Neck rest questions

[JerseyJim]

I'm still getting used to the 30 degree recline of the S30. One thing I'm curious about is how riders deal with vibration and bumps through the neck rest. I find myself lifting my head a lot due to bumpy roads. Is there a trick I'm missing or maybe a better neck rest design out there that does not transmit as much vibration to the head?

 

[Robert Holler]

I have not tried it on an S30, but the suspension adjustable one we have might help quite a bit.

Robert

 

[ChaleJake]

I use the suspension adjustable neck rest on my S30. I do modify the cushion and trim down the plastic piece a bit smaller. I add a bit more cushion to make the neck rest squishy. I have neck troubles and this helps quite a bit.

 

[chicorider]

I noticed this too when I started riding my V20 years ago. The road vibrations were such that I felt like my eyes couldn't focus. But at the time, I had more pressing concerns, like, "how do you even ride this thing?" I was so focused on learning the whole MBB thing and trying not to die, that it wasn't until after I made it through most of the learning curve that I noticed that I had also acclimated to the head rest and road vibrations along the way. The vibrations were still there; they just didn't bother me anymore. I'm not necessarily telling you, "Stick with it. It'll get better." But that was my experience. (I also stuff a block of two-inch thick craft foam inside the head rest sock. That probably helps).

Robert's suggestion of trying the suspension adjustable head rest is also good.

 

[JerseyJim]

Thank you for the suggestions. Now that I'm past the part of the build to get the bike functional and on the road, I'm now in the "fit" phase of tweaking. So far this is the fastest and most fun recumbent I've ever ridden, so you can bet I'll find some solutions to improve the riding experience.

 

[cruzKurt]

In general, only a small spot on the back of my head rests on the headrest on my v20c/v20, so I think that is why I don't really notice. S30 might be different. I have an extra adjustable headrest without the pad if you are interested. You can use the standard headrest pad with it.

 

[JerseyJim]

I have an extra adjustable headrest without the pad if you are interested. You can use the standard headrest pad with it.

Thank you for the offer. I'm going to try adding extra padding to the existing neck rest first. I'll be in touch if that doesn't work out.

 

[castlerobber]

I have an S30. I tried the stock neckrest for a few months, never could get comfortable with it. The suspension adjustable headrest was better--I made it through my first century using it. I put a Thor seat on the bike the next year to raise my shoulders, and adapted the suspension headrest to work with the seat. Still running that setup after 6 years or so.

 

[JerseyJim]

I have an S30. I tried the stock neckrest for a few months, never could get comfortable with it. The suspension adjustable headrest was better--I made it through my first century using it. I put a Thor seat on the bike the next year to raise my shoulders, and adapted the suspension headrest to work with the seat. Still running that setup after 6 years or so.

From what I gather, the suspension headrest seems like the popular solution. I'm one of the lucky ones in that get on fine with the stock Cruzbike seat, which is why I hope I can work something out with the stock headrest. I just did my first century on it over the weekend which made me ask about this subject.

 

[Mathew Fy]

When I first started riding the V20 I used a folded inner tube. (I think it was like those used in wheelbarrows.) That provided a very comfortable ride. I don’t remember where I got the tip from, but this thread helps:

My Neck Rest is better than Yours.

I do believe we can adapt this: http://www.ademhr.com/products/adem2.html to work with the bracket from this: http://cruzbike.com/headrest-cage-mount.html

forum.cruzbike.com

Here’s a pic of mine with the tube inflated just enough.

 

[JerseyJim]

When I first started riding the V20 I used a folded inner tube.

Hey, that's a great idea! Thanks!

 

[JerseyJim]

I tried one of the simple suggestions and got lucky - it worked! I added foam to the neckrest. I had some extra medium density foam from a previous project laying around. I cut a 3"x"8" strip and placed that between the firm foam and the filter foam of the original headrest. It still looks stock but it's just thicker. That foam plumped up the padding enough so that my head sits at a natural feeling position, I can see more of the road, and it feels good. The extra foam has just enough damping so that I can keep my neck on the rest over 90% of the time. While riding this evening, I went over rough patches where before my head would go "thump" and now it goes "boing". Thank you all for the great suggestions. As much as I enjoy inventing stuff, I'm thrilled to have a simple solution.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Glad you got it sorted JerseyJim. I too went with something similar for a while and finally settled on using the Performance Adjustable bars with 2 thick (thicker than in the pic) foam handles over the vertical bars, covered with velcro, and a thin piece of curved plastic cut from a small trash can. I then put a 1cm thick layer of foam on that, and covered it with a koozie. The back of the plastic has velcro as well.


With the previous setup my head had a tendency to sway left and right which is the main reason I went with this. The curved piece keeps my head looking straight ahead, and is super easy to adjust 1 handed even while riding. The adjustment knob on my helmet sits above the pad so there is no interference.