My Very First Recumbent is a V20

[Frito Bandito]

Do you actually need physical therapy after the crash?
Or are you just making sure that any down time you have off the bike is spent training another way?

I don't think I need any physical therapy. The car was going fast enough to leave the shoe mark on the rear door, but since it was a glancing blow no bones were broken. It only feels wonky at the extreme limits of my ROM which aren't reached when I am pedaling.

As for training, since I have had my V20 I have improved in a few areas but max power is down. My highest was 780 exactly a year to the day before the accident, and I have hit +700 a few times recently so I want to get some of that power back. I don't really have a number in mind, I just want more so I need to get off my lazy butt. Also, my upper body needs it anyway lol. Not bulking up just keeping ROM and staying fit.

 

[3bs]

Always with your attention seeking behaviors lololol.

I have an old smith podium TT helmet that is great. Proper screening over the vents and good visors.

Seems like you need a modern era ambulance chaser attorney to get you a new bike and a few extra yen….

 

[Frito Bandito]

You are right 3bs. Crashing is not the way I'd suggest haha.

The smith podium TT does look like a nice helmet though. Screening over the vents would prevent the Japanese hornets from entering as well.

A local rider who got a new bike from an insurance payout recommended me playing my cards right to get a new bike, but I am not going to attempt it.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Just got my 12-speed Dura Ace 58t chainring from the Soudal Quick-Step team for my V20. This means I have to remove my front derailleur and see if or which gear it drops the chain when I downshift on the cassette. From March to early April there are always some very windy days going down river so this should drop my rpms to something a bit more manageable.

 

[Jeffers]

50-55 kph @ around 80 rpm
Does that sound about right?

 

[Frito Bandito]

Sounds about right but I didnt plug in the data for any gear calculator. On yesterdays ride I got up to 66kph on 121rpms at a max of 768 watts with the 54t crankset, and I was spinning out. Last year I got up to 72.6kph but I think it was 132rpms and the same crankset. I am too old to be spinning that fast lol.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Got the Dura Ace 58t chain ring on finally. It didn't come with the nuts so I had to order those separately. The FD stalk only handled up to the 54t chainring I have, so I removed the FD altogether since I am on the flats and almost never need the small chainring. Now it is basically a 1x, even though the rings are a 58/40t. I did a quick test ride and all seems to be working well, but I will go on a proper ride tomorrow to see if there are any hiccups.

 

[Jeffers]

Hopefully your chain will stay on without a guide.

I went to a single chainring a couple years ago and removed both the small ring and derailleur.
Worked great till I rode through a bumpy section that derailed the chain.
I reinstalled the derailleur without a cable, and used the limit screw to position it to use as a guide.

I've got a longer chain run than you, and your chain looks to have plenty of tension.
So you might be OK without a guide.

I used spacers to get rid of the second ring, and it gave the crank a little cleaner look.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Hopefully your chain will stay on without a guide.

I went to a single chainring a couple years ago and removed both the small ring and derailleur.
Worked great till I rode through a bumpy section that derailed the chain.
I reinstalled the derailleur without a cable, and used the limit screw to position it to use as a guide.

I've got a longer chain run than you, and your chain looks to have plenty of tension.
So you might be OK without a guide.

I used spacers to get rid of the second ring, and it gave the crank a little cleaner look.

That looks pretty nice Jeffers. When I jumped from a 53t to a 54t I added some links and it worked fine, but let's see if the 58t works with the 120 links it now has on it. I will likely take some extra chain, spare Quick Link and the chain tool along for the next few rides just in case. I ran it on Biggie/Big at about 200 watts for the test ride and it made a bit of noise then, but it shifted normally. Hopefully it won't jump off

 

[Maverick1]

Glad to hear you're not too banged up from the incident.
I'm curious what speeds you riders can average on a V20 on flat ground.
I currently ride a Bacchetta Giro 26 recumbent and can average around 31 kms/hour over a 30 km ride.
I'm considering either getting a V20 or a Snoek velomobile, because I also have a need for speed.

 

[vosadrian]

A well setup V20 (good aero add-ons like this one) can generally do very well on speed on flat roads. I can do 40kph with under 200W (around 180W) which is managable for me for many hours. I once did laps of an outdoor velodrome (with a fair bit of wind but going in circles so not sure how much effect) for an hour with an average of 45kph. I think that was around 230W. For me, doing 31kph on the V20 is very low power..... probably 130W which is very much cruising power that I can maintain a long time. Of course it depends a lot on your fitness!

 

[Frito Bandito]

Glad to hear you're not too banged up from the incident.
I'm curious what speeds you riders can average on a V20 on flat ground.
I currently ride a Bacchetta Giro 26 recumbent and can average around 31 kms/hour over a 30 km ride.
I'm considering either getting a V20 or a Snoek velomobile, because I also have a need for speed.

Thanks Maverick1, I was extremely lucky with that crash.
As for my speeds on the flats on my V20 with very good wheels/tires (GP5000TL at 90psi), a pretty good helmet, and a pretty good tailbag my fastest 40km ride up and down the river nonstop to kinda account for wind was 209 watts for 41.9kph (26mph).

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I am bigger and heavier than Chico, (177cm and 80kg) and I have size 12 feet (30cm) so that makes me less aero as well. Also, I have the short chainstays (19.5"?) that probably hurts my aerodynamics since some of my body isn't going through the air that my feet are punching a hole in. Basically, my heels are surely lower than my butt. Also, since I wear MTB shoes the first thing the air contacts looks pretty much like a waffle instead of something smoother. If I bought a longer chainstay and non MTB shoes I could probably get it down to 200 watts for that speed. Additionally, I have kind of wide shoulders so that is probably causing a bit of drag too. So, keep your size in mind, and the fact that you can tweak your position a little to be more efficient.

With Chico's slippery 180 watts for a reference, today I rode 100km at 178 watts, and averaged 37kph (23mph) on the same flat course, pretty low wind, same wheels/tires and tailbag, and same helmet. I am not sure how much power you are putting out for 31kph, but according to a ride last year that averaged 30.7kph and it cost me 135 watts.

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So, there you have a couple of real world cases to start with.

 

[Maverick1]

Thanks Maverick1, I was extremely lucky with that crash.
As for my speeds on the flats on my V20 with very good wheels/tires (GP5000TL at 90psi), a pretty good helmet, and a pretty good tailbag my fastest 40km ride up and down the river nonstop to kinda account for wind was 209 watts for 41.9kph (26mph).

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I am bigger and heavier than Chico, (177cm and 80kg) and I have size 12 feet (30cm) so that makes me less aero as well. Also, I have the short chainstays (19.5"?) that probably hurts my aerodynamics since some of my body isn't going through the air that my feet are punching a hole in. Basically, my heels are surely lower than my butt. Also, since I wear MTB shoes the first thing the air contacts looks pretty much like a waffle instead of something smoother. If I bought a longer chainstay and non MTB shoes I could probably get it down to 200 watts for that speed. Additionally, I have kind of wide shoulders so that is probably causing a bit of drag too. So, keep your size in mind, and the fact that you can tweak your position a little to be more efficient.

With Chico's slippery 180 watts for a reference, today I rode 100km at 178 watts, and averaged 37kph (23mph) on the same flat course, pretty low wind, same wheels/tires and tailbag, and same helmet. I am not sure how much power you are putting out for 31kph, but according to a ride last year that averaged 30.7kph and it cost me 135 watts.

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So, there you have a couple of real world cases to start with.

Thanks, gives me an idea of the potential of the V20.
I'm curious if any of you who own a V20 and have that "need for speed" have considered adding a velomobile to your fleet of bicycles?
It says that the snoek velomobile can maintain cruising speeds of 60 km/hr, wow that's double my current speed on my Bacchetta, hard to believe.
I think that would make me "King of the hill" on my bike trails.
I would consider a velomobile also because here in Canada where I live the cycling season is pretty short, so it would help to extend the season.
It would also allow getting out on not so nice days, rainy days.
Have any of you tried riding a velomobile, and if so was it a good experience?

 

[Frito Bandito]

Thanks, gives me an idea of the potential of the V20.
I'm curious if any of you who own a V20 and have that "need for speed" have considered adding a velomobile to your fleet of bicycles?
It says that the snoek velomobile can maintain cruising speeds of 60 km/hr, wow that's double my current speed on my Bacchetta, hard to believe.
I think that would make me "King of the hill" on my bike trails.
I would consider a velomobile also because here in Canada where I live the cycling season is pretty short, so it would help to extend the season.
It would also allow getting out on not so nice days, rainy days.
Have any of you tried riding a velomobile, and if so was it a good experience?

You're welcome. Speed is addictive, so I have certainly considered a velomobile. The only problem for me with them is that the bike path I ride on has some pretty narrow gates that a velomobile won't fit through, and depending on which gate is closed my only way through it would be to lift my velomobile over it. Sometimes I get lucky on weekdays with all of them open, but that is rarely the case. Velomobiles are fast though, and seems like a good option for the reason you wrote. Just for a hoot, one 1 windy ride on my V20 I selected the ride type as a velomobile just to see if I could get any Strava KOMs, or even if there was even a velomobile rider on my path but I was ridiculously slower than the owner of all the KOMs. I wasn't even close despite him not putting out a lot of power haha.

However, since I believe that I would be able to get a two wheeled recumbent through the narrow gates without any help I have a streamliner project that has been going on for a while now. I have posted a few tidbits mostly on BROL, Facebook groups and maybe even Instagram, I forget. I got enough useful feedback in private messages from some knowledgable peeps, and winged it a bit after spending a lot of time researching other streamliners online. Unfortunately, the amount of negativity, suggestions that ignored the conditions I plan to ride it in, and off topic replies from the peanut galleries was too much so I stopped posting about it. At some point during the project I will post about it here, probably when it is completely done though. It sure is a fun project even though it's taking way longer than I hoped, but I think it's going to be pretty nice. 3D printing and a good friend who is handy with fiberglass and carbon fiber is a huge help as well as finding a plexiglas maker.

 

[Rolling Along]

I am looking forward to your streamliner project post. I know what you mean about posting on BROL. Fortunately, posts are much better here and often branch off if getting off topic.

 

[vosadrian]

As you all know, you can make very fast bikes, but it is generally a compromise of usability vs speed. The V20 can do most of what a normal roadbike can do in usability. I say "most" because I do not use it for commuting to wory in a busy area where I jump gutters, go through pedestrian bollards etc. All of which I have no issue with on my road bike. But the V20 can certainly do a lot more than a velo. It really depends on where you ride. There is no way I could have a velo where I live. I would have to drive it somewhere specifically to ride it. The V20 is about the limit of usability. It is a struggle for me to ride it out of the street I live in which is >10% up hill. I generally head for flat roads on my V20 which means I am heading in the same direction from my house every ride on the V20. On the road bike I head all over the place as I am much more comfortable steep climbing on it and from where I live about 80% of the routes I do have lots of steep climbing.

 

[Greg S]

The V20 is about the limit of usability. It is a struggle for me to ride it out of the street I live in which is >10% up hill. I generally head for flat roads on my V20 which means I am heading in the same direction from my house every ride on the V20. On the road bike I head all over the place as I am much more comfortable steep climbing on it and from where I live about 80% of the routes I do have lots of steep climbing.

I have very similar conditions (steep hills) and agree with all of this. There was nowhere I wouldn't go on a DF bike but I'm much more selective on the routes I do on the V20. I find the S40 to be much more amenable to urban/semi-urban conditions, sitting more upright definitely helps (me) feel more confident navigating traffic, road furniture, etc.

 

[Maverick1]

You're welcome. Speed is addictive, so I have certainly considered a velomobile. The only problem for me with them is that the bike path I ride on has some pretty narrow gates that a velomobile won't fit through, and depending on which gate is closed my only way through it would be to lift my velomobile over it. Sometimes I get lucky on weekdays with all of them open, but that is rarely the case. Velomobiles are fast though, and seems like a good option for the reason you wrote. Just for a hoot, one 1 windy ride on my V20 I selected the ride type as a velomobile just to see if I could get any Strava KOMs, or even if there was even a velomobile rider on my path but I was ridiculously slower than the owner of all the KOMs. I wasn't even close despite him not putting out a lot of power haha.

However, since I believe that I would be able to get a two wheeled recumbent through the narrow gates without any help I have a streamliner project that has been going on for a while now. I have posted a few tidbits mostly on BROL, Facebook groups and maybe even Instagram, I forget. I got enough useful feedback in private messages from some knowledgable peeps, and winged it a bit after spending a lot of time researching other streamliners online. Unfortunately, the amount of negativity, suggestions that ignored the conditions I plan to ride it in, and off topic replies from the peanut galleries was too much so I stopped posting about it. At some point during the project I will post about it here, probably when it is completely done though. It sure is a fun project even though it's taking way longer than I hoped, but I think it's going to be pretty nice. 3D printing and a good friend who is handy with fiberglass and carbon fiber is a huge help as well as finding a plexiglas maker.

Not familiar with what a streamliner is?
Is that an aerodynamic diamond frame bicycle?

 

[Frito Bandito]

Not familiar with what a streamliner is?
Is that an aerodynamic diamond frame bicycle?

No worries. It is basically a recumbent bicycle with an aerodynamic shell like a velomobile. Some of them are designed with only straight line speed in mind like those at battle mountain shaped something like this camera bike that the rider navigates via a screen tethered to a camera on front.



Others are a little more maneuverable like this Varna style bike.


Russell Bridge's Snoopy is a circuit racer



Most of them are one-offs designed and built for a specific rider, and they can be FWD or RWD, wheel sizes of 700/700, 700/20", 20"/20" or some of the other less popular wheel sizes, various seat angles, rim or disc brakes, and quite a few other designs too numerous to list here even if I knew all of them.