I came to recumbents because of injury.  After twenty years of cycling my body could no longer tolerate a traditional bike saddle. For the past three seasons I’ve been Randonneuring. I had completed three Super Randonneur Series’, among other long distance cycling pursuits. Faced with the choice of either quitting the activity I love, or finding an alternative, I opted to research recumbents.  I settled on the Bacchetta Giro 26 with optional euromesh seat.  I decided on this bike because the high racer platform seemed to be the best for riding in the company of upright bikes.  Also, the Giro model is a very durable ride which is desirable for Rando activities as well as commuting.  I picked up the bike from Economy Bike Shop in Hamilton Square, New Jersey on March 15th.  I needed to be ready for a 200k brevet in three weeks.

The adaptation process from riding uprights to recumbents was not easy for me.  I struggled at first but gradually kept improving.  I  worked my way through the Randonneur events one at a time.  I managed to complete my fourth full series finishing the 600k just this past weekend.  I feel much more comfortable on the bike and have actually come to enjoy the advantages of recumbent riding.  I continue to ride with the same group of friends as I always have.  They were very accepting of the new bike and have been very patient during the changeover process.  Although there are some trade-offs involved, the recumbent is undeniably more comfortable to ride than anything else I’ve ever had.  My body has healed from the years of abuse I heaped on it riding stiff bikes with even stiffer saddles.  I love cycling again.  It’s almost all I think about.

See you on the roads.

Joe Kratovil

Hillsborough, New Jersey 

Joe on the 400k fleche ride, passing Cranberry bogs-Southern NJ

Just letting everyone know, that we finally got in the new, Hi-Viz Jersey’s today and are sending them right back out the door.  Take a look below:

Bacchetta Hi-Viz Recumbent Jersey

Next on the list, we got in a couple of samples of a new, all carbon fork that we’re working on.  Right now, these would be for both 650c and 700c, with 1 1/8″ steer tubes only.  Price will be around $300 and you can check the weight out below.

FCJ Fork Weight

And Finally, we’ve got some brake samples.  These are CNC’d, long reach (43-57mm) with a left-hand side pull front brake.  Look for the price to be about $300 for the set.  Weight is below.

X-Eyed Brake Weight

And From the Rear

One of our customers recently posted some timely questions about a rumored new bike from Bacchetta and we thought we’d post the answers here so everyone could share.

I heard a rumor……that a 700C Aluminum bike was in the works.

The rumor that Bacchetta is working on a 700c aluminum bike is false. However, we have been working on an aluminum version of the Giro-26 that should be here in a couple of months. The new Giro-26ATT (Aluminum Top Touring) will have the same spec as our other ATT bikes and, like the steel version of the Giro-26, the 26ATT frame and fork will also accept 700c wheels, but the tire size will be limited to 23c.

My request would be that it has a 1″ 1/8 steer tube so we can take advantage of the many different fork options out there as it is now the standard. My Giro has 1″ and the fork is a beast.

The Giro-26ATT will have a 1” steer tube since we want to use the same fork as the steel Giro-26 and because adding another SKU to our inventory really isn’t very practical at this time. Also, while the current fork may be a little heavy, it is what it is for a reason. It’s a custom built aluminum fork that needs to be strong enough for a disc brake and tall enough to accommodate a 700c wheel. It was designed specifically to do those two things and work with the geometry that both the steel and new aluminum Giro-26 frames share. The newest version of this fork will also have canti-posts on it and the posts will be positioned to work with V-brakes on 559 (26”) and 571 (650c) wheels.

The other part of the rumor was that it will be outfitted with disc brakes. I am hoping that it will have a rear caliper mount as well.

The Giro-26ATT frame will have mount in the rear for a road caliper brake for use with a 700c wheel. The Giro-26ATT frame will also have canti-posts, positioned for use with V-brakes on 559 (26”) wheels. The bike will ship with AVID BB7 disc brakes as stock equipment.

If this is all true then please let us know what it’s intended use will be…touring, racing etc.

The truth is the Giro-26ATT, like the Giro-20ATT, is intended to be a touring bike. Its frame material limits the total load it will carry to 230 lbs. (rider and gear) but if you that fit that criteria you should love this bike. The thing to keep in mind here is that, while the frame and fork on the new Giro-26ATT will accommodate 700c wheels and road caliper brakes, we are not building a 700c specific bike. The Giro-26ATT is a 559 (26″) wheeled bike (with 135mm rear spacing) and it is intended to be a lighter weight, higher spec’d, alternative to the steel Giro-26. But because the Giro-26ATT frame and fork will also allow owners to set the bike up with 700c wheels without a lot of fuss it could also be a weekend racer if you wanted to do that. Again, your 700c tire size will be limited to 23c because the tolerances are tight, like most modern road bikes.

Below is a picture of the current Giro-26 with 700c wheels (with 23c tires) and road brake calipers. The fork is the stock aluminum fork. When the bike is set up this way the seat height is about one inch higher. If you’re on your tip toes at stops with the stock set-up than the bigger wheels may not be suitable for you. Only a test ride will tell you for sure and we always recommend test riding any bike you’re thinking about buying. The MSRP on the new Giro-26ATT is $1,995.

Thanks,
Mark Colliton

We unloaded them today and they look great!  The only difference, which I’ll change on the specs, is that it came with the 48/36/26 crank setup (which is what we wanted in the first place) instead of the 44/32/22.  While we are shipping these out to dealers, it is entirely possible that your dealer, may not be getting one for inventory.  We recommend calling your dealer and asking them to bring one in, if you’re interested in test riding.

As always, if you have any questions, just let us know.

Just wanted to drop a note and let everybody know, who’s been waiting on the above bikes, that they will be in next week and we’ll be shipping them right out the door to dealers.  I’ve been getting a lot of calls and emails, especially about the Bella ATT’s, this week which are a couple of weeks late coming in.  So, if you’ve been waiting for a test ride, your time is coming up soon so contact your dealer!

At the end of 2007, we introduced the Bellandare as an entry level replacement for our Café and Agio models. The Bellandare was our first low bottom bracket Long Wheel Base (LWB) design and we’ve been very pleased with the reception it’s received. Not surprisingly people have been comparing the Bellandare with other LWB bikes, both past and present, and it’s nice to hear that the design is holding its own.  What we want to do with this article is show where our Bellandare and Bella ATT got their lineage and how they compare to LWB recumbent both past and present.  We’re not here to say what brand or model is best or that our LWB recumbents are better; we think they’re all exceptional, especially those mentioned here.  Rather, we want to contrast and compare the bikes that are out there and let the customer decide.

Bellandare-Burley comparison

As you can see from the photo above, the Bellandare has a lot in common with the Jet Creek and Koosha designs that were so popular before Burley stopped producing bicycles a few years ago. The most significant difference between our design and theirs is a triangulated front end. We feel this added frame member gives the Bellandare a more ridged head tube and bottom bracket than the Burley designs and in our opinion, gives the bike better handling. We also pushed the Bottom Bracket (BB) up higher than the Burley’s (and most other LWB designs) for better performance. The Bellandare is not only a sweet riding bike, but with an MSRP of only $1,295.00, it’s also one of the best values in the LWB market.

With the success of the Bellandare we decided to take this platform to the next level and design a bike that would better address the needs of the LWB, sport-touring market. Enter the Bella ATT concept.  We knew we wanted to start with the Bellandare’s proven geometry and higher bottom bracket position, but the end goal for us was a more robust frame for loaded touring.  Therefore, a fully triangulated frame was a necessity. To keep the frame as light as we could we decided to start with our triangulated, aluminum Agio frame. From the beginning, it was easy to see the how the new bike would come together once we got going. The process began by simply cutting off the head tube of the Agio and rotating the bottom bracket down to 16 inches, to match the Bellandare’s. We then duplicated the Bellandare’s front end in aluminum and welded it to the repositioned rear triangle.  When everything was said and done we realized we had a pretty damn close rendition of the RANS Stratus.

Bellandare front and Agio rear combined to form Bella ATT

Bella ATT-Stratus comparison

Reading the statement above, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that recumbent designs are starting to look more and more alike since they’ve been maturating into these basic forms for over 25 years now. Plus there’s just no getting around the fact that the RANS Stratus, with it’s down sloping top tube and triangulated frame, is a very good LWB design. For those reasons we wholeheartedly embraced its basic design elements but we didn’t hesitate to make changes where we saw room for improvement. We’ve also done our best to make the Bella ATT a real value as well. All you’ll need to do is compare its specifications to other LWB bikes out there and you’ll see that’s true.

Again, if you look at the pictures, the one element that all of these designs have in common is a down sloping top tube. In our humble opinion this is the true genius of the original Stratus design because it not only brings the rider closer to ground as the seat is adjusted forward for shorter people but it also keeps the seat to BB relationship the same throughout its adjustment range. Our Bella ATT and Bellandare also incorporate this design element. The main difference with our bikes is that the top tube angle is not as steep as other designs and our BB is higher too. While these may seem like small differences, they make a huge impact on the Bella’s overall feel, handling, and performance. We believe that a higher BB to SEAT relationship allows greater force to be applied to the pedals because it closes the riders’ hip angle relative to these two points. We also believe that a slightly more reclined seat makes for a more comfortable ride. Being able to recline the seat without giving up power, which the higher BB allows, is a real improvement over other designs. Other benefits of the higher BB are better heel-to-ground clearance and improved aerodynamics. And, even though our Bella ATT and Bellandare were designed for touring and recreational riding, respectively, if you add a front fairing they will perform as well as any other similarly equipped LWB on the market today.

2009 Bella ATT

Another design goal we had with these bikes was to keep the wheelbase as short as possible for good maneuverability and for easy transport. To do that, we decided to use a 20” front wheel rather than a 559 or 650c wheel. We know there’s been a trend towards big front wheels on LWB bikes over the past few years but we feel that this is one of the few instances where a smaller wheel is not a performance compromise. The reason being is the front wheel on a LWB bike is so lightly loaded that their inherently higher rolling resistance is vastly improved and basically eliminates the need to go to a larger and heavier front wheel, for speed reasons at least. We felt that this was a very good trade off since you get all the benefits of the higher BB without the extra weight and extra length of a larger front wheel. In the end, the Bella’s geometry turned out to be more like that of the RANS XP, but its overall length is shorter because of the small front wheel. We also added a B-pivot to the steering system that allows the handle bars to quickly flipped around and folded down into the seat, which makes the bike much more compact and easier to transport.

Bella ATT-Stratus XP comparison

The other thing we wanted to address with our designs was the poor low speed handling we’ve experienced with some LWB bikes due to excessive tiller. So we spent a lot time tweaking the front end geometry of our bikes and designed a riser system that is not only extremely adjustable, for better ergonomics, but also minimizes steering tiller for a much more direct feel. The combination of the two makes the handling of our LWB bikes something special, at least IOHO.

Last, but not least, we want to acknowledge the huge influence bikes like the Stratus, Jett Creek and Ryan Vanguard have had on us, and our designs. There’s simply no denying the impact these bikes have had on the LWB market over the past 25 years. But, having said that, I would also add that we wouldn’t have jumped into this part of the market unless we thought we were bringing something new to the party. Thanks in advance for your consideration, and enjoy the ride!

Please note that our Bellandare frame is made of 4130 Chromoly steel and has a weight limit, for rider and gear, of 275 lbs.

Bella ATT frames are made with 7000 series aluminum and will come in two sizes, small and large. Weight limit is 300 lbs., for rider and gear. Both the Bellandare and Bella share the same geometry but have different load capacities due to the nature of their frame architecture and build materials.

To compare the spec’s for the Bella and Bellandare click here:
http://www.bacchettabikes.com/recumbents/compare.htm

Mark Colliton
Bacchetta Bicycles, Inc

I came out of SeaTac feeling good.  The sun wasn’t exactly shining- nothing new there, it’s Seattle after all- but it was fairly warm and that’s good enough.  I jumped in a cab and took the short ride down to Angle Lake Cyclery, home of one our largest dealers and home to one of the top recumbent dealers in the world.  Yeah, the shop looks a little out of hand, but when you go there, you get to see a lot of bikes and get taken care of by one of the true good guys in the industry.

Same story as usual this year: Dale, the owner of Angle Lake, had bikes to the rafters and wasn’t quite ready to go yet.  So, I threw down my bags, rolled up my sleeves and helped him load up his Sprinter with a bunch of Bacchetta’s, folders, a Moulton and some crank forward bikes.  Long story short; we got a van packed full of bikes, a weary traveler and we were supposed to be unloaded, at the show, about thirty minutes ago.  Add to that Dale’s interest in car racing of all types and you have a Hunter S. Thompson moment in the making.

In case I didn’t mention it, this is one of those really big, Mercede’s Sprinter vans- not exactly race car suspension- and we’re making the trip in half the alotted time.  Now, people are always asking me, “What’s Seattle like?”  Well, I don’t know.  Everytime I’m there it’s a literal blur.  Oh well.

If you’ve never been to the Seattle Expo and you live in this part of the country, you’re doing yourself a dis-favor.  People travel from hundreds of miles away, to see what’s new and pick up great deals on overstocked bikes, clothes and accessories.  Angle Lake uses it to showcase what they do best, which is basically everything that all the other bike shops are afraid to do.

We took advantage of this and had a lot of Bacchetta’s on hand.  As usual, we also put a bike in a trainer, for people to sit on and pedal.  This year, we used the Bella ATT.  I’ll say it again: for those of you who do not think Bacchetta does long wheelbase recumbents, well, you will be in for a huge surprise!  People loved the fit and adjustability of this machine.

A Star is Born!

The Tent-

This year, the show organizers had to utilize large tents to contain the vendors.  This is Seattle.  Seattle gets some rain.  Tents supply top and side protection.  Saturday and Sunday both, had wind and rain…see where I’m going with this?  In hindsight, it actually worked to our advantage, because people showed up in droves.  I handed out a lot of brochures, talked to a lot of really great people about Bacchetta and recumbents in general.  I’ve done this show about 6 times now and it still amazes me how much interest there is in recumbents.  Hell, even cold concrete and soaking wet carpet had them excited- not bad.

A New Mantra-

One discouraging item, is how many people said that they were interested in recumbents, but were going to wait until their back, wrist or neck failed them.  They would actually admit this!  After about the fifth time of this happening, I finally just told one nice person “kind of like eating junk food everyday until you finally have that massive heart attack.”  They squinted, looked inquisitive for a moment and then replied, “I guess I never looked at it that way.”  Maybe not the nicest way to put it, but sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

All in all, it was another successful show.  Great people, great city, great hosts, the whole spiel.  And for those of you who have Angle Lake in your back yard, but have never visited, I suggest you do so.  However, be aware that the experience can be overwhelming, so be patient and you’ll have one of the best recumbent experiences of your life.  And if you like exotic and strange bikes, well, consider this a destination shop.

Bacchetta X-Pocket, Hi-Viz Recumbent Jersey

We’ve been teasing for a while now about this jersey and in a few months- May to be exact- we’ll have them in stock.  These will utilize our X-Pocket design and same fit as our other jersey’s and will soon be available for backorder in our Bacchetta Shop.

Our X-Pocket recumbent jersey’s have been a hit since the day we introduced them.  Since then, a lot of people have been asking for a Hi-Viz option and a little less, er, crap on them.  So what you get is a basic jersey, with minimal graphics.  This makes it easy to wear, no matter what brand of recumbent you ride!

I also want to note the fit on all of our jersey’s.  Right now, we are only able to get them in a “race cut”, which is a slimmer fit.  So, if you like a looser fit, order a jersey that’s a size larger than usual and you should be fine.

Bacchettite in Iraq

Just thought I’d throw this short one up here.  Its from John Devlin, just one of the fighting men and women in Iraq.  Funny, it’s always cool to see one of your cycling heroes in a jersey standing proud, but, can you really think of anyone else we’d rather see in a Bacchetta jersey?  Hardly! 

John, thanks for taking the time to send this in.

Bachettites:

  Well, my Ti Aero did not make it out here.  However, my brother in law was kind enough to send me a jersey.  Lends a bit of panache to the $49.99 PX bike!

Regards,

John Devlin

I was going back through the stories people have sent me, over the last couple of years, when I came across this one.  It was rather short in words, but the pictures say it all.  It’s almost a year and a half old but Tony, if you’re out there, way to go!

In january 2007 I weighed 400 Lbs,on may 16 I had weight loss surgery. In september I was down to 396 lbs, and the doctor wanted me to get more exercise. so my bike dealer sold me a sun ez-sport.I had never cycled before. I became addicted riding more and more.I am now in perfect health. no meds.I chose recumbants because Im 45 and needed something that wasn’t going to hurt me.The reason I wrote you is that I am down to around 215 lbs. and just bought a ti-aero WOW.I ride 30 to 40 miles every day when Im off work I work 14 days on and 14 days off. It has saved my life.I can average 20 mph easy.I love it.

Tony Before

Tony After