How much to get a fully kitted touring / commuting recumbent?

[Tangled Metal]

Might be worth asking if this is still avialable, https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/street-machine-recumbent-for-sale.223044/

Still available but don't tell anyone, I'm going for it I think. Shhhh! Keep it quiet!

Seriously though, I've been in contact with the seller and as a first recumbent I think that's a good choice. Having spoken to someone in the know, it seems to be a steady 'bent to learn on. The biggest issue might be the USS. Still I've got a nice, wide promenade near me to learn to ride it. My 5 year old will be very amused to see me learning to ride a bike. He was learning last year!

I'm hoping I can self teach. It took half an hour to get over the change from drop bar to wide hybrid bike handlebars. It just felt weird for my hands to be so far apart on a bike. I reckon I'll take a few spills for sure.

[pjclinch]

The Lowrider is very specific to the Streetmachine (as is its rear rack), but I'd be very surprised if they made any changes between the GT and GTe as regards the rack mount. Ben Cooper at Kinetics or Bikefix in London should be able to confirm and also supply as HP Velotechnik dealers. D-Tek might have one on a machine that could be removed and sold.

The main differences between GT and GTe are an aluminium frame that's slightly lighter (but even so nobody bought a GTe because they're a weight weenie) and it has the Bodylink seat on the newer one and a fixed size seat (that was available in three distinct sizes) on the GT. If you find the GT seat a bit on the wee side it may well be possible to source a bigger one somewhere (start with the Usual Suspects already mentioned). While the Bodylink is notionally better by being super-adjustable, however much I play with one I can never get it to suit me as well as the basic SMGT seat.

If it's got the Ballistic fork then you won't be able to upgrade to disc brakes, but in the grand scheme of things I'd say hardly a deal breaker. I bought mine with Vs which were okay, but upgraded to HS-33s in a fit of hydraulics envy when Roos bought her Fiero, and they're very good and independent of the fork.

Pete.

[pjclinch]

I'm hoping I can self teach.

As long as you remember it's just like, errr, riding a bike you should be fine. The lighter your touch on the bars the easier it is, and it's mostly about a combination of leaning and looking where you want to go, just like an upright. Avoid the Death Grip which renders steering more or less impossible on any bike, and don't pull on the bars to start (a gentle push on both sides can accentuate the don't-pull for starting, and once going just use the minimum contact you feel happy with).

Pete.

[Tangled Metal]

Even before the USS issue there's the setting off and putting both feet high up on the pedals. That's what worries me first about recumbents. Well not worry more curious about.

The USS is quite wide compared to drop bars. I've also not got my head around moving the USS bars. Is it push left to go right? It feels like the opposite of a boat tiller in some ways to me. It's a weird aspect to get confused by because it's obvious really.

It'll be fun. Just got to buy the bike first.

[squeaker]

Still I've got a nice, wide promenade near me to learn to ride it.

IME a shallow grassy slope works better - no need to pedal

Re: steering, I recall Mike Burrows advising 'waggling' the steering as you set off to 'calibrate your brain / body reactions'...
.
.
.
. as I was saying about grassy slopes...

Good luck!

[pjclinch]

Even before the USS issue there's the setting off and putting both feet high up on the pedals. That's what worries me first about recumbents. Well not worry more curious about.

The usual approach is "how do I do this on a bike?" has the same answer for most bikes, be they 'bents or upwrongs.
So to set off you typically have one foot down and one foot on a pedal. To set off you push on the loaded pedal and that gets you going, and your other foot comes up and you put it on the other pedal. Unless you always perform rolling mounts on your upwrong it's all the same.

The USS is quite wide compared to drop bars. I've also not got my head around moving the USS bars. Is it push left to go right? It feels like the opposite of a boat tiller in some ways to me. It's a weird aspect to get confused by because it's obvious really.

Don't think of the bars as wide or narrow, think of them as being in the natural place for your hands to go. If you flop in a chair with your hands by your sides, that's where the bars are on a USS SMGT. If you're reaching forwards in a crouch your hands will naturally come inwards, so that's why drop bars are as they are. I think you're over thinking steering a lot. For the most part steering a bike is looking where you want to go and leaning. The USS bars on a SMGT work just like wide flat bars with bar ends on an upwrong (but with the brakes and gears on the bar-ends).

Pete.

[[XAP]Bob]

Steering 'just happens'

There are two types of steering for USS trikes - those where the bars move fore and aft, and those where they move left and right.

I am used to the fore/aft setup (ICE trike) where the bars rotate around a central pivot (so left hand forward, right hand back turns right). I jumped on a Catrike last year which is the opposite (both hands move left to turn right) and basically instantly switched because they are both obvious movements.

I have a tiller setup on my raptobike, push the bar left and the wheel turns right (because you're moving the 'back' of the wheel). but when I jumped on a Bachetta in the states (superman bars, more like conventional steering) there was almost no adjustment needed (the whole balance is a bit different, but it only took a few yards).

The absolute key is not to grip the bars, there is no need to hold on to them, just guide them - my raptobike won't quite ride no-hands unless I damp the steering with a knee, I didn't try on the borrowed bachetta.

A gentle push is one way to stop yourself hauling on them, the other is to hold them with just fingertips...

[pjclinch]

Steering 'just happens'

This...

Even a Windcheetah, which has a joystick rather than handlebars and is thus quite like any other cycle in that respect, is just a case of getting aboard, a quick congnition check to see which way the headset will move with either twist, and off you go.

I don't really like tiller bars as I find it hard to relax with them (or have on my limited acquaintance thus far), but there's never been any head scratching about what one needs to do to turn the bike.

Pete.

[Si]

In my case:
- second hand PDQ: £300ish
- rack: £10
- bottle cages, mounts, mirror, speedo: £20ish
- pedals: £25
- new tyres: £40
- new rear mech, casstte and chains £50 (after an unfortunate accident on trial run)

so about £400-£450ish, bearing in mind I already had the panniers and rack top bag, actually I already had a lot of the above list but have included anyway

[Tangled Metal]

I don't doubt it's easy to work out once you've got the bike. It's just that I know from my first hybrid bike different bars used for the first time take me a lot of getting used to. Perhaps recumbent steering won't be like that but it's part of the learning curve I'll be taking when I first ride a recumbent

It'll be fun at least!

[Tangled Metal]

In my case:
- second hand PDQ: £300ish
- rack: £10
- bottle cages, mounts, mirror, speedo: £20ish
- pedals: £25
- new tyres: £40
- new rear mech, casstte and chains £50 (after an unfortunate accident on trial run)

so about £400-£450ish, bearing in mind I already had the panniers and rack top bag, actually I already had a lot of the above list but have included anyway

I'm looking seriously at a SMGT for £500. I've had an offer from someone selling the same model bike for less but it needs a lot of fettling. Well new cables and other things by the time I've paid the bike shop off to do it I doubt I'll save anything. Besides prefer ready to ride bike purchase.

Mind you I'll need to spend on it, lowriders before summer, possibly recumbent bags, mirrors, etc. Tyres are almost a given with secondhand. I think I'd rather buy a new set of tyres and tubes even if they're good. A lbs to service it / check it out. Make sure it really is safe, not that I am worried. I can spot enough warning signs of they're there. Although I don't expect there to be an issue. A very tidy bike from the photographs. Plus he's a poster on a forum I go on so there's a sense of trust.

I think a hpv recumbent will suit me nicely for a first one. They look stable and the GT is a good touring 'bent I think.

[PDQ Mobile]

USS is great for cruisin', very comfortable.
IMHO overseat is better when things are really testy and tight.
But I love USS.

With bar end shifters USS is about the most ergonomically perfect set up possible on any bike.
Gears (thumb and index finger)and brakes( the the other fingers!)are all available all of the time. Better than STI. IMHO.
Learning to ride is not difficult.
A slight (or maybe steeper!) downhill slope on a good surface would be my recommendation. Little or no traffic.
The hardest time to ride a recumbent is at speeds below a fast walking pace, so aim to roll faster than that,even at first. Say 8-10 mph.
Mirror absolutely essential in any traffic.

SPD pedals come into there own on a recumbent; no need to hold the leg up.
I like one sided ones (cheap VP in my case) because thier inbalance always means the pedal hangs at the right angle to engage easily.
SMGT is a well built, comfortable and stable machine. People have travelled far and wide on them.
A bit on the heavy side. But tremendous fun.
Good luck.

Ps. Normal panniers should fit the racks ok.

[Tangled Metal]

No option for bar bags though. Four roll top panniers and tent on rack top. Nothing for things you need often, like wallet, camera, phone and in the NW England waterproofs. All things I put in a bar bag when touring

[pjclinch]

No option for bar bags though. Four roll top panniers and tent on rack top. Nothing for things you need often, like wallet, camera, phone and in the NW England waterproofs. All things I put in a bar bag when touring

No option for bar bags... but the lowriders are right there by your hands. I use a bottle cage mount on one of lowriders and that leaves a drink at hand.

Just about anything that could go in a bar bag can go in a lowrider, and heavy stuff doesn't affect the steering.

The only thing I've really missed is the ability to have a map in front of me.

Pete.

[[XAP]Bob]

No option for bar bags though. Four roll top panniers and tent on rack top. Nothing for things you need often, like wallet, camera, phone and in the NW England waterproofs. All things I put in a bar bag when touring

You can mount bar bags to the side of some bents - you can mount one either side of an ICE trike...
But with low riders/banana bags literally at your hands it's not needed. I can get my waterproof out, and put it on, whilst still moving.

Mounting stuff you want to see is different, not impossible - but depends on the vehicle.