recumbent riders where are we...

DIscuss anything relating to non-standard cycles and their equipment.
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Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by Cunobelin »

Rob Archer wrote:It was nice to see your Kettwiesel 'in the flesh' in Norfolk this week. It's a great looking machine and I'm sorely tempted to look at one. Trouble is, I like my Streetmachine too much and haven't got the space, cash or justification for another 'bent!


HI,

That was a somewhat surreal experience!

One small junction in a small Norfolk village and three recumbents!

Nice to have met you both
Vjock
Posts: 16
Joined: 28 Apr 2013, 6:49am

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by Vjock »

Was out on kett this morning. Lots of other cyclist out around the chilterns today for some reason. managed to tip on sharp bend at bottom of hill. Must remember to lean the correct way!!
Ah churches. The are amazing buildings from a engineering viewpoint as well as commitment to build and worship there. (lapsed catholic ).
Temped by radical bag but attach mrs vjock or kids too often to justify.

Re mountain drive. Have it on eldest boys trike with rear derailur and no knock so far. Mountain drive great and would have been a nice addition to rohloff trike but it goes too far out of recommended rear ratio.

Always nice seeing other trikes/ velos when out on a ride. Thus far come across one of each but separate rides.

Love kett trike to bits but would love to try velo too. Saying that really enjoyed the thorn explorer tandem when on holidays in sherwood and kids been to mountain bike training over weekend. Clear one will be a speed freak on road and other wants to do tricks and wheelies etc. and single track stuff. Took them to Windsor great park today and they loved it there. Well worth returning with trikes another day.
Right...... another week of drudge before can get out again. Ho hum. [emoji25]
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Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by Cunobelin »

I have the High Speed Drive on the Gekko, and it works fine.

Advice was that yes it did exceed the recommendation, but the Rohloff was so over engineered that it would not be an issue - it hasn't been

I have a 34 T on the front of the Gekko
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[XAP]Bob
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Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by [XAP]Bob »

And tigerbitten goes "somewhat" outside the Rolhoff recommended layout...

Of course small wheels reduce torque anyway...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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Tigerbiten
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Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by Tigerbiten »

I've got 53/38 chainrings on my HSD and a 21 tooth sprocket on my Rohloff, 9.5"-172".
The reason for the twin chainrings is it make it a 14-3-4-3 shift to use the full range.

After two years cycling and ~15k miles, I sent the hub back to Rohloff to check over.
They sent it back saying it fine.
hercule
Posts: 1156
Joined: 5 Feb 2011, 5:18pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by hercule »

I think you probably could use the Radical bag and use the tandem attachment. Unfortunately, I got my bag after selling our other Kett so never got the chance to try it out, but the profile of the bag is pretty much vertical from the rear axle up to the seat, so it shouldn't interfere with the front end of the trailing trike (we did 'tandemise' our Ketts when we had two). I'd highly recommend the bag, very capacious, gives you a nice big area of bright colour to the rear, and doesn't interfere with the trike sitting on its tail.
MickH
Posts: 29
Joined: 21 Feb 2014, 5:16pm
Location: Leicester

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by MickH »

I live in Leicester and recently bought the Pashley PDQ that Si had in the Classifieds.

I've got it clean and am still struggling to go more than a few yards in a straight line in the garden. I'll get there! :lol:
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tank
Posts: 99
Joined: 26 Mar 2013, 12:09pm
Location: home

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by tank »

MickH wrote:I live in Leicester and recently bought the Pashley PDQ that Si had in the Classifieds.

I've got it clean and am still struggling to go more than a few yards in a straight line in the garden. I'll get there! :lol:


As a suggestion take it somewhere with a small downward slope and very few other people (balance is easier if you can get a little speed). I learnt outside Kinetics in Glasgow which is at the top of one hill into a valley and then up the other side before getting off turning it round and going back.

It's only a suggestion on personal experience so feel free to ignore it.
Lonely recumbent rider

HP Velotechnik Street Machine GTe
Metabikes Metaphysics
Hase Pino
HPV Velotechnik Scorpion
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Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by Cunobelin »

Reference the Kettwiesel and the Radical Design bag

There are two designs, the old one was large and bulky, the new one much smaller and neater

The new one is here:

(Not my photo)

Image

You can freely operate the universal coupling, and also stand the trike vertically with the bag in situ


I should say that it can interfere with the flag mount
not tired of life
Posts: 3
Joined: 9 Aug 2014, 2:24pm
Location: London

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by not tired of life »

I'm in London with a H P velotechik streetmachine.
When a man is tired of London he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford!
Samuel Johnson 1777
DGG1941
Posts: 78
Joined: 7 Jul 2011, 5:45pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by DGG1941 »

Shere near Guildford, Surrey
Kettwiesel - with electric assist on the front wheel, much needed at my age living in the Surrey hills!
When I see an adult on a bicycle I do not despair for the human race, H G Wells.
Geoff.D
Posts: 1982
Joined: 12 Mar 2010, 9:20pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by Geoff.D »

It's always a pleasure to meet other recumbent riders when out and about. A few weeks ago my partner and I were riding our semi-recumbent tandem up the back road between Coniston and Kettlewell, in Wharfedale, and.....lo and behold....another semi-recumbent came down the other way. We passed a very pleasant 15 minutes chatting. But, it's a rare occurrance. Almost a "Dr. Livingstone, I presume" thing.

So there I was, this afternoon, driving back from an Oxford hospital, going north on the Banbury Rd through Kidlington. I was thinking ahead to tomorrow, planning a ride to take advantage of the continuing warm weather. Just as I was turning left onto Yarnton Lane a tadpole trike came down Banbury Rd, towards Oxford. The rider was a chap about my age (65), I guess, with a splendid beard. I didn't identify the trike, but it was black. The time was 3.20 pm.

I felt quite frustrated not to be riding, and to at least exchange waves if not stop and chat. Would it be any reader of this forum/section?

PS The only other recumbent I've seen in this neck of the woods was also in Oxford itself- a low racer. I've come across none out in the sticks of rural Cotswolds....even at the tea shops!!
hercule
Posts: 1156
Joined: 5 Feb 2011, 5:18pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by hercule »

tank wrote:
MickH wrote:I live in Leicester and recently bought the Pashley PDQ that Si had in the Classifieds.

I've got it clean and am still struggling to go more than a few yards in a straight line in the garden. I'll get there! :lol:


As a suggestion take it somewhere with a small downward slope and very few other people (balance is easier if you can get a little speed). I learnt outside Kinetics in Glasgow which is at the top of one hill into a valley and then up the other side before getting off turning it round and going back.

It's only a suggestion on personal experience so feel free to ignore it.


My first proper two wheel bent was a PDQ. Really enjoyed riding it, and once I'd got used to it could almost track stand on it. I only sold it because I was an inch or two short for it: could barely get my toes down at stops, which didn't inspire confidence at junctions etc. The Nazca Fuego that I have now certainly doesn't have that problem! However it is also substantially heavier than the PDQ which is quite remarkably light. The PDQ's ultra short wheelbase (shorter than a Brompton) makes it very manoeuvrable, but contributes to its twitchiness when you're learning. Another possible issue might be play at the steering pivot, which is simply a hole drilled through the steering riser. It will tolerate a lot of slop but it doesn't inspire confidence. I drilled mine out a bit more and fitted a better fitting bushing, which helped tighten things up a bit.

If my legs grow a couple of inches, I'd buy another! Not likely at my age, though!
seumasl
Posts: 24
Joined: 29 Apr 2008, 3:44pm
Location: Near Woodstock Oxfordshire

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by seumasl »

I only have experience of recumbent trikes which are (of course) easier to get used to, twas my black ICE NT Sprint that was spotted in Kidlington, managed to get a NT middle section from ICE and they were very accommodating as to build (as was The Oracle (aka Kevin at D-tek) modified the gearing a tad and twill now toddle almost up anything, only clue to getting used to something difference is perseverance, one moment you are wondering if it will ever be right the next you are helping someone else, tis that quick, stop thinking and have a go if you think you analyse and that leads to ouch
Mikrobi
Posts: 3
Joined: 24 Jun 2015, 11:11pm

Re: recumbent riders where are we...

Post by Mikrobi »

Hi,
I live in Derby, my bent is flevo racer.
Few visit at Tissington Trail, few trips Derby - Nott - Derby
Last Sunday I've made 86 miles: Derby, Matlock, Monsal Trail, Tissington Trail, Ashbourne, Derby.
Great weather, 10 hours and not enough to drink ;)

http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/4334241?key=a4d7798101232f4991370188a42aeab795b3a77e&ms=0


Cheers
Mikrobi
aka Ziggy
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