O. M. G. This has to be the SCARIEST BIKE I have EVER SEEN!!!!!!

I just picked up the "B@#$%".

(That is her name UNTIL I figure her out)

Before I go on much further, I WILL BREAK THIS BRONCO!!!!! I will figure this out!!!

OMG, she is as twitchy as all get out! Every input to the pedals past vertical results in a turn and once she turns, it is hard to get her centered again!

I never realized that the front end would weigh so much more than the rest of the frame!

Any tips on getting her figured out would be SO HIGHLY APPRECIATED!!!

Paul


 

Jeremy S

Dude
You will get better ones from

You will get better ones from others, but a few suggestions based on my experience:

(1) Start facing down a shallow hill, and practice coasting until you are really comfortable.
(2) Sit up straight in the seat for better balance, until you can pedal straight.
(3) Find someone's Sofrider to learn the basics on.
 
I live in BFE so.....

Unfortunately, I live in East Texas so it is me and a Silvio 2.0 within 18 miles. The next bike is either out of state or 100+ miles away!

Thanks for the tips. After dinner, I will be headed to a very large and empty parking lot to start the Flintstoning, lol!!!
 

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
After dinner, I will be

After dinner, I will be headed to a very large and empty parking lot to start the Flintstoning, lol!!!

That's a good idea. Coast around the parking lot with gentle pedaling now and then. It's your reflexes trying to (over)correct what your legs are doing. Once the coordination between legs & arms gets better, so will everything else. just be patient, it will all come together. After you have done the parking lot lessen report back.
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Break those habits; not that horse

[[Stolen verbatim from another thread]]

Here's the script we use when people come to ride the Quests and see if it's for them. We've refined this over a bunch of people this summer; we are at 20 riders as of August; Some family, some friends, and a good number of former strangers.

If doing this on a Silvio or a Vendetta either sit up for all of these steps or put something behind you back to raise the angle to at least 40 degrees. It's easier to train your hands and feet if you aren't also training your balance. We keep all the quests set at 43 degrees and people learn pretty easy; especially bent riders. The laying back will come easier as a secondary skill. For example going from Silvio 27 degree to Vendetta 20 degrees took me only two full rides; but it was darn shaking for me at first; the lower you go the more balance you have to adjust to; so just take that out of the equation; riding sitting up is a great skill that you will want for intersection and going up step hills, so use it for your learning.

So......


1) Find a parking lot with about a 1-2% pitch. Go to the high end.

2) Do 5 coast down with your feet up in the air spread eagle. Yeah it sounds stupid; but get them as high as you can. This will help you learn the glide and slide mounting trick. Do at least 5, not 1, not 2, at least 5.

3) Do 2 coast downs with you feet just resting on the pedals Do not pedal; your ego will want to, don't do it.

4) Do 3 coast down with you feet just resting on the pedals and steer just a touch using only your foot pressure (this is harder than it sounds; but you need to learn what it feels like) Again resist the urge to pedal the best students wait. You are trying to teach the brain the subtle things.

5) Start doing runs with pedaling 5 or 6 minimum. Straight lines; down and back up the incline. Avoid turning; stop the bike; turn it 180 and go the other direction.

6) Start doing shallow turns; when you turn "DROP" your outside shoulder; it should feel like a reverse shrug; just relax you shoulder muscle so the shoulder drops. This is the same thing you do on racing motorcycles and snowmobiles you have to lean OUT ever so slightly on the turn; this is the opposite of what you do on a road bike. This is the #1 thing DF riders do wrong; they want to lean in to the turn; and coast; at which point they start to fall into the ground. Took watching several struggle to figure that out. This was a hard learned lesson that Bill paid for with his ankle injury. Those that came later owe him one for that.

7) After you can do the shoulder drop; do some pedaling figure-8's. Start big and work smaller; go Both directions; one side will be way easier that the other; that is you dominate side. Make note if it's easier to go left or right. Pedal through the turns if you feel tipping. This is the first bike you've had that you can pedal through any turn. You may have to slam a foot down on your weak direction the first few times.

8 ) Now consider your #7 results. If you turn left and it feels like you will fall into the ground then your right foot is dominate; if you feel like when you turn right you will fall into the ground then you left foot is dominate. If you feel like you are going to fall doing both you are a freak and need to continue practicing #7. Using your dominate foot Practice your up hill starts using this technique

http://cruzbike.com/looking-riding-tips-toe-clips-or-snap-shoes-general-steering-and-uphilldownhill-riding#comment-27416

After you can do the hill starts you are ready for riding out of the parking lot.



Regarding #6 Eric has wisely pointed out that one for the most fun aspects of these bikes is leaning into the turn and carving out the corner like no other bike can. That aggressive riding is indeed fun. Eric was a Gymnast, and I spent years slalom skiing. If you have good balance and time on the bike you might be carving out corners too with vigor, check out the cruzmoose's videos like this one http://cruzbikesilvio.wordpress.com/2014/08/02/chasing-ms-daisy/ For the learning phase, that's best left as a future goal.
 
Her name is "V"itch!!!!! lol

Rick,

The bike is a Vendetta TT trimed out with Bontager Wheels, Gatorskin tires, a SRAM Force groupset and Look pedals.

10609174_10152177626991682_1600536612_n(1).jpg


10550961_850981671579222_1412986543240854118_n.jpg


10612619_851094514901271_6776333293386864328_n.jpg


I made probably 20-30 large loops with no wrecks. Several quick stops with the rear end coming up high.

I have figured out that I can use a straight leg to oppose a turn to the other direction. I also learned that my upper body will definitely get a workout on this baby!

The gears on this baby are sweet and make my DF look horrible in comparison. I need to do a lot of TLC on the DF after riding this girl!

Still having to Flintstone the starts going downhill too. But I actually rode that Vitch!!! lmao!!!!
 

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
Nice Paul!!
After my first


Nice Paul!!

After my first ride, my arms were pretty sore. But 2-3 rides in, the soreness went away. My arms and pecs are much more toned from riding the S and V. It's nice getting the upper body worked out. sounds like you are making progress. Look over Ratz's list above, good stuff, he's the Cruzbike teacher
wink_smile.gif
!

Good luck!
 

1happyreader

zen/child method
1+ on the outside shoulder

Thanks,,,,,, Ratz,, 1+ on the outside shoulder at low speeds !
I was getting by leaning in but have a low speed uphill hairpin ( you are suppose to walk your bike on this foot bridge) that is a little less challenging now !
"6) Start doing shallow turns; when you turn "DROP" your outside shoulder; it should feel like a reverse shrug; just relax you shoulder muscle so the shoulder drops. This is the same thing you do on racing motorcycles and snowmobiles you have to lean OUT ever so slightly on the turn; this is the opposite of what you do on a road bike. This is the #1 thing DF riders do wrong; they want to lean in to the turn; and coast; at which point they start to fall into the ground. Took watching several struggle to figure that out. This was a hard learned lesson that Bill paid for with his ankle injury. Those that came later owe him one for that."
Paulckennedy,,, I regret NOT going thru Each step from the users manual. going fast and straight is easy ( and tempting ) spending your parking lot time learning lower speed handling , it will pay off in a big way later.

you get to be a kid again and learn to ride a different two wheeled vehicle .big smile.

later ....... bye
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Seat Cushions?

Paul,

Do you have the seat cushions? In that distance shot It looks like you are laying on the bare fiber/carbon seat?
 
Not much cusioning there!

Ratz,

Yes I have the cushions but I must say that if I am disappointed in anything, it would have to be the cushions. I will probably get something custom to replace them.
 

Andrew 1973

Zen MBB Master
Front's Not Heavy...

"I never realized that the front end would weigh so much more than the rest of the frame!"

You just have to get past the idea that the front end of a bike is the light end. A bike is typically heaviest where the drive train components are fitted. Try walking a Bacchetta around backwards while holding the handlebars, and you'll realize how much heaver the rest of the frame is that the fork. :)
 
Makes sense Andrew!

It just caught me off guard.

Does make me wonder if the handling on this bike only gets better with added weight to the rear as say with a solid wheel or paniers.
 

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
Paul, the handling of the

Paul, the handling of the bike will feel better, once you are acclimated or married to the FWD MBB. I believe the V to have excellent low and high speed handling.

As 1happyreader said above "you get to be a kid again and learn to ride a different two wheeled vehicle"
 
4 laps with 2 PEDAL STARTS!!!!! YEA!!!!!

I did it!!!!

I brought it to work to show it off. After I ate my lunch, I took the bike out in the parking lot.

I was able to get in 4 stable laps in the space of 10 parking spaces long around a column of 2 rows with green end curbs.

And I was able to start with pedal pushes each of the times that I took off on the bike!

You really do have to marry the FWD MBB.

Paul
 
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