# My N + 1



## Scoosh (9 Oct 2012)

Collected my Nazca Fuego Top Sport 3x9 yesterday. Changed from this :





to this:




Had a practice today (on the grass). I learned ...

it's FUN ! 
I can start off - sometimes even without falling 
I can easily forget about 'heel strike' 
soft grass is harder to ride on than tarmac 
soft grass is softer to land on than tarmac 
it's FUN ! 
Hope to get out again tomorrow - before the rain  sets in all day Thursday.


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## Deleted member 20519 (9 Oct 2012)

Lovely bike, Scoosh! I wish you many happy miles on it!


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## swscotland bentrider (9 Oct 2012)

Good choice! My first 'bent was a Fuego and I foolishly changed to a high racer. Three years later I borrowed Laidback's demo Fuego for a weekend and realised what a mistake I'd made. I bought another and I've never ridden anything else which comes close (for me) A great blend of qualities with such an involving ride. Hope you get as much pleasure from it as I have.


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## Scoosh (9 Oct 2012)

Early days and still trying to work out how to turn a tight-ish corner without heel strike and resultant fall ! 

Pushed the boom out quite a bit from previous owner's length but still experimenting. Any other tips for making the learning process quicker ?


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## byegad (10 Oct 2012)

It's about relaxing your upper body and relying on light steering movements to keep the balance. It took me a month or more to be confident that I could set off and stop without toppling over, but I had an undiagnosed balance issue! The difference between a DF and 'bent is that you really can't affect the balance of a bent with body weaight, although moving your head does have some affect.

Use a lower gear for setting off and stopping than you would on a DF. rest your hands on the bars rather than grip and relax! Easier said than done but it does work.


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## Col5632 (10 Oct 2012)

I like it, totally not what i expected you to post up but i wish you many happy miles on it


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## ianrauk (10 Oct 2012)

excellent stuff.
I really miss my bent..

As someone else has said, trick is to relax and don't use a death grip on the bars.
For very slow tight turns I found that unclipping the inside foot helped.


Oh yes, you may want to get rid of that silly flag might get caught in the gears


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## ianrauk (10 Oct 2012)

And I like the colour.................


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## Scoosh (10 Oct 2012)

ianrauk said:


> excellent stuff.
> I really miss my bent..
> 
> As someone else has said, trick is to relax and don't use a death grip on the bars.
> ...


Didn't you have a Musashi ? Whatever happened ? Economics (or lack thereof ? ) Wish I'd known when you were selling ... 

Anyway, thanks for those tips - and, yes, I know the flag is way too big (for safety) - it was a wee joke with the seller.


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## ianrauk (10 Oct 2012)

yeah, was only joking about the flag too.

Yup I had to sell it.
I just couldn't get comfy on it for long rides, for which I bought it for.
Anything over 75 miles and my knee would seize up.
Reason I found was that when on the bent I was either over-extending or under-extending due to the seat position, unlike an upright where your saddle keeps you in one place.


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## ushills (10 Oct 2012)

Very nice and the exact model I'm looking at.

What made you chose the top-sport?

Also, I've never even been on a recumbent, what are they like on steep hills that you normally have to get out of the saddle for on a DF. I know people say spin but at what speed does balance become an issue.


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## Recycle (10 Oct 2012)

Looks great, similar profile to the HPV speedmachine.
I rented a HPV Spirit from London Recumbents for an hour at Dulwich park, which was the sum total of my 2 wheel recumbent experience before I picked up my speedmachine and cycled from BikeFix to London Bridge station . A few close calls with pedestrians (beware, they look right over you before stepping into the road) but no mishaps. I think at least one may be suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome.
Enjoy the bike. The fun increases the more you ride it.


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## Scoosh (10 Oct 2012)

ushills said:


> Very nice and the exact model I'm looking at.
> 
> What made you chose the top-sport?
> 
> Also, I've never even been on a recumbent, what are they like on steep hills that you normally have to get out of the saddle for on a DF. I know people say spin but at what speed does balance become an issue.


It sort of chose me - it was for sale on the-bay  ; I bid  ; I won 

I had had a couple of sessions with David Gardiner of Laid Back Bikes here in Edinburgh (top bloke, BTW ) and fond it to be almost like learning to ride a bike again - I found the balance very different but the grin factor is HUGE  !

I can't tell you what it is like to go up hills, as I am still working out how to start, go round corners _et al_ without mishap . One advantage is that, being much closer to the ground, it is not as far to fall  (which is part of the learning process - for me, at any rate ) 

I suppose that, rather like an DF bike, the (low) speed at which you fall off is a function of your handling skills. I'm still at the 'lots of wobble' stage


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## Recycle (10 Oct 2012)

ushills said:


> Also, I've never even been on a recumbent, what are they like on steep hills that you normally have to get out of the saddle for on a DF. I know people say spin but at what speed does balance become an issue.


I got my speedmachine 3rd week July so I have only had it for a short while & I've managed a Ditchling beacon ascent with no stops (slow, but I got there). Balance isn't too much of an issue, its just practice. There were a few DF's just ahead of me on my ascent and my tracking was much the same as theirs. You use different muscles so it will take a few months before you develop the same leg strength you have on your DF.
When you cycle against DF's, I think they will always have the edge on steep hills but a bent like the Nasca fuego will come into its own when it gets windy. No headwind is good, not even on a bent, but you will run away from the DF's. It shouldn't take too long before you beat them on the level in neutral wind conditions. You should even be able to take on the carbon DF's.
And wait till you get confidence on the downhills, that's when the fun starts.


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## ushills (10 Oct 2012)

Think I need a recumbent as the pain in my neck using a DF after an accident lasts for days. 

Just need to convince the family that it's safe.


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## Recycle (10 Oct 2012)

ushills said:


> Think I need a recumbent as the pain in my neck using a DF after an accident lasts for days.
> 
> Just need to convince the family that it's safe.


 
I changed to a bent because of my neck. A bent is safe. IMO much safer than a DF.

Unless there are other bents on the road you will be the most noticed cyclist. It has less of an invisible factor.
You don't attract as much aggro from motorists - in fact they tend to give you a wide berth because they don't know what to make of you.
If you crash into anything you will meet it feet first which is better than being propelled head first. Something it appears you have experience of.
You are lower to the ground. When you fall there is less chance you will break bones & your bum is at greater risk than your head. Painful but preferable.
 
Need more?


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## ushills (10 Oct 2012)

That's great to have some ammo to justify it!

The annoying thing is the money I spent on new teeth would have paid for a Nazca. 

I just need to find somewhere to try one, Edinburgh is a bit of a jaunt!


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## Recycle (10 Oct 2012)

ushills said:


> I just need to find somewhere to try one, Edinburgh is a bit of a jaunt!


Go to Laid Back cycles. Scoosh should be able to direct you. Also read a few of Dave McCraw's reviews (http://mccraw.co.uk/tag/recumbent/) , they are inspiring. He's tested just about everything at Laid Back and he's from your neck of the woods.


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## swscotland bentrider (10 Oct 2012)

+1 re Laidback. My Fuego was my first bent and to begin with found it twitchy and unstable as though it was about to dump me. Partly it is perception but as Byegad says: A light touch, less agressive reactions and it all comes together pretty quickly. Persevere - I didn't and swapped it for a high racer (they feel superficially so much more stable). A mistake. Now I find my Fuego to be stable and with excellent handling. To begin with climbing made me nervous, which used up energy, which slowed me down, which de-stabilised me. Now I can pedal easily up climbs which in the early days threatened to unseat me. One in particular had me in 30 x 32 in the early days, weaving and spinning like crazy to keep momentum going! Now its 38 x 28 and in a straight line! Downhill it is super stable, unbelievably fast and with excellent brakes.


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## byegad (10 Oct 2012)

Yes the speed thing is addictive. My AZUB-4 had 81 gears ranging from 15 to 150". (Yes, 1 5 0!  ) Blasting down a hill at 50+mph and still pedalling hard is an experience I'm glad I didn't miss. It did occur to me during one of these descents that maybe I should have opted for the disc brakes rather than the V-brakes.


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## ushills (10 Oct 2012)

Unfortunatly I'm in Wolverhampton, may need to book a weekend away in Edinburgh and just happen to drop in


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## riggsbie (11 Oct 2012)

Nice looking bike, like the colour !!


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## BenM (16 Oct 2012)

ushills said:


> Unfortunatly I'm in Wolverhampton, may need to book a weekend away in Edinburgh and just happen to drop in


D-tech is near Ely and much closer to you than Edinburgh... sorry got no contact details for them but others on CC have...

Ben


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## BlackPanther (16 Oct 2012)

Very nice. The metallic blue looks exactly like my Optima Baron.


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