New Gold Rush @ $3500? What?

Ed, I never got around to installing a computer on the Strada and I too
let the computer on my Stratus die. I simply no longer use it or need
it. The Stratus has been a great bike. The only issue I have is over
the fit. I too am 6' even. My x-seam is 43.5", the absolute max for
the std frame Stratus. I have the seat ALL THE WAY back. And you are
right! That is NOT the right fit on a LWB... Kelvin Clark at
Angeltech sold me this bike in 99. He should have sold me an XL frame!
Finally, at the 2K price range, the new Stratus XP is very nice! I
rode this at BROL's NY event last month!

Regards
Jim

wrote:
Hello Ed. And it's nice to be back. (Truth is that I have been around
just silently.) I think your point about giving up on the idea of
being "fast" is a good one. I have found over the last 6 years on a
recumbent that I am happiest when I am riding to enjoy the ride.
Period. As soon as I start looking at my "times" and average speed the
fun factor diminishes. It starts to become more like work! I forget
to enjoy the scenery, to stop for a photo, or even reach for a drink.
I become completely preoccupied with speed. In fact, the only reason I
ride my Strada is to go fast! It's not for comfort or ergonomics. For
those things, I am most comfortable and secure on a LWB, low BB bike.
This conclusion brings me to thought that I may want to replace my
tired Stratus (too small as I have come to conclude) and the Strada
with one bike. I think the right used Tour Easy or GRR will do just
the trick.

For the type of riding that Jim describes in his post, a rear suspended
trike [1] would work very well. One can just ride over loose surfaces,
steel grates and manhole covers and railroad tracks without any
particular attention to them.

[1] This might be a good application for a Pantour [2] hub, as
suspended trikes tend to be rather expensive.
[2] http://www.pantourhub.com/products.html.
--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

"We are discussing whether humans as prey are 'natural'. Clearly,
they are, or that mountain lion wouldn't have been trying to eat a
human." - M.V.

Mark Leuck wrote:
...
For instance I'd love to buy a low-racer built in the US but with the
exception of one small manufacturer on the east coast I can't.

Hey, a period at the end of the sentence!

See http://www.velogenesis.com/lowracer.htm for the US built lowracer
in question.

Here is another lowracer from Ray Brick:
http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/lr_wendy0.jpg. This bike
has a frame very similar to the Ross Festina, but with a hard-shell
seat and larger rear wheel.
--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

"Abnormal would be a mountain lion speaking English." - M.V.

"Sunset Lowracer [TM] Fanatic" wrote in message
ups.com...

Mark Leuck wrote:
...
For instance I'd love to buy a low-racer built in the US but with the
exception of one small manufacturer on the east coast I can't.

Hey, a period at the end of the sentence!

See http://www.velogenesis.com/lowracer.htm for the US built lowracer
in question.

Thats the one, who knows how good the quality is whereas I just turned over
15,000 miles on the Baron

Here is another lowracer from Ray Brick:
http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/lr_wendy0.jpg. This bike
has a frame very similar to the Ross Festina, but with a hard-shell
seat and larger rear wheel.

Yech

Some years ago I met Bill Cook at the Seagull Century in Maryland. He
(or one of his riding associates) had a Barcroft Dakota with a Pantour
Front Suspension Hub. Wow! It was just enough suspension to create a
silky smoothe ride.

Jim

No offense but in my opinion it appears that much more development of new
recumbents is being done by overseas (Europe/Asia) than here in the US
already. In fact the only company that seems to be doing it here is
Reynolds
Weld Lab, everyone else is just doing varients of the same old thing.
For instance I'd love to buy a low-racer built in the US but with the
exception of one small manufacturer on the east coast I can't.

None taken. Aside from Bacchetta, the exciting stuff is being done in
Europe, surely.
"Development" isn't the same thing as refinement. The overall design of
ER's products hasn't changed much but there have been many tweaks to
the pipes and, as the aluminum and ti versions came online, everything
had to be redesigned from the rubber up. Their componentry selection
often lags a bit but ER now offers disk brakes on all models.

And we're starting to mix some oranges in with the apples. Your quest
for a low racer will not include any products from Easy Racers, more's
the pity. One wonders what the ER team that shows up at Battle Mtn
might do with the challenge to bring a low racer to market. I don't
think it's in their future, though.

david boise ID