PaulM
Guru
- Location
- Portsmouth, UK
Now have the Bella up and running, I am once again considering selling my RANS Stratus XP to make some space. I'll send you a message to see if you have any interest.
Last edited:
After the Linear
- Thread starter a.twiddler
- Start date
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Now have the Bella up and running, I am once again considering selling my RANS Stratus XP to make some space. I'll send you a message to see if you have any interest.
grldtnr
Über Member
Course I do ! I've had many a chat with Kevin,,when I 've got him on the phone, even rode that Giro on his 'demo' track, just that spewcheck put Derek in instead!!!
Peterborough isnt so far away, and I have a Birthday, ...but I need another bike like a fish.....
OP
OP
a.twiddler
Veteran
Strange. It's February now, and it's as if the Grasshopper has never been, for all the frenzy of adjusting and adapting that took place in the time that I'd had it, interspersed with an admission to hospital, various tests, restriction on anything strenuous, then the gradual realisation that the problem was not me, it was the design of the bike, for which I was not well suited, then coming to terms with needing to sell it on, and the fastest sale I've ever made of a bike on that well known auction site. Phew!
High hopes to no hopes in 4 1/2 months.
I told my wife "I'm just going out to look at a Bicycle" at the beginning of September last year, and it seemed no time between that and telling her that "someone's just coming to look at a bike" part way through January as bookends to my term of ownership of the Grasshopper. She doesn't share my enthusiasm for bikes in general, and particularly "those weird lying down things".
Having had time to process the experience I think pursuing a SWB as an all round do it all single bike to take the place of what I've got is now a dead duck. The Grasshopper has shown the Linear and Spirit to be much better bikes for my purposes, particularly in climbing. The Spirit is shorter than my 700C tourer so is more train friendly and is comfortable for decent distances as well as mild off road and ability to get through restricted barriers on bike trails and towpaths that the Linear struggles with. It's so handy to get on and off, too. It doesn't quite match the long distance comfort of the Linear which I still think of as my main bike at the moment.
I've come to the view that the future lies in the LWB realm. Something with a bit more speed than the Linear for those longer trips while I can still manage them. The less reclined seat and lower BB just seems a better way to go for me. I'm going to have to make space somehow as LWBs don't seem to sell quickly, and the Linear might be hanging around for a while. It's always good to evaluate any new addition before making a decision anyway, and it might be interesting to compare them side by side, when the time comes.
So that's where my head's at now. Life may be short, but it doesn't mean your bike has to be, and I like to try new things.
High hopes to no hopes in 4 1/2 months.
I told my wife "I'm just going out to look at a Bicycle" at the beginning of September last year, and it seemed no time between that and telling her that "someone's just coming to look at a bike" part way through January as bookends to my term of ownership of the Grasshopper. She doesn't share my enthusiasm for bikes in general, and particularly "those weird lying down things".
Having had time to process the experience I think pursuing a SWB as an all round do it all single bike to take the place of what I've got is now a dead duck. The Grasshopper has shown the Linear and Spirit to be much better bikes for my purposes, particularly in climbing. The Spirit is shorter than my 700C tourer so is more train friendly and is comfortable for decent distances as well as mild off road and ability to get through restricted barriers on bike trails and towpaths that the Linear struggles with. It's so handy to get on and off, too. It doesn't quite match the long distance comfort of the Linear which I still think of as my main bike at the moment.
I've come to the view that the future lies in the LWB realm. Something with a bit more speed than the Linear for those longer trips while I can still manage them. The less reclined seat and lower BB just seems a better way to go for me. I'm going to have to make space somehow as LWBs don't seem to sell quickly, and the Linear might be hanging around for a while. It's always good to evaluate any new addition before making a decision anyway, and it might be interesting to compare them side by side, when the time comes.
So that's where my head's at now. Life may be short, but it doesn't mean your bike has to be, and I like to try new things.
FrankCrank
Old layabout
I'm of much the same persuasion as yourself with regards to SWB format - not for me. I'll stick with LWB and trike, both very comfortable.
I may build a second LWB later this year, a 20x20 configuration, by way of an experiment.
I've got a donor BMX bike back in the UK that I can use, but more on that when the time comes.
The SWB issue of the higher BB by comparison, is usually the thing that causes most angst. Great to have choices eh
PaulM
Guru
- Location
- Portsmouth, UK
It's often said that highracers are for tall people and LWBs are for short people. I had to change the suspension fork on my Paseo to a rigid one in order to lower the step over. It can still be a struggle trying to get off after stalling on a steep hill where the road is heavily cambered so there's a bigger drop to the left.
I did my first ride on the Bella yesterday. It's an interesting comparison with the XP but both are easy in traffic. For some reason long cranks are comfortable on a LWB but not on a SWB.
I did my first ride on the Bella yesterday. It's an interesting comparison with the XP but both are easy in traffic. For some reason long cranks are comfortable on a LWB but not on a SWB.
OP
OP
a.twiddler
Veteran
It took a while and some logistical ingenuity but I have now acquired Paul M's Rans Stratus XP after a test ride.
It always seems to be the case that just when you want to spend the time working on a new acquisition, numerous other things come up to get in the way of it.
In the meantime I've been accumulating various bits and pieces ready for when I can get around to fitting them. Not the least of them has been a Terracycle Easy Reacher underseat rack which arrived following a phone call to Kevin at D TEK. It's designed for slightly larger diameter frame tubes than mine but I've managed to make it work by shimming it with offcuts of plastic pipe. It certainly feels solid enough. It's probably the best I'm going to get this side of the Atlantic!
You start off by attaching the two main cross pieces to the frame, then once satisfied add the two side frames. There are several clamps which can be reversed, attached upside down or fitted at different heights. Once this is done a cross piece can be attached at the bottom. This has a block on each side which can be attached in several ways. The whole thing is wobbly and inclined to fall apart but once tightened slightly, loosened and tightened again to get the alignment right it's solid. Once it was the best I could get it, I removed the bolts one by one and loctited them in place. There is still plenty of room for fore and aft adjustment of the seat between the clamps.
The panniers could be adjusted to be a bit further forward. They don't interfere with putting my feet down in their current position.
I would still like to fit a rear rack, as having a flat surface to strap things to is a useful feature. I'd considered fitting one which clamps to the axle via the QR, as the rack mounts are rather awkwardly placed relative to the disc caliper. I came across a Roswheel rack on ebay, used, which comes with interchangeable alternative mounting plates which bolt on to the rack legs, which might solve that problem. I won't know until it arrives.
So that's as far as I've got so far.
It always seems to be the case that just when you want to spend the time working on a new acquisition, numerous other things come up to get in the way of it.
In the meantime I've been accumulating various bits and pieces ready for when I can get around to fitting them. Not the least of them has been a Terracycle Easy Reacher underseat rack which arrived following a phone call to Kevin at D TEK. It's designed for slightly larger diameter frame tubes than mine but I've managed to make it work by shimming it with offcuts of plastic pipe. It certainly feels solid enough. It's probably the best I'm going to get this side of the Atlantic!
You start off by attaching the two main cross pieces to the frame, then once satisfied add the two side frames. There are several clamps which can be reversed, attached upside down or fitted at different heights. Once this is done a cross piece can be attached at the bottom. This has a block on each side which can be attached in several ways. The whole thing is wobbly and inclined to fall apart but once tightened slightly, loosened and tightened again to get the alignment right it's solid. Once it was the best I could get it, I removed the bolts one by one and loctited them in place. There is still plenty of room for fore and aft adjustment of the seat between the clamps.
The panniers could be adjusted to be a bit further forward. They don't interfere with putting my feet down in their current position.
I would still like to fit a rear rack, as having a flat surface to strap things to is a useful feature. I'd considered fitting one which clamps to the axle via the QR, as the rack mounts are rather awkwardly placed relative to the disc caliper. I came across a Roswheel rack on ebay, used, which comes with interchangeable alternative mounting plates which bolt on to the rack legs, which might solve that problem. I won't know until it arrives.
So that's as far as I've got so far.
PaulM
Guru
- Location
- Portsmouth, UK
Well done. An underseat rack keeps the weight nice and low. Not sure if the Roswheel rack will fit. I think a rack with legs that can be sprung wider to fit outside the caliper might work.
FrankCrank
Old layabout
OP
OP
a.twiddler
Veteran
5/4/25
The Rans Stratus XP
Some More Progress .
I’ve found that in some gears the chain could make contact with the right side of the front underseat rack bracket. Two steps forward, one step back. As it’s something of a generic T -cycle underseat rack, it doesn’t have the cutaway here that the specific Rans Stratus model has, according to the general purpose instructions. I’ve moved the brackets about to minimise the issue, so the set up looks a little different now.
For now, I’m avoiding big/big to avoid occasional chain contact with the front bracket, eg if the chain bounces, and small/small as the chain touches the top of the chainstay when not under tension through pedalling. It may be that in the future, if I don’t find myself using the higher gears much, I might change to a smaller big ring, and possibly take a couple of links out.
Fortunately the locking mechanism of the Arkel RT 40 panniers keeps them secure with the hooks in a variety of positions. I may need to replace one of the rather prominent rack fixing bolts with a shallower, low domed one.
I’ve made some adjustments to the handlebars. I’ve fitted a pair of Lidl Mirrors, a small bell, and mounted the Garmin bracket on the handlebar crossbar.
I’ve cleaned up some parts of the frame where cables have rubbed, touched them up with black paint and protected them with clear tape. Unfortunately the tape isn’t very flexible due to its thickness so it doesn’t like some of the thinner tubes and the chainstay. I’ve got to find something that will work there. All this makes it sound as if the paint is a bit rough. But actually it’s in really nice condition. The metallic dark grey finish is thick and glossy and really sparkles in the sunlight.
While rummaging in one of my bits boxes I came across an accessory bar which used to be on my Revolution tourer. I’d been wondering how to mount lights as anything attached to the bars would have to be set up to avoid the forest of cables which conspired to block the beams wherever I tried to put them. This gadget clamps round the head tube and holds a bar above the front wheel to keep the lights ahead of the cables. The side pieces also help to direct the cables away from the head tube as the steering turns. That is in place now, with my old 2W Topeak light clamped to it with separate battery slotted into the Topeak holder which replaces the standard aheadset top cap, and in this case fits neatly at the base between the bars. There’s room for another light on the accessory bar and no doubt loads more back up ones on the immense handlebars.
I’ve fitted a longer front mudguard bolt and a bit of tube to move the front mudguard top mounting further forward as I can foresee some spray curling back towards the bars on a wet road. As standard the mudguard “leans back” due to the fork rake and doesn’t cover the top of the tyre as much as I’d like. When I can find a longer bolt, I’ll move it a bit further forward yet.
The used Roswheel rear rack turned up today. Anticipating another wrestling match trying to reconcile the space taken up by the rear disc caliper with getting a non bodged solution to fitting the rack, I approached this with some trepidation. It comes with two sets of end plates, or “feet”. They can be turned round so that the mounting holes on the dropout can be in front or behind the main upright of the carrier. It also comes with spacers so you can spring the legs out to clear any obstructions. I was tempted to put both the spacers on the caliper side but as it happened the carrier just fitted nicely around the caliper with the “feet” set with the mounting holes to the rear. The other set of “feet” are longer, presumably to allow larger riders to increase the heel clearance with panniers on an upright bike. Measuring by eye, they might bring the carrier frame up against the seat stays so I’ll use it as it is for now.
I was going to attach the front arms to the seat stays but I didn’t have any P clips large enough to go round them. They could actually be contorted enough to attach to the bolts that hold the tops of the seat stays to the back of the seat. This will do for now, but a disadvantage of this set up is that it introduces another complication to removing the seat. The nuts will have to be released first to take the seat off, rather than just pulling out the four grenade pins.
On reflection, I might be able to attach the carrier arms to the rear frame brace with my existing P clips which will make the carrier independent of the seat or stays, as they change angle depending on the seat recline.
The carrier comes with a cylindrical fitting for a rear light as well as a flat plate for a bolt on light. It's in a nice shade of dark grey.
Dealing with issues as they arose and making modifications has been quite enjoyable, if at times frustrating. It’s been a rather intense few days. I’ve spent so much time close up to the bike that taking it outside and seeing it in its entirety has been almost a shock. It definitely has a wow factor. It has a certain “in ya face!” presence.
Alongside it, the Linear seems almost understated, if any 81” long recumbent bike can be called that.
The Rans is about 10” longer, mostly in the front wheel.
The Rans Stratus XP
Some More Progress .
I’ve found that in some gears the chain could make contact with the right side of the front underseat rack bracket. Two steps forward, one step back. As it’s something of a generic T -cycle underseat rack, it doesn’t have the cutaway here that the specific Rans Stratus model has, according to the general purpose instructions. I’ve moved the brackets about to minimise the issue, so the set up looks a little different now.
For now, I’m avoiding big/big to avoid occasional chain contact with the front bracket, eg if the chain bounces, and small/small as the chain touches the top of the chainstay when not under tension through pedalling. It may be that in the future, if I don’t find myself using the higher gears much, I might change to a smaller big ring, and possibly take a couple of links out.
Fortunately the locking mechanism of the Arkel RT 40 panniers keeps them secure with the hooks in a variety of positions. I may need to replace one of the rather prominent rack fixing bolts with a shallower, low domed one.
I’ve made some adjustments to the handlebars. I’ve fitted a pair of Lidl Mirrors, a small bell, and mounted the Garmin bracket on the handlebar crossbar.
I’ve cleaned up some parts of the frame where cables have rubbed, touched them up with black paint and protected them with clear tape. Unfortunately the tape isn’t very flexible due to its thickness so it doesn’t like some of the thinner tubes and the chainstay. I’ve got to find something that will work there. All this makes it sound as if the paint is a bit rough. But actually it’s in really nice condition. The metallic dark grey finish is thick and glossy and really sparkles in the sunlight.
While rummaging in one of my bits boxes I came across an accessory bar which used to be on my Revolution tourer. I’d been wondering how to mount lights as anything attached to the bars would have to be set up to avoid the forest of cables which conspired to block the beams wherever I tried to put them. This gadget clamps round the head tube and holds a bar above the front wheel to keep the lights ahead of the cables. The side pieces also help to direct the cables away from the head tube as the steering turns. That is in place now, with my old 2W Topeak light clamped to it with separate battery slotted into the Topeak holder which replaces the standard aheadset top cap, and in this case fits neatly at the base between the bars. There’s room for another light on the accessory bar and no doubt loads more back up ones on the immense handlebars.
I’ve fitted a longer front mudguard bolt and a bit of tube to move the front mudguard top mounting further forward as I can foresee some spray curling back towards the bars on a wet road. As standard the mudguard “leans back” due to the fork rake and doesn’t cover the top of the tyre as much as I’d like. When I can find a longer bolt, I’ll move it a bit further forward yet.
The used Roswheel rear rack turned up today. Anticipating another wrestling match trying to reconcile the space taken up by the rear disc caliper with getting a non bodged solution to fitting the rack, I approached this with some trepidation. It comes with two sets of end plates, or “feet”. They can be turned round so that the mounting holes on the dropout can be in front or behind the main upright of the carrier. It also comes with spacers so you can spring the legs out to clear any obstructions. I was tempted to put both the spacers on the caliper side but as it happened the carrier just fitted nicely around the caliper with the “feet” set with the mounting holes to the rear. The other set of “feet” are longer, presumably to allow larger riders to increase the heel clearance with panniers on an upright bike. Measuring by eye, they might bring the carrier frame up against the seat stays so I’ll use it as it is for now.
I was going to attach the front arms to the seat stays but I didn’t have any P clips large enough to go round them. They could actually be contorted enough to attach to the bolts that hold the tops of the seat stays to the back of the seat. This will do for now, but a disadvantage of this set up is that it introduces another complication to removing the seat. The nuts will have to be released first to take the seat off, rather than just pulling out the four grenade pins.
On reflection, I might be able to attach the carrier arms to the rear frame brace with my existing P clips which will make the carrier independent of the seat or stays, as they change angle depending on the seat recline.
The carrier comes with a cylindrical fitting for a rear light as well as a flat plate for a bolt on light. It's in a nice shade of dark grey.
Dealing with issues as they arose and making modifications has been quite enjoyable, if at times frustrating. It’s been a rather intense few days. I’ve spent so much time close up to the bike that taking it outside and seeing it in its entirety has been almost a shock. It definitely has a wow factor. It has a certain “in ya face!” presence.
Alongside it, the Linear seems almost understated, if any 81” long recumbent bike can be called that.
The Rans is about 10” longer, mostly in the front wheel.
OP
OP
a.twiddler
Veteran
After the Linear. Well, possibly. The most promising candidate so far.
Developments with the Rans Stratus XP
I’ve come across some P clips while looking for something else in my bits box, like you do, which fit the seat stays on the Rans. I’d been looking for something that might allow me to attach the carrier arms to the redundant rear brake bosses but couldn’t find any convenient right angle brackets.
There was a barely noticeable rearward slope to the carrier top with the temporary set up I’d been using which annoyed me once I’d noticed it. It’s now level, with the shortest possible extension of the fixing arms to P clips at the top of the seat stays. The seat stay pins can move freely for adjustment, and the P clips are fairly unnoticeable. It feels solid enough now.
I’ve fitted a shallow domed bolt to the front right fixing for the underseat pannier rack to replace the existing prominent allen bolt in the hope of eliminating chain contact there. The original bolt didn’t show signs of wear (perhaps it’s harder than the chain) though it was greasy. The new, shallower bolt might make less contact though having test ridden it, it doesn’t happen much and it’s easy to find a similar ratio by changing gears on the chainring and rear gears, to avoid it happening. It has become a non-problem.
Before (it's just beyond the T logo)
After
I’ve cut a longer piece of aluminium tube and fitted a longer bolt to the front mudguard fitting. The object of the exercise is to get the mudguard to cover more of the top of the tyre. It looks a bit geeky compared to the previous incarnation. I’ve fitted a small front reflector to it which doesn’t interfere with the headlight beam, which I hope will help to camouflage it. Maybe a crimp-on mudguard bracket would be more elegant, with the existing one cut off or flattened, or used to support a reflector. It would remove the need for all that ironmongery above the front wheel, though it is pretty solid at present.
Judging by the state of the frame, a mudflap at the back of the front mudguard might be the next thing.
The Wrong Trousers
One of the nice things about riding a recumbent is the ability to be able to wear ordinary clothing even for longer trips. After one of my recent local rides I noticed a greasy mark on the right lower leg of my grey trousers. I usually wear narrow fitting chinos with some lycra in them. With these I don’t even need to wear bike clips. This is a disappointing development.
On the next ride, I was alert to the possibility. Sure enough, while I was enjoying some easy rolling with the chain on the big ring and small rear sprocket, there it was, subtle as a mosquito bite, as the chain brushed against my trousers, intruding on my peace of mind.
On the Linear the rudimentary but effective chain guard keeps the oil off. On the Spirit, some well aligned chain tubes do the same job. I’d hate to have to fit chain tubes to the Rans. I wonder if a triangular piece of material as seen on the Peer Gynt would do the job? I’d have to get a good look at some photos to see what it’s made of and how it’s fitted.
Meanwhile, it looks as though I will have to ride around with my knees spread like Bandy Bill or wear black trousers when going cycling. Does this count as specialist clothing? This is an unexpected downside to a bike which so far has shown itself to have few drawbacks despite its exotic appearance.
Next week the weather promises to be good so if I can escape from the endless fence painting there’s a chance I might be able to get a couple of longer rides in. This time last year I was doing some 55 + mile rides hoping to work up to some 100 milers later that year before health problems got in the way.
Developments with the Rans Stratus XP
I’ve come across some P clips while looking for something else in my bits box, like you do, which fit the seat stays on the Rans. I’d been looking for something that might allow me to attach the carrier arms to the redundant rear brake bosses but couldn’t find any convenient right angle brackets.
There was a barely noticeable rearward slope to the carrier top with the temporary set up I’d been using which annoyed me once I’d noticed it. It’s now level, with the shortest possible extension of the fixing arms to P clips at the top of the seat stays. The seat stay pins can move freely for adjustment, and the P clips are fairly unnoticeable. It feels solid enough now.
I’ve fitted a shallow domed bolt to the front right fixing for the underseat pannier rack to replace the existing prominent allen bolt in the hope of eliminating chain contact there. The original bolt didn’t show signs of wear (perhaps it’s harder than the chain) though it was greasy. The new, shallower bolt might make less contact though having test ridden it, it doesn’t happen much and it’s easy to find a similar ratio by changing gears on the chainring and rear gears, to avoid it happening. It has become a non-problem.
Before (it's just beyond the T logo)
After
I’ve cut a longer piece of aluminium tube and fitted a longer bolt to the front mudguard fitting. The object of the exercise is to get the mudguard to cover more of the top of the tyre. It looks a bit geeky compared to the previous incarnation. I’ve fitted a small front reflector to it which doesn’t interfere with the headlight beam, which I hope will help to camouflage it. Maybe a crimp-on mudguard bracket would be more elegant, with the existing one cut off or flattened, or used to support a reflector. It would remove the need for all that ironmongery above the front wheel, though it is pretty solid at present.
Judging by the state of the frame, a mudflap at the back of the front mudguard might be the next thing.
The Wrong Trousers
One of the nice things about riding a recumbent is the ability to be able to wear ordinary clothing even for longer trips. After one of my recent local rides I noticed a greasy mark on the right lower leg of my grey trousers. I usually wear narrow fitting chinos with some lycra in them. With these I don’t even need to wear bike clips. This is a disappointing development.
On the next ride, I was alert to the possibility. Sure enough, while I was enjoying some easy rolling with the chain on the big ring and small rear sprocket, there it was, subtle as a mosquito bite, as the chain brushed against my trousers, intruding on my peace of mind.
On the Linear the rudimentary but effective chain guard keeps the oil off. On the Spirit, some well aligned chain tubes do the same job. I’d hate to have to fit chain tubes to the Rans. I wonder if a triangular piece of material as seen on the Peer Gynt would do the job? I’d have to get a good look at some photos to see what it’s made of and how it’s fitted.
Meanwhile, it looks as though I will have to ride around with my knees spread like Bandy Bill or wear black trousers when going cycling. Does this count as specialist clothing? This is an unexpected downside to a bike which so far has shown itself to have few drawbacks despite its exotic appearance.
Next week the weather promises to be good so if I can escape from the endless fence painting there’s a chance I might be able to get a couple of longer rides in. This time last year I was doing some 55 + mile rides hoping to work up to some 100 milers later that year before health problems got in the way.
Last edited:
PaulM
Guru
- Location
- Portsmouth, UK
Yes, grease on the trouser leg can be an issue. Good cycle clips/bands with the trouser leg folded to the outside of the leg should eliminate most of it. A new chain and using dry lubricant rather than wet lubricant is worth it I think. I plan to use only dry lube on the Bella.
