Rans' Stratus XP

Long time ....

2011-09-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

since I posted something on this blog. Most part of this year the XP was parked in my garage collecting dust 'cause I didn't feel like taking it for a ride. Or maybe I was just too busy riding my other bikes ;-)
Don't know why, buy I only started riding it again a couple of weeks ago. I took the XP to my local bike shop for some minor tweaks in the first week of July and picked it up a couple of weeks later. And started riding it again and realised again what a wonderful bike it is. It's still my favourite bike after a nights' shift from work when the weather is fine like yesterday, when I did a 2,5 hour ride. Just cruising along the canal and on the wonderful bicycle paths in the Netherlands and enjoying the scenery, nice !

Sunny Sunday ride ....

2010-10-03T14:27:00.001-07:00

After a couple of grey days, the weather forecast predicted a really sunny Sunday for today. Last night, it rained until after midnight, but when I got out of bed around noon, the sun was shining and it felt like summer again !
Although I had planned to ride my Beemer in the afternoon, the weather was actually so nice that I decided to take the XP for a ride instead. Put on my short, T-shirt and bike sandals and off I went. There was a mild wind, but who cared ....

Rode up to Tilburg and Loon op Zand, where I crossed the Nationaal Park de Loonse and Drunense Duinen. It was pretty crowded on the bike paths in the park, lots of people got out on their bikes on a sunny Sunday like this.
When I left the Park, I rode untill I reached Elshout, where I enjoyed the scenery while riding on the dike.

All this for bicycles only !

When I reached knooppunt 87, I turned around and headed back home. I arrived just in time for supper with a little over 60 miles on bike computer. A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon, if you ask me ;-)

The 2010 Limburg 100km ride

2010-08-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, for the 4th year in a row, Edje C. from the flemish recumbent forum organised a 100km recumbent ride starting and ending in Helchteren, in the provence of Limburg. This provence is the most beautiful of all for riding your bike, not only because they invented the famous fietsknooppuntennetwerk, but also because it's a beautiful part of Belgium with plenty of well constructed bicycles paths. I participated in earlier editions so I was planning to the same for this year. Only problem this year was that I had to work a night shift from Saturday on Sunday ....

But I was going anyhow, so .... I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep before my shift started on Saturday. On Sunday morning I left home early (around 6.30 a.m.) with my XP. Again, it was a last moment decision to take the XP, since the weather forecast had predicted some heavy rain with thunderstorms throughout the country. But since they were supposed to be locally, I decided to take a chance with the XP.

I had a different route this year to get to Helchteren, since Jonathan A. and Wouter D. were meeting me a little over halfway on their rowing bikes to accompany me to the starting point. Around 8.40 a.m. they joined me at the canal intersection in Kwaadmechelen. Wouter D. had a GPS device attached to his rowing bike and lead us the way to Helchteren. But only after 10 minutes of riding together, the dyneema propulsion cable of his rowing bike broke in half. We spent more than 1 hour to repair and replace his propulsion so that we could continue our way to Helchteren. Of course we were too late to start with the group, but fortunately, Wouter D. had the complete tour of the ride in his GPS so we caught up pretty soon.

This year's group was a bit bigger than last year : a total of 22 riders showed up. After stopping for lunch in the marina of Lommel, we did another drink stop in marina of Leopoldsburg and of course (and especially for me) an ice-cream stop in Koersel. After that I was back to Helchteren.

Although the skies turned dark a couple of times, only once a thunderstorm passed us closeby in the afternoon. Only a few drops of rain fell, but not enough to put on my rain jacket. It was warm and pretty humid all day, so I was glad that I took the XP instead of my velomobile.

Had a little over 220km on my bike computer when I got home, needles to say I slept like a baby last night !

Fixing the seat issue ....

2010-08-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Although the XP's seat is very comfortable, on longer rides I always start to touch one of the seats' back rails with my back bones. Very uncomfortable to say the least. Tightening the mesh was limited due to the construction of it, which in my case ment that when even tightened at maximum, my back still touched the rail.

On the Ransbike discussion forum I've read about the Sling Mesh Seat, which is a comparable seat but has a different mesh with long straps to tighten. It is not mentioned on the ShopRans pages (but there's a picture of it on here), but is available anyway for $400. Since I'm not sure if the seat fits my 2005 Stratus and the additional shipping costs + taxes would make it very expensive, I don't consider this to be an option.

I posted my problem on the forum and one of its members suggested to install some rubber pipe isolation on the seat rails and then put the seat mesh back on over the isolation. Sounded great, so yesterday I went to a home improvement superstore and bought a piece of plastic isolation hose. Cut it open in length, installed it on the seat rails and put the seat mesh back on. It now has more room to strengthen the straps, which should allow me to tighten the mesh some more and prevent my back bones from touching the seats' rail. Pretty easy solution, why didn't I think of it myself ?

As usual, only time will tell if my seat problem is solved or not, but I'm pretty sure that it is.

Plastic isolation hose on both seat rails does the trick ....

The Limburg BBQ ride

2010-07-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Johan C. from the Limburgse Liggers organized a 75 km ride followed by a BBQ. Since we've been having hot summerdays these last few weeks and I wanted to meet some old riding friends again, I decided to join them for the ride. So in the early morning yesterday, I left with my XP. Rode along the towpath near the canal until I reached the bridge between Munsterbilzen and Zutendaal. There I followed the N730 to Wiemesmeer, the place where Johan C. lives.
Around 21 recumbent riders showed up, 2 of them even with a velomobile. I have to admit that it slipped my mind to take my own Strada for the ride, but with predicted temperatures of + 35° Celcius, I decided to go for the XP. Weather forcasts warned for heavy rain -and thunderstorms, but in the last few days, we did not see any of these, so I preferred an open bike.

It was hot, real hot. The route was beautiful as usual, the province of Limburg is like heaven for cyclist : lots of bike paths through beautiful sceneries, guided by their famous knooppunten-system. Anyway, we did several drink stops (thankfully, since it really was too hot for some riders) and a lunch stop where the most of us ate a plate of spaghetti. After lunch, a small group of riders decided to take a short route back to Wiemesmeer, where as most of the riders wanted to complete the ride as planned. So the last group with Johan C. was back in Wiemesmeer around 6.15 p.m., where everybody welcomed the garden hose to freshen up with open arms ;-).
BBQ was also terrific, Johan C. and his wife Elke are perfect hosts and nobody left with an empty stomach.

Around 09.15 p.m. I decided to ride back home. Jonathan A, who came with his rowing bike, accompanied me. As we decended the bridge and came on the towing path heading north, a strong head wind was blowing us right in the face. Wow, that would be no piece of cake ! Honestly said, I had hoped that the wind would go down in the evening -as it had the days before- but not this time. Looking at the skies, we knew that the weather was changing and that I would not get home without getting wet. We had to work hard to keep our riding speed around 25 km/h. When we reached the bridge between Beringen and Diest, Jonathan took off and I kept on fighting against the wind by my own. A couple of minutes later the first drops of rain started to fall. I stopped to cover my panniers with rain covers and put on my rain jacket. Within 15' the sky turned completely dark and I got caught in a real thunderstorm. I saw lighting wherever I looked and it rained heavily. Now I'm not really scared from lighting, but let met tell you that I was pretty nervous to say the least. I still had to ride about 50 km before I was home, so stopping was no option, I simply had to ride on.
I did stop about 3 times to hide underneath a bridge since rain was falling so heavily at that time that I could not see where I was going.

Somewhere halfway between Kwaadmechelen and Mol, I picked up Teun G. with his rowing bike. He was also on his way home, but did have no lights on his bike and was hiding for the storm. Since my headlight was strong enough for the both of us, he joined me until we reached the bridge between Ravels and Oud-Turnhout. I was home around 00.50 a.m., soaken wet but happy to be home. Total milage for yesterday was 245 km.

Picking up the XP

2010-07-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received a call from my bike shop that the XP was ready to be picked up. Harry had finished replacing the rear wheel with the new MAVIC rim. Harry had taken the damaged rim to MAVIC and returned with a new rim for free. It's not exactly the same rim, but very close. Once the stickers will be removed, I don't think anyone will see any difference ...

So today I picked up my beloved XP and rode it back home. Of course I did not take the shortest route back home, I was way too happy to be riding the XP again !

I only need to remove the Mavic stickers and replace them with new Scotchlite 3M reflective stickers. I will save that for a rainy day, as long as these hot summer days are lasting, I'd rather be riding my bike !

Torn rim ...

2010-05-19T03:02:00.001-07:00

When I left for groceries this morning, I felt a small wobble coming from the rear of my XP, as if the rear tire had a small lump. When I touched the side walls of the tire with my fingers while freewheeling, I did not feel much, but I stopped to make sure anyway.
My intitial thought was that the tire had come from underneath the rims' edge. When I looked a bit closer, I ascertained that there was nothing wrong with the tire, but that the rim was torn laterally ! Damn ! I deflated the tire a bit to put less strain on the rim and carefully drove back home. The Mavic rims were installed almost 2 years ago, one would expect them to last longer than that. Okay, I realize that I was lucky that the rim got torn overnight in the garage instead of getting damaged while out riding miles away from home, but still .... Now the weather finally is improving, I'm going to have to miss my favorite bike for a couple of weeks !

Anwyay, I'm going to bring it to my bike shop today or tomorrow, where the XP is gonna be on display. The bike shop is having an open house for the upcoming Pentecost weekend and the owner asked me permission to display the XP in his showroom together with my new Raptobike lowracer. Hopefully I'll be able to ride the XP to the shop without any trouble ....

Serious damage after less then 2 years ....

Update : I managed to get the XP safely to my bike shop yesterday and according to them, the rim was torn because of the tire's pressure, which appearantly is too high for this rim. Can't quiet understand this, since I run the Kojaks at the same pressure than I did with the Supremes (5 bar) and nothing ever happened while riding them.

Last week I received a call from my bike shop that Mavic will replace the rim at their expense. Mavic agreed that it is not normal for a rim to get damaged like this by a tire pressure of only 5 bar. Let's hope they still have the same rim in stock ....

Sunday Morning Ride

2010-05-16T03:52:00.000-07:00

Initially I was planning on taking the XP just for a ride to the supermarket. We were out of bread and since some supermarkets are open on Sunday in the Netherlands, I rode to Baarle-Nassau. It was pretty windy and cloudy, but as I came closer to the border, the sky opened up and the sun came through. So instead of returning home after shopping, I decided to spend more time on my bike. Besides the bread I also bought an extra bottle of regular water and I was on my way. I had to start to work at 01.00 p.m.today, so I figured I might enjoy some riding time before going to work.

When I rode from Gilze to Tilburg, I encountered the following road sign :

Can't translate it litterally, but the sign warns bicyclists for a bumpy ride caused by tree roots pushing up the tiles ( wortel = root, opdruk = pressing upward). Haven't heard of read something like this anywhere yet, though it's nice to be warned before you actually feel how bad the road surface is, no ?

When I rode to Goirle, I was pleasantly suprised to discover that they actually have bicycle streets : a road reserved for bicycles. Other traffic is allowed to participate but have to give the right of way to bicyclists. I knew they existed in the Netherlands, but never actually had seen one before. No wonder the Netherlands is one of the leading countries when it comes to bicycling ! Can't imagine the same kind of treatment of bicyclists in my own country, but it's nice to actually see that things can be turned around in favor of the bicycle, instead of motorized traffic. And it made me realize how fortunate I am to be living close to such a bike-friendly country. Most of my bike riding takes place in the Netherlands, if I'm not riding the towing paths near the canal, that is ...

A bicycle street ....

When going through the centre of Goirle, I passed the Irene Street, which was completely turned into the color orange and was renamed Orange Street. As you know, the Dutch are really crazy when it comes to their national soccer team, this is just one of the many ways the Dutch show their support. Unbelievable !

Orange Crazyness ...

By the time I got home, I spent almost 4 hours on the XP, enjoying every minute of it. Let's hope the afternoon shift at work will not be to busy ;-)

New (summer) tires

2010-05-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Schwalbe Supremes tires were due for replacement and since summer is supposed to be coming, I ordered 2 Schwalbe Kojak 26 x 2.00 tires. I wanted something completely different, not that the Supreme is not a good tire ( I did a little over 10,000 km with them without any flat), but it's rather heavy and not so fast. A friend of mine adviced me to pick the Kojak, which is lighter and supposed to be faster. So a couple of days ago, I replaced the XP's tires.

Tire size is the same, but the Kojak is treadless. It also lacks a reflective lining, but since my rims have 3M Scotchlite stickers on them, that'll be no real problem at night. And to be honest, I quite like the looks of the black sidewalls of the tires !

I will try the new tires as soon as the weather improves, for it has been pretty rainy these last few days.

Schwalbe's Kojak 26 x 2.00

Update : today I used the XP to get groceries just across the border. Wow, what a big difference ! Not only has acceleration improved, but speed too ! I noticed that with the same effort I can now ride between 2 and 3 km/h faster, not bad ! Can't tell anything about puncture proofness or durability, but time will surely tell. At less than half the price of the Supreme, the Kojak is defenitaly staying on the XP for now (thank you Jonathan A. for recommending this tire) !

Sunday Touring

2010-04-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today promised to be the most pleasant day of the week, with mild spring temperatures, perfect to make a tour. As it happened to be, the department of the provence of Limburg of the Gentse Liggers ( a Flemish discussion group for recumbents) organised a tour. Starting place was Tessenderlo, roughly only around 30 miles from home. Ideal to get there by XP, ride the tour and get back. So I left early this morning, took a bit of a detour by using the towing path to get there and arrived around 9.45 a.m. at the starting place. There, the riders were welcomed with fresh coffee, tea and croissoints, which was a nice way to meet some new faces and see some old friends again. 12 riders including myself showed up for the tour. The route we followed is called the 3 Provinciën Pad, because it goes through 3 different provinces. The nice thing of this route is that you actually ride through different landscapes, one of the provinces is a bit hilly, which is a nice change from the flat landscapes around where I live.

Around noon we made a lunch stop at a taverne and halfway the afternoon we made a second drink stop at a nice café.

Hmmm, spaghetti !

We finished the tour around 3.45 p.m., which gave me plenty of time to ride back home. Got home around 6.45 p.m. with 105 miles on my bicycle computer, enough for this old lad to spend the rest of the evening on the couch. All in all a nice way to spend a Sunday, if you ask me ;-)
A few more pictures can be found here

Somewhere along the route ....

New pedals

2010-03-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

After that december ride last year, winter wasn't over at all and I had to keep the XP parked inside. I can' t actually remember when we had so much snow for such a long period of time, but I'm glad it's gone now. Both the roads and bicycle paths suffered from these past winter conditions, with salt and other kind of debris causing lots of holes and other damages.

After riding my velomobile for the last two months, I was more than happy to finally get the XP out of the garage. After checking the tires (they were still okay, no need to inflate them) and the chain (needed a quick wipe and a drop of lube) I was on the road again. Man, it felt good being on an "open" bent again after all these weeks ! I liked it so much, that I rode my XP already 4 times this week, just enjoying riding a bike again. The last days were sunny, but pretty cold and windy, making the rides not fast at all. I also think that the cold slows down the Dual Drive II hub a bit, I notice the same thing on my bike with the Nexus hub.

The Shimano SPD A520 pedals came stock with my velomobile. These are fine touring pedals, but did not work for me in the velomobile. Since they only have a one side entrance, I often tried to click in on the wrong side, which resulted in some scratches and bruses on my legs. So I took them out and switched them with the SPD's that were on the XP. The A520's work well on the XP, giving your shoes a wider platform.

The new A520 pedals

Another year has passed ....

2010-01-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

Another year has passed, a new one has arrived. Last year I managed to ride a measly 1,705 miles with my XP. Although I was convinced that I spent a fair amount of time on my XP, the stats show otherwise. Strange .... I did not ride any bike at all during the first three months of 2009, which explains that my total bike riding distance is also a little over 2,000 miles less than the previous year, but still ... Need to ride more, that's for sure.
So, what's new ? Actually, not much. The last few weeks we've had snow, we even had a white christmas for the first time in 23 years ! While the snow sure makes nice sceneries, it's pure misery for those who ride their bikes. Since the snow/ice on most bike lanes is not properly removed, it's pretty risky to ride your bike. There's no cleaning at all on the towing path near the canal, making it only available for mountain bikes with fat tires (which I do not own). So for the last weeks, I was condemmed to use my regular bike to commute (yuck!). Just waiting for the snow and ice to melt, but it's supposed to stay for at least another week ....

On my last ride I noticed that the Marathon Supreme tires on the XP are showing little cracks on the sidewalls and contact surface. I've ridden them both for almost 6,250 miles, so it might be time to replace them. Schwalbe has a new model in their Marathon line that looks interesting, the Dureme, but according to their stats, it's a bit slower than the Supreme. So far, I'm very happy with the Supremes; I did not have one flat tire since I put them on the XP in 2007, their grip is pretty good even on wet surfaces and they seem to last quiet a while. Maybe I"ll stick to them as long as the cracks are not getting worse ....

Little cracks like these are appearing everywhere ...

Now that the rain has stopped ....

2009-12-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

.... and winter finally arrived, I pulled my XP out of the garage today. It had been parked inside there for weeks, since all we got the last weeks was rain, lots of rain. No problem for my (new) velomobile, but not for the "naked" bikes like the XP. But today was different : last night temperatures dropped, wind had changed to N-N/E so yes, finally a day without rain. A bit on the cold side (below 5° Celsius) and a mild wind, but who cares ! I put on enough layers to last a couple of hours and off I went. Wow, I almost forgot how much fun it was riding a LWB, it had been that long ! I did not care that my feet turned cold after 1,5 hours, I did not mind that I had to stop for several Pinkelpauses (as the Germans call it), I did not mind that I was waaaaay slower than my velomobile, I simply enjoyed riding my XP again, every minute of it !
I did not meet many cyclists outside this afternoon, but the few I did cross, had the same grin on their faces that I propably had. Let's hope this weather lasts a couple of weeks, so I can crank up the milage on this wonderful bike for these last weeks of the year !

New XP-rider

2009-10-13T22:54:00.001-07:00

At the last edition of Cycle Vision last july I was contacted by a few people who where very interested in the Stratus XP. Three of them took a short test ride and just last week I received an e-mail from Wim H. telling me he finally got his own XP. He got his bike completed by Tempelman. He also wrote me that Tempelman is likely to import some XP-frames and build them up as complete bikes. Now that would be interesting, seeing more people on XP's on the road !

Wim's XP's color is dark silver and he really loves his bike. Maybe it's time to start a LWB riding group over here ;-) !

Wim's new Stratus XP

And then some ....

2009-08-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I renewed the seat mesh back. I had a new mesh lying around for almost 2 years, but especially during the latest 100km ride, I noticed my back touched one of the braces of the seat frame during pedalling. And since the mesh had been tightened all up the way, it was time to replace it.

Putting the new mesh on was not easy. I had to use a big screw driver to get the 2 holes over the braces at the back of the seat frame to get it in place. And when I finally managed to get the mesh around the seats frame, I noticed that the mesh has not been put together symmetrical : the enforced side walls of the mesh are not the same width on each side, but I don't think that that'll be a problem . Anyway, the moment I took my next ride, I noticed the difference immediately, my back no longer touches the seats frame anymore.

This afternoon, after my early shift at work, I took the XP for another ride. I was riding on the bike path between Hoge Mierde en Poppel, when a SUV slowed down besides me and the driver asked me to stop. I'm used to cars slowing down to have a better look at the XP when I ride by, but this was the first time that a car actually stopped and wanted to know more about it. He asked me lots of questions about the XP and as usual, I referred to the RANS' website for more information. Maybe I should consider taking some pieces of paper with me with the RANS website on it for future rides ....

Nice wide bike lanes in the Netherlands ....

The 100km ride in Limburg

2009-08-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's getting a tradition that one week after August 15 (which is a national holiday in my country) one of the members of our forum organises a 100km ride. Start and stop is always in Helchteren in the provence of Limburg. Last year I participated with my velomobile, but since yesterday promised to be an excellent summer day, I decided to take my XP this time. Since Helchteren is around 65km from where I live -and to avoid that everyone had to wait for me like last year, I left home early in the morning, around 06.30 am. I arrived in Helchteren around 09.30 am, where others were arriving and were greeted with fresh coffee and pastries. Around 10.00 am we started with a group of 16 riders on different kind of recumbents.

We had lunch in Schaffen around 01.00 pm, where most of us enjoyed spaghetti. After this break, we continued the tour. It was pretty hot, but luckily there was a breeze to cool you down while riding. After almost 70 km, 2 riders weren't able to ride with the group and headed straight to Helchteren to get home. Since we made 2 stops for icecream (okay, that's my fault, but hey, I cannot help that I'm addicted to icecream!), we arrived back in Helchteren around 07.15 pm. After saying goodbye to everyone I drove back home, where I arrived around 10.00pm with 240km on my bike computer. Not bad at all (did he say in all modesty :-)

Group picture at the second ice cream stop

Finding out the hard way ....

2009-08-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took my XP to go to work. Nothing wrong with my velomobile, but since the temperatures are still rising (yes, we do have a good summer this year!) I preferred riding the XP. When I was riding home on the tow path near the canal, I noticed a man walking besides his road bike. I stopped and asked him what was wrong. Turned out he had a flat tire but nothing with him to fix it. Since I carry almost everything except an extra tire to fix flats, I offered him to help. With the tire levers I gave him, he got the inner tube out in no time, but neither one of us could find any puncture in it. We then checked the outer tire, but nothing there either. Put the inner tube back in and I handed out my compact SKS CYBER ZOOM pump. The pumps head has 2 positions, one for schrader valves and one for presta, the position of the lever at the pumps head decides which one you need. Although we pumped like madmen, we only managed to get a little bit of air into the inner tube, but nowhere near to be able to ride it. We tried both positions of the pump with the same result. Strange .... Could it be the valve itself ? When looking for what was going wrong, I noticed that during inflation, you could hear a faint hissing of air. I mentioned this to the other guy and he could hear it too. Seems that while pumping, air was getting back into the pump. Hmmm, so was there something wrong with the pump or with the valve ?

Although I've always carried the pump with the XP, I actually never had to use it before. We then stopped another rider passing by asking for a pump. Turned out he also had a SKS compact pump, but a newer version than mine (2 different openings in its head). But nevertheless, the result was the same. I felt sorry for the road bike guy, since he had to walk a couple of miles to get to the next bike shop, so I rode home, picked up my TOPEAK floor pump and returned to the tow path. But alas : the same thing happened, so it had to be the valve. I wished the guy good luck on his walk and returned home.

Back home I took the compact SKS pump and tried it on a couple of spare inner tubes lying around the garage. But no matter what kind of valves the inner tube had, the result was the same : I could not inflate them propperly. Whenever I started pumping, I heard a hissing sound of air getting back into the pump. The SKS pump is now where it belongs : in the trash. Have to get me a decent one that works !

Trash !

Getting the headlight right ....

2009-06-25T13:12:00.001-07:00

As I wrote before : the sensor of the CYO is located right at the bottom (end) of it, so in order to let it do its job, there needs to be some space around it. The it was mounted at my bike, it did not work at all. So yesterday I visited the local DIY shop and bought 2 small metal plates for less than a buck and some black spray paint. Back home I painted the silver plates black and let them dry in the garage. Then I went through my collection of nuts and bolts until I found the right size and length. This morning I put everything together, so now the set-up looks like this :

I did not have time yet to see whether the automation on/off function is working correctly, but I'm pretty confident it'll work -no doubt since it's made in Germany ;-). I'll sure find out in the next days to come ...

Life is good ...

2009-06-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

Start working early in the morning so you can stop around noon. Get into your velomobile and on your way home, receive a call from a friend asking you to accompany him on a maxiscooter ride. Get home, change into motorcycling gear, get the scooter out of the garage and leave for a nice 2 hour ride with a drink stop on a nice terrace. Get home again, enjoy dinner with your wife and then leave for another 2,5 hour bike ride. When returning home, you have this awsome view to enjoy :

Life is good !!!

New headlight

2009-06-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

My recent pair of bike sandals are pretty much worn out and need replacement. I really like the Shimano SPD-sandals, but the latest version has 3 closing straps on each shoe, making it not as airy as the old model (which has only 2 straps). The latest issue of ACTIV RADFAHREN, a German Bike magazine, had an article comparing several bike sandals and one of the best to come out of this test was the Red X SS502 . This brand is not available in my country and can only be ordered online from Germany. Since it's almost impossible to find your correct size through the internet, my wife and I rode all the way to Bocholt in Germany, where the Bike Town of ROSE ( a big German online bike retailer) is located.

When you enter the shop, it's almost like entering bike heaven : only bike-related stuff on 3 floors/ 6,000m², wow !!! Thank God my wife was holding my credit card, or I might have bought way too many things !

After finding the correct size of sandals, I visited the bike light section. It's not that I'm not satisfied with my FLY IQ SENSO PLUS, but I need that light for my RANS 700X. So I went shopping for a new light. Finally I purchased another Busch + Müller LED headlight : the CYO SENSO PLUS. It has an output of 60 lux, which should be plenty enough to see where you're riding at night. Only minor thing is that the sensor of this light is placed right at the back of it, so in the position I put it on the XP right now, the sensor's pretty much useless. I'll need to figure out another way to attach the headlight to my bike.

The new CYO PLUS SENSO

2009 Sculpture Exhibition - Oisterwijk

2009-06-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, while riding my motorcycle abroad, I noticed several adds besides the road for the Sculpture Exhibition in Oisterwijk (the Netherlands). Yesterday was a beautiful day and since Oisterwijk is not that far from my home town, I took the XP to get me there. It took me about 1,5 hour to get into the centre of Oisterwijk. I never visited this event before, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got there.
The sculptures were exhibited right in the middle of one of the main streets. Visitors could walk between them, viewing each of them in a green decor, on the grass and between the trees. Now I do not know much about art, but I sure like to look at nice things once in a while. Most of the sculptures were pretty nice and I sure had a good time over there. Although it was pretty crowded, I managed to take some pictures of the sculptures I really liked. If you're interested, you can find them here

Art in the middle of the street

New headset

2009-04-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Since I took the XP out of its wintersleep and started riding it, I noticed some drag in the rear disc wheel. Last week I stopped by at my bikeshop to have it checked out, only to find out that the Shimano discs are self centered and can't be adjusted. But they discovered that the spokes of my rear wheel needed to be tensioned, which probably caused the drag of the disc. Since the bike also needed a new head set, I brought it in earlier this week. Yesterday I received a call that the XP was ready. So yesterday afternoon my wife dropped off so I could pick it up. They installed a Shimano LX head set, 'cause that's the one that is the most reliable. The spokes of the rear wheel were tentioned so the wheel was true again, which means no more drag coming from the disc. And they removed some of the tension on the shifting cable, which caused the shifter to jump out of the highest gears. Since the weather was fine, I did not take the XP straight to home but made a wider tour. Really mild temperatures for this time of the year, so I put on my SPD-sandals and enjoyed the sun. Happy Easter to all of ya !

The new head set

Spring is here !

2009-03-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

Last friday I took my XP out of the garage for the first time this year. It was the first mild sunny day of the year and instead of taking my old BMW motorcycle for a ride, I really longed to be on the XP again. Amazingly, tire pressure was still excellent, so besides getting rid of some dust and one cobb web, the bike was ready to ride. Although early in the year, the sun was strong enough to ride in shorts (still wearing a long sleeve jacket though) and I really enjoyed the scenery on the XP during my one hour ride. A lot of fellow bikers must have had the same feeling, 'cause I crossed lots of them on the towpath, with lots of happy faces that I looked into !

Since my velomobile had to be taken to my friends' place for adjusting, I even rode my XP to work yesterday. After finishing my early shift, I took it for another ride, this time for a 2,5 hour ride. Still pretty sunny with a mild wind. And even though it's been a couple of months since I last rode my XP, there was no discomfort at all. The only adjustment I had to make was at the rear brake disc, which started to make a screeching sound halfway into my ride. But that was easily fixed with a 5mm allen wrench. i really love this bike !!!

Spring !

Back again ....

2009-01-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

Since our winter has been pretty wet these last months, I did not ride my XP very much. Only the last weeks have been really cold with sub-zero temperatures, making it too cold to be on the XP for long times (I'm a whussy, I know).
Anyway, when looking back on 2008, I managed to ride 2,625 miles with the XP, a little more than the previous year. Sure, I wish I did ride it some more, but there's still my velomobile, and my Zenetik Pro, and my 700X, and .... My total cycling distance in 2008 was more or less the same as in 2007, making it a total of 10,170 miles. Not bad, considering the fact that my commuting distance has been halved since January 2008. And it's still more than the motorized miles in my household, so that's pretty good !

So, what's next ? Well, not much. I do need a new headset though. On my latest rides I noticed that the front fork preferred to stay put and that it more or less popped back in a straight position after taking turns. I already had my headset tightened in the past because of this, so I guess it's time to replace it. It should be standard size, so that'll be no problem. I just need to decide which brand and type. Oh, the choices one has to make ...

Happy miles to all of you out there !

Indian Summer ride

2008-10-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Temperatures have been so mild these last days, that at times, it felt more like Spring than Autumn. Today temperatures even exceeded 22° C, so I went looking for my SPD-sandals. I took the XP to ride to Veldhoven in the Netherlands, where I wanted to do some shopping in a watersports shop. Man, I really did enjoy the ride : the sun in my face, leaves in all kind of colors falling from the trees all around me, barefooted in my sandals and only a short and a t-shirt, it was just great ! I did not take major roads but tried to ride in a straight line as much as possible, going mostly through small towns and sometimes through or near some forests. All terraces of the cafés that were open were crowded with people enjoying the beautiful weather. If this is what global warming is all about, I'm really going to enjoy it !

Fall colors all around ....

Keeping the new light ....

2008-09-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

The IQ FLY SENSO PLUS is still on my XP and will stay there. I was so impressed with its performance on my first night ride that I"m keeping the little thing ! Light output is twice as much compared with the INOLED 20+ and you really have to see it to believe it, it's an amazing amount of light ! The IQ FLY has an auto on/off function, so there's no need for an extra sensor. The only disadvantage of the location of the IQ FLY is that the light switches on rather quickly. Since it's positioned rather close to the chopper bag fairing which is black, it turns on rather early, even before the sun starts to set. Placing it somewhere else would solve this problem, but this position seems to be the best to have maximum light output. I've ridden many hours in the dark lately and it is a joy with such a decent headlight ....

The new IQ FLY Senso Plus

Reflections ....

2008-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

I just calculated that last month, I rode my XP a little over 800 miles ! Whew, that's quiet a lot ! Of course my cycle holiday week has a lot to do with that, but still ....
Two nights ago, I left home for a ride with the XP after dinner. Since the days are getting shorter, it starts to get dark around 08.00pm, depending on weather conditions. That's no problem, since I have a hub dynamo and a decent front light. So when it got dark, my front light switched on automically, as it's supposed to do. But after a couple of minutes, it turned off. Of course I stopped, checked the connections, but everything seemed to be okay. When I started riding again, the light turned on again for just a couple of seconds before it went off again. Normally, I always carry some kind of small LED head light, but I left it in my velomobile. Luckily for me, I was riding on the tow path near the canal, where there's no other traffic, but it's also very dark.

So yesterday, I tried to find out what was wrong. When I connected the INOLED headlight to a battery, it worked okay, so it's defenitely not the light. Then I connected the headlight directly to the hub dynamo and that also worked as it should. So it turned out that the Shimano's sensor switch is broken. That's a pitty, since they're not available anymore. The INOLED headlight has no automatic on/off function, so I have to find something else. I still have one sensor switch on my regular MB that I'm not riding anymore, so I'm gonna use that one to have my headlight turn on automatically. To keep me riding, I now installed a
LUMOTEC IQ FLY SENSO PLUS on my XP. It has double the amount of light compared to the INOLED and has an automatic on/off function.
To keep me safer in the dark, I attached some small BLACK SCOTCHLITE stickers on my rim. They look black during daytime, but are bright white in the dark when light shines on them. Pretty cool !

In the dark without light ....

and with light ....

Back from another short holiday

2008-08-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Today I returned from another short bicycle holiday. Some time ago, my wife and me got an offer to spend a week in a cabin in Moerzeke, a small town in the provence of East-Flanders. Last week Saturday, I rode my XP to Moerzeke, which turned out to be around 65 miles from home (isn't it cool to ride your bike to your holidays' destination ???). Moerzeke is situated close to the river Scheldt which runs a part through the west of Belgium. They just finished completing a marked bikeroute all across the provence, which means that there are over 600 miles of bike routes, most of them car free ! Unbelievable ! I spent most of the times with my XP on the riverbanks, it was awesome to ride that close to the river and only meet other cyclists or pedestrians. Of course I did have to spend some time with my wife during last week , but still I managed to ride over 350 miles this week !

Miles and miles of car-free roads ....

Weather was more autumn-like, with lots of wind and showers, but I still could ride my bike a couple of hours every day. There are ferries to take you across the river, and they only take bicyclists and pedestrians. They cross the river every half hour at several places, making it very easy to pick a route. There's no fee to pay, since all the ferries are working for the Flamish Government, very cool ! At several times, the ferry came to pick me up as a sole passenger, now that's what I call pure luxuary, to have the whole ferry to yourself ;-)

Ferry on the other side of the river ...

This week proved again that the XP is the ultimate touring bike, IF transporting it is no issue. Despite the sometimes strong headwinds, I never felt uncomfortable on it and felt like I could ride it all day. Sure, there are faster bikes out there, but none of them are as comfortable as the XP, which still stays my favorite tourer ....

First milestone

2008-08-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I managed to get the first 10.000 km ( = 6,250 miles) on my XP. Earlier this week I managed to find the sweet spot of my seat again, so now I can ride it for hours and hours again without any discomfort. I have over 1,500 miles with the Dual Drive and although I mostly use like 4 or 5 of the same gears, knowing that I can ride it uphill everywhere gives me some comfort (so I will not have any worries if I happen to ride the famous Wall of Geraardsbergen, like last year !). The XP has been my favorite bike these last few weeks, both of my 2 CF bikes have been collecting dust in my garage. The Shimano's LX disc brakes work excellent, although I have a hard time getting the brake pads not to touch the discs.
Although I'm very fond of the XP, there are some things that I'd like to see otherwise. It's probably nitpicking, but here they are anyway :

1. the lenght of the bike.

As you know the XP is a huge and long bike, mostly because of the big 26" wheels. Length and big wheels are very comfy and I'm not willing to give up that. Only drawback is that I can't put
the XP on a bike rack. I could put it on a trailer, but that's such a hassle. If there's any bike out there with the same level of comfort, please let me know !

2. BB height.

The XP's BB heigt is slighty higher than the regular Stratus' BB, but especially when riding uphill, I'd like a higher BB. Not that the XP's a slouch, but a higher BB would defenitely improve climbing. I know that the V3 has a higher BB, but I'm pretty sure that the V3 is not as comfy as the XP, and I'm not willing to give up that.

Other than that, I hope to put many more miles on my XP. No real other plans for the future, execpt maybe matching front panniers. The Schwalbe's Marathon Supremes hardly show any sign of wear, defenitely an improvement from the Big Apples I used to have. Probably not the fastest tires, but no flats so far so I'll stick to them.

Home again ....

2008-07-26T22:47:00.001-07:00

Last Fridaynight, my wife and I returned home from our trip. The weather turned out to be great, it rained all day on Monday but it got better every day. Total milage was around 280 miles, a little less than last year because the starting point was way closer to home. We also had the biggest group so far (28 riders), which is a pretty high number of riders. All kind of bicycles were present : regular bikes, LWB's (there were 2 XP's this year !), trikes, velomobiles etc., so we sure attracted a lot of attention when riding through cities.

The XP performed very well, as expected. Towing the trailer never caused any trouble and the only thing I had to keep in mind was the length of my bike (loooooooong), as you can see in the picture. The only thing I did not like was that when arriving last Friday, I had a bit of a sore butt. I don't know the reason for this, I've done more miles than last week last year without any discomfort, but still .... Maybe I have to look at the angle of my seat again and do some modifications .... Anyway, I'm still very happy with the XP and it is a very good and comfortable touring bike !

Somewhere near Oostmalle on day 2

More pictures of our trip can be seen here .

Checking bicycle routes ....

2008-07-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

I've been riding the XP on several occasions lately. As long as the weather stayed dry, I preferred to sit on my XP instead on one of my CF bikes. The comfort of the seat is beyond comparison. The only one more comfortable is the ICE mesh seat in my velomobile, but that's another story. A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to test ride a aluminum XP wich is owned by Bruno (he's one of the guys who came over to my place to testride my XP and ordered one for himself after that). The complete bike is set up as a racing bike and that defenitely showed : I could ride that bike up to 26m/h so easily, wow ! Only thing I did not like was the Z-seat with narrow pan. The regular seat on my XP is by far more comfortable, something that even Bruno admitted and regretted. Anyway, I was quiet surprised that a XP could be that fast ! Whew !

Next week, I'm gonna be on a short bicycle trip. Just like last year, I'll take part of the Flanders Tour, a 5-day bike trip. Only difference is that this year, I'm part of the organisation. I'm responsible for the routes of the trip on day 1 and day 2. Just like last year, I'll probably take the XP, only this year I cannot take my BOB-trailer with me. The new SRAM Dual Drive hub also has 2 hub bolts, but only one is accessible because of the click-box on the right side. So this year, I'm gonna tow my BYKEBOOSE 2-wheel trailer. I used the same trailer 2 years ago with my wifes' trike, I'm not expecting any trouble with it behind my XP. Most of the scouting has been done, I only have to check 2 parts of the route before Sunday, so that's plenty of time. Sunday afternoon, both my wife (on her Kettwiesel trike) and I will ride our bikes to Hulshout, where the Flanders Tour will start on Monday. I'll write a report as soon as we're back from this short -hopefully very good weathered- bicycle holiday.

Finally back home again !

2008-05-19T08:50:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, I finally picked up my XP from the bike shop. It has been there for almost 7 weeks, so it was about time ! The last couple of weeks had been really sunny and warm, but the XP was not available then. The problem turned out to be the brake hoses for the hydraulic disc brakes. Shimano's hoses are not long enough for the bike and it turned out that they only come in one (standard) size. The guy who runs the bike shop tried to look everywhere to get hoses that would fit the Shimano system and would be long enough for the rear brake. Finally, he found a dealer from Magura who could deliver hoses that are long enough (2m20). They only arrived last week at the bike shop and were installed immediately (after they cleaned the dust from my bike, that is). Turned out the hose was just long enough, a couple of cm's shorter and it would've been too short ! Anwyay, last Friday I received the long awaited phone call that my bike was ready to roll. I only rode it home so for, since I had to work this weekend.

So, what has changed : SRAM DUAL DRIVE 27 speed hub ( with the SRAM twist shifter), new rims (MAVIC X717 DISC's), new hydraulic brakes + brake levers (SHIMANO LX) and a new dynamo hub (SHIMANO DH-3D71) which is supposed to have less friction since it's a hub from the Sports series.

There's quiet a difference between the Dual Drive and the Nexus : there's less friction in the hub, so speed's up a bit. This is very noticable when you stop pedalling : the bike keeps on rolling longer before it comes to a stop. And although the Rollerbrakes were more than adequate, the of the hydraulic brakes are much stronger.

Looking forward to get some miles on the XP now !!!

The new hub with the disc brake

The new Dual Drive hub with disc brake

Extreme makeover ...

2008-03-20T00:15:00.001-07:00

Did not do much XP riding lately, mainly because of the weather : although we did not have a cold winter (I'm not afraid of cold), it was a pretty wet one. So most of my cycling has been with my velomobile.

Last week, I had the opportunity to test-ride another XP from a fellow cyclist. A couple of 'bent riders got together in Zolder to testride eachothers bikes and one of them brought his XP.
While I'm very aware that using a NEXUS internal gear-hub always give some kind of friction and therefore slows you down a bit, I was surprised about how easy and fast a XP with a regular set-up (regular hub with cassette) is ! I used to have a DUAL DRIVE on my previous Stratus, which I liked very much. I went looking for some stats that I wrote down in logs I used to keep, only to find out that I was faster on the Stratus. So two days ago, I took my XP to my bike shop to have a DUAL DRIVE II installed. I also ordered SHIMANO LX hydraulic disc brakes, which I already have on my Rans 700X and which I like very much. This should also save me some weight, comparing to the heavy roller brakes that I have on my XP right now. They promised me the bike should be ready from this makeover by the end of the week, so I'll probably pick it up next week, after the Easter weekend.

A little help with the first start is much appreciated ;-)

New front light ....

2008-01-10T09:33:00.001-08:00

Always on the lookout for some kind of improvement, I recently bought a second hand INOLED 20+ front light to replace my current one. INOLED is a German company that produces very bright and very expensive front lights using only one LED and can be connected either with a dynamo or a battery pack. A couple of weeks ago I discovered an add on Ligfiets.net from someone who sold his light after only 3 months (nothing wrong with this one, he just wanted the 30+). Today I received a small package from the postal services, containing the INOLED 20+. Since I also wanted to replace the front light on the XP, I mounted the new front light directly on the XP's stem riser, using only a plastic fork mount from one of my bike computers. The front light is now placed higher so I can see more road ahead of me and less front tire. The light output of the INOLED 20+ is much higher compared to my first LED front light, it's more than 20 lux (hence the name of the light) ! This light also has a This is more than double the output I had on my previous light, so road and traffic signs are much more and earlier visible. Since it uses a LED, I'm pretty sure that I'll be well illuminated for years to come ! Who cares about the dark days in winter anyway ;-) ?

My new head light

Something bad and something good ....

2007-12-31T06:42:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I last posted something on this blog, which means that I did not ride my XP very much lately. Not that I did not want to, but mainly because of the wet winter we've had so far. As you know I do not like to ride my XP (or any bike that is, with the exception of my velomobile) in the rain or when it's wet. Total milage on my XP is 4.860 so far, which implicates that I only rode 1,755 miles on it this year. Not much at all, but this year I added another bike to my stable (the Z Pro) and I also rode that one. Oh well, anyway, I still like the XP very much and appearantly so do others. This year I had two people coming over to test ride my XP and were so impressed by it that they ordered their own XP. At the end of this week, a third person is coming over to do the same and he's also considering ordering an XP for himself. I think it's time that I ask RANS BIKES for some kind of commission ;-) !

A couple of days ago I read another terrifying news : R.C.N. has closed down !!! I could hardly believe it when I read the article ! Unbelievable ! It is a very sad thing for the recumbent community that Bob Bryant no longer publishes his magazine .... I've been a subsciber since the first time I knew about his publication. It was R.C.N. that got me convinced to buy my first Stratus all the way back in 1999, since there was no possibillity to testride a RANS bike over here in Europe. A very sad loss indeed .... Let's hope he'll be able to continue his work online or in any other kind of form !

For all you other bent riders out there : many happy and safe miles for all of you in 2008 !

Still my favorite LWB !

No news, good news ....

2007-10-28T13:40:00.001-07:00

It's been a while, but I'm still here ;-). Lately I've been riding only my Z Pro and my velomobile (mostly commuting), but today I felt like taking the XP for a ride again. Today was pretty windy but with mild temperatures and the weather forecast predicted a period of rain starting tonight. I took a 40 mile ride, mostly on the towpath near the canal. Though most of my rides are near the canal, I've never seen so many pedestrians on the towpath as today. On any Sunday, the towpath is crowded with bicyclists, but not today. Strange ....
I really enjoyed being on the XP again, it still remains my most favorite bike to ride after a night shift. After a night shift at work, speed is absolutely of no interest to me, but comfort is. It doesn't get any better than on the XP's seat, that's for sure !
Bentrideronline.com has a story about a woman who made a bike trip on her XP in Alaska with plenty of pictures. I really enjoyed reading it, you can read it here (look for ACA's Denali Adventure 2007, since there's no direct link).
Though I'm still pretty satisfied with my XP's set-up, I'm considering adding an extra chainwheel in front. It's not that I'm short of gears for most of my rides, but I want to be able to ride my XP everywhere. Well, for the winter that is coming, it'll do just fine. Maybe next Spring ...

Late summer ride

2007-09-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today was such a beautiful day that I simply had to ride my bike. Although I planned to ride my Zenetik Pro, I took my XP instead, planning to ride for a couple of hours. I decided to ride to the crossing of the canals, where very recently a watch tower has been put up . I rode along the towpath all the way up to Dessel where I climbed all the way up. The view over there is magnificent, a lot of trees and of course the crossing of 3 main canals.

While coming down from the tower, 2 elderly man where watching my XP which I had parked at the bottom of the tower. When I approached, one of them asked me : "We were just looking at your wonderful bike, but we can't seem to find the battery ! Could you please tell us were the battery is installed ?" I managed not to burst out laughing, but told them it was not an electrical bike at all. When they pointed at my rear wheel, I told them that is my internal gear hub. They both had a lot of questions ( like usual ) which I explained very patiently before I took off. I've had some weird remarks regarding my XP in the past, but never someone taking it for an electric bike before ! I think my hair must be turning grey ;-)

View at the canals

New fenders

2007-09-09T11:39:00.001-07:00

Since I started riding my XP I have been looking for black fenders. I know Freddy Fenders are black, but not available here in Europe. SKS should have them, but I've never found them so far. Until two weeks ago. While on holiday in the Netherlands, we visited Emden in Germany for one day and in a local bike shop, I found a set of black SKS fenders.

They are a little bit wider than the set I already installed on my XP, which is perfect since I'm using big tires. So far, when riding on sandy surfaces, some sand and debris still gets thrown up besides the fenders, ending up between my legs on the seat (and probably on the chain too).
The new ones are a bit wider so hopefully they'll solve this problem. I installed the new fenders today, which was a piece of cake since I only had the change the fenders itself. The one for the back wheel is a little longer, which is perfect to keep the debris off my kickstand and off the chain.

Just a little bit longer is long enough ....

The result is just what I was looking for, more finished if you like. I sure prefer the black fenders over the silver ones, finally my XP is like I wanted it to be from the start !

Now if only that silver fork ....

Flanders Tour 2007

2007-07-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a short bicycle holiday, the Flanders Tour 2007. Starting and arrival place was Drongen (near Gent) and together with 23 people we cycled for five days. You had to carry your own luggage whith the exception of the tent, which was transported for you.
I rode my XP using 2 rear panniers and a BOB one wheel trailer, while my wife rode her Kettwiesel with 2 front panniers. Average daily distance was around 40 miles, with a cultural/social stop in the morning or in the afternoon. Tents were put up on soccer fields, where we could use the facilities such as showers, toilets etc. At the end of the day, for those who felt they did not ride enough, some extra rides could be made. Of course I joined all of them, enjoying riding the bike without the extra weight of the luggage. I rode all the way to Drongen last Sunday (a 102 mile trip) following the LF5 to Gent, where I spent the night together with some other riders who came from far away (we had one Englishman and 2 people from the Netherlands).
Without realizing it at the time, I completed my first century on the XP ! It wasn't hard at all, just riding along and following the signs .... When we got back on Friday, I decided that after sleeping in a tent for one week, I needed my own bed, so I rode the XP all the way back home. I only arrived at 02.30 am in the morning, but the luxuary of my own bed made everything more than okay ! Total distance this week was a stunning 420 miles, not bad for this old fart ;-) !

Though I never used the XP for touring before, I did not regret choosing this bike for doing so. It has comfort written all over it and I enjoyed every minute on it.
Some fellow riders asked to try out the XP and all of them were surprised at how comfortable and relaxed it rode. Most of them ride low riders with hard shell seats and although most of those bikes have rear suspension, there comfort is no match for the XP. On Thursday night we went for a local signaled tour which turned out to be more of a tour for mountain bikes : half of it was on fireroads, through some woods and on gravel. The XP handled extremely well and I could easily could keep up with a much younger rider riding his OPTIMA CONDOR, a dual 26" suspended high racer with fat tires. In fact, out of the 4 riders who participated, we were always leading. I really made me feel like a kid again, just blasting through and over anything with the big wheels underneath me .... Great ! After we finished the ride, the other 3 riders told me that they did not expect the XP to be so versatile, that I could even ride it on gravel and through the woods. It just shows what a great design the XP is !

Another nice surprise was to discover that the rollerbrakes performed more than adequate. There were some downhills were I reached speeds of almost 40 mph, but even fully loaded they performed flawlessly. Nice !

The only negative thing I can think of is the seat mesh. When I rode back home last Friday night, I felt the metal structure from the back of the seat through the mesh. I stopped and tried to stretch the seat mesh some more, but it was already stretched to the maximum. Maybe the mesh itself got stretched in time, but I need to fix this, for it is not really comfy. I'll sent RANS a mail to find out if they ever had heard of this problem before.

For those who are interested : info about the Flanders Tour 2007 can be found here, and the pictures I took on this trip can be found here

Group picture taken on the last day (without me, someone had to take it)

Touring with the XP

2007-06-16T07:59:00.001-07:00

I'm planning to take a bike trip next September, so yesterday I put my loaded panniers on the front and back rack of the XP to see how it would ride. I'm not sure yet whether I'll take my XP for the trip, but since it's one of my most comfortable bikes, I wanted to do a testride. Except for the tent, almost everything I needed was loaded in the 4 panniers. I'm still not sure which tent I'm going to take with me and where to put it, so I left it out for this ride. I might add a B.O.B.-trailer, but that would make the XP really look like a freight train, I wanna try to get everyting on the XP itself. I know that you can order a under seat rack for the XP, but at 120 $ + shipping, that'll be a very expensive utility.

I rode the XP for almost one hour and I learned a couple of things.
First of all, the front rack I have on the XP sucks. Since the sides are connected on one side only, the weight of the panniers is pulling them open. Everytime I hit a hole or rode on bad surfaces, the rack would open up a bit in front. I defenitely need a front rack like the one for the regular Stratus, which is connected on both sides on top. Unfortunately, the Stratus has a 20" front wheel, so it's rack will not fit the XP.
Getting started was a tad more difficult, but once up to speed the XP still handles very stable. Average speed is a bit lower too, but that's no issue to me, especially not when touring.
It does take a bit more effort to get the bike straight again after taking curves, but that's only natural due to the heavier weight on the front wheel.
Another thing I was curious about were the brakes. I did some emergency stops and to my surprise, they worked okay. Since everything is flat here where I live, I decided to ride over the bridge across the canal to have some kind of elevation and even when I rolled down the bridge, the brakes did what they're supposed to do and stopped the bike just fine. I expected the Rollerbrakes not to be powerful enough, but to my surprise, they are. No need for disc brakes (yet).

So, I'll have to look for a new front pannier rack that'll fit the XP's big fork. Guess I'll be surfing on the internet for the next couple of days ....

The "wrong" kind of front pannier rack

Replacing the rear derailleur

2007-05-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I removed the rear derailleur. Since I only use a single chain disc in front, there's no real need for a derailleur. It's only been there for the purpose of tensionning the chain. I replaced it with a single pully chain tensioner, the same I have on my mountain bike (it also has a Shimano Nexus hub). Took me about 15 minutes to install and shorten the chain and another 10 minutes to get my hands clean ;-).
Took a ride afterwards for about 2 hours near the canal, on the tow path. Though most of my rides are near the canal, I never seem to get bored riding there. Since no motorvehicles are allowed on the tow path, it's so nice to ride your bike without the noise and needed attention of motorised traffic and just enjoy the scenery.

When I returned home, I crossed a bike I've never seen on the road before : the PINO from Hase. Although I've seen some in bike shops, I recongnized the bike immediately. In front a woman was sitting very relaxed, her arms crossed on her chest and a big smile on her face, while her boyfriend (husband ?) was riding in the back. Since we were riding opposite directions I have no idea about there speed, but it must about the same as other tandems.

The single pully chain tensioner

My personal 5 seconds of fame ....

2007-05-24T01:07:00.000-07:00

My mother in law called me last Monday, to tell me that I had been on TV riding the XP. The local TV-station from Turnhout had an item about how bike-friendly this town is (yeah right, in your dreams !) but since they repeat their program over and over, I decided to take a look. And yep, there I was : cruising near the canal on my Stratus XP, not aware at all that someone was filming me. I did not count the seconds they showed me (it's just a few seconds anyway), but they showed the XP pretty good. A little strange to see yourself on TV, but no big deal, just a few collegues from worked also saw it mentioned it to me.
Last night, I took a ride with my XP near the canal and at one point, I passed 2 fishermen sitting besides the canal. They both saw me coming and when I passed them, I heard one of them say to the other one : "Hey, that's the guy on his weird bike they showed on TV!" It was very weird to hear such a thing coming from a complete stranger !
For those who are interested and wanna watch, you can see the (short) broadcast here (WMP only - I'll cruise by around 1'28") and please, no autographs ;-)
The least you can say, is that you get noticed when riding a bike like the XP !

Test ride

2007-05-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from someone who is interested in getting a LWB recumbent. He was not sure whether to go for an Easy Racers or a Stratus XP, so he asked me if it was possible to pay me a visit and test ride my XP. I told him he was more than welcome.
I still remember when I bought my first Stratus back in 1999, there was no possibility at all to testride any LWB RANS bike. There was only one dealer in Germany back then and he only had 2 RANS SWB bikes. So I ordered the Stratus frame set based on reviews I read in the Recumbent Cyclist News , but I never regretted my choice. So it's no problem for me to let anyone who's interested in getting a LWB take a test ride on my XP.
The guy payed me a visit today, together with his wife. Since we're both the same height, no real adjustments were needed (I explained everything in detail though, but he felt comfortable the minute he sat down on the bike). We provided a regular bike for his wife so they could ride together, I showed them the start of the bicycle route nearby and told them to have a nice ride.
After only 20 minutes they both returned and he told me he really liked the XP. Since I still had an extra 2007 catalog, I gave it to him. Most likely he's also going to order a frame set (he told me he'd go for the aluminum frame).
That would make the 4th person in Belgium to ride a Stratus from RANS. My old one is bought by someone close to the seaside, another one ordered a frame set about a month ago and is building it up, me of course and maybe Bruno, who test rode my XP today. Maybe it's about time I ask RANS for a commission ;-)

And then ...

2007-05-04T02:38:00.000-07:00

Two weeks after I sent Shimano an e-mail I received an answer telling me that they stopped producing that sensor two years ago. Sent them a mail back to inform them that it is still mentioned on their website, but I don't think think the big S company cares though ....
Strangely enough, the sensor is working again. A couple of nights ago I took my XP to ride to work and the lights switched on automatically when it got dark, so maybe ....
Overall, I'm very happy with the new tires. They are not slower, they produce a nice humming sound and most important : they do not throw up sand and dust like the Big Apples used to do. It must be the thread, which is completely different. With the Big Apples, the seat between my legs was always covered with sand, no matter where I rode the XP. Well, that's history now. Can't tell much about durability yet, only time will tell.
I also received Rans' latest brochure this week (I ordered another handlebar for my Zenetik Pro), so I could start drooling over these nice bikes Rans produces. Man, that Titanium XP .... wow !!! If only it was not so expensive, I'd .... yeah right !

Technical problems ....

2007-04-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

I took the XP for a ride last night. I left home around 7 pm so there was still plenty of light. After riding for more than one hour, it started to get dark. I expected the lights of the XP turn on automatically, as they always did but nothing happened. I had to stop and set the sensor switch to the ON position in order to get my lights running. Though I love the automatic function of the
Shimano sensor switch ,this is already the 4th or the 5th unit that breaks down. You can still use the ON and OFF function, but since the automatic function no longer is available, what's the point in using a sensor switch ?! I called my bike shop for a replacement, where they told me that they are no longer in production since most head lights nowadays come with an automatic sensor of their own (the front light of the XP is such an example). But since my rear light is also powered by the hub dynamo, I'll have to look for another light powered by (rechargeable) batteries. Okay, I know it's not a big deal to have to stop to turn on your lights and maybe I am spoiled, but I'm used to having my lights turn on and off automatically (most of my bikes have this function). The switch is still mentioned on SHIMANO's website, so I'll send them a mail and ask them if the sensors are still available or not. To be continued ....

Back on the road again !

2007-03-19T04:06:00.000-07:00

Last week, I picked up my "new" wheels with the new and stronger spokes. Since the thread of the rear BIG APPLE tire was almost completely gone, I also asked for a new set of tires. My friend ordered SCHWALBE's latest MARATHON SUPREMES and put them on my bike. Today I finally rode my XP again after months of collecting dust in my garage. Boy, I almost forgot how comfortable that seat is, pure luxury !!! The few first miles I rode the bike, I heard some a buzzing sound coming from the rear, which made me look back a couple of times, thinking there was something or someone riding close behind me. Than I realized that the new tires produced this sound ! It's not much of a bother, just something you should get used to in time. And they only buzz on real smooth surfaces, so it's no real problem at all.

I also replace the single legged kickstand with a double legged one. Last year, I read an article about HUMPERT, a German company that produces all kinds of bike parts. Their latest kickstand, the DOUBLE FLEX has 2 legs which fold inwards when you kick them back. Installation was a piece of cake and now the bike can be parked more stable, even when loaded. Another benefit of this kind of kickstand is that when in use, the bike rests on its front wheel, avoiding it from flopping sideways. I went out for some groceries this morning and even with my bags fully loaded, the bike could be parked firm and stable.

The new kickstand in use ....

and folded back.

Finally finally finally ....

2007-02-27T01:37:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to get my hands on the right size of spokes. Not through my regular bike shop, but from someone who can make them any size you want. So last week I took both wheels of my XP and handed them in at my friend's place together with the new spokes. He promised me to have the wheels ready by the end of this week. The condition of the rear tyre was so bad, that I asked him to replace it with a new one. No more Big Apple, this time I'm gonna try out Schwalbe's new MARATHON SUPREMES. I ordered a complete set, both for the front and the back wheel. They come in the same size and should last longer than the Big Apples.
Harldy can believe it's almost been 2 months since I last rode my XP .... Luckily, I got plenty of bikes to choose from. Most of my riding lately has been on the Zenetik Pro, only on the days when it did not rain. Unfortunately, the winter has been very mild so far, but also very wet :-(

Still waiting ....

2006-12-26T01:25:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the right size spokes to arrive at my bike shop. I now have 2 broken spokes in my rear wheel that need to be replaced, so I'm not riding the XP at all. I checked with my bike shop last week and they contacted SAPIM again, but were told that the spokes would not arrive until January. Total milage this year will be 3100 miles, a lot less than I expected. Luckily, I still have my Zenetik Pro and my velomobile to keep riding. Hopefully, next year I'll spend some more time on the XP !

Rain, rain, rain ....

2006-11-23T01:03:00.000-08:00

It has been raining a lot lately, which means I did not ride the XP much. I don't mind getting wet myself, but exposing the chain and drivetrain to water and mud, no thanks, not me. This means that I have been riding my velomobile only lately and the XP was parked inside the garage. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a front pannier rack from CORDO ,but they did not send me the adapter set for forks without eyelets. These arrived this week so I installed the front rack, as you can see in the picture. Still have to find a solution for the upper rack claw, because the rack does not open wide enough due to the beefy fork. It stays in place, but I don't want it to rattle while riding. Also haven't tried to ride the XP with a fully loaded set of panniers yet, that's somehting I'll have to try soon.

I also finally picked my Zenetik Pro bike from my friend's place. The bike was ready more than a week ago, but because of the neverending rain ... - right. I did not have the chance to ride it yet, but the rain'll have to stop someday, and then .... I can't imagine that the Zenetik Pro will ride as comfortable as the XP, but it should be faster though. Can't wait to find out !

Waiting ...

2006-11-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

I'm still riding my XP with a broken spoke in the rear wheel. So far, the rest of the wheels seems fine as I'm waiting until my bicycle shop has received the stronger and thicker spokes. Apearantly, SAPIM is only producing spokes in a specific size and/or length by the thousands, but cannot tell which size will be available when, so it's a matter of waiting. Could be a matter of a couple of days, but also a matter of weeks (probably the latter). As long as I can keep riding, I do not worry about it much.
I submitted some pictures of my XP to the gallery of
recumbentblog and received a nice e-mail from Alan about them (seems not everybody's taking the time and/or the effort to read the submission guidelines). He has one of the finest and most beautiful blogs around (that I'm aware of anyway). I'm stil trying to get my picture right on top of this blog, but I still need to work on my html skills (and it shows, I know).
Not much riding lately, mainly because of the weather. Winter is coming and with temperatures dropping, I'm more comfortable riding my velomobile, which offers much better protection against the elements. Not that I mind the cold, it's the rain I dislike the most. Not for myself, I don't care to get wet at all, but to get my bike wet and dirty .... Yuk ! I really hate to clean up bikes after riding them in the rain, so I try to avoid this as much as possible. Luckily for me, my velomobile is the perfect bike for rainy days !

2940 miles so far on my XP and still loving it

Autumn has arrived.

2006-10-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

My velomobile was ready and I picked it up last Thursday, so the XP isn't used for commuting anymore. Not that I did mind commuting on the XP, but my velomobile is faster and offers much more protection against the elements, especially during winter time.

After my night shift from last night, I took the XP for a 2-hour ride late this afternoon. It was cloudy and pretty windy, but with mild temperatures. So mild actually, that I used my SPD-sandals for the ride and did not put on the socks I had with me, just in case. Not many riders on the towpath, but a lot of pedestrians, all enjoying the changing of the colors. I did attrack a lot of attention with my shorts and sandals, compared to the other bicyclists, most of them dressed like it was already wintertime !
Especially after night shifts, the XP is my favorite ride. The seat is absolutely the most comfortable I ever sat on. No pressure points, no reaons to stop pedalling for any discomfort except when your legs get tired .... For me, it's the ultimate touring bike. Of course, all of my rides with the XP start at home. We only have a small car, so there's no possibility to transport the XP, but what the heck, there are so many beautiful rides around the place were I live, why bother ....

National HPV Championships

2006-10-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the National HPV Championships took place in the outdoor cycle track in Hulshout. Weather conditions were excellent : blues skies all over and a brisk breeze, so I decided to ride my XP to the place. It took me almost 2 hours to get there, but I missed a few exits. Not that I did mind, it was a nice ride and since it was Sunday, not much motorized traffic along the way. Most of the route to Hulshout was either on the towpath near the canal or on seperate bicycle lanes, it doesn't get any better than that !
Only a total of 17 riders showed up for the two races : the first race was a 10-round race (2 riders competing against eachother) and the second race was a 1-hour race. It took some pictures of the event, which can be seen here

Today was another nice autumn day, so I took my XP for a ride this afternoon. I tried out something new with my compact camera and the result can be seen by clicking on the "play" icon below. The camera was held in my left hand while riding the XP. Made an account on YouTube, were I downloaded the clip and imported it to this site.

The resolution from the clip on this site is worse than when you watch the clip on YouTube' site, but I can't explain why. Maybe the software is designed to do so ....

Bummer .....

2006-10-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, another spoke broke in the rear wheel. This is the 4th spoke so far and I'm getting tired of it ! I rode to the bicycle shop yesterday morning to have them check my rear wheel and they instantly told me the spokes are too thin and too weak for the hub I'm using. They ordered a set of stronger ones, since they did not have the length I need in stock ( I need shorter ones since I'm using the Nexus hub ). I also noticed yesterday night that the light sensor is not working anymore, at least not the atomatic function. I've had this problem with these Shimano sensors before, it's still under warranty, so I'll trade it in for a new one. Luckily, I could still manually switch it to the "on" function, so I did not have to ride home without any light. The front light has an auto switch mode too, but the rear light cannot be connected to it, so I'll have to use the Shimano sensor to turn them on/off both ....

Still alive and kicking ....

2006-10-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted something, but not much important happened these last few weeks. About three weeks ago, I had to have another spoke replaced in the rear wheel, since I broke another on. Used the XP mostly for commuting, since my velomobile has not been put together yet. Fortunately, the weather conditions were mostly good ( meaning : no rain or showers ), so I really enjoyed riding the XP to work.
I did change the rubber grips on the handlebar though. During summertime, I noticed that the regular ( straight ) grips I had before became very slippery once I started to ride and sweat and that it took some effort to keep my hands on the grips. I replaced them with curvy ones, which offer more grip to keep my hands from slipping off. They were cheap no-brand grips ( Scorpions ?),but they offer more grip and are more comfortable on longer rides. I also changed the angle of the handlebars, putting the ends more inward. Feels a bit more comfortable too, just have to see what it'll give on the long run. Weather was excellent today, so I took a 2 hour ride. Actually, I checked out a route today, 'cause I'm supposed to organise a recumbent group ride during the weekend of November 18. I took a 40 mile trip today, which I think is the perfect distance for a group ride, especially since the group ride will include some kids on their bents. It's a ride that will cross the borders with the Netherlands a couple of times ( no problem, I live less than 10 miles away from it ), but with very nice scenery and either seperate bicycle lanes or roads with almost no motorized traffic. The picture below was taken this afternoon just across the border, close to a place called ESBEEK. Rode a total of 2565 miles on my XP so far.

Indian Summer ....

2006-09-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

The weather improved a lot in the last two weeks, it seems that summer's back again. Not that I mind though, au contraire !
I'm still using the XP for commuting, since my velomobile is not ready yet (still waiting for a new paint job, hopefully this week !). Compared to my velomobile the XP is slower, but since my route to work has changed and improved recently, I do not mind at all. I can now ride near the canal to work on the towpath for almost the complete route, which means no cars or other motorized traffic on my way. It is about 1,8 miles shorter one way compared with what I used to ride everyday, but the silence and the peace near the canal is pure luxury ! Especially when riding to or coming from work at sunrise or sunset has something magical sometimes, whith the mist just above the water and only the sound of birds .... Makes me realize how lucky I am to be living on this side of the planet, where I can just take my bike and ride wherever I want to, with no worries or troubles at all ....
The picture below was taken a couple of days ago, I think it's some kind of fungus, growing on the ground near the towpath. Around 2150 miles so far.

And keeping them there ....

2006-08-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

I stayed dry all night long, but when it was time to go home, it started to rain. It gave me the opportunity to test the mudflaps on wet surfaces and they seem to do their job : no more water and dirt spraying up anymore. Close to home, the front mudflap fell off and I heard a loud "ping!" coming from the back. I stopped to pick up the mudflap (the plastic pin connecting it to the fender was gone - as to be expected) and could not find anything else wrong with my bike, so I continued riding home. This afternoon I connected both mudflaps to the fenders with small nuts and bolts so they're supposed to stay in place this time.
While cleaning up my bike, I discoverd that 2 spokes in the rear wheel are broken -hence the "ping!" sound earlier this day ! Strange thing to brake 2 spokes at the same time, but anyway .... I'll bring my rear wheel to my bikeshop tomorrow morning and they promised to have the spokes replaced and the wheel trued by tomorrow night. I also checked the rear wheel sprocket, which turns out to be an 18 tooth cog. I want to replace it by a bigger cog, which will give me more lower gear. Still have to check with my bikeshop whether or not he has bigger cogs in stock ....

Adding mudflaps

2006-08-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to take a longer ride today, a little over 2,5 hours. After days of rain it almost felt like spring : blue skies with white clouds and a lot of people of bicycles. Since my velomobile has been taken apart for a complete overhaul, I have been using my XP for commuting for the last week. I noticed that especially on wet surfaces, the water sprayed all underneath my legs and the seat. Also the top of the rear pannier rack got covered with a lot of dust and sand (part of my commuting trip includes a stretch of sand). A couple of months ago, I bought some mudflaps from SKS, but since they are black and my fenders are not, I did not install them. Today, before my ride, I finally installed them just to see if there' s any improvement. Can't tell anything about wet surfaces yet, but the mudflaps sure stop a lot of sand and dust from spraying all over the bike.
The fenders on the XP are SKS Bluemels and I originally wanted black ones, but according to my bike shop, they're only available in silver for 26" wheels. Bummer. Still looking for some nice black fenders though, with or without mudflaps ....
So far, I have ridden a little over 1840 miles on my XP.

mudflap with plastic pin (still needs to be cut)

Change of season ?

2006-08-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

Did not ride much lately, mostly due to the bad weather. Since I got back from the Ecotrip, it has been raining most of the time and temperatures dropped quiet a bit. It feels more like autumn instead of summer the last days ... Whenever possible I tried to ride the XP between showers, which means no long rides at all. Hopefully the summer will not be completely gone and the sun will come back one of these days ....
Last week Sunday I took a ride to Lommel to visit the 2nd International Sand Sculpture Festival.
It was only a 20 mile ride one way and no signs of rain that day, so I took the XP to get there. It was my first time to visit sand sculptures and there were a few real nice sculptures I really liked/was impressed by. They charged an entry fee of 8 Euro's, which was way overpriced if you ask me. It only took you about half an hour to see every sculpture, so the exhibition was not that big. Anyway, it was a nice ride near the canal to Lommel and back and at least I took some pictures.

One of the most impressive sand sculptures

Tomorrow after my late shift at work I'll be off to Zutendaal. There will be a BBQ-ride for velomobiles on Tuesday ( 94 miles ), so I'll ride my Alleweder velomobile to get there and join the ride on Tuesday. My wife will take the car + trailer with her Kettwiesel tomorrow afternoon to get there, so the tent should be put up by the time I'll be there. She's planning to take part of the family ride on Tuesday, which is only around 25 miles. Let's hope the rain will stay away for a couple of days ....

Ecotrip 2006

2006-07-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a 5-day cycling trip, the Ecotrip 2006 (you can find more information about the Ecotrip here). I was planning to do the Ecotrip with my velomobile, but since the weather forecast looked good, I decided to take my wife's Kettwiesel + trailer instead. Turned out to be a good decission, wheather turned out to be excellent, we only had one hour of rain during our whole trip.
The group consisted of 30 people, riding all kinds of different bicycles : mostly 2 wheel recumbents, but also 3 trikes, 2 regular bikes, 1 freight bicycle, 1 velomobile and 1 rowing bike. We left on monday morning and I got back on friday night, with 310 miles on my cycling computer. For those who'd like to see more, you can find my pictures of the trip here.

Since the panniers I used to have on my XP are now on my wifes trike and are staying there, I went shopping for a new set yesterday. I did find an interesting one from FASTRIDER, which I mounted on my XP last night. It has reflecting stitching on all sides and has several smaller pockets, which is easy to put smaller stuff in. Now my cell phone and keys can be put in the smaller outside pockets, making it easier to access. It also has a plastic cover in case it starts raining.

my new panniers

New cranks

2006-07-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Have been riding with the new 153mm crankset for about a week now. Installing them was a piece of cake and didn't take long. Since the crankarms are shorter, I needed to move the seat backwards an inch (more or less). No problem either, since my frame size is an XL. Still haven't found my sweet spot, I still need to adjust the seat a little bit more. What is a problem though, is that the handle bars cannot be extended anymore. The grip tubes were already at maximum reach and cannot be adjusted in length anymore. Rans has recently announced that the XP will be available in 4 different framesizes (from S to XXL), but they all use the same chopper bars, which makes me wonder .... If they would make grip tubes with different lengths, now that would be something different, but .... Think I'm gonna send Rans a mail about this and see what they think of it.

the new 153mm crankset

Today was a beautiful day for riding a bike : blue skies all over and a little wind. Took a ride besides the canal and saw a strange very narrow boat that was docked near the side. Haven't seen anything like it before but it looked very cute. A little over 1300 miles so far ....

a very narrow little boat !

New front brake + bottle cage holders

2006-06-24T01:58:00.000-07:00

A little over 1000 miles so far and still lovin' it ! Two days ago, I installed the new roller brake for the front wheel myself. I'm not a bike mechanic, but it only took me 20 minutes, so it cannot be complicated at all ;-). This brake actually uses the disc mounts on the front fork, so this one should be stronger than my previous one.

I also installed 2 water bottle cages on the XP. As you can see in the pictures, I attached the cages to the sprint braces of the seat. This position allows you to grab the bottles in a much easier way than if they were attached to the back of the seat, it feels more comfortable this way. I'll keep them there for a while ....

The short cranks have arrived, but since I do not have the tools, nor the knowledge to remove and install a BB, it'll have to wait until next week, when it'll be done in my bikeshop. The cranks came with 3 chainrings, but since I'm only going to use 1 , I already ordered a 38-tooth ring to go with the new cranks.

Stratus sold ....

2006-06-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, my old Stratus was sold. A bit of a emotional moment, because it was the bike I put the most miles on (17.190 to be exact). Well, at least it's sold to a friend of mine, so it'll be in good hands.
A little over 800 miles on the XP so far. Last weekend I ordered a set of 155mm cranks from Mark Stonich, they should be in the mail by now. I chose the Shimano M-440's, they look nice and will defenitely improve my cycling on the XP. I can't remember that crank length was such an issue on my old Stratus (which had 170mm cranks), but by then I did not have my velomobile yet, which has 150mm cranks. When I switch from my velomobile to the XP and vica versa, I feel the difference mostly in my knees. Now that summer finally has arrived, I'm looking forward to make more miles on the XP.
Only yesterday I discovered that the seat of the XP has bottle cage braze-ons. I was looking for a good place to mount some bottle cages on, when I suddenly discovered the braze-ons. Only thing is that you have pinch holes through the mesh of the seat, which I'm not that comfortable with. I'm afraid that the mesh will start to tear up once you pinch through it. I sent Rans a mail for advice on this topic yesterday.

New kickstand

2006-05-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Last week on a very rainy and windy day, I accompanied my wife to the shopping mall. Unfortunately, many people had the same idea, so the place was very crowded. Luckily for me, there's a bike shop in the mall, so I took a look inside. Here I found a kickstand, which looked sturdy enough for the XP to me. I already forgot the brand (it was some German brand -HEBIE- I never heard of before), but it was only 16 euro's so I bought it. It is adjustable, fitting both 26" and 700c wheels. It only took some minor adjustment in length to fit the XP and is much more sturdy than the previous kickstand.
I also received a phone call from my bike shop informing me that the front roller brake I ordered, had arrived. I plan to have it installed later this week, if the weather improves, that is !

The HEBIE kickstand

Bye Bye C-bar

2006-05-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this will be the last posting about the C-bar. Today I changed the chopper bar with the C-bar for the last time, only to find out it does not work. Besides looking straight forward into the cargo fairing, I also had to stretch my arms a bit more forward to reach the the C-bar handlebar. This did not feel comfortable at all, so the chopper bar was put back shortly, this time to stay. The C-bar will go back to my old Stratus, so it can be sold.

Yesterday, my XP fell over while it was parked outside the bike shop. It has been very windy the last couple of days and the wind must have blown it over, although it was parked on its kickstand. I already noticed that the XP is not very stable on the kickstand I have right now (it is brandless, no name is mentioned on it), so I need to find me another one. The only damage from the falling was the broken Mirrcycle mirror, which I replaced with a spare one. It has been cloudy and rainy all day, so I did not take a ride today. Let's hope the weather will be better tomorrow so I can put in some more miles !

Comparison so far ....

2006-05-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

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 ....

On the road again !

2006-05-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Fedex delivered the parts I ordered from Rans, so I could install the chopper bar to the XP again. It only took me half an hour to take the C-bar off and install the chopper bar. As expected, taking off the C-bar took most of the time. Anyway, the original chopper bar is back on the XP so it's ready to roll again !
I'm still looking almost straight into the small chopper bar fairing, but at least I'm able to look underneath it to see where my front wheel is rolling. I still need to find my personal "sweet spot" to fine tune the bars, but I'm in no hurry.

I also finished the lighting on the XP. Both the front and rear light are LED's, so no more worries about blown lightbulbs anymore. Since only the front light has a built in sensor switch (the rear light doesn't have one), I connected both lights to a Shimano light sensor switch. Whenever it's getting dark, both lights switch on automatically. It doesn't get more practical than this !

Both lights have built in reflectors, since traffic regulations in my country require both front and rear reflectors on bikes. Both lights also have a safe stop function, meaning that the light keeps burning for a couple of minutes after you stop riding the bike.

The front light

The rear light

Learning the hard way ....

2006-04-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

I rode my new XP a little over 300 miles so far and I like it more and more. The only thing that I can't seem to get used to, is the chopper bars. Not that they are bad (they offer a lot of positions and adjustments), but I miss the C-bar from my previous Stratus. So yesterday I decided to switch bars: I removed the chopper bar from the XP and the C-bar from my other Stratus. Compared to the C-bar on my old Stratus, the chopper bars are very easy to remove. The reason for this is that you can open up the handlebar stem from the XP, where as the stem on the old Stratus cannot be opened. After trying to open up the C-bar itself ( which allows you to remove the brake levers and the shifters ), you have to slide the handlebar through the stem.
Anyway, it took me about 20 minutes to remove both handlebars, so I could swap them. Turned out to be a bad idea : the C-bar with fairing did not work on the XP. Since the XP has a bigger front wheel, the bar ends up higher than with the 20" front wheel. I ended up looking straight into the C-bar fairing and could not look over it. It looked better than the chopper bar in my opinion, but it did not work. Damn !

It looks good, but it doesn't work ....

Well, the stem of the XP was already in its lowest position, but is a rather long stem, so why not cut off some of it, that would make the C-bar come down a bit. I took some measurements and concluded that if I cut off some of the stem, the C-bar could be lowered a few inches, probably enough to look over it once installed. Well, I was wrong ! After cutting the stem ( and the riser ) short, the C-bar still ended up too high and I was still looking straight into it ! It also turned out that I cut off too much of the riser, so the stem could not be attached firmly anymore ! So far for trying to fix somehting by myself (I should have known better, you're absolutely right !) ....

This is how short I cut the handlebar stem/riser .... too short !

I sent Rans an e-mail yesterday asking to send me a new stem and headtube pipe, so it'll take some time before I can ride the XP again...
And oh yes, somehting else I learned the hard way : now I understand why the XP's chopper bar fairing is so much smaller than the fairing on the C-bar, it allows you to look OVER the fairing while riding your bike !!!

Rear light

2006-04-17T02:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took a ride across the border to the Netherlands, to visit a Profile bicycle shop ( which is a major chain of bicycle shops all across the Netherlands and some here in Belgium ) to try to buy a LED rear light with a safe stop function (meaning the light keeps burning for a couple of minutes after you stop riding). Unfortunately, they did not have any. It's weird, 'cause a lot of Dutch manufacturers such as AXA and SPANNINGA offer rear LED lights with a safe stop function, but I can't seem to find them in any bicycle shop anywhere ! Out of options, I ordered one through the internet (on a Dutch bicycle shop retailer!), that'll cost me more but at least I will have one by the end of this week.

I rode my new XP for only a couple of times so far (mainly because of the rain -don't wanna expose my brand new XP to the elements right away !), but I got the impression that the 8-speeds which I have right now, are adequate ( I live in a flat area and every ride I take starts at home ). Once up to speed I ride in 6th gear, meaning I ride at a speed of 15,5 -17 mph. I only rode in 7th gear once, at that time my speed was around 19 mph, which is more than fast enough for me, since the XP is not supposed to be a racing bike. I have not checked the rear cog yet, but I can change that one easily (range is from 16 cogs up to 23 cogs).

Starting after stopping is gettig a little bit better, but is still not as fluent as with my other Stratus. Practice makes perfect, I guess ....

Building up the XP

2006-04-17T01:01:00.000-07:00

Main goal for building up the XP was to outfit it with reliable and maintenance free parts. The Stratus is a bike I use for almost anything : mostly touring, but also commuting, doing groceries, cycling holidays ... This means that the way I outfitted the XP will not make it the lightest or the fastest, but it is a bike that hardly needs any maintance and is trouble free. Therefore I chose to have a hub dynamo (Shimano DH-3D70) instead of battery powered lights, so no worries about running out of power. The hub dynamo might cause a little bit of friction, but the comfort of having light anytime and anywhere is more important to me.
For the same reason I chose the Shimano Nexus Premium 8-speed hub instead of a classic drivetrain. I have the same hub in my velomobile which I rode over 6000 miles so far, without any problems. I know the ROHLOFF hub has a wider gear, but I think it is simply too expensive. To make sure that my gear is wide enough, I put a double chainring in front. I put a short cage Shimano 105 rear derailleur on the rear hub, to allow switching chainrings in front.

On the front I put a new Shimano 105 road crank, simply because it is a beautiful one. On the steering I put 2 Shimano twist shifters. I use Shimano SPD-pedals on all my bikes, so the XP is no exception.

I chose Shimano rollerbrakes for my braking system, simply because they are more than powerfull enough and almost maintenance free. Only once a year you just squeeze some grease in them and that's it. In front I have a Shimano BR-IM70F rollerbrake combined with the dynamo hub. The front fork of the XP allows the mounting of disc brakes, but has no pat on it to mount the brake arm of the BR-IM70F propperly. Stopping power right now on the front wheel is not powerful enough, so I have ordered the BR-IM75F rollerbrake instead, which uses a small adapter so it can be mounted using the disk brake braze-ons.

I have SCHWALBE's Big Apples on both wheels, both size 26x2.00. They're big but comfortable and are supposed to be puncture proof. They ride light and I have the same tires on most of my other bikes.
For fenders I chose SKS. I did not know whether to choose the silver or the black ones, but since the XP already had a silver front fork and steering, I decided to go for the silver ones.

Problems so far is mainly the twist shifter for the front derailleur : it does not twist far enough to allow the derailleur to stay in place on the biggest chainring. I cannot ride the XP using the biggest chainring in front, unless I keep the twist chifter in place by gripping it firmly (not comfortable ). This means that now I "only" have 8 speeds instead of 16 available, so there's still some work to be done !

Why a Stratus ?

2006-04-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

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 !