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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...

Some people have used Radical Design's Banana Racer bags on the V20 with success. They hang to each side of the frame, under the seat pan. After 27 years on a DF bike, my lower back couldn't take it anymore. I bought a Vendetta frameset on blind faith five years ago and never looked back...

That sounds like a happy garage to me!

Hi all, Eventually, a fully reclined seated start from a dead stop is easy. It is a matter of being in the right gear at a red light (or any stop). For example, I ride a 36/50 front and an 11-28 rear. I have figured out that 36/25 is a good starting off gear. There I am, flying along in my...

That is why I say "if for some ungodly reason..." For me, the proper number seems to be four: an Ibis HD3 to handle the mountain bike duty, a Lynskey Bootleg for gravel adventures, a CB V20 for rip-roaring road rides, and, now that I've fit a proper rack onto my S30, the S30 for everything...

My knees don't like my Vendetta on the trainer much either. But out on the road, no problem.

I totally agree. The V's speed is addictive. Most of my friends who ride are mountain bikers, and they cannot understand how I can possibly enjoy a long road ride, or how I could sometimes choose to go on a long solo ride on the V rather than join them on a mountain bike ride. I've tried to...

I put in 27 years on DF bikes before moving to the Vendetta five years ago because of lower back pain. At 130 pounds, climbing has always been my strength. Was I slower on the V at first when climbing? Definitely. Am I slower on the V when climbing now? Yes, but not by much. Am I faster...

I have one. I still ride and love my yellow v.2, but I put the current front end on it a couple years ago and have all the old front end parts, ready to find homes. After a little clean up, this should be all good to go.