Bacchetta Rider Spotlight

Stephen Franzoni

When gasoline prices went up to over $3 a gallon, I decided that it was time to try out riding a bike. After riding for a few weeks, I decided that a regular bike was not going to cut it, so I went out and test rode several bent bikes. The Bacchetta Cafe was the most comfortable and affordable. Over time, I have slowly added additional parts to make the bike more of a year round commuter bike. I went from commuting 2-3 days a week to almost everyday of the week. Now I will bike commute 9 out of 10 days barring really cold and wet weather. The Windwrap RNS fairing was installed to give me a warmer ride during the cold months and to keep my lower half dry when caught in the rain.

The bike is used for everything including rides to church and to the store (using a Burley Nomad for really big trips). Believe it or not, I can get three medium pizzas on the back rack. This past summer marked the longest bike ride I have ever taken in one day; a 107 mile trip to the ocean. Due to work schedules, we did not have enough seats in my truck for the ride down to the beach, so I most graciously offered to ride my bike to Dewey Beach, DE. A short 8 hours and I was sitting on the beach taking in the fresh salt air. My bike now has 3520 miles after 1 year and is still going strong. I hav since gotten another recumbent for zipping around with the local bike club, but the Cafe is still my primary bike for getting around.

 

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