Few days ago, we have published a post about a pink AZUB MINI and soon after got a complete story from Alain, Beatrice’s husband, describing their way from upright bikes to two recumbents. Here it is together with great photos.
Santa Claus is past: late, early?
It’s here, arrived, finally killing impatience.
Sent from there, from the beautiful country of the Czechs.
Straightforward, until we got there live.
Against the disaster, no more placebos.
After two so long months, no news, no info.
It’s certain, it’s it, there it is, it’s the AZUB.
All is well, nothing is serious, quickly an Apéricube!
Without any delay, Beatrice unboxes and takes the very beautiful pink bicycle from its large strong box.
Friday morning July 31, 2020
A large box is dropped in front of the door.
When we placed the order at the end of May, Philippe from Velofasto said “The delay is 4 to 6 weeks, normally, but with confinement, let’s say rather the second half of July”: It is the 31st, honor is saved!
Two months of waiting, therefore, and a little rush at the end. One week before the fateful date, the bike is not ready. Some parts are missing. Then finally yes, everything is ready. In agreement with Philippe, we decide to have it delivered directly to us, to avoid additional time and a round trip to Rennes.
Once in possession of the TNT tracking number, Béatrice followed the parcel throughout the journey, minute by minute – “It left … It is in Nuremberg … It is in France … It is in Champagné … It will arrive tomorrow”. The NASA Mission Control Center couldn’t have done better. (What do you say? I’m exaggerating a bit?)
In its large box, the beautiful AZUB is carefully wrapped up in foam and bubble wrap. We are stripping it of its protections. Here it comes out of its cocoon, bursting with color.
Beatrice does not regret the choice of magenta. A little showy, certainly, but enhanced with all the black fittings, it is magnificent. And original.
Everything is assembled and adjusted in the factory. So, all you have to do is put down the seat and align the handlebars: 5 minutes and you’re ready for the first run.
… And what’s more, AZUBis easy
After almost 5 months of “mental training”, Beatrice immediately feels at ease. The measurements are good. The position is a little straighter than on the Nazca: It’s perfect for getting used to it smoothly. There will always be time to change the seat incline later because everything is adjustable.
A quick warm-up in the parking lot, and off you go …
Good surprise: the bike is very easy. The stability is surprising. Beatrice immediately finds her balance, even at low speed. It is of course necessary to refine the starts, to find the good compromise between the force of the first pedal stroke and the choice of gear. It will come quickly.
The gear ratios are short, because of the 20-inch wheels, of course. But since the cranks are also short, everything balances out.
Another pleasant surprise, the weight is “only” 18.5 kg, 2 kilos more than the upright touring bike “Pierre Perrin” of Béatrice. Once loaded, it won’t make any difference. For the record, the Nazca, which is mainly made of steel, weighs 22.5 kg.
Same day, evening …
For the first rides, we go on our favorite routes. This allows us to immediately get the sensations. It is confirmed: the AZUB MINI is really an easy animal! Even in the sand, which I learned to avoid with the Nazca, the AZUB passes with utter indifference. With its small 20-inch wheels, it’s a bit counterintuitive, but it’s a fact.
Beatrice is progressing very quickly. It must be said that the essentials have already been acquired thanks to the daily descents with the Nazca on the road to Loulay.
Starting … pedaling … turning … stopping: the basics are there. It remains to acquire “the style”! With such a pretty bike, there’s no question of maneuvering like a duck!
Why the recumbent bike?
Béatrice and I are fairly seasoned cyclists. Spending entire days pedaling on rough roads, perched on a hard leather saddle, does not scare us, and we do not experience the traditional misplaced aches that would have justified the switch to recumbent bike.
So why this sudden passion?
Let me tell you the story…
One day in November 2019, by chance, we watched a report from the program “Passe-moi les jumelles”, from RTS (Swiss television): the “Facteur Humain”. It was the story of Vincent Berthelot, who called himself a “postman in no hurry”. His project ? : Carry “important but not urgent” letters everywhere in France and elsewhere by his own power. To travel, he has a weird bike: You sit on it lying down. The pedals are in front instead of below.
Seeing this quiet postman cycling without apparent effort, in this relaxed, contemplative position, like a stranger to the world around him, Beatrice fell in love. Since then, she has started dreaming, searching the Internet. In a few weeks, she has become knowledgeable about brands, models, selection criteria, why the handlebars are above, or below, etc …
Béatrice’s Bike
Then, we had to go from dream to reality … the Zen attitude, the detachment, to see if everything that is said is true. Enter this different world.
We contacted Philippe, from Velofasto, who listened to us and helped us finalize our “specifications”. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has arrived, our world has shrunk. Locked in our “inner mini-earth” because of the confinement, we have had to wait.
Just before that, I was lucky enough to find a used recumbent bike for myself (a Nazca Paseo). Although too big for Béatrice, she was able to take advantage of some descents to acquire the basics … and strengthen her conviction!
At the end of May, in the very last days of confinement, we can finally visit Vélofasto for a test ride. The decision is quickly made: it will be an AZUB MINI. A quick tour of the configurator and the order is soon ready.
We have fun imagining the AZUB team, somewhere in Eastern Europe, busy, now thinking of only one thing:
BUILD BEATRICE’S BIKE!
Thanks to Velofasto, thanks to Philippe for his patience, his experience, his professional outlook, and the time spent with us to enlighten our choices!
Thank you AZUB for the quality, the care of the assembly, the respect of our desires.
The color, you know it …
The rest of the story remains to be written.
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