ENCYCLEOPEDIA
For the love of bikes
Encycleopedia Home  >  Encycleopedia 2001  >  Speed and Distance  >  Delta
Product
Photos
Agents
Purchase Product
Delta
“Which way do you go?” Most people react to the Micwic Delta with incredulity and confusion. But get them on board, and the prejudices are swiftly overcome.

Stokers find it a very relaxing ride - just sit back, unwind, and enjoy the panoramic views. Conversation between the riding partners is easy: no shouting is needed with your heads just inches apart. After a few miles, the unusual feeling of travelling backwards becomes quite pleasant: you’re freed from the stress of watching the road ahead, and can savour the scenery through which you travel. The captain has a feeling of complete control: the handling is very stable, and the Hope hydraulic disk brakes authoritative in their stopping power. With the stoker to warn of traffic approaching from behind -and to make eye contact -it’s a safe vehicle in traffic, and certainly catches the eye of drivers, who give it plenty of room. The Delta is a quick machine, thanks to the aerodynamic layout: air flows smoothly over the two riders. The wheel base is short for a recumbent tandem, and it has a tight turning circle. Climbing performance is also good for a recumbent, helped by the very stiff frame of 2" and I 1/8"aerospace grade 4130 tubing. The bike pictured is a race machine, with the 20" (406) wheels built with Mavic rims and Hope hubs. Standard tandem components are used for the transmission, with chainrings stepped up to compensate for the small wheels.

There’s plenty of luggage capacity between the two seats, and custom panniers are available to make the most of it -with these in place, the Delta makes a fine tourer.

Plans for the future include a model with quick-adjustment seats and under-seat steering, and a titanium model for those who will not settle for anything less than the ultimate.

Sidebar
In the UK, the Delta costs from around £3,500. Other models from Mic Wic cost from around £750. Prices will vary worldwide.


Manufacturer
Bob Tennant, the founder of Mic Wic, used to be a dedicated conventional cycle tourist and commuted daily by bike, logging over 6,000 miles yearly. Then he rode a recumbent for a weekend and changed his life. He stopped working as a maths teacher, and devoted his time to designing and building recumbents. His wife Alison also has a diamond-frame bike, and neither have seen the light of day since Bob built his first recumbent tandem. Bob is now working on a more conventional recumbent tandem, called the Mange Two, and is testing a sociable (side by side) tandem called the Suzy. Three solo designs are also available from Mic Wic, the Commuter 7, the Tourister, and the HeirCycle.

Mic Wic are the EU importer and distributor for the full range of recumbent cycles built by Linear in the USA. They also supply recumbents to a company called ‘Britain By-Cycle’ (+44 1793 770746), a cycle touring company that specialises in introducing people to the joys of recumbent cycling.

Mic Wic Limited
Unit 12, Oaklands Ind Est
Braydon
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN5 0AN
United Kingdom

phone: +44 1793 852484
fax: +44 1793 852484
email: Micwic@btinternet.com
web: www.micwic.com


Author
The Editors
All text, images and web design on these pages are copyright © 1995-2005.

Encycleopedia Ltd. has made a reasonable effort to ensure that all products featured in Encycleopedia are of high quality, from respectable sources, and are accurately described. Not every product has been tested extensively. It is the responsibility of the purchaser of a product to ensure that the product is safe and appropriate for the purpose intended. We cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of transactions between readers and producers and/or distributors of the products described in Encycleopedia. Encycleopedia Ltd. has made every effort to ensure that the shops listed in Encycleopedia are reputable, efficient and sympathetic to the aims of Encycleopedia. However, we cannot bear responsibility for the actions of shops, nor the consequences of transactions between readers and shops.

Please note that any published price information is merely a guide towards the likely cost of the product in the country of origin. The same product could cost half as much again in another country. For-up-to date pricing information, we recommend always checking directly with the manufacturers or their agents. Many of the product features on this website were first published in an edition of Encycleopedia which is now relatively out of date and it is extremely unlikely that specific details remain accurate. We continue to list these products purely as an archive reference, and we have therefore attempted to delete all references to their prices and contact details. We suggest you use your internet search engine should you wish to pursue more information about them.