We interrupt this trip for commentary on LWB recumbents vs SWB recumbents.

January 1, 2018

I've had several people ask how things are going and what my opinion is. Oren is in the same situation. He has toured for years on the LWB Bella and is now trying the Giro. I will ask for his take over dinner. Stand by.

I asked Oren over dinner. He wants to give a thoughtful reply by text. My thumbs hurt just thinking of this long of a text.

Here is his reply

About high BB:

With so many recumbent configs available, I'm not sure much matters any more beyond personal preference and individual anatomy.

Having ridden the LWB Bella (low bottom bracket) for so long, it took me awhile to acclimate to the SWB Giro (high BB). Still sometimes get numb feet. The Giro profile is supposedly more aerodynamic, and at high speed it probably is. The Giro is not as light as some of Bacchetta's other offerings, so if that was my reason for getting a SWB, in retrospect I'd get a lighter bike. For touring the Giro's high BB and SWB is just not as stable as was the LWB Bella, and i do get some disconcerting shimmy in the front wheel...i believe, after riding the Giro for several months, that the shimmy is inherent to the design...my opinion, FWIW.

I also dont think the high BB is as safe as lower BB for touring and general highway riding...my opinion, FWIW.

Ive ridden my wife's 26/20 lower BB recumbent on a few occasions and find some of those concerns mitigated to some degree...but i dont have the same comparative experience.

The high BB also exacerbates the seat position issue...barely half an inch too far forward and the quads scream; barely half an inch too far back and the hamstrings scream. I have the Giro seat as far forward as it can go on the boom and my hamstring injury is a problem.

Another reason i tried the Giro was to prevent having two different tire and tube sizes.

Final point....recumbents are poor climbers compared to diamond frames. There's no upper body assist. And at loaded touring speeds, especially climbing, whatever aerodynamic advantage the high BB otherwise has is lost.

my opinion

I"m still wildly infatuated with the P-38. Any negative of the bike can hardly be acknowledged. I have tried to be objective it my article about the bike. I'm afraid I'm not a technical enough person for many readers. I go more on how I feel and am not as good and assessing things from an analytical point of view.

The P-38 is the only SWB I have ridden. My remarks are P-38 specific as opposed to general SWB.

Going down the road, the P-38 is a comfortable ride. Much of that is seat specific - both the bicycle seat and the pilot's seat. I personally like how my butt slides back in the groove of the P-38 seat. On my RANS Stratus, I liked their standard seat until I tried their sling seat, then I thought it was best. I have occasional sciatic nerve issues that I have NOT experienced since changing from the original RANS seat. Related? Hard to say.

I think there is more cush on rough roads with the LWB. Some of that could be the length of the frame or the frame material. My LWB bikes are Aluminum and Titanium. The P-38 is steel. LWB bikes are commonly thought to be Cadillac style touring machines.

My biggest issue with rough roads was the bar across the top of the seat hitting my spine. I was relieved to find an easy fix to that problem with a piece of packing foam inserted between the seat back and my seat bag.

I thought that the one tip toe down stop might be a problem on tour when fatigued or making an emergency stop. It seems I have become accustomed to the one toe stop. I can even take photos on the go. But if I want to put two toes (or feet) down, I have to stand up. That is a convenience of the LWB - two feet firmly on the ground is no problem.

The biggest advantage to touring on a SWB is maneuvering. In town, in the motel room, parking, moving the bike in general is SO SO much easier when the bike is three feet shorter. It reminds me of when I used to tour with the LWB Stratus and a BOB trailer. I liked touring with the trailer. But parking was like landing an airliner. I would circle round and round, looking for a spot long enough to park my big rig. I gave up the BOB only because of parking convenience.

Several of the guys have noted that I'm much faster now. I don't think I am. I still consider anything over 10 mph to be a good speed. But they say I am faster. Certainly I feel fresher when I get to town. I do think I climb (if not cruise) faster now, make fewer stops when climbing, and am far less fatigued after a big climb. But is that the bike or the fact I've lost nearly 80 pounds? Certainly I SHOULD be faster without all of that weight. But it's marginal. I give much credit to the new bike for the pleasure I experience while riding now.

Whatever bike is fun to ride is the one you should take. I will be taking the P-38 on tour this summer.

Oren also has new wheels this tour. He went from a LWB Bella recumbent to a SWB Giro. This was taken at the top of Old Mule Pass.

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