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My current rim brake 36mm carbon wheels are 24 front, 20 back, with bladed spokes in a 2-cross pattern, which adds strength and stiffness (bracing) over radial lacing. They have been great over the past five years--a nice balance between weight, strength, and aero (fewer spokes = more aero)...

I have a set of these one the way. I'll be interested to hear how they are working for you, and will chime in when I have some mileage on mine.

I am running Cobb's carbon cranks, which come in shorter sizes. Stiff, lightweight, pricey. I like 'em. I also like that it uses Shimano's bottom bracket interface, which I've always preferred to SRAM's.

Just as a frame of reference on spoke count: I am 5'4" and weigh 130lbs, or 59kg. I have two sets of NOX 36mm carbon rims, 24 spoke drive wheel, 20 spoke non-drive wheel, laced in a 2-cross pattern with bladed spokes. I've had one pair on my V for five years, and the other pair on my S30 for...

Jumping with my two-cents worth on the wheels. I was where you are about five or six years ago. While learning to ride the V, I pummeled a few aluminum front wheels to death because of pilot error. Use the current aluminum wheels to get through that phase, then put your good wheels on. The V...

My understanding is that with recumbents, you want to avoid knee strain by keeping the knee from bending more than 90 degrees at the top of the pedal stroke. Shorter cranks helps this happen. That seems to be the largest metric to consider, and then you can fine tune your preferred crank...

Yes, comfort will come. I can coast on a downhill and go right into a full spin and back to coasting without a problem. But I have five years under my belt. I couldn't have done it in my first year, or maybe two years.

Well, I'll try again with the pic... The rear elastomer does not affect power because all of that is put to the front wheel. The rear wheel is pretty much just along for the ride. Compared to the V, the S30 does feel a little less connected to the ground, but that makes sense; it's a mild...

Crankarm length is a "sweetspot" kind of thing. I run 160mm cranks with a 50/36, 11-28 Shimano Dura Ace set up (which shifts great). The longer your crankarms, the more torque you will have for climbing (think of the crankarm as a lever), but the sooner you will spin out on the downhills...

Oh, heck. Why not. Here's mine. Almost as fast as the V, and, with the rear rack, almost as much utility as the S40.

Clipless pedals makes the bike easier to ride, once you have the basic hang of things. I use Shimano XTR SPD pedals because I find the double-sided entry much faster and easier than fiddling with a single-sided pedal while also trying to start from a stop (also while navigating traffic). I...

It's a pretty straightforward measurement, but there is a dialing-in period of making small changes in the boom length until you find the perfect fit. You'll feel it when you find it.

That's how I would define it. Your feet at one end, your hands at the other.

I second DocS. The V was my first recumbent, which I bought five years ago and have ridden ever since, after 27 years on a DF bike. I now feel as natural on the V as I do on an upright bike. I can thread needles at speed, ride the white painted line on the shoulder for long stretches (that's...

I am also not very tall. I put a bend in the standard headrest to bring it more forward (after building a jig for my vice, so that the tubing would bend instead of folding). The pad hits the knob at the base of my skull and puts my head in a more upright position. I've ridden this way for...

One interesting thing for me is that while the V is definitely faster than the S40, it is also more comfortable. The S40 isn't bad, but I can ride the V all day.

I make sure to wave at everyone, especially the ones who are too-pro-to-wave. It's a innocent way to rub it in that I'm probably having more fun that they are.

A thought on fit, from experience: be careful with having a deathgrip on the handlebar. When I was learning, my grip was so tight that I pulled a tendon near my right elbow that took seven months to heal, even with PT and acupuncture. I couldn't even turn a doorknob. While I was...

As for the seat, I would recommend giving the stock seat some time first, then decide if you want to replace it. I am one of those for whom the Thor seat was not an improvement, and went back to the stock seat.

Hello all, The large parts makers stop their cranksets at 165mm or 170mm, leaving those of us who need shorter cranks to hunt around. I have been riding 160mm cranks on a V20, S30, and S40 for five years now, but I had always been curious about trying 155mm, just to see if they were better or...