Vendetta arrived work in progress

DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
I called the bike shop since I was getting anxious and they have been working on my bike and I will pick it up tomorrow. Yay! Pictures to follow tomorrow on pickup day.

I ordered an Aero Bag and will see what I can do about a custom mount of my own on bare headrest mount bars. Then I will do a moose velcro headrest thing attaching to velcro on the aero bag.
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
My bike is ready. I am now trying to learn to ride her. My wife christened her the "Vixen" and so she has a name already.
Vendetta - The "Vixen" by Duncan Watson, on Flickr

I have been going through the rat training as best I remembered it. I was too eager to search well and foolishly didn't bookmark the posts. The balance part is easy since my raptobike is at the same recline. So far my issue is that the BB is a bit far out or my cranks are a wee bit too long at this stage in the game. My Vixen has a lot of perch points that allow me to sit on her and move her around. That is nice. She will be easy to position at an event. Hills suck right now, I need to get more control. But I can pedal and go in oblong loops in my neighborhood without issue. The seat is odd but once I get my control it will be better. Turning is cool, and I can regain control if I get silly by dropping my feet easily. I remember what it was like learning to ride my first hi-racer and it has many of the same learning curves.
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
So I put on my two mirrors added my garmin 520, speed sensor, and cadence sensor. First impressions. My Vixen is light, and likes to go fast. She corners well, I need to learn how to control the inputs properly. The wheels spin forever. I hit some road crap and she just rolled right over it with no complaint. I love my 700c wheels. That is much nicer than 20" wheels. This is my first foray into brifters since 2006. The SRAM red double tap works well and shifts like a dream. I had to put on my cycling shoes and started clipping in. My feet couldn't take the lack of support on my loafers while riding. Clipping in is no problem. Though I found my right foot cleat is perfect and the left needs minor adjustment for my Vixen. It is the opposite for my Raptobike.

https://www.strava.com/activities/393802499/overview

FYI- I know there is no picture in this post. But I posit that the strava link makes up for it :)
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
Rat Rider,
I am loving the bike. Thanks so much. I did a longer ride and the seat is not hitting me well in my lumbar. I had issues like this when I had a small seat on the raptobike and know the solution. A large carbon seat from Volea. I placed the order and now await delivery. Since I have a large VK2 seat on my raptobike I was able to use it to get an idea of how it will lay on the Vendetta and it will also solve my bag issue. So a win/win with impact on my pocket book.

Picture for Charles:
Posing with my Vixen by Duncan Watson, on Flickr
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
I was getting broody waiting on my "Vixen". I had anxiety about shop employees trying to ride her and crashing, etc. Now I have her home and my mood is in the clouds. I am so happy. I am not upset about having to replace the seat either, since it is a $300 investment that also addresses some fit (x-seam) and bag (Aero Bag) issues. When done my "Vixen" will look a lot like Rick Youngblood's Vendetta except I will be using a Zotefoam pad with yellow inserts. I will have to reweigh my bike after the mods.
 
Charles.Plager

Charles.Plager

Recumbent Quant
DuncanWatson said:
Rat Rider,
I am loving the bike. Thanks so much. I did a longer ride and the seat is not hitting me well in my lumbar. I had issues like this when I had a small seat on the raptobike and know the solution. A large carbon seat from Volea. I placed the order and now await delivery. Since I have a large VK2 seat on my raptobike I was able to use it to get an idea of how it will lay on the Vendetta and it will also solve my bag issue. So a win/win with impact on my pocket book.

Picture for Charles:
Posing with my Vixen by Duncan Watson, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Lovely!

And if we had only suggested a new seat to Rat Rider.

(Oh wait, we did.)

Regardless (and most importantly), I think the bike is now in the right hands so everything really did work out for the best.

Cheers,
Charles
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
Rick Youngblood really helped me with seat advice and his detailed posts of how he mounted his seat. I am ~26" to the shoulder. Luckily I went through sizing carbon seats before so I know what works. Tim Turner has my old VK2 Medium seat though he may have sold it.
 
twhbent

twhbent

Active Member
Yes Duncan, switching seats as recommended by Mr. Youngblood is just one of the many worth while upgrades to improve the riding experience for the V's and S's that fellow forum members have so graciously shared. I now feel more connected with my V because of switching seats. Just one of several upgrades I've made and haven't regretted any of them.
Congrats and enjoy your new ride.
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
I just received notice that my order from Hostel Shoppe has been processed and is awaiting shipment. I have to put in more time tonight on learning to ride. I will likely spend an hour or so on the bike tooling around.
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
Bob, I will do that. I like your mirror setup. No need to spoil the air in yet more spots. The next issue for me is where to mount my headlight. I can do a non-optimal handlebar mount but would prefer something on the boom or handlebar boom-sleeve.
I believe I have a good bead on the following issues:
  1. Crank/Position and Bike Fit (Volea CF seat)
  2. Comfort (Volea CF seat)
  3. Storage for Brevets/Commute (Volea CF seat, aerobag)
  4. Hydration via water bottles in aerobag (Volea CF seat, aerobag)
  5. Rear Light and reflectors (Adem Headrest, Princeton Tec Swerve Taillight)
  6. Be Seen red lights (don't remember the brand, velcro thingies I put on rear stays)
  7. Mirrors (Zefal Spyx2)
  8. Bike Computer (Garmin 520, Cadence, Speed, HR)
I have a headlight but want an optimal mounting point. I could use a terracycle accessory mount and put that in front the C in Cruzbike on the boom. But I would rather be closer to the boom then so high up. I want to keep the light out of my field of vision but still get good illumination. I also want to figure out where to mount my Virb Elite. Though I am thinking Helmet for that.


More stuff here - http://duncan-brain.blogspot.com/2015/09/vendetta-build-in-progress.html
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
John Dorlan just shared his secret with me. He uses helmet mounts to wrap the wide booms. Since so many of the helmet mounts are strap based things this really opens up some potential.
 
trplay

trplay

Zen MBB Master
Another viewpoint. I very much like it when I have the hand position options of the horn. Hands in the valley between the horn and bar (where you are putting the mirror) is my bail out position when on long rides and I need a change. Hands on top of the horn is the best position for me when sitting up and doing survival climbing. This is a lot of times when it gets really steep.
 
DuncanWatson

DuncanWatson

Well-Known Member
Rat,
I am focusing on lighting that I can run at low weight for 90 hours. The solution that is on Moose is the Serfas 550. You can read about it on his blog. That is a pretty good solution since you can buy spare battery cores and swap them out on a 1200k brevet. So some of the super bright stuff is just too much. I also care about all-weather performance since I like to commute by bike. Let alone the fact that Brevets are all-weather events too. At the moment I am going to use a commuter grade single unit usb rechargeable light. I forgot the brand. It doesn't matter. It is a light I will use for only the next year. My 2016 has only 200k events in my schedule. I will ride a couple double century rides but they will all be two day events.

(My Dad the English teacher would flay me for that sentence that uses since twice. Since corrected :) )
 
Last edited:
trplay

trplay

Zen MBB Master
Very,very smart to wait on lights. This industry is getting better and better. I suspect in a couple years they will have advanced to the point battery life and placing good light only on the spots it's needed will be achieved . Hopefully, even at a decent price.
 
ratz

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
I was mostly be a smarty pants... but....

DuncanWatson said:
I am focusing on lighting that I can run at low weight for 90 hours.
Click to expand...

Best I can get is 104 hours on my rear without battery change; and 43hour on my front, so I would have to carry 1 spare battery currently to get those hours.
So Qty 3 5600mAh batteries would do it; not sure how the weight compares but I bet it's probably 25% more. My targets have support vehicles which gives me more freedom though. There are now 6200mAh batteries that are the same weight. 250g per battery. I'm night blind which complicates things if I tried to ride on 120 lumens, I'd hit every pot hole. The 113/412 lumen pulse mode makes a big difference for me.

trplay said:
Very,very smart to wait on lights. This industry is getting better and better. I suspect in a couple years they will have advanced to the point battery life and placing good light only on the spots it's needed will be achieved . Hopefully, even at a decent price.
Click to expand...

No kidding I have a solar charing battery that cost $19 for 7200ma imagine what we'd have in 3 years.

Any how at the price on for Serfas I'm looking forward to more reviews. The Cygolite are similar but without that excellent changeable battery.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
visit our website visit our website
Top