Sofrider Top Speed(s)

[MrSteve]

Hey, the Silvio riders started this!
I know that the speed topic will be sewed-up by you Vendetta riders,
but speed is relative!
And fun.

The fastest I have ever pedaled my Sofrider V1 was,
hmmm... years ago now... but it was significantly quicker than
40 miles per hour, down a short but steep hill, with a tail wind.

The fastest I have ever pedaled on a flat road was earlier
this year: 30.3 miles per hour. With a tail wind:
without the assist provided by a tailwind, my speed tops out
at about 27 miles per hour.

On hilly rides -all my rides are hilly- my average speed varies
widely.
If I generate a high entrance speed going into the bottom of
one particular set of hills, I can crest the peak doing 16 miles per hour
and my average will be in the 17 mile per hour range.
However, if I cruise into the same set of hills... enjoying the flowers...
I'll crest that peak doing 7 miles per hour and my moving average
will be in the high 15 mile per hour range.

For comparison, the recumbents in my local area are all significantly
slower uphill than I am: it must be my bike, as I really am not a very strong rider
at all.
The local Bachettas are, though slow uphill, faster than I am, both down hill
and on the flat.

 

[floridabike]

Cruzbike VS. Catrike

This is not a speed record but it's a comparison of two bikes under the same conditions. We don't have hills in Florida but I have a grade a litte less than 1/4 mile long. The Catrike weights 38 lbs., 9 speeds over a good range, 20" 1.5" tires 65 psi. The Cruzbike weights 43 Lbs. with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed internal hub and 9 sp cassette, 26" 1.75" tires 65 psi.

Going down the grade on the Cruzbike into a head wind I achieved 19.5 mph, and the Catrike 18.0. Going up the grade, 15 mph on the Cruzbike and 14.5 mph on the Catrike. I was working harder on the Trike going uphill and I did reach 15 mph but couldn't hold it. The Trike is nice but I don't think it's as efficient but maybe I'm missing something.

Phil

 

[psychling]

Speed

All things being equal (e.g., bike weight, etc) the key determinant of climbing speed on a smooth surface, straight, 8% uphill grade that is one mile long is: the cyclist. Power to weight ratio.

I no longer push top descending speed because the risk is not worth the thrill. (Crosswinds, catastrophic tire blowouts, mechanicals, unexpected wobble).

Silvio: 48 mph. I'll never do that again.

Vendetta: I had acquired the `not worth the thrill' wisdom before I rode the V so I have no relevant data.

On the Bacchetta Ti Aero: 55 mph. I'll never do that again.

On an upright (around 1998 while descending Mt. Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway in a thick fog): 60 mph. I was too scared to stretch my fingers to squeeze the brake lever ... or I would NOT have hit 60 mph. I'll never do that again.

My experience:

There is no high racer recumbent bike that is faster on the flats than the Vendetta. It's ridiculously superior to any high zoot recumbent (carbon fiber, titanium, aluminum, steel, plastic, cardboard, etc) I've ever ridden or know of. I'll take on anybody on any platform on a Vendetta. And I'd win. I'll do that anytime, any place, against any ANY cyclist.

Humility is such a burden.

 

[MrSteve]

This is FUN!

You know it's only just the beginning, right?
The fun, I mean.

Phil, Just looking at the picture, I can point out two giant differences between
your Sofrider and your trike:

1.) -The bottom bracket of your trike is welded onto the end of an unsupported
boom: I just know that that boom wriggles around when you pedal, wasting power.
Your Sofrider locates the bottom bracket at the point of a braced triangle.

2.) -The seat of your trike is not rigid. That soft seat absorbs your pedal power. I've
watched Bachettas with similar seats climb. Up close. I can actually see these seats
flex with each pedal stroke: my Sofrider -and yours- are vastly superior, much more efficient climbers,
even if you just consider the construction of the seat.

Oh, and Psychling:
You can repeat tales of Vendetta superiority all day long, for years:
I love it.

As for power-to-weight ratio, well, that's certainly a fact.
At the start of the riding season, both my power and endurance are down which,
combined with my higher Winter weight, tends to slow me down.

Knowledge is power:
I know that my bike is pretty much superior... so, emboldened by that knowledge,
I try pretty hard!

Humility is useful.
Humility comes into play, for me in this context, when the racers are out on the road:
those packs of young guys are too fast for me.

-Steve

 

[psychling]

Healthy competition

Steve (Yakmurph) said:

"Humility comes into play, for me in this context, when the racers are out on the road:
those packs of young guys are too fast for me."

What that means to me, Steve, is that your current humility will be that much more sweet when you give one of those young guys a heart attack when you scream past them some day.

I dunno. Is that just 'revenge is sweet'?

 

[Peder Torgersen]

I have never been able to


I have never been able to keep up with my Sofrider with a fast pace line.
Last Thursday during a race I passed a fast pace line with my Vendetta.
I spoke with one of the riders a couple of days ago and he asked what speed I had when I passed them.
I said I don't know I didn't have anything to measure the speed.

I don't like to take chances on down hills with many curves.
I passed the pace line on a slight downhill section.
I'm much more confident going downhill now than I was from the first few rides.

The Vendetta is fast on flat ground but also faster climbing then on any other recumbent I have been on.
The sections I really enjoy now are the sections with small uphill grades I can hold a higher gear and go faster than I have ever been able to earlier.
On the steepest climbs the fastest climbers are faster than me but my goal is to be as fast as the average club member on the steepest climbs.