Test rode the HP Velotechnik Grasshopper

tyler_derden

I was in Steven's Point last week and stopped at the Hostel Shoppe and test rode the bike. I rode about a mile in the streets and on a bike trail near the shop.

This bike is a 20" front and rear, full suspension SWB recumbent. The chain goes through a black plastic tube and there is one idler on the top side of the chain under the seat. The idler is about 4" in diameter so it runs very smoothly and quietly. The seat was the special split configuration that HPV came up with and it seems to work well. It was quite comfortable. The bike I rode had under seat steering, which I have always preferred to the other.

I have an SWB recumbent with USS that I built 20 years ago. The HPV bike was definitely a better road bike. The shocks soaked up the bumps very nicely. The seating position is more reclined than on my bike and the foot position is also higher so I found turning a little scary at first. I also wobbled a bit more that I do on my bike, but the higher seating position probably just takes a little getting used to.

The only complaint I can make is that I found the steering to be a little twitchy. For some reason my own bike seems a lot more stable in that way. Of course, I've ridden many hundreds of miles on my bike and only about a mile on the HPVelotechnik.

The shop also has recumbents built for them under the brand name Volae. They have a very simple frame that consists of a long straight tube. The bikes they displayed in the shop were VERY light weight. I did not have time to test ride one of them. Maybe next time...

TD

here's a link to The Hostel Shoppe

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