Hi Alan,Where did you get
Hi Alan,
Where did you get the impression the Vendetta was 90% assembled? Not yanking your chain, I'm just curious. Both the bike description page and several of the build threads are pretty plain about both the Vendetta and Silvio being sold as framesets with your choice of components.
Yup, the build instructions need a bit of tweaking but to be fair to Cruzbike, they also state they are always available to help with questions about assembling, adjusting, or riding and suggest using a professional bike mechanic if you are unsure of anything. They also both host and actively support this forum where there are tons of great information for all of their bikes. I've tried to make an effort to post my detailed
Vendetta 2.0 Unboxing and Build thread to help clarify details that I was curious about when I was first thinking about getting a Vendetta.
Frankly, a big reason that tipped me to go the Cruzbike route was the fact the founders/owners/designer actually actively participate in this forum and answer questions and provide support. This is rare these days and even more impressive when you understand how tiny Cruzebike really is and that Jim, John, and Doug all have full-time jobs outside of Cruzbike but still devote a vast amount of time to supporting and growing the company.
Look at the time and effort Jim and Maria have put into ultracycling to prove to a disbelieving DF
and recumbent world that the Cruzbike FWD MBB format is not only viable but can actually exceed peoples' expectations. Go back and read some of the BS people on BROL were saying early on. Some of those same people are now cheering Maria's success at RAAM this year and are now buying Vendettas, Silvios, Quests, Sofriders, and conversion kits. They have quite literally busted their butts off to promote Cruzbike and it is paying off.
I can also personally attest to what lengths these guys will go to in order to help with problems - go read my build thread about the stuck boom issue I had. There were several communication sessions between us outside of the forum about trying different things to get the thing unstuck and when that was unsuccessful they sent me replacement parts at their cost. I've also seen where they have made changes based on some of my observations and comments as well as others. They really do want to be responsive and continue to improve their products.
Now specifically about your BB - in my build thread, I pointed out a small machining burr on the BB housing threads and also linked to fthills build of the earlier model where he cautioned about checking threads for paint, etc. In my case the burr was not an issue and flicked off with just a touch of my finger but if yours had that or some paint you may have bound up on that. One of the things I did that I didn't really mention - and should have - is I very carefully dry fit all the parts to check for issues like this. Especially with the fine threaded stuff and those little BB clamp bolts. I always check threads and carefully dry fit to get a feel for how a component goes together to hopefully make it easier to sense if I've started to cross thread something.
Even more specifically about your concern about the BB clamp assembly slipping - last Saturday while riding my Vendetta, I was hit by a woman while she tried to pass me with her Chrysler minivan on a heavily wooded blind corner, going uphill, and right before an upcoming intersection. Not very intelligent and contrary to traffic law but that is another story. She ended up colliding with me with the right rear quarter of the van. This knocked me over toward my right side and somehow ended up pulling me down onto the road and dragging me about 10 or 15 feet before her right rear wheel ended up running over the front wheel of my Vendetta (with me clipped in). The wheel was taco'd, the RD hanger snapped off and the RD ground into a mangled mess. The chain did not break but left a gouge on big ring where it was yanked off. The right edge of my right clipless pedal got some pretty good grinding, along with the right brifter, right edge of the handlebars, and also my right hand, right forearm, and right buttock. As best as I can tell
the BB clamps did not shift one iota and I assure you I did not use gorilla arm torque on the clamp bolts like Ivan did on his new Silvio 2.0 ( sorry to pick on you Ivan but it helps make my point ). I actually used a torque wrench on mine and torqued them to about 8-10 Nm (70-90 in-lb) - the same as the SRAM rim brake mount bolts.
I'm kind of flummoxed why you don't like the seat cushions. I think this is one of the very best features of the Cruzbikes and I personally find the appearance very cool looking. They breathe well, are tough and resilient, and because of how they work can easily be tweaked to adjust padding and fit. I've also stored an extra pair of socks in between the Velcro strips on the seat back during winter riding. Dan Fallon has some electrical tape stuck down in the same location to use for emergency repairs. The design and function is really very clever and useful.
I also was missing some velcro strips for the seat cushions and pointed it out in my build thread. I had also sent a message to John and Jim about it and they promptly shipped me the missing strips getting them to me in just a day or two.
BTW in my accident I still only have my seat mounted with just the Velcro and the seat stayed in place! Granted I pretty much rode the bike down to the ground and slid with it so my body was somewhat helping it remain in place but the other thing that got ground on the right was the right edge of the bottom right seat pan - yet the seat remained exactly where I had positioned it.
What other recumbents have you had? I have only ridden a Cruzbike Silvio, Quest, and Vendetta and rolled a little on a friend's Volae (his pedals were too far for me to reach).
The other two reasons I bought a Vendetta:
- I test rode a Silvio as my first ever recumbent ride and it scared the dickens out of me at first but after figuring out how to ride the darn thing I had so much fun and was grinning so hard my face hurt for hours afterwards - for me they are just incredibly fun to ride
- The FWD MBB just makes more sense to me. I get that some don't care for it and some can't seem to get comfortable with it but to me the normal bike drive train geometry, lack of heel strike issues, idlers, chain tubes, etc just makes more sense.
HTH,
-Eric
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