3 Weeks with my Grasshopper

[kingrollo]

Sadly I can't say I'm overly impressed.

The main problems stems around the fact it is just too slow. It's slow and awkward up hills - I don't whether the gearing has been altered - but selecting 1 on the internal hub - seems to give me 8 pretty much useless gears. I can't really use them to get up hill as I don't generate enough torque to stay upright!
The only way I can get up hills is to grunt them in the gears offered by selecting hub 2 option - this is ok for short inclines - but nothing more than that.

Now I now I might not yet have bent legs - but even if descents I don't really get any speed of note.

The recline on the seat is ridiculous - I can't understand why you have such a severe recline - it seems to negate the low seat height - and the much touted adjustment is barely an inch !!!

The thing is also incredibly heavy ! - I mean I had steel bacchetta some years back which didn't seem as heavy as this.

On a positive minor off road tracks are very do able on the grasshopper - which I couldn't do on the bacchetta .

 

[fossyant]

Sorry !

 

[FrankCrank]

My preference is for a trike or LWB when it comes to recumbents.
Couldn't get happy with the SWB format, mainly due to the high BB relative to the seat height.
I do my 'bent riding in a flatlands area, so gear issues are, er, not an issue.
Also, I think a SWB is a better match for someone who is young, fit and flexible, none of which apply to me.
Anyways, good to experiment, I'm sure you'll find something that suits in the end

 

[PaulM]

Sorry to hear that. You are not the only one who has struggled with the seat recline on the Grasshopper. Suspension and lightweight conflict.