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Bacchetta Giro 20 Setup

Discussion in 'Gear and Equipment' started by Aushiker, Aug 2, 2013.  |  Print Topic

  1. Aushiker

    Aushiker

    Region:
    SouthWest
    State/Country:
    Australia
    City:
    Fremantle
    Ride:
    LoGo P-38
    Name:
    Andrew
    I have a Bacchetta Giro 20 which is new to me and my first recumbent so all is new including trying to get it setup properly.

    This is the bike BTW.

    4519.jpg

    4520.jpg

    4521.jpg

    Anyway I spent a bit of time today on my riding position following the advice at Bacchetta and at Easy Street Recumbents.

    This is how I am currently positioned on the bike (video recorded in my "man cave" :cool9: ). Any comments most welcome.



    Thanks
    Andrew
     
  2. Rocketmantn

    Rocketmantn Rider

    Region:
    East
    State/Country:
    TN
    City:
    Knoxville
    Ride:
    Strada, Corsa
    Name:
    Jon
    Andrew,

    First off your Giro is broken. Take it to the LBS and get it fixed. When you turn the pedals, the bike is supposed to move f o r w a r d!

    Your set up is very similar to mine. I too have the brainbox on the back. LOVE IT!!! I also use a Garmin GPS. But WOW love those disc breaks (I have side pull). Lastly the seat. I got a cover for my seat and it keeps that scratchy foam they use from chewing up my skin. Might want to look into that. Finally you will love the position of your water bottles. I am right handed so I grab the one on the right side of the seat. Don't have to slow down at all to take drinks. When that bottle is empty. I stop, swap bottles and Go One.

    Beside that... WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BENT!!!!
     
  3. Aushiker

    Aushiker

    Region:
    SouthWest
    State/Country:
    Australia
    City:
    Fremantle
    Ride:
    LoGo P-38
    Name:
    Andrew
    Thanks. I brought it second hand and the seller thought it had done less than 1,000 km (600 miles) but I suspect it has done even less. The plastic is still on the badge and the cluster and chain ring have no sign of wear. However it came from a coastal location so there is a bit of surface rust on the bolts and chain. Easily fixed with new bolts and new chain in due course.

    Andrew
     
  4. Aushiker

    Aushiker

    Region:
    SouthWest
    State/Country:
    Australia
    City:
    Fremantle
    Ride:
    LoGo P-38
    Name:
    Andrew
    I played a little more with my setup a week back including reclining the seat a little more. Today I got my first longer ride in, my 42 km each way commute.

    Going to work was okay, but in the last few kilometres I got some neck and shoulder pain. There is a little bit of climbing on this section and the traffic gets intense. I put my issues down to being stressed.

    However coming home, after about 20 km or so it was pretty painful. I stopped at one point and did a rough raising of the seat which helped a bit. I guess the damage was already down.

    Is sitting up more the best option until I get more recumbent kilometres in my legs? Other possible fixes or suggestions to improve matters?

    Thanks
    Andrew
     
  5. Gizmo

    Gizmo Guest

    For better or worse, the EuroMesh seat MUST be ridden well-reclined, else you start falling off its front edge (bundled undies will alert you)
    One way to verify that you're getting into the EuroMesh's intended recline IS when your neck starts to object to holding your head upright after a couple hours.

    So now what ? You can't get reclined enough to exploit the EM's advantages without your neck complaining.

    Simple - start adding temporary padding from your shoulder blades up to your neck and keep lowering the seatback 1 notch at a time until you notice you're going faster than you normally would.

    Fiddling with the temp neck-rest will give you a feel for how much correction your body wants so you can either fabricate a permanent solution or buy one of the many after-market headrests with the knowledge of how much neck-support you really need.

    I hated my EM until I solved the neck support issue. Now I get +2mph out of my Giro with no apparent increase in effort all due to the lowered seat-back.

    Don't forget to nibble the seatBASE forward a smidge as you lower the back to restore proper stroke length.

    Happy Trails.
     
  6. Rocketmantn

    Rocketmantn Rider

    Region:
    East
    State/Country:
    TN
    City:
    Knoxville
    Ride:
    Strada, Corsa
    Name:
    Jon
    In looking at your pictures I didn't see a neck rest. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A NECK REST!!!!

    I never used one before. When I first got my Strada, my shoulders and neck were tired from holding them up. Then I added an ADEM http://www.ademhr.com/ neck rest. It was AMAZING!!! I leaned back and kept my neck on the rest. The results were my whole upper body relaxed. What a difference.

    I modified my ADEM neck rest by putting more foam rubber over the front and top and holding it on with zipties. This allows me to lean back my head and rest a bit on top of the neck rest. So the curve of my neck is next to the front of the head rest and where the neck curves out to connect to the head, that rests on TOP of the head rest. This changes the ADEM from solely a neck to a head rest. I LOVE IT!.

    Here is a picture of my set up.

    [​IMG]

    Look closely and you can see my Bike Planet rear light. That is mounted on my neck rest. The big black bulging piece is the extra hi density foam rubber.

    If you need a better shot let me know and I can post it.
     
  7. Osco

    Osco

    Region:
    SouthEast
    State/Country:
    FL
    Ride:
    Tour Easy LE
    Name:
    Osco
    Great Looking bent !

    When I came to bents my first was the venerable CLWB SUN EZ-1 sx.

    The LBS owner had some but not much bent experience. His simple advice
    worked for me and also got my new to me also very slightly used
    Tour Easy dialed in perfectly.

    He said, "It takes time to develop 'bent' muscles, they are a bit different
    than DF bike muscle groups"
    "Stick to the basics,
    lean back,
    relax,
    Hold the bars like you have a dove in each hand and you want them to be able to breathe. (This one I took from motorcycling)
    Always spin for power,
    and make small seat and bar adjustments one at a time and one per ride...
     
  8. Aushiker

    Aushiker

    Region:
    SouthWest
    State/Country:
    Australia
    City:
    Fremantle
    Ride:
    LoGo P-38
    Name:
    Andrew
    I got hold of some foam today so will give that a try but re-reading Gizmo's post I now think the bit of freebie foam I got is not going to be enough :(

    I would like to try the foam before going down the path of the headrest if at all possible.

    Maybe a pool noodle might do the trick as a try out?

    http://www.jacuzzi-spa-covers.co.za/images/POOL_NOODLES.jpg?583

    Andrew
     
  9. Gizmo

    Gizmo Guest

    Think Wedge

    Seems like I got you more confused .... sorry.

    I don't care for being pecked in the back of my helmet with a headrest.

    Its not so much about supporting the head as it is restoring an upper spinal/neck position that makes it easier for you to do so. In other words - for some - the bend angles on the EuroMesh are a bit too open. Given that the seat base needs to be at least horizontal if not tipped up at its front a bit, the easiest next place to tighten the bends is the upper shoulder blade area.

    Easiest way to do that is fiddling with some pads that start at that upper bend and extend to the top of the seat. This supports your upper spinal area and shoulders so your neck/head can be easily held up with less neck effort.

    I use "camping mat" foam as it's available in thin sheets that are easily shaped / stacked until the desired profile is reached. Just make various lengths and stack them until you have a rough wedge. When you find the right shape/thickness, its easy to bond them together with various glues and shape them for a smooth slope.

    Adding a headrest then becomes optional.

    Something like attached pic.

    Happy Trails.

    EuroMesh-Wedge.jpg
     
  10. Aushiker

    Aushiker

    Region:
    SouthWest
    State/Country:
    Australia
    City:
    Fremantle
    Ride:
    LoGo P-38
    Name:
    Andrew
    Thanks Gizmo for the clarification. I had some Aortha EVA Very Low Density 3 mm Blue on hand so I have used that to fashion out two pieces for supporting my back. I have gone with 6 mm initially as that feels good on the trainer. I also reset the seat to 40 degrees which is where I had it initially and then dropped it 5 degrees to 35 degrees for testing this week. Will see how that goes and look to continue reclining it/adding support if necessary until the sweet spot is reached.

    Also moved the seat forward 5 mm which fees okay on the trainer. Now I just need to do a 40 km ride to see how it pans out. Unfortunately I am off bushwalking tomorrow so it may be Tuesday's commute before I see how it works out.

    As I have a Bacchetta Big Bag on the bike I used that to hold the pad for now. Will make it more permanent once I have it sorted.

    [​IMG]

    Am on right track here?

    Thanks
    Andrew
     

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