RANS Stratus XP vs Nazca Paseo vs Lightning P-38

[UpWrong]

I rode a hilly (for me) 50 miles on the P-38 yesterday. There were repeated climbs in the 6-8% range. I used the 17" bottom gear a lot. Hard to imagine doing that on the Paseo and the XP.

I still found the hip angle to feel too closed and I'm not a fan of sling mesh seats, I prefer seats with a firm base.

I had an embarassing topple over into a road I was crossing. The central reservation between lanes was raised and I stalled the bike when starting a left turn as I reached the reservation. I put my left leg down quickly but it was too far forward and I couldn't keep the bike upright so I toppled over into the carriageway. I have a grazed left elbow and a chain ring injury to my right ankle as a result.

[UpWrong]

I've just noticed there's a one mile TT segment on my usual route. Average slope is -2.5%. It starts of around -4% then after 0.4 miles it flattens to -1%. I traverse it East to West so the wind direction and speed affects my times.

Anyway, last ride on my RANS averaged 23.5mph with a 4 mph SSE wind, last ride on the P-38 average 22.4 mph with a 12 mph SW wind. The gearing on the two is comparable, whereas the gearing on the Paseo is now much lower. Looking back over Strava records, my best is 23.9 mph on the Paseo when it had higher gearing.

Now I know where the segment starts and stops I can pay attention to it.

On another route there's a 1.4 mile segment with a -0.9% drop which is North to South run. My fastest time on that is 20.2 mph on the P-38, but there was a 12mph NE wind. Again, now I know where it starts and ends I can target it.

[UpWrong]

Updates:

The XP is now dual 26" with a 42mm tyre on the back and a 28mm one on the front - an attempt to reduce the fork flop. I continue to be amazed how this bike delivers comfort and performance.

The P-38 now has a 27.5" rear wheel shod with a 35mm Kojak. I've had to go from a 9 speed cassette to an 8 speed one (omitting the 11T cog) to fit the freehub of the new wheel. But the wheel size is right for me. The bike is close to it's intended geometry and weight distribution whilst enabling me to reach the ground ok for comfortable stopping and starting.

The Paseo now has a 32-406 Contact Urban on the front (measuring 31mm width and height on the rim). First impressions in terms of grip and comfort for a narrow tyre are good. The change from the 38mm Maxxis DTH was to lower the bike to make it easier to get my leg over. Every mm helps. The steering changed dramatically with the new tyre, becoming very quick with the smaller trail and narrower contact patch. I moved the suspension from lowest position (giving highest ride height) to it's mid position to restore the amount of trail. The seat also worked better with the increased angle of recline.

The XP is the best overall performer for me. The big wheels handle damaged road surfaces well. The P-38 is the lightest. The Paseo is the heaviest but it's becoming the one I enjoy riding the most. It looks the most sporty and it has the most laid back riding position with its sexy hard shell seat. I just wish I was quicker on it. Maybe it would be faster and match the other two if I put in more miles on it now it is dialled in.

[nobrakes]

I concur with your Nazca conclusion. There's just something about them that feels 'right'. I have the same feeling about my Fuego. I've been through a Cruzbike V20, M5 CHR, also tried a Metabike and a Pelso Brevet. I should have just stuck with the Fuego, could have saved myself a fortune over the past 5 years I went down the speed at all costs rabbit hole and learned that speed at all costs doesn't work that well when combined with UK road surfaces.

I think Nazca bikes are up to the task of the UK's shocking roads in a way that inspires confidence and road handling that unsuspended bikes don't manage. You also get the impression you can ram them through brick walls and they wouldn't break. I've got a 42C Contact Urban on the front of mine and a 47C on the back. It gives me confidence to let rip on the hills again, having had 2 bad crashes on the high racers caused by pinch flats that left me very nervous about high speeds. The Fuego just blasts through everything, it's a cracking bike.

The Fuego is around 17KG and a bit slower all round than any of the high racers I tried. It is also a bit slower than a standard road bike on anything other than flattish routes, but what it gives up in miles per hour it gives back in smiles per hour. I still have problems with foot pain but try to alternate between different bikes as much as possible as well as cycling / running / mountaineering. I have got to a point where I think everything in moderation, and lots of variety. The Fuego fits nicely into that mindset for me now.

Speed at all costs is I think best left to DF bikes. Much easier to avoid catastrophic blowouts and pinch flats when riding on real world UK roads.

[pjclinch]

I think Nazca bikes are up to the task of the UK's shocking roads in a way that inspires confidence and road handling that unsuspended bikes don't manage. You also get the impression you can ram them through brick walls and they wouldn't break. I've got a 42C Contact Urban on the front of mine and a 47C on the back. It gives me confidence to let rip on the hills again, having had 2 bad crashes on the high racers caused by pinch flats that left me very nervous about high speeds. The Fuego just blasts through everything, it's a cracking bike.

My wife has a Fiero Tour (20/20 semi-low with underseat bars) and it's proven pretty bombproof. Not only up to UK roads but the odd gravel excursion (fully loaded for camping) too...

Nazca Fiero and rider go off-road

Pete.

[UpWrong]

I concur with your Nazca conclusion. There's just something about them that feels 'right'. I have the same feeling about my Fuego. I've been through a Cruzbike V20, M5 CHR, also tried a Metabike and a Pelso Brevet. I should have just stuck with the Fuego, could have saved myself a fortune over the past 5 years I went down the speed at all costs rabbit hole and learned that speed at all costs doesn't work that well when combined with UK road surfaces.

I think Nazca bikes are up to the task of the UK's shocking roads in a way that inspires confidence and road handling that unsuspended bikes don't manage. You also get the impression you can ram them through brick walls and they wouldn't break. I've got a 42C Contact Urban on the front of mine and a 47C on the back. It gives me confidence to let rip on the hills again, having had 2 bad crashes on the high racers caused by pinch flats that left me very nervous about high speeds. The Fuego just blasts through everything, it's a cracking bike.

The Fuego is around 17KG and a bit slower all round than any of the high racers I tried. It is also a bit slower than a standard road bike on anything other than flattish routes, but what it gives up in miles per hour it gives back in smiles per hour. I still have problems with foot pain but try to alternate between different bikes as much as possible as well as cycling / running / mountaineering. I have got to a point where I think everything in moderation, and lots of variety. The Fuego fits nicely into that mindset for me now.

Speed at all costs is I think best left to DF bikes. Much easier to avoid catastrophic blowouts and pinch flats when riding on real world UK roads.

Yes, Nazcas are solid and confidence inspiring. I have my Paseo set up a bit like a Fuego with a fixed front fork and suspended rear. The rear suspension works really well and with a long swing arm it also helps when the front wheel hits bumps. The bike came with a suspended fork but I found it too tall for getting on and off. It might be worth me trying a 349 wheel in the suspended fork but, sod's law, I have recently sold my 349 tyres and tubes though I still have a wheel.

The thought of a pinch flat is scary. I had one once on a trike front wheel with a 28-406 Durano @ 70 psi. I'm running the 32-406 Contact Urban at about 70psi. It's bigger than the Durano but of course there's only one front wheel on a bike to take the impacts.

[UpWrong]

I think Nazca bikes are up to the task of the UK's shocking roads in a way that inspires confidence and road handling that unsuspended bikes don't manage. You also get the impression you can ram them through brick walls and they wouldn't break. I've got a 42C Contact Urban on the front of mine and a 47C on the back. It gives me confidence to let rip on the hills again, having had 2 bad crashes on the high racers caused by pinch flats that left me very nervous about high speeds. The Fuego just blasts through everything, it's a cracking bike.

My wife has a Fiero Tour (20/20 semi-low with underseat bars) and it's proven pretty bombproof. Not only up to UK roads but the odd gravel excursion (fully loaded for camping) too...
GravelFiero.jpg

Pete.

Suspended front fork I see. Guess that's the Tour version because I think the XS was fixed.

[pjclinch]

Suspended front fork I see. Guess that's the Tour version because I think the XS was fixed.

Yes, other main difference was the bigger rack which takes Radical banana bags very well (as you can see...)

Pete.

[nobrakes]

Pinch flats - yes hitting the deck at 30+ mph (twice) quickly alters your opinion on the wisdom of riding potholed roads at silly speeds on a skinny-tyred unsuspended high racer with poor depth perception due to the laid back position. It took me a couple of years to get my confidence back to ride descents at any kind of speed on a recumbent - but only on a bombproof bike like a Nazca with sensible tyres and rear suspension. It's too easy to not spot potholes that you see much easier on a road bike. On the plus side I learned about how amazing hydrocolloid dressings are at growing leg skin back

I've never toured with the Fuego but it has similar luggage carrying capacity to the Fiero I think. That looks like a nice bike. They ride so well even when fully laden.The whole range is great. It's a shame they're no longer made. I would hang on to the Paeso @UpWrong.

[pjclinch]

Pinch flats - yes hitting the deck at 30+ mph (twice) quickly alters your opinion on the wisdom of riding potholed roads at silly speeds on a skinny-tyred unsuspended high racer with poor depth perception due to the laid back position. It took me a couple of years to get my confidence back to ride descents at any kind of speed on a recumbent - but only on a bombproof bike like a Nazca with sensible tyres and rear suspension. It's too easy to not spot potholes that you see much easier on a road bike. On the plus side I learned about how amazing hydrocolloid dressings are at growing leg skin back

Ouchies!

My pothole experience comes from the other direction, finding out how a bomber suspended 'bent can make life much better. On a big descent with a pal on a road bike we both took the same line round a bend at speed which led us out through what looked like a shallow puddle... Result on the road bike was a shriek of scared pain, result on the Streetmachine was "blimey! So that's what the sus bottoming out sounds like", still a bit concerning but it didn't hurt.
The other one was the Streetmachine's shakedown tour on Arran, fast descent on an excellent new surface, and I came round a corner at a considerable of speed to find a potholed ruin the road crew hadn't got round to doing yet. I thought I was doomed but it just tracked through fine.

Pete.

[hercule]

Mercifully I’ve never had a blowout on my Fuego but I have on my Trice QNT… hit a rock at 40mph with one of my front wheels, pinch flat that deflated immediately. No drama, the trike barely wobbled and I was able to slow down gracefully and get the tube changed. Not having to take the wheel off made it even easier!

[[XAP]Bob]

My best was a front blowout at about 30mph on one of the early descents of a Wild Wales Challenge a decade ago... I heard the change in noise from the right wheel, but didn't notice a significant handling change, just braked with the left wheel at the bottom of the hill and replaced the tube.