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Post by kenyon on Mar 21, 2017 17:48:58 GMT -5
I just bought 2 Bike E's off CL. $300 each. One is a AT, the fellow said it had never been ridden and it looks that way, (showroom condition). The second one is an CT and it too looks to be in pristine condition although he'd said he did ride it a bit. Both came from Alberta and are totally rust free. I've never ridden a recumbent bicycle yet (it's raining out like crazy today) but put the seat back on (the CT), pumped up the tires and gave it a visual once over, now just waiting for the rain to stop..... So is it all right to have the seat back almost (within an inch or so) to the end of the frame to accommodate my 6'2" frame. I noticed on the XT there is a screw sunk in the top of the frame which prevents the seat from going any further back than about 10 inches from the end of the frame, what's that about and is it ok to remove it if need be ? Re seat adjustment : In the manual it talks about adjusting the seat and seat frame tilt with a 6mm allen key or a Phillips screwdriver but I don't see anything like those on the bottom of my seat, just the 2 skewer clamps. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions after I put a couple of kilometers on it assuming these pages are still active these days. Thanks in advance for any advice or info on my new purchases.
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Post by pjespers on Mar 26, 2017 21:25:35 GMT -5
I've heard of folks drilling out the rivet so they can slide the seat completely off the bike. I do it for transporting in the minivan. It's gentler(sp) on the sliders that way, rather than forcing the seat off the rail.
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Post by kenyon on Mar 27, 2017 18:02:51 GMT -5
But what about removing the rivet, setting the seat back further and riding it with the seat further back like that. Was the rivet there as a safety issue so the seat wouldn't slide back under load or was it just to put the seat in the best position in relation to the shock ? The CT doesn't fit me at all and I would love to swap it for a "L" frame. The AT fits with the seat back OK but I'm sitting over the rear axle rather than over the shock but it seems to handle fine and the shock is sagging slightly (1/4 inch ?) when I sit on it at a standstill.
I guess my seats are OK, they do not have the 27" high backrests ?
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Post by pjespers on Apr 4, 2017 21:30:14 GMT -5
Drill out the rivet if you want to. Many folks do. Your seat should not be so far back that your legs fully extend when pedaling. Just to a slight bend at the knee. For the Shock... it should be inflated to match your body weight. From there you can go up or down depending on your preference. It takes a special pump to do that. You can get on on eBay for about $35. The handlebars should also be high enough so your knees don't bump into your hands while you steer.
Sounds like the CT is a standard frame, and the AT is the XL frame. The low back seats are not as comfortable as the high backs, but they are less prone to breakage. The high backs put more torque on the seat frame. Newer high back seats have better reinforcements than the original ones.
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Post by kenyon on Apr 6, 2017 12:46:25 GMT -5
Hey, thanks for responding with some good information for me. I prefer my legs "almost" fully extended on the end of the stroke. The AT has straight bars which are fine but the CT bars are curved in slightly on the ends so they are very close to my knees on the top of the stroke. I find that I can ride the CT now (barely) with the seat at the very end of the frame but the thingypit in general seems cramped. Your instructions for the shock are in agreement with the manual and I've already purchased a shock pump.
Both bikes are marked with the "S" sticker (standard size ?)
Problem I have now is an annoying click when peddling the AT which I originally thought was coming from the bottom bracket but have now determined that is is coming from the pivot at the top of the shock, is/was there supposed to be a bushing in there ? There needs to be something done or eventually that steel pin is going to wear away at the aluminum. Could it be that I am sitting too far back on the frame and it is teetering on that pin as I pedal...... ?
A good fitting bike is more important to me than suspension so if it can't be fixed I may need to weld the chainstays to the frame to make it non suspended and slightly longer/lower. Just a thought at this point, eventually in the next year or so I'm going to need to by a "real", lol (touring, probably LWB) recumbent but would like to have the Bike E's for short hops/town trips.
Any thoughts welcome.......
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Post by pjespers on May 2, 2017 8:21:04 GMT -5
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