Hi everyone! Just found this forum today & have spent a few (enjoyable) hours going through some of the old posts. I figured that I'd pose a question I've been mulling on for a while..but first a bit of background info.
I was hanging around at my buddy Oran's school bus between the cherry & apple picking seasons when I decided, on the spur of the moment, to build myself a clwb recumbent from a couple of mtb's I had lying about. So, out came the hacksaw & chainsaw file. Well, considering that it was all seat-of-the-pants construction with no in-depth knowledge & no jig (neither for assembly or welding), it turned out pretty decent. Against all probability the frame came out straight when my brother-in-law welded it up in the garage. Unfortunately I'd made a pretty basic mistake when making the initial measurements & had measured inseam, not x-seam. This little error then required having the seating position raised quite a bit when I ran out of rearward travel room. The end result of this is that the B.B. is now rather low (15" B.B. & 30" seat height w. a wheelbase of 63"). The bike isn't quite finished yet 'cause I'm debating whether to hack it apart..and all this depends on the B.B.
Going through various forums & reading the posts, I'm given the impression that B.B. height relative to the seat is a rather important issue with many, seeming to have a direct correlation with performance. I plan to take whatever I build touring around B.C. and, if it's a decent ride, off continent. Now I've come to the stage where some actual money will have to be put into the bike (the two mtb's came from the dump) for the purchase of handlebars & aluminum tubing/c-channel for the seat. Having to lay out some cold cash now has me wondering if, because the B.B. is so low, it will be a slug & therefor a waste of cash. On the other hand, it is definitely a recumbent style bike & rather comfortable to ride; I made a few test runs using some bodged together stuff (seat & handlebars). In real world long distance self-supported touring, how critical are such things as B.B. height, weight, & seating position. I'm not only concerned about the raw speed issue, but also safety, comfort, & pure enjoyment.
I'll close this post by admitting that I've never rode a recumbent & don't have access to one, therefor all these concerns. Anyway, any comments, anecdotes, etc. will be appreciated. Thanks..*****.
I was hanging around at my buddy Oran's school bus between the cherry & apple picking seasons when I decided, on the spur of the moment, to build myself a clwb recumbent from a couple of mtb's I had lying about. So, out came the hacksaw & chainsaw file. Well, considering that it was all seat-of-the-pants construction with no in-depth knowledge & no jig (neither for assembly or welding), it turned out pretty decent. Against all probability the frame came out straight when my brother-in-law welded it up in the garage. Unfortunately I'd made a pretty basic mistake when making the initial measurements & had measured inseam, not x-seam. This little error then required having the seating position raised quite a bit when I ran out of rearward travel room. The end result of this is that the B.B. is now rather low (15" B.B. & 30" seat height w. a wheelbase of 63"). The bike isn't quite finished yet 'cause I'm debating whether to hack it apart..and all this depends on the B.B.
Going through various forums & reading the posts, I'm given the impression that B.B. height relative to the seat is a rather important issue with many, seeming to have a direct correlation with performance. I plan to take whatever I build touring around B.C. and, if it's a decent ride, off continent. Now I've come to the stage where some actual money will have to be put into the bike (the two mtb's came from the dump) for the purchase of handlebars & aluminum tubing/c-channel for the seat. Having to lay out some cold cash now has me wondering if, because the B.B. is so low, it will be a slug & therefor a waste of cash. On the other hand, it is definitely a recumbent style bike & rather comfortable to ride; I made a few test runs using some bodged together stuff (seat & handlebars). In real world long distance self-supported touring, how critical are such things as B.B. height, weight, & seating position. I'm not only concerned about the raw speed issue, but also safety, comfort, & pure enjoyment.
I'll close this post by admitting that I've never rode a recumbent & don't have access to one, therefor all these concerns. Anyway, any comments, anecdotes, etc. will be appreciated. Thanks..*****.
