Author Topic: recumbent  (Read 11462 times)

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Offline recumbentgerry

recumbent
« on: October 20, 2012, 10:58:20 pm »
 I am planing a coast to coast tour next year on the Northern Tier.I would like to use my tour easy for this tour.My front chain rings are ,22-32-44 and my rear cassette is 11-34.Would this work on a loaded recumbent or would i be better off staying with my 520 Trek.Keep in mine i have been riding a recumbent for many years,undecided Gerry

Offline bogiesan

Re: recumbent
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2012, 08:23:24 am »
You're going to be fine. You may regret not having a taller ring on a long downhill run with a tailwind but you will never regret having that granny.
Start training early, fill your bags with water jugs to simulate your load, and include several major hills in your training just to make sure you're comfortable with the low speed and the changes in stability that can come with a fully loaded 'bent. Are you using underseat panniers? Fairing? Do you use a bodyskin? 
I play go. I use Macintosh. Of course I ride a recumbent

Offline recumbentgerry

Re: recumbent
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2012, 12:16:19 pm »
  I do plan on using a full fairing but not the body skin.I am set up for the under seat panniers.I think this will balance out the bike very well.Living in the western part of Tennessee is hard to fine any hills to amount to anything.I'll have to make some runs up to middle TN. for some hill climbing.

Offline DU

Re: recumbent
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2012, 05:51:35 pm »
I did the eastern half of the Northern tier (Bar Harbor, ME to Iowa) this summer on a Gold Rush. For those who don't know this has the same geometry as a tour easy only it is made of aluminum.  My crankset is 46-34-20 and like you I  have a 11-34 cassette.  I did not use a fairing or body skin and am on the very high side of average as to the weight of my load. I used rear and underseat panniers and carried camping gear.

In the past I have ridden the Transam and the western half (WA to IA) of the Northern Tier self-contained on an upright carrying the same weight. Overall the tour I did this year was the best of the three and I have to believe the recumbent was part of the reason for that. So I would say if you like your Tour Easy the best then go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Offline recumbentgerry

Re: recumbent
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2012, 08:53:20 pm »
  Thanks for the information from everyone,i got the answere i was looking for.

Offline dminden1

Re: recumbent
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2012, 05:21:38 pm »
A bit more I'll say: 10 years of recumbent touring. Panniers are efficient, but you have to manage them in rain, and if you hit gravel the heavier bike can be hard to get through. Underseat panniers make the bike harder to mount and dismount. I prefer a 2-wheeled cargo trailer, mine is a WIKE. It is the same weight as your combined panniers, very waterproof, easy to manage, visible, rolls through gravel pretty well.
All in all, love touring with the recumbent!

Offline bogiesan

Re: recumbent
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2012, 09:15:22 am »
THere are several styles and brands of waterproof panniers for recumbents. They are no more expensive than waterproof panniers for bikes. It's also easy to pack for wet conditions without waterproof panniers.
Generally, underseat panniers stay on the bike but it depends on the rack system and the pannier locks/cleats/hooks whether or not they are difficult to remove. I know of only one source for quality underseat racks and only two sources for underseat panniers (and one of them makes an awful product).
My panniers mass less than 36 ounces empty and the rack system is another 30 ounces. Let's call it five pounds, just to be generously conservative. Your trailer is, umm, 11 pounds, according to the WIKE site, without any waterproof bags.

Self-supported touring on a recumbent is no different than on a standard bike. The recumbent is heavier (by far, especially if you include the fairing) but the fundamental mass of the bike means something only to a certain type of touring cyclist. I do not do self-contained touring but I know from many tens of thousands of miles on loaded 'bents that I would not trade the comfort and riding pleasure of my Tour Easy for an upright bike. So I would be picking my camping and touring equipment very carefully.
I play go. I use Macintosh. Of course I ride a recumbent

Offline DU

Re: recumbent
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2012, 11:30:21 pm »
I have no problem at all with mounting or dismounting a Tour Easy/Gold Rush with underseat Panniers.

Offline bogiesan

Re: recumbent
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2012, 09:58:44 am »
I have no problem at all with mounting or dismounting a Tour Easy/Gold Rush with underseat Panniers.

Yeah, that's what I thought he meant, too.
I play go. I use Macintosh. Of course I ride a recumbent