The Green, Green, Grasshopper of Home

[a.twiddler]

Inflammation in lining round heart. Definitely take it easy till it resolves itself.

See previous post. It's been four months now, with various scans, and no painkillers needed for the last three. I've felt much better for the last couple of months. No epic trips in that time but I've been gradually stretching the mileage.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I can't help wondering where my pedalling energy is going

The long tubes and suspension will be absorbing more than you realise.

 

[a.twiddler]

The long tubes and suspension will be absorbing more than you realise.

There probably isn't an awful lot of pedalling energy to start with.
Yet the decidedly non sporty Spirit, even with the 16" front wheel, feels more efficient for the energy I put in. That has limited suspension at the front, more movement at the rear (though no noticeable pedal reaction). I suspect the frame is stiffer through having the BB fixed to the frame than to a bolted on tube as with the Grasshopper, though being short the boom is not very extended so less likely to flex than with larger riders. I have noticed that it's possible to make the front suspension of the Grasshopper bob slightly at certain cadences, easily solved by changing gear. I would have expected the Spirit mesh seat to be more flexy than the hard shell one of the Grasshopper. The most obvious difference is the seat recline of the Grasshopper.

The subjective feel is that the Grasshopper is hard work, while the Spirit is not. Objectively, the Garmin shows easier speeds and about 2mph higher averages locally for the Spirit. While I certainly don't do Audaxes on anything, the Spirit feels capable of more than the several 55 mile plus rides I did last year on it, and I was hoping to stretch it out further before I was struck down by the lurgy.

I am comparing these two because they are from the same manufacturer and have the same SRAM Dualdrive transmission and 20" rear wheel, and even a Schwalbe Marathon tyre.

They seem to be aimed at different riders though, the Spirit being a mere "urban recumbent" while the Grasshopper seems to be intended for "proper recumbentists" for all round use and touring. A bike for the aspirational. I've read so many good reviews. It's a bike that actually fits me! On paper, the Grasshopper ought to be the faster and more capable bike. It certainly looks the business. I'd hoped that it might even replace my other bikes. Unfortunately it doesn't work for me.

In the time that I've had the Spirit, the feeling has grown that it's a very underrated bike, capable of a lot more than just going to town for the shopping.

Now as for the Linear, well I've come to appreciate it even more since having the Grasshopper. A low tech solution, no suspension, no chain tubes or rollers. A bit rough and ready in some respects, eminently rideable, comfortable, adaptable and fixable. If anything should be flexy and inefficient, it's this one, yet it's so relaxed and easy riding. Despite that long dangly chain, the pedalling effort gets (eventually) to the back wheel. It climbs well, if slowly, without me feeling as if I need to be resuscitated at the top. I need to organise a long overdue rematch with Alsagers Bank this year. It can go anywhere that its length will allow.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Schwalbe Marathon tyre.

You could gain about 1.5 mph just by swapping for a faster tyre. But depends on what you want to use bike for.

 

[a.twiddler]

You could gain about 1.5 mph just by swapping for a faster tyre. But depends on what you want to use bike for.

It came with Schwalbe Kojaks in 35-406C. As I like to do rail trails, bridleways, reasonable towpaths I fitted a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Greenguards to the Grasshopper as the Kojaks felt a bit squirrelly off tarmac. The Greenguards allegedly have less rolling resistance than Kojaks but the main thing is that they have a little tread which makes for a bit more security in these situations without detracting too much on -road. The Spirit has a plain jane Marathon on the back which is what it came with, so potentially slower than the Grasshopper, but in reality it isn't.

Realistically I suppose having a bike with suspension ought to allow skinny high pressure tyres to be used to maximise its speed potential but it doesn't stop potholes giving them a battering even if most of it isn't felt by the rider.

If I fitted faster tyres to all my bikes for a level playing field I expect the Grasshopper would still be slower. I doubt that fitting faster tyres would help the Grasshopper's uphill performance a lot.

Still, this is one avenue I haven't explored, and it could be worth a try. Perhaps I should start a survey to find out what tyres recumbent riders use, and what they use their recumbents for. On my tourer/general purpose upright bike I used to use Panaracer Paselas, 35-700C for much the same thing that I use my recumbent bikes for, that is on road/mild off road. I found that they rolled well, and were reasonably tough, though the sidewalls could be fragile. I doubt that they are available in 406 and I wonder if the weight difference would be noticeable? There are probably more modern, lighter, more puncture resistant tyres about now.

 

[yostumpy]

Here I am , racing my Streetmachine at BHPC race @ Hillingdon, on Marathon Greenguards, around 20/21mph avg speed over 30 min race. I wasn't last, and I wasn't first. They can be quick. Are you sure your brakes aren't binding. I find now and again, they start to bind due to adjusment, which seems to alter somehow, telltale squeek when moving the bike around by hand. Makes a BIG difference if they do.Also I fitted inline cable oilers, as the outer cables are very long with no way to lube the inners, and they were suffering from 'stiction' and also causing them to bind a bit (BB7's also).
Just a thought, as two bikes have the same rear wheel, swap them over, it 'might' be that the frictional losses of the hub gear are greater on one than the other?

 

[yostumpy]

Seems to me , you much prefer a chair for peddling efficiency, rather than a deck chair, I’d try contacting Mr Magoo again, I believe he prefers phone calls.

 

[a.twiddler]

View attachment 759528
Here I am , racing my Streetmachine at BHPC race @ Hillingdon, on Marathon Greenguards, around 20/21mph avg speed over 30 min race. I wasn't last, and I wasn't first. They can be quick. Are you sure your brakes aren't binding. I find now and again, they start to bind due to adjusment, which seems to alter somehow, telltale squeek when moving the bike around by hand. Makes a BIG difference if they do.Also I fitted inline cable oilers, as the outer cables are very long with no way to lube the inners, and they were suffering from 'stiction' and also causing them to bind a bit (BB7's also).
Just a thought, as two bikes have the same rear wheel, swap them over, it 'might' be that the frictional losses of the hub gear are greater on one than the other?

I'm gratified to see that you can get that sort of performance on Greenguards. I've never been particularly fast, certainly not to those average speeds even when I was younger, rode an upright and practically lived on the bike. This is one reason I never got into racing. Now that I'm old, still short and even slower, what I can still do on my other bikes is keep going all day.

The brakes are free, no squeaks. It doesn't look as if changing tyres is going to be cost effective for the difference it might make so it's saved me the cost and hassle of doing that. The transmission feels free though I might feel motivated to swop rear wheels over at some time just to see if it makes a difference. As I've said upthread, I think the problem is more to do with me and the seat recline rather than anything that's a simple fix. Even with a mesh seat, the frame design is such that it would still be pretty reclined whatever bodgery I applied to it.

 

[PaulM]

Interesting. Like you I had an HPV Spirit and a Grasshopper, and I sold the hopper because I couldn't manage the recline at the time. The biggest factor with regards to speed is how much power you can output to the pedals and that's determined by what body position suits you and how confident you are. For many people, a lower BB and a more upright seat back works better. I prefer to brace with my shoulders when pushing hard, whereas hardshell seats are perhaps more about bracing with the pelvis. I do now manage with the recline on my Nazca Paseo (possibly down to 35 degrees) but it is my slowest 2-wheeler despite the aerodynamic advantages. Beyond that, the Linear has the advantage of a larger rear wheel and no idlers. Big wheels do roll more easily and idlers do have parasitic drag by diverting chain forces into frame-bending forces.

 

[a.twiddler]

The Linear keeps on chugging on up hill, down dale, not particularly fast but just keeps on rolling in a relaxed manner. An awful lot of chain. but no tubes or rollers. It is really surprising how well it goes, after struggling with the Grasshopper seat recline.

The Spirit has chain tubes but the previous owner has taken a lot of care to get their run as straight as possible. It's the early model with a 16" front wheel which as built is not too bad but benefits from a bit of work. You do notice a slight drag when pushing a pedal back ready for starting off. The later version with the 20" front wheel has a different frame which gives a different chain line and needs more attention to getting it straight. The previous owner referred me to the German Velomobile forum for more information as he'd done some modifications to a later model Spirit which were recorded on there.

The Grasshopper has both chain tubes and a roller. The chain does have some friction, much more than the Spirit when pulling the pedal round to the starting position. If I'd kept it long enough I might have done something about that, as when given a wipe down and some lubrication it does free up.

The seat recline is the main drawback, for me. As for getting round obstacles, slow riding even to a standstill, and starting on the flat or even on steep hill starts the bike handles fine otherwise. Ah well. What will the future bring?

 

[a.twiddler]

The Green, Green Grasshopper of Somebody Else's Home.

The Grasshopper went to a new owner today after only a couple of days on that auction site. There was an awful lot of interest in that short time. I can't help thinking that I could have asked for a bit more for it. Still, it went for the asking price, and the buyer seemed happy.

 

[PaulM]

The Green, Green Grasshopper of Somebody Else's Home.

The Grasshopper went to a new owner today after only a couple of days on that auction site. There was an awful lot of interest in that short time. I can't help thinking that I could have asked for a bit more for it. Still, it went for the asking price, and the buyer seemed happy.

I think you did well to sell it in January, particularly when the market seems to be for trikes and not bikes. Maybe there is a lot of interest in folding recumbent bikes although my Origami was a slow sell for half the amount of your Grasshopper.

 

[a.twiddler]

I think you did well to sell it in January, particularly when the market seems to be for trikes and not bikes. Maybe there is a lot of interest in folding recumbent bikes although my Origami was a slow sell for half the amount of your Grasshopper.

Yes, I find it hard to understand that. I've had previous recumbents hanging around for months in Spring and Summer when I tried to sell, and I thought I'd just give the Grasshopper a try, expecting to have to withdraw it and try again in the warmer weather. Instead there was a rapid rise in watchers, and an enquiry or two regarding rider height range. This was something that I thought would cause problems, having had to cut the boom to be able to ride it. Since you can't stick it back on, it excludes potential buyers in the upper end of the height range. Fortunately the buyer was of average height, so it worked out OK. It sold within two days of listing, collected yesterday.

I felt quite sad to see it go, feeling I'd failed to get the most out of it, but you learn by doing. If I hadn't had the Grasshopper I'd still be wondering about it. The most vivid memory will be of psyching myself up to take a hacksaw to the boom of this beautifully made and finished (and expensive!) bike. I've never had to do that before, and it felt so horribly non reversible. My two other recumbents have sliding seat adjustment, so you can adjust them for short persons, then for tall ones, with no butchery or chain link subtraction or addition.