M.J
Well-Known Member
I'd actually be interested to see that, too. I'll see if I can get a head-on pic of my setup tomorrow.
How to make your Vendetta as fast as possible
- Thread starter Tor Hovland
- Start date
12 mile ride in a brisk wind yesterday. Both the Monokote and window film held up. With the front wheels covered, I did need to steer into the wind some with a direct crosswind. The window film is much easier to melt when installing, which resulted in ripping it all off on one side and starting over. The good news, is that I found that the double stick tape came off the rim with no residue. So maybe OK for carbon rims....
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I try to get my forearms behind my quads like that too and hope my position looks as good as yours. That rear wheel is looking spiffy. The aero/weight weenie in me steered me to buy Shimano PD-ES600 pedals. They are 280g, but way lighter than the other clunky pedals I had. They are weighted so that when I take off the connector side is always pointing towards me and easy to clip in.
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
I think you will be faster with your hands and arms lower in the air. I have a set of bars just wide enough for my legs to fit through. I have my hands on the drops just below the top bar of the handlebar. To maximize my speed on a TT I steer only with one are and place the other one on my chest. I only grab both sides if it gets really windy or a truck passes me and I want more stability
A couple of pics to show my current position. I couldn't get a direct head-on shot to work well enough to show anything but I hope these show how I'm tucking my elbows in and that my hands aren't as high as the no-rider pics would suggest.
Andrew Wilson
Guru
I agree. I’m running a set of Gary bars.
Attachments
I have me setup similar to Andrew Wilson above... except I have the curved slider set to lower the bars another inch or so. So my hands are sitting quite low. I also have the same mirrors, but positioned them so they are behind the hoods. I'm not an aero expert. It does look like the A part of CdA is reduced by getting the arms lower. I don't know if that is counteracted by the Cd getting worse?
Andrew, that spring connecting the frame to the boom.... What is that for?
Andrew, that spring connecting the frame to the boom.... What is that for?
M.J
Well-Known Member
Most of the "interesting" moments I've had have been coming around a corner or from out of the wind shadow of a building and getting hit with a strong crosswind.
I know my hand position doesn't look as fast as having them low, but I think it is. If you look at modern upright time trial bikes, they don't "look" as fast as older ones because the rider's hands are up, but they're faster. I realize my bike isn't an upright TT bike, but the position gets most of my arms out of the air. I get very little air on the outside of my upper arms because they're tucked in and more horizontal, and just a bit on the outside of my forearms and hands. I had the same results on my old tiller-bar MetaBike. I had the bar in my lap for a long time because it looked fast, but when I raised it up to tuck my elbows in I went faster.
I saw immediate gains when I went to this bar setup from stock. I wasn't convinced it was going to work, but I'm happy with it so far.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Looks like a lot of Vendettas are getting some royal treatment with the wheels, tires, hydration, bars and more.
Andrew Wilson
Guru
thats a mod that I copied from RojoRacing. It provides a bit of anti flop on the boom when moving from my shop or loading in my truck or leaning against a post.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
This isn't really a speed modification, but as you peeps know, being seen on a bike by drivers in automobiles is important for our safety. Since recumbent bikes are a little lower we are a tad more difficult to see than typical DF bikes. To help drivers see me, especially those coming from side streets, I zip tie any of several flashlights to my helmet that illuminates exactly what I am looking at. 1 of them is 125lm, another is 300lm, and the max is 700lm. So far I have not needed 700lm light on my helmet, and there have only been a few times where the 300lm was enough. In town where it is highly illuminated, I have a small blinking light that is essentially a "Dont give me a ticket Mr. Policeman" light. Outside of town or on the bike path along the rider I use the Lezyne 700XL on 700lm or 400lm flash mode. The light on my helmet assists in my notifying drivers that I am there. A few shakes of my head flashes the light right at them so they know someone is nearby. Not enough to blind them or excessively irritate them mind you.
Nice mod! That is one thing I could do without on this bike... the boom flop when not riding it... especially when trying to just lean it against something.
DavidCH
In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
Ahhhh so thats the secret
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Well, just 1 of about 100!Ahhhh so thats the secret
I recently started using MyWindsock premium (US$15 a year) as an addon to my Strava. It gives a CdA calculation to rides on Strava automatically (if you ride with a power meter)... so much simpler than loading data into other tools that do this. It also seems to be pretty consistent. I like it so far. Might be a good tool for those wanting to make their Vendetta as fast as possible!
Anyway, I am able to go through some history of riding on the V20. Unfortunately recent COVID restrictions in Sydney have prevented me from riding some of my faster riding loops. Just before that restrictions, I did two rides on my fast loop with the only change being going from my OEM V20 wheel/tyre setup to my Roval 50mm carbon wheels with tubeless tyres. This loop is around 80kms with a 20km section by a major motorway with wind assistance from passing traffic (large island between traffic directions, so only near vehicles going in the same direction) which probably enhances CdA calculations. Old wheels came back with 0.166 CdA. Rovals with 0.147. Unfortunately I was unable to continue any testing on this loop after that. My new loops are on lower quality road surface, and more hilly with less traffic related wind. At the same time as I started riding the new loops, I fitted the Brain Box bag. This is quite a large bag, and I am quite short, so in my case, it is higher than my shoulders and exposed to clean air flow (even with the bottom just above the tyre). The brain box did allow me to remove the under seat bottle cage which was also in clean air. On the new loops I am getting consistent CdA in the 0.17-0.19 range. Probably variation due to changes in clothing and weather. Unfortunately I cannot determine if the increase in CdA is due to the change in riding conditions or due to the addition of the brain box. I will test this at some point when restrictions are reduced.
For me the Brain Box is much larger than I need for normal riding. I think it is a good size for long rides that may have variation in temperature and I would then need to carry clothing, so I am glad to have it (can fit in 10 minutes). But normally when I ride it is empty except for my hydration pack and my phone (I have the moose pack for my tools/spares). I would like something smaller that can carry a 1.5L bladder and not much else, but completely out of the clean air. The race case looks like it hits the mark, but for me in Australia, the CB website is quoting me >AU$500 delivered, which is very expensive (the brain box was <$100 delivered). Has anyone farbicated a nice rear pack that is aero and can just hold a 1.5-2L bladder? A nice quality off the shelf bag like the brain box but half the size would also be good. I do prefer soft case options over hard options that rattle and are more likely to crack/break.
Anyway, I am able to go through some history of riding on the V20. Unfortunately recent COVID restrictions in Sydney have prevented me from riding some of my faster riding loops. Just before that restrictions, I did two rides on my fast loop with the only change being going from my OEM V20 wheel/tyre setup to my Roval 50mm carbon wheels with tubeless tyres. This loop is around 80kms with a 20km section by a major motorway with wind assistance from passing traffic (large island between traffic directions, so only near vehicles going in the same direction) which probably enhances CdA calculations. Old wheels came back with 0.166 CdA. Rovals with 0.147. Unfortunately I was unable to continue any testing on this loop after that. My new loops are on lower quality road surface, and more hilly with less traffic related wind. At the same time as I started riding the new loops, I fitted the Brain Box bag. This is quite a large bag, and I am quite short, so in my case, it is higher than my shoulders and exposed to clean air flow (even with the bottom just above the tyre). The brain box did allow me to remove the under seat bottle cage which was also in clean air. On the new loops I am getting consistent CdA in the 0.17-0.19 range. Probably variation due to changes in clothing and weather. Unfortunately I cannot determine if the increase in CdA is due to the change in riding conditions or due to the addition of the brain box. I will test this at some point when restrictions are reduced.
For me the Brain Box is much larger than I need for normal riding. I think it is a good size for long rides that may have variation in temperature and I would then need to carry clothing, so I am glad to have it (can fit in 10 minutes). But normally when I ride it is empty except for my hydration pack and my phone (I have the moose pack for my tools/spares). I would like something smaller that can carry a 1.5L bladder and not much else, but completely out of the clean air. The race case looks like it hits the mark, but for me in Australia, the CB website is quoting me >AU$500 delivered, which is very expensive (the brain box was <$100 delivered). Has anyone farbicated a nice rear pack that is aero and can just hold a 1.5-2L bladder? A nice quality off the shelf bag like the brain box but half the size would also be good. I do prefer soft case options over hard options that rattle and are more likely to crack/break.
Mathew Fy
GRU
I’m jealous of Rick Youngblood’s work:
https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/carbon-fiber-fun.10937/
Post #76 for final form.
Now that is what I am talking about. Could be the perfect project for someone in COVID lockdown!
I read through the thread, and someone mentioned the option of using a thermoplastic Kydex. I imagine it would be easier to work with, but would the result be heavier/less durable? And would it sag on an outdoor ride in summer conditions?
Or I could try to work out how to do it in carbon... I'm pretty handy... how hard can it be??
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
That IS a really snazzy tailpiece. If I could find some CF around here then I might give it a go.
