So, it's 2012, and my plans for the year are solidifying. Aside from a nicely overdone set of rides to attend, I decided it's time to try something New and Exciting for my brevet bike. My P-38 has served me well for the last four years, and I could certainly continue to utilize it for the foreseeable future, but it's nice to try something new once in a while. Since my semi-local shop is the US dealer for a line of bikes I've been eyeing since its inception, it wasn't hard to choose the base for my new ride.
It's kind of funny; I've been really interested in racing in the abstract for the last year, but I've only signed up for one actual ultra road race. Everything else is brevets, challenge rides like CtC, or idle speculation about offoad adventures like D2R2 or the Hilly Billy Roubaix.
So, the upshot of all this is that I'm unloading the CHR, and am putting together a customized MetaBike with the help of Tom and Rob at RBR. It'll start with this:
and go from there.
Aside from basics like fenders and bags and whatnot, additional toys will include a set of Supernova lights, a SON dynamo hub, and a custom open cockpit to replace the default bars and riser. I've also ordered a set of Fiks rim strips for some extra retro-reflective goodness from the side, as additional glowiness whilst in the periphery of someone's headlights is rarely a bad idea.
I'm planning to get it put together in the next couple of months, and am really looking forward to seeing how it handles the brevet season this year.
5 comments:
I'm excited and its not even my bike.
So, this is a 'bent that's virtually as tall as a conventional 2-wheeler? I think I like, some.
The curmudgeon inside me is screaming loudly though. I may go deaf from it.
Apis - the type of recumbent like this is generally referred to as a highracer.
Here is my highracer.... http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/steamer_03/P1000872.jpg.....as equipped for last year's CTC. FWIW, I used to be a card carrying retrogrouch....brooks, simplex retrofriction shift levers, wool (still love wool), cotton tubulars.....ah the good old days are gone....
Odd - I've been thinking that I might like an M5 CHR *for brevets* (it was, after all, designed for randonnee by Bram Moens).
Personal preference and all, I'm sure - but what exactly has you choosing the Meta over the CHR? Call it more than academic interest!
Dave:
Tire clearance was one of the big reasons. I have interest in gravel grinders like the Dirty Kanza, the Trans-Iowa, and D2R2, as well as local offroad silliness like the Hilly Billy Roubaix. The M5 wasn't going to take much over 25s, and I wanted to be able to run low-pressure fatties if desired.
For common-or-garden brevets, I'd say the CHR will work admirably...especially with the tailbox for cargo. The Meta gives me versatility, which, at this point, is more valuable to me than all-out speed.
Post a Comment