My Very First Recumbent is a V20

[Jeffers]

I grasp and pull on bars that are parallel to my arms like you are now with your pursuit bars.
So I'm a big fan of grips that get wider at the bottom, and can't slip out of my hands.
I install them with the finger grooves up, and the wide side down for a perfect pistol type grip.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I did 80km with the new bars, brake levers and shifters and the new system seems to be coming around. My CdA was hovering around 0.220-0.230 with the older bars and brifters even though it had been around 0.2. Todays ride with the new system was 0.208. The drop bars were 390mm wide so I had to angle them up a tad to clear my legs. This also stuck the brifters up in the airflow A LITTLE as opposed to having them flat. Miniscule gains or losses, but oh well. The Deda Tribar is I think 440mm, but even if it is 420mm it is wide enough to lower them enough to clear my legs.

With all of that said, looking from the side I can see that my Limar helmet could be improved greatly, so I went to check out Icaro's Nero Hero helmet in white with a brown UVA/UVB lense. It is a full face mask with a shield that flips up, and it looks like it would be quite a bit more aero than my Limar. What I didn't notice until later was just how weird it sits on my head with quite a bit of jaw hanging out of the bottom.

Limar




Nero Hero



I didnt change anything on the V20 seat or headrest between those pics. While the camera height is not the same in the pics you can see that the shield angle is more sloped on the Nero Hero, and the taper in back would likely be more aero than the Limar. In Winter I think the Nero Hero would be perfectly fine. It has an anti-fog lense that I tried to make fog up in the test fitting but was unsuccessful. The 6 small vents in it would probably not provide much cooling in Summer. Many would probably say my Limar is a hot helmet in Summer with its small slits, but at least some air could enter through the gaps between the lense and the ear holes. Wearing a skull cap doused in water would assist in cooling but I have a feeling that some riders would find the helmet too hot for cycling.

As for the weight, it is listed as 790g for the CF version with a +/- of 50 grams for the amount of resin added, but I think it is fair to say a painted Nero Hero is going to weigh 850g, which is about double the weight of a standard bike helmet.

Fitting: The Nero Hero comes with 3 sets of pads. S, M and L. My head shape is oblong, and even installing the thinnest set of pads in front and back, the helmet was pressing quite hard on the front of my head. 1 thing I was surprised about is that the rear of the helmet set high enough that I didn't need to adjust my headrest bars at all. With the lense down, there was plenty of space for my sunglasses so I didn't have to worry about the lense or my sunglasses getting damaged.

I didn't think to test out the drink tube from my hydration bladder, but from what I remember about the fit it seems I could probably slip it under the helmet.

Price: ¥68000 is a lot of money for a helmet, even though it does offer quite a bit more impact protection than a typical bike helmet.

Now for the verdict? Would I buy one? I got hit right under the Limar with lense by a bug today while doing about 38kph and that really hurt. Wearing the Nero Hero would have been great for that. Since Winter is approaching and I have no plans for any rides with significant climbing, the Nero Hero seems like it would be a great choice especially since it looks quite a bit more aero than my Limar.
But ¥68000? Nah, gonna have to give this one a pass for a while.

 

[DavidCH]

Monokote on a high vented helmet anyone?... you can pay some high prices indeed for a helmet

 

[Jeffers]

I can't imagine a more aerodynamically shaped helmet for a V20.
It makes your current helmet look like a parachute in comparison,
because it was designed to be aero in a head down road bike position.
Does the chin bar block your vision much?

 

[Frito Bandito]

It does look like a very aero helmet Jeffers. I'd have to take a Dremel grinder to the inside though just to match it with my nogging shape. Nah, the chin bar didn't really block much. As you know I have the hydration pack on my chest. That allows just a sliver of view under the bars near the stem, and the chin bar sat pretty flush with the hydration bag visually. Someone looking to buy and use that helmet would have to consider how far flat they want their head to be because it will push the chin bar up if it is too reclined. I kind of liked the transition between the hydration bag and chin bar though

 

[DavidCH]

Can't you lower your cda by riding one handed? LOL (it kind of takes the matter out of your hands)

 

[Frito Bandito]

Can't you lower your cda by riding one handed? LOL (it kind of takes the matter out of your hands)

I tried that and it felt like my elbow was sticking out too much. Maybe it was the hydration bag not allowing me to hid it in the wind shadow of my legs.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I reinstalled the Rixen Kaul bag on the back this time with Zip Ties, stuffed the inside and pockets with stuff and stuck a rain jacket in the outside netting to show it fully loaded. I also put on the rain cover. It's not Vendetta yellow, but I didn't have a choice.

 

[Frito Bandito]

My Wahoo Bolt has been great since I have been using it, but it is getting old and the battery life started becoming an issue. At a 16 or so hours of charge time when I first bought it now holds about an 8-10 hours of charge time. I didn't need maps since I can navigate Tokyo quite well without one, and the few times I did need to use a map for directions I simply used my iPhone. Not wanting to keep my iPhone connected to my bars and have it jiggling around, I decided to buy a cycling computer with maps, and the best battery life I could find. The Garmin 1040 Solar was an option, but that was prohibitively expensive. Actually, all of the Garmin products that had maps and a decent battery life were more expensive than I was comfortable paying. I checked the Wahoo Roam and Bolt, and while both Wahoo and Garmin are quite intuitive for my Jurassic brain to learn to work, the Wahoo choices also cost more than I really wanted to spend. Same thing with the Ride options, but those were getting a bit more into my price range.

A bit of searching lead me to the Lezyne, specifically the Mega XL Enhanced GPS. I had read many comments that many Mega C users wished they had upgraded to the Mega XL right from the start, so I thought I would do that so I wouldn't get buyers remorse. As of right now, I still don't need maps, but I can put those on the unit when required. I put 8 pages of ride data on 1 page. Current speed, current power, 3 second power average, current ride distance, clock, HRM, cadence and average speed. Since I don't use HR for training, I could swap that out for current ride time. The best thing though is that this Mega XL has a large enough battery to record for 48 hours straight. Of course less once you start using navigation and sensors, but 48 hours? Good Lawd!

It has Bluetooth and Ant+, and I can put it in portrait or landscape mode on the bars. Touch screens are nice, but in rain and/or cold with gloves they could be an issue. I simply like buttons. Or, I like simple buttons.

 

[Andrew Wilson]

A bit of searching lead me to the Lezyne, specifically the Mega XL Enhanced GPS. I had read many comments that many Mega C users wished they had upgraded to the Mega XL right from the start, so I thought I would do that so I wouldn't get buyers remorse. As of right now, I still don't need maps, but I can put those on the unit when required. I put 8 pages of ride data on 1 page. Current speed, current power, 3 second power average, current ride distance, clock, HRM, cadence and average speed. Since I don't use HR for training, I could swap that out for current ride time. The best thing though is that this Mega XL has a large enough battery to record for 48 hours straight. Of course less once you start using navigation and sensors, but 48 hours? Good Lawd!

It has Bluetooth and Ant+, and I can put it in portrait or landscape mode on the bars. Touch screens are nice, but in rain and/or cold with gloves they could be an issue. I simply like buttons. Or, I like simple buttons.

I have had the Lezyne Mega XL for a couple years. I love it, Landscape mode is really great on the V20. I like it so much that I have taken the computers off my Cervelo and my Mt Bike and just added mounts for the Lezyne.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I have had the Lezyne Mega XL for a couple years. I love it, Landscape mode is really great on the V20. I like it so much that I have taken the computers off my Cervelo and my Mt Bike and just added mounts for the Lezyne.

For some reason I am really not surprised haha.

 

[DavidCH]

Why not just try and replace the battery in the bolt.... it could be an interesting thing to watch on YouTube.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Why not just try and replace the battery in the bolt.... it could be an interesting thing to watch on YouTube.

I didnt think of that, so I just might try it. It's funny, because I thought of changing the batteries on my Gen 2 Arccos swing Caddies for my golf clubs even though they are not meant to be changed, as well as the batteries for my SRAM WIreless Blips when they eventually go out, but I didnt think of that for the Bolt. I was just going to give it to a friend if he wanted it.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I've got almost 13,000km on my SRAM AXS system with my KMC chain, Shimano R7000 105 52/34t chainring and 12-speed Ultegra 11/30t cassette. It has worked pretty much flawlessly since installation. My chain checker found a 0.75 stretch and recommends it is time to change soon. However, I just bought a 53t chainring to install on my 105 cranks, a new Ultegra 12-speed chain, and have an Ultegra 11-34t cassette that I will try to put on. The 53t chainring will give me a slightly higher top end, but the 11-34t cassette will give me a slightly better climbing ability.

Ultegra's 12-speed cassettes come in the following configuration
• 11-30T sprocket teeth combination: 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-24-27-30T
• 11-34T sprocket teeth combination: 11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27-30-34T

I am not sure if the V20's FD stalk is long enough to raise the FD high enough for the 53t but we will see.
Additionally, I have a spare 36t front chainring in case the 34t is too small, or too much of a jump for the 53t.

 

[DavidCH]

I'm going to chime in, LOL. You probably won't like what I am going to say but it's cheaper to renew the chain every year than to replace other parts more frequently.

 

[Frito Bandito]

No worries David
My 105 crankset lasted about 14 months with my Shimano groupset for the first year, and then another 14 or more with my AXS groupset. I basically spent all that time on the 52t ring. It is still working fine, but I have been wanting a 53t for a specific KOM where my 52t has me spinning above 120rpms just to get close to it. My 12-speed Ultegra cassette I have on now is still ok, but I'd like that 1 more climbing gear. Whether the change (losing the 16t on the 11-34t) turns out to be too bothersome... who knows? But I can always switch back to the 11-30t if so. I finally found a source for 138L 12-speed Shimano with SilTec (Ultegra?) at an LBS for about $35 so I just might buy 1 or 2 and rotate between them with good cleanings and lubes.

 

[Don1]

I wouldnt worry about the fd step up from 34 to 53.. I run a 30-50 front chainrings (and they are both narrow wide and shouldn't like shifting but its fine)

 

[Don1]

"but I'd like that 1 more climbing gear"... those 30m mountains you have are killers.lol

 

[Frito Bandito]

With the 53t I might be able to coast up 'em.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Ultegra 11/34t is on and working properly with the 52t chainring. Biggy/Bigs doesn't sound good, but the chain isn't rubbing on the inside of the FD cage, so it might be just too much cross chaining. Smally/Small limit is 34t/12t. The RD won't let it shift to to the 11t on the cassette when on the small chainring in front. It's strange since the system will allow it to crosschain with Biggy/Bigs. Sounds terrible though. I'll have to check to see if I can have the current cassette gear can show up on the Lexyne Mega XL screen so I will be able to downshift on climbs by only going to the 30t instead of the 34t.

Next up is to give the cranks and front triangle a quick wash so I can remove the cranks, give the BB cups a wipe and regrease before putting on the 53t. If it works fine then I will replace the 118L chain with a new one. If it doesn't work then I will cut the new chain to 120L and give it a try.