Comfortable Vendetta brevet setup

[Tor Hovland]

Hi!

Let me introduce myself as a new member of the Cruzbike family. I'm Tor, and I live in Trondheim, Norway. This means I may well be the world's northernmost Vendetta owner! Correct me if I'm wrong, but you would have to live several hours north of Anchorage in order to challenge that

3 years ago I posted a "Learning to ride a Vendetta diary" on this forum. I borrowed a Vendetta for a couple of weeks during the summer, and rode it a lot, including one 200 km ride. In the end I didn't buy one. It cost a fair share of money, I was more into mountain biking, and I wasn't sure I would ride the Vendetta as much as it deserved.

Lately, I've become more interested in long distance cycling and brevets. If all goes well, I would like to do a full brevet series next year and participate in Paris-Brest-Paris. While I could certainly do that with my Bacchetta Giro, it gave me the excuse I felt I needed in order to finally buy a Vendetta.

Some of you are probably thinking that I should have gone for a Silvio instead. I've read discussions on this forum, and there are good arguments in favor of both bikes. While the Silvio is better in terms of luggage and fenders and such, the Vendetta is the most energy efficient option. Plus, when I'm just out riding, I want a fast bike, something sufficiently different from my touring-oriented Bacchetta.

I found a good deal on a used Vendetta in France. Well, many would probably not consider it such a great deal. It is an old V1.0, it has been ridden a lot, and... there has been in a crack in the welding in the bottom bracket area. Whoa!! But the damage has been professionally welded and the bike has been professionally repainted. I don't regret the purchase. The bike is in great shape, and it really feels like new.



My questions to you are basically about various upgrades I could do in order to improve comfort and handling on long rides, as well as being able to carry some luggage.

Handlebars

As you can see below, shifting is interfering with my legs. I think I would like some handlebars with flare, such as the On-One Midge. I wouldn't mind wide handlebars either, for better control. How wide is too wide? Any recommended handlebars?



Bags

I don't want to attach a rack and panniers, but I want to fit small bags wherever possible. This means I'm interested in the Moose pack, the Sling pack, the Scarab bag, and anything like a Bacchetta Brain Box or Radical Solo. Will the first 3 all fit on an old Vendetta? And what's the best way to fit those behind-the-seat bags?

For even more luggage, I have a set of Radical Banana S. They work well on the Bacchetta without a rack, but they are a bit large, and the Banana Racer would certainly be better.

Fenders

Any tips on how to mount fenders to this bike?

Lights

I already clipped a small light on to the neck rest, and I suppose I could mount a head light to the handlebars. How about the Cruzbike light mount kits? Will they fit my bike?

Seat

I suppose I'm stuck with the seat that's welded to the frame. I don't really have any issues with it ...yet. But would it be crazy to try to mount something like a Thor seat on top of it?

Seat pad

Is a Ventisit pad a useful upgrade? Keep in mind that warm weather is very rarely an issue up here. Being protected from the cold is usually a higher priority. Any recommended pads?

Neck rest

I found a good setup for the neck rest, basically fully extended. I applied the trick with the inner tube into the head rest sock, and the air cushion is really quite comfortable. Still, it's rather crude and unsophisticated. Do you recommend any other options? The ADEM head rest looks nice, but I wonder if I would have to be able to extend the neck rest further in order to make that fit.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts about all this.

 

[Bruce B]

Recently I installed a 46cm Salsa Woodchipper handlebar. The flare is such that there is no interference with shifting. The each end of the bar was shortened 2cm to improve leg clearance while turning at low speed. Because of the design of this bar I find the drops to be the most comfortable position. This bar is the very best of four I have used with the V20. (My avatar shows a discarded bullhorn handlebar)

https://salsacycles.com/components/category/road_handlebars/woodchipper


For safety lighting I use a Dinotte Quad Red mounted on a rear chainstay and a Quad Yellow mounted on the front of the boom. They are very bright on full output. (I don't ride at night)

http://store.dinottelighting.com/road-lightsday-amber-headlights--red-taillights-c16.aspx


This might be an option that could replace your present neckrest. I have no experience with this item but someone else may chime in.

https://cruzbike.com/suspension-adjustable-headrest

 

[ChaleJake]

I use a Salsa Woodchipper bar 46 cm on my S30. I like it much better than the original bars. I also ride mainly using the drops and rest my hands on the drops. My other improvement was a curved slider. It really put my hands at a relaxed, comfortable height.

 

[dtseng]

I use a 44 cm road bike drop bar and Microshift Centos 11 drive train. The important thing here is the brake lever is ONLY for braking. I've never entertained the idea of shifting with brake lever. There are two small shifting levers for up and down shifts. The operation is very smooth. The complete drive train, including 11-speed chain, 11-32 sprocket, Tektro caliper brakes, cables for shifters and brakes for less than two hundred USD.

 

[benphyr]

Handlebars, Bags, Fenders,Lights, Seat,Seat pad, Neck rest

Hi Tor, welcome to the Tribe. Love the northern attitude and pictures. My experience will not help with many things but for what it is worth. I'm going to write as though you have no experience with any of these items so that they may help a future inexperienced reader too:

Fenders - If you are going to put fenders on then you will want full fenders - Anything less than horizontal at rear to lowest frame/for component at front of both wheels simply results in water and mud on you, the bike or most importantly the drivetrain. Any fenders will probably do the trick- some are stronger, some heavier, etc. - the trick is attaching them. They need to be wider than the tire by 0.5cm, the made for the tire size diameter that you are using, and mounting will be the biggest challenge.

It looks like you do not have any braze-on mounting points for mounting the support rods for the fenders. There are several companies that made retrofit mounting systems (Axiom and Velo-orange are the ones that I have checked out). Many of them mount over the quick release - make sure that they will fit on your set up as often there are other bumps, "lawyer lips", bumps left over from welding, etc. that would get in the way. Axiom has some full fenders (Rain Runner) that use a mount designed to attache to the chain stays and forks. They look to be tougher and sturdier than most of this type and specifically designed for both temporary mounting with o-rings and more permanent type mounting with zip ties. I have just received one of these sets from Axiom but I have not yet had the chance to mount them. I just checked their website https://www.axiomgear.com/products/fenders/fenders/ and I could not find any place that they sell just the brackets - which to Norway would probably be better than trying to ship full fender sets overseas!)

P-clamps can be used to do the same thing in a less pretty way. If you don't call them P-clamps then think of a flat strip of metal with a wrapped around the seat stay, covered in plastic/rubber and with two holes in the ends that a bolt can be passed through to hold the end of the support stay for the fender (or to hold anything to a bar).

Several members have carved out pieces of the fender (and some have even filed down the fork) to get the fenders to fit with adequate clearance over the tire and inside the fork, chain stays, seat stays.

And when mounting fenders it is important that they be mounted in such a way that there is not tension on the parts, especially plastic parts or they will crack sooner or later. Adjust the mount to hold onto it parallel to where the fender naturally sits rather than bending the fender. Experience is a good teacher! I biked home the other day about 5km with a fender that was only attached at the axle and could therefore slowly rotate back into the tire / ground. I had forgotten tools too.!.

Lights: Any lights that provide the light that you need. I use Cygolite Metro in the range of 450+ lumens for headlight and that is adequate but probably not long lasting enough on its own for long distance touring at night. They need to be light enough to see with at night and be seen with at night but not blinding your buddy riding behind you. In the day-time the rear one might need to be even brighter and/or flash. I am currently using a cheap 2*AAA battery Planet bike 7 LED light that conveniently clips sideways on the back of my helmet in addition to whatever more significant light I have on knog blinder, cygolight hotshot, or similar. And they need to not distract you by reflecting from your feet/knees - so handlebar mounting on the Vendetta is not good - mount below or just above the bottom bracket. Someone here posted this and I'm sorry I can't give them credit for a 3D printable light mount - basically it is an adapter to enable you to mount a handlebar light to the boom: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1633980

Best of luck with everything as you build this up into what sounds like a pretty awesome bike. Welcome to the tribe and keep us posted on what works and what doesn't.
Cheers,
Ben.

 

[Tor Hovland]

Thanks, there's a lot of good advice already that I will dive more into.

I see that many are recommending the Woodchipper, not just in this thread. But looking at the measurements by ratz, they seem to be rather narrow between the brifters. I suppose the flare takes care of the leg interference, but I'm just wondering if I wouldn't prefer a wider grip for more control. I am not confident riding fast downhill yet. Would a wider bar help with that? The 46cm Venturemax mentioned here sounds appealing.

Thank you, benphyr, for the fenders and lights advice. I will check that out.

Also, if anybody can weigh in on the following questions, that would be great:

• Will all the Cruzbike V20 bags fit my old Vendetta?
• Should I order a comfort Ventisit seat pad and neck rest pillow?

I've decided that I don't need the adjustable head rest, because the standard neck rest fits fine, I just need some upgraded padding for it, i.e. something that works as well as semi-inflated inner tubes.

 

[ChaleJake]

My opinion on the Ventiset is if you ride in a hot climate the Ventiset is great. If you don’t, I would stay with the seat pad that came with the bike. I find it to be comfortable but it does get sweatyin a hot climate. I use a Ventiset in Fl.

For your headrest, any cushion can work. Some folks use old seat pads or camping mats. I would say yes, order the Cruzbike’s cover and padding. It is pretty nice and simply slides over the rails. There is room in the cover to add extra padding, if you need. The newer ones Velcro to the rails. If you are handy, you could make one fairly easy. The Cruzbike cover looks nice and works.

I first used the Cruzbike original bar and did not like it being as wide as it was. I switched to a narrower bar and found the handling to be better. I did not find that wider handled better. For me, better handling was where I naturally wanted to place my hands. You might like yours wider than where your current bars allow. A general rule from Ratz, is that your handlebar width should be about your shoulder width.

Have fun and stay safe.

 

[Tor Hovland]

Hmm, so a narrower bar can give better handling? Does anybody else feel that way? I'm used to MTB bars, perhaps that is why I think a wide bar would be better.

 

[DavidCH]

The v2 stock bars are well wide salsa woodchipper cut down a little might be the best bet. Have a look on the forum. Many riders have gone with salsa ... they do other bars that might be the better for you depending on reach.

 

[McWheels]

A thought on lights. If you're in the Brevet/Audax game, lots of people use hub dynamos to avoid the need to bring and charge several batteries. Rosebikes is your friend in this regard.

For price/performance balance, this is my pick: https://www.rosebikes.com/b-m-lumotec-iq-cyo-premium-t-senso-plus-front-headlamp-709235

And up to you how much you want to spend on the dynamo. Some look excessive but people seem to find comfort in the expense.

 

[Bill K]

I have a V20 which is newer so I don't know much about the V1. On recent models, the seat is held by velcro, not welded. I would be surprised if it could not be easily removed.
Fenders:
I used Planet bike SpeedEX XL 700c 45mm. They are attached with rubber straps and do not need braze-on connections. The front fender goes on the back and I attached it over the brake bridge. I was using 26 inch wheels and disk brakes so you would have more difficulty making these fit.
Handlebar:
The flair (outward bend on the drops) causes the brake handles to point away from the bike giving your thighs much more room to fit inside.
Baggage:
I do not think the sling pack would fit under the seat without rubbing the tire. I have one and it is too long for the V20 but fits nicely on the S40. It does fit if you strap it to the boom.
The Scarab bag should fit. There is a video of Robert installing one on this site (bicycles / S40).
Correction: it will fit under the V20 seat.
I use a Revelate Pika bag strapped under the seat. It works well for commuting but is not as easy to get stuff out of it on a brevet. I have seen it (somewhere on this site) strapped to the headrest behind the seat. That would probably be better.
Lights:
Dynohub. No batteries to go dead. It just works. Always. Running the wiring from the dynohub in the rear wheel to the headlight is a pain though.
I think some of the adapters on the CB site are made by TerraCycle. You should be able to get the exact dimensions from their web site.

 

[RojoRacing]

Thanks, there's a lot of good advice already that I will dive more into.

I see that many are recommending the Woodchipper, not just in this thread. But looking at the measurements by ratz, they seem to be rather narrow between the brifters. I suppose the flare takes care of the leg interference, but I'm just wondering if I wouldn't prefer a wider grip for more control. I am not confident riding fast downhill yet. Would a wider bar help with that? The 46cm Venturemax mentioned here sounds appealing.

Thank you, benphyr, for the fenders and lights advice. I will check that out.

Also, if anybody can weigh in on the following questions, that would be great:

• Will all the Cruzbike V20 bags fit my old Vendetta?
• Should I order a comfort Ventisit seat pad and neck rest pillow?

I've decided that I don't need the adjustable head rest, because the standard neck rest fits fine, I just need some upgraded padding for it, i.e. something that works as well as semi-inflated inner tubes.

I'm pretty sure I use woodchipper bars on my V20 and it's hard to imagine wider bars. I have rather big quads so I needed the clearance and normal road bars at even the widest widths weren't an option. I've never felt my bars size was holding me back on the DHs which I'm very confident at.

 

[ak-tux]

Could this have been your bike before it was sold to you? Look at the bag setup:

 

[Peder Torgersen]

Let me introduce myself as a new member of the Cruzbike family. I'm Tor, and I live in Trondheim, Norway. This means I may well be the world's northernmost Vendetta owner! Correct me if I'm wrong, but you would have to live several hours north of Anchorage in order to challenge that

Hi Tor nice to read that you decided to buy a Vendetta.
A customer contacted me that previously bought a trike some years ago. He wanted a fast 2 wheel recumbent and bought my used Vendetta.
He lived not far from me when he bought a trike. He had moved to Kirkenes when he bought my Vendetta.

Those of you not familiar with Norwegian geography can look at a map of Norway and see how far north Kirkenes is.

Tor you could possibly be the Vendetta rider now lives farthest north. The man with Vendetta in Kirkenes moved south earlier this year.

Yesterday a man recognized me I was not riding. He said I was the man with the recumbent that climbed hills very fast. I did some races and club rides previously. I did not remember him. He said he had problems keeping up with me on the climbs. My main goal was to keep up with the average club rider.

 

[jond]

Salsa cow chipper bar I’m slim and brifter don’t angle so much with this bars minimal flare. . Velogical rim dynamo. Cut down air tube in headrest. Ventisit pad.

Bacchetta brain box . Home made quill. So much info in the forum to devour in terms of different excellent expensive or not set ups.

Search hydration cargo etc. check out build diaries etc.