I think I want a V20....

[jond]

What did you use to carry your typical audax/brevet gear? Thanks!

Bacchetta brain bag to tour I add banana racers .
However I would tour on Greenspeed gto or challenge hurricane as a preference

 

[DavidCH]

Maybe you are too down in the seat?

Adjust the boom so you have some bend in the leg when fully extended. That will keep you more upright and reduce bottom bracket swing. Go down slower slopes and just keep pedaling. If you stop pedaling you will probably freeze. Get to the desired speed and slow down and keep pedaling. You will adapt for sure.

 

[bladderhead]

I was trying not to seem so out of breath (and felt like I was dying)

Tell that to someone with COPD.

this was a completely new animal

Animal. Sounds about right.

 

[bladderhead]

When cornering and noticing how far over I am, I think about that.

There is only one way to find out how good the tyres are. I have no problem handling my Silvio. I never feel unstable. But it is tyre adhesion and holes in the road that worry me. There is a turn at the bottom of a hill where my lungs would let me go faster, but I do not dare. Last week I managed to get a glimpse of my speedo at the apex of that turn. 31mph. Fastest ever. Not any fitter, just more confident. Over-confident?

Look at the RojoRacing videos. Listen to his brakes. Bloke's a bloody nutter.

 

[DocS]

There is only one way to find out how good the tyres are. I have no problem handling my Silvio. I never feel unstable. But it is tyre adhesion and holes in the road that worry me. There is a turn at the bottom of a hill where my lungs would let me go faster, but I do not dare. Last week I managed to get a glimpse of my speedo at the apex of that turn. 31mph. Fastest ever. Not any fitter, just more confident. Over-confident?

Look at the RojoRacing videos. Listen to his brakes. Bloke's a bloody nutter.

Yesterday, as I was concluding my ride, I got into the concrete parking lot and decided to do some laps to get my last couple miles in...
A couple guys were watching me and after I finished came over and asked what the hell I was riding . They said in the turns, they were betting that I would fall over, because I was leaned so far over and asked if I knew my speed.
I noticed my speed was between 21 and 23 mph. They were surprised and through I had just started my ride. I told them I just finished 28 miles and wanted to get the last 2, so did laps around the lot.

One of the guys is a DF cyclist and is going to check out Cruzbikes at our local dealer!

I need to get a Vendetta!

Blessings,
DocS

 

[K7baixo]

I know the feeling. Years ago, around 1 am, I did a few laps around a big WalMart in Casa Grand AZ. A cop stopped me on the backside, more curious than anything. Maybe boredom played a role.

Anyway, I was at 248 miles for the day and wanted 250. When I showed the cop my GPS, he was astounded. It was a nice encounter!

BTW, you’re in San Antonio? I’ve known Whit Snell at Bike World since 1977 when they were all Schwinn shops. I was stationed at Lackland back then and San Antonio is where I got into cycling. Whit is a good guy and man, did we have fun back then.

 

[DocS]

I know the feeling. Years ago, around 1 am, I did a few laps around a big WalMart in Casa Grand AZ. A cop stopped me on the backside, more curious than anything. Maybe boredom played a role.

Anyway, I was at 248 miles for the day and wanted 250. When I showed the cop my GPS, he was astounded. It was a nice encounter!

BTW, you’re in San Antonio? I’ve known Whit Snell at Bike World since 1977 when they were all Schwinn shops. I was stationed at Lackland back then and San Antonio is where I got into cycling. Whit is a good guy and man, did we have fun back then.

Yup in the San Antonio area. I get to bikeworld from time to time, but don't really spend much time there. I frequent our new Recumbent shop (and Cruzbike retailer) in town more often.

Lots of places to ride here, but it's growing so fast that the rural roads are getting more traffic.

I get a kick out of the double takes I get sometimes. Sometimes people see my bike and notice that it's a recumbent, then it dawns on them that it's "Front Wheel Drive"...

Blessings,
DocS

 

[3bs]

misc responses...
copd? my lungs suck. advair and albuterol get me to about 80%

tire adhesion? i have huge confidence in the the schwables. 462a and the g one speed. yes they are soft and yes they wear, but the are so nice, i am willing to pay for it.

downhilling? yes i try and match revs. however i have found that if i come on the cranks under geared and spin that causes more disruption than if i have positive resistance from the cranks. and i have tried a lot of position change to see if maybe i just sit over one way or the other as well as where i leave my foot after i pedal out. and yes i agree i think i favor the left side more. my legs are the same length, but i am very left footed and left handed. on the v20 i have more problems shifting the bike underneath me than i do on the t50. for whatever reason though, i dont have any of these issues on either m5.

distance on a v20? i find the v to be very easy to ride long distance. but i use a wedge due to my stomach issues, and so i am a little more upright at the head neck area. the upright guys and gals i ride with never seem too concerned about me other than they know i don't like to be pinned to the shoulder, and that i am more affected by cross winds than they are. but they will tuck in close behind me to try and get some draft.

if you have the adjustable headrest or if you don"t use a headrest, you can flip the stock vendetta headrest over and it becomes a great rear luggage rack. it is plenty aero and holds a ton of stuff. plenty of room for any audax kit even a bivy bag. i also have the little frame bag for my pump, tools and spare tire and wallet.

however, like @jond , if i am on a distance tour where speeds are a little slower, i must admit my preferred ride is my greenspeed as well. but i have tweaked out GTS. no worries about balance or even taking my feet out of the clips......

which is why we need a cruzbike trike, under 25 lbs.....

 

[jond]

I’ve put about 800 klm on a pelso brevet last few weeks. It’s a different more all around less focused bike compared to vendetta. It would make a good tourer if you could satisfactorily fit luggage. No bosses on carbon fibre frame. Of course the s40 and q models with their plethora of bosses and luggage options make ideal tourers.

The vendetta is a sports car and brevet a grand tourer as I have them set up. Yep those are work socks and sandals. So so very cool.

 

[benphyr]

Sacrilege! Not the socks and sandals - that's just comfort. The Pelso - another option. No bosses = sacrilege.

There are an awful lot of bikes out there that fit the sole purpose = racing speed. And for those who race the best/ newest one you have (or are allowed to race) may be the one you use most. But which all the rest of the world? And after the first year or two the racer gets a new bike and the old one is now useless. Which of the many in the garage get ridden the most? If you are not constantly racing? Quality rides that are durable - commuter/tourers, mountain bikes, cruzbikes - why because they are comfortable, because they are versatile, because they are functional, practical, can be used for many purposes.

If rack bosses were included as standard on all bikes that would increase the usefulness of every bike to include commuting, touring, shopping, etc. with very small extra financial and weight costs. A lot less bikes in the landfill.

(This comment has been brought to you by one who is not strong enough to race, but is strong enough to commute year round. Bias is in the eye of the typer. Your pedal strokes may vary.)

 

[jond]

Sacrilege! Not the socks and sandals - that's just comfort. The Pelso - another option. No bosses = sacrilege.

There are an awful lot of bikes out there that fit the sole purpose = racing speed. And for those who race the best/ newest one you have (or are allowed to race) may be the one you use most. But which all the rest of the world? And after the first year or two the racer gets a new bike and the old one is now useless. Which of the many in the garage get ridden the most? If you are not constantly racing? Quality rides that are durable - commuter/tourers, mountain bikes, cruzbikes - why because they are comfortable, because they are versatile, because they are functional, practical, can be used for many purposes.

If rack bosses were included as standard on all bikes that would increase the usefulness of every bike to include commuting, touring, shopping, etc. with very small extra financial and weight costs. A lot less bikes in the landfill.

(This comment has been brought to you by one who is not strong enough to race, but is strong enough to commute year round. Bias is in the eye of the typer. Your pedal strokes may vary.)

Lol my pedal strokes Ben are merely a very slight variation of yours and all are in great fun exuberance and the simple joy of cycling. I am in accord with your boss comments. Sadly cycle touring and commuting is secondary to speed and image. But that’s alright as it’s all cycling.

The only bikes I have given up were either sold , passed on or frame broke. So that’s three bikes gone only one to landfill. My oldest bike 1993 cromoly giant mtn bike is my shopping trolley and still has original seven speed gearing. do I need so many gears now consumer head honchos. Yesss I do.

I’m so very very fortunate to have choices as an obsessed cyclist and to live in an affluent nation .

Five bents and five df which is most excessive. My excuse....I don’t smoke or drink take drugs or gamble , worked over 40 years full time and still at it.....wait sorry Benphyr I was confusing you with my ever patient understanding wife lol. And when she gets a bit antsy I show pictures of Larry Oslunds gaggle of bikes. Thanks Larry you saved my bacon in my mind several times over. Like Larry I am not a hoarder

I do ride all my different bents though there is some crossover.

they each are my favourite as I ride them. I don’t race unless there is another bike on the road or a car passes me in a 50 klm/hr zone.

The most ridden bikes now are the most comfy due to my terrible roads. I ride for fun relaxation joy and fitness and an occasional audax sojourn.

The pelso is not a vendetta though it is a high racer format and could be made a very fast bike. I got it to see if the built in carbon frame vertical compliance and carbon fibre attenuation could tame my roads at speed .....like the suspended challenge hurricane or balloon tyres of the greenspeed gto do albeit at slower speeds than my v.

I do feel guilt as I ride the less often ridden and plan on riding them a lot more in retirement. Two years to go . despite loving riding fast I also very much like all other aspects of cycling. Except rain. This is why I must must must have a velomobile

Why do my Australian roads resemble the moon in patches. Because nsw actively subsidies backwater south Australian villages like Adelaide.

Seems carbonfibre bikes lack bosses as a general rule.

In the great df rush to be 20% more aero and stiffer with 40% more compliance whilst looking exactly the same as all the others the frame bosses and practicality of use take third place to driven aesthetic and price.

Who can understand the sum of parts being greater than the whole. And just why are my cycling sandals not more popular. The confusing once arbitrary wasteworld of cruel fashion is now dictated on a defined plate or maybe it always was right. All those good crazy ideas gone. Lol.

In the end I’m blessed to ride as much as I do on a variety of bents that I’m grateful for their existence. They exist because of the passion and commitment of others. Thankyou cruzbike etc

I never was able to land my dream job of being able to cycle commute so have to ride after work as an early morning tradesman. I envy your commute Ben .

I’m sure when the pelso brevet was brought to market some agonising difficult decision making took place to convince parent company Szatuna to support actual family. Familiar tale .

So the bosses were left off but they ticked the build box.

The Hungarian lives rejoice.

I am truly blessed.

 

[super slim]

Is the Carbon Fibre framed Pelso Brevet, more comfortable than the Rear Suspended Hurricane?

Your Local Council, who would be responsible for you potholed roads is obviously spending too much money on the shark protection of the Nudist Beach near you!

 

[bladderhead]

If you use a velo on terrible roads the underside will get smashed in. The wheels will get bent and then jam in the slots.

I like bosses with holes in - somewhere to thread the fencewire. I am a fred, so there is always fencewire somewhere on my bike.

 

[3bs]

@jond
i prefer to call myself a collector, not a hoarder.
i prefer black socks, both at work and on the bikes. natural geekdom is a privilege.
my wife occasionally asks about my objects: "how many of those do you have?..." "uh....only one exactly like that..."

pelso looks interesting. its very similar in layout to a couple of mine, except i am running hamster bars. i wonder sometimes about running wide bars like that. my big problem with some of these older ride is that many are all 650c and its hard to get tires i like. i wish someone made a really nice 650c 30+ i think i favor a little lower BB and a little higher seat angle for slow touring (which is still pretty fast on these bikes)

but, just adding the wedge to the v20 makes it very ride able long distance. and it was jim parker who suggest i just get it rather than an s because i could just drop a wedge in to get a more relaxed seat angle

 

[Kerry Kerr]

What did you use to carry your typical audax/brevet gear? Thanks!

I started riding recumbents in 2013 due to spinal fusion and had run out of other active hobby options that wouldn't injure my back.

My first, a Greenspeed aero trike, loved it! Until....the C2 in 2015, I thought, this is it. Until......my V20 in 2017, steeper learning curve, but I feel I'm riding a bike that I can control, meaning my feet give much so much more feel to the bike and the best part, it is faster, MUCH FASTER. My 'tadpole" route on the C2 , good days for 25 miles would be 18.6 mph avg. On the V, good days were 19.2- 20 mph avg.

In October 2017. I had a bike wreck involving a car turning in front of me. My only option was to lay it down to avoid the impact. I believe the V saved my life because I was able to steer further right than I could have with the C2. It hurt, and after a knee surgery and another spinal fusion, I started riding again in October 2018 on my trike. I bought a S40 in November when my Doctor released me to ride the uprights. I felt with it being more upright and I would be able to stop and start for me, without raising up. It did. Love that bike too! It's fast and I love it for my hiller routes.

There is not a doubt.

These bikes, if considering a recumbent; are comfortable and are the fastest!

 

[Bill Wightman]

I have been riding the V20 for about 7000 miles. The muscle memory is solid and automatic now (knock on wood). My upper body/torso is stronger as are my arms and hands. I have modified the bike seat to raise my hips and my arms are lower and more inboard than stock. The stock V20 is easy with patience and practice to develop automatic responses to all situations. If you mod the handlebars you will have to update how you respond to tight turns and how soon you clip out and in. I usually clip out my stop foot early at any intersection with any remote possibility of stopping and do not clip it back in until I have stable speed from a one leg start. The most important thing is to put in the miles and take safety precautions all the time near cars and always have lights front and back appropriate for day or night riding. The correct lights in the back will get cars changing lanes easily 1/2 mile further back. I always have a slow strobe and a solid in back with lots of red retro-reflective tape.
The V20 is truly fast. Two weeks ago I finished the Hotter n Hell 100 mile ride (was not so hot this year) in 5:03. I will get it under 20 mph next year because I will do some drafting on the early flats. Did not do any drafting this year. We have been riding 70-80 mile 21 mph weekend rides all summer here in Houston. I ride off the back of a DF peleton with no drafting but I have to be careful because they tend to cut me off at the lights, so it is a bit of a yo-yo game.
I keep making speed mods to the bike because I am so lazy and I love seeing a higher cruising speed at the same heart rate. I think I have tried about 12 mods and only three so far were worth keeping. The latest was to simply put a coroplast vee fairing behind the handlebars. I can hear the difference as well as measure it. The V20 has a lot of small airplane-like features that are not well faired.

 

[Andrew Wilson]

I only have about 100 miles over 4-5 days and I feel I’m adapting very quickly. I’m so glad I ran across this bike and dont regret buying at all. Go for it, you won’t regret it.

 

[cpml123]

coroplast vee fairing behind the handlebars.

Pictures please?

 

[bladderhead]

Yes, upload images.

On my Silvio, for low-speed handling, it helps a lot to sit up and lean forward. I modified the bars and now there is a lot of space in front of my chest, which makes leaning forward a lot easier. You say you have your hands closer than normal and you have a fairing behind the bars. Does that pin you to the seat? Is it difficult to get on and off? How sharp can you turn?

 

[Andrew Wilson]

Bill, I too would like to hear/see more bout your bars and stuff.
I'm sure that once I'm through the learning period I'm going to want to change the bars too.