How to buy a second hand (Nazca) recumbent?
You can search the internet for as long as you like for the experiences of others, but trying it yourself is still the best way to get acquainted with the advantages of a recumbent.
This is best done by a professional recumbent dealer.
See the page with dealers.
You can rent a recumbent, they give advice and set up the bike for you so you can make a test ride.
But there are also used bikes on offer at www.ligfiets.net, www.marktplaats.nl and www.recyclebent.com, etc.
What should you pay attention to when buying a recumbent from a private person?
ask yourself a number of questions
the most important question
Do I fit on it? Am I too small, or too tall for the bicycle on offer?
And how do I find out that the bicycle will fit, or can be made to fit?
The easiest way is to buy a bicycle from someone who is about the same height as you. The wheel size will then be suitable, and the front tube and seat shell will probably already be reasonably sized.
If the seller is a lot taller or shorter, the bike will need to be adjusted. The seat shell and cushion can be replaced, as can the chain, but the front tube has to be extended; new ones are no longer available.
your X-seam
Compare your X-seam with the seller's. See picture (Ice-trikes) Make sure you measure very accurately, without shoes.
Look at the model pages for which X-seam the bike can be made to measure. Please note that shortening the front tube is possible, but extending it is not always possible, because some front tubes have already been shortened when the bike was first delivered!
If the front tube has to be extended to make the bike the right size, make sure that both clamping bolts still have a grip.
seat shell and chain
If the second-hand bike can be made to measure, you can optimise the chain length and possibly replace the seat shell and seat cushion.
Adjusting the front tube and chain to the correct length is as follows:
- ask someone to help
- Lie on your bike in the cycling position, hold on to your feet and put both feet on the pedals, pedals exactly horizontal.
- Have the assistant extend the front tube so that the heel of the fully extended leg fits exactly on the furthest pedal.
- Take your feet off the pedals and fix the front tube in this position, making sure that the cranks are straight.
- get off the bike, put it on the stand and shift front and rear derailleurs to the middle sprocket
- if the jockey-wheels of the rear derailleur are in vertical alignment with the cassette, the chain is of the correct length, if not, remove or add links.
Do not make the chain too short: when you are cycling (or getting used to recumbent cycling), you will usually sink into the seat a little more.
tightening torques for the bolts and nuts
The bolts:
M5 - 6 Nm
M6 - 10-11 Nm
M8 - 18-20 Nm
For the rear swing arm (Paseo, Gaucho, Quetzal) you need 2 flat 32mm spanners.
Hold the inner nut, unscrew the lock nut with the other spanner.
Now tighten the inner nut with approx. 2-4 Nm and then tighten the outer nut with approx. 20 Nm.
After tightening the nuts, it should be possible to rotate the stainless steel bearing sleeve.
maintenance of the bicycle
Nazca recumbents are no longer made new, nor are frame kits. Good maintenance ensures that you will enjoy your bicycle as long as possible.
So regular cleaning, both the moving parts and the frame, is very important. Removing play delays wear and so does cleaning and lubricating the moving parts.
Even though our bicycles are strong and solid, everything can be destroyed by overcharging.
Therefore, always check the frame at the head tube annually, especially if you have long legs. You can immediately see the condition by polishing it.
The bike does not have that beautiful colour for nothing!