Rans Force 5 LE VS HP Velotechnik Speedmachine which is faster?



V

Vytautas

Guest
I have read about many fastest bikes (bent) on the market nowadays and
I found two bents in my opinion to be most user friendly and fastest.
As I wanna put my DF road bike a bit a side and buy a recumbent, I am
searching for really good item, for frequent use and I want to be
faster than I am with my DF bike now.
I have read all rewiews but I cna't decide which is better and faster,
maybe anyone have tried both off them and could give me an advice.
I appreciate any answers.
 
Vytautas wrote:
> I have read about many fastest bikes (bent) on the market nowadays and
> I found two bents in my opinion to be most user friendly and fastest.
> As I wanna put my DF road bike a bit a side and buy a recumbent, I am
> searching for really good item, for frequent use and I want to be
> faster than I am with my DF bike now.
> I have read all rewiews but I cna't decide which is better and faster,
> maybe anyone have tried both off them and could give me an advice.
> I appreciate any answers.


Riding positions and aerodynamic drag could be expected to be
reasonably similar. However, it would be reasonable to expect the RANS
Force 5 to have lower drivetrain friction and rolling resistance, and
of course lower weight, so it should be faster overall, particularly if
a lot of climbing is involved.

However, if a lot of riding is done on rough surfaces, the suspension
on the HP Velotechnik Speedmachine will improve rider comfort and
reduce fatigue, so on a long ride it could be the faster overall bike
for some riders.

--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley Pedant
 
Vytautas wrote:
> I have read about many fastest bikes (bent) on the market nowadays and
> I found two bents in my opinion to be most user friendly and fastest.
> As I wanna put my DF road bike a bit a side and buy a recumbent, I am
> searching for really good item, for frequent use and I want to be
> faster than I am with my DF bike now.
> I have read all rewiews but I cna't decide which is better and faster,
> maybe anyone have tried both off them and could give me an advice.
> I appreciate any answers.


Riding positions and aerodynamic drag could be expected to be
reasonably similar. However, it would be reasonable to expect the RANS
Force 5 to have lower drivetrain friction and rolling resistance, and
of course lower weight, so it should be faster overall, particularly if
a lot of climbing is involved.

However, if a lot of riding is done on rough surfaces, the suspension
on the HP Velotechnik Speedmachine will improve rider comfort and
reduce fatigue, so on a long ride it could be the faster overall bike
for some riders.

--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley Pedant
 
Johnny Sunset wrote:

> However, if a lot of riding is done on rough surfaces, the suspension
> on the HP Velotechnik Speedmachine will improve rider comfort and
> reduce fatigue


Aside from that, it will actively reduce the rolling resistance of the
bike because only the wheels have to be deflected over obstacles, rather
than the whole bike plus rider. Having to change direction over
deflections for the rider and whole bike wastes an awful lot of energy,
it's not just about rider happiness and tolerance.

But on a smooth climb the suspension is just dead weight... You choose,
you lose.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/