Allister

Well, after about six years of pining, I'm finally getting me a recumbent. It'll probably take a few weeks to get here, but that's what you get for living in the arse end of the recumbent world.

It's a Bacchetta Giro 26. I've heard nothing but good things about them, so don't any of you go telling me now that they're rubbish

Just wanted to share my excitement.

andrewh

Congratulations and may all your days be bent ones

Someone in the bent world used to have a line on the bottom of their emails that said - "I likes what I rides and I rides what I likes", so no matter what people say about your choice, just remember - it was your choice as theirs was theirs.

Regards
Andrew
Perth Australia
https://www.geocities.com/andrewhooke...leTouring.html

funbun

Woo, hoo! Let us know how you like it. I never ridden a highracer. I'm thinking of building one out of wood. Let us know how you like the superman handlebars.

Allister

I've never ridden any recumbent (well apart from about 30 seconds on a trike a few years back), so I won't really be in a position to compare it with anything, but I'll certainly pass on my impressions when it arrives. I'm taking a bit of a gamble here, but from what I've read of the Bacchetta the risks aren't that high.

A wooden bike sounds interesting. How to you avoid too much flex?

jeff-o

Use hardwood.

mominboots

Allister - Congratulations and get those smile muscles ready.

Paul L.

I love my Bacchetta (It's a Strada). Giro looks llike a good bike too.

Bud Bent

Congratulations! Remember that the new bike is going to feel very strange for at least a few days; it was a week before I rode mine anywhere but big parking lots. But, as soon as you get comfortable with its handling, you're likely to do a lot of smiling every ride. Welcome to the dark side.

Hallyx

The question should be, "How do you keep it from being too stiff to ride comfortably?" Any bicycle balances the qualities of stiffness, weight and ride... and cost. Wood is a reasonable alternative to metals in effecting these compromises. But becaise wood does not do well in a (mass) production environment, the most interesting examples are invariably "homebuilt."

Actually, they are mostly made of softwood (spruce, fir, pine) because of their favorable strength/weight ratio.

Hal

AlphaGeek

Allister,

You are going to love it! Enjoy the MANY new friends and comments.

Especially enjoy the kids...they love these things!

bentrox!

I've read your musings over the years on BF, and they are generally entertaining and insightful so I'll look forward to your impressions of the Giro when you've ridden it awhile.

You've chosen well. Bacchetta has a great reputation and dual 26 high racers are all the rage now. Remember to relax your arms and grip - resist the urge to steer with arms as you might do on your Cannondale and instead trust your ability to balance the Giro on your back with just the right amount of forward momentum. A good spin of one foot and a very light touch is all it takes. The importance of body English will become apparent.

Let's see your smile....

bentcruiser

COOL! I test rode one of those when Bacchetta stopped in on Freewheel a few years ago. Actually it was a Strada. But the model I rode was very similar to the Giro 26 (at the time). They are nice machines. I hope you have many happy miles on it.

Allister

Thanks for the tips. I'll try to keep them in mind. It's going to be a long few weeks until it gets here.

Allister

Heh. Me too. It's encouraging to note that I haven't seen a single negative word about these bikes anywhere - and I've been looking.

Slo Joe Recumbo

Good luck "down under" with your bent. If you've got no one to help you "learn to ride" one, the advice up above works:

You need to "feather steer" with barely any pressure on the handlebars. Experiment by standing over your DF bike. Notice the resistance if you lean on the handlebars and turn. Now simply push the handlebar from a horizontal plane: NO resistance and that's what you'll have on your bent.

Start with a somewhat upright position on your seat. As you adjust reclilne further and further. As the other poster said: Totally relax your upper body. The tendency is to tense up and you'll get jerky motions.

If you use clipless pedals, it's easy to do an "Arte Johnson" as a newbie at a stop. So, turn the front of the wheel AWAY from your down foot. This forces the bike to lean in the direction of the down foot and if you turn your head in the other direction, you won't do a slow Ohhhhhhhhh no...I'm falling!! You have a much lower center of gravity.

You'll wonder why you got one on the first hills until you develop your "bent muscles", which varies with da rider....expect anywhere from 500 to 2,000 miles to "feel the power".

And the easy part: Have a blast!!!

sbhikes

I have heard some people have difficulty getting used to the tweener bars, that they hit the knees during turns. But I have no first-hand experience. Congratulations on the new bike!

jeff-o

Well, you don't hit the handlebars if you stop pedalling for the few seconds you round the corner.

Allister

Just heard from the shop that there's a backorder on the large Giro26 and it won't be ready until early September. I try to be a patient fellow, but WAAAAHHH!

Looks like Bacchetta underestimated demand.

N_C

I welcome you with open arms into the fold my child. One more person who finally saw the light & joined the ranks of the recumbent riders. Congrats!!!

Allister

Saw the light years ago, my friend. Only saw the dollars recently. Thankyou, weak USD.

neilcooper

The wait will pass Allister. My Bacchetta Corsa just landed in Australia after a few weeks of waiting. Seemed like longer but, finally it's here. Can't wait to ride it.

Neil
Perth Australia

jeff-o

Well, September is springtime in Aus isn't it? So it'll arrive right on time.

Though I realize you guys barely have a real "winter..."

Allister

Especially here in Queensland. Winter is usually pretty good riding weather (apart from this unseasonable rain we've been getting the last few weeks) - high summer is a bit hot to be out during the day. September/october is about as perfect as it gets, so yeah, the wait won't be intolerable.

ChiliDog

Allister-
I feel your excitement! I hope that the back order happens earlier than anticipated-sometimes that happens, ya know! Hang in there!

You will love it and we all want to see a pic of you and your bike, ok?!

Chilli

bikerbob1

Welcome to the world of Bacchetta. I purchased a Giro 20 last May. I was becoming very discouraged last year with the time it was taking to develop the leg muscles and it gathered a lot of dust. I had knee problems with it and I even went back to the DF. Thanks to the encouragement and advise of a group of recumbent riders on this site I took it out again this year. I got the seat dialed in and I learned all about spinning. Now a day is not complete without me and my Bacchetta getting tgether for an adventure. The body English part of the ride puts fun back into riding.
No more back pain and the knees love it.
Enjoy the ride