Another chainstay question

[Gary Hudson]

Looking at my V20 compared to some of yours, I am wondering if I would benefit from a longer chainstay. How much do they run? At this point I don't want to trade mine in case I don't like it. My feet were higher on the CA2. Would there be a negative impact on climbing? I can see how that might be the case.

 

[DavidCH]

Curved slider could help. If you want to race on the flats then go for a bigger chainstay. Personally I prefer the flexibility of doing hills too.

 

[Gary Hudson]

David your pedals look higher than mine. I don’t understand the curved slider. Wouldn’t it just lower my hands without raising my pedals?

 

[ChaleJake]

Gary, what size chain stay do you have now? I think they come in three sizes. I just picked up a S30 and the chainstay is a few inches longer than my 2.1. The other factor is your crank size. Shorter cranks will get your feet higher also.

 

[DavidCH]

David your pedals look higher than mine. I don’t understand the curved slider. Wouldn’t it just lower my hands without raising my pedals?

My cranks are 155mm so I can have it higher than normal. The normal depends on your inside leg measurement and where you will put your cleats. Generally we put the cleats as far back as we can. The idea is... you still want to be able to heel into the stroke. At the moment you just want stability ... set the bike up with just the rear derailleur and master the little chainring at slow speeds doing figure of 8 one way and then the other.

Get one foot clipped in and get use to using the other for balance without clipping in. You will be pedalling with one leg. That should make for an easy transition. Then you can adjust the boom to your hearts content without having to fiddle around with the front deraillure. When you have the boom dialed in then put on the front derailleur and go and smash your old PBs.

 

[super slim]

My BB is 160 mm (6.3") above the seat base with no cushion, and is perfect for me, as my thighs do not press down onto the front edge of the Cruzbike seat, on my Silvio V1.0 and 2.1, both with 153 mm cranks, for my long "Wiggo" legs and 46.3" X seam.

Larry O is the expert on BB height and crank lengths, as he has tried MANY variations on his secret velodrome!!!

 

[Gary Hudson]

Gary, what size chain stay do you have now? I think they come in three sizes. I just picked up a S30 and the chainstay is a few inches longer than my 2.1. The other factor is your crank size. Shorter cranks will get your feet higher also.

Mr cranks are 165. I haven't measured the chainstay but I assumed it was the standard (smallest) one because my legs are not particularly long for my height. I'm fine with it as is but I have no problem with a high bb and I want to be in the optimal position.

 

[chicorider]

You have the medium chainstay, which is what comes standard. To my eye, looking at just the one picture, your bb is maybe a little bit low, but not, "oh-jeez-get-that-man-a-large-chainstay" low. If you try the large, you might notice a small improvement in overall aerodynamics, but you might also notice a slight worsening of handling at slower speeds and climbing. If you don't climb a lot, it could worth trying. If you try it and don't like it, you can probably find a buyer for it here on the forum Marketplace, with the gap between what you paid and how it sells making it more like a rental fee. I use the small chainstay, and if I remember right, I paid about $250.00 from CB a few years back.

 

[Gary Hudson]

You have the medium chainstay, which is what comes standard. To my eye, looking at just the one picture, your bb is maybe a little bit low, but not, "oh-jeez-get-that-man-a-large-chainstay" low. If you try the large, you might notice a small improvement in overall aerodynamics, but you might also notice a slight worsening of handling at slower speeds and climbing. If you don't climb a lot, it could worth trying. If you try it and don't like it, you can probably find a buyer for it here on the forum Marketplace, with the gap between what you paid and how it sells making it more like a rental fee. I use the small chainstay, and if I remember right, I paid about $250.00 from CB a few years back.

Thanks, Craig. I think you probably nailed it. If I'm in the middle now I don't think I want to go to the large. I don't climb any more than I have to (lol) but improved climbing is one reasons I got a Cruzbike. It looks like I'm probably in the sweet spot (for me) already.
I appreciate all the replies.
Gary

 

[ChaleJake]

If you want to investigate crank length; give this calculator a try. Many would say for optimal performance shorter cranks are the way to go on a recumbent. http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/crank_angle.asp