Steve Heywood
CTiD
The Scarab bag has gone... I didn’t like the straps crossing over the seat so it will be replaced with a rack bag or (most likely) a brain box as I mentioned in another post...
Newbie S40 owner here in Hawarden, UK
- Thread starter Steve Heywood
- Start date
BikeGary
Well-Known Member
I like the scarab bag because the weight is low and centered. Also there appears to be no additional wind drag from it. I've had mine for a couple of years now and there has been no wear on the frame from the straps that I can see. It does have a limitation of about 14lbs because all the weight is supported by the zipper but so far no hicups. from over loading it.
Steve Heywood
CTiD
I got the hang of using the bottle cages behind the headrest but don’t really like them so I moved one to the boom..
£2.99 for a DJ 2” clamp and a quick swap of the mounting bolt to fit the cage and hey presto… I have accessible water.
The Clamp was slightly too big for the boom so I used some soft packing material I’ve had laying around for years since we had a kitchen fitted.
I may fit another clamp for the bottom mounting point on the cage but I’ve just done my 32 miles and it didn’t budge… some of my route is over canal towpath too with cobbles, bumps and tree roots so it’s a bit of a bone shaker.. A good test for my Heath Robinson design.
(I know the shed could do with a tidy up
)
£2.99 for a DJ 2” clamp and a quick swap of the mounting bolt to fit the cage and hey presto… I have accessible water.
The Clamp was slightly too big for the boom so I used some soft packing material I’ve had laying around for years since we had a kitchen fitted.
I may fit another clamp for the bottom mounting point on the cage but I’ve just done my 32 miles and it didn’t budge… some of my route is over canal towpath too with cobbles, bumps and tree roots so it’s a bit of a bone shaker.. A good test for my Heath Robinson design.
(I know the shed could do with a tidy up
)
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Mathew Fy
GRU
Aren’t there bolt bosses on the boom? You can rotate (spin) the boom so the access holes point up and bolt the cage there.
BikeGary
Well-Known Member
For a short while I put my bottles in cages under the seat with the Cruzbike cages (https://cruzbike.com/collections/all-products/products/cruzbike-bottle-cage) .. sort of up the sides in the pre-drilled holes (S30). However the cages did hit my frame and started to wear the frame, so I moved the bottles back to behind my head using plastic Zefal cages (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NGYDT8).
I did buy two Velcro(tm) straps (https://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=Reflective-Ankle-Strap) to put around the the cages to keep the bottles in place. Not tight, but enough tension to keep the bottle from falling out. I had lost two full bottles from a only slight rough road and didn't hear them fall.
I've also got a bottle under the boom using the standard cage bosses using again a plastic Zefal cage. I'm a little concerned about having more stuff between my legs in case of a crash, but it's pretty flexible so it should deform if I slide hard into it.
I also bought a TiGr Lock (actually I got the steel version) and put that under my seat in the bottle cage hole mounts. That takes up the space on one side.
I am not good enough to ride one handed and reach back and get a bottle, then put it back in traffic. Maybe on a quiet road with no traffic, but I tend to weave about too much. I'm working on being able to grab the bottle on the boom and put that back. Then I can swap bottles at a traffic light when I run out of water.
I did buy two Velcro(tm) straps (https://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=Reflective-Ankle-Strap) to put around the the cages to keep the bottles in place. Not tight, but enough tension to keep the bottle from falling out. I had lost two full bottles from a only slight rough road and didn't hear them fall.
I've also got a bottle under the boom using the standard cage bosses using again a plastic Zefal cage. I'm a little concerned about having more stuff between my legs in case of a crash, but it's pretty flexible so it should deform if I slide hard into it.
I also bought a TiGr Lock (actually I got the steel version) and put that under my seat in the bottle cage hole mounts. That takes up the space on one side.
I am not good enough to ride one handed and reach back and get a bottle, then put it back in traffic. Maybe on a quiet road with no traffic, but I tend to weave about too much. I'm working on being able to grab the bottle on the boom and put that back. Then I can swap bottles at a traffic light when I run out of water.
Steve Heywood
CTiD
Do you know what… I never looked.. I wasn’t aware that there may be bosses there as I got not paperwork at all with the bike but I’ll check… Thanks for the hint
Update: You are right (of course) and my boom is now rotated and the bottle cage fitted per the manual (which I will now try and find a copy of) … The DJ clamp will come in handy for another job I’m sure and thankfully I didn’t buy it specially to over engineer my own mount… I blame my military career where I had to think on my feet all the time
Thanks for the reply Matthew and being unafraid to spare my blushes…
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Steve Heywood
CTiD
I advertised the Bacchetta Giro today on eBay (as SWMBO wouldn’t let me keep that and the S40) and within 6 hours I sold it..... So I’m officially a one bent man with an S40
The mind blowing part (besides the selling price) was that the buyer is the guy I pipped to the post in the S40 auction on eBay last week .... Had a good chat to him tonight and he seems like a thoroughly decent guy who’s owned bents before, his last bike was a Velomobile
It’s worked out well as I’m visiting my son tomorrow around 90 minutes south of here and I’ll be taking the Giro with me.. my son is around 45 minutes from the buyer so it’s worked out well for both of us
The mind blowing part (besides the selling price) was that the buyer is the guy I pipped to the post in the S40 auction on eBay last week .... Had a good chat to him tonight and he seems like a thoroughly decent guy who’s owned bents before, his last bike was a Velomobile
It’s worked out well as I’m visiting my son tomorrow around 90 minutes south of here and I’ll be taking the Giro with me.. my son is around 45 minutes from the buyer so it’s worked out well for both of us
M.J
Well-Known Member
Some people definitely take to it faster. I put 250 miles on my V20 (the first MBB I had ever ridden)in the first week I owned it.
I think a lot of it is mindset. If you're scared to death and convinced you're never going to figure it out, then you probably won't. If you say "it's just a bicycle, other people are riding them and so can I" then you'll figure it out faster.
Steve Heywood
CTiD
I think you're right.. I've had lots of motorcyles too and in the early days I always had the death grip on new bikes but over time you learn that they're all pretty much the same and relax... I think it's the same with the CB.
The videos and posts about the learning curve scared me a little but now I'm really finding my feet. The one thing I don't like so far is the seat.. The Euromesh seat on the Bacchetta was like a favourite armchair by comparison but I hope I get used to it over time.. The seat base seems too short (and no way SWMBO will entertain me buying a Thor seat). I tried the extension piece extended fully but that caused me pain on my right side so I shortened it fully.. It was ok this morning but if it doesn't become totally comfortable I may try a little high density foam under the Ventisit
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Being hard headed and a knucklehead and partly because I just wasn't in a rush to abandon my titanium DF bike so quickly, I took a couple of weeks (about an hour each day) before I finally took it to my stomping grounds. 1 thing was for sure though, I knew that if other people were doing it then there was no way I wasn't gonna do it. I had very little idea about recumbent legs, hydration issues, head rests and seat angles... any of the things recumbent riders have to deal with. All I knew was that either (1) saving energy for the same speed, or (2) going faster for the same energy was DEFINITELY something I wanted.
I don't feel the least bit bad about my $8000 titanium bike that has partially been ransacked collecting dust for 8 months. Oh, I'll get around to getting it road worthy in time. But why? I am not really interested in going slower than I do now, hurting 3 times as much after only doing about 35-40% of the distance I can do on my V20. In easier terms, 100km at about 30kph on my DF bike and feeling like I've been kicked by a herd of donkeys versus +240km in under 8 hours at about 31.5kph and feeling like I could easily do another 100km at 30kph after a refuel. I am pretty dumb but the V20 is a no-brainer.
I don't feel the least bit bad about my $8000 titanium bike that has partially been ransacked collecting dust for 8 months. Oh, I'll get around to getting it road worthy in time. But why? I am not really interested in going slower than I do now, hurting 3 times as much after only doing about 35-40% of the distance I can do on my V20. In easier terms, 100km at about 30kph on my DF bike and feeling like I've been kicked by a herd of donkeys versus +240km in under 8 hours at about 31.5kph and feeling like I could easily do another 100km at 30kph after a refuel. I am pretty dumb but the V20 is a no-brainer.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I bought some sticky backed foam pads to put under the Ventisit. 1cm thick for my butt, a 2cm thick section for my lumbar support, and 3cm under the shoulders to get my head a little more horizontal so bugs won't fly under my lense and the air won't dry my eyes out.
Steve Heywood
CTiD
I think the V20 would suit me as the S40 is pretty upright compared to the seat angle I had on the bacchetta but it's a seller's market here in the UK. The S40 was an absolute no brainer at the price BUT I bought it because it was available... They are as rare as hen's teeth here
as are most bents
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Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
It should keep your satisfied until the new V20 comes out. Most likely it will have flat mount disc brakes.
