bacchetta recumbent

  1. Bacchetta Bella ATT is on Tour

    Bacchetta Bella ATT

    Bacchetta Bella ATT features a fully triangulated frame

    The Bella ATT is the new touring bike in the Bacchetta lineup. As an avid cycle tourist, I was excited to test this new ride. The design features a long, low, fully triangulated aluminum "truss" frame that will hold up to a hefty load and still remain stiff. I found the stiffness of the frame made for an efficient and speedy ride. The frame is plenty long to absorb road shock. And when the road gets extra rough, the cushy Recurve seat will take care of that harshness extremely well.

    The pedal height is perfect for a touring recumbent. They're high enough that I can tip the seat to a fairly laid back position, yet low enough to make starts and stops a breeze. Being able to lay back the seat is critical to being able to comfortably pedal the bike all day long. If you can't lay the seat back, then you end up sitting too upright (on all your weight). This is fine if you're sitting down for lunch, but a real pain for extended periods. You need to be able to distribute your weight between your bottom and back for maximum comfort. We call this cradling and it'll make all the difference on longer rides.

    Fast and Smooth! Bacchetta Bella ATT
    Fast and smooth, the Bacchetta Bella ATT

    Touring bikes (recumbent and upright) tend to be extremely versatile bikes. They are designed to carry a lot of gear and tend to have smart componentry suited to every day wear and tear (no matter what the weather is). I'd give Bella ATT designer Mark Colliton high marks on his new bike. The spec of the Bella ATT is fantastic and the frame design will allow a large load of up to 300 Lbs. (rider plus gear!). The Bella ATT will handle loaded touring with ease and the comfortable ergonomics will help the rider get in days and days (or weeks and weeks) of great touring. The seat height and pedal height set up the rider for a comfy fit, but it's really the stem and bars that finish off the fit so well. All Long Wheelbase bikes require large steering adjustments at slow speeds (6 mph or less). Colliton designed an ergonomic stem and handlebar combination that put your wrists in a natural position, allowing some slow speed steering adjustments with slight wrist movement. This makes for a much more stable feel at low speeds.  The B-Pivot riser clamp allows us to easily adjust bar position for a vast range of bodies.

    I think the stiff frame, ultra comfortable seat and great ergonomics make the Bella ATT an excellent bike suited for a wide range of use (with touring at the heart of it). It also comes stock with high quality Disc brakes, as well as a good drive train with nice low gearing (real world!). The Bella ATT is available in two frame sizes to fit most everyone. Nice work Bacchetta.
    Here's a video that I made while using the Bacchetta ATT for a shop warehouse run. In the end of the video there is a side view of me riding in front of the shop. Notice the easy, comfortable position my body is in. Pay special attention to my wrist and arm position. The neutral position of my arms will always keep the bike going straight with very little steering energy on the rider's part.

    I cruise through downtown Minneapolis on route to the warehouse in Northeast Minneapolis. The route back I cut through the University of Minnesota, looping around the new outdoor stadium. Then I cross the Mississippi (again) and jump onto the Greenway Bike path. The Greenway Bridge is especially beautiful with views of downtown (while a light rail train runs under).


    Check out the video on our youtube page: Bella ATT on youtube

  2. Bacchetta Corsa for 200 Mile Ride

    I did my first double century at the end of last season. This is the Bacchetta Corsa that I used for the ride. I felt that this was a perfect bike for the ride and the set up I had felt just right.

    I used a wide range rear cluster (11-32) mixed with a road crankset. This is a good mix of gears for my style of riding. The wheels are 26" with Schwalbe 26 x 1.35 Kojak tires. These tires are nice and durable with a supple sidewall. This makes for a speedy touring style tire. Perfect!

    200 miles is a long day and a true test of mental and physical strength. That said, we had a blast and doing the ride on this Corsa was perfect!

    Under the seat is a camera bag that allowed me to pull out and take pictures while riding.

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