New recumbent trike rider!

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sharpedge
Posts: 37
Joined: 2 Jun 2018, 9:29pm

New recumbent trike rider!

Post by sharpedge »

Many thanks to those who made suggestions to my Decisions, decisions thread. Looked at secondhand but had difficulty finding what I wanted (folding and a Rohloff hub). Kevin at Dtec had a possible Sprint but it didn't work out - thanks for trying Kevin. Decided to take the plunge and buy new. Would it be a Hase Kettwiesel or an Ice Adventure. A trip to York to Get Cycling last Wednesday to try both (they have both in for demos). Like the hase but compared to the Ice it was much heavier and more difficult to load into the car. The Ice went in no problem. ordered the Ice Adventure HD with full suspension, 90mm hub brakes and the Rohloff hub. Picked it up yesterday - it has the new swept back frame and the new seat plus mudguards, etc. The guys at Get Cycling are great - spent a lot of time getting it right for me (mainly adjusting the boom length for another ride round the block). Cannot recommend them highly enough. So here I am in Cumbria and I don't know if there is anyone else with a recumbent in North West Cumbria...... It will take some time to get into riding a recumbent but then I hope to get out with our local U3A cycling group. I am interested in meeting up with anyone in the area with a view to possible rides out when I am fitter.
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Cunobelin
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Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by Cunobelin »

Congratulations....... welcome to the Dark side

All you need now is a beard and sandals!

OT.... Cumbria based makes more sense of your user name. Blencathra is my favourite place, and I have lost count how many times I have been to the Summit. I have done all the routes at least once, and failed a couple of times.... including once when we brought a party of children off Sharp Edge as they were ill equipped and poorly dressed. As a Naval team with two qualified Mountain Leaders we had decided to turn back, and the Teacher was not impressed when we told him he was going no further, and we were taking his pupils back with us
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[XAP]Bob
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Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Have fun!
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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Tigerbiten
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Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by Tigerbiten »

Congrats.

Which wheel size did you go for ??
Do you have a single, double, triple or Schlumpf drive up front ??
Which sprocket did you pick ??
I'm interested in, given the option, what gear range did you pick.
It's just that my Sprint has an extreme range of 1900% ....... :shock:

Luck ......... :D
sharpedge
Posts: 37
Joined: 2 Jun 2018, 9:29pm

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by sharpedge »

With 20" wheels all round, the Rohloff hub and a 16T sprocket and a 44T chainring, I have a low of about 13" and a high of about 72". That should get me up most of the local hills - I am not going over Hardknott or anything similar for a long time - I need to get the fitness levels up.
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Tigerbiten
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Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by Tigerbiten »

If you're finding the range to limiting then ...
A 34/50 double up front will give you 2 more gears down and 1 up and a of range 11"-85". That will get you up Hardknott ...... :D
A 38/56 double will give you 1 down and 2 up (12.5"-96") if you find you're spinning out to quickly. That's basically the range of the derailleur trike.
But the chainguard may interfere with the chain when it's shifted, which is why I only run a 38/55 double.
A 34/50 with an 14 sprocket gives the same range.
3 gears down is 30/44 with the 16 sprocket or 34/50 with the 18. Both are is still within the 1.9:1 chainring/sprocket limit.
For 3 up then it's the 38/56 with a 14 sprocket.

The Rohloff chain tensioner will easily cope with that rangeas they say only 10 links which means 20 teeth.
But if you want a silly range then it's a 26-38-56 triple with a 13 sprocket for 6 more gears, 10"-120".
But you will need to change the chain tensioner to a long cage derailleur.
To go wider than that takes a Schlumpf HSD which gives you 7 more, that's what I did.
Then I add a double for 3 more on top of that, 9.4"-179".

As you see I spent to long working out possible combos when I first got my Rohloff ...... :lol:
Cyril Haearn
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Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by Cyril Haearn »

sharpedge wrote:With 20" wheels all round, the Rohloff hub and a 16T sprocket and a 44T chainring, I have a low of about 13" and a high of about 72". That should get me up most of the local hills - I am not going over Hardknott or anything similar for a long time - I need to get the fitness levels up.

Plus One, nobody needs a higher gear than 72" :wink:
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fossala
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Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by fossala »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
sharpedge wrote:With 20" wheels all round, the Rohloff hub and a 16T sprocket and a 44T chainring, I have a low of about 13" and a high of about 72". That should get me up most of the local hills - I am not going over Hardknott or anything similar for a long time - I need to get the fitness levels up.

Plus One, nobody needs a higher gear than 72" :wink:

I spin out with around 110" everyday on my HPV Speedmachine but the hills around here are steep.
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Tigerbiten
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Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by Tigerbiten »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
sharpedge wrote:With 20" wheels all round, the Rohloff hub and a 16T sprocket and a 44T chainring, I have a low of about 13" and a high of about 72". That should get me up most of the local hills - I am not going over Hardknott or anything similar for a long time - I need to get the fitness levels up.

Plus One, nobody needs a higher gear than 72" :wink:

It depends.

I think it's great "FUN" to pedal slowly downhill at 40 mph in my 179" top gear ........ :D
skelo
Posts: 71
Joined: 12 May 2016, 2:52pm

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by skelo »

Cunobelin wrote:Congratulations....... welcome to the Dark side

All you need now is a beard and sandals!

OT.... Cumbria based makes more sense of your user name. Blencathra is my favourite place, and I have lost count how many times I have been to the Summit. I have done all the routes at least once, and failed a couple of times.... including once when we brought a party of children off Sharp Edge as they were ill equipped and poorly dressed. As a Naval team with two qualified Mountain Leaders we had decided to turn back, and the Teacher was not impressed when we told him he was going no further, and we were taking his pupils back with us


Don't worry, the Beard and sandals are (thankfully) not compulsory! :lol:
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Cunobelin
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Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by Cunobelin »

skelo wrote:
Cunobelin wrote:Congratulations....... welcome to the Dark side

All you need now is a beard and sandals!

OT.... Cumbria based makes more sense of your user name. Blencathra is my favourite place, and I have lost count how many times I have been to the Summit. I have done all the routes at least once, and failed a couple of times.... including once when we brought a party of children off Sharp Edge as they were ill equipped and poorly dressed. As a Naval team with two qualified Mountain Leaders we had decided to turn back, and the Teacher was not impressed when we told him he was going no further, and we were taking his pupils back with us


Don't worry, the Beard and sandals are (thankfully) not compulsory! :lol:


How (very) dare you,Sir....

There is nothing like a beard to filter insects on a warm summers day, never bind the health aspects of it acting as a UV filter
climo
Posts: 590
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Location: Warminster

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by climo »

Tigerbiten wrote:If you're finding the range to limiting then ...
A 34/50 double up front will give you 2 more gears down and 1 up and a of range 11"-85". That will get you up Hardknott ...... :D
A 38/56 double will give you 1 down and 2 up (12.5"-96") if you find you're spinning out to quickly. That's basically the range of the derailleur trike.
But the chainguard may interfere with the chain when it's shifted, which is why I only run a 38/55 double.
A 34/50 with an 14 sprocket gives the same range.
3 gears down is 30/44 with the 16 sprocket or 34/50 with the 18. Both are is still within the 1.9:1 chainring/sprocket limit.
For 3 up then it's the 38/56 with a 14 sprocket.

The Rohloff chain tensioner will easily cope with that rangeas they say only 10 links which means 20 teeth.
But if you want a silly range then it's a 26-38-56 triple with a 13 sprocket for 6 more gears, 10"-120".
But you will need to change the chain tensioner to a long cage derailleur.
To go wider than that takes a Schlumpf HSD which gives you 7 more, that's what I did.
Then I add a double for 3 more on top of that, 9.4"-179".

As you see I spent to long working out possible combos when I first got my Rohloff ...... :lol:


I put a 30/39/50 triple with a 17t on a Rohloff to get sub 10" and preserve a reasonably high gear (iirc over 80"). This was with a short cage rear derailleur. Are you saying the Rohloff tensioner would still work or am I on the cusp? I had thought it wouldn't or be a bit temperamental.
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Tigerbiten
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Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by Tigerbiten »

climo wrote:I put a 30/39/50 triple with a 17t on a Rohloff to get sub 10" and preserve a reasonably high gear (iirc over 80"). This was with a short cage rear derailleur. Are you saying the Rohloff tensioner would still work or am I on the cusp? I had thought it wouldn't or be a bit temperamental.

I run a 38/55 double.
The 17 tooth difference only moves to Rohloff tensioner by around 90 degrees.
But I do use a maximum length chain to keep the tension down.
So doing that, I can see a 20 tooth difference working fine.
climo
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Location: Warminster

Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by climo »

Tigerbiten wrote:
climo wrote:I put a 30/39/50 triple with a 17t on a Rohloff to get sub 10" and preserve a reasonably high gear (iirc over 80"). This was with a short cage rear derailleur. Are you saying the Rohloff tensioner would still work or am I on the cusp? I had thought it wouldn't or be a bit temperamental.

I run a 38/55 double.
The 17 tooth difference only moves to Rohloff tensioner by around 90 degrees.
But I do use a maximum length chain to keep the tension down.
So doing that, I can see a 20 tooth difference working fine.


I'm being thick (no change there then) but just to check that I've got this correct. You mean maximum rear position to maximum front position is about 90deg? With max chain length do you mean to easily accommodate the max movement and then a few links extra?
Asking as I twisted my short cage derailleur by hitting something recently - maybe the edge of a pothole whilst carrying too much on the rear rack, I dunno. Strikes me (pun intended) that the Rohloff tensioner is physically shorter and a bit tougher so preventing this.
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Tigerbiten
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Re: New recumbent trike rider!

Post by Tigerbiten »

climo wrote:I'm being thick (no change there then) but just to check that I've got this correct. You mean maximum rear position to maximum front position is about 90deg? With max chain length do you mean to easily accommodate the max movement and then a few links extra?
Asking as I twisted my short cage derailleur by hitting something recently - maybe the edge of a pothole whilst carrying too much on the rear rack, I dunno. Strikes me (pun intended) that the Rohloff tensioner is physically shorter and a bit tougher so preventing this.

Because I only run a double on a Schlumpf HSD, 90% of the time I'm on my small chainring.
I've got to be going over 13 mph before I shift up onto the big chainring and I tend to shift down at around the same speed.
So with running the longest chain reasonable, the tensioner is pointing backwards and almost horizontal.
Around half the life of the chain, the chain starts to rub on the cage and I need to remove a link, that's how long I run it.
This means with it tucked up that high that it's very rare for it to be at risk of a ground strike.
Unless I do something stupid ....... :lol:
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