Tag: HP Velotechnik

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Velcro for seat padding coming unattached

On Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 2:34 PM, M—- K—- wrote:

Hi Robert,

I hope that you remember me.  My name is M– K–, and I bought a Streetmachine from you several years ago.  Not too long after I got it home I noticed that the tape that holds the foam padding onto the seat began to lose its adhesiveness and it began to become unsecured from the seat.  Eventually the tape stopped working all together.  I expect that I am not the only person for whom this is has become an issue.  Have the Streetmachine people come up with a solution to this problem.  And if not do you have any suggestions about what can be done to make the seat functional again?

Thank you,

M— K—-

 

Hi M—-,

How are you?!  Great to hear from you.
Yes, that velcro has come unglued from the foam for me, too on my personal HP Velotechnik bikes.  It’s annoying.  But, now that I think of it, no one else has ever asked me about it.  I also wonder if this happens less often on current models or it only happens on some seats due to weather or humidity or something like that.
At any rate, there are a couple ways to solve the problem:
My personal solution is to re-glue the velcro to the foam with Gorilla Glue (use only a tiny amount of glue).  This is cheap, easy and fast but the glue can be messy.
You can also upgrade the foam cushion to the Airflow Seat cushion ($129 + tax at 2016 prices).
Of course I can also sell you replacement foam cushions, but if your cushions are in good condition that might be unnecessary.
If you’ve lost the velcro, you can buy new velcro from a hardware store. I don’t think there’s nothing special about HP Velotechnik’s velcro.
Do any of those routes sound like they’ll work for you?
Best regards,
Robert

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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply

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Working with the New York Veterans Affairs Hospital’s “Pedals of Honor”

For the past four years I’ve had the privilege of working with the New York Veterans Affairs hospitals, helping to put wounded vets on recumbent trikes.  For the past three years, in May, New York City Recumbent Supply has volunteered at the “Pedals of Honor” event, which the VA hosts in conjunction with Achilles International.  As an event volunteer, I help set up bikes and trikes, provide maintenance and repairs, fit participants onto trikes and bikes, and support the massive group ride around the park.  It’s a thrill to work with these guys and I look forward to it every year.  Neile Weissman, president of the New York Cycle Club, also helps.

I’m consistently impressed by the staff from the VA, who seem to truly love their work.  This year, I was additionally pleased to meet Dick Traum, the founder of the Achilles Track Club, now known as Achilles International.  I admire what Mr. Traum has done for disabled athletes.  CNN produced a video about Mr. Traum that you can watch here.

Have fun, stay healthy, and look for someone you can help,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2015 Robert Matson

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HP Velotechnik Grasshopper fx on New York regional buses

Recently, a few customers have written me saying they had absolutely NO hassles putting their HP Velotechnik Grasshopper fx’s on the regional bus between New York and Washington, DC.One had taken the Bolt Bus, putting his GHfx in the luggage compartment.  The other took Greyhound (also known as Peter Pan).  Apparently the Mega Bus double-decker buses don’t have much luggage space and their website says “no bikes.”

In one case, the cyclist was told he had to put his Grasshopper fx into a box, but when he told the driver that it folded, there were no more issues.  He also protected the bike by wrapping it in a padded blanket.  I’d presume that the padding is optional as far as the bus company is concerned but that they do want cyclists to put their bike in a bag such as the one HP Velotechnik makes for the GHfx.

Also, recently, I had two long distance riders — they were going from British Columbia to Mexico via New York — who put their HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gtes onto Bolt Buses with no problem.  They didn’t even wrap their bikes in protective material.  They were taking the Bolt from NYC to Wash., DC.  Of course, I assume the driver can refuse a bike if he/she has reason to.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
copyright 2015 Robert Matson

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Spring Sale! Sale ends on tax day: April 15, 2015.

Spring Sale on HP Velotechnik Grasshopper recumbent bikes!

Sale ends April 15, 2015!

HP Velotechnik Grasshopper fx under-seat steering recumbent bicycles, custom built for performance and light weight.

Sale price: US$ 4,399.00. Was $4,564. Save $165.

Configuration:

Grasshopper fx (magic green or dark blue, your choice) with under-seat steering, hardshell seat, carbon fiber front boom, Rock Shox Monarch RL rear shock, MEKS SASO Carbon AC suspension fork, Shimano XT drivetrain with Dura-ace bar end shifters, AVID BB7 disc brakes.

Price includes tariffs and duties. Order and payment must be received by April 15.
Have fun and stay healthy,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2015 Robert Matson

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Riding across the USA: Tom Braunagel

Tom and I on a weekend trip in 2013.

Tom Braunagel, a friend and customer, is in the final stages of planning his USA cross-country trip.  He plans to leave on May 1, 2015.  The link to his journal is here, on the Crazy Guy on a Bike website. He’s riding in part to carry a dream of his father’s and also to raise money for the orphan children of a friend. Very cool.

Tom’s a good guy and I wish him beautiful weather and a tail wind.

I sold Tom a really neat custom yellow HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte recumbent bike.

Have fun and go for it,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2015 Robert Matson

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Christmas note from Matthew Hopkins

“I’m cycling south on the 15-D AutoPista from Los Mochis trying to get to Mazatlán as rapidly as possible….”
Matthew Hopkins in Mexico on his custom blue-green HP Velotechnik Street Machine.

Photo by Matthew Hopkins

Our friend Matthew Hopkins is continuing his journey from Alaska to the southern tip of South America.  He sent me this nice Christmas note from Mexico.

Hello.
I just wanted to wish you a very happy holiday season.

I’m currently in Mazatlán Mexico having ridden almost 18,000 kilometres to date and enjoying a few days off my bike in the company of the family of a cyclist I met a few weeks ago. Hugo,  who featured in one of my last blog posts.
He was generous enough to invite me to spend Christmas with his family.
I’ll spend the new year in Guadalajara and continue east over to Mexico City and eventually to Cancún.

This year has been an incredible one for me.
The beginning and continuation of an amazing adventure, which is far from over.
I am lucky that I have gotten this far and equally fortunate enough to have received support and assistance from you.
I’m very grateful for that.
Thank you very much.
Suffice to say I may well have quit by now, were it not for your generosity.
I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2015.

With tremendous gratitude amd continued friendship,

Matthew Hopkins
http://theroadoflittlemiracles.ghost.io/

Stay healthy and ride and ride,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

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Recumbent Cycle Convention: brief notes

The most important note first:

Creating safe roads for cyclists is as important as building and selling bikes.
The town of St. Charles and the surrounding area — where the show was held — has wonderful bike trails and paths and I was able to enjoy them with the Cruzbike team on the morning of the second day of the show.
But I didn’t see any bicycle advocacy organizations represented at the show.  It is vital that each of us, as cyclists and industry workers, are involved in advocacy.  We each play an important role in expanding opportunities to bicycle safely in the USA.  We can’t simply be bike lane users.  We must also be bike lane builders.
Here’s something you can do, starting today.  It’s fun and you’ll meet people who may become lifelong friends.  Dedicate just 4 hours per month — 48 hours in the year — volunteering for your local bicycle advocacy organization or otherwise engaged in bicycle advocacy.  That small amount of time will help save lives — not to mention the planet.  It will help save the life of somebody with a name, and a mom and dad.  That “somebody” might be you or someone close to you.  Toss this aside and you’re tossing aside someone’s life.

If you don’t have a local bicycle advocacy organization, then join Bikes Belong, a.k.a., PeopleForBikes and give them the equivalent of 48 hours/year of your income.  Want to do more?  Run for your local community board or city council.

Thank you to Charles Coyne, Coyne Publishing and the RCC Team for producing this show.
Visit them here http://www.rtrmag.com/
Charles Coyne and his crew do an amazing job of producing RCC.  It’s is incredible that they are able to do so much.  All the workers were friendly and professional.  The show was well-organized and well-attended.  He had nearly all the top manufacturers there.  Also, on the above note of advocacy, Charles and his group are a great example of people working hard to promote bicycling with no eye — as far as I can tell — to personal gain.  If anything, it seems to me he’s putting himself at significant financial risk to put on this show.  Thank you, Charles and team.
Cruzbike
The new Silvio and Vendettas are very impressive on many fronts – performance, adjustability, weight, features, capacity to work with wide range of drivetrains.   Both bikes share many of the same qualities.   I rode both and put in about 20 mi. on the Vendetta during the Cruzbike morning ride.  Both models are better than ever and they’ve shaved 16 oz. off both frames, in part by making the new seat in full carbon fiber.  I initially wondered if I’d like the new front boom and drive-triangle, shared by the V and S, but it’s excellent: stiff, highly adjustable, light, clean appearance.  The new Vendetta’s paint is a metallic red.  The white Silvio looks good too.  All in all, the new designs are winners.There’s a very interesting spec effecting drivetrain options, but it’s not published so I don’t want to spill the beans in case something changes.  In short, it’s great news and it looks like there’ll be more versatility than in the past.

The Cruzbike booth was popular and, often, nearly all the bikes were out on the test track.  I’ve already sold several Silvios so I anticipate the current run to sell out, maybe by end of winter.  Go and get yours now.

HP Velotechnik
Nothing but top marks for HP Velotechnik.  New Gekko fx 26 is perfect.  The new Scorpion “Plus,” perfect.  The new “adaptive” pedals and accessories are easy to use and well-made.  The new seats, fine.
I’m at a loss for words when writing about the brand and the models, because there’s nothing more to say.  They are the gold standard.  There are no surprises.  They simply continue to prove they are probably the most professional and reliable recumbent manufacturer in the market.
HP Velot. was one of the most popular booths at the show.  No surprise there either.Hase

They’re continuing their tradition of being one of the foremost manufacturers of adaptive cycles.  They are clearly entirely dedicated to producing the highest quality machines.  Again, I don’t know what to say: they’re great.  They too had one of the most popular booths at the show.
Patterson Transmission (from FSA)
Superb new internal gear system to replace front chain rings and rear wheel 3-speed hub gears.  Inexpensive, quiet, works well.  Only time will tell how durable it is over thousands of miles, but I liked what I saw and may well install one on one of my own bikes over the winter to use and abuse it.
http://pattersonbike.com/reviews/Bent Rider On-line

Also one of the most popular booths at the show.  Bryan Ball seemed to be in high spirits and told me they sold out of their merchandise by the afternoon of the first “public” day of the show.
Go build a bike lane,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson
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Packing an HP Velotechnik Street Machine in a bike box

Street Machine Gte ready for re-assembly. Photo: M. Hopkins

Matthew Hopkins is in the midst of a 30,000 cycling odyssey on the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina.  He dropped through New York City last week.  I asked him if he’d mind taking a couple photos and sending me his notes about how he packed his HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte for travel on Amtrak.

I was particularly interested in his methods because, besides being an expedition rider, he also has 20 years’ experience as a shop mechanic.  I was curious to see how extensively he took apart his bike, since I figured he’d be comfortable with a greater extent of assembly/disassembly compared to non-mechanic riders.  Interestingly, he chose not to take apart the bike very much.  I think many riders could pack a SMGte like this without any trouble.
HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte ready for Amtrak. Photo: M. Hopkins

Matthew writes:

The bike was packed in two boxes I salvaged from a bike shop. How you pack it depends on the boxes you receive. The larger and wider the better. Mountain bike boxes would be better but I managed to find two city bike boxes. [RM note: these are basically the boxes for packing an ordinary, cheap hybrid.]

  • remove the front boom, lights, computer mount, 
  • unhook the chain
  • remove the front wheel
  • remove the bars
  • deflate the air shock [RM note: if it’s a spring shock, unbolt it.]
  • remove the seat

The bike will then lie more or less flat on its side and the other pieces can be laid in the spaces in between.  I have the ergomesh seat which is the most awkward thing to pack up as it is not exactly a compact design.  I had to tape half a box extra to one end to cover the end of the boom and accommodate the seat.  The sealed box was not the prettiest but protects the bike.

The Streetmachine is not an easy bike to transport. It is heavy, awkwardly shaped and I’m surprised HPV have not released a folding version.  But with the right box it can be made a little more travel friendly.

This is definitely a machine that prefers to be out of the box and on the road.

Sorry the pics are not the greatest, but the staff were hassling me to get out.

Have fun and go an unpack that bike,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson

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Hopkins rides an HP Velotechnik on his Pan American Odyssey

Matthew Hopkins with his cool custom blue-green Street Machine Gte. Photo credit: from Matthew’s blog

Matthew Hopkins dropped by New York City Recumbent Supply the other day.  He is riding the Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina, a 30,000 mile odyssey, on a custom green HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte (with Rohloff).  He originally contacted me because he needed a new chain tube.  I didn’t have a spare in stock, but invited Matthew for lunch as a consolation and to see if I couldn’t help him brainstorm a temporary solution.

Here’s Matthew’s blog: http://theroadoflittlemiracles.ghost.io

When he arrived, I was wrapping up an appointment with another HP Velotechnik convert (Adam), so we all went to my favorite local source for Caribbean take-out and picked up several containers of ox tail, stewed chicken and jerk chicken.  We had a good time, enjoying the sunshine in my vegetable garden and talked about tents, wasps, water filters, friendly people and the other joys of long distance riding.  And of course we talked about recumbent bikes — this brand, that brand, different considerations, etc.

Matthew has 20 years experience as a bike mechanic, so he knows bikes.  It turns out he owns three HP Velotechniks: the Street Machine Gte he’s riding, a Grasshopper fx, and a Scorpion fx (with Rohloff).  He seems to believe the best option for a machine that will be reliable for 30,000 miles is an HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte.  And if it were me, I’d make the exact same choice.

Have fun, ride far,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2014 Robert Matson

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Alex riding across the USA

A customer and friend, Alex, is riding his HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte across the USA, east to west.  Sounds like an amazing trip.

His blog is here:
http://kinkersbiketrip.blogspot.com/

Have fun and stay healthy,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2013 Robert Matson