Inspired Cycle Engineering is reknowned for blending comfort and efficiency in their hardshell carbon-fiber seat for the speedster VTX model.

In this series of time-lapse videos, you get to see the workmanship, engineering, and skill that goes into the backbone of the AirPro carbon fiber seat.  In their own words,

The ICE Air-Pro Carbon seats are handmade composite hard-shell seats that provide exceptional stiffness with minimal weight, weighing in between 1.1-1.4kg with the carbon saving approx 0.38Kg (0.84lbs) over the GRP version. The Air-Pro shell is an anatomically contoured shape which is available in two sizes (medium & large). The shell supports the rider through aggressive cornering and provides a firm brace to pedal against while flexing where appropriate for comfort. The shell has incorporated wings unlike most of its competitors which reduces weight and increases efficiency. Fitted to the shell is a custom composite fabric cover made from carefully selected foams and surface materials for ultimate performance. Max rider weight 230lbs (104Kg). The technical pad system is arranged to provide maximum comfort and support while riding, incorporating natural ventilation channels to maintain a cooling airflow across the back. Recognising that the shape and riding style of every rider is undoubtedly different ICE have also designed a personal padding system that is provided separately, these pads allow the rider to place extra pads directly to the shell and under the cover for added support in areas they deem necessary....

Every ICE Air-Pro Carbon Fibre or GRP seat is designed and fabricated in the UK at ICE HQ, Falmouth. Each seat is made using the highest quality design processes, raw materials and craftsmen. Designed in house using the latest CAD technology, the moulds are CNC routed for precision quality seat after seat. The seat itself is fabricated by a small team of professional and passionate craftsman; each seat is subject to the same reliable method of production within our small controlled environment. The seats are then finished by eye to ensure the highest quality finish time and time again. Each seat takes roughly 4-5 hours to produce from start to finish over several days.

Go to their website. Read all about it. Watch the videos. And, when you feel the need for speed, call us.

The Bacchetta Giro 26 is a great all-purpose bike. At $1700, qualifies as "entry level". It is quite similar to the ATT Giro 26 Bacchetta bikes, but it has a cromoly (CrMo) steel frame and cromoly (CrMo) fork.

The stock seat for this model is called the ReCurve with the key features of a mesh backing and perforated foam seat pan. It can be swapped with the lighter EuroMesh seat at no added cost. The Giro models come with pivoting steerer so the handlebar-knees distance is adjustable.

These are several changes we made to this Bacchetta Giro 26 and the reasons why:

Short (155mm) cranks

The stock crank is an FSA Tempo. It is big, ugly, and heavy and it has a conventional 170mm length. We put on a nice 155mm crank. This one single change saved ?? ounces of weight.

Since the main physical conflicts on a bike like this have to do with heel-strike and knee-handlebar interference, the shorter cranks give you a bit more breathing room.

Finally, the shorter cranks give a 10% faster cadence and 10% higher gearing for higher speeds.

We used our stock Durabi 400 cranks. We've been using these for years because they are a well-made, inexpensive, and consistent.

Front disc brake

As a matter of personal preference, some people prefer disc brakes over rim brakes. The main downsides to disc brakes are added cost and weight.

Because most of the braking force ends up on the front wheel, we balanced the cost-weight penalty by putting a disc brake just on the front wheel and leaving the stock rim brake on the back.

The Giro 26 come disc-ready from the factory -- meaning that the fork has disc brake tabs to mount the caliper and the front wheel uses a disc hub which accepts a disc rotor with no changes.

This all means that putting on a front disc brake is almost no more work than screwing in 6 bolts and swapping out the cable and housing for longer ones.

Clipless pedals

At AlphaBENT, we are self-confessed Pedal Snobs. Almost no bike seems complete without our X82 pedals. These pedals are a lot like the Shimano M324 double-sided pedals with one side dedicated to clipping in and the other side using a cage for regular shoes. However, the X82 has the following features and improvements:

• extremely light. There is no comparison with the M324 with regard to weight and the X82's are lighter than most SPD pedals of any brand or style
• sealed bearings: The sealed bearing cartridges require no maintenance and last a long time.
• SPD standard: like the M324, the X82 uses standard SPD-compatible cleats.

Rear rack

For any longer trip, commuting about town, or getting groceries, a rack is quite useful.

Bacchetta has solved the rear-rack problem with a general-purpose, highly configurable rack that seems to fit most of their bikes. We opted for a different rack for the sake of simplicity, lightness, and strength.

We started with an ICE Sprint 26 rack and fashioned a curved front anchor bar that bolts onto the caliper brake mounting point for the rear wheel. Given that the rear brake of this bike uses side studs, the caliper brake mounting hole is free and rated to a high strength so it makes an ideal anchor point.

All it took was to bend a sturdy piece of aluminum stock and drill three holes in it and we were done.

Light mounts

We are big advocates of bike lights. A rear flashing light seems light an indispensable safety feature. We fashioned a rear horizontal mounting bar using a piece of PEX tubing and bolted it to the inside of the back plate of the ICE rack. This allowed us to put on a Cateye Volt 50 with its massive battery for all-day flashing.

On the front, we used the tried and true Minoura Space grip, but the Bacchetta One-Armed Bandit has many advantages over it and would make a better choice for the long-term.

Kickstand

This bike does not like to stand up resting against a pole. Against a wall, yes -- pole, no. A kickstand is essential if you plan on standing it uphere and there.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to mount a kickstand on this bike. Bacchetta makes a kickstand mounting bracket and we have found that it works well with a Pletscher ESGE kickstand on models like the Corsa. However, it is a challenge to get it to work well with this model in conjunction with a rack and / or fenders.

Steer bar flip

The fact that Bachetta is able to make the handlebar and steering work with so little interference with rider's knees is a wonder.

However, the presence of a conventional bicycle handlebar stem is a real head-scratcher:

• stem -- It is not clear why this bike has a stem. Given that it has a tilting steer bar with an adjustable angle and length, you can already place the handlebar position wherever you like. If the steer tube had a handlebar clamp at its end instead of a stem for a conventional bike, it would function just as well and there would be considerable savings of weight, parts, and cost.
• safe area -- When the handlebars turn, there is a central "safe area" where your knees have the most clearance. The further out from the center that your knees exist, the more likelihood you have to hit the handlebar with them. Therefore, it makes no sense for the stem (that doesn't even belong on the bike) to exist in the central safe area where the rider's knees move about.
• the bolt head -- There is a bolt head (on the stem which should not exist) and it is easy to hit that with your right knee.

The resolution to these problems is simple: flip the handlebar around. With the stem (which should not exist) elbow forward instead of backward, all of these problems went away other than the needless weight of the stem.

[It turns out that the ability to flip the stem around is dependent on the geometry of the bike, and this technique will not work "out of the box" with the Giro 20 since it takes the stop-bolt of the steering pivot beyond its intended / designed range.]

Mirror

We found that the Busch and Muller Cyclestar mirror mounts easily on the handlebar of this model and can be looked at while keeping the road in your peripheral vision.

Computer

The Cateye Urban wireless computer is pretty easy to install and handles the distance from the wheel sensor to the handlebar when place just so.

This just in from Catrike...

Price increase on Road, Trail and Villager March 1, 2016

New Pricing effective March 1, 2016

Our customer’s Catrike stories continue to nurture our passion to create more advanced, high quality and easy to use products that are created and made in the U.S.

As a courtesy, we want to share with you a price increase on three of our Catrike models that reflects the true value and cost to manufacture these products.

Beginning on March 1st there will be a price increase of $200 for the Villager, Trail, and Road models.

New Pricing:

• Villager:  $2,550
• Trail:       $2,950
• Road:      $3,150

For all other models the price will remain unchanged for 2016.

You can order now or before March 1st to save on these Catrike models.

After five years and thousands of miles, Ron's ICE Adventure FS is still looking sharp.

It got a new pair of silicone grips for its handlebars, and a shiny new chain, and it's ready for another go.

Memo: Motorcycle chain-lube on a trike chain leaves strong residue inside chain-tubes -- beware!

See you in another four or five years, Ron!

We build up trikes every day.

Live vicariously...

Day-6 has a long history of making great easy-to-ride bikes.

Owner, Kelly Hutson, believes strongly in the product and has worked tirelessly to get this innovative design into the market. The product speaks for itself: most people who can ride a regular bike, but not a recumbent, seem to do quite well on a Day-6 bike without the pain of conventional bikes.

Shipping and service are centrally located in Iowa where Hutson and his crew serve the entire U.S. market.

AlphaBENT proudly stocks, sells, and supports Day-6 bikes in Sacramento and serves all of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.