Jonathan Garcia reviews the R64 Saber - April 30, 2020.
If there is a list of Ugly Ducklings in the cycling world, the Vision R64 Saber is on the top 5. Even other recumbent riders openly mock me when I ride my Saber!
Apparently, they don't know what I know. As soon as you perch yourself aboard-believe me it is a perch at my 5' 7" height-I am right on my tip toe at stops. But it doesn't feel unstable when you stop, the bike is perfectly poised and balanced in every respect. And at any speed.. at least to the 45 mph downhill that I have achieved on this bike.
Those of you that don't know the Saber led the charge in American High Racers, the first to market (if I remember correctly) and the other designers took note, of course. Designers from Bacchetta and RANS took a different approach...RANS with the coveted Force 5 triangulated frame with medium length boom and slightly longer wheelbase, Bacchetta with the Ti Aero and shorter boom and longer wheelbase than either.
What looks so comical to some is the fact that the wheelbase is so short (40 and 1/4") and the seat is so high! Combine it with the ultra long boom and things don't make sense to a bike designer or to the guy on the street. All that is forgotten when you take that first pedal. The bike is light by recumbent standards. Mine is a 650c wheel version and without bags it is about 27lbs. I have weighed lighter versions than mine at the bike shop.
Let's return to that first pedal. There is no hint of wobbly start or power getting eaten up by a flexy frame. It is sure off the line and it has that hint of surge forward effect like a good steel upright road or mountain bike has. While in the same moment you feel like it is completely intuitive at turning and steering and you would be right. Very agile and surefooted despite it's short wheelbase. I would say because of it..because the boom is so long the front wheel never looses traction and because the rear wheel is relatively close it feels totally connected and balanced. The rider is balanced between the two wheels. Many high racers end up feeling tail heavy/front light especially at laid back angles and/or you load up the seat bags with too much stuff.
Another important factor is how well the seat is designed. It's an all day kind of seat and it still allows plenty of power transfer. If we are covering power transfer, Sabers have a relatively even seat height to crank height ratio with a 3 3/8" rise. This allows a lot of power to be put into the cranks, as proven by todays numbers. So today I was able average 16.5 mph (16.7 according to Garmin)on my loop with it's 1,066 elevation gain in 15.4 miles and 25 lights/stops is some serious speed in the city. Which just adds to the paradox of what this bike is because I never 'felt' like I was going fast, nor did I turn in any notable Strava segments or PR's..it just has a faster average. Again, the motor is what counts people-but the right bike can make it a very pleasant experience.
So it's a study in paradoxes, the classic example of don't judge a book by its cover, the Ugly Duckling truly is a Swan - but only once you immerse yourself in the moment and forget about what the outside world my think of your choices.
This is not an advertisement or encouragement to go buy one of these bikes (nor to drive the price of used one's up!)..these belong in the classic car weekend driver category and consequently should be owned and cared for by those that are willing to live with skinny tires, obsolete wheels, difficult sourcing of proprietary parts etc, etc.
I still encourage people to buy a modern recumbent which is made to take advantage of the latest and greatest from the whole cycling world. Disc brakes, 700c wheels, and modern shifting systems, just to name a few. For most riders new bikes are the way to go. As I always say, if you already have one..I am here to help-I know all the little idiosyncrasies that make these bike tick . This is simply a celebration of one of those iconic bikes that achieves results in an unorthodox way.
Nuts and Bolts:
Bike: Vision R64 Saber 2002? ANDY. I didn't name it, I prefer dramatic names. Maybe it's an acronym. ANDY is what someone put on the fork with vinyl decals. It was in sad, sad shape when I bought it from a kid in New York.
Notable equipment: Vuelta wheels that Bacchetta and John S. sell. Relatively inexpensive, but these are great wheels. Please note that the handlebars are not stock. Because of my height the stock bars were in my face and made it look even more silly. I wanted to prove a drop bar could be put on something other than a Cruzbike. Mission accomplished. Elbows are in and there are two good hand positions. Not for anyone that is not slight of build..I will tell you that. There is no room between the bars and my body. But this bike needs almost zero handlebar input so it works out perfectly.
Notable Performance: See above. Just a blazing fast average with no explanation and no top 3 Strava segments. Which never happens. Usually when a person gets a fast average then a couple more PR's follow.
