Hi all
Well my thoughts are turning to carrying camping gear on a 2 wheel recumbent , this will allow me travel on European trains and so instead of riding a circular route from the ferry port I can ride a train for a day and then spend 2 weeks cycling back to the ferry ?
German trains look a challenge ?
i.e Hook of Holland to Lubeck Germany , dipping my tow in the Baltic 7 hours there by train and 364 miles in 2 weeks to get back ?
So the requirements :-
bike must be as short as possible - to get in the bike spaces on the trains
as little tiller as possible
20" x 20" - will help making it shorter
CLWB rather than SWB less twitchy and more relaxing to ride long distances
uncomplicated no esoteric parts - easier to maintain and fix
So lets start with my definitions of recumbent's ?
LWB = Long Wheel Base both seat and pedals inside the wheel base usually 26" x 16" or 20" lots of tiller
CLWB = Compact Long Wheel Base compact version of above in this case seat will be inside wheel base pedals will be very close to steering inside or outside wheel base
I currently have one of these and cannot ride it more than about 60 miles before my knee's and back hurt.
There is insufficient adjustment in the seat and handle bars , I also don't like the 16" front wheel much easy to lock it up or it to lose grip on poor surfaces
SWB = Short Wheel Base pedal long way out in front can be twitchy to ride and needing constant correction which can make them tiring.
I also owned one of these for a few years unbelievably light and wickedly fast and just waiting to bite you should you make a mistake , very hard ride being sat over a 700c wheel with w 100 psi 1" tyre and very laid back making it fraught in urban traffic.
In the UK a good candidate would be the Pashley PDQ :-
From a review here D Hembrow PDQ review
As usual when you want one of these things they become as rare as hens teeth so may have to apply torch and stand well back ?
CLWB was popular amongst the IHPV movement maybe 25 years ago and there are some good examples on the net if you google for them.
This one I particularly like Kranky :-
Apart from the 26" rear wheel it seems perfect , I also like the left/right side chain makes management easier and stops lots of flappy chain and puts the front changer in the same place it was on the original bike frame with a Nexus 7 at the rear I should have a easy to look after bike ?
So off into the scrap pile to see if I have some suitable bits ?
all the best Paul
Well my thoughts are turning to carrying camping gear on a 2 wheel recumbent , this will allow me travel on European trains and so instead of riding a circular route from the ferry port I can ride a train for a day and then spend 2 weeks cycling back to the ferry ?
German trains look a challenge ?
i.e Hook of Holland to Lubeck Germany , dipping my tow in the Baltic 7 hours there by train and 364 miles in 2 weeks to get back ?
So the requirements :-
bike must be as short as possible - to get in the bike spaces on the trains
as little tiller as possible
20" x 20" - will help making it shorter
CLWB rather than SWB less twitchy and more relaxing to ride long distances
uncomplicated no esoteric parts - easier to maintain and fix
So lets start with my definitions of recumbent's ?
LWB = Long Wheel Base both seat and pedals inside the wheel base usually 26" x 16" or 20" lots of tiller
CLWB = Compact Long Wheel Base compact version of above in this case seat will be inside wheel base pedals will be very close to steering inside or outside wheel base
I currently have one of these and cannot ride it more than about 60 miles before my knee's and back hurt.
There is insufficient adjustment in the seat and handle bars , I also don't like the 16" front wheel much easy to lock it up or it to lose grip on poor surfaces
SWB = Short Wheel Base pedal long way out in front can be twitchy to ride and needing constant correction which can make them tiring.
I also owned one of these for a few years unbelievably light and wickedly fast and just waiting to bite you should you make a mistake , very hard ride being sat over a 700c wheel with w 100 psi 1" tyre and very laid back making it fraught in urban traffic.
In the UK a good candidate would be the Pashley PDQ :-
From a review here D Hembrow PDQ review
As usual when you want one of these things they become as rare as hens teeth so may have to apply torch and stand well back ?
CLWB was popular amongst the IHPV movement maybe 25 years ago and there are some good examples on the net if you google for them.
This one I particularly like Kranky :-
Apart from the 26" rear wheel it seems perfect , I also like the left/right side chain makes management easier and stops lots of flappy chain and puts the front changer in the same place it was on the original bike frame with a Nexus 7 at the rear I should have a easy to look after bike ?
So off into the scrap pile to see if I have some suitable bits ?
all the best Paul