Tom Standley and the Giro 20 ATT
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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.
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.