PRODUCT REVIEW

the seat. This means that relatively tall riders sit further back and so put less pressure on the driven wheel. But the makers say a tall rider will still have 50/50 front-rear weight distribution, rising to 70/30 for shorter riders, and that traction is not generally a problem. Fitting the bike to the rider shows up another advantage of FWD: no dirty chain length adjustment is required. The bike is designed as a tourer, and the seat tubes have plenty of places to hang panniers between the wheels where their weight will add to front wheel grip. It would also be possible to mount a rear rack and a recumbent top bag. These options will be available in the production model. The solid two-leg stand is also very practical, especially when loaded.

THE RIDE Riding the Minq is quite a special experience. It took me a little while to get used to the handling. I was fi rst struck by how little reaction there was in the steering to pedalling input – absolutely minimal, a huge testament to the designers! Only in low gears was a little reaction noticeable. I am sure that after riding a few hundred miles any owner would be totally used to it. What I found a bit uncomfortable however was the twitchiness of the steering. Not just at low speeds, but also at a moderate pace. Perhaps the combination of indirect steering, a long stem, relatively low front wheel pressure and too little trail makes the steering feel very light. On the other hand it does not pull to one side or another. The designers do tell me that they will be making changes to the steering ratio (how much handlebar movement is needed to turn the forks through a particular angle) to make production bikes feel much more ‘normal’. Twisting of the drive chain in sharp bends turned out to be no problem: the chain never falls off and a practised cyclist can easy turn in the width of a normal street. The Minq loves acceleration with plenty of power when cornering. The short and direct transmission gives a nice direct feel – like a regular road racing bike, and not at all the

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‘spongy’ feeling that some rear wheel drive suspended recumbents can give. But the Minq is not a bike for high speeds. The hefty weight, tyres and aerodynamics are probably hardly any better than a regular touring bike. But that’s OK, it’s intended for relaxing touring. I found overall comfort to be fi ne. I never had the feeling (even on poor road surfaces) that I missed not having front suspension. Cables and chain never got in the way when cycling – an obvious point but it deserves a mention. The mechanical disk brakes worked fi ne: good power, easy to use and adjustable. The seating position (seat height, position of the handlebars and bracket height) is very moderate and should almost immediately suit even non recumbent riders. I found the very wide bars the most annoying feature. On sharp corners the bars, close to your body, do rather interfere with your torso. Personally not my cup of tea. Apparently the bars are to be narrower for production, with a greater range of reach adjustment. Although detachable, the seat is not adjustable for angle, which is rather upright. When cycling I had a slight feeling that my bum was slipping forwards. Bauke told me that the seat will be restyled and will be adjustable for production machines.

AVAILABILITY Seewww.minq.nl or e-mail jhartemi@minq.nlor alternatively jhw.hartemink@hccnet.nl

The Munzo

Bram Smit is a small specialist manufacturer who likes to cover areas untouched by other builders. His most popular products are his children’s recumbents (rideable hands-free!) and his separable low racer. The low racer is particularly popular for its compact design and easy (and free in Holland!) transportation in trains or car boots. The low racer is front wheel drive, and customers have found that the very short chain is well positioned to avoid picking up much grit and road dirt. Another key feature of Bram Smit’s bikes is his affection for a very narrow U-shaped handlebar. Inspired by the ‘Ligfl its’ design, Bram decided to make a low racer with a reversed forks to give an even shorter chain, and a chain pulley that was further forwards, hoping to solve the problem of the rider’s knees hitting the pulley. There should also be slightly reduced energy loss in the transmission, as the chain will pull round a smaller angle at the pulley. As on the Minq, mounting a front derailleur is not possible. Although the Munzo is already available commercially at a price of

€ 1400 – and three have been sold to date – Bram acknowledges that the development process is ongoing, and future upgrades are likely.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS The Munzo low racer is quite a contrast to the Minq. It has very narrow handlebars and a very low seating position. Only the indirect steering, using push/pull rods and rose joints, is similar. There is just a single rollerbrake on the front wheel. This makes dividing the bike into two sections a piece of cake, as there are no cables running from front to rear. The seat is relatively close to the front wheel. This means no interference of the cranks with the wheel and more weight on the front wheel, but the disadvantage is that the drive-side chain has to be diverted over a pulley with some loss of power. The telescopic boom guarantees plenty of weight on the front wheel even for taller riders. Bram found that in practice a fork angle of about 80 degrees gives the best handling. He also says that his U-bend bars have good ergonomics (no stress on the wrists) and good aerodynamics (elbows tucked close to the body). The bars also offer an unimpeded view and no knee interference.

THE RIDE Sitting in the Munzo really means a long descent! With a seat height of just 20 cm this really is a very low racer. I must admit that it took a little while to feel at ease with this
REVERSE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE RECUMBENTS

ABOVE:The Munzo is a very low bike with seat height of just 20 cm (around 8 inches).

BELOW AND ABOVE RIGHT: The frame splits below the seat, and with no cables connecting the two parts they can simply be pulled apart for transport or storage.

BELOW: Narrow U-shaped handlebars are a Bram Smit trademark

BOTTOM: Pulleys direct the chain drive down the reversed fork system. The chain does twist as you steer but this causes no problems at all in practice.

bike in town, but that is probably more because of the very low seat height than anything about the fork geometry. After a few minutes I found out that as with the Minq, hard pedalling evokes no signifi cant steering reaction at all. Again hats off (chapeau) to the builder! And unlike the Minq, twitchiness or nervous steering is totally absent. The steering feels rather heavy and stable, which I value as a good thing. I also agree with Bram that experienced cyclists turn by shifting their bodyweight rather than by turning the bars. The (adjustable) rear suspension provides good comfort. Even on poor surfaces the Munzo is easy to ride. But I was not so enthusiastic about the front brake. Performance felt rather poor and the cooling disk made annoying noises. On sharp turns particular attention is required because the front wheel can easy hit the inside of your upper legs. But contrary to what many would think, twisting of the chain is not an issue. The Munzo has eight gears, which is enough for fl at conditions in the Netherlands. Here too I had no problems with the chain or pulleys when cycling. This prototype seems rather heavy to me. The front part especially seems over-generously dimensioned, and the joint/separation point on the frame will also add a few pounds to the weight of the bike.

FINAL THOUGHTS Will these bikes provoke a revolution in the recumbent market? I am not so sure, but for front wheel drive enthusiasts, reversing the front fork certainly offers some compelling advantages and, compared to ‘normal’ front wheel drive, no important disadvantages. Both bikes have some strong features and innovations. The Munzo has the unique separation feature, and the Minq has its direct chainline and the ingenious detachable seat. Although I’ve never actually tried them in hilly terrain, I would hesitate to choose either of these bikes for cruising the Alps. As a tall rider I would be concerned that the Minq might run out of front wheel grip on steep ascents and that the Munzo would fall short in braking power and gears. Although ride quality (handling) and performance of these two prototypes is by no means superior to rear wheel drive production bikes, the short direct chain is a big benefi t. The theoretical advantage of lower weight is not exploited on these two bikes, but the potential certainly remains. Interesting ideas for further development could include using the Rohloff Speedhub, perhaps with a totally enclosed chaincase, trying monoblade front forks, using the system to build compact folding recumbent bikes, and using it in a bike with 26" wheels. Perhaps it could also be useful for a two wheel drive recumbent tandem? It’ll be fascinating to see what comes next!

Frank van der Laan

AVAILABILITY Contact Bram Smit at FastFwd in the Netherlands: Email bram@fastfwd.nl or see www.fastfwd.nl

Frank van der Laan is a long-time recumbent rider. He also wrote about traffi c planning in the Netherlands for us in Issue 9, compiled our fourway velomobile review in Issue 14 and, with Bert Hoge, wrote the Rotor cranks test in Issue 19.

Bauke Muntz developed the original ‘Ligfl its’ and worked with both Minq and Munzo designers: see more about this and other projects at www.bmconcepting.nl

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