Spezi 2017: Back home (the story and the photo album)

We have already visited a few editions of Spezi to be cured of fears. But this never ceases to surprise you. The level of geekism that can be seen on the busiest streets of this small town during the couple of days that the fair lasts would make any self-respecting Star Wars fan look ridiculous.

The atmosphere is great: people of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest, all equally delighting in seeing these wonders of imagination and engineering. Some are wonderful because they are beautiful; others, quite the opposite.

It has been a very intense two days of conversations with suppliers, seeing and testing new machines, meeting interesting people, and seeing the direction in which the evolution of recumbent bikes (and other rare bikes) is occurring. And to see the sun while in Spain you had rain and cold, :-DDD

This year we have seen a real flowering of the quad: the four-wheeled version of a trike. Here we are already talking about big words because engineering gets complicated. It is necessary to install a differential, although it seems that this phase is already over, and we have seen different models here and there. The most common is the installation of internal gear systems such as NuVinci or Shimano Alfine. Trident Trikes already has a FAT model with 20-inch wheels that has done more turns than a merry-go-round on streets closed to traffic; Velomo Trikes has its road version; Last year we already saw Velomobiel.nl's four-wheeled velomobile, the Quattrovelo; and the heavyweight of these pedal wonders, the Armadillo, from Velove. Incredible machine, by the way. It is a small pedal truck.

I have decided to divide the image galleries into several sections, because there are many. The first batch is about the general atmosphere of the fair, homemade bicycles and curious inventions.

PHOTO GALLERY

On Saturday afternoon, at the end of the first day of the fair, I attended the Azub party at the Lingenfeld Campground as a guest, perhaps a little ahead of time. So I waited. Scattered, but continuously, cyclists were arriving from the fair, whose presence was only announced by their voices among the vegetation that flanks the road. Seeing them advance along the track that led to the campsite, with the warm, orange light of the evening sun, was an image that invited reflection.

It is a joy to ride a bike, paraphrasing my dear friend Pepe Añón. For those who enjoy this way of getting around, which is also a sport, a country like Germany or any other in Western Europe is an absolutely ideal environment. Ideal because the bike is just another vehicle, worthy of respect like any other, and with rights and, of course, obligations. Here, no one gives you poisonous glances if you ride a bike on the sidewalk because no one considers the bike to be a danger. Not even the grandmothers, who pedal to the market to do their daily shopping. And they also go on the sidewalk when necessary.

The tranquility that the bicycle gives to cities and landscapes is a joy. Tranquility and enjoyment. Seeing a bicycle traveling along a tree-lined road is an image that conveys peace. When the reclining one appears, then it makes you laugh, but it's cool. I love it. They do nothing but make me smile, and I have already seen them a lot...

And here I am watching them pass. Folding bikes, tandems, normal bikes (how conventional!), velomobiles, recumbent bikes and who knows what else. One of those images to remember.

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Accompanying my friend Marc, from Kervelo , at his stand in Hall 3, I struck up a conversation with a Slovenian named Peter who was interested in Kervelo. It turns out that Peter is the only recumbent dealer in Slovenia, a country that I happened to visit last summer and fell in love with for its natural beauty. His store is called ToBi . I've already taken the opportunity to take a good look at it, although I haven't learned anything because it's all in Slovenian - which is a very rare language.

I have also had the opportunity to meet two media figures in the world of recumbents: Gary Solomon, director of The Laid Back Bike Report . The Laid Back Bike Report is a monthly video webcast with information and interviews with people and companies related to laid back bikes. It was so much fun meeting him in person after following him for years online and saying hello on Facebook.

The other figure I met, and this time without knowing who he was talking to, is Bryan Ball, director of the magazine BentRider Online , which I'm sure you all know, if only because they are the ones who give out the 'bike or trike' award. of the year'. We were enjoying some beers and good conversation at the party organized by Azub near Germersheim. Until we introduced ourselves and he told me his name :-D These things go like this: first you talk for a while, and then you introduce yourself. One of the things Bryan asked me was how I saw the feasibility of creating a Spanish-language forum on recumbents on BentRider Online. More and more of us are Spanish-speaking people, so why not?

The next day we met at the fair and I took the opportunity to take a selfie.

At the same party I met Grzegorz Antonovitch, from Thor Composite ( www.thorseat.eu , premium quality carbon and fiberglass reclining seats, which you will soon find on our website). He was very kind. After telling me in detail what he does, and talking a little about the particularities of this business, he had the kindness to give me a headrest of his creation and which at first glance seemed to me to be the best that exists for fiberglass seats. glass or carbon. I need to try it, but it adapts perfectly to the shape of the neck. We will publish it on our website shortly.

I also appreciate from here the kindness of the Azub staff, especially the people with whom I have the most contact -Patrik, Honza, Milan, Karel and Ales-, from HP Velotechnik -David, Alex, Gregor-, and a few more. Greetings also to Philippe, from Velofasto , one of the most successful recumbent dealers in France and with whom we also share a pleasant conversation.

But I don't want to bore you with my personal experiences. This year there haven't been many new features at the fair (several manufacturers had been releasing new models for several years in a row and this was non-stop), but the ones we saw were very interesting.

From our point of view, we will highlight the following (attention, there is a long list).

RECLINED

Azub ( www.azub.eu ). We were looking forward to the introduction of the Shimano Steps motor as an option for their trikes. And we liked it, it is a very comfortable and efficient engine. But what we did not expect was the option of components that so much improves the layout of the controls on the Azub handlebars (a point that, personally, we did not like at all): Azub introduces the Shimano Metrea controls (http://www.shimano -metrea.com) , designed for triathlon bicycles and which fit the under-seat handlebars like a glove. Aesthetically, they look luxurious; ergonomically, the same; but in addition, they are high-end components, with everything that this implies: 1x11 or 2x11 speeds. With such a wide range of sprockets, in many cases the double chainring can be dispensed with.

PHOTO GALLERY

HP Velotechnik ( www.hpvelotechnik.com ). We haven't requested the new Scorpion as a test model yet, but it was just as we expected: a beautiful machine, stylish, superior in design, and the lightest of HP Velotechnik's trikes.

Kervelo ( www.kervelo-bike.com ). The semi-recumbent bicycle convertible into a trike is manufactured in two versions, aluminum and steel. Due to the characteristics of the materials, aluminum tubes need a greater thickness than steel tubes, so the same model, in aluminum, is much more attractive from my point of view. Of course, there are colors for tastes. The steel version, a more flexible and resistant metal, has much thinner tubes. Options for this bicycle: with the same front part, various configurations can be made: simple bicycle, bicycle with rear suspension, rigid tricycle, tilting tricycle, and the same motorized options. Very interesting for those looking for a more upright position and a higher point of view than conventional reclining chairs.

Wolf & Wolf ( www.wolfundwolf.ch ). It is a small Swiss company that makes recumbent bicycles of exquisite simplicity. We have known her for three years but they only sell to end buyers, so we had not established contact. This year, however, I couldn't help but try them. As you will see in the photos, the design is very simple, practical, with as few moving parts as possible - this saves weight and breakdowns - and with a great result for a bicycle that is intended to be for the road and good trails.

CARGO BIKES

Cargo Bike Monkey ( www.cargobikemonkeys.com ). The company in which Kirk Seifert of Icletta and Rainer Hovemann of Traix Cycles work together produces two very similar cargo bikes that differ mainly in the size of the cargo box. The word 'box' is a saying, since it is a space between the bars that make up the bicycle frame. The two models - Turbolader and Radlader - are characterized by a very peculiar and attractive aesthetic, and the bikes handle really well. Another almost unique feature is its steering: Unlike other cargo bikes that connect the handlebars to the front wheel using a bar, the Cargo Bike Monkeys do so with cables that run along the bike from the handlebars to the front fork. This lightens the bike and allows turning angles impossible to achieve with a bar.

This same characteristic is shared by the PedalPower Cargo Bikes ( www.pedalpower.de ) , which we also had the opportunity to test, and in this case with electric motorization. Extraordinary handling, fast bikes and very pleasant to ride. In addition, the front box space is very large, allowing larger volumes to be loaded.

The Libelle cargo bike ( https://leichtlast.de/ ) amazed us with its innovative concept: a cargo bike made of carbon (super light) and reinforced with Kevlar, with an aerodynamic front box, designed to carry children - and /or boxes of beer-. Obviously it is not a bicycle for very bulky loads, but it is perfect for families who need to transport one or two small children and do the shopping. Who doesn't need to shop? But the most interesting thing about this bike is that it can be divided into two to use the front part as a children's stroller -or to buy beer-. We loved it, both for its design, its features and the ingenuity it incorporates. You will find it shortly on our website.

LIBELLE PHOTO

VELOMOBILES

Another concept that we strongly applaud is the wooden velomobile, but no one would say it is made of wood (Sitko Velo, www.sitko-velo.de ; so new that the website still has it in Latin). The perfection of its finishes and the purity of its lines, adding the fact that it is painted white, perfectly hide the base material from the outside. On the inside it does allow you to appreciate the material in which it is built, and not only that. The seat, covered in cork, hides several compartments to store your jacket, cell phone, spare parts and tools. The opening is vertical, like that of a luxury sports car... made of wood. It's only 2.40 meters long, and it's... very cute.

We witness with admiration a more refined design of the EC Velo ( www.ecvelo.com ), and its debut as a 'convertible'. You can now have it fully or partially closed. The choice of black for the lower part and another color for the upper part has been very successful; multiplies its attractiveness by ten. We have basically tested it again for you to see, although the behavior remains the same as the video we published last year. One change: the open version has a 26-inch rear wheel (Azub TriCon 26). A novelty: carbon version, 10 Kg less than the original EC Velo. The best thing about this bug: the price. From 5,400 euros, VAT included.

If you have any questions or are interested in anything we talk about here, do not hesitate to call us or write us an email. We will be happy to share it with you.