First of all, very sorry for not writing in Dutch. But I suppose it's better to write directly in English than trying to web-translate back to Dutch.
(you can skip my presentation and go directly to the questions below) 
I've just registered to the forum, but I've been visiting for sometime. I also use to visit velomobilforum and velorizontal (oh, google translate helps very much!), and I'm quite a frequent BROL user. We also have a brazilian forum, the recliforum.forumeiros.com.
I'm from Brazil and have been riding recumbents for 8 years now. I can call myself mainly a commuter, cycle-tourist and randonneur. My main recumbent is MetaPhysic MetaPhysic, that I use for more "training-dedicated" commutes, weekend long-distance riding and for the brevets. For touring and off-road I ride a small but tough brazilian square-tube bent, and I ride upright bikes also (road, mtb and folding). Never had a car and prefer to continue this way.
After these years having a bike-addicted life in a car-oriented country, and not having the chance to test ride many recumbent designs that I admire, I decided it was time for a backpacking trip to Holland, ending in Germany at SPEZI.
I could have started this thread some months ago, while I was planning my itinerary, but I preferred to do my own homework. Briefly, I will spend somedays in Amsterdam, Dronten, Leiden, Rotterdam, The Hague and Nijmegen. Then I will head to Köln and Germersheim. Besides looking after bikes and bike culture, I'm visiting museums, attending to concerts (I'm a classical guitarist / teacher) and of course anxious for the landscapes! I live in a very hilly terrain, and riding through the lowlands will be absolutely new to me.
The shops that I will visit will be LigfietsWinkel, LigfietsTempelmann, Maia (Leiden) and Elan. I'll try to ride some models that I admire, preferably renting and spending a whole morning or day with it. For touring / commute I wish to test Flevo GreenMachine, Nazca Fuego, HPVelo Grashopper and Azub Origami. For long-distance riding I would like to know better how I could ride the Raptobike (low and mid), the Challenge Chamsin and maybe the Nazca Gaucho (i guess it maybe too heavy or flexy for my hills). I love the M5 CHR, but I really doubt that I could fit (I'm 1,71m) and safely climb my mountains on such a big bike. So I'm skipping a visit to Middelburg, that could be nice, but I had to make choices. If I find other non-European bents like the Performer HR (i think Maia stocks), or just the Bacchettas and Cruzbikes, would be nice too, but maybe I will not see them, not even at Spezi. Well, in Köln there are two shops that I plan to visit (veloladen and low-rider), and I almost forgot that I would like to test ride trikes, especially the full-suspended - but if I do the trike tests only on the Spezi test track, is ok.
I plan to spend two days in Dronten to visit Velomobiel and Intercity / Alligt - and of course Flevobike. I've been studying the velomobile scene for sometime and, first, I need to know if I am a "velomobile person". I'ts a big dream AND a big money (here in Brazil the import taxes sum almost 100%, so a common velo purchase would easily beat € 15,000, plus a very expensive shipping), and I have some particularities, like the hot climate, the majority of climbing in my terrain, the many bad roads and the total absence of any kind of velomobile service/support here in south america. Ideally I admire the weight and probably the stiffness of the DF, but would prefer to have the easiness of maintanance of the WAW (I recall reading somewhere that maybe the WAW shipping can be lower, if they send completely disassembled), and the better climbing traction and even safety of the Quattrovelo - but having four CLOSED wheels looks like to much for me, changing tires/tubes and adjusting toe-in feels like a nightmare (i'm not very good at mechanics). The Strada and the QuestXS aren't out of my thoughts, also, as is not the Hilgo - I really enjoy the drivetrain, the compactness and having three small wheels can be a good thing. Hope that Harry shows out with one at Spezi.
I would love to hear what you would like to say about all that I already presented, please feel free to share your opinions. But I have also some more specific questions.
- - - . . . - - - QUESTIONS - - - . . . - - -
I look forward to come back from my trip, unfortunately, not with a new bike or new frame, but with some clothing and bike parts/acessories. Bringing in the airplane will be much more economical than importing from here (as I told before, the import taxes sum 100%). I think that most of you may buy things online, that's what I do here also, but as I will have no specific address I will have to buy locally there.
1) cycling rain jacket: big outdoor shops or bike shops?
I've read the reviews from http://www.oppad.nl/?uitrusting=fiets-re...-test-2017 and at first I would have preferences for the Vaude Spray, but any of the more "sporty" jackets will be nice. Here I've been using trekking rain covers that are very large and have absolutely no breathability.
Do you thing that, to be able to try the many models, is it better to go to someplace like Bever, Perry or Kathmandu, or to bike specific shops? Which shops could you recommend in Amsterdam? (I say amsterdam because in rotterdam and the hague i'll be on the weekend and monday. probably I'll find only Decathlon opened)
2) wide cycling shoes: where?
This question follows the other. I signed on my 'personal trip map' shops that stock Lake shoes (i know they have wide versions), like Mantel 2Wielers and Wijk Fietsen. But I know there are other big shops, like Kaptein. Am I missing any important? Is there a place where you can find the most variety?
3) battery headlights: in Holland or Germany?
I've been using dynamo-powered lights (started with the Cyo, then the Luxus U and finally the IQ-X) but I would like to also have as a spare a good set of battery-powered lights. Still don't know if I go with the ones from B&M or the fancy Lupines. Probably I'll leave this purchase to Köln, but I also mention here so that you can comment. Maybe there's a good place to buy or even test in Holland.
4) some recumbent-specific parts/acessories from brands that will exibit at Spezi: is it usually possible to buy at spezi?
Being more specific, I look for a new idler for the Metaphysic (from icletta/terracyle), a new Ventisit (mine is small for my seat - it's an M5 ventisit but my seat is Ocean Cycle) and maybe I'll take a Radical Solo Aero bag (still thinking because it's very expensive). Are such items usually sold at spezi? If not, is there a place I could buy, without perhaps ordering first? Probably the shops I will visit before stock these things, and I could always ask them before, but I ask here because maybe you have other ideas.
5) accomodation in Germersheim?
A bit of trouble with this, and I admit I did a stupid thing. 4 months ago I made all my reservations for my trip, EXCEPT the Germersheim night (only for the saturday - on friday before I'll sleep in Köln, and sunday I'll need to sleep in Frankfurt to take my flight), because they were very expensive and didn't find an easy way to do online. Recently I tried and had no luck with the two least expensive hotels I found: Hotel Post answered me that will be closed, and Hotel Kurfurst didn't reply to my contact. The other ones are quite expensive and found no contact online for the Da Michele, that looks like an italian-food restaurant that has also a hotel, that maybe cheap... The locations nearby also have expensive accomodations, and the AirBNBs or aren't available, or only book for two nights, and I need only one.
If some of you don't have any idea, I will post this question on the velomobilforum.de. Asked here before because my trip is more dutch than german!
PS: my sujects are varied, but as I asked mainly for shopping infos, I placed the thread in this section. if it shouldn't be here, I ask the moderators to move. Thanks!
(you can skip my presentation and go directly to the questions below) I've just registered to the forum, but I've been visiting for sometime. I also use to visit velomobilforum and velorizontal (oh, google translate helps very much!), and I'm quite a frequent BROL user. We also have a brazilian forum, the recliforum.forumeiros.com.
I'm from Brazil and have been riding recumbents for 8 years now. I can call myself mainly a commuter, cycle-tourist and randonneur. My main recumbent is MetaPhysic MetaPhysic, that I use for more "training-dedicated" commutes, weekend long-distance riding and for the brevets. For touring and off-road I ride a small but tough brazilian square-tube bent, and I ride upright bikes also (road, mtb and folding). Never had a car and prefer to continue this way.
After these years having a bike-addicted life in a car-oriented country, and not having the chance to test ride many recumbent designs that I admire, I decided it was time for a backpacking trip to Holland, ending in Germany at SPEZI.
I could have started this thread some months ago, while I was planning my itinerary, but I preferred to do my own homework. Briefly, I will spend somedays in Amsterdam, Dronten, Leiden, Rotterdam, The Hague and Nijmegen. Then I will head to Köln and Germersheim. Besides looking after bikes and bike culture, I'm visiting museums, attending to concerts (I'm a classical guitarist / teacher) and of course anxious for the landscapes! I live in a very hilly terrain, and riding through the lowlands will be absolutely new to me.
The shops that I will visit will be LigfietsWinkel, LigfietsTempelmann, Maia (Leiden) and Elan. I'll try to ride some models that I admire, preferably renting and spending a whole morning or day with it. For touring / commute I wish to test Flevo GreenMachine, Nazca Fuego, HPVelo Grashopper and Azub Origami. For long-distance riding I would like to know better how I could ride the Raptobike (low and mid), the Challenge Chamsin and maybe the Nazca Gaucho (i guess it maybe too heavy or flexy for my hills). I love the M5 CHR, but I really doubt that I could fit (I'm 1,71m) and safely climb my mountains on such a big bike. So I'm skipping a visit to Middelburg, that could be nice, but I had to make choices. If I find other non-European bents like the Performer HR (i think Maia stocks), or just the Bacchettas and Cruzbikes, would be nice too, but maybe I will not see them, not even at Spezi. Well, in Köln there are two shops that I plan to visit (veloladen and low-rider), and I almost forgot that I would like to test ride trikes, especially the full-suspended - but if I do the trike tests only on the Spezi test track, is ok.
I plan to spend two days in Dronten to visit Velomobiel and Intercity / Alligt - and of course Flevobike. I've been studying the velomobile scene for sometime and, first, I need to know if I am a "velomobile person". I'ts a big dream AND a big money (here in Brazil the import taxes sum almost 100%, so a common velo purchase would easily beat € 15,000, plus a very expensive shipping), and I have some particularities, like the hot climate, the majority of climbing in my terrain, the many bad roads and the total absence of any kind of velomobile service/support here in south america. Ideally I admire the weight and probably the stiffness of the DF, but would prefer to have the easiness of maintanance of the WAW (I recall reading somewhere that maybe the WAW shipping can be lower, if they send completely disassembled), and the better climbing traction and even safety of the Quattrovelo - but having four CLOSED wheels looks like to much for me, changing tires/tubes and adjusting toe-in feels like a nightmare (i'm not very good at mechanics). The Strada and the QuestXS aren't out of my thoughts, also, as is not the Hilgo - I really enjoy the drivetrain, the compactness and having three small wheels can be a good thing. Hope that Harry shows out with one at Spezi.
I would love to hear what you would like to say about all that I already presented, please feel free to share your opinions. But I have also some more specific questions.
- - - . . . - - - QUESTIONS - - - . . . - - - I look forward to come back from my trip, unfortunately, not with a new bike or new frame, but with some clothing and bike parts/acessories. Bringing in the airplane will be much more economical than importing from here (as I told before, the import taxes sum 100%). I think that most of you may buy things online, that's what I do here also, but as I will have no specific address I will have to buy locally there.
1) cycling rain jacket: big outdoor shops or bike shops?
I've read the reviews from http://www.oppad.nl/?uitrusting=fiets-re...-test-2017 and at first I would have preferences for the Vaude Spray, but any of the more "sporty" jackets will be nice. Here I've been using trekking rain covers that are very large and have absolutely no breathability.
Do you thing that, to be able to try the many models, is it better to go to someplace like Bever, Perry or Kathmandu, or to bike specific shops? Which shops could you recommend in Amsterdam? (I say amsterdam because in rotterdam and the hague i'll be on the weekend and monday. probably I'll find only Decathlon opened)
2) wide cycling shoes: where?
This question follows the other. I signed on my 'personal trip map' shops that stock Lake shoes (i know they have wide versions), like Mantel 2Wielers and Wijk Fietsen. But I know there are other big shops, like Kaptein. Am I missing any important? Is there a place where you can find the most variety?
3) battery headlights: in Holland or Germany?
I've been using dynamo-powered lights (started with the Cyo, then the Luxus U and finally the IQ-X) but I would like to also have as a spare a good set of battery-powered lights. Still don't know if I go with the ones from B&M or the fancy Lupines. Probably I'll leave this purchase to Köln, but I also mention here so that you can comment. Maybe there's a good place to buy or even test in Holland.
4) some recumbent-specific parts/acessories from brands that will exibit at Spezi: is it usually possible to buy at spezi?
Being more specific, I look for a new idler for the Metaphysic (from icletta/terracyle), a new Ventisit (mine is small for my seat - it's an M5 ventisit but my seat is Ocean Cycle) and maybe I'll take a Radical Solo Aero bag (still thinking because it's very expensive). Are such items usually sold at spezi? If not, is there a place I could buy, without perhaps ordering first? Probably the shops I will visit before stock these things, and I could always ask them before, but I ask here because maybe you have other ideas.
5) accomodation in Germersheim?
A bit of trouble with this, and I admit I did a stupid thing. 4 months ago I made all my reservations for my trip, EXCEPT the Germersheim night (only for the saturday - on friday before I'll sleep in Köln, and sunday I'll need to sleep in Frankfurt to take my flight), because they were very expensive and didn't find an easy way to do online. Recently I tried and had no luck with the two least expensive hotels I found: Hotel Post answered me that will be closed, and Hotel Kurfurst didn't reply to my contact. The other ones are quite expensive and found no contact online for the Da Michele, that looks like an italian-food restaurant that has also a hotel, that maybe cheap... The locations nearby also have expensive accomodations, and the AirBNBs or aren't available, or only book for two nights, and I need only one.
If some of you don't have any idea, I will post this question on the velomobilforum.de. Asked here before because my trip is more dutch than german!
PS: my sujects are varied, but as I asked mainly for shopping infos, I placed the thread in this section. if it shouldn't be here, I ask the moderators to move. Thanks!
