Opinions on the Optima Orca

[CALEL]

Hi there everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the recumbent bike called Orca made by Optima? I'm specifically thinking of the above seat steering configuration and people's experience of whether they felt the handlebars were too close to them and whether steering was restricted because of this. The reason why I ask is because some of the pics that I've seen with riders look as though they are. I ultimately know that I would need to test drive one to see if it feels right but I'd like to get anyones opinion of the ride if they've had a go. I currently have a basic semi-recumbent bike that is very similar to the BikeE and enjoy pottering around on this no end. I always bought this bike with the intention of getting familiar with the different ride a recumbent offered and wanted to progress to something better a little later down the line. I am doing a considerable amount of looking and reading on the internet as I want the next recumbent to be a bit more of an all rounder so that I can use it whenever I get the chance. I don't want to feel limited in any way. That is what initially drew me to the Orca.

My second question is one of progression. The recumbent I have is only semi-recumbent in nature and I was wondering whether people thought or had personal experience of progressing from this type of bike to a high racer configuration (which the Orca mirrors with it's dual 26 inch wheels). Is this an easy bike to pick up and ride? Any info or help/advice appreciated.

Cheers, CALEL

[squeaker]

Not ridden one, but seat hight would be my initial concern - how tall are you?
AFAIK, the stem length and angle are both adjustable. IME in practice you don't actually move the bars much at all when riding.
HTH

[CALEL]

Thanks Squeaker,

I'm around 5ft 10" / 5ft 11" tall so I'm hoping it's not a floor touching issue I have to deal with. My concern is the difference between the positions the two bike put the rider in. The Orca is obviously more reclined than the semi-recumbent I have and it will be higher too with the dual 26" wheels. So I was wondering if the transition would be relatively easy after using the semi-recumbent or would I still find it difficult to get use to? I understand that it will depend on the individual to a degreee but will I be more prepared from my experience on the semi-recumbent?

In terms of the handlebar position I supose if you need to you can push the handlebars away from you to allow more room should you be doing a slow speed manuver that requires a tighter turnig circle, is that correct? Any experiences of others whether it's on the Orca or not would be helpful.

Cheers, CALEL

[Richard]

I think you'll get used to a more reclined position over time. However, as you recline more, you'll find it increasingly harder to put your feet flat on the floor. This will be worse as you increase the wheel size. I'm 5'11" but short legged and I didn't find it easy to get my foot down on a 26/20 (Bacchetta Giro). If you're commuting in traffic with lots of stop/starts you may find it restrictive. The Bacchetta had "tweener" bars which made tight turns difficult. The Orca has "Hamster" bars which will probably be ok but some argue they are less aerodynamic and less comfortable over longer distances but I think that is purely a personal thing.

I'd definitely recommend the Bacchetta Giro 20 (sorry, I've just sold mine!) as a good all rounder. However, if you live anywhere other than East Anglia I'd seriously consider a trike because in my experience, which I'm sure others will disagree with, all the undoubted fun and benefits of recumbents are outweighed by their poor climbing performance.

Rich.

[Tigerbiten]

Where are you based ??

If your anywhere near Ely or can get there, think about going to see Kevin @ D-Tek.
He has a load of different recumbents in stock.
Both new and secondhand and you can spend a morning/day trying them out.
You may find one or more that you get on with straight away.
You will probably find some that you can cross of your list of possibles.
Etc, etc.

Due to my disablity, I only ride three wheel recumbents, an ICE Trike ...........

Luck .............

[squeaker]

The Orca is obviously more reclined than the semi-recumbent I have and it will be higher too with the dual 26" wheels. So I was wondering if the transition would be relatively easy after using the semi-recumbent or would I still find it difficult to get use to? I understand that it will depend on the individual to a degreee but will I be more prepared from my experience on the semi-recumbent?

My recumbent learning curve was a morning in Dulwich Park with bikes from London Recumbents. IIRC, I went from Bike E to Mistral in about an hour. So other than you finding an Orca 'different', I think, based on my experience, you will be fine.

In terms of the handlebar position I supose if you need to you can push the handlebars away from you to allow more room should you be doing a slow speed manuver that requires a tighter turnig circle, is that correct? Any experiences of others whether it's on the Orca or not would be helpful.

IME you don't need to.
I would also suggest a trip to D-Tek, if feasible.
HTH

[[XAP]Bob]

And after my experience going straight to a rapto...

Take elbow and wrist pads

[CALEL]

A trip to Kevin's is something I plan to do before making the step up but as I'm in the North of England it's a bit of a distance. I have tried a couple of different trikes, a Hase and an ICE and whilst they do look fantastic I was disappointed with the steering - sorry. I have considered the smaller front wheeled config such as that found with the Challenge Ventus (26" rear and 20" front) but I'm not sure. Thanks for the comments and advice so far any other comments greatly appreciated. What bikes did others start with and what were their assessment of them ie. what would they do differently if they were starting again?

Cheers, CALEL

[squeaker]

What bikes did others start with and what were their assessment of them ie. what would they do differently if they were starting again?

'Bent 1 was a new Mistral - really fancied a Grasshopper, but couldn't justify the new price, and failed to buy a couple of times on e-bay: then got lucky = ex-demo 'Hopper ('bent 2 - about 9 months into Mistral ownership). Sold Mistral after about 9 months of dual use - a win for vorsprung durch technik! 'Bent 4 is a S/H Raptobike (try before you die....) - the verdicts still out on this one: quick, esp. up hills, but I've been spoilt comfort wise by the fully suspended 'Hopper.
IIRC, at the start I was concerned about the practicality of going 'low': 'bent 3, a Trice 'S', cured me of that worry! So starting again, I would go lower to start with, but with some suspension e.g. Hurricane?
(Although at the mo., the idea of a velomobile is so tempting )

[[XAP]Bob]

A trip to Kevin's is something I plan to do before making the step up but as I'm in the North of England it's a bit of a distance. I have tried a couple of different trikes, a Hase and an ICE and whilst they do look fantastic I was disappointed with the steering - sorry. I have considered the smaller front wheeled config such as that found with the Challenge Ventus (26" rear and 20" front) but I'm not sure. Thanks for the comments and advice so far any other comments greatly appreciated. What bikes did others start with and what were their assessment of them ie. what would they do differently if they were starting again?

Cheers, CALEL

I went for a 20" wheel at the rear of my ICE so that I only need to carry one size of spare...

[squeaker]

I have tried a couple of different trikes, a Hase and an ICE and whilst they do look fantastic I was disappointed with the steering - sorry.

Er, in what way 'disappointed'? (Just curious.)

[CALEL]

Squeaker, in relation to the tikes steering, it was the first time I had tried it and so I don't know what I was realitically expecting. I suppose the problem was more in relation to turning circles. I had a go up hill initially on the ICE trike and cars were coming up and down the road so I was having to pull to the sides frequently and I kept getting too near to the curb to be able to pull away when the car had passed (this I put down partly to the inexperienced rider) but when turning at the top of the hill to come down it semed to need a considerable amount of room to turn which to be honest was a bit of a shock. Also the steering arms for the underseat steering felt too light for my personal preferences and rightly or wrongly seemed fragile (not something I wanted to feel from the steering considering the documented speeds these things can go).

The Hase was test ridden at the York Rally and performed fairly well since it was on relatively flat grassy terrain. However, the length of the trike itself again also meant a larger turning circle. Whilst I had nothing against the configuration of the Hase I preferred the look of the tadpole set up of the ICE. Please note that these are just my first impressions based on a very limited period of time on the machines so will no doubt differ from those of more experienced riders who have conducted a more thorough test than me. Also I'm not adverse from giving the machines another try at some point.

Cheers, CALEL

[benm]

I have an Orca and commute to work on it - so probably have an opinion but it is biased because it is the only 'bent I have ever owned.
Well made, sturdy, easy to ride. Comes with decent rack (My Carradice Pannier fits, but I had to get the mountings changed to the current design from Carradice), visible lights.

It is quite long so car transport is tricky though it just fits inside an Omega estate with self and two passengers - but very just.
Getting feet down is still a bit odd - and I am >6' tall.

Steering - once I got used to not pulling on the handlebars steering is fine. I am still not as confident steering it as I was on the upwrong but that is due to me being older and a little more cautious I think. The handlebars are not too close to me even with several winter layers on.

The SRAM 3x9 dualdrive works a treat though the way Forest Row have them set up you can't see the tell-tale indicators but that doesn't really matter. I find bottom gear not quite low enough, and top is plenty high enough to get >30mph downhill.

Hope that helps - if you have anything specific, please ask.

B.

[squeaker]

Squeaker, in relation to the tikes steering, it was the first time I had tried it and so I don't know what I was realitically expecting. I suppose the problem was more in relation to turning circles. I had a go up hill initially on the ICE trike and cars were coming up and down the road so I was having to pull to the sides frequently and I kept getting too near to the curb to be able to pull away when the car had passed (this I put down partly to the inexperienced rider) but when turning at the top of the hill to come down it semed to need a considerable amount of room to turn which to be honest was a bit of a shock. Also the steering arms for the underseat steering felt too light for my personal preferences and rightly or wrongly seemed fragile (not something I wanted to feel from the steering considering the documented speeds these things can go).

Tadpole turning circles are 'significant', but IME not something that is a problem, except for U-turns. However I thought that Hase trikes practically turned in their own length - been a while since I've seen one, though.
I don't think that the steering arms on an ICE trike are much less robust that an upright's handlebars, but just in a position where you can tread on them - which is a bit of a worry (to me) when I leave my trike in a public place. (I have seen a teenage 'try my Grasshopper for size' when it's been locked up outside a shop - but that was in Crawley )
One other 'bent design point I'd add is that, from a comfort viewpoint, I'd be a bit wary of anything with an unsuspended rear wheel smaller than, say, ISO 559. I also have a sneaking suspicion that most rear suspension designs soak up some power, especially on hills, though if they use a common length rear suspension spring element (MTB = 165mm eye-to-eye, IIRC) then you could fit a rear shock with 'platform' damping, or a simple lock-out, to get around this.
HTH

[4wils]

Can't express an opinion of the Orca, however I would recommend the Bacchetta Giro 20 as a first recumbent. I bought a Grasshopper (big money by the time you've added in the extras) and didn't get on with it. The more reclined the position the harder it is to put a foot down, or perhaps the less secure you feel, and that feeling of security is good when you first start. The Giro is great, you can start with the seat more upright and then recline as you get used to it, there is a large amount of adjustment in the angle of the seat. Great comfort, though no suspension.