Hard to believe, but Bacchetta has been in business building and selling recumbents for over seven years now.  In that time, we’ve added models, removed models and changed models.  Hell, I remember being in business for two years and having some recumbent pundits saying that the high racer was a fad and looked to be dying out.  We shrugged our shoulders and continued to break the rules.

Looking back on that, we knew that what got us here, was our belief in what we were doing both then and now.  Because of that, I thought it would be good to post a page from our website describing our thoughts on design and functionality.  We do realize that not all of our bikes are triangulated any more (we feel that triangulation is a must for a long wheelbase recumbent) and not all of our best selling bikes are high racers, but the originial idea is there.  So, if you’ve read this before try looking it over again.  If you haven’t, then do so: you might learn something about Bacchetta that will both surprise and enlighten you.

Performance Recumbent Bicycle Frame Design: Designing For a Better Ride

“In my humble opinion, the soul of a bike is embedded in its frame. Everything else is secondary. Herein lies the Giro’s strength and character. The Giro’s frame consists 4130 Chromoly steel teardrop shaped mono-tube that not only looks classy and sophisticated, but also achieves that very hard-to-reach balance between frame rigidity, flexibility and strength. It flexes enough to ensure an extremely comfy ride but it is rigid enough to direct all your energy to the rear wheel. If any power is lost to the built-in frame flex, I sure as hell didn’t notice it. The bike’s performance is excellent!”
- Jose A. Hernandez,
  for BentRiderOnline.

Needless to saywe will not argue with the comments above but we would just like to add that all of our steel and aluminum recumbent bikes share the same custom tube set and display the same riding characteristics as the GIRO series of recumbents.

Our many years of experience, both building and riding all types of recumbents, have taught us nothing if not this; the ride is the most important thing. We also felt that if you could make the recumbent design more pleasing to the eye, and still deliver a superior ride above other recumbent bicycles, than we would have achieved something very special. While we know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we believe that the Bacchetta line of recumbent bikes delivers just that, a superior ride and great looks, all made possible by a carefully designed custom tube set. Achieving this balance with a mono-tube design also delivers the additional benefit of superior aerodynamics in comparison to triangulated or space frame recumbent designs by eliminating the clutter of tubes below the rider. Less tubing means less frontal area and that makes for a faster bent. Getting this level of ride quality and aerodynamics out of a triangulated frame is extremely hard to do, even with custom tubing, and next to impossible when using off the shelf, straight gauge, tubing.

Some may argue that nothing beats a triangulated frame for drive train efficiency but there are trade-offs with these designs as well. Keeping the wheels of a bike in contact with the road is key to overall handling and requires a certain amount of frame compliance. Recumbent designs that ignore this fact in the pursuit of efficiency tend to be skittish on rough roads and transfer more road shock to the rider. Transversely, our early prototypes showed that a mono-tube recumbent frame built with straight gauge round tubing did not provide enough structure for the ride characteristics we were looking for either.

This left us at an impasse. Not wanting to give up on what we saw as a superior design, we started to investigate the possibility of producing a custom main tube for our recumbents. It soon became clear that doing so would require a significant capital investment to start with and would probably make our frames more costly in the long run, but we saw no other alternative. Luckily our investor shared our vision and was willing to go the extra mile on the tubing to help us deliver a truly new recumbent design. A recumbent bicycle design with a completely custom tube set. This tube set includes not only the main tube but the chain stays and drop outs as well.

It has also been suggested that mono-tube recumbent designs offer little advantage other than they are cheaper to produce and that they suffer from having no depth of structure. This is simply not the case with our recumbent bikes and the custom tube set they are made from. We can assure that pulling custom tubing in short runs is a very expensive exercise (much more expensive than buying off the shelf). We will also assert that a good mono-tube design, using the correct tube, does a great job of dealing with the complex forces at work in a recumbent bicycle. Is this the only way to build a frame? Certainly not. Is it the best way to build a frame? Maybe. But rather than trying to sell you on one style over an other we would rather invite you to try them all, with an open mind, and decide for yourself.

OK, enough with the words about our recumbent bicycles. Here is the straight scoop on our tubing… by the numbers.

Using a computer program to do a “section moment of inertia” (SMOI) for custom tube shapes (or more simply stated… the stiffness potential of a tube shape) we calculated our tubing at 2.5” x 2” at .039” thickness, cubed, to be 1.95. (Tubing stiffness varies with the cube of its depth and because our tube is not symmetrical we needed to calculate the SMOI in both directions first.) The SMOI of a 2” round tube at .035” thickness is 1.04.

Our tube is about twice as stiff vertically, and also substantially stiffer laterally and in torsion than our competitors 2″ round tubing. But we want to stress the vertical direction here because this is where most of the boom wagging forces would come into play with unsupported boom tube designs. Anyway, this shows that our custom main tube is 2 times more vertically stiff than a 2″ round tube of the same length.

Yesterday, we were lucky enough to get a visit from a father/daughter duo, who were making a trip many of us dream about on their Bacchetta recumbents.  You’d think making a trip that will probably total over 3400 miles would be the culmination of our interest; not so!  Read on.

They’re making the trip on a Corsa (HED wheels no less) and a, well let’s just say modified, Agio.  Now, when I say modified, I mean modified!  Kent runs a business called Synthetic Transport that uses a power assist to move it along. Now, this stuff is way beyond me, so I will not even try to explain it and usually this is type of thing is not even in our radar. But Kent and Katy are walking the walk and you gotta love that, so check out his site for more pictures and information.

For all of you who are interested in a day by day account of their trip, I highly recommend you check out Katy’s blog.  She has an easy writing style which makes it all that more enjoyable.  http://www.ifyouwerewondering.com/wordpress/bike-log/

We always say there’s not much to see at Bacchetta and for the most part that’s true. But we love it when real, down to earth people like Kent and Katy stop on by and chew on our ear for a bit; we’d love to have you also. And while you’re out there surfing the web, check out Katy’s blog and Kent’s website for some fun and interesting information.

Thanks for the feedback on the CA2.0 TEAM bike, every little bit helps. As much as we wish we could accommodate everyone’s ideas there is just no way a small company like BACCHETTA can do that, especially on the initial runs of this bike. What we will try to do is build a great bike, that’s a great value and, hopefully, package it in a way that any customer can be proud of what they’re riding. Below are a couple of variations on the TEAM bike scheme. The blue is nice but it doesn’t scream FAST to me. For FAST, I have to go back to my early riding days and my brothers cannibal orange road bike, now that bike looked fast. I’m also partial to green, but that’s just me… Mark

I was already to go into a big production about this new product, but then decided that a picture is worth a thousand words. In that regard, I’ll just give you the abbreviated version (abbreviated for me at least).

Recessed center bolts, allow you to pre-set the clamp at the top. Big deal your saying? Well, yeah, it is a big deal. When you can pre-set the top, getting your seat on and off is a breeze: no more getting your hands pinched or using a c-clamp. Also, you can leave your clamp set when you remove the seat which means no more Sharpie markings or electric tape strips to remember your original seat location.

We know a few will wonder why we did not do a QR system for the top. For one, a QR at the top would raise the seat more than you might think. Secondly, forget having skin on your knuckles when you try tightening the QR up there. Pull Pin setups? Too much play is a big problem with those setups in our opinion.

Our new seat clamp will be standard issue on bikes arriving in the spring of 2009, but we do have them available in the Bacchetta Shop now: Seat Clamp

Below is a rendering of a decal and color scheme we’re considering for the 2009 Team Bacchetta riders. Nothing is set in stone yet but I can tell you that John is pretty high on this look. Please note that the component package shown does not represent a team build or the final specifications for the stock CA2.0.

Best regards,
Mark

The new Giro 20 tt is amazing! It is light, fast, agile and comfortable. If I use an auto analogy, it is like a sports car. My old Porsche had the same qualities. My first Bacchetta was an Agio and the bike was great, but I wanted something more aggressive. I’m short and a high racer was not for me. The giro tt fits perfectly. My interest is really a bike that is great for distance riding, but it also had to be fast. The tt is a perfect mix of the characteristics I wanted.

I picked up my tt Friday just in time for Memorial day weekend. My dealer, Bicycle Outfitters of Seminole FL, worked hard and stayed after closing to get it ready for me. So far I’ve only had this beautiful machine a couple of days and social obligations have interfered the amount of time on the bike. I have logged maybe about 15 miles and I am very happy with the purchase. The speed and handling are both wonderful. This bike is much more comfortable than expected; my bet is I could ride all day and enjoy every minute.

I think Bacchetta’s success is about great design and service. Add this to carefully choosing retailers and everybody wins, including me. Please excuse me, I’m going riding now!

Last year I set my goal to ride a bike 70 miles on my seventh birthday. After much research, I purchased a Bacchetta Bellandare for the task. What a great choice. With some family and friends in tow we set out from Inverness, Fl. to ride the Withlacoochee State Trail. It was a ride I will never forget. I made the 70 miles in just over 6 hours with no problems and no pain. Thanks Bacchetta for a great ride.

We know there’s been a lot of speculation about the CarbonAero since we suspended its production earlier this year for retooling and we just want to thank everyone out there for your continued interest in this bike. While retooling has been painful, requiring another outlay of cash, it will give us better control over the production. It has also given designer Rich Pinto the opportunity to make a few changes he had been thinking about. “I wanted to get more even flex along the main tube for better load distribution and the new design does that. The rear end of the new frames main tube also has a larger section (size) for increased stiffness and better power transfer,” Rich said. And, since we could no longer use the super high diameter to wall thickness ratios that the original frames proprietary build allowed, the main tube has a new shape. The result is a carbon frame that is visually very similar to our metal bikes.

Other notable changes on the new frame are the integrated head tube and bottom bracket, full carbon dropouts and cable stops. The final component groupo is still being worked out but we can assure you that it will be very nice. Also, the new CarbonAero’s MSRP should be close to $4,500.00, almost $1,000.00 less than the original. Above is a picture of one test frame built up with a SRAM road component package that weighed in at 20 lbs.-12 oz. We’re thinking you should be able to shave another pound off that without trying to hard. Please note that the frame finish for production bikes has yet to be determined. The Bugatti blue paint job on this bike is just an idea we’re looking at for next years team bike.

Road testing of the CarbonAero 2.0 frame began in early September but its first big challenge came when John Schlitter rode it in the Last Chance 1200km in mid September. He managed to finish the ride in just under 50 hours for a new course record. The Last Chance route started in the flat terrain of eastern Colorado and continued into the mostly rolling countryside of northwest Kansas. John said the bike handled perfectly throughout the ride. “It rolled very well on the flats and I was able to maintain my speeds while going up and over the huge rollers in Kansas.” John also called the ride quality “very good” and added “it’s stiff when applying power for climbs or sprinting but it also has that great vibration dampening you expect with carbon.” Confirmation of the new frame’s climbing abilities came just a few weeks later while John was riding in the Sierra Nevada’s just east of Fresno, CA. “I did some very long steady climbs while holding a good average speed and never went into serious oxygen debt.” John also added that the return trip down the mountain was a real confidence builder. “The bike did exactly what I was expecting, it was rock steady.” I think we can safely say that this new Bacchetta flagship bike does not just continue the Aero’s legacy but takes it up another notch.” Below is John’s test bike kitted out for Last Chance.

Thanks again,
Mark

One of the most critical measurements to consider when buying a recumbent is the bikes seat height. Unfortunately, because seat designs vary and no manufacturer seems to measure seat heights from the same spot, it’s hard to really know what bike may fit you best based on the published specifications. In an effort to shed some light on the subject, and show how BACCHETTA measures seats, we invested a little time in PhotoShop to create some composite pictures help clear things up.

Just so you know, all the bikes used to create these composite pictures, the RANS V-Rex, Volae Tour and Bacchetta Giro-20, have mesh back seats with a foam base and the same size wheel set. Tire sizes varied a little from model to model but not enough to significantly affect what we are trying to demonstrate. At BACCHETTA we measure our Re-curve seat from the front edge of the seat pan and add a half inch for the compressed foam. (indicated by the white line in photo #2) To us this is the most effective spot to measure from because its the highest point on the seat that impedes your leg from touching the ground. (the RED line indicates this same point on the other two bike seats) Also, our seat height measurements are taken with the seat in the center of its adjustment range on the frame and with the recline adjusted to its mid range, so the seat height will change when adjusted for individual riders. Just something to keep in mind when looking at the pictures.

Now, to get a reference point for our comparisons we used the published bottom bracket (BB) height on the RANS V-Rex, which is 25 inches, and is a very easy point to measure accurately. We then drew a line that ran parallel to ground from the center of their BB back to the rear wheel. Since a 559 wheel with a 1.5 inch tire is roughly 25 inches tall the BB reference line we drew appears to be fairly accurate. The published seat height range for a V-Rex is 22.5 to 23.75 inches, the Volae lists the Tour as 25 inches and the Giro-20 is 24 inches. The composite photos show that the Tour and Giro seats seem reasonably close to their published numbers. But if you believe that our BB reference line is correct than its hard to reconcile the published seat height numbers for the V-Rex. Like we said before, there a lot of variables here but the pictures clearly show that published seat height numbers are, at best, a ball park figure and that’s what we want folks to keep in mind when considering a bike. If you are looking to purchase a recumbent you should not dismiss a bike out-of-hand based on its published seat height. Only a test ride will truly confirm whether or not a bike fits you properly and we highly recommend test riding any bike you’re considering before making up your mind.

Hope that helps!
Mark

About a year ago, we made a few upgrades to our Bacchetta brakes. The main thing being the addition of a brass pivot bushing. This, when coupled with the Kool Stop brake pads and Avid Speed Dial brake levers, gives you a pretty darn good brake set up.

However, we’ve had some customers with the new brake calipers that were experiencing some problems. Many thought their brakes were damaged or unusuable. However, in 99.9% of the cases, all it took was a little TLC and the brakes were working better than new.

Here’s what you want to do:

1. First and foremost, apply a little lube to the brass pivot bushing. After you’ve done this, squeeze the caliper together a couple of times to make sure it gets down into the bushing. Also, if you drip lube all over your brake caliper, make sure and wipe off the pads and such with some alcohol.

2. Next, Go through and lube the other two pivot points. While not as critical as the brass bushing, they are important to keep moving freely.

Try it out for yourself and we think you’ll find your brakes performing extremely well!