well I've had a chance to ride my chum's Bacchetta Corsa, and it makes an interesting comparison with my monster.
I'd read a review of the Bacchetta which lead me to suppose that it would be awkward in traffic because of its high seat. Now that is perhaps the case if you come from a background where a lower seat is to be expected, but I have to say I found the Corsa a really easy bike to ride by comparison to my own machine, so it is all relative.
I found no difficulty in getting my feet down when halted, and no problems with the feel of the steering once under way; in most respects it seems like it is a fairly benign machine. However had I started on it coming from an upright, I daresay I'd have found it a bit of handful; my chum is most used to a recumbent trike and even after 50 miles or so on this machine, he's still somewhat leery of it.
My chum's machine has the saddle about 4" lower and the seat more vertically inclined, so the rider's eyeline is within an inch or two of my own machine. However because the seat and the BB are lower, and the 'bars are different, the net result is a machine that may punch a slightly larger hole through the air than my own, and a riding position that (later...) perhaps won't fit inside such a small fairing.
Quibbles with the Bacchetta include
- the brakes come configured US/continental style, i.e. with the front brake on the left.
- the rear brake has a QR fitted; the front does not.
- the brake DP calipers are Bacchetta branded, but are not of very good quality; they work OK but the pivots have a substantial amount of free play in them which will surely only get worse in time
- there is enough clearance for a 30mm tyre at the rear, but anything much over a real ~26mm is going to rub under the fork crown
- the 23mm tyres supplied (Kendas) are light enough and grip well in the dry, but pinch-flat too easily on a recumbent, and tend to cut up very quickly in the wet if there are any flints around.
- heel strike on the front wheel is very often seen during low-speed manoeuvres, and is disconcerting/dangerous.
- the bike's setup when new was less than perfect.
- if you need to stop on an uphill section, you need to select a low gear beforehand, because it is not possible to change gear whilst stationary.
- the transmission is rather noisy (by comparison with my own machine)
- the wheels have rather too few spokes in for my tastes; although flexy as a consequence, this didn't seem to make the handling terrible or anything.
- the adjustable seat stays have a little free play in the joints
- the seat stays transmit road shocks directly into the seat frame; some springs in the stays might be a good idea.
But there are plenty of plus points too; I think it is overall a pretty nice machine; not too heavy, pretty comfortable and relatively easy to handle. The rear bag is neat, even if it isn't particularly large. In terms of ease of starting and stopping, the Bacchetta is slightly easier than (say) riding an upright bike with a high BB (where you need to slide out of the saddle when you need to put a foot down) and my own machine is somewhat more awkward than that, even when you are used to it.
- Bacchetta underway
You can see a side-by-side comparison of machines/riding position here;
- vaguely similar, but completely different...?
so it is interesting to compare and contrast. I suspect that, given a bit of time, the route I'm headed down will yield a faster machine, ultimately, but the Bacchetta is a pretty good OTP solution for those who want a recumbent but don't like being too low down in traffic.
cheers