Tom Standley and the Giro 20 ATT

I just wanted to take a moment to say hello and again thank you for your excellent service and support as I have made my return back to the world of recumbent riding.  You may recall that back in the 90’s and early 2000 time frame I owned both a Ryan Vanguard as well as a P-38 Lighting.  In all about 8 years of recumbent riding.  I then made the decision to go back to diamond frames and rode a Cannondale Synapse and a System Six for about 7 years until purchasing the Giro 20 ATT, shown in the picture.  I’ve owned this bike now for almost 2 months and have logged about 1,500 miles and can tell you this bike is a winner for a number of reasons: 

• Slightly upright position- is very pleasing to me because the position is similar to the P-38. My transition back was virtually painless after only a few rides. There is something about the seat and pedal position that really makes that transition very seamless.
• Simplicity- unlike other bikes that have multiple idlers, this bike has a single fairly heavy duty idler.  This makes for fewer parts and fewer noises. The drive train is one of the quietest I’ve ever ridden.
• Comfort- what can I say, this bike is tremendous. Certainly more comfortable than the Vanguard seat and I think a tad better than the Lighting.  I belong to a group call the Ultramilers.  We like to do distance.  175 miles is normal in a weekend. We also have a few double centuries planned each year. No upright can ever compare.
• Adjustability- also tremendous. No booms to mess with and you can dial this bike in to the inth degree.
• Speed- I slowly lowered the seat angle over the first month. Every time I notched it back, my speed seemed to go up just a bit.  I ride two mornings a week with three buddies with lights on a 24 mile route.  On my System Six my best average speed over time was about 18.2 mph.  Just last week we averaged 19.4 with me pulling a good bit of the way.  

This past weekend I rode the New Orleans MS150 from Hammond La. to Macomb Mississippi and back.  On day two I purposely hooked up with two riders that appeared to be pretty strong. Both were also much younger than me.  For 40 miles I hung on in the hills behind them and then pulled in front to blast down the down hills.  Average speed was 20 mph for the first 40 miles in the hills.  What a kick.  You have a winner in this bike. 

If I were to suggest any changes it would simply be to offer this bike in a race version.  Come up with carbon forks. Use the lighter bar system. Use carbon cranks. Offer performance wheels and performance cog set. (I know the price will go up….but what a bike this would be.)  Again, thanks for all your support. I’ll be talking to you again soon.  Regards Tom Standley

Originally posted on bacchettabikes.com on Oct. 8, 2009.