Silvio newcomer

[BritDave]

Hi
Just to say I had my second ride on my Silvio today. An awesome bike, I just know it will be fast once I can ride it. At the moment I am fine once under way but still only get the take off right about 1 time in 3. The other two times I weave all over the place and have to stop and try again. I find it tricky to get my second foot up onto the pedal because my knee hits the bars, Hopefully some wider bars and more practice will help ! I assume that once you get competent starts on an uphill gradient are Ok?
Love the bike!!
BritDave

 

[Mark B]

Welcome, Dave!

Yes, it all gets easier with time in the saddles. Steep uphill starts are trickiest, but as more of us experiment and try different things, we're learning tons about these bikes. You are correct, it is a fast little bike and tons of fun!

Mark

 

[Robert Stewart]

Hi Dave,

So, another UK owner appears... Welcome to the club!

I'm just down the road from you in Oxfordshire. Good to see another Silvio owner in the neighbourhood. I've been riding my Silvio for a few months now, and it gets a lot easier with practice. As Mark says, steep uphill starts are tricky, especially if you have to turn as well e.g. a right hand turn at a junction on a hill. It's all doable though with practice. Keep loving the bike...

Best,
Rob

 

[xkred27]

Yeah, those uphill starts can be a challenge. I've put about 120 miles on mine in the two weeks I've owned it and would say that the remaining "serious" issues are:

1) Starts in general and uphill starts in particular. Low speed uphill maneuvers in general. Part of this has to do with the fact that my gearing is too high (for me) and I'm mashing at low RPM up these hills, placing great force on the pedals and making keeping a straight line problematic. Nearly ate it a couple of times, but as is always the case, putting your on the ground cures all ills.
2) Today I spun out a couple of times going up a steep hill on dry pavement. I think part of this will resolve once I complete my campaign to lose some weight (currently 205; aiming for 175), thereby better equalizing the front/rear weight distribution. The other piece I'll bet has to do with smoothing out my pedal stroke such that power and torque are delivered in roughly equal amounts throughout the revo. I know I need work in that area.
3) Maintaining a straight line when sprinting. At high speeds, the combination of high revos and torque lead me to weaving.

I've developed this peculiar attention practice of "putting my mind in my feet". Hard to explain, but it seems to help me keep a straight line.

But as others have said, in time...Hell, it's been only two weeks. As I said in another post, I'm not even going to worry until I have 100 hours in the saddle. Today, I came screaming down a hill in 52x12. I'm sure I was pushing 40. Can't wait to get that computer installed (I left my magnet at Nanda's Spinshed and am too cheap to spring for another computer) and get the real numbers.

Another side note, apropos of nothing. My weight loss regimen was proceeding fine until I brought home my Silvio. Now I've lost only .4/lb. in two weeks, despite a reduction in caloric intake, dietary fat, and an increase in aerobic exercise. Guess the high gearing is giving me quads o' steel, and the climbing is giving me an upper body of steel, i.e., more muscle mass. Interesting factoid.

 

[John Tolhurst]

xkred27 wrote: Another side note, apropos of nothing. My weight loss regimen was proceeding fine until I brought home my Silvio. Now I've lost only .4/lb. in two weeks, despite a reduction in caloric intake, dietary fat, and an increase in aerobic exercise. Guess the high gearing is giving me quads o' steel, and the climbing is giving me an upper body of steel, i.e., more muscle mass. Interesting factoid.

An important aspect!!!! Having a bike that looks after the whole body is just wonderful. Your body shape will change to what it should be IMHO. You will notice the change in your upper body, in fact your partner might be pleasantly surprised also.

 

[Mark B]

xkred27 wrote: Yeah, those uphill starts can be a challenge. I've put about 120 miles on mine in the two weeks I've owned it and would say that the remaining "serious" issues are:

1) Starts in general and uphill starts in particular. Low speed uphill maneuvers in general. Part of this has to do with the fact that my gearing is too high (for me) and I'm mashing at low RPM up these hills, placing great force on the pedals and making keeping a straight line problematic. Nearly ate it a couple of times, but as is always the case, putting your on the ground cures all ills.
2) Today I spun out a couple of times going up a steep hill on dry pavement. I think part of this will resolve once I complete my campaign to lose some weight (currently 205; aiming for 175), thereby better equalizing the front/rear weight distribution. The other piece I'll bet has to do with smoothing out my pedal stroke such that power and torque are delivered in roughly equal amounts throughout the revo. I know I need work in that area.
3) Maintaining a straight line when sprinting. At high speeds, the combination of high revos and torque lead me to weaving.

Try reducing the air pressure in your front tire by 10-15# and increasing the pressure in the rear tire accordingly. It seems to help me. Also, running less air pressure in the front shock to about 115# has kept wheel hop to a minimum. You want just enough air so the shock doesn't bottom out, but not enough so that the front wheel comes off the ground. I was having problems spinning out when I hit a bump in the road under power. That's all but gone away, for me. BTW, I would kill to be at 205! I'm more like 250!

Mark

 

[Kamatu]

1. That is helping me learn to do spinning starts and balance at low speed.
2. Yep, I need to learn how to spin better too. Now you are making me wonder, I biased the rear shock especially for too much weight and I think I may have overdone it. How would that affect my handling.
3. Yes, yes, yes, after telling you to spin and use a delicate touch on the steering, now we tell you to hammer and wrench on the handlebars. Sorry. I'm happy to keep it in my lane doing that now, but I think it also helped with my general handling skills since I learned to do more leaning and riding on the sides of the tires in my quest for speed uphill.

If I lose as much as I have in the last six weeks during the next six weeks, I still won't be down to 250.......

Mark B wrote:

xkred27 wrote: Yeah, those uphill starts can be a challenge. I've put about 120 miles on mine in the two weeks I've owned it and would say that the remaining "serious" issues are:

1) Starts in general and uphill starts in particular. Low speed uphill maneuvers in general. Part of this has to do with the fact that my gearing is too high (for me) and I'm mashing at low RPM up these hills, placing great force on the pedals and making keeping a straight line problematic. Nearly ate it a couple of times, but as is always the case, putting your on the ground cures all ills.
2) Today I spun out a couple of times going up a steep hill on dry pavement. I think part of this will resolve once I complete my campaign to lose some weight (currently 205; aiming for 175), thereby better equalizing the front/rear weight distribution. The other piece I'll bet has to do with smoothing out my pedal stroke such that power and torque are delivered in roughly equal amounts throughout the revo. I know I need work in that area.
3) Maintaining a straight line when sprinting. At high speeds, the combination of high revos and torque lead me to weaving.

Try reducing the air pressure in your front tire by 10-15# and increasing the pressure in the rear tire accordingly. It seems to help me. Also, running less air pressure in the front shock to about 115# has kept wheel hop to a minimum. You want just enough air so the shock doesn't bottom out, but not enough so that the front wheel comes off the ground. I was having problems spinning out when I hit a bump in the road under power. That's all but gone away, for me. BTW, I would kill to be at 205! I'm more like 250!

Mark