What does it take to be happy on the dark side?

[Jon P]

About once or twice every year for a few years now I have been researching the offerings of the dark side.
I always stepped back again because of the weight, size and cost of those otherwise so seductive machines, but in order to be really cured of that bug, maybe I should just give in?

But - and there is always a but isn't there? - are my mind and body really suitable? Will I be able to do long and relaxed tours or will I despair thinking of the time limit while walking up every second hill, cursing my affliction? Please endarken me.

Did you not see the Speed Ross that was just offered for £260 on eBay and didn't attract a seller?

You simply can't go wrong with such a machine.

[hamilgs]

george here from south yankland (Alabama) in the states.  I've been bent for about 5 years now, and have no plan to return to uprights.  I'm on the second long wheelbase bent (a Tour Easy), and I like multi day cycletours and commuting.  As others have said, a bent rides at a different pace than an upright:  slower up the hills, on par on the flats and faster downhill-though the slower part is mostly because my motor is weak and overweight.  Worry less about what its called (darkside) and enjoy the ride-I do.--george

[nobby]

.................., the original steel box sectioned ones that preceded mine was stupidly heavy.

I've got an '87 square section Peter Ross trike (in bits for Winter rebuild) and Kev at D'Tek tells me it is no heavier than a new Trice. What you lose in tubing weights you gains in shock absorbers and other frills, I guess. I lifted a Trice at Mildenhall and it certainly didn't feel any lighter.

As to climbing hills, I am a 'bent beginner on my Bacchetta Giro and it took me about 200 miles to find my bent legs. I haven't actually had many hills I couldn't get up and those I didn't early on I have since been able to climb, albeit slowly. On the other hand I go much, much faster downhill and appreciable faster on the flat. My average speed is much the same as usual. All my fall offs have been on loose surfaces and slow speed running out of stability.
The bike is very comfy; no saddle soreness, no carpal tunnel pins and needles, no aches in shoulders or neck. I had some toe tingling problems but they were cured by moving the cleats on my shoes as far back as possible.

I returned to cycling after a 20 year gap last year and bought a bespoke Hewitt Cheviot SE. Lovely bike, fits me perfectly, but nowhere near the comfort or fun of the Bacchetta which, second hand, was a third of the price.
I'm also fairly certain that I get more room on the road and I definitely get positive comments from the non cycling population.

Your cycling life doesn't start until you have a 'bent and then you'll have two, or three 
HTH

Edit: Just noticed that I posted on this back in August when I'd only had the Giro a few weeks and I haven't written anything different. sorry, but I'm glad I still feel very positive about the 'bent. It is certainly my favourite bike for touring and load carrying.

[Sigurd Mudtracker]

Edit: Just noticed that I posted on this back in August when I'd only had the Giro a few weeks and I haven't written anything different. sorry, but I'm glad I still feel very positive about the 'bent. It is certainly my favourite bike for touring and load carrying.

Unfortunately your comments do nothing to stop me lusting after a Bacchetta.  I will clearly have to sell (almost) all my bikes...

 

[nobby]

Edit: Just noticed that I posted on this back in August when I'd only had the Giro a few weeks and I haven't written anything different. sorry, but I'm glad I still feel very positive about the 'bent. It is certainly my favourite bike for touring and load carrying.

Unfortunately your comments do nothing to stop me lusting after a Bacchetta.  I will clearly have to sell (almost) all my bikes...

 

I've kept my Hewitt - mainly 'cos the wife is annoyed that I spent so much and have hardly used it, the Brompton has a special place for public transport and Origami rides, the trike is a project, the Bacchetta is just love. See, all you need are good reasons for keeping bikes

[TimO]

I can't say that I ever felt the weight of a square tubed one, but my old Aluminium Trice weighed about 38 lbs, which would have probably been with the bog standard configuration.  The only significant change I made was to fit a rear carrier and a CatEye cycle computer (with a rear wheel sensor).  Neither of those would have made a significant change to the weight.  It should have been a bit lighter than the square steel one.  The main tube had a pretty large diameter, but the whole things wasn't too heavily made, so should have been less than the steel one.

Having said all that, a lot of bits on a bike (or trike) weigh the same regardless of what the frame is made of, and indeed, quite possibly making the frame aluminium instead of steel doesn't have that big an effect on it's mass.  Quite possibly the steel Trice has lasted better than the Aluminium one as well.  I flogged mine some years back when I had to downscale my possessions, but I wonder if it would still be working if I had used it for all that time?

Do you have any idea what that trice weighs?

[alan]

. See, all you need are good reasons for keeping bikes

I disagree Nobby.You need no reasons at all for keeping bikes

[nobby]

I can't say that I ever felt the weight of a square tubed one,

Do you have any idea what that trice weighs?

Nope, but each individual box of Peter Ross trike bits doesn't weigh much, although the bottom bracket bracket is very heavy  
Seriously though, I was quoting Kevin. I was looking at buying a new Trice for a lighter machine and knowing I had the Peter Ross that is what he said. I don't suppose he would deliberately tell a porky, especially to turn folk away, and he knew my retirement lump sum was burning a hole in my pocket.
If I build it up this winter I'll weigh it and post.

I suppose it's about time I weighed my Bacchetta. I know that it will carry 24kg of cold weather camping kit with the weight all low down and within the wheelbase. You can't do that with an upright.

I'm thinking of brazing a very large flat rack to the seat stays on the trike - like I've seen on cycleman's Anthrotec - I'm guessing that it isn't necessary to get the weight low down on a trike. I'm also considering altering the rear stays to fit in a Schwalbe Big Apple (?) tyre that I was given; that probably needs a separate thread to explore.

[byegad]

A Big Apple will fit I use a 60mm one with no problems.

As to weight. The lower the better unless you want to roll on a fast corner!

[nobby]

A Big Apple will fit I use a 60mm one with no problems.

As to weight. The lower the better unless you want to roll on a fast corner!

Ah, on the first; I did try it and it rubbed the end of the square tube but I can't remember by how much. Being as I need to rebuild the rear wheel, having forgotten to dish it, I thought I'd try again and introduce the angle grinder to the frametube.
On the second; is rolling a common phenomena with trikes, asks he worriedly?

[TimO]

On the second; is rolling a common phenomena with trikes, asks he worriedly?

Not really, unless you're taking a sharp corner fast.  I think the only time I managed it, and it took some effort, was racing around Wolverhampton town centre on one of the BHPC national championships (or it may have been a European championship).

Generally so long as you lean a bit into the turn, you won't have any problems.  I do remember going onto two wheels a few times, and that seemed to cause the steering to stop doing any steering, until the third wheel dropped back onto the ground again!  Panniers or towing a Bob Yak made this worse.  Panniers and towing a Bob Yak made it almost a certainty !

[Mr Larrington]

On the second; is rolling a common phenomena with trikes, asks he worriedly?

Wot Tim said.  I've managed it twice on my Trice; once executing a low-speed U-turn on a very off-camber road and once executing a high-speed pavement lemming avoidance in Haywards Heath during last year's Hailsham 400.

The second one hurt a bit

[byegad]

A Big Apple will fit I use a 60mm one with no problems.

As to weight. The lower the better unless you want to roll on a fast corner!

Ah, on the first; I did try it and it rubbed the end of the square tube but I can't remember by how much. Being as I need to rebuild the rear wheel, having forgotten to dish it, I thought I'd try again and introduce the angle grinder to the frametube.
On the second; is rolling a common phenomena with trikes, asks he worriedly?

Hah! My QNT is a 2007, with a dishless rear wheel, suspended in a lovely Aluminium swinging arm. Earlier models will vary. When I bought it ICE said a 50mm BA would fit, I offered up a 60mm and it worked. Now they say a 60mm will fit. They must have tried it too!

[Jedrik]

Sorry I dropped of the horizon for quite a while.
I got a little depressed, being more or less stuck on the continent, looking at a market of mostly solid bents made for people for up to 8 ft, instead of interesting meetings in Cambridge and such like, and then doing audax and LEL on my mostly conventional little titanium steed.

Since I now felt free to ease down into practice and much lower speeds instead of being overly concerned with performance and time limits, I took all of your advice and encouragement to heart got myself a second hand Toxy TT xs. It fits me like a glove (except maybe for the crankset), is reasonably light without ruining me completely and seems to be of a nice temper: I have done the first 67 kilometres and it hasn't thrown me yet, not even climbing at 5,5 km/h.

Climbing really is something else and I am afraid, I will need lots of practise and a good increase in speed if I ever want to finish an audax riding the bent, but hey, a challenge is not all about a personal best, learning a new skill at my age might be just the thing I need. Thank you 

Mr Larrington: Race you at PBP 2011?   

[nobby]

Interesting to see this go live again. I never did complete my plans with the Peter Ross.

Part of the retirement lump sum miracalously turned into a new QNT and I nearly rolled it in Henley. Too fast down the hill, over the bridge into the left hand turn put it on two wheels. leaning into it, a little late, put it onto a different two wheels.
I'll be careful not to repeat the experience!
 

[RichForrest]

Interesting to see this go live again. I never did complete my plans with the Peter Ross.

Part of the retirement lump sum miracalously turned into a new QNT and I nearly rolled it in Henley. Too fast down the hill, over the bridge into the left hand turn put it on two wheels. leaning into it, a little late, put it onto a different two wheels.
I'll be careful not to repeat the experience!
 

Why? that's part of the fun When you're at Watlington next, try the hill down past the campsite. It's Good for 50+mph and with a R/H corner at the bottom.

[recumbentim]

This is a good Question. Me only 15 year experience. Started with Kingcycle. ross orbit ,speedy etc.
Then, could not beat my commute time on an upright to my bike shop.
Now done 5500 miles scince feb on a Bacchetta ,Audax ,commute and fun,
SO THE ANSWER IS COMFORT AND MORE SPEED SOMETIMES?

[nobby]

This is a good Question. Me only 15 year experience. Started with Kingcycle. ross orbit ,speedy etc.
Then, could not beat my commute time on an upright to my bike shop.
Now done 5500 miles scince feb on a Bacchetta ,Audax ,commute and fun,
SO THE ANSWER IS COMFORT AND MORE SPEED SOMETIMES?

Which Bacchetta?

[recumbentim]

Got a giro 26 frame and built it to my spec.
Carbon forks ,700c 105 rims ,stronglight ,XTR and Euro mess.
Pretty light and quick I think?
LIke the look of the Carbon 2.0 tho?

[nobby]

Got a giro 26 frame and built it to my spec.
Carbon forks ,700c 105 rims ,stronglight ,XTR and Euro mess.
Pretty light and quick I think?
LIke the look of the Carbon 2.0 tho?

Sounds nice.
Anything's faster than me on a giro 20 

[Tewdric]

I would absolutely LOVE to add a Trice to the stable.

There, I've said it..

[nobby]

Interesting to see this go live again. I never did complete my plans with the Peter Ross.

Part of the retirement lump sum miracalously turned into a new QNT and I nearly rolled it in Henley. Too fast down the hill, over the bridge into the left hand turn put it on two wheels. leaning into it, a little late, put it onto a different two wheels.
I'll be careful not to repeat the experience!
 

Why? that's part of the fun When you're at Watlington next, try the hill down past the campsite. It's Good for 50+mph and with a R/H corner at the bottom.

Thinking about this a bit .... but wouldn't a right hand turn at the bottom put you into the pub?

[RichForrest]

A right turn right at the bottom would, but the one just after the steep bit before the campsite always has me braking and hanging out the side trying to keep at least 2 wheels down.

[nobby]

You'll never get to my age if you ride like that 

[Aidan]

I had my first go on a bent at the weekend   And I have got to say I'm rather struck.  In fact I'm condidering selling my lovely Airborne Zepp with Ksyrium  wheels and all the goodies to finance one   Do I need help?