebar grips are just behind the steering axis. This makes the steering more like an upright bike (and I had more than 30 years of being used to that). Also some think a longitudinal rather than a transverse grip makes it less destabilising when taking a hand off the bars.

I have a stick riser, with a 12 cm extension at the top and North Road bars. The bars are angled such that my knees fit under them, and the bars don't interfere on tight turns. One outcome is that the grips are just behind the steering axis, as Upwrong points out here. It feels like a very natural position, with no sense of tiller effect.

Because the North Road bars are tilted towards me (to give the knee clearance) the grips are at 45 degrees to my body, and in a plane that accepts my fist when holding the grips. I hadn't planned this when I made this conversion from USS, but it's proved to be absolutely ideal for me. In all aspects it's "neutral".

I believe (but I don't have the analysis) that it's this neutrality that allows me to feel the effects of the steering geometry, giving a nice sense of security.

[hercule]

Have you got photos? I was wondering about converting my Fuego from tiller to "aerosteer" in Nazca-speak, but a bit worried about getting legs stuck under the bars in tight turns. I've even got a RANS riser that I could experiment with (it's on my 20/20 BikeE at the moment).

[Geoff.D]

Have you got photos? I was wondering about converting my Fuego from tiller to "aerosteer" in Nazca-speak, but a bit worried about getting legs stuck under the bars in tight turns. I've even got a RANS riser that I could experiment with (it's on my 20/20 BikeE at the moment).

Hercule,
You'll find a rather dark photo, and description, of my Lee Cooper on "Pictures of your Recumbent" page13, 18th Feb 2013.
G

PS Happy to share more information if you want. I don't have any detailed photos but that's easily done and sent via pm.

[hercule]

Thanks Geoff, found it!

Having done some thinking and measuring I think I'm going to face a conflict between knee room and actually being able to see over the bars - even fully upright I think the Fuego is more reclined than your Lee Cooper.

I'm not even sure sure that I could comfortably use the aerosteer bars - I seem to have rather short arms relative to my legs and having checked out a review of the same setup on the Paseo in an old Velovision, I'd have near enough straight arms even just pointing straight ahead. More musing to be done.

I wonder if a Hebie steering dampener would help with tiller bar twitchiness??

[pjclinch]

I'm not even sure sure that I could comfortably use the aerosteer bars - I seem to have rather short arms relative to my legs and having checked out a review of the same setup on the Paseo in an old Velovision, I'd have near enough straight arms even just pointing straight ahead. More musing to be done.

I wonder if a Hebie steering dampener would help with tiller bar twitchiness??

You've just got to try one out. 10 seconds in the cockpit is worth more than any amount of theory and measurements.

As for tiller twitchiness, I think some us have the proper measure of them and others don't. I'm in the latter camp: I've ridden tiller bikes for up to a couple of hours at a time, and while I've never lost control I've never been properly happy on them, and that's on bikes where I can climb on USS or aero OSS versions and dial straight in, so it's nothing inherent to the steering geometry of the bike. And also with bikes where other riders are totally at home with tillers (I know someone who got a Spirit to replace his OkeJa, but sold on the Spirit because he couldn't get used to bars that weren't like the tillers on his old Flevo). So I suspect steering dampers won't help, but just getting the miles in might.

Pete.

[Geoff.D]

[quote="hercule"=
Lee Cooper.
[/quote]

[Geoff.D]

Thanks Geoff, found it!

Having done some thinking and measuring I think I'm going to face a conflict between knee room and actually being able to see over the bars - even fully upright I think the Fuego is more reclined than your Lee Cooper.

You're quite right, Hercule. My Lee Cooper is more upright. He built it using the Orbit as his working model, and that was at the beginning of the modern resurgence of recumbents in this country. They were rather upright at that time, weren't they? The PDQ was similar.
And I'm quite tall (can see over the top), with disproportionately long arms.

You've just got to try one out. 10 seconds in the cockpit is worth more than any amount of theory and measurements.
Pete.

I agree, Pete.
When bodging my OSS conversion, the critical criterium (after keeping costs down and using whatever resources I had knocking about in the garage) was knee clearance and the rest just had to happen. It was by sheer chance that the outcome was so good for me. That said, I had pleasure in the bodging process and satisfaction in succeeding with a working system. Had it not worked out, there was still positives to be taken (I'm retired. What else would I be doing with my time? Hanging around street corners and getting into trouble?)

[squeaker]

I wonder if a Hebie steering dampener would help with tiller bar twitchiness??

What front tyre are you using? If it's a 28mm you might find that a 40mm eg Marathon Racer would give a bit more trail which might help?

[Dave W]

My Metabike has tiller steering and was unbelievably twitchy to start with, it would give the feeling of a speed wobble although it was tracking straight and the bars weren't slapping about. Shifting my seat as far forward as I can has calmed it down considerably. I can now do hand signals (just). Makes me wonder if the designers got it slightly wrong with weight distribution or fork geometry.