The New Ride (Team S)
Rans Seavo Recumbent Tandem
After getting a Bacchetta Corsa recumbent in November, Kerry decided that a recumbent tandem was in our future. The joy of riding in such comfort just couldn't be sacrificed during a long tandem tour. We did some research and chose the Rans Seavo. The main reason for choosing the Seavo over Rans’s other tandem, the Screamer, is that the Seavo has the same size wheels on both the front and rear. That means we can carry just one size spare tires and tubes, and that we (Kerry) can rotate the tires for longer wear.
Because we like the drive system on our Co-Motion Equator so much, we special ordered the Seavo instead of taking delivery of a stock bike. We upgraded the wheels from 26” to 700c (which required a new fork), added a dynamo hub in the front, and added several additional bottle bosses. The big upgrade was a Rohloff internally geared hub and belt drive. We’re getting the Rohloff, but unfortunately, we’re not getting the belt drive because no one makes a belt long enough for a recumbent tandem. We’ll just have to deal with chain lube, chain tattoos and greasy rags again.
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May 1st 2018:
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The engineering problems presented by the belt drive have set the project back a couple of months and now time is critical. Today is May 1st, and we are scheduled to leave on our trip on the 13th - less than two weeks away! We're planning to make a speed run to Kansas just as soon as the bike is built to pick it up. That will be faster than having it shipped and we can take all our add-on accessories to mount there so it will be ready to travel when we get home. Now if we can only get that phone call saying the bike is ready…
May 3rd, 2018
Latest photos of build
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May 4th update.
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I have just changed our timing chain and it is a weighty bit of metal so I assume you would have saved a lot of weight if you could have had belt drive on your new recumbent.
Have a great tour!
Mike
6 years ago