Lowracer

Raptobike

I was speaking to Kristin today about the Raptobike. I need to sell the Vivo and the trike, after that I have a green light to proceed on the Raptobike lowracer. I think I will go light on the options, just a Rohloff, carbon seat and Stelvio tires. The Schwalbe Stelvio are being discontinued but until their replacements are in the dealer chain, they are still available. I will order the bike with them since Raptobike has them in stock and I don't end up with a tire that I will just be replacing later. The wheels may also be a place to get some weight off the bike but I can have that done locally and save me the import tax.

I am hoping to hear from some of the shops that talked about importing the raptobike if there was enough interest. Garrie Hill was considering it since he also does low volume M5 imports. Both M5 and Raptobike are Dutch companies and sell lowracers, so it might make sense for him. I haven't heard yet what his decision is.

I believe the ride will be pretty smooth given that the tires will be about 5mm wider than my 23mm tires on the Corsa and the wheelbase is also longer by about 6". This should smooth out chipseal, and other miscellaneous bumps. I also have the option of going to 38mm (1.5") tires which should make a big difference. That flexibility is nice as the Corsa has pretty tight clearance and 25mm (measured, not marketing values) is the max I can go.

If everything goes well I will be able to take the Raptobike to the Idaho TOT in June and the Recumbent Rally in August, and maybe even the OHPV event in May. Lets see how it all turns out.