OK, time for a stream of consciousness.
In full disclosure, it’s completely
within the realm of the possible that at some point in the future either I’ll stop doing 1200K’s or I’ll do
them on a recumbent. As I sit here today, 5 weeks after PBP, my hands are a
mess and I’m seriously concerned about loss of function/ongoing pain/future
surgery; I’ve had nagging back issues for years and despite more than $10K spent over the
years haven’t been able to find a saddle that’s not agony for the last 400K. I
can’t use aerobars to give my hands a break due to the back issues.
Given how heavily invested I am in
conventional DF bikes, that’d be a big step for me. Especially since I’m still
fast enough to get good sleep on 1200K’s (I got 7+ hours stopped every night at
PBP) but if I make a list of the reasons why I like doing 1200K’s “the bike I ride”
isn’t even on it.
The main issue (for me) is it’s
relentlessly hilly here in SW Wisconsin and ‘bents don’t climb particularly
well, or at least the Bacchetta I have doesn’t. 11% is about the maximum
gradient I can handle. I’m investigating other ‘bent alternatives that
supposedly are better climbers but have yet to pull the trigger on anything.
With a DF bike, I start off my rides with
a general idea of the direction I want to go and then let how I feel dictate
the particular route I take and distance I ride. With the ‘bent, I don’t have
the freedom to do that i.e., “I’d like to go that way but there are those two
big climbs on it so that’s out” – I really dislike being limited in that way.
I freely admit that I don't ride the 'bent often enough to develop my "bent legs" and based on my experience there is definitely a difference in the muscle groups used between a DF and a 'bent. However, in the only objective measure I have to this point, I put the Bacchetta on the smart trainer and measured my power output on some fairly lengthy climbs. My FTP (Functional Threshold Power) on a DF is 254, tested this year. On the 'bent I develop about 20% less power. Note that I didn't do a full FTP test, just a series of long climbs but still, my average power for 5 minutes was in the 200-210 watt range on the 'bent.
That's a lot of power to give up, especially when your shit is weak already like me. I expect that were I to ride the 'bent exclusively for some period of time the power numbers would go up. That leads us to another issue.
I've read on numerous 'bent related internet forums that there's not a lot of crossover between a 'bent and a DF. Based on my limited experience I believe this is accurate. I bought the Bacchetta several years ago when I'd hurt my back. I was hoping to be able to put in some serious miles on the 'bent and then go do a 1200K I'd signed up for. Despite the fact that I put in 400-500 miles per month for three months on the 'bent I was in no way ready to do a 1200K on a DF so I scratched.
In an ideal world I could alternate between the two and be ready to do a 1200K on either depending on the route & my whim. The reality is I'd need to ride one or the other almost exclusively for several months in order to have a chance of finishing. I'm not really ready to ride a 'bent 100% of the time.
Also, I just like DF bikes. I think they're beautiful in their simplicity. I enjoy the finely nuanced differences between the various bikes I own.
Although I have done rides on the Bacchetta that I've enjoyed it's not the same.
Another factor is I like climbing and I like 1200K's with 30K+ of climbing. If whatever 'bent I'm riding can't climb that means I'm constrained to riding in Florida :-(
Another factor is I like climbing and I like 1200K's with 30K+ of climbing. If whatever 'bent I'm riding can't climb that means I'm constrained to riding in Florida :-(
We’ll see.
