Monday morning when I walked into the office the phone was ringing, I missed the call but a few minutes later it rang again, Scott from Belmont Wheelworks, http://www.bacchettabikes.com/dealers/profiles/ma-bw-470.htm, was calling. I thought he just needs to b.s. Mike for a minute, then Mike was saying Scott was wanting to talk to me.

Scott went on to tell me about a lady, Trish Krater, CEO and cofounder of Dancing Deer Baking Co., http://www.dancingdeer.com/, He said Trish was doing a fifteen day 1500 mile ride Mother’s Day ride to raise awareness and supporting organizations that are working with the homeless. A focus of Trish is the homeless with families.

Why Scott was calling me? He said that Trish could use a pep talk and was having a rough day and things were getting tougher. I guess you thought maybe another bike crazy ultra type rider might be able to pep her up on her ride. I said sure I would do but what is she riding? Oh just a Trek Madone or something, I thought must be one tough lady to be putting herself though this.

Scott give me her web site, http://blog.dancingdeer.com/index.php/ride/about/, I took a peek. Trish has a GPS tracker on her bike and gave me a idea where she was riding and how fast, I took a look at the weather for where she was and hmmm, it was a warm day but looked like she might be getting some tailwinds. I thought I’ll try and give her a call.

Trish answered and I told her who I was and that Scott Chamberlein for Wheelworks asked me to give her a call. She respond that Scott had told her I would be calling and she would love to talk but was running low on the cell phone battery and her RV support was lost. She asked me to text my number to her and she would give me a call back later.  

Tuesday I gave her a buzz, was able to visit with her about her ride and if she was getting anybody to ride with.  She had hope more people would join in along her route and share the experience with a little more then so far but understands riding along during the middle of a work week may put the damper on that happening. Otherwise she seems to be doing pretty good and has a great attitude about your journey.

Take a look at her web site and route; if she is coming close maybe some of Bacchetta family could spin a few miles with her.

Thanks

John

I had my new bike with me at the fall Bacchetta Cat Trike Rally and a few people notice the set up. At that time I had it set up as just a single speed with a single freewheel cog. Finally got around to getting a 3/32 track cog and set up my flip flop hub with the single freewheel and track cog.

Last night I took the Giro fixie  and did a ride put on by our local Bacchetta dealer Bicycle Outfitters, http://bicycleoutfitters.net/, . Diana, Jerry, Adam Belander and the Outfitter crew put on a great X-mas light ride though Lake Park neighborhood that decorates up their streets and accepts donations to the Hospice. A good spread of treats with hot cider and cocoa at the store was well appreciated on the chilly Florida night (come on it was like 54 degrees).

Oh back to the fixie, she worked great and it is very interesting riding a high bottom bracket recumbent with a fix gear and reclined. I recommend keeping the extra brakes and not to depend upon leg braking. Other then that it works well, some planning on starts maybe required more, “Pinto run”  the duck run launches to get going as you though your feet up on to the pedals.

 More on the bike, I had my builder Cam “the man” Millet take a 2007 Giro 26 frame add in some track drop outs, clean off a few extra housing stops and stubby the front del. Post and his choice of color, which seems to be liked by a lot of people. I picked up a set of Surly single speed hubs built on to a Mavic Open Sport 700c rims and put on a pair of Maxxis 700c x 25mm Re-Fuse tires for banging around on. Added in a some Kore rear dropout adjusters you get a Fixie Giro. Note I ended up going with a 3/32 cog and chain to fit though the Bacchetta idler wheel, Tried a heavy duty 1/8 KMC chain and it was to wide for the idler wheel.

Merry Christmas

 John

As I reached the base of my “Power Hill”, I jumped on the pedals hard. The stealth prototype frame beneath me surged forward with total authority and minimum drama. The PowerTap registered 1067 watts, a new personal record! I am one of the lucky few that have participated in testing of Bacchetta’s new CarbonAero.

Long, long ago during a now forgotten era, recumbents were only made of steel and aluminum. Times have certainly changed. Carbon fiber ‘bents aren’t nearly as rare as they once were and titanium recumbents are becoming almost commonplace. There are no less than five being produced in the United States alone with more on the way. One of the most prominent of these exotic domestics is the Bacchetta Aero.

Before I describe my dream bike, I have to tell you about my nightmare. In my nightmare I’m riding my ‘bent and pull up to a light. A pack of uprights—well-toned racers in bright team jerseys—pulls up next to me. “Nice bike!” the leader says, looking down at my ‘bent. I beam with pride as he takes an eyeful of my gorgeous bike.

The Corsa is the least known of the Bacchetta line of high performance Highracer recumbents. It’s hidden neatly in between the dual 26 Strada and the ultra-light Aero. The Corsa has the same frame as the Strada, but has upgraded components, dual 650c wheels, a stiff CroMo frame, M5 fiberglass shell seat, and weighs a mere 26 pounds.

Probably the most anticipated member of Bacchetta’s debut line-up is the dual 26″ Strada. Big wheel ‘bents are quickly becoming all the rage in the American recumbent market (The 2002 Saber and Reynolds T-Bone are also gaining a lot of attention) and the Strada has looked to be a worthy addition to this burgeoning niche market since its Interbike 2001 debut.

The Bacchetta Strada is a new concept for the American market. European manufacturers like M5 and Challenge have been producing big-wheel recumbents (often called highracers) for years. However, with the exception of a few one-offs and Rich Pinto’s Aerocycle line, highracers have been pretty rare in the United States. Rich has since joined the Bacchetta gang and added his high-octane Ti-Aerocycle (now dubbed the Aero) to the Bacchetta line.

By Jose A. Hernandez, BentRider Online Co-Founder

My very first “not–so-close encounter” with the Giro, during Interbike 2001, had me “looking at” but not really “seeing” this bike. Sure, the Giro did look pretty good as it meekly posed on its display stand. But I guess I must’ve felt that this bike wasn’t new or different enough to command my full attention. After all, this was Interbike and I was on a mission to discover new and weird things of the bent kind.

Article By
BRYAN J. BALL
Editor, BentRiderOnline

Long, long ago during a now forgotten era, recumbents were only made of steel and aluminum. Times have certainly changed. Carbon fiber ‘bents aren’t nearly as rare as they once were and titanium recumbents are becoming almost commonplace. There are no less than five being produced in the United States alone with more on the way. One of the most prominent of these exotic domestics is the Bacchetta Aero.