Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I haven't been able to get out the past couple of days due to work so I took it upon myself to remove the Campagnolo stickers off of the rear wheel. I don't mind small stickers on the wheels but those were huge.
My Very First Recumbent is a V20
- Thread starter Frito Bandito
- Start date
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
And they are building tons more apartments because everyone is abandoning the countrysides. Houses outside of Tokyo are cheap as chips now. Farms are closing left and right, and kids want to sell their parent's vacant houses so they don't have to pay property taxes on them anymore.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Going out for a fun 100km tomorrow. I should be well recovered from the last ride, it's a weekday so the bike path should be relatively empty, and the weather is going to be nice. About 40km of it should be pretty fast so I am going to see if I can get some PBs, top 10s, or maybe even a KOM or two. The last time I tried it I had 2 flats in the same trip and had to give up the effort. It is a 27km ride to the starting point, the effort is 40km, then about another 33km back home.
My Mohoc camera doesnt have any image stabilization on it, so when I connect it to the bike either in front or in back the footage is simply terrible. The only place it works decently is on my helmet so that is where I will put it for this ride and then upload it to Youtube in the evening.
My Mohoc camera doesnt have any image stabilization on it, so when I connect it to the bike either in front or in back the footage is simply terrible. The only place it works decently is on my helmet so that is where I will put it for this ride and then upload it to Youtube in the evening.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I was finally able to record a video on the V20 doing a 40ish kilometer sprint here in Japan, and get it uploaded to Youtube. It might still be processing, so please try again later if it is.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Got the other water bottle cage set up under the seat, got the frame and forks waxed, then I put on a silicon cellphone holder by way of sliding the straps into the gap between the bars and the mount on the end of the boom. Now I don't have to worry about the phone falling out of my pocket, and I can actually use it for navigation now when I ride in unfamiliar areas.
I also lowered the mirror from the top of the right grip to the basebar.
Finally, I took out the old head rest bars and put in the adjustable bars to dial in the fit a little better. Sadly, one of the nylon pieces on the Perez clamp decided to malfunction, pulling the threaded and seated nut out when I loosened the hex key bolt. I could get the two nylon pieces out, as well as the metal rod that connects them. However, the only way to remove the hex key bolt with the nut still connected required me to use a Dremel style tool to cut the head off.
I pounded in the two head rest bars with my hand, and they are pretty tight now, but I guess I will find out how long they hold. Looks like I might be needing to order a new Perez clamp, trying to fix the one I have, or trying to find some way to make the bars stay put.
I also lowered the mirror from the top of the right grip to the basebar.
Finally, I took out the old head rest bars and put in the adjustable bars to dial in the fit a little better. Sadly, one of the nylon pieces on the Perez clamp decided to malfunction, pulling the threaded and seated nut out when I loosened the hex key bolt. I could get the two nylon pieces out, as well as the metal rod that connects them. However, the only way to remove the hex key bolt with the nut still connected required me to use a Dremel style tool to cut the head off.
I pounded in the two head rest bars with my hand, and they are pretty tight now, but I guess I will find out how long they hold. Looks like I might be needing to order a new Perez clamp, trying to fix the one I have, or trying to find some way to make the bars stay put.
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benphyr
Guru-me-not
@RojoRacing Any tips or solutions for @Frito Bandito of solutions faster than shipping to Japan regarding his headrest?
super slim
Zen MBB Master
If he has access to a 3D printer and PETG filament, I have printed a set which I am trialling now!
I can not attach a stl file to this forum.
I printed it on a Prusa 3S, with 4 outer perimeter walls, and 40% infill (rectilinear), 0.2mm Quality for 1.75 mm PETG filament.
I used a M5 12 mm dia * 16 mm long SS nut
If interested send me a private message.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Thanks guys. Time is not of the essence now. I just did a 100km ride and it held up well, thanks to the smoothness of the bike path I normally ride on. That thing is really stuck in there well so I think it is going to hold for a while. I don't have a 3D printer, and I don't have access to one now but I will check around to see if I can get access to one. If I can then I will hit you up for the stl file for it. I really appreciate the offer. I gotta say though. Life in 2021 is really great. When I was a kid we saw cartoons of characters just pushing a button on a computer and "Whammo!" there is the part you needed.
As for the new position, it feels great. No need to worry about bugs getting under the lense now, I can carry enough hydration for long rides, my iPhone/Wahoo Bolt are now in a perfect position, and despite the Evel Knievel impersonation I did next to a bunch of roadies watching a V20 fly by, I didn't panic and crash in a ball of flames. I did test the lateral limits on a Conti GP 5000 on my rear 80mm Bullet though and took up all of the 6m wide path doing so though.
As for the new position, it feels great. No need to worry about bugs getting under the lense now, I can carry enough hydration for long rides, my iPhone/Wahoo Bolt are now in a perfect position, and despite the Evel Knievel impersonation I did next to a bunch of roadies watching a V20 fly by, I didn't panic and crash in a ball of flames. I did test the lateral limits on a Conti GP 5000 on my rear 80mm Bullet though and took up all of the 6m wide path doing so though.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I read a while back that Campagnolo worked with Schwalbe to develop tires to go on their 2-way wheels. The set of Bullet 50s and the front Bullet 80 I have are not labeled as 2-way, but the wheel doesn't need any tape and the lips on the inside of the rim look exactly like they are for tubeless tires (checked against actual 2-way rims). So far, after mounting them, filling them with sealant, and inflating them to 90psi they have been holding that pressure for about 6 hours. Gonna give them a whirl tomorrow while being very careful in turns, and at speed. If you guys don't hear from me, clear my browser history and chuck away my phone 
cranky cyclist
Guru
Might want to be careful with PSI. 90 seems like a lot. You wouldn't want
those tires blowing off on a high speed ride.
those tires blowing off on a high speed ride.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Gotcha braddah. I will drop it down to 80 for the next ride. I have been running 25mm tires at about 95-100psi on the back but went with a 28mm this time and will coast down any hills instead of powering down them as well.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Good news. The tires didn't blow off at 80psi. I have to include that I was being a bit more careful in the turns by getting way outside, hugging the inside right in the middle and then taking up all of the outside lane again when exiting it. I reached a max of just over 51kph, and averaged about 29.8kph for 4 hours and 45 minutes (142km). Both were at 80psi at the beginning of the ride. The front was at 78psi at the end, and the rear was at 70psi. My guess is that the rear lost more pressure because seating the tire with the hand pump wasn't working, so I shot a blast of CO2 just to seat it, then topped it off at 90psi yesterday, before letting out 10psi before the ride. The 28mm Pro One on the rear at the lower psi felt great. At lower speeds I unclipped, then tried some pretty sharp turns to see if the tires would blow out, but so far so good. 80 it is.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Update on the headrest. After the Perez clamp biting the bullet I switched from the original headrest bars and suspension headrest to the adjustable bars and suspension headrest by just jamming it into the frame as far as it would go. I figured it would hold tight a bit longer, but it started to rattle when I hit bumps so I thought of trying something new.
For those of you following along, I used the "bedroom lubrication" to slide on the golf grips onto my handle bars. Once it dries the grips won't slide off at all. Well, I cut a couple of pieces of used 25mm tube that was unrepairable to fit over about 75% of the length of the bars. I then spread a bit of the lube on the inside of the tube, and about half way up the head rest bars, and then slid the tube up to the mark, leaving just a little of the tube overhanging the edge of the bars. Carefully I slid the bars back into the frame, being sure not to wrinkle up the tube. It took a bit of pulling the tube down inside the frame where it bunched up, but I finally got the bars seated. Now, they feel pretty snug so lets see if they are able to hold the headrest bars in place without rattling.
For those of you following along, I used the "bedroom lubrication" to slide on the golf grips onto my handle bars. Once it dries the grips won't slide off at all. Well, I cut a couple of pieces of used 25mm tube that was unrepairable to fit over about 75% of the length of the bars. I then spread a bit of the lube on the inside of the tube, and about half way up the head rest bars, and then slid the tube up to the mark, leaving just a little of the tube overhanging the edge of the bars. Carefully I slid the bars back into the frame, being sure not to wrinkle up the tube. It took a bit of pulling the tube down inside the frame where it bunched up, but I finally got the bars seated. Now, they feel pretty snug so lets see if they are able to hold the headrest bars in place without rattling.
Gary Hudson
Active Member
You have an awful lot of that lube laying about...
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I'd really rather not be using it on my bike tho.
If I ever become a Recumbent Youtuber that bottle just might make it into some of my modification videos
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I got a nice deal on three 28mm Schwalbe One tubeless tires and finally got 1 of them on my V20 Bullet front. It feels amazing. Now I have a 25mm Pro One tubeless on the rear but will put on a 28mm once the rear needs replacing, and I am sure it will feel even better. With that said though, while in the tire section of my local bike shop I saw a row of tubes for sale that had sealant already inside. They were almost twice as expensive as regular tubes, but it got me thinking if it would be possible to just add sealant to some of my current tubes provided that they have removable cores. Well, Cycling Weekly has a video showing that it works. Lower rolling resistance is always great without the tubes, but for those of you who haven't gone tubeless yet you may wanna give this a try. I carry a spare tire and tube in my Moose pack just in case, just might stick in a small bottle of sealant and a stem core removal tool as well.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/videos/cycling-tech/how-to-puncture-proof-your-tyres?jwsource=cl
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/videos/cycling-tech/how-to-puncture-proof-your-tyres?jwsource=cl
This is pretty cool. I am going to give it a try!
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I am going to make sure to buy tubes with removable cores just in case in the future.
