Making a SMGT tank easier to ride for an upright rider?

[TPMB12]

I've been a few years away from seriously riding my SMGT. Last summer I tried it again a few times and pretty much sat in the small chsinring the whole ride. Rolling hills here.

So if I'm to use it more what can I do cheaply to help me ride it?

I'm unlikely to get recumbent legs back as it'll be an infrequently ridden bike. Are there any things to do to the bike to help, even in a small way? Not including expensive options as money isn't freely available for this project. I'm guessing trading off the low riders and possibly the rear rack will lose weight but doubt enough to matter.

[Blodwyn Pig]

No substitute for miles, no amount of weight reduction will give you 'bent legs' . Can't get cheaper than that. Unless, that is, you do all 'Gary Numan' on us!

[Kim]

Move to the flatlands, n+1 or electrickery, I reckon. Or load it with camping kit and learn to love the granny ring.  Streemachines are excellent bikes, but efficiency is not their thing.

Fast tyres might have a psychological benefit...

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Fast tyres help you ride faster. Most folk equip touring bikes with bulletproof but slow-rolling tyres.

[Kim]

One day when I'm very bored, I'll stick the Baron's road wheels (moderately decent, not over-engineered, Duranos) on the Streetmachine and see how much difference it makes.  I predict slightly better rolling,  slightly better acceleration and no difference on climbs.  Possibly it might change the feel in corners....

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Duranos are not fast tyres, medium at best.

[TPMB12]

I have supreme on it. Old tyres and quite narrow. It's how I bought it. Great fun on muddy trails trying to second guess which way my tyres will go next! Looking back it was a series of figure of eights as my front and rear wheels went in different directions all the time! Quite a battle that was.

[fd3]

Swap out rear suspension with airshock.  New front fork.
Beyond that, trade your bike for a lighter model.

[Blodwyn Pig]

But in reality, it’s the same old chestnut, say 90kg body weight plus 18 kg bike weight, =  108 kg.  If you manage to take 2kg off the bike, that’s still 106 kg total.
If you weigh 70 kg plus 18 kg = 88 kg less 2 kg is 86 kg total.  There is nothing to suggest a person weighing 70 kg is any less strong at riding than someone of 90 kg, so guess who has the advantage. 

Now then , if you were to change your GT @ 18kg for say……a Schlitter Encore @ say 10kg, then yes big difference, but it wouldn’t like to go off road, or go touring, and unless you actually put the miles in, would be slower than your upright.

[fd3]

I would (dis)agree with the above to a point.  I had a Speedmachine and I never got happy with it, in part because it was an over-engineered full suspension beast and my other bike is a fixie.  I am much happier with an unsuspended Catrike 700, which is lighter than the SPM, but I think that the suspension losses on the SPM were quite significant.

[Blodwyn Pig]

I would (dis)agree with the above to a point.  I had a Speedmachine and I never got happy with it, in part because it was an over-engineered full suspension beast and my other bike is a fixie.  I am much happier with an unsuspended Catrike 700, which is lighter than the SPM, but I think that the suspension losses on the SPM were quite significant.

yebbut, on the pot hole strewn streets of dear old Blighty, surely the suspension losses of the one , are also a gain, so do they come out equal?   On smooth tarmac maybe not, but smooth tarmac on roads, afaik, only exists in mythology or That Europe.

[Lightning Phil]

There is nothing to suggest a person weighing 70 kg is any less strong at riding than someone of 90 kg, so guess who has the advantage. 

The heavier rider will in general put out more power.  Let’s say each rider has the same FTP of 3W/kg.  Then the 90kg rider can put out 270W , and the 70kg rider, 210W at their thresholds. Add in the weight of the bike and heavier rider now has 2.5W/kg at threshold and the lighter rider has a threshold of 2.39W/kg.  The heavier rider will not only be faster on the flat, they will be faster uphill and downhill.  Weight of bike and gear has a disproportionate effect on the lighter rider of equal ability, when it comes to climbing hills. The heavier rider already has the advantage downhill and on the flats.

[fd3]

yebbut, on the pot hole strewn streets of dear old Blighty, surely the suspension losses of the one , are also a gain, so do they come out equal?   

Not in my experience.  But then you also feel like you are going faster on the Catrike as it is lower, you feel that you accelerate better because take-offs are straightforward and you feel that you climb better because you aren't likely to fall over sideways.
My SPM had a carbon seat, so the hammock seat of the Catrike sorta balanced out potholes for me (though you do hit more potholes with more wheels).

[Lightning Phil]

My non suspended recumbent has a cantilevered mesh seat and you don’t get shocks right through the spine. I don’t miss the suspension of my first heavier recumbent.  As for pot holes, well try to avoid riding through them for the most part, small front wheels do not like them, suspension or not.

[McWheels]

Tyres. Fast ones at the right inflation. After that obvious drive-train friction like a rusty chain, creaky bottom-bracket, stiff pedals, dry hubs etc. Ultimately it's just about not loosing what you shouldn't since there's not much to be gained cheaply.