Proof of Upper Body Engagement

[Andrew 1973]

I don't think that anyone who rides a Cruzbike needs to be convinced, but after riding my Cruzbike Silvio after an almost five month hiatus, I can testify to the upper body engagement that riding a Cruzbike commands.

You know that feeling of the day after lifting weights for the first time? It's sort of like that. I woke up quite sore in the following areas:

• Infraspinatus muscle (rotator cuff group)
• Teres Minor
• Teres Major
• Triceps
• Biceps
• External abdominal oblique muscles
• Deltoids (maybe just a little)
• Lower portions of abdominal muscles

I'm not complaining; it's a good kind of pain.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

So true Andrew, that's one of

So true Andrew, that's one of the many things I like about the Cruzbike...it is a fact that you do get virtually a full body workout. I'm 58 and feel 38 again! The first real ride on the Silvio, I was real sore in arms and pecks. And then my first big ride of 50 miles, my arms were once again very sore. Now I no longer get sore...so I'm just hoping to be able to stay on the bikes throughout the winter as much as possible.

 

[Suz]

Thanks for the post.

Thanks for posting this, I was just wondering about an upper body workout with the Cruzbike this week-end.
Another question perhaps you can comment on - I loved the feeling of riding my road bike after work because I could hop on and get my frustrations worked out. I'm not sure if it was because of the crouched over position, or that you could grab the bike and pump the pedals to work up speed and work off stress, but regardless I felt like I could pound out my day on a ride. Now, due to a bad neck, and back surgery I moved to a recumbent trike, which is SO slow, and I feel like I'm in a recliner chair while riding (in a lazy kind of way), plus as mentioned earlier I don't get any upper body workout. I know I haven't given it a chance and worked up my recumbent legs, but it's frustrating to move so slow.
So my main question is can you pound out your stress during a ride once you've become skilled on the bike? Do you feel like you've melted away the day when you are finished with a ride on a Cruzbike?
Thanks for the input.

 

[chrisblessing]

YES!!!

Whoops. Sorry. Off for a ride...

 

[Charles.Plager]

Suz, I agree with Chris. You

Suz, I agree with Chris. You can definitely pound on a Cruzbike. (If you really want a abs workout, push against the handlebars and lift your butt out of the seat. You'll be producing a lot of power for a (very in my case) short time).

What I really like about Cruzbikes is that you can get an upper body workout if you want one, and not if you don't.

I went for a short ride yesterday. What was different was that this was the first time I've ridden without towing at least one kid on a trail-a-bike. So easy to balance...

 

[LarryOz]

I'll definitely agree with

I'll definitely agree with all that is said.
When I ride really hard (>80 of my FTP), my abs are aching when I am done!
The other thing that I noticed, is that you see how week you upper body is after you ride for 3-4 hours, or more of course.
My arms ached and had cramps for the first 2 months of learning to ride my Silvio 2.0.
When I transitioned to the Vendetta 2.0, I did not have as much of a problem, probably because I was already conditioned pretty good.
Since I am into the long distance stuff like, I have made a habit of going to the gym M,W,F, and doing 30 minutes of upper body workouts. That helps considerably for the long rides.

 

[Robert Holler]

Best thread of the week

Best thread of the week here!

Robert

 

[MrSteve]

Hot Thread!

The day after my first-ever ride on the crazy, new MBB,
my lower back was ablaze with pain.
My workout history told me that the pain was from over-use
of under-used and over-exercised muscles.

Now, years and thousands of miles later, I can hop
on the bike and go:
Pain-free, even with wimpy Winter-coddled muscles.

It's possible to put down good power without engaging
your upper-body muscles.
One Cruzbike rider who posted here a lot used to say that
he learned to use his hips to steer the bike, rather than use
his upper body all the time.
This works well.

I have learned to keep my upper body relaxed too...
except when I need either a burst of power or to sprint.
Counter-steering/leaning the bike in time with your pedaling
cadence is mostly how I counter pedal-steering:
I do this with my whole body and let the bike frame do
all the work.
That's exactly how you counter pedal-steering forces when
you are sprinting on a standard-frame DF bike.

You know, this bike CAN give you a great whole-body workout.
But I'm posting this to let you know that this bike can give you
a very relaxing, grand-touring riding experience that allows
you to dust your buddies on their D.F. bikes on long, fast tours.
Almost all the speed without wearing down your upper body!

Finally, a solid D.F. power train coupled to an ergonomic and comfortable cockpit.

Commit to learning your MBB bike well and it will continue to thrill you
for years.

-Steve

 

[Andrew 1973]

Good Point!

"You know, this bike CAN give you a great whole-body workout.
But I'm posting this to let you know that this bike can give you
a very relaxing, grand-touring riding experience that allows
you to dust your buddies on their D.F. bikes on long, fast tours.
Almost all the speed without wearing down your upper body!"

 

[Rick Youngblood]

+1

"You know, this bike CAN give you a great whole-body workout.
But I'm posting this to let you know that this bike can give you
a very relaxing, grand-touring riding experience that allows
you to dust your buddies on their D.F. bikes on long, fast tours.
Almost all the speed without wearing down your upper body!"

Yes, very good point indeed.

These bikes are very comfortable, absolutely!

I did my first ever 100 mile century this year on my Silvio 2.1 and then did one on my Vendetta 2.0. And then shortly followed up by my first 200K double metric on the Vendetta which put me in the saddle for a total of 8 hours and 10 minutes - I took my time and treated the ride a tour. I was very comfortable and relaxed during the duration of the ride.

I plan to hopefully do a mini-CC-tour 3-5 days next spring on the Vendetta.

 

[Lief]

A subtle point, I don't see

A subtle point, I don't see represented yet: the different feeling you get hammering different bikes.

Suz, you said you used to like "grabbing your bike" (DF) but don't get the same experience on the Trike. You know you aren't going to be in Le Tour but you don't like the feeling that you are missing something just because it's harder.

different strokes for different folks caveat - everyone rides for their own reasons and I can imagine that the definition of "hammering" can be pretty vague and trikes are fun in their own way and that addresses those needs for different people and even the same person at different times - we all love bikes a lot and these fill a hole.

ok - getting that out of the way.

I will attest to a similar feeling but between two fairly similar bikes - I'm sure others (Ratz, Rick, Larry) might even notice it between two VERY similar bikes. It's almost like you mail it in before you even try simply because you've 'tasted the nectar' and it is sweet.
You can't un-taste it.

Silvio 1.0
This *was* my fast bike. I loved to get it up to speed fast, hammer it on my commute and as you say, ride the frustrations out. It was such a profound difference from my first recumbent (Lightning Thunderbolt) and I was ecstatic. Put a rack on it, put some fenders on, put a bag on it with a laptop etc...it began getting sluggish. Still a helluva bike and every May I'd strip it down and race it. So sweet.

Then I became the happy partner to a Vendetta 2.0.
And now I'm sad to say that my Silvio 1.0 kinda feels like a tank. The feeling of getting into that Vendetta, and literally grabbing it and having your way with the road is unmatched - it's the opposite of frustrating and it makes a ride on my Silvio feel pedestrian by comparison - and the Silvio is STILL a hot bike and yes I can still come home from a ride on it and be tired and lose the stress through exertion on it and all that (just like you can on a trike) - but it just doesn't feel the same, most segments are just a little harder, the rampant exhilaration just isn't all there quite as much. I think it's the combination of exercise and that sweet exhilaration that melts the stress the best/most.

If at all possible I ride the Vendetta.

I've told other people things about the Vendetta like:
- it's lighter.
- it's stiffer.
- it's more aero.
- it's tighter.

But those are just plain features. They may be quantifiable but they are boring.
There is something else - the gestalt of riding a light, nimble, powerful, fast, well put together machine.**

You grab it, crank it, spin it, turn it - whatever - it just goes where you want.

It feels like you are on rails.
It feels like you finally made it off the beach, now running on firm ground.
It feels unfair.

That comparison is only meant to reinforce a subtle point:

I've felt the 'loss' that I think you are describing, even switching from the Vendetta back to the Silvio, and I can only imagine that it's magnified going from a DF (in the drops, in the crouch) to a trike.

So, if you are wondering " Can I get that feeling in one of these Cruzbikes? "

The answer is, unequivocally, yes.





** in all fairness I felt it once when I test rode a nice Bachetta Corsa many moons ago, pre-Silvio.

 

[Andrew 1973]

"And now I'm sad to say that

"And now I'm sad to say that my Silvio 1.0 kinda feels like a tank."

I'm kinda sad to read that. Now I need to set my sites on a Vendetta? Just last night, I promised my daughter I'd help her save up for a new cello. I can buy a complete V20 and a backup V20 frameset for the price of said cello.

I'll be happy with my Silvio for quite some time, I'm sure. She has out-played her current cello and I am far from out-riding my Silvio.

 

[Robert Holler]

Lief,
I will gladly take that

Lief,

I will gladly take that older tan...-er...Silvio off your hands

Different animals though for sure - that is the beauty of the different Cruzbike models. Each one fills a need, yet all of them are fast by comparison to other bikes of similar utility/niche.

Robert

 

[LarryOz]

st 104 mile

Andrew,
Just don't ride a V, then you won't know what you are missing!
In my first 12 hour race last August, I rode my S for this first 104 miles, then Maria lent me her V for the next 52. Even though it was sized way wrong and I had other troubles, I tasted the speed and the aero. When I got back on my S for the remaining 5 hours of that 12 hour ride, I was comfortable again, but I tell you I felt as if I was sitting straight up in the wind dragging an open coat with me.
The difference is amazing.
You'll get a V one day - I am sure of it!
Larry

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Some interesting thoughts

Some interesting thoughts indeed.

Hoping not to get this threat too far off basis, but maybe it's to late already.

Owning and riding the Vendetta 2.0 and Silvio 2.1, I find the difference to be a little more subtle - maybe! I guess I'm looking for a greater difference between these bikes, in order to justify owning both, it's not huge. They are both extremely fast and efficient bikes. To me, efficient is the most important part of what they offer, whether I'm riding slow or fast, I want efficient. The obvious for me is the V slips through air a little faster than the S. I see this when riding into head winds and fast downhills, however it becomes less obvious on flats and hill climbing - this data comes from the "seat of my pants power meter". So far I can't find or see a difference when hill climbing (not to be confused with rollers, the V excels at this and will be "possibly-considerably-maybe" faster than the S2 ) when comparing these two bikes - I can say for sure these two bikes are faster and more efficient climbers than anything I've ridden whether it be recumbent or "ass-hatchet" (DF).

As Lief pointed out, the V 2.0 is tighter/solid feeling, and I think absorbs the road imperfections better than any non-suspended recumbent I've owned to date.

 

[Lief]

Robert,
I know it comes off

Robert,
I know it comes off like I don't appreciate the Silvio 1.0. I do - it's just a different thing.

And it's so very close, relatively speaking, to a Vendetta when comparing nearly all Trikes with almost any DF roadbike.

If I can experience the difference there then Suz ought NOT to take the similarities of the reclined position too far when comparing Cruzbikes with...as you say...pretty much anything else - especially trikes.

and Andrew,
I know, you of anyone, doesn't need any more convincing but if you are in the Seattle area (you were at one time?) and want to take the Vendetta I have out for a spin let me know - I'm sure we could arrange something.

and again - don't let it get you down. The Silvio (especially in one-of-a-kind-retina-burning-green) is a great machine and STILL a better commuter (for me) than the Vendetta.

 

[Andrew 1973]

"In my first 12 hour race

"In my first 12 hour race last August, I rode my S for this first 104 miles, then Maria lent me her V for the next 52. Even though it was sized way wrong and I had other troubles, I tasted the speed and the aero."

What would you say about differences in your power output and muscle engagement between the two bikes?

"You'll get a V one day - I am sure of it!"

I'm positive I will get a V in the not-too-distant future. For now, I have a one-of-a-kind Silvio that I have yet to push my limits on.

 

[Andrew 1973]

 
"...take the Vendetta I

"...take the Vendetta I have out for a spin..."

Lief,

I'm in the Tri-Cities of the "Everbrown State", but I have my sights on riding STP in July. Maybe afterwards you could give me a formal indoctrination to the Vendetta. I'd definitely take you up on your offer.

 

[Andrew 1973]

That is one sinister looking

That is one sinister looking trike.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

...you can tweak a Quest to

...you can tweak a Quest to do the same.

I thought that. Looking at the 700C + road brakes in one of the Quests posts. It look likes it should be a fast bike and should be efficient enough to blast past many roadies and and other non-Cruzbike bents weighing in half.