I can post picture!!

[Low Racer]

Hi,
This is my baby. Recently switched the rear wheel to Zipp 404 carbon wheel. This increase my speed by a bit and climb better on the hill.

Chong

[Low Racer]

Here it is. Has to reach more than 10 posts to do it.

Thanks

Chong

[Kalgrm]

You might be allowed to post .... Doesn't mean you know how to!

Ooh, that looks fast! Very nice. Details?

Cheers,
Graeme

[sogood]

Wow, that looked like one serious bent... A headrest would be nice.

[Kalgrm]

Which rear wheel are you running now, and why the change?

Cheers,
Graeme

[Low Racer]

Hi,
This is my first bent. Yes, it is a speed machine. On a flat I can crank it upto 45 - 50km/hr, but can only maintain that for few minutes. Need to improve on my engine. If there is a target for me to chase, I could sustain that a bit longer.

This LR frameset is Martin Arnold's prototype. Martin is the owner of Logo trike based in WA. Graeme, you might know him. He had two frameset which he built as a project. He sold off the first one pretty much after it was built and tested. The second frameset was purchased by his employee and built up as it is now. I bought it off him just 6 - 8 weeks ago.

Chong

[sogood]

On a flat I can crank it upto 45 - 50km/hr, but can only maintain that for few minutes.

I can maintain that speed for 10s maybe...

[Low Racer]

Hi Graeme,
The original rear wheel has a mountain bike hub with a disc brake. The rear hub is not rolling as smooth as a proper road bike hub. It is acceptable but holding me back a little bit. With the Zipp, I feel unleashed and can accelerate faster and maintain the speed better. There is a weight advantages with this set up too. With the v brake, I have reduced some unnecessary disc brake weight at the rear. I brake using front all the time as braking too hard with the rear brake fish tail me a few occassion. Controllable but can scare the hell out of you.

Chong

[Low Racer]

I have done almost 100km ride on it and never felt the need for a head rest. Head rest, if not selected properly, can rattle your helmet and cause more discomfort than without it. If I do need to rest my neck, I just seat a bit more forward and rest my neck on the top end of the seat.

Chong

[Kalgrm]

G'day Chong,

So is the new one a 700 or a 650? (I find it strange that the hub wasn't smooth - maybe it was a bad one. It should be just as smooth as a road hub.)

I know what you mean about drifting the back: it's a scary prospect on a 'bent since you can't use body-english to control it.

What speed do you normally cruise at? (flat, no wind, over roughly 10 minutes)

Cheers,
Graeme

[Low Racer]

The rear wheel is a 700c. I measured both wheel and they both are 622mm. On a good stretch of road with good visibility I usually cruise in the 30's without headwind.
Chong

[John Lewis]

Gday Chong,

Nice bike. I like it.

I'm impressed with your speed. I can manage only about 25 on my SWB.

I Think I saw that frame at a much earlier stage in Martin's workshop some considerable time back. I'd almost forgotten about it.

How far are you able to turn the front wheel before it becomes a problem with the chain rubbing?

John Lewis

[Mulger bill]

G'Day Chong.

Boy, does she look like one hell of a rocket sled The single sided fork adds a lot too.

How do you stop your bum sliding forward under brakes?

Shaun

[Leigh_caines]

Nice...real nice bike
I haven't seen you on the road as yet... I'm only 25ks north of you... will keep my eye out for you.... happy riding

[Low Racer]

The front wheel would rub the chain with only a small input on the steering either way. Not a problem when you are traveling above 10km/hr as you would lean into the turn rather than using the steering. At speed below 10km/hr I have learnt to sit up a little bit and tilt the bike into the turn. Very tricky and embarrassing when you get it wrong.

When seated you are well supported and even with hard braking (not that I have tried to the max), I can't discern any unwanted forward movement.

Yes, Leigh I am only 25km from you. I have heard about you from my colleague at work (Base Hospital). They told me about you on your strange bike just like mine . If only they knew how much fun we are having on those strange looking bikes.

[Kalgrm]

How do you stop your bum sliding forward under brakes?

I would say Chong's method is the same as mine: push on the pedal(s).

Cheers,
Graeme

[Low Racer]

Hi Graeme,
Yes, that's would stop the forward movement. The bottom of my seat has a support which will prevent me from sliding forward too.



Here is my other bent, a Greenspeed GT3 II trike. That's the view of Coffs Harbour on top of Bruxner Park Hill. Took me a good hr to climb up the hill. Leigh would know what I mean.

Chong

[Leigh_caines]

Yeah...know that hill
It's good to see a few more recumbents in the area

I'm off for a few days on the bike...in the morning...north of here
...hope for fine weather
This time [as it's off road} will be riding an upright
Still working on the best bent for off road...
One can't have to many bikes
keep on riding

[just4tehhalibut]

Hi,
This LR frameset is Martin Arnold's prototype. Martin is the owner of Logo trike based in WA. Graeme, you might know him. He had two frameset which he built as a project. He sold off the first one pretty much after it was built and tested. The second frameset was purchased by his employee and built up as it is now. I bought it off him just 6 - 8 weeks ago.

Chong

Yeh, I'm the guy who has the first frameset, got it off Martin so quickly that I actually burnt my fingers on the welds. I had Martin change the chainline a bit, a set of homemade chain rollers to direct the chain up over the front wheel but with provision so that I could ride it dropped chain for timetrials and speed. Oh, and it is blue. Both of our bikes had featured on the WAHPV webpage as posterbikes.
This bike is hard to manage at low speed, traffic lights and up steep hills but then there is a learning curve anyway. Since there is a fair bit of tiller you have to ride it more with body english than turning the bars, something that Martin forgot when he first tested it (he crashed on the first corner). The seat is the old crappy style that the Taiwanese used to sell, an alum frame with a MDF over this, foam then a vinyl covering, all stapled together. I used to wonder why I'd sometimes get to work and I'd have small bloodstains on the back of my jersey, until I realised that the staples were sent through from underneath and were coming through the MDF into my back. Have fixed that but the seat still kills me in a long ride. At least it came with a headrest.
I've raced it in some hilly ATTA timetrials, found that on the steeper climbs it was a dead weight, much like my trike. On lesser climbs it could outride some bikes, and on the flats it was a god. The looks on other competitors' faces as you cruise past them all laid back and relaxed at 55km/hr, priceless.
The best ride that I had on it was up Crystal Brook Rd out the back of Perth, around Canning Dam then on the 10km glide down Albany Hwy sitting on an effortless 70km/hr, adjusting my steering by leaning and feeling like a fighter pilot.

For those who might be lowracer-curious yes, you should try one for the speed and unusual ride.

[Low Racer]

Hi just4tehhalibut,
Welcome to the forum.

Would love to see your blue LR. I believe Martin sold it to you unfinished, is that right? He did tell me the stack you mentioned. The road rashes got infected and he was in a bad shape for quite sometime.

I find it hard going up the hills too. I ride my other bent more nowaday, M5 CHR. I still enjoy the LR ride on the flat and descend.

Chong