Old HPV SMGT - getting out of storage, ready for use!

[Tangled Metal]

A good few years back I was a regular in this area of the forum and eventually got an old steel SMGT. I used it commuting while I got used to it then toured Brittany with it with a young child and partner. It didn't work out for us because of its non standard characteristics didn't work. Harder to handle on trains and absolutely scary watching it swing around wildly on the back of a bus because the frame and wheels did not fit the rack securely.

Since then things have changed. I'm no longer commuting just by bike but train and bike. I've moved 20 minutes up the road too which puts me more into an area with hills. All I know I didn't handle hills on it that well. I've also not got a good lighting setup, no water bottle carrier and no bike computer/gps mounting point. I only have this idea of using it again. Possibly with a dog basket on the rear rack or towing a dog trailer. Another change to be dealt with for family cycle trips. Day rides but we're looking at weekends from the Manchester to barrow branch line. We live near it so makes good sense to train out the ride home or similar.

So I'm looking for advice on gearing, riding techniques for hills, brackets/attaching standard bike kit like lights, GPS, bottle cages, etc. Towing a trailer with ideas on how to attach one, we have a burly one BTW.

PS Nearly forgot, it's got USS and a triple. I am also not convinced I've got the boom at the right length. Its at the limit of the chain length, bike mechanic kind of stretched it as far as he good with good gear changing. It really needs a new chain and perhaps another inch length on the boom. I'm 6'5" so if anyone knows how long I should have the boom for fit I'd appreciate advice on that too. Previous owner was about 6 foot or a bit more iirc.

Any advice appreciated as I've not ridden it for 3 or more years!

[yostumpy]

Well, you're in for a heap of fun! Firstly get the boom the right length. As you sit , relaxed , in your super comfy position, place your heel on the pedal, when it is in a horizontal position, but furthest away, your leg should be almost straight. If you want to extend the boom, place 2 bits of tape , one on the boom where it meets the main boom, and one on the main boom, then scribe a line on both of them together, to mark where the center is and where the boom was before you moved it!. Don't worry about the chain just yet, put it in the middle ring,and use this and the small, but NOT the big ring. Then when you get it right , add a bit of chain. Have fun.

[pjclinch]

The standard original gearing goes low enough at the bottom end, but could go lower, and is ludicrously high at the top: I've never spun mine out, and I have tried on some big hills. The standard triple is (IIRC) 52/42/30, I think you could usefully trade that for something like 48/38/28 to make a useful difference.

Climbing is just a case of pushing against the seat, not pullling on the bars and spin on up in your own time. Part of the game is 'bent legs, which take a few weeks to bed in to do long hills if yours work like mine, but once you have them they'll keep rolling untilthe next long lay-off.

If you need more chain to get the boom right just splice some in. It's about 2.5 chains (again, IIRC), so you'll be able to use the rest of a donor when it comes time to change the whole thing.

For a bottle, I have one of Ortlieb's pannier-mountable bottle cages and have the relevant pannier either on the back rack or the lowrider, and it's easy to get at from either.

The SMGT is approved by HPVel for trailer use, I guess how to hitch will depend on the trailer but it shouldn't be impossible to find an option.

For lights I have the SON dynohub. Front light attaches just under the "bottom" bracket using a BuM mounting arm, but not sure it would go for a lot of battery lights. I'd think the derailleur tube would be easiest, either the tube itself or the braze-ons. Back light goes on the rack, it has drillings for standard rack-mount light fittings.

Pete.

[Tangled Metal]

IIRC setting off is less stable with a recumbent than an upright. I also feel that when riding it is also slightly less stable, but I guess I never got fully used to it. Lower centre of gravity should surely make it feel more stable. Having said that I did manage to control a few sideways slides on wet and muddy grass sections of a canal towpath I've ridden on a few times with it.

I am curious as to whether it would be a stupid idea to put a dog carrier on the rear rack? We're looking at taking our dog with us on tours in the UK. I've got two options of bike and there are two options for taking the dog. These are upright gravel bike with rear rack, panniers, very large frame bag and 8l bar bag. SMGT with two standard ortliebs and two larger capacity ones. Then there's rear rack dog carrier (larger and less effecting on the steering this bar mount its) or a trailer probably with a qr axle mount like the burly bracket that goes on the axle on the non drive side. I think either dog option is possible with either bike option.

I bet there's not many dog carrying/towing recumbent riders on here to get an experienced based view on this.

BTW been reading the HPV website. Of the three two wheeled recumbent they do it seems all three have rear rack and central low rider rack. The folding recumbent even folds with the lowrider mid rack in place! Near design I think. Mind you I do wonder whether you'd want to use a 4 pannier system and tour on a speedmachine, even a grasshopper. The SMGTE is designed for fully loaded and I know the SMGT can handle it but can the grasshopper and the speedmachine handle that loading OK?

BTW I suspectI'm going to be a regular visitor to the 'bent pages until I scratch that itch again. So glad I didn't sell it a few years back after the slightly less successful tour I had on it. Ended up pushing it up hills with our young son sat in it because he was too shattered by the hills we encountered. Brittany has hills that make me think of parts of coastal Devon and Cornwall.

[yostumpy]

Speaking of gearing, I have swapped my std chainset, for something else I ad in my parts bin. I have a Campag chainset with 175mm cranks, and 48,39,26, and it’s fine, I can crawl up most anything, although not with a full load, and have raced it several times at BHPC events this year and last year. I’m 6’2” btw.
254351900_4857060280995314_1730347258099699494_n by mark tilley, on Flickr
IMG_2136 (2) by mark tilley, on Flickr


Ive even experimented with swapping the forks for 26” rigid disc ones and a 26” front wheel.

[squeaker]

For a front light mount on my Grasshopper, I used to use an old stem and short length of handlebar when using bar mounted battery lights.

Front dynamo lights will mount straight onto the derailleur tube.

For rear lights, use the rack, and/or a high seat mount (this used the headrest system on an ICE hardshell seat to mount some Al rods, but you get the idea)

The underseat rack was the first thing to come off my bike when I bought it, as I had no desire to tour, but if I did they would definitely go back on as they seem an ideal place to carry weight (using a couple of front panniers).
HTH

[Tangled Metal]

Mine I think is stock for the original steel version. I've replaced the pad with one of those mesh ones from the Netherlands made out of polypropylene. Water just drains through it. I've also got an 80 litre rucksack rain cover for the seat. It works very well for that.

I bought a few extension brackets from minoura and topeak but never worked out a way to fix them satisfactorily IMHO they don't work well. Newer models on the website for HPV show a light coming right out n if the end of the beam. That looks good but no good for my old design SMGT. Without good lights, GPS and bottle carrier solutions it's less than ideal. I did get a cable tie mounted cage bracket but that's an ugly option IMHO.

[Tangled Metal]

The mid rack on my SMGT takes the 70 litres pannier set, the xl ortliebs. Big panniers but they fit well but wide. Makes me think of a motorbike somehow. IIRC I used to strap coats and waterproof trousers to the top. A broad top within easy reach when stationary and sat up. Even reachable on the move of your confident in the 'bent.

There's no front derailleur on that derailleur stump. Mine has one so not as much room I think.

[yostumpy]

sm by mark tilley, on Flickr


Here is someones attempt at making a double water bottle bracket , similar to the original,that fixes to the 2 bolts underneath the seat, on the seat tube.

[PDQ Mobile]

I drilled the seat and mounted a cheap bottle cage just behind. Washers on fixings.
Not had any problems or cracks.
I also drilled the seat and mounted a Klicfix high behind the seat- an old Karrimor largish bar bag sits on it clear of the rack.
Not accessible when riding but very handy. No visible map obviously.

Light I mounted under the boom just with couple bits scrap and a section of old handlebar.
Works if you use a fairing better than above.

Small wired computer on boom with zip ties near seat front.

[Tangled Metal]

Got my SMGT out of the undercroft and set the boom to length. Heel on pedal at furthest forward point and leg is straight. Then balln of foot on the medal knee is slightly bent. I think it feels right. Struggle to turn pedals so chain definitely not long enough. It needs a service so I'm going to get a good, independent and local bike mechanic to take a look.

Re bottle options, I can get the double bottle solution made at work really easily but there's no set of bolts under the boom or seat. I guess it came in with the SMGTe current model.

There's two bolts near the front I don't know what they're for. One is just behind the derailleur stub on top of the boom. The other is underneath a little forward of the first bolt. It's just in front of a kind of hole filled with rubber bung or nipple thing. No idea what they're for. I can't find images of the older SMGT that show what they could be for. Are they for attaching something? Perhaps there's a B&M style light bracket that could be attached to the one under the boom, it's right where a light would work well. The one on top could have a bracket to take a bar that you can strap a gps mount to somehow.

Anyone know what those bolts are for?

My derailleur stub currently has a bottle cage on it. I have one of those metal bars for moving a bottle up above from where the two cage bolts are on an upright bike. I could use that to raise the cage then fix something below it I think.

[Jdsk]

Got my SMGT out of the undercroft and set the boom to length. Heel on pedal at furthest forward point and leg is straight. Then balln of foot on the medal knee is slightly bent. I think it feels right.

That's how I'd set it initially. Same as on an upright.

Jonathan

PS: Really missing the KingCycle as I read this. Keep it coming!

[Jdsk]

There's two bolts near the front I don't know what they're for. One is just behind the derailleur stub on top of the boom. The other is underneath a little forward of the first bolt. It's just in front of a kind of hole filled with rubber bung or nipple thing. No idea what they're for. I can't find images of the older SMGT that show what they could be for. Are they for attaching something? Perhaps there's a B&M style light bracket that could be attached to the one under the boom, it's right where a light would work well. The one on top could have a bracket to take a bar that you can strap a gps mount to somehow.

Anyone know what those bolts are for?

Photos, please.

Thanks

Jonathan

[yostumpy]

regarding bottles, the home brew pic I showed, if you don't have bosses, then a length of flat plate running top to bottom bolted to the x-pieces, with a couple of spacers, then fix in the position shown with 2 largish stainless jubilee clips around the main tube.

[Tangled Metal]

Just read the user manual for the old gt model I have. Interesting. They recommend drilling holes for cages under the seat at the side or higher up behind the shoulder blades. Drilling anywhere else can damage the seat. So is there a mark or drill area defined on the seat?