Got my first Cruzbike, a V20

[M.J]

Hi guys! New V20 rider here. I've been riding a Metabikes Metaphysic, which was my first recumbent, for about 9 months and got my V20 today.
I've ridden around the neighborhood several times already and feel like I'm taking to it pretty well. Not having to worry about heel strike in slow corners is really nice! I need to figure out the fit and reach and all that, but that's for tomorrow.
Thanks for having me!

 

[Greg S]

Welcome and congratulations!

Enjoy the ride!

 

[M.J]

Today the work begins!
First thing is to make a new seat pad from closed cell foam. I did this to my Meta and it let me really tune the seat to fit me perfectly. The super thick stock pad isn't doing it for me.
Then some riding practice. Progress was good yesterday. I did several laps of the neighborhood including lefts and rights, 20mph straights, and one uphill corner. I just kept telling myself to look ahead, keep pedaling, and that it's just a bike.
The main initial impression I had is how solid the bike is. I have a tilting tiller bar on my Meta and have been training myself since I got it to never pull on it. It feels flexy and fragile. Not so the boom on the V20! The stock bars feel enormously wide and high, but so solid. I did a couple of practice sprints and was amazed by how the bike leaps forward when I braced my arms and pedaled hard.
It's going to be a fun day!

 

[chicorider]

You might be tweeking the fit for a while, but the process is worth the results. Enjoy your new road rocket!

 

[M.J]

I redid the seat cushion. I made one out of closed cell foam in different layers to get the support I wanted. And I got it to fit back in the stock cover, so that's a bonus.
I need to figure out something for a neck rest. The stock one doesn't work at all and I don't have the funds for one of the Performance Adjustable ones right now.
I'm having almost no trouble learning the MBB. I rode about 10mi today with no issues (aside from dropping the chain twice because I'd never used brifters before). After that I installed my SPD pedals and went around the neighborhood. There's so much less pedal steer when clipped in!

 

[chicorider]

For the shoulder and neck area on my V, I formed a one inch wedge out of the stiff-but-lightweight foam used under a car's bumper cap ($2.00 at a local pick and pull), painted it black and stuck it to the very top of the seat pan with Velcro. Once the Ventisit pad is in place, the wedge is practically invisible and it elevates my shoulders just a bit. Then, using a vice, I put a slight forward bend in the neck rest tubing to bring the part that contacts the back of the head a bit more up and forward (I want the neck rest padding to sit under the knob at the base of the skull, rather than under the neck. I suppose it should be called a "knob rest," but that sounds funny). Before bending, I formed a kind of bending mandrel with a 2 x 4 so that the tubing would have a surface to bend around, rather than the tubing crimping at the square edge of the vice. These two adjustments combined have worked well for me over the past five years.

 

[M.J]

Very nice!
I thought about making one out of the pink insulation foam that some guys use for building carbon frames. In the mean time I made one out of layers of cardboard with yoga mat foam and a cloth covering. Not a forever solution, but I'm already really tired of having to hold my head up all the time.

 

[DocS]

I've seen your reports on Facebook! Welcome to the Cruzbike Forum and congratulations on your Vendetta!
You are quite the rider on your Meta. It's gonna be awesome to see what you can do on the Vendetta.

I use one of these https://cruzbike.com/collections/all-products/products/suspension-adjustable-headrest
For me, it seems to work very well.

Before I found Cruzbike, I rode a Bacchetta Corsa. I had to be relaxed and gentle with the handlebars or it got unstable. When I got my Silvio 2.0, I loved how I could use the handlebars to pull myself forward and basically ride like a DF rider does!

I ordered a Thor seat after so many on here recommended them. It's on it's way from Poland (I'm trying to be patient). Shipping has changed since this Covid mess...

Blessings,
DocS (Rudy)

 

[M.J]

Thanks!
I actually enjoy the way the V wants to be manhandled, especially in sprints or slow corners. After spending all that time learning to never firmly grip the bar on the Meta I was worried I wouldn't be able to learn the MBB ways. I was wrong, it's going fine.
I'm not sure what the difference is between people who can basically hop on a Cruzbike and ride away and those who never master it. For me, it's just paying attention to what the bike is trying to tell me. Try to figure out what it wants and respond accordingly. That and to keep telling myself "it's just a bike, figure it out".

 

[DocS]

One thing that someone mentioned that I did when I first started riding a cruzbike was to stop riding anything else...

I was able to ride my first day, but I darted left or right on occasion, which made it hard to ride with the groups I ride with....
After a couple weeks of only riding my Cruzbike, I could ride straight and now, I can stay on the white line

I ended up selling my Bacchetta a couple months after I bought my Cruzbike Silvio and sold my Silvio after I bought my Vendetta...
I still have a Catrike 700 trike for the winter.

Blessings,
Rudy

 

[1happyreader]

For me, it's just paying attention to what the bike is trying to tell me. Try to figure out what it wants and respond accordingly. That and to keep telling myself "it's just a bike, figure it out".

Amen,, Let your inner child out . Its NOT a bike . It's the best'est new toy EVER !!!!

 

[3bs]

for normal humans learning the v20 is much easier when you stop riding other stuff at least for a while. the other thing that helps a lot of making yourself ride with one hand, as it forces you to settle your body and manage your legs. this helps you deliver the power cleaner as well. i am not a "no hands" rider, but i do practice one handed riding. the other thing that helps a lot is riding a lot of times. not a long distance, but lots of rides. the brain processes the experience data both real time, but also very importantly, passively between rides.

 

[Sonnybea]

I think i have short term memory loss. On Saturdays ride is a challenge but Sunday's ride I'm a pro but this happens every weekend

 

[M.J]

I've put about 175 miles on the V20 this week, including a "metric century" . My main ongoing issue has been seat/neckrest fit. The long ride helped me really figure out what needed to be done in terms of padding and shaping and now the seat is all good.
I'm already as fast on this as on my Metaphysic everywhere except for really fast downhills, and that's mostly just an abundance of caution. I've also set two uphill Strava KOMs this week
I hopped on the Meta this evening and it felt... Odd. I've put almost 4,000miles on it this year and felt like I was totally tuned into its ways. One week on the V20 and it feels wobbly and, unbelievably, more prone to pedal steer than the Vendetta.

 

[3bs]

@M.J thanks for the real life validation of the how the brain works. i think it is a mixed bag. i have this problem when i jump on other stuff after only riding the v20 for a while. the place i see it the most is in handlebars. all of my non cruzbike 2 wheel bents have some version of narrow chimpunk bars or mantis or wtf you want to call them) with a decent amount of tiller, and going from wide with short tiller to narrow and long tiller is almost harrowing. It makes me want to figure new versions of steering set ups. i am not a fan of the big wide open cockpit bars but i just bought a set to start testing. i have noticed that it is easier to revert to my flatbar versions over v bars. but, like usual, i digress.

 

[bladderhead]

almost harrowing

I started commuting on my Silvio very soon after I got it. Best way to learn to ride. I do not know why I did not give up and just keep using my Grasshopper. The worst thing was trying to get away from a standing start. A lot of Cruzbike riders will agree with me about that. These days the bike seems to disappear, as if there is no bike but just me with wheels on. I rode my Grasshopper to work for 10 years, but it never felt like that. The point is that persistence is rewarding. It is an utter beast, but when you get your head round it it is an utter blast.

 

[paco1961]

First time I hopped on my DF Singlespeed after riding the CB exclusively for 9 months . . . “Safety bike my arse. This thing’s a death trap.” Felt like 1 touch of the brakes and I’d be nose down on the tarmac! But then I originally abandoned the extensive N+1 DF collection for health (saddle) issues so there was little incentive to ride both.

 

[Mathew Fy]

I need to figure out something for a neck rest.

For my first couple years I used the inner tube method like this one. I have the inner tube folded in half such that the natural curve follows the shape of the headrest. Be sure to read some of the other useful posts in the linked thread. It still works well as I now have it back on my Vendetta, trying to maximize aerodynamics for the Time Trial. Then I'll go back to the more comfortable Thor seat with Adem headrest.
If you're inclined, review Jason's posts about his getting acquainted with his Vendetta. I remember reading along before I finally decided to buy one myself.
It's good advise to go all-in and stick with your V20 for now. That's what I did for the two to three months before a week-long event.

 

[M.J]

On yeah, I'm all in! I put 210 miles on it last week The V20 feels totally natural. The only time I'm really aware of the MBB is when I go to grab a water bottle. I have to either stop pedaling or be pedaling very lightly to take a hand off the bars. I'm sure it will come with practice.
I bodged together a neck rest that works fine until I can get a proper one.

 

[chicorider]

Yes, you will eventually be able to reach for and replace your water bottle without missing a beat.