# The wait is over....first roadie wasted.



## BlackPanther (6 Mar 2012)

I cannot believe that it's taken well over a month to come across a road bike on my commute. Well, I've seen a few but they've been going in the wrong direction, or they've turned off before I reached them. Anyway, tonight after joining Bawtry road going into Doncaster I saw him. He was 100 yards away, and he was doing around 15mph......the same speed I'd do on this road if I was on the road bike. As I got closer, I'm sure I recognised the rider/bike (well 90% certain). I had a few fast rides with him last year. I 'lost' the first when I was on the town bike. I 'won' the 2nd on the road bike, and the third time we kept changing positions, which was fun. I'd guess that we are both around the same level of fitness, so this was going to be the first true test of the 'bent.  

I had around 6 or 7 miles before he'd turn off for Bentley....I was confident I'd leave him on the open road, but there were loads of lights to come, and the town centre where the Baccetta would lose time.

We were coming to a slight uphill and there was a strongish head wind I sailed past him touching 20mph.....he was slowing, but I expected a bit of effort on his part to catch up, and maybe a fun battle.

T'was not to be though. He quickly got smaller and smaller in my mirror and I'd lost him altogether within a mile. I really had been looking forward to this and I feel a bit 'robbed'. I think the headwind was just too strong, so he didn't even try. Awwwww.


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## riggsbie (7 Mar 2012)

The power of the Bent rider/rider......

Good work !!


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## GrasB (7 Mar 2012)

BlackPanther said:


> We were coming to a slight uphill and there was a strongish head wind I sailed past him touching 20mph.....he was slowing, but I expected a bit of effort on his part to catch up, and maybe a fun battle.


When does this NOT happen... it's not like I 'cruise' on the flat at 27-28mph or anything


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## byegad (7 Mar 2012)

The main thing here is the headwind. I can smoke Roadies into a full gale on my Streamer equipped QNT. AND I'm slow!!! The advantage of the more aero -dynamic position is the key.


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## ianrauk (7 Mar 2012)

I still remember my first roadie wasted. He was trying hard in a headwind. I sailed past him and gave a little wave.


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## GrasB (7 Mar 2012)

byegad said:


> The main thing here is the headwind. I can smoke Roadies into a full gale on my Streamer equipped QNT. AND I'm slow!!! The advantage of the more aero -dynamic position is the key.


No so much aerodynamics more the speed of the air that you're riding through. You see I'm effected equally on my DFs & 'bents even though the 'bents are more aerodynamic. However on 2 borrowed low racers I've been disproportionally faster into the wind, the wind simply hasn't felt nearly as strong when stationary either. Low racers are much closer to the height of a tadpole like your QNT than that of a DF.


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## Hacienda71 (7 Mar 2012)

What about a chuffing big hill though?


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## Dayvo (7 Mar 2012)

Hacienda71 said:


> What about a chuffing big hill though?


 
*trying to find a pedestrian-pushing a-recumbent-uphill smiley* 

I rode with a couple of 'bent riders a few years ago for 2-3 days. They pissed me on the descent and, almost, on the flat, but struggled up the hills.

You win some, you lose some, I s'pose.


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## ianrauk (7 Mar 2012)

I like to think I am a fair string rider on df's, but when it comes to hills on the bent.. chuffing hell it's hard work.


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## GrasB (7 Mar 2012)

I find that climbing on a 'bent is a mind-set change. Instead of piling on the torque, you pile on the rpm.


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## Linford (7 Mar 2012)

I like the idea of a streamliner, but Mr Clarksons comment on them the other weeks TG made me squirm a bit. Still like a go in one though.


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## GrasB (7 Mar 2012)

Linford, care to elaborate on why you put any stock in his words?


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## Linford (7 Mar 2012)

GrasB said:


> Linford, care to elaborate on why you put any stock in his words?


 
They flagged a pic up and intimated that the riders were in the 'coffin' position as that particular one was so low to the ground. It looked almost like a Luge.

They have flags on them for good reason don't they.

Perhaps showing my ignorance on this as I've never ridden one. I wonder how safe they feel when in town traffic during rush hour ?


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## GrasB (7 Mar 2012)

Real stream liners are designed for one thing - going damn fast in controlled conditions. Most stream liners I've seen can't stop without the aid of a 3rd party to hold it up! No I wouldn't be doing a rush hour run in one of those!

Now if we're talking about velomobiles like the Quest, Go-One & Milan I'd then ask about an Aerial Atom!


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## BlackPanther (7 Mar 2012)

GrasB said:


> I find that climbing on a 'bent is a mind-set change. Instead of piling on the torque, you pile on the rpm.


 
I don't have any massive hills to climb on my commute, but I'm finding fairly steep hills are a lot easier than on the road bike. Oddly, I find that I'm doing the opposite and using more brute strength to grind my way up which seems easier than upping the revs, whereas on the road bike I do spin a lot faster. On the road bike I'd be in 2nd or 3rd (middle ring), but on the 'bent I'm holding 5th or 6th (middle ring). The Strada just seems to pull really well with the support from the seat making it a comfortable way to climb.

I did fail quite spectacularly on one of my first rides up a steep hill though, nearly losing balance altogether as I came to a rather pathetic stop.


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## tongskie01 (8 Mar 2012)

i do feel a lot of muscle stress when climbing uphill on df. on my low racer i feel a lot stronger and more effecient in spinning.


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## GrasB (8 Mar 2012)

BlackPanther said:


> I don't have any massive hills to climb on my commute, but I'm finding fairly steep hills are a lot easier than on the road bike. Oddly, I find that I'm doing the opposite and using more brute strength to grind my way up which seems easier than upping the revs, whereas on the road bike I do spin a lot faster. On the road bike I'd be in 2nd or 3rd (middle ring), but on the 'bent I'm holding 5th or 6th (middle ring). The Strada just seems to pull really well with the support from the seat making it a comfortable way to climb.
> 
> I did fail quite spectacularly on one of my first rides up a steep hill though, nearly losing balance altogether as I came to a rather pathetic stop.


Hum... I do hit 160rpm on the flat almost every ride.


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## windmiller (8 Mar 2012)

Watch your knees. You can exert a lot more power and stress the knees more easily than on a DF. I find it's best to power up hills if at least 20mph can be maintained.


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## byegad (9 Mar 2012)

Dayvo said:


> *trying to find a pedestrian-pushing a-recumbent-uphill smiley*
> 
> I rode with a couple of 'bent riders a few years ago for 2-3 days. They pissed me on the descent and, almost, on the flat, but struggled up the hills.
> 
> You win some, you lose some, I s'pose.


 
Exactly and as all racers know you win races going uphill. However the main thing is the riding dynamics on rolling hills. I was told by one DF rider from a group that riding with me from Tan Hill to Northallerton was like riding with a tandem in the group, but worse! I was the only recumbent rider, on my QNT, among a group of twenty or so DFs of varying types and abilities.

He meant I zoomed past the bunch down hills and was passed by the bunch on the next uphill. Once I'd persuaded the DF riders to not spread out across the road on descents!!

After the first downhill I mentioned this at the top of the next hill where they'd all sat and waited for me. I put it that if they really wanted to wait at the top of each hill they'd keep on stopping me using the downs to up my average speed. I wasn't last up any of the day's climbs. I was also far fresher than most of the group when we arrived in Northallerton.


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## GrasB (9 Mar 2012)

byegad said:


> Exactly and as all racers know you win races going uphill.


Really? Talk to the Shleck brothers about that.


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## byegad (9 Mar 2012)

GrasB said:


> Really? Talk to the Shleck brothers about that.


Hah! There's always exceptions. But Lance Armstrong and many others won races by climbing faster than anyone else.


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## GrasB (11 Mar 2012)

byegad said:


> Hah! There's always exceptions. But Lance Armstrong and many others won races by climbing faster than anyone else.


Not really. You see I race in the mountains & know cautious descenders don't win races which have long descents no matter how well they climb. You can only gain time when you're not making up for lost time. Take a look at those who 'win on the climb', they also had many aggressive descents under their belts. You don't often see the timid descenders in the pro ranks but down in the middle of the amateur ranks you see many races are won on the descent by an exquisite bike handler.


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## byegad (12 Mar 2012)

True and I can descend as fast as anybody. but will always lose out on the climbs. You must do both but if you want to gain a shed load of time, climbing wins out. It can take an average rider 45 mins to climb a mountain road and maybe10 mins to descend it. So a fast descent at 10% faster than your opponent will gain you a minute, a similar climb will get you 4and a half minutes! You have to be able to descend but you win, or in my case lose, on the climb.


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## GrasB (12 Mar 2012)

This is a very technical area. For the same rider on the same bike up the same hill faster when climbing always means higher average power thus you're going to suffer more. Faster descents can mean lower average power & critically almost always mean substantially reduce the number of power spikes. Net result is fresher legs for a faster descent.


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## currystomper (19 Mar 2012)

I'm keen to try a normal recumbent to see how well they do climb hills as my Cruzbike does seem to climb quite well - its a heavy bike so it does slow me a bit, but its not that slow up a hill.
(Cruzbikes use your arms and legs when you are climbing)

My Cruz is mountain bike based, I remember a day with a howling head wind, I passed my first bike like he was standing still, was great fun!!

CS


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## tongskie01 (20 Mar 2012)

there's no such thing as normal recumbent. every recumbent is unique on its own.


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## currystomper (20 Mar 2012)

Sorry - what I meant was a rear wheel drive recumbent - when I find a free day, I'm going to do a try out day with laid back bike in Edinburgh.


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