How Much Room in the Cockpit?

[Jake514]

I am contemplating between the 100mm and the 150mm chainstay extension for a Silvio 2.0, and do like the appearance of the more horizontal beam. Room in the cockpit would take a slight priority over aero and pedal height. ME: 6"2, 205 lbs., 44.5 X-seam. I know I need at least a 100mm.

Can anyone out there describe conditions or have any clearance issues or conflicts? Thanks.

 

[Eric Winn]

In general the further up

In general the further up your bottom bracket, the tighter the cockpit - think see-saw action.

I'm around 5'-6.5", currently 190 pounds with a 32 inch waist and I have about 3 inches of clearance to the bottom of the handlebar clamps on the slider on my medium sized Vendetta with the pivot cage clamped to the highest point on the steerer tube - e.g. frame plus three spacers plus steerer/pivot clamp with pivot cage pinned to pivot clamp. The Silvio is slightly different but similar.

If you have an, ahem, aero belly of any significance it will be a tight fit. Especially if you ride in colder weather with more bulky clothing.

-Eric

 

[scabinetguy]

Cockpit room

I ordered a silvio 2.0 without the chainstay extension. I have a vendetta and a silvio 1.5( I'm 5'9") I think the angle of the boom has a direct relation to the seatback angle. John has this dialed in pretty well...Steve

 

[Jeremy S]

A diagonal boom looks good to

A diagonal boom looks good to me because it parallels the seat back. To each their own. IMHO the aesthetics of the boom angle should be one of your last considerations.

I have a Silvio 2.0 with no chainstay extension (5'10", 45" x-seam, 175 lbs) and I have tons of room in the cockpit, maybe 7" of clearance from the center of the handlebars when I'm sitting back in the seat. Very easy to get in and out, or sit up straight in the seat. I imagine the 100mm chainstay extension would work fine if I wanted a more aerodynamic position.

Other factors I can think of: If you have shorter arms, you may want the handlebars farther back which will shrink the cockpit. I have relatively long arms. If you have a longer trunk, that will effectively shorten your reach since you are lying back. And, crank length will limit how far forward you can move the handlebars and still have knee clearance (once the pedals are moved as far as they can be for your x-seam).

 

[Jake514]

Gents,
Thanks to all for

Gents,
Thanks to all for their input.

Eric - I am working on producing my areo-belly as fast as I can with ice cream and pasta. I will not win first prize, but might get honorable mention for most improved. (PS - I do appreciate your input on other forms, have learned a lot from your posts and look forward to seeing you "back in the saddle again (lots of cowboy music playing - HA!)."

Scabinetguy - I agree on the angle proportional to the seat/boom. We all want to do the best to make our ride custom to our fit. Thanks for the input.

Jeremy S - We have about the same X-seam but I am also somewhat long in the truck as you mentioned.

I think I may go with the 100mm which appears to be a nice blend. Thanks again as this is a great forum for help and sharing opinions.

 

[Ivan]

You will have more clearance

You will have more clearance with the 100mm extension as the handlebars are higher so therefore can have more forward adjustment without contacting your thighs. Since your torso is long, having the higher handlebars with 100mm extension may be better for you as your shoulders will be higher too.

I really wanted high BB and low handlebars like Maria's Vendetta, but I think that is not the typical preference. Giving yourself more room means getting in/out of the bike is easier too.

 

[Charles.Plager]

Giving yourself more room

Giving yourself more room means getting in/out of the bike is easier too.

It also means that you can sit up while riding more easily (which can be good for both climbing and seeing at intersections).

As long as you can buy them after the fact, I'd try the bike without first.

 

[Eric Winn]

As long as the brakes work

As long as the brakes work getting in and out of a snug Vendetta cockpit is easy - hold the brakes and push yourself up the back seat incline. It is even easier if you do this as you are coming to a stop and let the bike forward momentum help you - just plant both feet on the ground before coming to complete stop and sort of stand up and slide up as the bike moves a bit more forward to a complete stop. It is kind of fun too.

If you've gone down and are still clipped in it is pretty awkward getting unclipped...

-Eric

 

[Ivan]

Yeah, +1 to Eric. That's what

Yeah, +1 to Eric. That's what I do on my Silvio with cockpit position similar to Eric's Vendetta. Good technique in traffic!

 

[trplay]

I would love to see a section

I would love to see a section that shows different Vendettas and Silvio's with their owners on them to get an idea of the "correct" position in the cockpit. I'm having a little trouble finding the sweet spot. It seems my 5'7' frame and 39.5 x-seam is hard to fit. I am considering of cutting both the boom and slider to gain more room in the cockpit but I am reluctant to go that extreme. It might lead to knee / handlebar interference. I also have the extension available and like the higher BB but am simply trying to get a good fit without it right now.

 

[scabinetguy]

Correct position

After having my Vendetta for a year now, I find that I'm still making minor adjustments. I've found that if I extend myself too far I have knee discomfort and neck problems. I've found the most comfortable position is a more compressed position which makes for more powerful climbing and aids in visibility. The key to maximizing the Vendettas" potential is incorporating upper body strength along with lifting power. When I ride, it feels as if I'm lifting a barbell off the floor.

 

[Eric Winn]

trplay, can you describe what

trplay, can you describe what you mean by gain more room in the cockpit?

The Silvio is a little different from the Vendetta but they are close enough that most of John's comments here apply:

http://cruzbike.com/how-choose-your-vendetta-setup#comment-16292

-Eric

 

[trplay]

My understanding is the

My understanding is the boom/slider part of the triangle is designed to have the leg length set by setting the boom distance and then sliding the handle bar side for a good arm fit? My situation is such the slider boom is maxed to the closed position (on both ends) giving me no room to move the handlebar side forward once the leg length for the x seam is set (giving more room in the cockpit). Sliding the boom assembly forward from the fork clamp will change the leg distance. I'm curious if cutting both pieces of the boom/slider assembly is a safe and workable solution? My current fit is close so I'm not ready to cut yet. I'm also afraid this might effect the triangle stiffness? Another quandary is the seat location. My seat came predrilled with the front two holes very close to the front edge of the seat. This is significantly different than your Vendetta photos where your seat appears to sit on the two seat "horns "more towards the center of the seat giving yet another factor in the leg / arm distance.

 

[Eric Winn]

Try posting pictures of the

Try posting pictures of the bike setup by itself and different angles with you on it and video of you riding it if you can.

This will allow John, Doug, the other Silvio folks, and others to offer more effective suggestions.

Regarding the seat, keep in mind the difference in recline between the Vendetta and Silvio. I imagine this will result in the bottom pan location being a bit different between the two.

I'm still experimenting a bit with fit and comfort on my Vendetta. I agree with John and think you need to listen to your body and pay attention to little discomforts and twinges and make small changes until you find the sweet spot.

For example, When I first set my pedal reach I found that as I settled in to the ride the boom worked its way further out on the slider a small amount. When I adjusted it back it would work its way back down again. I used a sharpie and marked both locations to make it easier to tell if the boom had moved again. After a while I left it where it wanted to go. I noticed after riding a lot more that it no longer migrated away from the second mark so I snugged the clamp down and have left it there. This effectively made my measure xseam a bit longer in actual practice than what I had measured it to be.

Another example is the small of my back started getting uncomfortable by 70 miles. I added a small bit of extra padding under the seat pad and it quit bothering me.

I'm back to working with the headrest a bit and thinking of trimming the top edge of the back of the seat to allow the headrest to go just a little bit farther into the frame tube, effectively moving the arched support forward a bit more to help position my head position a bit more upright. Right now the headrest feels just a bit too far back like I'm having to stretch to fit to it and would require too much padding to adjust.

I can partially simulate this change without cutting anything by putting some excessive padding on the headrest. I'm also going to try some small changes/additions to the upper part of the seat cushion. It may be that a small tweak to both will work better or perhaps I'll only need one or the other.

These are the kinds of things you need to be observing and adjusting in your own riding. Ideally before you actually start cutting or trimming anything.

-Eric

 

[Tuloose]

Taking  a break on a recent


Taking a break on a recent club ride in the Willamette Valley.
I have the standard setup w/o the boom extension and I find it very comfortable.
My arms are slightly bent when riding and there is a slight bend at my knee with the leg fully extended.
I will try to have someone take a photo when I'm actually riding if it will help.
It took me about 5 adjustments before I had it where I wanted it.

Bruce Martin