New to Bents

[Gee]

Hello everyone,

I’ve just got my 1st bent after several years of df’s. My predominant interest is audax and day tours so I wanted to try a recumbent for comfort.

I’ve got a Bachetta Giro 20. I’ve only done just shy of 200 miles so far. That means I can nearly ride it, sometimes straight and occasionally manage to start without falling. I certainly don’t have ‘bent legs’. I did 70 mile yesterday which is short for me but my word I’ve got so e aching hips today!

My problem is - I want to go faster. I’m averaging about 13.5 mph on my moderately hilly route of 20 miles.

Is it just waiting for ‘bent legs’?

As well as 26rear and 20 front it’s running 1.35 width Kojaks.

My questions advice needed.

Will I be better to swap to 28mm Durano or Conti tyres?

Will swapping for a 26 inch fork and wheel make much difference? I think I could probably get 700c or a 650b in the back if I swapped to a disc brake.

Should I just accept this is not a quick bike (I bought it as a cheapish bike to learn on) and then get something like a high racer style where I can run nice road wheels and tyres. Being a roadie I’m kind of convinced these size wheels are best. This might make a good winter bike or I could just sell it on.

Gee

[[XAP]Bob]

Spin, rather than honking up the hill. When you’re 500-1000 miles in revisit the thoughts about speed.

[Jdsk]

I did 70 mile yesterday which is short for me but my word I’ve got so e aching hips today!

Welcome.

Does it feel like the hip joints or the muscles at the top of your thighs? Is it the same both sides?

Are you rocking your pelvis when you pedal?

Jonathan

[Gee]

I did 70 mile yesterday which is short for me but my word I’ve got so e aching hips today!

Welcome.

Does it feel like the hip joints or the muscles at the top of your thighs? Is it the same both sides?

Are you rocking your pelvis when you pedal?

Jonathan

Muscles, I would say it’s a very good feeling!

[Gee]

Spin, rather than honking up the hill. When you’re 500-1000 miles in revisit the thoughts about speed.

Cheers, that’s what I was thinking. Ride 1000 miles then look at speed, right bike etc. I love some of the mid racer, speed machine, fuago type bikes, I suspect though that for long distance road wheels will be hard to beat. The thought of ‘heel strike’ though is a bit scary!

[[XAP]Bob]

Only ‘bent bike I ever rode was a raptobike, whilst heelstrike was a technical possibility you very quickly stop worrying about it, instinctively putting feet in the correct position.

It was fast, and absolutely lovely - even on long distances, never anything other than sore muscles, the feeling of flying round the corners...
Selling it was hard, but required as a result of illness meaning that I can’t ride two wheels any more.


Bent legs take a while, I’m rebuilding mine after a pretty rubbish year

[Jdsk]

I did 70 mile yesterday which is short for me but my word I’ve got so e aching hips today!

Does it feel like the hip joints or the muscles at the top of your thighs? Is it the same both sides?

Muscles, I would say it’s a very good feeling!

That's good to hear.

Jonathan

[UpWrong]

A good start . Steel frame or aluminium? Recurve seat or euromesh? Are you tall enough to manage with larger wheels?

[Stradageek]

Cheers, that’s what I was thinking. Ride 1000 miles then look at speed, right bike etc. I love some of the mid racer, speed machine, fuago type bikes, I suspect though that for long distance road wheels will be hard to beat. The thought of ‘heel strike’ though is a bit scary!

A detailed answer could run to many pages , there's lots of advice out there and on this forum; but as a starter:

For long and possibly hilly rides I'd pick a highracer, twin, large wheels improve both stability and speed with only marginal loss of aerodynamics.

Lowracers have slightly greater 'ground effect' headwind advantage but in my experience this is significantly offset by worse transmission efficiency and weight - especially if any suspension is included. For hill climbing I've found nothing to beat my Bacchetta Strada and I've tried loads of different recumbents.

The recumbent legs will arrive, be patient, it may be quite a few months. Then sit back and enjoy reeling in packs of cyclists fighting headwinds and freewheeling past others with their chins on the handlebars as you speed past them on the descents.

[Gee]

A good start . Steel frame or aluminium? Recurve seat or euromesh? Are you tall enough to manage with larger wheels?

Cheers, I think so I’m 5’ 9” with 43xseam.

Some of the low racers do look fun!

[Gee]

Cheers, that’s what I was thinking. Ride 1000 miles then look at speed, right bike etc. I love some of the mid racer, speed machine, fuago type bikes, I suspect though that for long distance road wheels will be hard to beat. The thought of ‘heel strike’ though is a bit scary!

A detailed answer could run to many pages , there's lots of advice out there and on this forum; but as a starter:

For long and possibly hilly rides I'd pick a highracer, twin, large wheels improve both stability and speed with only marginal loss of aerodynamics.

Lowracers have slightly greater 'ground effect' headwind advantage but in my experience this is significantly offset by worse transmission efficiency and weight - especially if any suspension is included. For hill climbing I've found nothing to beat my Bacchetta Strada and I've tried loads of different recumbents.

The recumbent legs will arrive, be patient, it may be quite a few months. Then sit back and enjoy reeling in packs of cyclists fighting headwinds and freewheeling past others with their chins on the handlebars as you speed past them on the descents.

Cheers, I don’t suppose 2 weeks is long enough to get acclimatised!

Have you tried a giro20?

[NUKe]

welcome to the Darkside

I went through this about 4.5 years ago, took me about 6 months to gain bent legs riding most days. 200 miles is not many miles on the legs they take a while to adjust. But if your already doing 70 in a trip you must be getting there. I find distance is where the bent comes into its own.

my own view is lightweight tyres do make a difference to speed but its not as much as you might think. Wheel size less so, but a bigger wheel does smooth out the road.

[[XAP]Bob]

Oh and correct pressure (not always “hard as nails”)

[Gee]

Cheers everyone, when people talk about spinning a light gear. What does 5hat mean in real terms. I tend to think of anywhere over 90rpm is spinning coming from df. Is that still the same #ort of range?

[UpWrong]

Personally, I think big wheels are the way to go. But Bacchetta advise against putting a 26" fork on the Giro. You'd be better off getting a Giro 26, Strada or Corsa and then fitting a 24" wheel if struggling with the height. See https://bacchettabikes.com/giro-26-wheel-options/