Comparison so far ....

A little over 500 miles so far and still lovin' it ! I got rid of the front derailleur shifter since I'm only using the smallest chain ring in front, which is more than sufficient for me. The cranks are 175 mm ( I ordered the shortest version, the 165 mm but they are not available in my country ) and I do notice that they are a bit too long. I might replace them with a 155 mm crank soon. I notice that my knees are a bit sore after riding the XP although I try to spin in a high cadence. I also have 155 mm cranks in my velomobile and especially after switching from velomobile to the XP it takes some time to adjust ....
When I compare the XP to the Stratus, I have to agree that the XP it is a bit faster, climbs better and it is defenitely more comfortable, especially over rough terrain. The seat is also more comfortable, but this is due to the fact that the seat bottom is adjustable too ( where as on my Stratus, only the the back of the seat is adjustable ). When it comes to the steering ... well ... I think I still prefer the C-bar over the chopper bar, but I still ride the chopper bar. I did cut the new riser short ( not too short this time, I learned my lesson ! ) and feel more comfortable now, but still miss the C-bar. Especially when taking turns : with the C-bar, I did not have to worry about turning, the C-bar turned above my knees, no matter how sharp a corner I took. With the chopper bar it's different : when I ride straight forward, my knees go up and down between the grips. When I need to take a turn, I have to lower the knee and keep it there on the inside of the turn or I simply cannot take the turn. This still needs some thinking, although it might be a matter of time before it becomes second nature .... I have not completely given up on the C-bar yet, I'm only afraid that the C-bar will turn out to be too short. I will give a last and final try next week. Tomorrow, I'll be off for Cycle Vision in the Netherlands for the weekend. Unfortunately, the weather conditions will not be good at all, otherwise I would ride the XP all the way to Zandvoort. They predict lots of rain and heavy winds, not my kind of weather to ride a bike in ....