Recumbent Riding Update

[heavymetal]

The first one looks good to me. It has steering sticks and not handlebars

[Hotdog]

It is indeed a nice bike. HP Velotechnik has a reputation as the Rolls Royce of recumbents because the bikes give a smooth and comfortable ride and are constructed to a very high standard but are a bit heavy and rather expensive. The being a bit heavy bit doesn't really make much difference for loaded touring, of course, and their bikes are frequently used for touring.

[rdp_au]

I haven't posted for a while - for those interested, here's an update .

The trusty bentech is travelling well and is still lots of fun. It has had a few upgrades - the original drivetrain and rear wheel were taken from my old mountain bike. These have now been upgraded with a new custom built velocity rear wheel and eight speed 11-32 cassette. Crankset is an Ultegra triple 30-42-53. Front and rear derailleurs are XT. This wide gear range has made a big difference. I can now tackle most hills with a reasonable assurance of getting to the top. On the flat or downhill, top gear now spins out at more than 60kph. Most of my riding these days is commuting from Hornsby to Sydney Olympic Park, so it has also gained lights, a rack, and top bag. We also manage a few lunchtime training runs with some work colleagues around the very bike friendly SOP.

Here it is in commuting garb, complete with liberal dose of daily road grime.


Next on the list will be a new seat. I've just placed an order for one of the fibreglass seats that have been discussed recently viewtopic.php?f=29&t=19031#p263658. Hopefully will have it sorted in time for the 'Gong ride in November.

I've rebuilt the old mountain bike as a 'city bike'. A new set of slicks replace the rotten old offroad tyres, and the big beartrap pedals have been replaced with some lightweight standard pedals picked up in a roadside cleanup. Cantilever brakes replaced with V-brakes. New seat from my daughter's bike when we replaced it with a lady's version. I think it turned out quite nicely. Next steps will be to replace the biopace chainrings and put on some clipless pedals.
It's fun to ride, and handy for a quick spin down to the local shop. I do have to say though, that riding a DF bike again reminds me just how uncomfortable they are. Wrists, bum and neck all suffer.


Regards,

David

[}SkOrPn--7]

David glad the trust old devil is travelling well and that your enjoying the ride I'm still waiting to find out the enjoyment you get so far as I have never ridden a bent. I like your machine and as far as that new seat is concerned don't be worried if it takes up to 14 days to lob on your door your going to like it I think.

[John Lewis]

G'day David,
Long time no hear. You are doing the Bentech proud with those upgrades. Sounds very nice. I like mine too. I'll be interested to hear how the seat goes.

John Lewis

[rdp_au]

Next on the list will be a new seat. I've just placed an order for one of the fibreglass seats that have been discussed recently viewtopic.php?f=29&t=19031#p263658. Hopefully will have it sorted in time for the 'Gong ride in November.

That was written back in October. The seat was ordered via ebay in early September and took nearly three months to arrive. In the meantime, I had contacted the seller to ask what was happening. He was very helpful and immediately offered a refund, or to send another seat at no cost. In fact he had already arranged to ship a replacement when the original finally arrived. Excellent service.

The Christmas break offered some uninterrupted shed time and I was at last able to fit the seat. When I finally unwrapped it, the seat itself was very impressive. Light, strong, and finished to a mirror shine. I made up some simple aluminium brackets to mount it with very similar geometry to the original. The cushion is two layers of ventiseat mesh, shaped using cable-ties and thin tie-wire. Velcro strips sewn to the mesh and stick on strips on the seat hold it in place. The seat fits my shape well, although it would possibly work a little better if it was slightly more reclined.

The bike feels quite different to ride. The original sling seat was really comfortable and smoothed out all road vibration to give a very plush limousine-like ride. It also absorbed quite a bit of energy, as I could feel mesh stretching with each pedal stroke. The new seat feels a lot more sporty. Maybe this will inspire me to go faster…

Here are some pictures of the new and the old.



Looking forward to putting some miles on the new 'sporty' bentech now I'm back at work and cummuting again.

Rds,

David

[}SkOrPn--7]

Looks awesome David I'm surprised that it took so long to arrive but glad the communication was working well between you and the seller. The mesh you made has turned out great you did a grand job of that hope is now makes riding that much better for you.