Why a Stratus ?

I own and ride Stratus since 2000, which is a LWB (Long Wheel Base) recumbent from RANS. This is a American company that has been making sports aeroplanes and recumbents for years now, so they do have a long time of experience. I think the Stratus was one of their first designes and goes way back to 1979. It took me several years before I ordered a Stratus frame in 1999 through the German dealer, mainly because I did not have the opportunity to testride one. I already knew that I wanted that kind of seat on a recumbent (I don't like hard shell seats at all!) and what convinced me most to go for a Stratus were reviews I read in Recumbent Cyclist News (a very fine American publication). So I ordered and bought a frame set in 1999 and had it built up to my specifications (SRAM Dual Drive drivetrain, MAGURA HS-33 brakes and a SHIMANO hub dynamo for lightning). What I had read before, seemed to be true : it is a remarkable and very comfy bike ! I rode it over 17.000 miles in 3,5 years, which says something about how much I like it !

Last year, Rans came up with a dual 26" Stratus, the XP. Everything I read about this new bike was very positive and some even claimed that it is the best Stratus so far. I had to find out myself, so I ordered a frame set at the end of last year, directly from RANS. I had to wait a long time until the bike was completed, but today I could finally pick it up from my friends' place. I just rode it from his place to mine, which is only about 10 miles. My first impression of the XP is that it is a HUGE bike ! Both my old Stratus as my new one are size XL, but still the XP feels longer and bigger. The steering seems to be a bit further away, so I had to reach a bit more forward. I also had the impression that the bike rides a little less nervous, which might be because of the 26" front wheel. I can't tell anything about speed yet, 'cause I still have to put bicycle computer on it , that will be somehting for tomorrow. To be continued !