Bacchetta trike questions
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Bacchetta trike questions
I am thinking of buying a Bacchetta Carbon trike, but I have two concerns. First I am dubious about the 22 speed transmission. To get wide range gearing the gear ratios will be very far apart meaning you will usually be in gear which is too long or too short. Has this been a problem for anyone.
I wonder about the ride as the trike is equipped with 28 mm wide tires, which might require considerable pressure and therefore a rough ride. Has anyone experience about this
I wonder about the ride as the trike is equipped with 28 mm wide tires, which might require considerable pressure and therefore a rough ride. Has anyone experience about this
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If you know the number of teeth on each sprocket on the cassette you can calculate the gear range here: Mike Sherman's Bicycle Gear Calculator Using the 11/42 and 50/34 you get upper and lower limits of 21.5 to 121 gear inches. Without knowing what is in between on the cassette you can't tell how many gears are duplicates or near duplicates. Email Bachetta and ask for the exact specs on the cassette.
Have you actually ridden the trike? Are you going to be able to get out of the seat? My trike has a 25 degree seat. I've had more than a few people be unable to exit the trike without help. My 2013 Catrike 700 has 30 speeds but I almost always just use the 10 gears in the middle range for the front chainrings. I can find a comfortable cadence just within those 10. I don't own a carbon frame anything so don't know how well it functions to absorb shocks. Bacchetta probably used these narrow wheels to reduce the overall weight to the trike and increase speed. Catrike did the same thing with the 2013 CT700 and sent it out with Schwalbe Ultremo ZX 406 front tires. I threw them away immediately and went to using a 1.4" 406 BMX tire that although heavier was far more suitable when it came to durability and flat resistance. It has a maximum of 85 pounds so is a lot more comfortable If you want to avoid pinch flats you are going to have to run these tires at full inflation. My rear is a 700C X 23 and is certainly not the greatest for absorbing road shock. That's just part of having narrow tires for a faster ride.
Have you actually ridden the trike? Are you going to be able to get out of the seat? My trike has a 25 degree seat. I've had more than a few people be unable to exit the trike without help. My 2013 Catrike 700 has 30 speeds but I almost always just use the 10 gears in the middle range for the front chainrings. I can find a comfortable cadence just within those 10. I don't own a carbon frame anything so don't know how well it functions to absorb shocks. Bacchetta probably used these narrow wheels to reduce the overall weight to the trike and increase speed. Catrike did the same thing with the 2013 CT700 and sent it out with Schwalbe Ultremo ZX 406 front tires. I threw them away immediately and went to using a 1.4" 406 BMX tire that although heavier was far more suitable when it came to durability and flat resistance. It has a maximum of 85 pounds so is a lot more comfortable If you want to avoid pinch flats you are going to have to run these tires at full inflation. My rear is a 700C X 23 and is certainly not the greatest for absorbing road shock. That's just part of having narrow tires for a faster ride.
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With 22 gears to play with, you would seem to be too picky being in a gear too long or to short. For many many years 10 speeds were enough.
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It depends on how you like to ride. If you are content to cruise along at seven mph and enjoy the scenery, the clouds and warm sun on your chest, then ten speeds are fine for you. If, however, you are like me and enjoy speed, feeling disappointed if I cover a route 0,1 mph slower than the last time then having the perfect gear to pedal at maximum efficiency is important.
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It depends on how you like to ride. If you are content to cruise along at seven mph and enjoy the scenery, the clouds and warm sun on your chest, then ten speeds are fine for you. If, however, you are like me and enjoy speed, feeling disappointed if I cover a route 0,1 mph slower than the last time then having the perfect gear to pedal at maximum efficiency is important.
Personally, I find on bents that I need a lower low and a higher high than my upright road bikes. The lowest low wants to be about 2/3rds the size of the lowest low on my uprights. The top gear on the bents wants to be 10% higher or so. I like a range from 20" to 110" if I can get it without compromising what I consider to be reasonable jumps between gears. I can happily tolerate anything up to about 15-16% between gears, and I am pretty easy to please in that regard. But much more than that I an notice it, and it's a little annoying. If I lived in a flat place or in a place where the grade of the road wasn't constantly changing, I would want tighter gear spacing.
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It depends on how you like to ride. If you are content to cruise along at seven mph and enjoy the scenery, the clouds and warm sun on your chest, then ten speeds are fine for you. If, however, you are like me and enjoy speed, feeling disappointed if I cover a route 0,1 mph slower than the last time then having the perfect gear to pedal at maximum efficiency is important.