Author Archives: Kurt

Di2 Secrets Revealed!

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Shimano does an impressive job documenting all of the Alfine Di2 components and making it readily available through the internet.  Even so, I had a hard time finding answers to a variety of questions before I took the plunge and just purchased the stuff.  To be fair, many of these questions come from the fringes of trying to adapt to a recumbent trike a system that is designed for upright bikes.  Now I know the answers to most of my burning questions, and so do you.

Wiring

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I’ve begun acquiring the Di2 parts necessary to get the system running on the bench.  I have a rim and Alfine-11 hub in hand and am waiting on a spoke order before I begin building the wheel.  I was surprised how difficult it was to find the Alfine-11 in 36 hole silver here in the states.  Jim (aka Bike Hermit) at Bike Touring News had no trouble and I had my hub within just a few days of placing the order.

Before I can complete the initial Di2 order I need to figure out the wire I’ll need.  Continue reading →

Recumbent Belt Drive

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Now that I’ve seen belt drive in action on a couple of “city bikes” in town, I can’t seem to let this one go.  On an upright bike, belt drive is smooth, reliable, light, and silent.  On a recumbent it has the potential to solve what for many is their bane:  a long, greasy, noisy, unwieldy chain.  This post is my attempt at taking a closer look to see what might be preventing the adoption of belt drive for recumbents and, specifically, ‘bent trikes.  I’ll discuss the issues I see, many unique to ‘bents.  Then I’ll see if I can figure out what it would take to adapt my current trike to belt drive. Continue reading →

Gearing

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It’s a fact that a typical ‘bent needs wider and lower gearing than a typical upright bike.  Just how much wider and lower is a subjective, sometimes technical, and oft’ debated topic that can make large chunks of time vanish.  I’ll try to keep this brief.  I use Gear Inches in the following discussion because it is commonly used in trike specifications and it provides a good way to make relative comparisons between drivetrains.  Consult a Gear Inch Calculator to see how Gear Inches translate into speed.

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Unconventional

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I guess anything under the recumbent banner could be considered unconventional but I think I’ll be pushing into particularly rare territory for this build. My goal is a machine that will be equally comfortable on tour or commuting to work; fun to ride, easy to maintain, impervious to weather. Fast, relatively lightweight, simple, at least externally. Here are some of the characteristics I think will get me the closest. Continue reading →