Friday, June 5, 2009

1000 miles on the Raptobike

Rear ViewI now have 1000 miles on "White Rabbit", my Raptobike Lowracer. The bike has been a dream. I wasn't sure what to expect with a lowracer. I dove in headfirst, sight unseen. The handling and stability of "White Rabbit" is amazing. I turn corners tighter and more confidently than any recumbent bike I have owned. The low speed handling has been wonderful. I took the "White Rabbit" up to 50mph (80 km/h) on a route with rolling hills near my house. I had no concerns with stability. Yesterday morning I was going 30 mph (48km/h) on the flats due to momentum and managed to push the speed to 33 mph (53km/h) by pedaling like a mad-man. I couldn't believe how much fun that was.

The "White Rabbit" is a joy to ride fast. The stiff frame, excellent steering and carbon seat provide a very responsive bike that takes all the power you can put out and turns it into speed. I only need to work on the engine to get more speed.

The lowracer format does well for storage options. I have Radical Lowracer bags that hang under the seat and store 20L of commuting or touring "stuff". I have a fastback double century system for short trips, tools, water and food. Everything on the bike just works well. The V-Brakes are strong and have been able to bring to me to stop from 33 mph (53 km/h) easily. The Schwalbe Duranos are wonderful tires. I have yet to get a single flat on the bike and they are fast and corner well.

I love this bike and really want to thank Arnold at Raptobike for such a wonderful machine.

3 comments:

Jim Artis said...

Congratulation Duncan. What a milestone and so FAST! You are 'da MAN! --jim

Duncan Watson said...

It helps that I am training for the STP and logging between 100 and 170 miles per week with an upward trend to the average mileage.

Jim Artis said...

That's good. I think you will do well in STP. I read your remarks on hills and that you are going for fun. That's a GREAT attitude. Enjoy...