noahvale
Member
This is for Lisa (thebean, itself). She asked about my thoughts comparing the two.
First a little about me. I got into serious riding in 1982. I trained hard and was a match sprinter on the track. I was good, but not great. Back then I weighed 190 and had 24" thighs, 6' tall. I have worked construction as an electrician all my life. I moved to the office in 1992. I had 5/6 cervical fusion in 1994. Probably should have had two removed, I have lots of bone spurs and a big lump where the fusion was. I can't look down at a desk or monitor, everything has to be straight in front. I have nerve damage in my right hand, the end of my thumb and forefinger tingle all the time. I thought I would never ride again, then I discovered recumbents. I got an Actionbent in 2003, a Bacchetta Strada in 2009, then in 2011 I got the Corsa. I rode a lot for several years, then not as much. Now I'm 62, weigh 230 and still have 24" thighs. I average riding 60 - 120 miles a week.
Anyway, my observations after a week of riding the Silvio:
The Bacchetta Corsa is rock solid and tracks like an arrow. I average 16-19 mph. It accelerates well and I can hold 20-22 when I am really trying. It's terrible in the hills. I'm not much of a spinner, I mash more than spin. I think I have used the 30 tooth inner ring of the triple about twice, and that was on 10% grades. When coming to a stop, I can sit upright and unclip one foot and stop. I use Speedplay Zero pedals and road shoes. My seat is at about the same as the Silvio, 25-27 degrees with a headrest. I use a Poweron Cycling fiberglass seat which is wide and comfortable. The headrest does bother my neck some, I can feel it when I get home.
The Silvio is a totally different feeling bike. Same recline, but the bars are much lower. I feel like I'm sitting in the Silvio, rather than on it. I can not sit up without standing and sliding back in the seat. The seat is much more narrow and the headrest feels like it is a part of the seat and to me it's necessary for stability. It's very comfortable and my neck feels fine after the ride. According to my Garmin, I'm averaging about an 80 cadence, on the Corsa my average was about 72. The Silvio accelerates like a rocket. I feel that it is easier to maintain speed on it. On the one little rise in my neighborhood ride, I did notice that it climbs very easy. I think that after a few months on the Silvio, I will be much faster on it. Right now I'm pretty much the same as I was on the Corsa. I used to get "hotfoot" on the Corsa, probably because of the mashing. So far I have not had that problem on the Silvio. The lower bottom bracket and the higher cadence is probably the reason.
First a little about me. I got into serious riding in 1982. I trained hard and was a match sprinter on the track. I was good, but not great. Back then I weighed 190 and had 24" thighs, 6' tall. I have worked construction as an electrician all my life. I moved to the office in 1992. I had 5/6 cervical fusion in 1994. Probably should have had two removed, I have lots of bone spurs and a big lump where the fusion was. I can't look down at a desk or monitor, everything has to be straight in front. I have nerve damage in my right hand, the end of my thumb and forefinger tingle all the time. I thought I would never ride again, then I discovered recumbents. I got an Actionbent in 2003, a Bacchetta Strada in 2009, then in 2011 I got the Corsa. I rode a lot for several years, then not as much. Now I'm 62, weigh 230 and still have 24" thighs. I average riding 60 - 120 miles a week.
Anyway, my observations after a week of riding the Silvio:
The Bacchetta Corsa is rock solid and tracks like an arrow. I average 16-19 mph. It accelerates well and I can hold 20-22 when I am really trying. It's terrible in the hills. I'm not much of a spinner, I mash more than spin. I think I have used the 30 tooth inner ring of the triple about twice, and that was on 10% grades. When coming to a stop, I can sit upright and unclip one foot and stop. I use Speedplay Zero pedals and road shoes. My seat is at about the same as the Silvio, 25-27 degrees with a headrest. I use a Poweron Cycling fiberglass seat which is wide and comfortable. The headrest does bother my neck some, I can feel it when I get home.
The Silvio is a totally different feeling bike. Same recline, but the bars are much lower. I feel like I'm sitting in the Silvio, rather than on it. I can not sit up without standing and sliding back in the seat. The seat is much more narrow and the headrest feels like it is a part of the seat and to me it's necessary for stability. It's very comfortable and my neck feels fine after the ride. According to my Garmin, I'm averaging about an 80 cadence, on the Corsa my average was about 72. The Silvio accelerates like a rocket. I feel that it is easier to maintain speed on it. On the one little rise in my neighborhood ride, I did notice that it climbs very easy. I think that after a few months on the Silvio, I will be much faster on it. Right now I'm pretty much the same as I was on the Corsa. I used to get "hotfoot" on the Corsa, probably because of the mashing. So far I have not had that problem on the Silvio. The lower bottom bracket and the higher cadence is probably the reason.
