Taiwanese recumbents

Zach,

Did you decide to use ISO 559-mm wheels on your Aero for tire
availability reasons, and do the brakes have enough adjustment to
properly compensate for the 6 mm difference in wheel radius?

Yes and yes. Also I can runn wider tyres with 559mm wheels. For
instance the 25-559 Schwalbe Stelvios I'm using have an actual width
of 27mm on the HED Jet wheels I'm using. That is a wider actual width
than any 571mm tyre, even the Terry Tellus ST that is labeled 28-571.

Zach Kaplan


Zach,

I thought I remembered reading an article by you extolling the virtues of fat
tires on recumbents for their better handling characteristics. Given that you
are now using just about the most narrow tire in bentdom on your Aero, have you
changed your mind? Or is it that the Aero is a special purpose road bike that
needs narrow tires to live up to its potential?

Steve Christensen
Midland, MI

Steve Christensen wrote in message ...
Zach,

Did you decide to use ISO 559-mm wheels on your Aero for tire
availability reasons, and do the brakes have enough adjustment to
properly compensate for the 6 mm difference in wheel radius?

Yes and yes. Also I can runn wider tyres with 559mm wheels. For
instance the 25-559 Schwalbe Stelvios I'm using have an actual width
of 27mm on the HED Jet wheels I'm using. That is a wider actual width
than any 571mm tyre, even the Terry Tellus ST that is labeled 28-571.

Zach Kaplan


Zach,

I thought I remembered reading an article by you extolling the virtues of fat
tires on recumbents for their better handling characteristics. Given that you
are now using just about the most narrow tire in bentdom on your Aero, have you
changed your mind? Or is it that the Aero is a special purpose road bike that
needs narrow tires to live up to its potential?

Steve Christensen
Midland, MI

Note I wrote above that I'm using 559mm wheels on my Aero rather than
the stock 571mm wheels in part so I can use the Schwalbe Stelvio
25-559 tyre which has an actual width of 27mm which is wide by road
bike standards. Most of the available 571mm tyres have actual widths
in the 20-23mm range. Also keep in mind because larger diameter tyres
don't go as deeply into potholes or see as much impact loading when
rolling over raised projection type road hazards they don't have to be
as wide as small diameter tyres for a given safety margin. Also note I
weigh only 63 kg and am not carrying heavy loads on my Aero. The
average recumbent rider weighs much more than me and I still don't
recommend narrow tyres for the average recumbent rider. I'm not the
average recumbent rider.

On my more utility oriented recumbents which have smaller diameter
wheels, at least in the front I use much wider tyres. I do use
Stelvios on some of my trikes as well for aerodynamic and weight
reasons as the trike wheels are lightly loaded and I also use them on
the lightly loaded front wheel of my Gold Rush for aerodynamic and
weight reasons and sometimes on the more heavily loaded rear wheel
also to decrease weight on the very hilly rides I do. Just because I
can get away with this doesn't mean most recumbent riders can and I
don't advocate such a narrow rear tyre on a Gold Rush (though the
narrow front tyre is acceptable for many much heavier riders as it is
still relatively lightly loaded). Really it comes down to just using
the right tool for the right application.

I do think the Aero which has a lot of wheel frontal area below the
rider's body needs relatively narrow tyres to live up to its
potential. Given that I've already had two rim side punctures in the
1452 kilometres I've ridden my Aero on our rough roads I wouldn't want
to go to anything narrower than the 25-559 Stelvios. I have now
switched from ultralight Michelin inner tubes to some hopefully more
durable Continental tubes. The latex inner tubes which Rich Pinto says
are especially pinch puncture resistant appear to no longer be made in
the appropriate diameter for the Aero.

Zach Kaplan

Steve Christensen wrote in message ...
Zach,

Did you decide to use ISO 559-mm wheels on your Aero for tire
availability reasons, and do the brakes have enough adjustment to
properly compensate for the 6 mm difference in wheel radius?

Yes and yes. Also I can runn wider tyres with 559mm wheels. For
instance the 25-559 Schwalbe Stelvios I'm using have an actual width
of 27mm on the HED Jet wheels I'm using. That is a wider actual width
than any 571mm tyre, even the Terry Tellus ST that is labeled 28-571.

Zach Kaplan


Zach,

I thought I remembered reading an article by you extolling the virtues of fat
tires on recumbents for their better handling characteristics. Given that you
are now using just about the most narrow tire in bentdom on your Aero, have you
changed your mind? Or is it that the Aero is a special purpose road bike that
needs narrow tires to live up to its potential?

Steve Christensen
Midland, MI

Note I wrote above that I'm using 559mm wheels on my Aero rather than
the stock 571mm wheels in part so I can use the Schwalbe Stelvio
25-559 tyre which has an actual width of 27mm which is wide by road
bike standards. Most of the available 571mm tyres have actual widths
in the 20-23mm range. Also keep in mind because larger diameter tyres
don't go as deeply into potholes or see as much impact loading when
rolling over raised projection type road hazards they don't have to be
as wide as small diameter tyres for a given safety margin. Also note I
weigh only 63 kg and am not carrying heavy loads on my Aero. The
average recumbent rider weighs much more than me and I still don't
recommend narrow tyres for the average recumbent rider. I'm not the
average recumbent rider.

On my more utility oriented recumbents which have smaller diameter
wheels, at least in the front I use much wider tyres. I do use
Stelvios on some of my trikes as well for aerodynamic and weight
reasons as the trike wheels are lightly loaded and I also use them on
the lightly loaded front wheel of my Gold Rush for aerodynamic and
weight reasons and sometimes on the more heavily loaded rear wheel
also to decrease weight on the very hilly rides I do. Just because I
can get away with this doesn't mean most recumbent riders can and I
don't advocate such a narrow rear tyre on a Gold Rush (though the
narrow front tyre is acceptable for many much heavier riders as it is
still relatively lightly loaded). Really it comes down to just using
the right tool for the right application.

I do think the Aero which has a lot of wheel frontal area below the
rider's body needs relatively narrow tyres to live up to its
potential. Given that I've already had two rim side punctures in the
1452 kilometres I've ridden my Aero on our rough roads I wouldn't want
to go to anything narrower than the 25-559 Stelvios. I have now
switched from ultralight Michelin inner tubes to some hopefully more
durable Continental tubes. The latex inner tubes which Rich Pinto says
are especially pinch puncture resistant appear to no longer be made in
the appropriate diameter for the Aero.

Zach Kaplan

Zack,
What is your latest thoughts on tires for a Stratus for stability,
durability, and not giving up too much speed?


On 2 Jul 2003 07:55:50 -0700, (Zach Kaplan
Cycles) wrote:

"Dave Larrington" wrote in message ...
Tom Sherman wrote:

Does anyone have the number of Pharobike Lowfats and ISO 305-mm front
wheel Ross Festine were made?

Were there *any* 305-front Festinae? I'd be somewhat surprised coz 305 is a
rare size over here and good tyres in it are very hard to find.

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/

There were. Peter Ross brought a Festina with a 305mm front wheel and
reverse rake fork to the World HPV Championships at Interlaken,
Switzerland in 1999. I tried it out there as did many other people.
This was a model for riders who weren't tall enough for the 406mm
front wheel. I have no idea how many of these 305/406 Festinas were
produced. The tyre on the one I rode was a European brand called the
Schwalbe City Jet 54-305.

I think about a dozen Pharobike Lowfats were made in the first batch.
However someone got ahold of the remaining parts inventory from the
estate of Dan Duchaine and sold them on eBay a while back and I
believe there were some unassembled frames included so there may be
more Lowfats on the road now than the amount that Dan had actually
built up and shipped out.

Zach Kaplan

Zack,
What is your latest thoughts on tires for a Stratus for stability,
durability, and not giving up too much speed?


On 2 Jul 2003 07:55:50 -0700, (Zach Kaplan
Cycles) wrote:

"Dave Larrington" wrote in message ...
Tom Sherman wrote:

Does anyone have the number of Pharobike Lowfats and ISO 305-mm front
wheel Ross Festine were made?

Were there *any* 305-front Festinae? I'd be somewhat surprised coz 305 is a
rare size over here and good tyres in it are very hard to find.

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/

There were. Peter Ross brought a Festina with a 305mm front wheel and
reverse rake fork to the World HPV Championships at Interlaken,
Switzerland in 1999. I tried it out there as did many other people.
This was a model for riders who weren't tall enough for the 406mm
front wheel. I have no idea how many of these 305/406 Festinas were
produced. The tyre on the one I rode was a European brand called the
Schwalbe City Jet 54-305.

I think about a dozen Pharobike Lowfats were made in the first batch.
However someone got ahold of the remaining parts inventory from the
estate of Dan Duchaine and sold them on eBay a while back and I
believe there were some unassembled frames included so there may be
more Lowfats on the road now than the amount that Dan had actually
built up and shipped out.

Zach Kaplan

I hope you show up at NB for this year's races. It's pretty cool to see a
low racer train whoosh by. Hopefully this year I won't try to pound in a
tent peg with my instep and I'll get to see the train from on the track as
it whooshs by my V-REX. I even got Stelvios so I'll at least look fast; at
least when the bike is parked in the infield between races.)
"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...

GeoB wrote:

I dont have a low-racer.. but sometimes I wonder what it would be like
to convert my Vision R40 to a larger tire in front. It would change
the handling but might just make it track better. It may gain some
'flop-over' at low speeds. The BB would be higher, the rider more
recumbent. Anyone ever do this? It seems so do-able.

George,

I suggest finding an old junker MTB and putting the fork and front wheel
on your R40. The investment will be minimal (except for labor) and you
can always get the fork painted to match the rest of the bike (or chrome
plated) and a better wheel if you like the handling.

I have heard of a couple of ISO 406 mm rear wheel conversions on 40
series Visions where the handling changes were reported as positive.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

I hope you show up at NB for this year's races. It's pretty cool to see a
low racer train whoosh by. Hopefully this year I won't try to pound in a
tent peg with my instep and I'll get to see the train from on the track as
it whooshs by my V-REX. I even got Stelvios so I'll at least look fast; at
least when the bike is parked in the infield between races.)
"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...

GeoB wrote:

I dont have a low-racer.. but sometimes I wonder what it would be like
to convert my Vision R40 to a larger tire in front. It would change
the handling but might just make it track better. It may gain some
'flop-over' at low speeds. The BB would be higher, the rider more
recumbent. Anyone ever do this? It seems so do-able.

George,

I suggest finding an old junker MTB and putting the fork and front wheel
on your R40. The investment will be minimal (except for labor) and you
can always get the fork painted to match the rest of the bike (or chrome
plated) and a better wheel if you like the handling.

I have heard of a couple of ISO 406 mm rear wheel conversions on 40
series Visions where the handling changes were reported as positive.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

harv wrote:

I hope you show up at NB for this year's races....

If I did that, EARL would not longer be able to complain about me not
showing up.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

harv wrote:

I hope you show up at NB for this year's races....

If I did that, EARL would not longer be able to complain about me not
showing up.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

On 4 Jul 2003 11:00:59 +0950, thomas_delaney
wrote:
Ken wrote:
"The lowracer and the Hase Pino clone are new. The other models are
already available in Japan. The Pockey7 is going for 60,000 yen ($500)
and the TSUNAMI is sold as a frame kit for 50,000 ($420)."

Ken, do you happen to have a link or other info on where I can take a
look at these bikes in Japan? I live in Osaka and have been looking into
getting a bent for a while. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I suggest taking a trip to Kyoto to visit Loro World Recumbents
( http://www.loro.co.jp/index2-lwr.html ) - they are the only
recumbent specialty shop in Japan. Although I'm not too sure if they
carry the Tsunami and Pockey7 - when I visited this spring the only
Taiwanese bent was the Sugimura Progressive (made by the same company
but different design). If you can't read the Japanese web page, the
shop owner (Mr. Koji Kobayashi - no relation to me) can be reached at


Also this page has some information about the Tsunami and Pocky7:
http://homepage1.nifty.com/ct-seizan/subrec0.html
(Click on thumbnails for detailed specs)

If you can read Japanese I recommend joining this mailing list:
http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~minivelo-bent/
That's where most Kansai area recumbent riders hang out on the 'net.

Ken Kobayashi

http://solarwww.mtk.nao.ac.jp/kobayashi/personal/