First club ride, and help needed

[Wannabe]

Happy Sunday everyone!

I tried to post pics, but it looks like I need a hosting service to link to...so i am working on that.


Did my first club ride on Saturday am. I was unsure if I should even attempt it because I have ridden my new Silvio but 3 times up to now, and I feel I need to be able to control it precisely at all times.

Fear not, I did great on my first ride. After approximately 35 miles, the result was I did far better than I expected. I also feel like I was faster and more comfortable than on the GRR. I was able to keep up with riders, that in the past would sprint out ahead. AND YES, on the rollers, I was able to climb much better by being able to involve my entire body. But alas, I am preaching to the congregation. At any rate, I am very pleased with my Silvio 2.0. I even would like to test ride a Vendetta at some time in the near future. I can see owning it as well.


I have a few challenges to address. I looked and looked for info about seats and hydration ideas. Could not find anything so I need some ideas please.

first...my lower back at the hip level is kinda sore from pressing into the seat. Would a Ventisit offer more cushion? Maybe I just need to let my body get used to it? It seems like I saw a number of pics here with bikes that have a Ventisit pad.

Next Hydration and storage. I need some ideas what others have tried and it worked. Again looking all i found was this link. http://cruzbike.com/just-ordered-silvio-2.0-frame

I had my wife take a picture of the shadow my body creates. It looks as if anything from the level of the bottom of the seat to shoulder level would not be exposed to the air stream ( since my body has already done that.) I was thinking of a showers pass unit like in the link, And some kind of pack similar to other stick bike arrangements. I would PREFER TO USE ONE BAG with a water bladder in it. ( and not two ).

What do you folks do? Aero in very important.

 

[Eric Winn]

I cut a small piece of the

I cut a small piece of the closed cell foam packing material and taped it onto the seat under the cushion to fine tune the seat to my back. Works great but requires a little trial and error.

There are a LOT of posts on the Cruzbike forums about hydration and storage scattered amongst all the bike models and forum topics.

-Eric

 

[mzweili]

seat cushion

I had the same back soreness after my initial rides. Added some additional cushioning under the original seat pad, but after some time, probably getting more relaxed I removed the added cushion and now I'm very comfortable with the original seat pad. As I remember Ivan experienced the same. As Eric wrote, try some cushioning, and if it doesn't works for you, you might go with a CF seat similar to what Rick Youngblood did (http://cruzbike.com/my-adjustable-seat-testing).
Regarding the hydration question, I think Bob (ratz) worked out a very good solution (http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?p=1175031&highlight=build+diary&page=6).

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Hey, I believe you came up

Hey, I believe you came up with a great solution on a single bag (BentUp aero bag) that does have built-in beverage holders (same one I use on my custom seat build), but I could not find it.

The best thing to do is work your way from page to page in the Silvio section. That's what I did, lots a great information and tips you can find even when you're not looking for anything specific.

 

[Wannabe]

which set up would work?


Would I be able to put this on top of the shower pass?
http://www.bentupcycles.com/bacchetta-brain-box.html

or would i be better off with the brain box on top of the fastback 70ls ?

 

[Jeremy S]

my lower back at the hip

I tried to post pics, but it looks like I need a hosting service to link to...so i am working on that.

You can upload pictures, if they are under 300k. See the Upload tab in the Image Properties dialog that comes up when you click the image icon/button in the forum posting toolbar...

my lower back at the hip level is kinda sore from pressing into the seat

You should have some leeway in how far forward you sit in the seat. Simply scooting farther forward in the seat may help here.

 

[ratz]

Regarding Hydration...

Regarding the Hydration question Here are my current thoughts .....

I'll be looking at our setups in February based on what I learned in 2014. Obviously details will follow; but here's what I know so far.


1) The Silvio Setup with the Showerpass worked really really good. It does make occasional Squeaky noise (I thought it was the headset stack for weeks). I figure it will hold up about 5000 miles and then it's going to fall apart. If was expensive but it really did work well. The solid bottle doesn't slosh like a bladder. The sell spare parts and I used those spares in some of my other projects.

2) The BentCycle Aero Bag and the Brain Box would fit over the top; You could modify the BCAB and put the showerpass inside it. I have the BCAB but never needed that massive storage so we didn't use them.

3) The new under seat bottle mount holes on the Carbon Seat are just about perfectly placed for most people; which will remove this problem for a lot of new buyers. No more need to drill and damage the seat pan.

4) I prefer the bag and bottle setup on my Vendetta to the one on the Silvio because I can use bottle or hoses and I get a lot of aero storage. The plastic liner based bottles are very cool. I thought it was a gimic; I wanted the bottle hose system; figured I'd never use the liners... wrong they are very helpful. Unfortunately I did snap one of the Toppeak bottle mounts near the end of last season; so I'll be looking at better brackets. That's what I am going to look at in February if I can resolve that to my satisfaction my Silvio will get changed. On the Vendetta I can now carry 4 aero shadowed bottles; that's pretty handy.

5) Mrs Ratz is content with the showerpass and has zero interesting in reaching for a bottle behind her head.

If we are lucky John will finish the Quiver and Cruzbike will start selling them

 

[kenhardwick]

Easy Access to Water bottle

I have a couple of water bottle holders mounted to my Silvio 1.5. However, since I can't seem to reach around to get the bottle/container while riding, I also ride with a hiking belt with water bottle holder attached. Even though a regular water bottle would work, I actually use a Contigo Travel Mug. Works great as one just pushes a button to open/close. I also have a small bag attached to my belt on opposite side to carry billfold/phone/snacks/etc. And, when I get off/leave my bike I also have my valuable with me.

 

[Wannabe]

THANKS FOR THE

THANKS FOR THE IDEAS!

JEREMY!
I did that and it says URL is missing at the final step.
I tried uploading to server & nothing happened. what to do?

 

[Robert Holler]

I have side entry cages under

I have side entry cages under my seat and feel it works well. The Fastback from Terracycle will also work but needs a few mods to how it mounts at the top.

Other options are in the hopper but I can't give away too much but stay tuned. ;-)

For a back bag, I prefer the Viscscha bag. It holds a lot and looks awesome.

 

[ratz]

Another trick is to move the

Another trick is to move the rear caliper brake to the top mount in the rear triangle. Then the TerraCyle "Fastback Flash Frame Pack" fits perfectly in side the triangle out of the air flow. If you need more cargo the NorBack Pack then can fit under that; of coure now you are in the air flow some what. I find the Flash frame pack great for my lunch on 6 hour rides, out of the sun and enough air moving to keep it from melting.

We are staying tuned; you are after all right next door to Tcycle we need some Pat created toys for the Cruzbikes.

 

[Wannabe]

Viscscha bag

Which Model, I googled and found many. Suggested place to buy?
Any pics?

any ideas as to about how long the hopper with the goodies will be available? This year, Spring, summer ? I do not want to buy twice. Besides I think I am going to start saving for a "V"

 

[trplay]

Apidura pack is working very well

This thing holds everything I would need for a no-frills cross country. I even think it gives a little aero boost. http://teammooseisloose.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/is-the-apidura-pack-the-long-sought-after-solution/

 

[Wannabe]

Rick...

Rick is that your bike I have as a desk top pic? The one with red tape on bars, red cables, gold KMC chain, and it says team 30 on the rims?

It looks as though the pack on the back is the bentup cycles aero? Ratz says it is to big? I do not understand why he is saying that. From the pic, it looks to be optimum!

 

[Robert Holler]

That bag looks very similar

That bag looks very similar to the Viscaha bag:

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/Seat-Bags/Viscacha

?Hoping for these other items to be around come late spring in time for the season. No promises though.

 

[LarryOz]

Rick, I'm thinking it was bubblegum

Seriously..
I made a quiver with an aluminum frame (copied from Eric I think), then wrapped it in very thin foam (you can buy at Lowes) , to give it form, then covered the whole thing (inside and out, with Yellow Duck Tape (Yeah - I know "Yellow Ducks" are an endangered species, so don't spread it around).
I looked around for a picture of just the quiver, but could not find one. Here it is on the back of my V now.
I had initially made it to fit on the back of the Silvio for the Mid-Atlanic event in late August. I worked well!
..
I guess I'll have to re-wrap it in "red" duck tape if I move if to the V20. (never saw a red duck, they must be extinct!)

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Hey Wannabe, I can't see you

Hey Wannabe, I can't see your desktop, but if the wheels say Vision Team 30, probably mine.

Also to answer your question about the bag confusion. I have installed CF hard shell seats on both my Vendetta and Silvio, the BentUp seat bags are designed for these seats. However, folks here on the board have been able to adapt the bag to the stock seats in one way or another. I've also seen the Brain Box bag adapted and used on the Vendetta and Silvio. Larry made his out of bubble wrap, or something like that. Tons of options.

But, hearing Robert, sounds like Cruzbike may have a bag specifically designed for the stock seat out in the very near future called the quiver!

 

[ratz]

Threads about bags

Good bag Photos: http://cruzbike.com/mounting-aero-bag-vendetta
Tim's Quiver: http://cruzbike.com/yet-another-silvio-build-thread#comment-26262
Eric's Quiver: http://cruzbike.com/hes-all-wet#comment-26097
Mark's Bentup bag bracket http://cruzbike.com/spring-here-lets-see-your-ride#comment-26650


There are alot more too; but they can be tricky to find.

 

[Wannabe]

Thank you everyone! 

Thank you everyone!

 

[Bruce B]

Underseat Bottles on the V20

I like the position of the underseat bottles on the V20. Easy to reach and to replace when riding. However on two shakedown rides I have had a bottle fall out of the holder while riding on rough chipseal with the present bottleholders (unlabeled) and Camelback Podium 25oz. bottles. Any suggestions for a good bottle holder or good bottle and holder combination?