Grunhilda is on her way!

[Blade]

Lots of good tips here and even some things that I'd never even considered.

Currently, have only done 60 miles on my Challenge Wizard and have yet to master very tight corners. My local nightmare junction is a left hand 90 degree turn at traffic lights, slightly uphill. I go out of my way to avoid having to negotiate this.

Going out to the garage now to try out the 180 degree about face.

[Kim]

I'd do a 180 by locking the rear brake, picking up the front end and shuffling around the rear wheel (or dismount, pick up the bike and turn).  Similar technique for negotiating some forms of Silly Sustrans Gate™, where you need a tighter turning circle than a bicycle can reasonably achieve.  Haven't tried lifting the rear end, but can't imagine it works with much luggage.

Either way, this is one of the fringe benefits of underseat steering.  (Related: lock a brake on^[1], and you can comfortably sit astride the bike with your hands free to eat lunch / take photos / faff / wait for the rest of the group.)


_{[1] I have a friction-shifter-operated V-brake on the rear wheel for this sort of thing.  Also useful for reducing the rocking when loading and unloading the bike so the stand doesn't dig into soft ground, and when securing the bike on trains.  It also means I have a shifter I can re-purpose if one of the bar end shifters gets damaged^[2] mid-tour.
[2] They tend to bear the brunt of the bike falling over.  I have a sacrificial bell outboard on the left, which helps.}

[McWheels]

That's an excellent looking bike, good choice! And getting the attention to detail they all need.

I was quite disappointed when I calibrated my circumference properly and discovered how quickly I wasn't going. Then again, my bike is what's know as Good Training^TM.

[Blodwyn Pig]

IMG_1245 by mark tilley, on Flickr

Proof that you can put a bent in a workstand


IMG_1250 by mark tilley, on Flickr

Half way through todays  30km ride, my second excursion on Grunhilda.  I have fitted the rack top bag, removed the lower rack, and extended the boom.    Whoop whoop!

[Blodwyn Pig]

Update time,  5th ride today, 49km ,a rather spirited 'favourite loop' ( Ha! spirited....me   ) resulted in an avg speed of 20.6km, thats 1 km/h faster than on Olive, so quicker already.   Mind you when I got back,  and stood up, my legs were a bit jelly like.

[network.ned]

Mind you when I got back,  and stood up, my legs were a bit jelly like.

I'm 300km in on the PDQ and still get jelly legs if I push it on 35+ km rides. Apparently it takes about a year to get 'bent legs.

On a positive note, the jelly symptom seems to be going away quicker now.

[ElyDave]

I assume you are clipped in by now?  If not you will find it much easier as a learning experience. Its very hard work and takes a lot of concentration to keep your feet on the pedals without gravity to help you

[PaulM]

I assume you are clipped in by now?  If not you will find it much easier as a learning experience. Its very hard work and takes a lot of concentration to keep your feet on the pedals without gravity to help you

My balance isn't brilliant so I use platform pedals. No problems although softer soled shoes grip better. It reduces rotating weight!

[T42]

Every time I see this thread title my eye strays to the Météo France tab.

[Blodwyn Pig]

I assume you are clipped in by now?  If not you will find it much easier as a learning experience. Its very hard work and takes a lot of concentration to keep your feet on the pedals without gravity to help you

Yes only ever been clipped in. It's the learning to spin thing. Riding along and a hump railway bridge approaches, it's getting out of the habit of letting gravity take control, because... well you've got lots of gears. No, it's change down one ( possibly) and spin up, and accelerate , almost like a turbine spinning up. Getting there, but I have....big legs, and flailing these around at something approaching 110-120 rpm is weird and comical.  Almost 160km in so far , loving it. BUT.............already having crazy thoughts from the depths of the store cupboard. Actually I had these before I bought it.

Option 1:  fit a pair of Kona P2 forks and a 26" wheel up front , with a space in the rear shock mounting to alter the angle and lift the rear end, or

Option 2:  Fit a pair of mazzochi bomber front suspension forks, ditto about for rear end, and turn it into an HP Velotechnik Streetmachine/ Azub Max clone with uss. Anyway long way off.  Btw , anyone know what steerer dia these have?  1" or std threadless ?

[Blodwyn Pig]

Silly little bit of fettling yesterday. I re aligned the rear calliper ( bb5 with double 'swivel bolts' ) so now the brake has stopped binding, and I zipp tied the upper chain tube to the - lower chaintube securing clamp at the front- bracket.  My goodness , the ' latter stops the clatter'! I thought my rear block was worn out, but much quieter now.

[Kim]

Likely to accelerate chain tube wear, thobut.  The idea is that the drive-side tube 'floats' on the chain, rather than actively diverting it.  That said, chain tubes last for ages, so if the clatter bothers you, then fine.

(I find chain tube noise a helpful reminder that I'm pedalling unevenly.)

ETA: You could actually remove that piece of chain tube entirely, unlike the bit that protects the frame near the suspension pivot, and the return side that actually diverts the chain, it's only there to stop you getting oil on your leg.

[fd3]

Option 1:  fit a pair of Kona P2 forks and a 26" wheel up front , with a space in the rear shock mounting to alter the angle and lift the rear end, or

Yeah, I ook at the front wheel of my speedmachine and consider swapping out the front fork to run a 24 or 26".  I reckon that time+effort+bolloxingitup+parts+notwhatitsdesignedfor suggest that I'd be better loving the bike I'm with and trying dual highracer on another bike  There was a thread on the CTC forum where someone turned their street machine into a dual 26" (it's very old, they got lots of flack for it, especially for getting rid of front suspension ... and now front unsuspended is the default purchase option from HP).

[Mr Larrington]

I don't think it'd be at all straightforward on a Speedmachine anyway, on account of the very non-standard front end.

[Blodwyn Pig]

Oh joy of joys!  went out this morning at 7.15am, for a hillier loop of 50km, one that i had been avoiding, didn't ride yesterday, to give the sore legs a rest.  Took my time on the climbs, bowled along on the flats,  returned home,  after not pushing it too hard at all, and no pain,no stiffness. wonderful,best ride so far , by a long chalk. Wonderful........I'm schmitten!

[fd3]

Do you have a headrest and are you experiencing recumbent neck? 
I haz a really sore neck today from a 10 mile ride on the speedmachine, which narks me as I don't get pain from riding the DF.
(I don't want to buy a headrest as I don't want to have to spend that much money - I'm hoping it's just a phase).

[Kim]

I've never felt the need for a headrest on my Streetmachine.  Even with the seat fully reclined, my neck is in a neutral position, and I can ride it all day without neck issues.

The Baron's a different story, and really needs one.  Presumably a Speedmachine's seat angle is somewhere between the two...

[Blodwyn Pig]

Do you have a headrest and are you experiencing recumbent neck? 
I haz a really sore neck today from a 10 mile ride on the speedmachine, which narks me as I don't get pain from riding the DF.
(I don't want to buy a headrest as I don't want to have to spend that much money - I'm hoping it's just a phase).

yes I have a headrest, but don't really use it.I did get a wee stiff neck a couple of times, when I started, but I was wearing a peaked helmet. Then I  twigged that it was sunny, and the peak of the helmet was too high to block out the sun, so I was riding with my head down.  I started to wear a  normal racing cap under the helmet and that sorted it, as the peak can be pulled down. Now I don't wear a helmet,just the cap,and no problems keeping the sun out of my eyes, and no stiff neck..

[fd3]

I think the SM's previous owner (Tigerrrr) used to ride it on full recline with his head back at 45 degrees - I find that I keep bringing my head up to have neck vertical (both to see and to balance).  Possibly I will outgrow this need (like learning to ride on drops), sure hope so.

[Lightning Phil]

Excellent job.

[Blodwyn Pig]

went out today, first time on any bike really for 4 weeks, (did 64km),  and thought I'd take.........'hilda....YAY!!!!!!!!!!!


Well , I thought this will be a bit testing, but no.!  It was all very natural, it felt like I'd always ridden a 'bent,but in  the 4 weeks layoff, my brain seems to have analysed all the previous information, and filed it under 'riding a 'bent'    What I did do, was drop the seat incline back maybe 10mm at the top, and also extend the boom another 6-8mm. Seems better,  no more pain across the top of the knees.  One thing I have discovered , in this new position, is that going uphill, I can now spin  AND push back against the seat at the same time, as I'm more braced from my hips now, less upper back.  What I was doing was EITHER pushing back, OR spinning lightly,but now spinning and pushing allows much more sustained power uphill.   But here's me telling you   ,, you already know all this stuff.  ..   'tis indeed a wonderful thing, just wish it was lighter,  this touring machine of mine.   (I tells myself ''I must not try to go fast on an elephant''  I does )

[Blodwyn Pig]

2020 resume  of 'bentness..  Well what can I say,  bought in May, hardly used it for 2 months in the summer due to working 7 days a week, and I managed to clock up 3659km. That's not bad . First month I went mad and clocked up 1008 km, pushing harder all the time, and my knees were complaining by the end of it.  It took a long time for my brain to compute the fact that my legs were far stronger than my knees, and that 1 legged bench presses really weren't where it was at. I still have trouble really spinning ie over 100 rpm for any length of time,  160mm cranks would probably help that, but for the moment I 'm happy with 170mm at 75-95 rpm for most things. I did experiment with 175 cranks, and I found the extra cranking power up hill was really noticeable, but also when chasing a fast roady, I just could not spin fast enough,like riding in treacle with too high a gear. (maybe I should try shorter cranks  )  My confidence is now almost as good as on Olive, I'm faster than on Olive, ditto much more comfy. I do still enjoy riding Olive, and if I HAD to only have 1 bike it would be Olive, hands down.  I don't see the GTE as a bike, but as a touring machine, something built for a purpose, from the outset, rather than the evolution of 100 + years of welding 2 triangles together in as many different ways as possible..but it does lack that feeling of pure oneness, that simple purity, that a DF has.  I even ventured into the dark murky world of BHPC racing, and what fun that was, would have done more but life got in the way. As of yet I still have not ridden it on a group DF ride, partly because there haven't been many , and sometimes contain unexpected rough stuff, and partly I'm not sure how I would get on.

So basically I bought it, sight unseen, untried,with little knowledge and less experience, but I knew it would be right for me, and it is, spot on.  Further thoughts on 'wants', I'd love to try an AZUB MAX, with uss, ditto a P38,  ditto a trike, I'd also love to try a Flevotrike, (I'm sure I'd fall off a Flevobike). I'd love to go to one of the great 'bent fests on 'the continent' (as they seem to call it now ), ie spezi, and the polish/CZ ones. I have no real plans for N+1, but have been tentatively been mulling over some sort of DIY fairing/streamlining, but probably never get round to it, as I'm a bit of a dreamer.  So on the whole , one happy bunny.

[fd3]

As a novice laidback rider myself I'm impressed at how quickly you have adapted - and amazed that you have got faster on it!  Going through a similar learning curve with my SPM, but much slower (as I don't get out for long rides).  I have definitely noticed what you said in the previous post, you do learn the balance even over long breaks.  I have mostly been playing with different tiller configurations (currently using much wider bars which is semi-superman) and like you am wondering about shorter cranks.
It really is a touring machine, possibly a different 'bent would be different and I think that further exposure to the laidback world could change the way we perceive it.

[Auntie Helen]

Be wary that you don’t get into Velomobiles - that route is wallet-emptying. I’ve had four of the things and bought five (gave one to my partner as a gift. Could have bought a nice car with the money!)

[fd3]

I expect to be immune to that based on
* not having a car
* spit-taking at the cost of islabikes, let alone full priced bikes, let alone laid backs, let alone velomobiles (the last and only bike I bought new was 15 years ago and cost just over £300)
* the cost of my next 4 velomobiles will be spent on house repairs, new bathroom, solar panels and then subsidising my wife’s EV