I have hankerd to get into recumbents for sometime for a couple of reasons, one being to better cope with the riding into the Fremantle Doctor over summer here in Perth and the other being that diamond frame bikes (besides my Surly Long Haul Trucker) are really not exciting me that much anymore. Whilst I still desire to purchase a Sinner Bikes Mango Sports Red Edition (just a slow but steady process saving the pesos) I also wanted a two-wheel recumbent. Whilst the idea of a long-wheel base recumbent such as the Easy Racer Gold Rush Replica or the RANS Stratus LE appeal as my two-wheeler the opportunity came up to purchase a 2008 Bacchetta Giro 20 locally via the WAHPV For Sale website. I thought this was probably a smart move as the “investment” was relatively low and the Giro does have a reputation for being a good beginners recumbent.
So here I am with a blog post on my experiences with a 2008 Bacchetta Giro 20 and any changes that I make to it. I will also use this post to keep track of the costs of owning my Giro 20.
An Overview of My Bacchetta Giro 20
Bacchetta Giro 20 (2008) – July 2013 Setup
I believe my Bacchetta Giro 20 is a 2008 model. This is based on the serial number. There is a post at the Bacchetta forums which outlines how to identify the model year from the serial number … I am assuming this is valid 
At the time of posting this post I had ridden 632 kilometres on the Giro 20 so still some way to go to get my recumbent legs and to get right into the bike.
My intention here is document as best as I can the specification, cost (capital and operating) and service history of my Bacchetta Giro 20. This will I am sure vary from the original specification and current variants of the Giro 20 but hopefully it will also provide some useful information.
Component Specification – Bacchetta Giro 20
Component
Details
Frame
Bacchetta Custom Ovalized Cro-Moly, w/Disc Brake Tab
Fork
Bacchetta cro-moly w/Disc Brake Tab, 1-1/8"
Seat
Bacchetta EuroMesh
Seat
Bacchetta Seat Stay Clamps (Velogenesis) - 1/2"
Seat
ADEM2 EuroMesh Headrest
Handlebar
Bacchetta Aluminium "Tweener"
Stem
Bacchetta "B-Pivot" Adjustable Stem
Rear Derailleur
SRAM X7
Front Derailleur
Microshift R439 SS
Shifters
SRAM X7 Twist
Crankset
Stronglight Impact Triple Silver 165 mm 48/38/28 Crankset
Bottom Bracket
Headset
FSA Orbit-X, 1-1/8" Threadless
Cassette
SRAM PG950 11-34t, 9 Speed
Chain
KMC Z99
BB Height
27.25"
Wheelbase
47"
Weight (On-Road)
Front Brake
Avid BB7 Disc
Rear Brake
Avid BB7 Disc
Brake Levers
Avid Speed Dial 7
Front Wheel
Alex DA16, 20" (406), w/disc hubs
Rear Wheel
Alex DA16, 26" (559), w/disc hubs
Front Tyre
Kenda Kwest, 20" x 1.25"
Rear Tyre
Kenda Kwest, 26" x 1.25"
Rack - Rear
Removed
Rack - Underseat
NA
Kickstand
Bacchetta Kickstand for Disc Tab Dropout
Lights
DiNottee 400L on front
Lights
PDW Radbot 1000 1 Watt x 3 on rear
Mudguards
Planet Bike Hardcore Recumbent 20" Mudguard - Front
Rear Bag
Brain Box
Mirrors
Busch & Mller Cycle Start 901/3 (5 cm) 50 mm
Water Bottle Cages
Catamount CatCage side entry
Frame Protection
BBB TubeSkin
Computer
Garmin Edge 810
Cadence Sensor
Bontrager ANT+ cadence sensor (part no. 426479
Speed Sensor
Bontrager ANT + speed sensor (part no. 426433)
Capital and Maintenance Costs – Bacchetta Giro 20
Date
Item/Activity
Cost
Description
Overall Cost of the Bacchetta Giro 20
2,026.83
July, 2013
Purchase of the bike
1,100.00
July, 2013
Swissstop Organic Disc Brake Pads D17 Green - Avid BB7
27.28
Inventory
July, 2013
Schwalbe Durano Performance Folding BMX Tyre 20x1.10 Black
17.85
Trying a 28 mm front tyre
July, 2013
Schwalbe Durano Performance Folding Tyre 26x1.10 Black
37.53
Trying a 28 mm rear tyre
July, 2013
Continental Quality Compact Inner Tube 20x28-32 Compact 20S Presta 42mm x five
28.42
Inventory
July, 2013
Transfil Shimano MTB Tandem Brake Cable Inner x 2
6.8
Inventory
July, 2013
Transfil Shimano Indexed Tandem Gear Cable Inner x 2
11.6
Inventory
July, 2013
Bacchetta Kickstand for Disc Tab Dropout
43.47
July, 2013
Bacchetta OAB (One Armed Bandit) Light Mount
34.78
July, 2013
Bacchetta Shipping and Handling
14.14
July, 2013
Bacchetta Seat Stay Clamps - Velogenesis 1/2" - 5/8"
21.74
July, 2013
Planet Bike Hardcore Recumbent 20" Mudguard
32.85
July, 2013
Velox Rim Tape Cloth - 17mm
4.26
Inventory
July, 2013
BBB TubeSkin Kit BBP60 x 2
17
Inventory
July, 2013
KMC X9 Light Gold 9 Speed Chain - Each - 116 Links - Gold x 3
107.02
Inventory
July, 2013
Continental Tour 26 Slim Tube - 26 x 1.1 - 1.3 Presta 42mm x 5
28.45
Inventory
July, 2013
NOS Catamount CatCages Water Bottle Cages
32.23
August , 2013
Busch & Mueller E-WERK
85.66
Sep-13
Stronglight JP 400 AL (BSC) Bottom Bracket
24.77
Sep-13
Busch & Muller Cycle Start 901/3 (5 cm) 50 mm Mirror
18.55
Sep-13
Stronglight Impact Triple Silver 165 48/38/28 Crankset
108.98
Sep-13
ADEMHR Headrest
176.28
Oct-13
Radboot 1000 1 Watt Rear Lights x 2
47.17
Service History – Bacchetta Giro 20
Date
Kilometres
Details
July 28, 2013
0 kilometres
Completed a standard service to bring the bike into operation
July 28, 2013
0 Kilometres
Installed DiNottee 400L front lights
August 17, 2013
197 kilometres
Installed a Bontrager ANT+ digital cadence sensor (part no. 426479) and a ANT+ digital speed sensor (part no. 426433)
August 17, 2013
197 kilometres
Installed a Bacchetta Kickstand for Disc Tab dropout.
August 17, 2013
197 kilometres
Replaced the existing bottle cages with two side mount CatCage Side Water Bottle cages.
August 17, 2013
197 kilometres
Installed a pair of Terracycle Velogenesis clamps to the EuroMesh seat.
October 13, 2013
582 Kilometres
Fitted an ADEM 2 Headrest and SuperFlash Light Mount
October 13, 2013
582 Kilometres
Updated rear lighting setup to three PDW Radbot 1000 rear lights
Bacchetta Giro 20 – Modifications and Rider’s Review
To configure my Giro 20 to better suit my needs which include commuting, touring and Audax rides I have made a few changes or rather added a few items to the bike.
Setting Riding Position
I have followed as best I can the advice provided by Bacchetta and also that advice as provided by Easy Street Recumbents. I used my phone and an app to try to estimate the angles.
This video gives an idea of where I ended up with the initial process.
I have since reclined the EuroMesh seat a little more but then decided to put going further back on hold for the moment until I get more comfortable with the bike and develop my “recumbent legs.” I intend to recline the seat another 0.5 to 1 cm at the 1,000 kilometre mark and then to revisit the recline again at 1,500 kilometres.
Aortha EVA Very Low Density 3 mm Blue x 2 (6 mm) – Bacchetta Giro 20
One issue I experienced very early into my riding the Giro was that I was getting really tensed up shoulders and quite bad neck pains. For example after commuting to work in the morning (42 km) and then riding home again in the late afternoon I found myself with about 10 to 15 kilometres to go with very painful neck and shoulders; bad enough to make riding quite difficult. Clearly my riding position was such that I could continue down this path. Initially I padded out the back of the seat at the shoulder level to bring my shoulders forward. This took around 5 centimetres of hard foam to achieve a reasonable outcome … not exactly ideal and it really looked tacky on the bike. Researching this issue pointed me to fitting a headrest.
ADEM 2 Headrest for the Bacchetta Euromesh Seat
I took the plunge and ordered an ADEM 2 Headrest for the Bacchetta Euromesh seat with the SuperFlash tail light bracket, a cost of $177 delivered. ; yep recumbent parts are not cheap and can prove to be a costly mistake. Thankfully in my case, this has turned out to be a wise purchase. I am quite amazed at the improvement that has come from fitting the ADEM 2 headrest. It has so far proven to be a well spent $177.
Crankset Changes
Stronglight Impact Triple Silver 165mm 48/38/28 Crankset Fitted to a Bacchetta Giro 20
With the fitting of the ADEM 2 Headrest and introducing a little more recline I found the standard FSA Gossamer 53/39/30 crankset crank arms where to long for me so I have now fitted a Stronglight Impact Triple Silver 165mm 48/38/28 Crankset. This turned out to be a bit of a drama as I went with the recommended bottom bracket, a 115 mm square threaded bottom bracket which turned out to be too long. The longer length has meant I cannot get the Microshift RS 439 SS front derailleur to shift the chain on the big chain ring: it simply does not have enough reach. I now have a 110 mm bottom bracket on order to hopefully resolve the issue.
In the meantime I am riding the bike using the small and middle chain rings and shorter crank arms are working out well.
Bacchetta Giro 20 Seat
Bacchetta seat stay clamps (which appear to be Terracycle Velogenesis clamps)
My Giro came with the Bacchetta EuroMesh seat and the grenade pins (pull pins) used to set the seat angle. My first change to the seat was to replace the grenade pins with Bacchetta seat stay clamps (which seem to be Terracycle Velogenesis clamps). The clamps that I have fitted to my bike are the 1/2 to 5/8 (12.7 to 15.9 mm) diameter clamps. The clamps are reported to improve the rigidity of the seat and hence the ability to transfer power to the wheels. I have no reason to doubt these claims.
I have scanned the installation instructions for the Terracycle Velogenesis clamps which can be download from my Dropbox.
Water Bottle Cages – Bacchetta EuroMesh Seat
Catamount CatCage side entry water bottle cage – Bacchetta Giro 20
The water bottle cages that came with the bike where pretty standard “wire” style cages. Nothing special and whilst reasonably easy to use as top mount cages, having read pretty positive comments on the Catamount CatCage side entry water bottle cages I secured two black ones from an eBay seller, bicyclists_retreat. These. whilst expensive ($32 for the pair) have again proved to a reasonable purchase. They do make accessing my water easier on the go for sure.
Racks on the Bacchetta Giro 20
Bacchetta Giro 20 (2008) – July 2013 Configuration
My Giro 20 came with a “disc” ready rear rack fitted. The rack is a smallest aluminium design which lacks an ability to easily attached a rear light. Whilst it works okay with my front Ortlieb Sports-Plus panniers I would prefer to have a steel Tubus rack with the capability to take Ortlieb Bike-Packer Plus panniers and rear dynamo brake/tail light so will probably update the rack to a Tubus Disco down the track. In the mean time I have removed the rack.
To increase the load carrying capacity so I don’t need to use my Extrawheel Voyager (unless I think it is a better option) I may also install a Terracycle Easy Reacher Underseat rack. The Easy Reacher Underseat rack should comfortably take my Ortlieb Sports-Plus panniers and should work well when I need the loading carrying capability for commuter duties.
That said I have put on hold doing anything more on the rack front until I have more kilometres on the bike and I am 100% sure I want to set it up for touring.
Kickstand for the Bacchetta Giro 20
Bacchetta Kickstand for Disc Tab Dropout – Bacchetta Giro 20
Bacchetta Kickstand for Disc Tab Dropout – Bacchetta Giro 20
I am a fan of kickstands, particularly on my bikes used for touring so the Giro 20 had to get one. My first preference was an Evolution ‘Chetta Kickstand sold by Calhourn Cycles but they wanted to charge as much for the kickstand as they did for postage to Australia so I gave it a miss. Instead I went with a Bacchetta Kickstand for Disc Tab dropout which is a Greenfield Stablizer rear mount kickstand with a special Bacchetta disc mounting tab. Looking at the photos it may well be the same kickstand anyway.
Mounting was pretty straight forward other than the disc mounting tab from Bacchetta came with two 5 mm bolts instead of a 5 mm and 6 mm bolt. The mounting tab does not look like a great design but it is working well so far. If that changes I will update this post, otherwise one can assume all is good with the stand.
I have scanned the installation instructions for the Bacchetta Kickstand for Disc Tab Dropouts which can be download from my Dropbox.
Mudguards (Fenders) for the Bacchetta Giro 20
Planet Bike Hardcore Recumbent mounted to the front wheel on a Bacchetta Giro 20
Planet Bike Hardcore Recumbent Stay Mount (Adjustable)
After a fair bit of research and really being in the dark here I opted for Planet Bike Hardcore Recumbent mudguards (fender) , well initially at least a front mudguard only for the simple reason they are hard to get for a reasonable delivered price! One thing that is cool is that the Planet Bike mudguards are sold as single mudguards so you can purchase a 26″ rear and 20″ front. The other aspect that appealed to me is that the stay positioning is adjustable which makes them easier to fit.
Well as it turned out just going with a 20″ one was a smart move as I did not allow for the fact that I have disc brakes. This meant that the mudguard as supplied cannot be fitted with the two stays unless one has a piece of tubing to allow for the stay to be mounted clearing the disc brake. As I had removed the rack I had a piece of tubing which did the trick. The fender has worked well so far on the front and I really need to get a rear one before next winter.
The Planet Bike Hardcore Fender that I fitted is a 20″ 50 mm wide fender designed for front mount. Planet Bike describe its features as:
Superflex unbreakable all-weather polycarbonate material and attached mud-flap;
Adjustable stay positioning brakes
Comes with necessary hardware and fits most bikes (unless you have disc brakes).
I have scanned the installation instructions for the Planet Bike Hardcore Fender models 7009, 7010, 7011, 7012, 7013 which can be downloaded from my Dropbox.
Frame Protection – Bacchetta Giro 20
I have fitted a length of BBB TubeSkin frame protector to the stick forward of the head-tube and to the rear of the tube to under the seat. BBB TubeSkin is a thick adhesive pad designed to protect the bike’s down tube (or frame in this case) against dirt. Given the way one mounts and dismounts a recumbent I expect the TubeSkin helping to protect against shoe scuffs as well.
I found a 50 mm x 500 mm length was enough for my Giro 20.
Lights – Bacchetta Giro 20
DiNotte Lighting 400L mounted on a Bacchetta Giro 20 Derailleur Post – Front View
DiNotte Lighting 400L mounted on a Bacchetta Giro 20 Derailleur Post – Top Down View
DiNotte Lighting 400L mounted on a Bacchetta Giro 20 Derailleur Post – Side View
My medium term intention is to set up the Giro 20 with a dynamo for next winter but in the meantime I am using a DiNottee 400L front light and three PDW Radbot 1000 rear lights. With my plan to mount a dynamo front light and thinking I would have foot flash problems I purchased a Bacchetta One Arm Bandit (OAB) to mount a front light but I haven’t bothered to fit it as yet. I have found that mounting the DiNottee 400L directly to the derailleur post has worked fine for me and I am not being bothered by foot flash.
Garmin Edge 810 and Bontrager Sensors
Bacchetta Giro 20 (2008) – July 2013 Setup
Bontrager ANT+ Cadence Sensor (part no. 426479) mounted on a Bacchetta Giro 20
Bontrager ANT+ Speed Sensor (part no. 426433) mounted on a Bacchetta Giro 20
I use a Garmin Edge 810 GPS as my bike computer and whilst it can be used without a speed or cadence sensor my preference is to use a speed sensor (no reliance on the satellites required) and I like to gather cadence data. The single cadence/speed sensors such as the Garmin GSC-10 don’t work on recumbent bike such as the Bacchetta Giro 20 so I hunted around and found that Bontrager do a separate ANT+ cadence sensor (part no. 426479) and separate ANT + speed sensor (part no. 426433). My local Bike Force bike shop is a Trek dealer so they where able to quickly source the sensors for. I found my Garmin Edge 810 connected without dramas to the two separate sensors so all good from that perspective. I did however have to delete my existing bike profile and create a new one. There maybe a better way but this was quick and dirty for me.
Mirrors – Bacchetta Giro 20
Busch & Müller Cycle Start 9
Busch & Müller Cycle Start 901/3 (5 cm) 50 mm
Busch & Müller Cycle Start 901/3 (5 cm) 50 mm
The bike came with one Busch & Müller Cycle Start 901/3 (5 cm) 50 mm mirror fitted and I have now fitted a second one. I initially tried out a Zefal Spy Mirror that I had but on this bike I find the Busch & Müller Cycle Start to be much more effective. That said, two mirrors are a must in my view.
Pump Mounting – Lezyne Micro Floor Drive – HP
Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HP Mounted on a Bacchetta Giro 20
My pump of choice on my touring and commuter bikes are Lezyne pumps and in particular the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HP and HV pumps. On my Giro 20 I carry a Micro Floor Drive HP pump which I have mounted at the front of the boom using the braze-on that are found under the front of the boom. The pump fits nicely and clears the crank-arm. These braze-on are also useful for mounting headlights I believe.
Cameras on my Bacchetta Giro 20
Contour HD 1080P Camera + RAM Mount = Rear Mounting on a Bacchetta Giro 20
As a regularly commuter I have decided some time ago to run cameras on the bike I use for commuting which is Giro 20. My cameras of choice are a Contour HD 1080P which I have had since 2010. This camera is now regulated to rear camera duties and is mounted to the bike using the Contour waterproof housing and a RAM mount. On the front I have a GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition which is mounted using a K-Edge GoPro GO Big handlebar mount off the Tweener bars. This has worked well so far with no vibration being noticeable. That said one has to be willing to live with feet going round and round in the video
Resources
Bacchetta Bicycles
Bacchetta forums
Western Australia HPV Group
OzHPV
Tons of information about recumbents at Easy Street Recumbents
Recumbents at the Australian Cycling Forums – Australia
Recumbent Riders International;
Recumbents at the Bike Forums
The Dark Side at YACF – UK
Non-standard Human Powered Vehicles – CTC Forums – UK
BentRider Online