Nazca Paseo framekit ordered

[PaulM]

Now the Metabikes frame has gone, I've ordered a Paseo framekit from Laid Back Bikes. Should be reliable, comfortable, durable and hopefully easy to ride. Nice to have a European made frame. Is it the poor mans Street Machine, or a Street Machine for shorties? Will report back in due course but to my eye the suspension looks better sorted and the bike looks sharper.

 

[Falco Frank]

Excellent! Looks good....

http://www.velocraft.fi/english/nazca

 

[Sailorsi]

Hi Paul, I tried the Gaucho whilst I was looking and really loved it, the suspension made it a great ride, very nearly bought one but fell for the Encore at the last minute! I'm sure the Paseo will be a great frame kit. What suspension/ steering did you opt for?

 

[PaulM]

Hi Si. I've ordered the aerosteer. I like the look and by many accounts they make the steering very easy. Rear suspension is the standard DNM-22, front suspension is planned to be the Toxy lightweight fork. Nazca can't get hold of the carbon Meks with V-bosses anymore. To lighten things up I've specified the sports carbon seat.

 

[scotbiker]

The Paseo is a nice riding, if a bit heavy, bike that I tried (with the Bacchetta type open cockpit bars) at Laid Back when first looking at 'bents. I think you'll like it. What made you sell the Meta?

 

[neil earley]

you have to many toys! keep us all updated and enjoy your new bent

 

[PaulM]

The Paseo is a nice riding, if a bit heavy, bike that I tried (with the Bacchetta type open cockpit bars) at Laid Back when first looking at 'bents. I think you'll like it. What made you sell the Meta?

The Meta was great for pottering around but I couldn't maintain any real speed on bumpy, potholed and rutted roads. Shame because the dimensions really suited me and it was brilliant for hill climbing.

 

[PaulM]

you have to many toys! keep us all updated and enjoy your new bent

Maybe. Not sure of the future of my RANS if the Paseo delivers on the communting and touring requirements. I have sold my titanium 8-speed Brompton now.

 

[PaulM]

The framekit arrived from Laid Back bikes and it is a thing of great beauty in Fire Red. The fork is the Saso/Meks carbon with bosses for V-brakes. The weight seems reasonable given that it came with rear and Lo-rider racks attached. I was surprised to find the upper rear seat/rack support is aluminium - I was expecting it to be steel. The carbon seat is drool worthy and much much lighter than the seat pad. I've been deliberating gearing choices. Thinking of going with a double FD and wide ratio 9-speed RD to keep it simple, light and efficient for now.

 

[swscotland bentrider]

The framekit arrived from Laid Back bikes and it is a thing of great beauty in Fire Red. The fork is the Saso/Meks carbon with bosses for V-brakes. The weight seems reasonable given that it came with rear and Lo-rider racks attached. I was surprised to find the upper rear seat/rack support is aluminium - I was expecting it to be steel. The carbon seat is drool worthy and much much lighter than the seat pad. I've been deliberating gearing choices. Thinking of going with a double FD and wide ratio 9-speed RD to keep it simple, light and efficient for now.

Some years back I had a Paseo. Very good egonomics. A bit heavy but on badly surfaced roads it handled brilliantly. Used in on a tour of the Western Isles and it conducted itself perfectly. You get used to the weight and then barely notice it. I have always though a 'light' build such as you are proposing would make a serious challenger to the Streetmachine.

 

[PaulM]

Paseo right

• PaulM
• 20 Feb 2017

Built from frameset. Cromo frame handmade in the Netherlands

Paseo left

• PaulM
• 20 Feb 2017

Carbon forks and carbon seat

Today was the first time turning the pedals. First impressions: very easy to ride, stable and very controllable. The suspension is excellent. The ride height is adjustable by moving the rear shock between 3 slots. A side effect of adjusting the height is to alter the headtube angle. Having started it on the lowest position (highest seat, steepest headtube) I moved it the mid position to slow the steering down. The aero bars (aka open cockpit) provide great control and make signalling easy but I can't pedal through tight turns because of leg interference with the bars and riser. However I can still make tight turns ok whilst coasting. Another reason for not pedalling during tight turns is heel strike. It's easy to sit up and paddle the bike to complete a U-turn.

Stepping over the seat is a little tricky, but I recall also initially having problems with my Giro 20 and Metabikes. The seat curves up to put the head in an upright position. I was relieved to find the BB height did not feel high once riding. Gearing is about right. I have a 30-39-52 Ultegra triple on the front and a 12-36 cassette on the back. I might need lower at times but the balance would probably get too difficult. Sheldon Brown's gear calculator gives a range of 20.7" to 107.8". On the middle ring I get a very useable 26.9" to 80.8". I might switch to a sturmey archer cs-rf3 so that I can change when stationary - can't make up my mind on that one.

Summary - I like it and look forward to getting some miles in on it. I bought it as a tourer, hence the low rider rack. It should be ok on a train although it is quite a long machine. Not as long as my RANS but longer than the Metabikes and Giro I think.

 

[neil earley]

Any updates on your new bent!!

 

[PaulM]

Not a lot. Had other priorities and been ill with a respiratory problem. On my 2nd ride the Paseo jammed in 2nd gear with the RD colliding with the 12-36 cassette. So I changed it for an 11-34 one, and much to my surprise that had the RD contacting 1st gear. So change it again to an 11-32 one, also changed the rings to 28-39-50 to try to recover a bit of the bottom end. Third ride showed it was all working well. I weighed it at 41lbs which is reasonable with the double racks, mudguards and kickstand. It doesn't feel that heavy when riding it. Since that I've gone back to riding my RANS Stratus XP, mainly because I'm comfortable commuting on it in busy traffic. I need to get some spare time at the weekend for more rides on the Paseo. The XP is really impressing me at the moment. Oddly I think I may have more chance of fitting it in the car than the Paseo with it's rigid aerobars.Might be worth trying some Bacchetta steering parts on the Paseo since the B-Pivot allows the bars to be folded.

 

[DaddyPaddey]

I am off to Laid Back next week and was hoping he had a Gaucho to play on, though I think I might be unlucky. As I only live a few miles from you [Hill Head] I would appreciate being able to drool at the Paseo when I get back-if that was possible.

 

[PaulM]

I'm sure David must have one of the Gauchos in stock. You're very welcome to come and have a look at my Paseo and have a play if you are a similar size. Just message me and we'll sort something out.