Proper fit w/ the Suspension Adjustable Headrest? How to minimize head vibration?

[HeyHealy]

I went out on my first ride this morning on my new V20c, equipped with the Suspension Adjustable Headrest, but quickly found that my neck/head did not feel good.

I think the headrest was pulled in a little too close and I need to extend the stock tubes a little bit more. But I still wonder where it should be making contact with my head? (My current helmet has rear dial, so I just ordered a Lazer to replace it. I'm sure the helmet is part of the problem.)

What can I do to minimize head vibration? The trails here seem to generate a lot of "chatter" and my head felt like it was vibrating and bouncing a lot, which wasn't pleasant. Can that be solved with just the Suspension Adjustable Headrest, or do I need to look at getting the Adjustable Carbon Fiber Seat and Headrest?

[Picture shows the red irritation on my neck from the bottom of the headrest.]

 

[cpml123]

I went out on my first ride this morning on my new V20c, equipped with the Suspension Adjustable Headrest, but quickly found that my neck/head did not feel good.

I think the headrest was pulled in a little too close and I need to extend the stock tubes a little bit more. But I still wonder where it should be making contact with my head? (My current helmet has rear dial, so I just ordered a Lazer to replace it. I'm sure the helmet is part of the problem.)

What can I do to minimize head vibration? The trails here seem to generate a lot of "chatter" and my head felt like it was vibrating and bouncing a lot, which wasn't pleasant. Can that be solved with just the Suspension Adjustable Headrest, or do I need to look at getting the Adjustable Carbon Fiber Seat and Headrest?

[Picture shows the red irritation on my neck from the bottom of the headrest.]

For me, it's more of a neckrest and not a headrest. It pushes on my neck to move my head forward. I hear you about vibration. I often raise my head a little when I see big bumps coming.

 

[Randyc3]

Hi,
Oh wow. Just working on this now, but it might not apply to you. Found my neck front neck muscles are being strained ion long rides. Generally I lift my head slightly forward on bumpy road sections so all the vibration does not transfer. Getting ready for a long ride(200mi) so thought it would be an appropriate time to address this. Made a 3d helmet rest cradle so I could give my neck muscles a periodic rest. Cradle is mounted in foam and then forced in between the headrest tubes. My current prototype cracked so a new design is now on the 3d printer. Feel free to PM if you need details.

 

[ChaleJake]

I use the suspension adjustable headrest. I do not have it as low as you. Mine sits just barely below my helmet. I use a Lazer. It doesn’t touch the top of my shoulders. I change out the foam to softer material and shorten the headrest plastic. The headrest plastic digs into my neck if I don’t shorten it. I probably trim the plastic about a 1/2”. I add softer foam to customize where I want the headrest to sit. I toss the foam that comes with it. The type of foam can act as some cushioning to soak up a few bumps.

Your shoulder area looks really red. So, you might try adjusting it up a little. Some extra cushion material might also help. Good luck.

 

[HeyHealy]

I use the suspension adjustable headrest. I do not have it as low as you. Mine sits just barely below my helmet. I use a Lazer. It doesn’t touch the top of my shoulders. I change out the foam to softer material and shorten the headrest plastic. The headrest plastic digs into my neck if I don’t shorten it. I probably trim the plastic about a 1/2”. I add softer foam to customize where I want the headrest to sit. I toss the foam that comes with it. The type of foam can act as some cushioning to soak up a few bumps.

Your shoulder area looks really red. So, you might try adjusting it up a little. Some extra cushion material might also help. Good luck.

I ordered a Lazer helmet, which will be here next week. Good idea about trimming the plastic. That bottom edge is what was digging into the base of my neck. Also a good idea to try swapping the foam. I still wonder about head vibration. Even with those changes, and moving the headrest up, it still seems like bumps/cracks would deliver vibration straight to my head. Colorado roads are rough, and the trails have a lot of bumps from the cracks.

 

[HeyHealy]

Hi,
Oh wow. Just working on this now, but it might not apply to you. Found my neck front neck muscles are being strained ion long rides. Generally I lift my head slightly forward on bumpy road sections so all the vibration does not transfer. Getting ready for a long ride(200mi) so thought it would be an appropriate time to address this. Made a 3d helmet rest cradle so I could give my neck muscles a periodic rest. Cradle is mounted in foam and then forced in between the headrest tubes. My current prototype cracked so a new design is now on the 3d printer. Feel free to PM if you need details.

That’s an interesting idea. I think the main thing for me is figuring out how to reduce vibration to my head. We have some rough roads out here. I can lift my head for big bumps, but some sections of road are bad and I wouldn’t be able to lift my head the whole time.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I did this with my Performance Adjustable Headrest, but you should be able to do it with your current headrest. I slid two thick foam handles onto the bars, wrapped adhesive-backed velcro around them. I bought a small plastic trash can from the $1 store and cut off a small piece that was slightly curved. I put another adhesive-backed foam piece onto the inside part for my neck, and 2 small strips of adhesive-backed velcro on the back side to attach to the 2 bars. I slid a neoprene Koozie over the plastic piece, cutting out the sections covering the velcro so it can stick and now I have a pretty good amount of cushioning that is easy to adjust even while riding that doesn't require tools and is pretty light weight.

 

[HeyHealy]

I did this with my Performance Adjustable Headrest, but you should be able to do it with your current headrest. I slid two thick foam handles onto the bars, wrapped adhesive-backed velcro around them. I bought a small plastic trash can from the $1 store and cut off a small piece that was slightly curved. I put another adhesive-backed foam piece onto the inside part for my neck, and 2 small strips of adhesive-backed velcro on the back side to attach to the 2 bars. I slid a neoprene Koozie over the plastic piece, cutting out the sections covering the velcro so it can stick and now I have a pretty good amount of cushioning that is easy to adjust even while riding that doesn't require tools and is pretty light weight.

Thanks for the description and photo. After repositioning the head rest, it felt much better. Although there's still quite a bit of chatter on the trails. But since I crashed this morning, I won't be able to ride my V20c until it's repaired or replaced.

 

[chicorider]

Sorry to hear about your crash (dogs and negligent dog owners make me so angry).

The headrest is meant to contact the small, boney knob at the base of the skull, with little to no contact with the neck itself. I use the standard headrest that comes with the V and stuff a block of 2-inch thick craft foam in the sock, cut to the proper length and width. For me, it offers enough cushioning/damping for 200 mile rides. The only thing I don't like about this foam is that it absorbs sweat. When I return home, I slide the sock off of the headrest and shake/squeeze out what sweat I can, then let it dry out off of the bike so that it doesn't drip all over the rear of the bike (frame, hub, brake caliper, wheel). It's not that big of a deal. I cut a new piece of foam a few times a year, mainly during the summer months.

When I was new to the V years ago, I also noticed how road vibrations when right to my head, making my vision a bit shaky. After a while, though, that sensation went away. I won't say to you, "you'll get used to it," because we're all different, and we ride different roads. But for me, I got used to it, and it doesn't bother me.

I hope you heal quickly. Stupid dogs!

 

[HeyHealy]

Thanks, Craig! After I repositioned the headrest at the point you described, it was much better. No pain and the vibrations didn't bother me as much. I might still try the adjustable seat w/ headrest because I think lifting my shoulders off the frame just a little bit would help soak up the vibrations.

I'm still in pain, but feeling better today than I did yesterday. So that's progress. And I agree... STUPID DOGS! Or I should probably say... STUPID DOG OWNERS!

 

[klieb]

I went out on my first ride this morning on my new V20c, equipped with the Suspension Adjustable Headrest, but quickly found that my neck/head did not feel good.

I think the headrest was pulled in a little too close and I need to extend the stock tubes a little bit more. But I still wonder where it should be making contact with my head? (My current helmet has rear dial, so I just ordered a Lazer to replace it. I'm sure the helmet is part of the problem.)

What can I do to minimize head vibration? The trails here seem to generate a lot of "chatter" and my head felt like it was vibrating and bouncing a lot, which wasn't pleasant. Can that be solved with just the Suspension Adjustable Headrest, or do I need to look at getting the Adjustable Carbon Fiber Seat and Headrest?

[Picture shows the red irritation on my neck from the bottom of the headrest.]

As this is my first post I thought I would introduce myself before addressing the subject in this thread. A few months ago I bought a complete Q45 and a V20c frameset directly from Cruzbike and had them shipped to Denmark where I live. I may go into more detail later about how I fitted the bikes, but for now let me add my thoughts on vibration damping. In my view and experience the main problem with vibrations on a road bike, and even more so on a recumbent, is not so much the big bumps as road buzz, the high-frequency vibrations, as they are persistent and very hard to combat. On a very reclined recumbent such as the V20c it is not easy to do without a headrest and the vibrations will therefore to some extent be transmitted to the neck or head region. I have a few ideas on how to address this problem.

I've had very reclined recumbents since 2007, first a Velokraft VK2 and later on an M5 CHR which I still have. In all those years I have experimented with various forms of damping. On my M5 I have installed rubber vibration dampers under the seat and on the V20c I have so far put sheets of sorbothane on the adjustable headrest base and made the bolts that attach the headrest to the seat floating, also with sorbothane. Although sorbothane is quite soft and prone to breaking up, it is still possible to use it for the headrest as it carries very little weight. Also, sorbothane is more efficient than other materials like rubber at damping high-frequency vibrations. Moreover, I have put the very thick foam from the M5 headrest on top of the adjustable headrest for even more cushioning.

In addition to this, and even more importantly, I ride tubeless with fairly wide tires. In my current setup I use Zipp 303 Firecrest with 32 mm Continental GP 5000 S TR tires. The low tire pressure recommended for this setup seems to reduce road buzz to a significant degree and for this reason alone I always recommend tubeless and use it on all my bikes.

Finally, but not least, I want to thank everyone in this forum. I have learned a lot from you.

Karsten