Christmas note from Matthew Hopkins

"I’m cycling south on the 15-D AutoPista from Los Mochis trying to get to Mazatlán as rapidly as possible...."

Matthew Hopkins in Mexico on his custom blue-green HP Velotechnik Street Machine.

Photo by Matthew Hopkins

Our friend Matthew Hopkins is continuing his journey from Alaska to the southern tip of South America.  He sent me this nice Christmas note from Mexico.



Hello.
I just wanted to wish you a very happy holiday season.

I'm currently in Mazatlán Mexico having ridden almost 18,000 kilometres to date and enjoying a few days off my bike in the company of the family of a cyclist I met a few weeks ago. Hugo,  who featured in one of my last blog posts.
He was generous enough to invite me to spend Christmas with his family.
I'll spend the new year in Guadalajara and continue east over to Mexico City and eventually to Cancún.

This year has been an incredible one for me.
The beginning and continuation of an amazing adventure, which is far from over.
I am lucky that I have gotten this far and equally fortunate enough to have received support and assistance from you.
I'm very grateful for that.
Thank you very much.
Suffice to say I may well have quit by now, were it not for your generosity.
I'd like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2015.

With tremendous gratitude amd continued friendship,

Matthew Hopkins
http://theroadoflittlemiracles.ghost.io/




Stay healthy and ride and ride,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

"80 and Still Cycling"

"Portrait of my grandfather : 80 and still cycling" by Florent Piovesan on Vimeo.

This very cool video by Florent Piovesan was sent to me through the Prospect Park Peleton list.  It's not about recumbents.  It's about bicycling.  And that's what it's all about.

Have fun and stay 20,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Recumbent Cycle Convention: brief notes

The most important note first:

Creating safe roads for cyclists is as important as building and selling bikes.

The town of St. Charles and the surrounding area -- where the show was held -- has wonderful bike trails and paths and I was able to enjoy them with the Cruzbike team on the morning of the second day of the show.

But I didn't see any bicycle advocacy organizations represented at the show.  It is vital that each of us, as cyclists and industry workers, are involved in advocacy.  We each play an important role in expanding opportunities to bicycle safely in the USA.  We can't simply be bike lane users.  We must also be bike lane builders.

Here's something you can do, starting today.  It's fun and you'll meet people who may become lifelong friends.  Dedicate just 4 hours per month -- 48 hours in the year -- volunteering for your local bicycle advocacy organization or otherwise engaged in bicycle advocacy.  That small amount of time will help save lives -- not to mention the planet.  It will help save the life of somebody with a name, and a mom and dad.  That "somebody" might be you or someone close to you.  Toss this aside and you're tossing aside someone's life.

If you don't have a local bicycle advocacy organization, then join Bikes Belong, a.k.a., PeopleForBikes and give them the equivalent of 48 hours/year of your income.  Want to do more?  Run for your local community board or city council.

Thank you to Charles Coyne, Coyne Publishing and the RCC Team for producing this show.

Visit them here http://www.rtrmag.com/

Charles Coyne and his crew do an amazing job of producing RCC.  It's is incredible that they are able to do so much.  All the workers were friendly and professional.  The show was well-organized and well-attended.  He had nearly all the top manufacturers there.  Also, on the above note of advocacy, Charles and his group are a great example of people working hard to promote bicycling with no eye -- as far as I can tell -- to personal gain.  If anything, it seems to me he's putting himself at significant financial risk to put on this show.  Thank you, Charles and team.

Cruzbike
The new Silvio and Vendettas are very impressive on many fronts - performance, adjustability, weight, features, capacity to work with wide range of drivetrains.   Both bikes share many of the same qualities.   I rode both and put in about 20 mi. on the Vendetta during the Cruzbike morning ride.  Both models are better than ever and they've shaved 16 oz. off both frames, in part by making the new seat in full carbon fiber.  I initially wondered if I'd like the new front boom and drive-triangle, shared by the V and S, but it's excellent: stiff, highly adjustable, light, clean appearance.  The new Vendetta's paint is a metallic red.  The white Silvio looks good too.  All in all, the new designs are winners.

There's a very interesting spec effecting drivetrain options, but it's not published so I don't want to spill the beans in case something changes.  In short, it's great news and it looks like there'll be more versatility than in the past.

The Cruzbike booth was popular and, often, nearly all the bikes were out on the test track.  I've already sold several Silvios so I anticipate the current run to sell out, maybe by end of winter.  Go and get yours now.

HP Velotechnik

Nothing but top marks for HP Velotechnik.  New Gekko fx 26 is perfect.  The new Scorpion "Plus," perfect.  The new "adaptive" pedals and accessories are easy to use and well-made.  The new seats, fine.

I'm at a loss for words when writing about the brand and the models, because there's nothing more to say.  They are the gold standard.  There are no surprises.  They simply continue to prove they are probably the most professional and reliable recumbent manufacturer in the market.

HP Velot. was one of the most popular booths at the show.  No surprise there either.


Hase

They're continuing their tradition of being one of the foremost manufacturers of adaptive cycles.  They are clearly entirely dedicated to producing the highest quality machines.  Again, I don't know what to say: they're great.  They too had one of the most popular booths at the show.

Patterson Transmission (from FSA)

Superb new internal gear system to replace front chain rings and rear wheel 3-speed hub gears.  Inexpensive, quiet, works well.  Only time will tell how durable it is over thousands of miles, but I liked what I saw and may well install one on one of my own bikes over the winter to use and abuse it.

http://pattersonbike.com/reviews/


Bent Rider On-line

Also one of the most popular booths at the show.  Bryan Ball seemed to be in high spirits and told me they sold out of their merchandise by the afternoon of the first "public" day of the show.

Go build a bike lane,
Robert
------------
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson

Recumbent Cycle Convention: Day 1, morning

Brief notes:


Arrived yesterday, Thursday, in St. Charles, IL (W of Chicago).


Had dinner with Cruzbike team.  Met new teammates Robert Holler and Lucia Parker and Jonathan (last name?) from Coventry Cycle Works.  Nice, smart people.  Talked about new current bikes, new fantasy bikes, discontinued models.  I'm going to keep mum on that point and leave it to CB to announce these.  (If they were to go with one of my ideas for a fantasy bike though, fans of CB would flip out.  I'll say no more.  We'll just have to see what happens.)


OK, about that new Red Vendetta that suddenly appeared on the CB website the day before yesterday.  I'm told that Tolhurst believes the new model has a stiffer front end than the previous V and is a POUND LIGHTER than the old model.  The front end is definitely more adjustable.  Personally, I liked the old Vendetta and the fact that the rider had a customized fit.  This is appropriate for a race bike.  But a more adjustable front end means riders can experiment more with their riding position as they get used to the bike.  Also, in truth, it makes the bike more sellable, both for me as a dealer, but also for the "used" market.  It's an interesting move.  I think it will be a hot item.


The new Silvio.  The seat angle remains 27 degrees.  The "S30" means seat=30 degrees, but it's really 27 deg.  I predict great things from this model.  I've already sold a significant number, so I anticipate this run will sell out very quickly.


This morning, Friday, we had the traditional Cruzbike Death March.  I don't know why, but it seems the term "death" really turns people off from showing up in the hotel lobby at 5:30am for a 3-mi. jog to the pool, an hour swim, a soak in the hot tub or sauna, and then breakfast.


Still, 4 of us were there.  Plans for tomorrow's Death March are forming, but we'd like to do a ride.  We're still honing in on the route, but, this year, I brought pedals and bike shoes in case we go far and fast.   By the way, in person Maria is very nice, quick to laugh, serious, energetic.  There must be something about a race that brings out her competitive side.  Or else, she's just competing at a whole different level than most of us.  It reminds me of when I've worked with other world class athletes like at the NYC Marathon, or pro open water swim competitions, or the English Channel-league swimmers (through CIBBOWS); there's an easy-goingness that they carry in their ordinary life that disappears -- surely it must disappear -- entirely in a competion.


I'll try and post more news later today or tomorrow.

Ride,
Robert
------------
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Packing an HP Velotechnik Street Machine in a bike box

Street Machine Gte ready for re-assembly. Photo: M. Hopkins

Matthew Hopkins is in the midst of a 30,000 cycling odyssey on the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina.  He dropped through New York City last week.  I asked him if he'd mind taking a couple photos and sending me his notes about how he packed his HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte for travel on Amtrak.

I was particularly interested in his methods because, besides being an expedition rider, he also has 20 years' experience as a shop mechanic.  I was curious to see how extensively he took apart his bike, since I figured he'd be comfortable with a greater extent of assembly/disassembly compared to non-mechanic riders.  Interestingly, he chose not to take apart the bike very much.  I think many riders could pack a SMGte like this without any trouble.

HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte ready for Amtrak. Photo: M. Hopkins

Matthew writes:

The bike was packed in two boxes I salvaged from a bike shop. How you pack it depends on the boxes you receive. The larger and wider the better. Mountain bike boxes would be better but I managed to find two city bike boxes. [RM note: these are basically the boxes for packing an ordinary, cheap hybrid.]

• remove the front boom, lights, computer mount, 
• unhook the chain
• remove the front wheel
• remove the bars
• deflate the air shock [RM note: if it's a spring shock, unbolt it.]
• remove the seat

The bike will then lie more or less flat on its side and the other pieces can be laid in the spaces in between.  I have the ergomesh seat which is the most awkward thing to pack up as it is not exactly a compact design.  I had to tape half a box extra to one end to cover the end of the boom and accommodate the seat.  The sealed box was not the prettiest but protects the bike.

The Streetmachine is not an easy bike to transport. It is heavy, awkwardly shaped and I'm surprised HPV have not released a folding version.  But with the right box it can be made a little more travel friendly.

This is definitely a machine that prefers to be out of the box and on the road.

Sorry the pics are not the greatest, but the staff were hassling me to get out.

Have fun and go an unpack that bike,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Hopkins rides an HP Velotechnik on his Pan American Odyssey

Matthew Hopkins with his cool custom blue-green Street Machine Gte. Photo credit: from Matthew's blog

Matthew Hopkins dropped by New York City Recumbent Supply the other day.  He is riding the Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina, a 30,000 mile odyssey, on a custom green HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte (with Rohloff).  He originally contacted me because he needed a new chain tube.  I didn't have a spare in stock, but invited Matthew for lunch as a consolation and to see if I couldn't help him brainstorm a temporary solution.

Here's Matthew's blog: http://theroadoflittlemiracles.ghost.io

When he arrived, I was wrapping up an appointment with another HP Velotechnik convert (Adam), so we all went to my favorite local source for Caribbean take-out and picked up several containers of ox tail, stewed chicken and jerk chicken.  We had a good time, enjoying the sunshine in my vegetable garden and talked about tents, wasps, water filters, friendly people and the other joys of long distance riding.  And of course we talked about recumbent bikes -- this brand, that brand, different considerations, etc.

Matthew has 20 years experience as a bike mechanic, so he knows bikes.  It turns out he owns three HP Velotechniks: the Street Machine Gte he's riding, a Grasshopper fx, and a Scorpion fx (with Rohloff).  He seems to believe the best option for a machine that will be reliable for 30,000 miles is an HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte.  And if it were me, I'd make the exact same choice.

Have fun, ride far,
Robert
------------
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson

So, a customer (David D.) with a Cruzbike Quest 26 found himself with a problem none of us had encountered before.  Basically, it was this.  There are a few thick hard rubber pads between the seat and the mounting plates.  The pads were slowly migrating out of position.  The customer (David D.), was understandably concerned that he might lose the pads someday and, thereby, their functionality.

We didn't have a factory authorized solution, but had a shop solution (Gorilla Glue the pads to the seat).

David was looking for a solution that was more elegant, perhaps, and less fixed.  He wrote me the other day to tell me about it and I think it's a brilliant and creative "Home Depot" solution, truly worthy of a Cruzbike rider.  I love the resourcefulness he shows here.  If anyone else has a similar issue, perhaps you'll find this helpful!


David Deaton
Aug 9 (3 days ago)

to Robert,

Thank you for your help. I thought you would like to know that  I believe I have found a solution to my issue of shifting rubber pads under the quest seat. To replace the pads, I found at the hardware store a large rubber hose. This is the hose used to drain a clothes washer. The wall thickness was roughly the same as the pads. By heating it in boiling water I was able to flatten it and cut it as a single piece slightly larger than the bracket that the seat mounts on. By having a single pad that both screws pass through this pad will not be able to shift while riding. To address the issue of the screws loosening I added a star locking washer. This seems to result in stable seat attachment and still allows for an easy seat release that I need for placing my bike on my car rack.

David



Have fun, stay healthy, keep cruzin',
Robert
------------
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Customer blog: Brian Nice. Really cool stuff

I've just remotely met this fellow, Brian Nice, for whom a handful of us are trying to find a trike.  It seems he's a good candidate for some of the cool adaptations that Hase Bikes is so good at.

Brian is an athlete with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is keeping an incredibly interesting and inspiring blog about his experiences and, well, the world.  All that aside, to my eyes, he's a talented artist and photographer.  Really cool stuff.  Go Brian.  Go.

http://briannice.com/

And this project:
http://briannice.com/mypointofviewproject/

Have fun, stay healthy, go out and make a difference,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson

Cruzbike Quest on a car mounted bike rack

People often have questions about how to mount recumbents and Cruzbikes on a car-mounted rack.  (Some might call this a bike carrier.)

A customer recently bought the second to last new Cruzbike Quest 451 in existence.  He sent me these photos to show how he mounted his Quest in order to head out for his first rail trail ride.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Tires for the Cruzbike Quest 20 (aka Q 451)

The Quest 20", also known as the Q451, is taking a redesign holiday.  We hope to see it again in seven or eight months.  Meanwhile, there are a good number of Q451 owners already out there, who, like me, absolutely love the small wheel format for being so transportable.

One of the few downsides to the bike is the tire size.  In brief the metric size "406" tire is the common 20" tire found on BMX bikes and most recumbent trikes and bikes and the 406s are easy to find.  The metric 451 is harder to find at your corner bike shop (does a corner bike shop really exist in New York City anymore?), however it has its fans among discerning BMX riders, who seem to like that slightly larger wheel.

The 451 also seems to have a fan in John Tolhurst, the genius behind the Cruzbike design.  So, I keep a casual eye out for appearances of new 451 sized tires.

I've never been too concerned about the comparative rarity of 451s because I'm a Schwalbe dealer, and Schwalbe makes some of the best tires in the world hands down, and Schwalbe makes some extremely good 451s.

Here are the 451s produced by Schwalbe:

Durano 28-451 (20x1 1/8) - a great all-around road tire
Mow Joe, 37-451 (20x1 3/8) - a great knobby tire. Do you need it?
HS 302, 25-451 (20x1) - I know nothing about it, but it's listed on their site.
Shredda, 28-451 (20 x 1 1/8) and 37-451 (20 x 1 3/8) - a BMX tire for ramps, etc., which means it's also a great street tire and the widest 451 from Schwalbe.
Ultremo ZX, 23-451 (20 x 0.90) - one of the best -- fastest, lightest, most puncture resistant -- road race tires.
Kenda Kwest also makes a few 451s, but I'm less excited about them.


Have fun and stay healthy and get some better tires.
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Solutions to aggravating little problems: lost rubber pads under seat of Cruzbike Quest

The rubber pads under the seat of a Cruzbike Quest are attached with glue.  As a result, those pads might move and migrate around their mounting point over time or even fall off while riding and get lost.  How annoying is that?

In the world of recumbent bikes, it's not uncommon to discover that a manufacturer isn't yet producing a replacement part for some tiny item, or their stock pile is small.  This might be an example.

So, what do you do if you lose one of those pads and don’t have a back-up yet from Cruzbike?  My solution is the following.

I’d create a pad of a thickness equal to the original pad by layering a bicycle inner tube multiple times with Gorilla Glue between each layer (like a wafer cookie).  Then I’d cut it to the necessary size and shape with an Xacto knife or box cutter.  (Finesse is unnecessary, by the way.)  In this case, I would use an inner tube mainly because it would have the right properties (flexible, grippy, cheap) and is the sort of thing a cyclist might have laying around.

If you don’t have an inner tube to sacrifice (or resurrect), I’d look for something with similar properties by browsing the isles of a large hardware store.  The main thing, it seems to me, is that you’re looking for a piece of strong rubber that would stay flexible under a wide range of temperatures and will not permanently compress.  Neoprene might be a good rubber for this purpose, too, but maybe harder to source.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Alex riding across the USA

A customer and friend, Alex, is riding his HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte across the USA, east to west.  Sounds like an amazing trip.

His blog is here:
http://kinkersbiketrip.blogspot.com/

Have fun and stay healthy,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Cyclist settles for $70,000 after being hit by car.

I was chatting with a customer today and he told me about the time, several years ago, that he was hit by a car.  He was struck pretty badly and claims he wouldn't be here today if he hadn't been wearing a helmet.

I asked him if he broke anything.  He said, no, but he did lose a lot of skin.

I asked him if he hired a lawyer.  He said, yes.  I asked him how much he got.  He said $70,000 and the lawyer took thirty.

It reminded me of another time I heard a story, back when I worked in an office, but this time it sounded like the pedestrian was deliberately trying to get a payday.  All week, our team was working till the wee hours of the morning.  The previous night, one of my colleagues was taking a limo service from the office to his home.  On 42nd Street, at right about Grand Central, a homeless guy threw himself onto the limo's hood while the car was moving.  We assumed it was to try and get a payout from the driver's insurance company.  We were amazed.  Now I wonder if it doesn't happen a lot more often.

I also wonder, now, if this doesn't explain why so many of the stories I hear about cyclists being hit, involve a hit-and-run driver.

Watch out for cars,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson

How to pack the Cruzbike Quest 20" in a suitcase.

How to pack the Cruzbike Quest 20" in the Samsonite F'lite suitcase, by John Tolhurst of Cruzbike.

Have fun, pack light, and stay healthy,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson

Mounting a headlight on a Street Machine Gte when there's no obvious place for it.

Recently, a couple owners of HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gtes asked about the bolt holes on the front boom of the Street Machine Gte.  They wanted to fit their bikes with headlights.  However, their bikes had front booms without the optional derailer post.  The derailer post is a natural place to mount a headlight, whether using the threaded bolt holes on the post or by using the Terracycle accessory mount.  That post is optional, though, if you have a hub gear system like the SRAM Dual Drive or the Rohloff Speed Hub.  If you ordered your bike without the post, but later decide to mount a headlight, what are your options?

HP Velotechnik manufactures their front booms -- those with and without the derailer post -- with threaded bolt holes on both the top and bottom side of the boom.  The factory uses the threaded bolt hole on the bottom of the boom for installing the headlight mount for a dynamo headlight.  They'll use the threaded bolt hole on top of the boom for installing the odometer mount.  Obviously, you could use the bolt holes for installing other accessories.

As for the question about the size of the threaded bolt holes, they are simply the same metric sized bolt holes as those used for bolting on water bottle cages and the cable guides on the Street Machine Gte (and most other mass-market modern bike).  Yes, there is an "M" number, but it's easier to remember that it's the same as those used for the water bottle cages.

If you want a headlight, but your SMGte has no derailer mast, there are several ways to solve the problem.

1) Attach a HPV odometer (accessory) mount, suitable for a lightweight headlight, using the threaded bolt hole on top side of boom.

2) Use the strong accessory mount built by Hase (google e.g., "Hase Pino"), which wraps around a front boom and can support a headlight or other accessory.

3) Use the threaded bolt hole accessory mount under the boom with the mounts included with a high end (e.g. B&M) dynamo powered headlight.  The Peter White Cycles website has great information about light mounts.

4) Use a nylon Cronometro Nob attached to your front fork or handlebars (see Peter White Cycles website for instructions).

5) Use a high-end helmet-mounted headlight (e.g., from B&M, or Dinotte).

Hase Accessory Mount

Stay healthy and stay well-lit,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson

3000 Miles to a Cure and HOPE - Documentary Film Trailer

3000 Miles to a Cure (for brain cancer).

http://www.3000milestoacure.com/





Help make the world a better place,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

Cruzbike Vendetta and Silvio: this will be brief. Fast. Whatever.

Maria Parker on a Cruzbike Vendetta. She's a lot faster than me.

OK, so, after a long cold icy winter of running, swimming, skiing, skating and hiking, and riding beater bikes fairly short distances on the salt and slushy streets, I finally felt like it was warm enough to deal with the 15? 20? 30? mph winds in the face while riding a Silvio or Vendetta.

I never ride the RAAM Vendetta I have in the shop.  For one thing, I like to keep it shiny, clean and new.  For another, I prefer not to string up the front derailers on S's and V's to make them easier to adjust for demo rides or the final customer.  So, any time I ride the shop's S, for example, I'm in the middle chain ring the whole time.  It's great for a demo, but it kind of puts a limiter on your fun.

For the V, I really don't do demos.  I offer look-sees and a demo on the S.  I simply feel V's are too fast and hard to handle for anyone who hasn't already put in a thousand miles or so on a high-speed CB.  Moreover, the sizing is a rather final on the V; you can't just slide a boom in and out over a long range to fit a wide range of different sized riders as you can for the Silvio.  It's more a measure thrice and cut once sort of deal.  And, I feel, for the rider, the Silvio 2.0 is so nearly like the V in ride quality, just less time-trial-y, that a demo on an S really tells you everything you need to know: do you like it?  Does it speak to you?  If you like the S, but want to go faster, get the V.

But spring has sprung in New York City and I began to get antsy from looking at the V all winter, fielding questions about it, and never riding it.  So I finished it last week and took it out in Prospect Park for a few demo rides.

Holy crap.

This thing is so unbelievably fast and twitchy and responsive and stiff and aero and with such a tight cockpit, that my first ride out was really -- again, as with all my first Cruzbike rides -- just holding on for dear life.

That first ride I did only about 7 miles because I was mainly just checking the build.  But, more than anything, when I got off, my primary thought was that I had absolutely no idea what I'd do with a bike this fast other than ride incredibly far in a lot less time than I'm used to.  I wondered if I needed to sign up for a brevet just to start bringing the world back into balance.

But I like going fast.  So I took it out again for another ride.  And then another.

My second ride, I went out for an hour, again still holding on for dear life, but getting a better sense of how to handle it.  I did 20.5 hilly miles in that hour and really felt no fatigue.  Kept up with some of the pros and semi-pros who train in the park and with whom I have no business keeping up.  Went out a second time a few days later, knocked off another 20 mi. in an hour.

Who is this guy?  My idea of serious riding is pedaling 13.5 mph down remote roads with 35 lbs of food, clothes, and wet camping gear on an HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte.  The road itself changed character at the speeds I was hitting.  This isn't cycling.  Is this cycling?  I realized: this means I could ride the 180 miles up to Chatham, NY in one day instead of two.  I began to think about lycra, damn it.  Lycra!

So anyway.  Got a Vendetta here.  It's fast.  It really is.  If you like the idea of that, get one.  I'm pretty tempted to buy one from the shop for my personal use.  And I'm such a touring dork that I really might try and figure out how to hang panniers from it.  I mean, think about it.  If I'm doing 20.5 mph with winter legs, I could probably hold 17-18 mph on the open road with summer touring legs and Radical Design's aero panniers.  8 hours of riding, 8 hours of goofing around, 8 hours of sleeping....  That's like three and a half days from Brooklyn to Mt. Desert Ile.  Heck, it takes two days in a car and you'd be dying of boredom.

Kind of changes the notion of "possible." And of "cycling vacation."

Anyway, other things.

I received Cruzbike's regular, irregular seasonal newsletter the other day.

Silvios: they are sold out of all current models.  You missed it.  They anticipate having new stock in mid-June or so.
Vendettas: there are a few frames left.  I anticipate those will sell out soon and that'll be the last of the 25 models in the RAAM V production run.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson

A nice pair for your Scorpion fs 26

Dear Robert,

I ride a sleek blue-gray HP Velotechnik Scorpion fs 26 with white accents that is the ninth or tenth love of my life.  It has a body link seat, rear rack...all whistles and no bells.  Will a pair of HPV's Moonbiker panniers mount properly?  If not, which others might be my pleasure?  My only requirements are that they look as attractive as the trike and have excellent capacity.

Yours truly,
Zing



Dear Zing,

You're right to require that a pair of panniers look as good as the trike.

Usually, the Moonbiker or Radical Design panniers are suitable, but not this time: they won't lay properly on the Scorpion fs 26's uniquely shaped rear rack.

However the Ortlieb Recumbent Panniers are a very nice pair, with 54 liters capacity.  They are attractive, waterproof, aerodynamic, with a fiddle-free mounting system.  As you might imagine, they're not cheap but, like most Ortlieb products, you'll want to hold onto them for the long-term.

These Radical Design bags are also good choices, though with less capacity.  They're attractive and a great option if you don't feel ready to commit to one or the other: if you have trouble choosing, go with both for 35 liters total volume.

With Body Link seat: Solo Racer wide (10 liters) or Banana Racer (25 liters)

With Ergo Mesh seat: Universal Racer (10 liters) or Banana Racer (25 liters)

Have fun, and play safe,
Robert

Radical Design Universal Racer

Radical Design Banana Racer

Radical Design Solo Aero

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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson