Blog for new recumebent trike riders

DIscuss anything relating to non-standard cycles and their equipment.
nobrakes
Posts: 77
Joined: 9 Jan 2020, 10:17am

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by nobrakes »

I think it is just practice. I ride a large size Fuego on the most stretched out setting. I can coast no hands on it. I think any bent with a small front wheel is a bit twitchier, but overall I would say the Fuego is one of the easier bents to ride.

Some speed data - if I put fast tyres on the Fuego, pushing hard over varied terrain I’m about 1.5 mph slower than the same effort on the CHR. It can be fast if you push hard enough to get a lot of aero benefit. At lower effort levels it’s about 2-2.5 mph slower. I suspect higher rolling resistance and some power loss via frame flex and suspension.

Overall the Fuego is still my favourite do it all bike. I do lust after a VTX too, and I hope one day to get the money to buy one, but letting go of the Fuego would be hard.
UpWrong
Posts: 2409
Joined: 31 May 2009, 12:16pm
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by UpWrong »

AM7 wrote: 10 Apr 2021, 2:04pm Incidentally, this is with the ride height in the lowest position and the seat height in the highest, but I’ve tried other combinations too - to be honest I couldn’t really tell any difference between any of the ride height settings!
I might have got my terminology wrong. For maximum trail you want the top of the suspension coil unit on the highest of its 3 settings. This lowers the seat and slackens the head tube angle. See photos of my Paseo below:
IMG_20210410_142249_HDR.jpg
IMG_20210410_142113_HDR.jpg
AM7
Posts: 362
Joined: 18 Jul 2014, 10:24pm
Location: North West Essex

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by AM7 »

nobrakes wrote: 10 Apr 2021, 2:30pm I think it is just practice. I ride a large size Fuego on the most stretched out setting. I can coast no hands on it. I think any bent with a small front wheel is a bit twitchier, but overall I would say the Fuego is one of the easier bents to ride.
I’m relatively new to ‘bents so I agree more practice is going to help, but the Fuego was the third one I tried and definitely the one I’ve found most difficult to ride - just goes to show we’re all different :)
UpWrong wrote: 10 Apr 2021, 5:57pm I might have got my terminology wrong. For maximum trail you want the top of the suspension coil unit on the highest of its 3 settings. This lowers the seat and slackens the head tube angle.
Yep that’s the setting I use, though as I say I couldn’t really tell the difference between any of the three settings.
312E2D99-4462-4D31-BF15-C9709C657836.jpeg
UpWrong
Posts: 2409
Joined: 31 May 2009, 12:16pm
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by UpWrong »

Nice. I think aerobars and a wider front tyre would make a world of difference. I tried a 28mm Conti Grand Prix on the front wheel of my Paseo and it terrified me.

(Apologies to the OP for the thread hijack - but what the heck).

EDIT; If you did want the aerobars then you might need a longer steerer since it looks like the one on your Fuego is cut very short. Incidentally, I changed my fork to an aluminium one from Bacchetta.
Last edited by UpWrong on 10 Apr 2021, 6:49pm, edited 1 time in total.
AM7
Posts: 362
Joined: 18 Jul 2014, 10:24pm
Location: North West Essex

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by AM7 »

Actually I didn’t think of using a wider front tyre - that’s a really good suggestion :D
nobrakes
Posts: 77
Joined: 9 Jan 2020, 10:17am

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by nobrakes »

Aero bars do help. You would need a stem extender though. They’re cheap. Here’s what mine looks like. If you zoom in I have a stem extender below the aero bar clamp.

Image

I don’t think the aero bars reduce the ‘lively’ feel of the small wheel but steering is much more natural feeling. Not good for people with short arms unless you have the seat up quite high though.
AM7
Posts: 362
Joined: 18 Jul 2014, 10:24pm
Location: North West Essex

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by AM7 »

I did think that getting aerobars/stem (or any Fuego parts really) from Nazca while the parts were still available might be sensible.

BTW, I really enjoyed your blog and you tube videos :)
nobrakes
Posts: 77
Joined: 9 Jan 2020, 10:17am

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by nobrakes »

Yes, I agree - I have aerobars, one hacked up tiller that I had on the M5, one new tiller that I bought from Laid Back recently, side supports as seen in the pic, the big under seat pannier rack and the rear rack. I’m all set :) If another large Fuego came on the market I would try to get that too. I’d like to have one for hammering round the local back roads and one for touring / shopping. I do like my Fuego :)
belgiangoth
Posts: 1657
Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by belgiangoth »

AM7 wrote: 10 Apr 2021, 6:24pm 312E2D99-4462-4D31-BF15-C9709C657836.jpeg
I'm always struck by how much they look like a SPM on a diet. What's the headrest?
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
AM7
Posts: 362
Joined: 18 Jul 2014, 10:24pm
Location: North West Essex

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by AM7 »

belgiangoth wrote: 10 Apr 2021, 10:48pm I'm always struck by how much they look like a SPM on a diet. What's the headrest?
One review I read reckons their Fuego weighed more than a Streetmachine so not a great diet :D Mine is just over 16kg though which is not too bad I suppose.

The headrest was the one that was supplied by Nazca when the bike was bought. Can’t see it on their website now though so I guess they’re no longer available.
hercule
Posts: 1156
Joined: 5 Feb 2011, 5:18pm

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by hercule »

I too would be very sad to part with my Fuego (and I don’t intend to). It’s one of the nicest bikes I’ve ridden, I find it very stable and predictable and most importantly for me I can get my feet on the ground easily - its predecessor, a Pashley PDQ, was just fractionally too high for me (it definitely was twitchy with a wheelbase shorter than my Brompton’s!).

Comparing VTX and Fuego is probably a bit unfair - the VTX is, despite the extra wheel, a lighter machine and has reasonably lightweight wheels and tyres compared to the more robust equipment on my basic Fuego.

I did put aero bars on my Fuego but have been thinking of going back to the tiller as they are a bit of a stretch for me with the seat in anything other than the most upright position. One plus for me with the aero bars is that I can sit up easily at junctions and that helps a lot with slow speed manoeuvres, a particular issue for me with the tiller setup.

Recumbents of two or three wheels are all very different from one another, unlike DFs which are more variations on a theme, and you need to try a few to find out what you personally are happiest on.

(Edited to add that my Fuego is the medium size so a bit higher off the ground than the large... that might also make a difference to handling and stability)
hercule
Posts: 1156
Joined: 5 Feb 2011, 5:18pm

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by hercule »

With regard to front tyres, I think the largest you can safely fit is 1.5” wide with standard forks and mudguards. I’ve seen a photo of a 2” Big Apple fitted without mudguard, and it looked a very close fit.
UpWrong
Posts: 2409
Joined: 31 May 2009, 12:16pm
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by UpWrong »

AM7 wrote: 11 Apr 2021, 1:02pm One review I read reckons their Fuego weighed more than a Streetmachine so not a great diet :D Mine is just over 16kg though which is not too bad I suppose.
16Kg is anorexic for a Fuego :lol:
belgiangoth
Posts: 1657
Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by belgiangoth »

I haven't weighed the speedmachine, but I would guess about 10kg heavier (or more) than your Fuego.
My Catrike 700 is significantly lighter and easier to carry.
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
Timber
Posts: 5
Joined: 30 Jun 2020, 8:59am

Re: Blog for new recumebent trike riders

Post by Timber »

Thanks for the kind comments on the blog. For those interested I have added a short video about the first time trial of the season at Castle Combe. Sadly, no racing footage but a light hearted interview conducted by my son. Find it at the end of the blog section at onegoodarmtriker.com
Looking forward to adding some wheel covers to see what difference they make.
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