Miles: 26.5
Time: 2:26:14
Elevation: 542
Average Speed: 10.9
Max Speed: 22.9
This was my first serious ride on this bike which my buddy Doug calls a clown bike. I told him after I bought it that all I needed was a clown suit and a Tammy Fae Baker makeup kit.
Previously I had put about 6 miles on the bike riding around my neighborhood. I have been a bit reluctant to take it out on the road but last night I ordered a tube mounted bottle cage mount and cage and they came this morning which ruined my good excuses especially since I already had an extra tube. I mounted the bottle cage and a seat bag with tube inside and put my mini-pump in my back pocket and hit the road. The following are my first impressions:
The first thing you notice about this bike are that it is not as fast as a 700c or 26" bike or at least does not feel as fast. The claimed weight is 32 pounds. Next comes the fact that the 8 speed Shimano Nexus internally geared hub and twist shifter requires a clockwise twist for smaller (lower) gears and counter clockwise for larger (higher). This is the reverse of a standard derailleur system which all my other bikes have. I am still having some occasional occurrences of shifting backwards but that is a small issue and will go away with more miles.
After 2-3 miles I started to feel the stock Biologic seat. Ideally one would forget he was even sitting on a seat. This one is not bad for a plastic seat but not as good as my Brooks Flyer which has me completely spoiled. After a few more miles the seat issues did seem to fade away but I will certainly try the Brooks before I do any serious miles.
Over the length of this ride I has no issues with hand position or comfort. There are at least 2 positions available on the bars and they can easily be adjusted up or down or rotated if a change of position is called for.
The gear spacing is a bit wide compared to my other bikes but that is to be expected when 8 speeds are spread over a pretty decent gear inch range, 24" to 74". The stock setup is a 39 tooth chain ring and a 16 tooth rear sprocket. I have ordered a 20 tooth rear sprocket which will drop the range to about 20" to 63". The low end will be more appropriate for some of the local climbs and hopefully loaded touring but the top will be pretty limited. It will take some experimentation to find what will be best for my riding routes and style and I my end up changing the sprocket to suit the ride at hand.
So far I have not found the 20" wheels to be an issue. This ride was about the same comfort wise as on any of my other bikes. The 1.5" Schwalby tires and the suspended seat post no doubt help in this regard. I am learning to like the step through frame. With a load it is very hard for me to get my old leg over my 700c touring bike. This bike has no such issues.
I found the handling to be acceptable. Doug thought the bike was "twitchy" when he rode it and it may well be but I have not noticed it so far. For me the important handling test is the ability to get as close to the edge of the pavement as possible when being overtaken by motor vehicles on Amboy Road and Highway 62 without going off into the deep sand which would result in a fall most or all of the time. I had no problems doing so with comfort today.
The folding mechanism is easy to use and appears to be of good quality. I can envision many circumstances where it will be very advantageous to have a bike that can be folded into a compact package an easily transported.
The verdict? In spite of looking like a "clown Bike" this is a serious bike with a good frame and quality components. I would not hesitate to ride it any time, anyplace (on pavement of course), including on multi-day tours.
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