Yeah. I have dreamed of having a PV panel sunshade on my bike, but the thought of being passed by a logging truck on our narrow, windy roads wakes me up. And I can buy at least a kWh of battery for the price. Unless you are planning to ride in the wilderness, far from traffic, and electric outlets, it makes no sense, unfortunately.
OK, who rides a recumbent???
- Thread starter flat tire
- Start date
I would not recommend that bike to anybody. These short wheelbase designs go back to the 1930's, at least.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTT2nCi8q_8
The wheelbase is too short, and the cranks are way out in front of the wheel. You will get terrible pedal steer, and twitchy handling. Adding the weight of a BB drive out there will only make it worse. The last few decades of the last century saw lots of recumbent racing and development. The short wheelbase designs pretty much disappeared. One out of Taiwan is the only one still around, I think. Most current makes have the cranks closer to the front axle, and wheelbases of 46-48 inches, or longer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTT2nCi8q_8
The wheelbase is too short, and the cranks are way out in front of the wheel. You will get terrible pedal steer, and twitchy handling. Adding the weight of a BB drive out there will only make it worse. The last few decades of the last century saw lots of recumbent racing and development. The short wheelbase designs pretty much disappeared. One out of Taiwan is the only one still around, I think. Most current makes have the cranks closer to the front axle, and wheelbases of 46-48 inches, or longer.
LI-ghtcycle
10 MW
IDK how many recumbents are like the Vision R-40 in that it can be configured as either Long or Short wheel base (LWB/SWB) but I have had mine in both configurations, and I prefer the short mainly because it takes less room to turn and takes up less space.
It's also modular in that you can easily switch between Over and Under seat steering (OSS/USS).
I started using it when it was first configured as both LWB & USS, and since have swapped to SWB & OSS, I have ridden it on a trip of 123 miles carrying camping gear & supplies for my first bicycle touring trip (no motor at the time and 150lbs of bike including all my camping gear & food, etc.) with 3,261 ft elevation gained, and I never felt like it was more twitchy or unstable compared to the LWB set-up, but I do also use Schwalbe Big Apple tires, not the typical road bike style skinny tires.
I have ridden this bike stripped down with minimal attachments (only the pack that hangs on the back of the seat), then made it an E-Bike, then Cargo Bike also pulling a trailer.
My wheelbase is 42" as SWB mode.
It's also modular in that you can easily switch between Over and Under seat steering (OSS/USS).
I started using it when it was first configured as both LWB & USS, and since have swapped to SWB & OSS, I have ridden it on a trip of 123 miles carrying camping gear & supplies for my first bicycle touring trip (no motor at the time and 150lbs of bike including all my camping gear & food, etc.) with 3,261 ft elevation gained, and I never felt like it was more twitchy or unstable compared to the LWB set-up, but I do also use Schwalbe Big Apple tires, not the typical road bike style skinny tires.
I have ridden this bike stripped down with minimal attachments (only the pack that hangs on the back of the seat), then made it an E-Bike, then Cargo Bike also pulling a trailer.
My wheelbase is 42" as SWB mode.
LI-ghtcycle,
I didn't say they are unrideable. Hell, I rode a rear wheel steered, front wheel drive bike hundreds of miles. You are right that fat tires help a lot. Also, your motor is under the seat, not hanging out on the boom. And Vision is long gone.
The Linear Roadster is the only thing that comes close now. Notice the boom is much shorter, the seat is farther back, and the wheelbase is 45"-47".
https://amlingscycle.com/products/liner-roadster-swb-uss
I didn't say they are unrideable. Hell, I rode a rear wheel steered, front wheel drive bike hundreds of miles. You are right that fat tires help a lot. Also, your motor is under the seat, not hanging out on the boom. And Vision is long gone.
The Linear Roadster is the only thing that comes close now. Notice the boom is much shorter, the seat is farther back, and the wheelbase is 45"-47".
https://amlingscycle.com/products/liner-roadster-swb-uss
I found the pic I was looking for:
SB Cruiser on the left (built to haul Tiny, the dog on the right--Yogi (on the left) would barely fit in it but could ride in a pinch.
)
The dog crate comes out to give a flatbed for carrying other cargo. (but I often leave the crate on there cuz it makes for a lockable cargo pod, and also makes the trike "bigger" for better visibility. )
CrazyBike2 on the right.
SB Cruiser on the left (built to haul Tiny, the dog on the right--Yogi (on the left) would barely fit in it but could ride in a pinch.
)The dog crate comes out to give a flatbed for carrying other cargo. (but I often leave the crate on there cuz it makes for a lockable cargo pod, and also makes the trike "bigger" for better visibility. )
CrazyBike2 on the right.
Eskimo
1 kW
Here"s specs of my ride:
Sorry about the centimeters.
Fuselage length 212cm
Overall length 232cm
Fuselage width 52cm
Track 88cm
Overall width 98cm
Wheelbase 185cm
Weight distribution with a rider front/rear 38/62 (same as in Porsche 911
Fuselage height w/o windscreen 64cm
Seat height from the ground 25cm
Front grill width/height 52/46cm
Backrest angle 25%
Caster 15%
Camber 5%
Ackerman: full
Tires 20/26
Sorry about the centimeters.
admiral12r
1 mW
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2008
- Messages
- 12
Here is my Lightfoot World Traveler. I've had this bike about 12 years and am in the middle of updating all of the components. It has the 3x8x8 drivetrain the is insanely high or low geared to the max! I am currently working on a spreadsheet with all 192 gear ratios. I plan on starting a thread with it. One of my next updates will be to swap out the gears to a 3x9x11. Can't get the 8 speed off of the jackshaft through so it may just end up doing 3x8x11. Going all sram top tier twist shifts, GX 11 speed derailleur in the rear, keep the x7 as the mid derailleur. Next year I am thinking about putting on a bbshd or a more powerful Cyclone on it. Currently running the 24v 500w Cyclone with a Ping LiFePo. Battery is years old and almost dead so I don't see a point in getting a new one until I decide what system to get. The 650w+ external controller would be great improvement but I would still be limited to the back cassette for power delivery. Motor power would be better suited coming from the cranks and hitting all gears. I'm not sure the drivetrain can hamdel a bbshd though lol! I think the first jackshaft weld would rip off. I just installed new Rhyno Lite wheels. Super Moto X 26" tires. Had to order them directly from Germany. 203mm front rotors with bb7 caliper. Doing same set up with 180mm on rear. Waiting on parts. Last weekend I installed XT-90 connectors and XT-60 for charge. Also soldered in a motorcycle voltmeter with USB charger. Works and looks great! Small and discreet not big and gawky. Lots more in store for this old bike. I should start a thread lol. Anyways enjoy
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7Z7ZDiQBUTUXKgMT8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7Z7ZDiQBUTUXKgMT8
Nice ride. Do start a thread. :thumb:
I'm slowly but surely building up cannondale easy rider aka cannondale bent. It's my first recumbent and it converted me to being a recumbent fanatic after the first 30 miles. 500 non-electric miles later, i still get a smile on my face when i see it in the garage.
Eventually will be capable of high speed once some things are sorted.
Build link in my sig if you wanna know more.
I'm slowly but surely building up cannondale easy rider aka cannondale bent. It's my first recumbent and it converted me to being a recumbent fanatic after the first 30 miles. 500 non-electric miles later, i still get a smile on my face when i see it in the garage.
Eventually will be capable of high speed once some things are sorted.
Build link in my sig if you wanna know more.
Looks like a sweet ride. I'd love to see a better photo - maybe take it to a shady spot outside, for contrast more within the range of the medium? It's hard to follow that crazy chain path. Nice to see a Lightfoot out there.
I have kind of the opposite story with my Burley Limbo, which came along after this thread. Direct drive hub motor, so the bicycle drive train isn't much of an issue - I do change gears once in a while on the rear, but haven't changed in front in months. Main thing is the rear suspension, which I highly recommend. Lightfoot was one of the few manufacturers, as you may know, that ever put suspension on a long wheelbase recumbent.
I have kind of the opposite story with my Burley Limbo, which came along after this thread. Direct drive hub motor, so the bicycle drive train isn't much of an issue - I do change gears once in a while on the rear, but haven't changed in front in months. Main thing is the rear suspension, which I highly recommend. Lightfoot was one of the few manufacturers, as you may know, that ever put suspension on a long wheelbase recumbent.
I went through several recumbents -
A Linear that I rode for about 3 years. Nice bike, but funny looking.
A Greenspeed trike.
A Longbikes Slipstream. A beautiful bike but I didn't get to ride it much.
A Haluzak Horizon that my wife rode for a while.
A Linear that I rode for about 3 years. Nice bike, but funny looking.
A Greenspeed trike.
A Longbikes Slipstream. A beautiful bike but I didn't get to ride it much.
A Haluzak Horizon that my wife rode for a while.
Hummina Shadeeba
10 MW
Hummina Shadeeba
10 MW
I want to stomp all the records. but what is the record? should I go for 50mph or 60? its barely off the ground with 83mm wheels. figured I should wind the motors for that top speed and that would be more efficient for the esc staying at the top speed right? run 12s
also looking for a good throttle if you have strong feelings about that.
also looking for a good throttle if you have strong feelings about that.
Hummina Shadeeba
10 MW
Hummina Shadeeba
10 MW
27" diameter wheels? this thing looks like its from the 60s or 70s
105psi sewups eww.
I found what would be my people but no one is there:
http://www.poweredstreetluge.com/ClassesRecordRequirements.asp
105psi sewups eww.
I found what would be my people but no one is there:
http://www.poweredstreetluge.com/ClassesRecordRequirements.asp
geeksville
10 W
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2019
- Messages
- 89
parajared
10 kW
I like my recumbent. I have a hard time breaking 20wh/mi with my diamond frame and I have a hard time breaking 10wh/mi in my recumbent. Despite the extra weight of a third wheel, the bend just rides more efficient.
I can ride pretty much all day in my recumbent and not get very sore. I always feel like a weenie crybaby attempting cross-country on the diamond frame. I mean sure I can tough it out, but it sure gets uncomfortable fast.
I have done several 200+ mile trips on my recumbent now
https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=47471
I can ride pretty much all day in my recumbent and not get very sore. I always feel like a weenie crybaby attempting cross-country on the diamond frame. I mean sure I can tough it out, but it sure gets uncomfortable fast.
I have done several 200+ mile trips on my recumbent now
https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=47471
hypertoric_amplituhedron
100 W
Yeah, most definitely:
I have a stock bbshd run by a 14s7p rectangle pack of 35E cells, good for 1kwh at the most. At about 27-30mph cruising for 80% of the ride, I will get close to 60 miles on that 1 kwh. On a full charge after sag, so like 55v 30a (~1300w to the wheel), I can hit 40mph on the flats no wind. I haven't tried a range test with no hot rodding (cruise at 20 mph), it's just too much fun. But, according to the aero calculator, I should expect around 120-130 miles on that 1kwh.
Gearing is a 55T chainring and an 11-34T 9sp cassette. Using the Gear sensor (which has a minor parasitic drag), plus a long shift cable, I found for best performance, I have to spin up high cadence in 1st, then triple shift directly to 5th (it skips 4th naturally), for the most reliable shifting in the smaller cogs, when it counts the most. I have played with it extensively as a 18 year veteran of the bike shop. Any other adjustments to make it better in the larger, low speed cogs will foil the smaller cog adjustments. It will work perfectly w/o the gear sensor, but I love that thing, and it works fine the quirky way that it is.
She is bumpy going fast. I have had 3 chunks taken off my shins from getting launched up into the handlebar, combined with a pedaling cadence of 120 rpm. It hurts like mother when it happens. It's those damn stealth bumps that creep up on you. You have to aim your vision much farther down the trail on a high racer, and re-learn the longer timing of when you see the bump, and when to expect it. At first, all you can see is your legs, but after a while, your brain will make them 'disappear' to a degree, when you get the hang of looking through them rather than at them.
And, all you have to do is fall over on both sides at least once (if clipped in like me), and you have it all figured out. You will learn to not even question whether you will fall, because you just will. Clip out early, and you're good.
I don't know what a DD rear motor is like, with the weight balance. I had the battery on the rear rack, and the bike was almost entirely unrideable over even the tiniest of undulations. The front wheel would come off the ground with almost no effort. It improved with the battery below my seat. I'd like to think that the mid drive helped even out the weight, but I found the bike has a lot of weight up high, which makes low speed tight corners tricky, and it's tough to balance if you're not on it (holding it with one hand while doing something).
But, I love the seating position. My neck, hands, shoulders all feel great with no load on them. But, this high racer with its added weight and awesome speed potential makes for a workout of your arms. At 30 mph you are man-handling it with the steering, which is all in the arms. But, I find that's a good thing, since I am cheating myself a bit with the motor at this level. I need all the activity I can get at 36 years, lol.
I have a stock bbshd run by a 14s7p rectangle pack of 35E cells, good for 1kwh at the most. At about 27-30mph cruising for 80% of the ride, I will get close to 60 miles on that 1 kwh. On a full charge after sag, so like 55v 30a (~1300w to the wheel), I can hit 40mph on the flats no wind. I haven't tried a range test with no hot rodding (cruise at 20 mph), it's just too much fun. But, according to the aero calculator, I should expect around 120-130 miles on that 1kwh.
Gearing is a 55T chainring and an 11-34T 9sp cassette. Using the Gear sensor (which has a minor parasitic drag), plus a long shift cable, I found for best performance, I have to spin up high cadence in 1st, then triple shift directly to 5th (it skips 4th naturally), for the most reliable shifting in the smaller cogs, when it counts the most. I have played with it extensively as a 18 year veteran of the bike shop. Any other adjustments to make it better in the larger, low speed cogs will foil the smaller cog adjustments. It will work perfectly w/o the gear sensor, but I love that thing, and it works fine the quirky way that it is.
She is bumpy going fast. I have had 3 chunks taken off my shins from getting launched up into the handlebar, combined with a pedaling cadence of 120 rpm. It hurts like mother when it happens. It's those damn stealth bumps that creep up on you. You have to aim your vision much farther down the trail on a high racer, and re-learn the longer timing of when you see the bump, and when to expect it. At first, all you can see is your legs, but after a while, your brain will make them 'disappear' to a degree, when you get the hang of looking through them rather than at them.
And, all you have to do is fall over on both sides at least once (if clipped in like me), and you have it all figured out. You will learn to not even question whether you will fall, because you just will. Clip out early, and you're good.
I don't know what a DD rear motor is like, with the weight balance. I had the battery on the rear rack, and the bike was almost entirely unrideable over even the tiniest of undulations. The front wheel would come off the ground with almost no effort. It improved with the battery below my seat. I'd like to think that the mid drive helped even out the weight, but I found the bike has a lot of weight up high, which makes low speed tight corners tricky, and it's tough to balance if you're not on it (holding it with one hand while doing something).
But, I love the seating position. My neck, hands, shoulders all feel great with no load on them. But, this high racer with its added weight and awesome speed potential makes for a workout of your arms. At 30 mph you are man-handling it with the steering, which is all in the arms. But, I find that's a good thing, since I am cheating myself a bit with the motor at this level. I need all the activity I can get at 36 years, lol.
