riding a recumbent

The Three Best Upgrades For Your Older Bacchetta Recumbent

Bacchetta has been a leading manufacturer of recumbents for over 20 years! This means that there are plenty of older bikes out there being ridden and enjoyed by thousands of riders.

With age, though, comes the need to retire certain frame components as ongoing wear and fatigue life can lead to failure. Below is a list of the best upgrades you can make to your Bacchetta to ensure many more thousands of miles of fantastic cycling!


Riser/stem combination

If your recumbent has a one-piece curved riser or a two-piece curved riser (the upper section moves up and down), it is really time to replace it. These risers definitely have a limited lifespan as they are constantly being subjected to pulling forces (even if small) from the rider. We have seen many of them crack at the curved section when they wear out.

If you have the one-piece version, you should order a replacement 3-piece riser kit, steerer tube shim and lower riser clamp. You can use the following diagram to determine which stem length you need:

If you have the two-piece curved riser, you will only need to order the 3-piece riser kit as your steerer tube is 1 1/8" and your current riser clamp will work just fine.

Seat struts and clamps

Another fantastic upgrade you should consider for your recumbent is replacing your seat strut pins with the Bacchetta Seat Strut clamps. These clamps ensure you don't have to listen to your pins rattling or falling out, and they provide infinite adjustment instead of just the pre-drilled holes on the older struts. If you are concerned that your struts need to be replaced, the newest struts are available without holes!

Recumbent Frame/seat clamp

The final upgrade that we really recommend is the newest frame/seat clamp. There are two reasons. First is safety. These are made with plastic and they can slowly degrade from UV exposure. While we have never heard of any sort of catastrophic failure, having your clamp crack while out on a ride will end your ride very quickly as your seat will not stay in adjustment.

The other reason, though, is that there are now two sets of bolts on the clamp. One set is used for setting the position of the clamp while the other is used to hold the seat in place. So gone are the days of having to readjust your seat position every time you remove the seat! The new clamp won't move.


Look, we could spend hours here talking about all of the upgrades and accessories that will make your recumbent more enjoyable. But we really feel these three are essential for older bikes. As usual, don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.


Dana Lieberman|

Dana has been riding recumbents for 25 years. Whether bicycle touring, racing, commuting or just riding with the family, he has ridden almost everything out there and has no problem telling you what he thinks! Owner of Bent Up Cycles and Bacchetta Bikes, Dana is passionate about turning new riders on to the joy of recumbent cycling. He also enjoys reading SciFi, hiking in the SoCal mountains and sipping a Chai Latte at the local coffee shop!
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5 comments

I love my Bella! I keep trying other bikes & trikes, but nothing beats the long wheelbase Bela for comfort & speed.

Kevin Thorp

How bout head tube bearings, spacers caps etc? The old Bacc Agio long bike seems to have a great deal of pressure on the head tube bearings. I’ve cleaned & tightened it up but thinking of having the entire Bacc fixture replaced?

Teddy G

Do you happen to have a kickstand for a 2010 Bacchetta Giro?

Steven Smith

Hey Dana, the upgrade I need right now is a new pad for a Euromesh seat. Looking for the 2 inch open cell version. But you were out of stock. Any idea of how long it will be till you have stock?

Ted

Wish you would sell a wider rim wheel upgrade for the Bella. A 2" Big Apple is horrible for those Alex D16 rims. Rims should be at least 21mm

Cody

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